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Again overriding the crew's complaints, Mal orders that ''Serenity'' be made to look like a Reaver ship. The transformation is successful, and they sneak through an entire fleet of Reaver warships. Upon reaching Miranda, the crew finds it has a completely habitable environment — but the sprawling cities are empty except for masses of badly decomposed corpses, all without apparent cause of death. The crew discovers a log recorded after the disaster by an Alliance expedition, which reveals that the Alliance administered a chemical substance designed to suppress aggression and thus render the planet free of violence. It worked so well that the populace stopped working, eating, or caring about anything and let themselves die. However, a relatively tiny fraction of the population had the opposite reaction, turning hyper-aggressive and mentally unstable: they became the Reavers. A sickened Mal plans to reveal this secret to all the worlds by using Mr. Universe's transmitter equipment, but the Operative has anticipated this and waits just outside of Reaver space with an Alliance fleet. During the return trip through the Reavers, ''Serenity'' opens fire upon a pursuing ship, causing the other vessels to chase it: ''Serenity'' emerges from Reaver space flanked by the entire Reaver fleet. A massive battle ensues between the Alliance and the Reavers, allowing ''Serenity's'' pilot [[Hoban Washburne|Wash]] to fly down to Mr. Universe's planet. The Operative's ship is destroyed, and he also flees to the surface in an escape pod.
Again overriding the crew's complaints, Mal orders that ''Serenity'' be made to look like a Reaver ship. The transformation is successful, and they sneak through an entire fleet of Reaver warships. Upon reaching Miranda, the crew finds it has a completely habitable environment — but the sprawling cities are empty except for masses of badly decomposed corpses, all without apparent cause of death. The crew discovers a log recorded after the disaster by an Alliance expedition, which reveals that the Alliance administered a chemical substance designed to suppress aggression and thus render the planet free of violence. It worked so well that the populace stopped working, eating, or caring about anything and let themselves die. However, a relatively tiny fraction of the population had the opposite reaction, turning hyper-aggressive and mentally unstable: they became the Reavers. A sickened Mal plans to reveal this secret to all the worlds by using Mr. Universe's transmitter equipment, but the Operative has anticipated this and waits just outside of Reaver space with an Alliance fleet. During the return trip through the Reavers, ''Serenity'' opens fire upon a pursuing ship, causing the other vessels to chase it: ''Serenity'' emerges from Reaver space flanked by the entire Reaver fleet. A massive battle ensues between the Alliance and the Reavers, allowing ''Serenity's'' pilot [[Hoban Washburne|Wash]] to fly down to Mr. Universe's planet. The Operative's ship is destroyed, and he also flees to the surface in an escape pod.
[[Image:Serenity5.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Wash flying ''Serenity'' to safety.]]
[[Image:Serenity5.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Wash flying ''Serenity'' to safety.]]
''Serenity'' crash lands on the planet and while it suffers massive damage, the crew has survived. Just as everyone begins to relax, a Reaver harpoon impales Wash, killing him instantly. Fleeing ''Serenity'', the crew sets up a last stand in a small room to hold off the Reavers and give Mal the time he needs to get to Mr. Universe and transmit the message. Mal finds Mr. Universe dead, but triggers a recorded message telling of a secondary transmitter hidden elsewhere in the complex. The Reavers attack the crew, inflict several injuries and force them to retreat. The crew tries to close a [[blast door]], but it will not seal completely, so River dives through the gap in the door and seals it from the other side trapping herself in with the Reavers. Mal reaches the second transmitter which is located on a platform perched over a deep shaft. The Operative appears, leading to a final bloody showdown between the two men. Mal emerges as the victor but does not kill the Operative, instead leaving him to watch the recording from Miranda. Mal returns to his crew; just as he is told what River did, the blast door opens to reveal River standing unscathed amidst an enormous pile of dead Reavers. A squad of Alliance troops belatedly storm onto the scene, but the Operative, his faith in his mission shattered by the Miranda message, orders them to stand down. The crew buries Mr. Universe, Shepherd Book, and Wash and patches up ''Serenity''. As they prepare to resume their travels, the Operative makes his own exit, promising Mal they will never meet again. ''Serenity'' blasts off with Mal in Wash's seat at the helm, and River acting as his copilot. The final shot shows the ship flying away triumphantly, until an unidentified piece of metal peels off the back of the ship and hits the camera, this is followed by Mal's comment "What was that"
''Serenity'' crash lands on the planet and while it suffers massive damage, the crew has survived. Just as everyone begins to relax, a Reaver harpoon impales Wash, killing him instantly. Fleeing ''Serenity'', the crew sets up a last stand in a small room to hold off the Reavers and give Mal the time he needs to get to Mr. Universe and transmit the message. Mal finds Mr. Universe dead, but triggers a recorded message telling of a secondary transmitter hidden elsewhere in the complex. The Reavers attack the crew, inflict several injuries and force them to retreat. The crew tries to close a [[blast door]], but it will not seal completely, so River dives through the gap in the door and seals it from the other side trapping herself in with the Reavers. Mal reaches the second transmitter which is located on a platform perched over a deep shaft. The Operative appears, leading to a final bloody showdown between the two men. Mal emerges as the victor but does not kill the Operative, instead leaving him to watch the recording from Miranda. Mal returns to his crew; just as he is told what River did, the blast door opens to reveal River standing unscathed amidst an enormous pile of dead Reavers. A squad of Alliance troops belatedly storm onto the scene, but the Operative, his faith in his mission shattered by the Miranda message, orders them to stand down. The crew buries Mr. Universe, Shepherd Book, and Wash and patches up ''Serenity''. As they prepare to resume their travels, the Operative makes his own exit, promising Mal they will never meet again. ''Serenity'' blasts off with Mal in Wash's seat at the helm, and River acting as his copilot. The final shot shows the ship flying away triumphantly, until an unidentified piece of metal peels off the back of the ship and hits the camera.
{{endspoiler}}
{{endspoiler}}


