Just the origin of “Serenity” is enough to make translation to a mass audience nearly impossible to imagine. How exactly does one take a failed television show with several massive plot and character threads, all of which beg for some sense of resolution, and make it accessible? The trade-off is enormous. Thankfully, Joss Whedon had more than enough time to find a way to make it happen.
The trick is getting past the need to introduce the basic elements of the story and get into the meat of it. Nearly everyone who has become a fan of “Firefly” and now “Serenity” has done so through the process of exposure; it’s not the pretty packaging or the ad hook, it’s the depth of the actual content. Frequently, the comments go like this: “I wasn’t sure at first, but before I knew it, I was sucked in.”
That’s the one part of this film that presents a problem. In short, any short blurb on the film will inevitably reduce it down to a rather bland premise. The television promos don’t really communicate anything special. As with the series itself, the challenge is filling the seats and getting people to sit through enough of the film to understand what they’re seeing.
The first ten minutes or so of the film are like a primer on the basics of the “Serenity” universe. Even those familiar with the series “Firefly” might find themselves trying to absorb this familiar information, presented in a somewhat new perspective. For new audience members, this new perspective is key, since it threads throughout the film and makes it a relatively complete story. But concepts and characters jump in and out of view, and it feels like Joss is challenging the audience to keep up.
One thing that helps the “experienced” viewer is the more clear-cut nature of the Alliance and its goals. New audience members will accept the explanation of River’s importance, effectively given at the very beginning, without much reaction. For established fans, it’s a revelation. A lot of moments play that way.
But some things aren’t well explained, and it’s due to time and practicality. Book’s role in the story seems a bit out of context. For that matter, at no time is Inara’s profession and Mal’s complicated reaction to it explained or explored. As far as the new audience knows, Inara is just a beautiful rich woman who got away. Simon’s sacrifices are covered in a few lines. For that matter, Mal’s complicated history and his loss of faith aren’t nearly as well established as they could be. How Joss might have otherwise overcome those challenges is a tough question, and for many, the strengths will outweigh those weaknesses.
Anyone looking for a light-hearted tale is in for a shock. This is a very dark story. There are moments of levity and the standard twisted humor of a strong Joss script, but this is Mal as he was always meant to be. The situation degrades slowly but surely until things get very, very grim. At several points, survival is not a sure thing, and not just because Serenity is in jeopardy. There are many brutal scenes, but because they are in context, it never seems gratuitous.
This is not the kind of film that will be a smash after opening weekend. Instead, it feels more like the kind of film that current fans will show to friends, who will then come out very happy, and word of mouth will work its magic. It’s not hard to imagine that the “Firefly” DVD sales will increase for a time, as new fans scramble to see more, leading to more viewings of the film and robust DVD sales.
But the question is: objectively, does this film stand on its own? If one looks at it strictly from the point of view of the events depicted, then it does work. There’s a sense of history, and while that is sometimes taken for granted a little more than it should be, it keeps the story from having too many gaps. Some moments are clearly meant for “Firefly” fans, but that’s to be expected. If someone walks in with no knowledge of that, and they get past the lack of familiarity, then it all comes together in the end.