Revision as of 09:43, 18 September 2006

Serenity
Directed byJoss Whedon
Written byJoss Whedon
Produced byChristopher Buchanan
David V. Lester
Barry Mendel
Alisa Tager
StarringNathan Fillion
Summer Glau
Adam Baldwin
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Gina Torres
Alan Tudyk
Morena Baccarin
Jewel Staite
Sean Maher
Ron Glass
David Krumholtz
CinematographyJack N. Green
Edited byLisa Lassek
Music byDavid Newman
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
September 29, 2005 (Australia)
September 30, 2005 (USA)
October 7, 2005 (UK)
Running time
119 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$39,000,000

Serenity is a 2005 science fiction western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is set in the universe of the cancelled FOX science fiction television series Firefly, taking place approximately two months after the events of the final episode.[1] Set 500 years in the future, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a transport and cargo ship. The captain and first mate are veterans of a Unification War and fought on the losing side. Their lives of petty crime are interrupted by a psychic passenger who carries a dangerous secret.

The film was released in the United States on September 30, 2005 by Universal Pictures. It received generally positive reviews and opened at #2 in the United States, taking in $10.1 million its first weekend, spending two weeks in the top ten, and totalling a box office gross of $25.5 million.[2] Serenity won film of the year awards from Film 2005[3] and FilmFocus.[4] It also won IGN Film's Best Sci-Fi, Best Story and Best Trailer awards and was runner up for the Overall Best Movie.[5] It also won the Nebula Award for Best Script for 2005, the 7th annual 'User Tomato Awards' for best Sci-Fi movie of 2005 at Rotten Tomatoes, the 2006 viewers choice Spacey Award for favorite movie, the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form[6] and the 2006 Prometheus Special Award.

Among fans, the film is commonly referred to as the "Big Damn Movie" or abbreviated "BDM", a reference to a line from a Firefly episode. Serenity is a rare occurrence in the industry—as failed TV shows are rarely continued in major motion pictures.[7]

Production

The film is based on Firefly, a television series that was cancelled by FOX Network in December 2002—after 11 of its 14 produced episodes had aired.[8] When attempts to have another network pick the show up failed, creator Joss Whedon decided to try and sell it as a film. Through a connection, he was introduced to Mary Parent with Universal Pictures, who immediately signed on after watching the episodes on DVD.[8] By June of 2003, actors Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin confirmed this on the official Firefly forum, as did Whedon in several interviews.[9][10][11]

After Universal Studios acquired the movie rights to Firefly from FOX, Whedon began writing the screenplay. Universal planned to start shooting in October of 2003; however, delays in finishing the script pushed the start of shooting to June of 2004.[8] Universal, while on board with the movie, was not willing to spend the typical budget for a story set in space ($100 million), and Whedon convinced them he could do it for less, and without filming in Canada. And in 50 days, instead of the usual 80.[12] On March 3, 2004 the movie was officially greenlighted to enter production and it was revealed to have budget of only $40 million.[13][14] Typically, production of a movie would try and save money by not filming in Los Angeles, but Whedon insisted on staying local and hiring local, union crew.

Principal photography started on June 3, 2004. Joss Whedon stated that the film would be released as Serenity, in order to differentiate it from the TV series.[13] All nine principal cast members from the television series (Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau) returned for the movie. On September 17, 2004 Joss Whedon announced on the movie's official site that shooting had been completed.

Whedon's task was to take a television series that few people had seen and explain the premise, without boring the viewer, or the fans of the franchise. He achieved the exposition by constantly shifting the opening sequence: at first it is a traditional narrative, but then turns out to be a school room, which then turns out to be in River's mind, etc. The viewer is constantly fed information but at the same time it is unsettling. Whedon stated in the commentary that this works thematically as well, since it depicts River's fractured state of mind. When they reach the ship, Whedon uses a long tracking shot to establish "safety".[15]

File:Ffmuleskiff.jpg
Adam Baldwin on top of the mule, which is shown here attached to the rig created to help achieve the effect of a hover craft

Since the budget was not very large, practical special effects were used as much as possible: if a CGI composite was called for, as many tangible sets and props were made to reduce the amount of CGI needed.[16] The most technically challenging scene was the mule skiff chase.[16] For budget reasons, a gimbal (a hydraulic turntable) and CGI, like the pod race in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, were quickly ruled out and challenged the production team to find an alternative.[12] Instead they built a trailer with a cantilevered arm attached to the "hover craft" and shot the scene while riding up Templin Highway north of Santa Clarita.[12] As "Serenity" visual effects supervisor Loni Peristere stated in a Los Angeles Times article: "Traditionally this would have been, like, a 30-day shoot. I think we did it in five."[12]

One item that could not be reused from the television show that would have helped save money, was the original set of the interior of the ship Serenity. It had to be rebuilt from scratch for the film, using frozen images from the Firefly DVD set.[12] ZOIC, the CG-rendering company that produced the graphics for the series, also had to perform a complete overhaul of their computer model of Serenity, as its television model would not stand up to high-definition cinema screens (and future HD DVD resolution).[17][18]

The set for the failed colony, Miranda, was filmed on location at Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California.[19] (The building into which the Alliance ship is crashed is the DRHS Band and Orchestra's rehearsal room.)

Renowned comic book artist Bernie Wrightson, co-creator of Swamp Thing, contributed concept drawings for the Reavers.[20] Other comic book artists who contributed to the production design include Joshua Middleton and Leinil Francis Yu (Visual Companion).

Synopsis

Template:Spoiler Five hundred years into the future, Earth's resources have been depleted; humanity has moved to a new large star system and terraformed many of the moons and planets. The system is controlled by the authoritarian Alliance, but away from the "core planets" a frontier justice holds sway where outlaws like the crew of the interplanetary cargo ship Serenity can scrape out a living if they dodge Alliance forces and the Reavers—savage spacefaring cannibals who raid the worlds of "the Rim." A schoolgirl is seen questioning the Alliance's practices. She awakens as teenaged River, a brilliant psychic who is conditioned mentally and physically by the Alliance before being rescued by her brother Simon, and gaining sanctuary aboard Serenity. An Alliance agent called simply the Operative is given high authority by the Alliance Parliament and begins his hunt for the fugitives.

Roughly eight months after the fugitives have joined Serenity's crew, the ship's captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds overrides Simon's objections and insists upon bringing River (and her talents) along on a bank raid. After the crew narrowly escapes Reavers, Simon confronts Mal, who decides to leave the fugitives behind at their next stop. At said stop, while Mal is haggling with fences Mingo and Fanty over the bank-raid spoils, River wanders into the same bar, watches a video broadcast, and proceeds to attack everyone in sight. Simon arrives and shouts a "safe word" that causes her to fall asleep. Mal allows Simon and River to continue traveling on Serenity while the crew contacts a reclusive techno-geek known as Mr. Universe. Mr. Universe discovers that River's outburst was triggered by a subliminal message in the video she watched, beamed out by the Alliance. He also notes that River whispered the name "Miranda." Mal receives a call from Inara, a former passenger. Suspecting a trap, but mindful that she must be in danger, Mal visits her and is confronted by the Operative, who offers to let Mal go if he turns River over to him. Mal refuses, and thanks to Inara's quick thinking, they escape from the Operative and back to Serenity. Another of River's outbursts shows the crew that "Miranda" is an unknown outer rim planet, about which River learned something horrible when in contact with members of Parliament during an inspection visit of her training. Since traveling to Miranda would require a suicidal crossing into Reaver territory, Serenity instead goes to Haven, now home to another former passenger, Shepherd Book. On arrival, the crew discovers that the outpost has been ravaged by Alliance forces, fatally wounding Shepherd Book in the process. The Operative sends a message claiming responsibility, and promising more of the same until River is turned over.

File:Serenityfilm1.jpg
Mal ordering the crew to remodel Serenity to look like a Reaver ship.

Again overriding the crew's complaints, Mal orders that Serenity be made to look like a Reaver ship. The transformation is successful, and they sneak through an entire fleet of Reaver warships. Upon reaching Miranda, the crew finds it has a completely habitable environment — but the sprawling cities are empty except for masses of badly decomposed corpses, all without apparent cause of death. The crew discovers a log recorded after the disaster by an Alliance expedition, which reveals that the Alliance administered a chemical substance designed to suppress aggression and thus render the planet free of violence. It worked so well that the populace stopped working, eating, or caring about anything and let themselves die. However, a relatively tiny fraction of the population had the opposite reaction, turning hyper-aggressive and mentally unstable: they became the Reavers. A sickened Mal plans to reveal this secret to all the worlds by using Mr. Universe's transmitter equipment, but the Operative has anticipated this and waits just outside of Reaver space with an Alliance fleet. During the return trip through the Reavers, Serenity opens fire upon a pursuing ship, causing the other vessels to chase it: Serenity emerges from Reaver space flanked by the entire Reaver fleet. A massive battle ensues between the Alliance and the Reavers, allowing Serenity's pilot Wash to fly down to Mr. Universe's planet. The Operative's ship is destroyed, and he also flees to the surface in an escape pod.

File:Serenity5.jpg
Wash flying Serenity to safety.

Serenity crash lands on the planet and while it suffers massive damage, the crew has survived. Just as everyone begins to relax, a Reaver harpoon impales Wash, killing him instantly. Fleeing Serenity, the crew sets up a last stand in a small room to hold off the Reavers and give Mal the time he needs to get to Mr. Universe and transmit the message. Mal finds Mr. Universe dead, but triggers a recorded message telling of a secondary transmitter hidden elsewhere in the complex. The Reavers attack the crew, inflict several injuries and force them to retreat. The crew tries to close a blast door, but it will not seal completely, so River dives through the gap in the door and seals it from the other side trapping herself in with the Reavers. Mal reaches the second transmitter which is located on a platform perched over a deep shaft. The Operative appears, leading to a final bloody showdown between the two men. Mal emerges as the victor but does not kill the Operative, instead leaving him to watch the recording from Miranda. Mal returns to his crew; just as he is told what River did, the blast door opens to reveal River standing unscathed amidst an enormous pile of dead Reavers. A squad of Alliance troops belatedly storm onto the scene, but the Operative, his faith in his mission shattered by the Miranda message, orders them to stand down. The crew buries Mr. Universe, Shepherd Book, and Wash and patches up Serenity. As they prepare to resume their travels, the Operative makes his own exit, promising Mal they will never meet again. Serenity blasts off with Mal in Wash's seat at the helm, and River acting as his copilot. The final shot shows the ship flying away triumphantly, until an unidentified piece of metal peels off the back of the ship and hits the camera. Template:Endspoiler

Promotion and release

Theatrical sneak previews

Hoping to generate buzz through early word-of-mouth, Universal launched an unprecedented 3-stage campaign to sneak-preview the then-unfinished movie in 35 US cities where the television series had earned high Nielsen Ratings. The first stage of screenings was held in 10 cities on May 5, 2005. The second stage, held on May 26, 2005, added an additional 10 cities and was also the source of controversy when individual theatres began selling tickets before the official announcement was released, leading some shows to be sold out before being announced. The third round of screenings, with an additional 15 cities, was held on June 23, 2005. The screenings proved a success, with all three stages selling out in less than 24 hours, the second-stage screening in Washington DC sold out in a mere 22 minutes and the second screening in Phoenix sold out in 8.[21][22]

Australian audiences were the first outside North America to get preview screenings. After an exclusive Sydney test screening, Melbourne held a public screening on July 21, 2005. This was followed by a film festival screening on the Gold Coast on July 22. Public preview screenings were held in Adelaide and Sydney on August 1, and Perth on August 4. Further screenings were held in Victoria, Tasmania, and Queensland in late August.

"Gala Premiere" and other early screenings of the finished film

A showing of the finished film billed as the "Gala Premiere" was held at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 22,[23] followed by an interview with Whedon the next day,[24] and preview screenings across the United Kingdom and Ireland on August 24, in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Dublin. Several of the screenings in all the countries featured the attendance of Joss Whedon and the film's cast, followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Whedon also attended two Q&A sessions after sold-out screenings of the finished film in Melbourne and Sydney on September 12 and 13.

File:Moblog 402483abedfac.jpg
River (left), upset with the interviewer in Session 165 of the R. Tam sessions released on the internet.

Internet campaign

The trailer also generated buzz on the Internet. It was uploaded on April 26, and by the 28th, it topped the Yahoo Buzz Index.[25][26]

Universal also utilized a viral marketing campaign, producing five short videos that were released on the internet between August 16 and September 5. These short films, known as the "R. Tam sessions," depicted excerpts of counseling sessions with the character River Tam while she was being held at a "learning facility" known only as "The Academy". The counselor in these sessions is played by Joss Whedon himself. Taking place before the events of the film or the television series, the videos shed some light on the experiments and torture "The Academy" conducted on River. They "document" her change from a shy child prodigy to the mentally unstable character of the television series.[27]

On October 5th, 2005, Universal also made the first nine minutes of Serenity available online.[28] A browser plug-in allowed the viewer to see the opening of the film in full-screen broadcast quality (bandwidth permitting). The clip was removed a few weeks later.

Reception

Serenity received mostly positive reviews from film critics, with a "fresh" rating of 81%[29] from the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from a wide range of film critics. Ebert & Roeper gave the film "Two Thumbs Up,"[30] and The San Francisco Chronicle called it "a triumph",[31] while The New York Times described it as a modest but superior science fiction film.[32] It is listed at #38 of top Science Fiction movies on IMDB.[33] Science fiction author Orson Scott Card called Serenity "the best science fiction film ever," further stating "If Ender's Game can't be this kind of movie, and this good a movie, then I want it never to be made. I'd rather just watch Serenity again."[34]

However, some reviewers felt the film was unable to overcome its television origins, and did not successfully accomplish the transition to the big screen. USA Today wrote that "the characters are generally uninteresting and one-dimensional, and the futuristic Western-style plot grows tedious" while Variety declared that the film "bounces around to sometimes memorable effect but rarely soars".

Despite critical acclaim and Internet buzz, Serenity performed modestly at best at the box office. Although several pundits predicted a #1 opening,[35][36][37] the film opened at #2 in the United States, taking in $10.1 million its first weekend, spending two weeks in the top ten, and totaling a box office gross of $25.5 million.[2] Movie industry analyst Brandon Gray described Serenity's box office performance as "like a below average genre picture".[38]

Serenity's international box office results were mixed, with strong openings in the UK, Portugal and Russia, but poor results in Spain, Australia, France and Italy. Universal International Pictures cancelled the film's theatrical release in at least seven countries, planning to release it directly to DVD instead. The box office income outside the United States was $13.3 million, with a worldwide total of $38.8 million,[39] slightly less than the film's $39 million budget, which doesn't include the promotion and advertising costs, the budget for which was approximately $10 million. The film's creators and supporters are hoping that strong DVD sales, similar to those of the Firefly television series, may lead to a sequel production.

Cast

File:Serenity Cast.jpg
The crew of Serenity at the start of the film, from left to right: Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Nathan Fillion, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau.
  • Nathan Fillion as Mal. A former sergeant on the losing side of the Unification War, he struggles to survive free and independent of the Alliance. Captain Malcolm Reynolds was named #18 in TV Guide's "25 Greatest Sci-fi legends" list in 2004.[40] Whedon approached Fillion to play the lead and after explaining the premise and showing Fillion the treatment for the pilot, Fillion was eager for the role.[41]
  • Gina Torres as Zoe. Another veteran who fought alongside Mal in the war, she is fiercely loyal to Mal, whom she calls "the captain."
  • Alan Tudyk as Wash. The pilot of the ship, and Zoe's husband. He often acts as a voice of reason on the ship.
  • Morena Baccarin as Inara. She is a companion and formerly rented one of Serenity's shuttles. In one of the Operative's traps, Mal is reunited with Inara at her training house, and the two escape back to Serenity.
  • Adam Baldwin as Jayne. A mercenary, skilled with weapons, is often the "main gun" for jobs and is someone who can be depended on in a fight.[42] He is a "lummox" but thinks he is the smartest guy in space.[43] As Whedon states several times, he is the person that will ask the questions that no one else wants to talk about.[44]
  • Jewel Staite as Kaylee. Kaylee, the ship's intuitively skilled mechanic, also has a persistently bright and sunny temperament.
  • Sean Maher as Simon. Simon is River's loving brother who helps rescue her from the Alliance. He and River are taken in by the crew of Serenity. His life is defined by caring for his sister.[43];
  • Summer Glau as River. River is a seventeen-year old psychic genius. She and her brother are taken in by the crew of Serenity after she is rescued from an Alliance Academy. The Alliance's pursuit of River forms the basis of the film's plot. As Whedon states, the film is the "story of Mal as told by River."[15]
  • Ron Glass as Shepherd Book. A shepherd, or preacher, Book was once a passenger on Serenity, but now resides on the planet Haven. Mal and the crew look to him for guidance.
  • Chiwetel Ejiofor as The Operative. A ruthless, intelligent employee of the Alliance assigned to track down River and Simon. In searching for the person to place the role, Ejiofor was on the top of every casting director's list, but the studio was wanting someone more well known. Whedon, however, was eventually able to cast Ejiofor.[45]
  • David Krumholtz as Mr. Universe. A "techno-geek" with good relations with the crew of Serenity, especially Wash, Mr. Universe lives with his "love-bot" wife and monitors incoming signals from around the 'verse.

Themes

While the film seems to depict the Alliance as an all-powerful, authoritarian-style regime, Whedon is careful to point out that it is not so simple as that; "The Alliance isn't some evil empire", but rather a force that is largely benevolent. The Alliance’s main problem is that it is in over its head dealing with all the myriad cultures that it cannot control and should not try to.[46] What the crew of Serenity, and specifically Mal and his lifestyle, represents is that people have the right to choose, even if that choice is wrong. This is the main message of the film - that no one person or group has the right to impose their views on others, even if it is a better way of thinking.[47]

The Operative embodies the Alliance and is as Whedon stated the "perfect product of what's wrong with the Alliance". He is someone who is a force for good, who wants to achieve a "world without sin", and believes this so strongly that he will do anything to achieve it, including risking his soul. In contrast, Mal is someone who has lost his beliefs.[48] Someone who cares and believes so strongly about something has the potential to be a monster, and we see in this film with the Operative filling this role. Conversely, Mal who has not been an effective leader because he has tried to put that deadly conviction that he used to have (in the Unification War) behind him and knows what it will bring - "I start fighting a war I guarantee you'll see something new" (Mal to Inara foreshadowing his attainment of a belief). By the end of the movie, however, Mal finally believes in something so strongly that in a sense he approaches this potential to be a monster, for he asks the crew to lay down their lives for this belief.[49][47] Whedon has said that the most important line in the movie is Mal's line to the Operative "I'm going to show you a world without sin." Whedon's point with this, and with Mal saying he is a "fan of all seven", is that sin is "outdated" and that it is just, quite simply, who we are as humans.[47]

Influences

Joss Whedon explains in the DVD commentary track that the planet "Miranda" received its name in reference to a line spoken by Shakespeare's Miranda in The Tempest, Act V, scene I: "O brave new world, / That has such people in't!"[49] The Alliance had hoped that Miranda would be a new kind of world, filled with peaceful, happy people, and represents the "inane optimism of the Alliance".[50] It is also of note that the planet on which River was conditioned is called Ariel, which is also the name of a character in The Tempest (who represents the wind). The aforementioned quotation from The Tempest also gave the title to the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, which portrays an orderly but passionless society in which the populace are kept in check by means of a drug, Soma. Huxley described his novel as a "negative utopia". Like the World State of Brave New World, the Alliance in Serenity attempts to create a perfect society by administering a drug, but their manipulation leads to the exact opposite.

Serenity makes several references to the movie Forbidden Planet.[original research?] These include the name of the failed colony, Miranda (Forbidden Planet is based upon The Tempest),[51] and the two vessels labeled C57D, which was the callsign of the main spacecraft in Forbidden Planet. All the references to Forbidden Planet take place on the "lost" world of Miranda, and the logic behind this in-joke would seem to be this:[original research?] in Forbidden Planet, a spaceship visits a dead world whose inhabitants had gone extinct after an attempt to use technology to improve their lives to godlike status failed, releasing their inner id, which destroyed them entirely. In Serenity, humans attempt to use technology to perfect their world, resulting in the unbound id of the Reavers, who destroy everything.

Serenity also owes a debt to such science fiction classics as Blade Runner, Star Wars and Aliens.

"Serenity" was clearly written by someone who grew up worshiping at the altar of Han Solo and the space marines in "Aliens," but this genre picture is still a thrillingly original science fiction creation. The writing is as good as in the best "Star Trek" episodes, while offering a thoughtfully bleak vision of the future that brings to mind "Blade Runner."[31]
—Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

"Pax", the chemical that the Alliance used to try to pacify the people on Miranda, is named for the Latin word for "peace".[original research?] The Latin "pax" is most notably used in the term Pax Romana, the period during the rule of the Roman Empire where they pacified regions, sometimes forcefully, which had suffered from the quarrels between rival leaders. The Roman historian Tacitus, in his Agricola, quotes the chieftain of a barbarian tribe resisting Roman hegemony as saying Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.: meaning "where [the Romans] create a desolation, they call it pax (peace)".

The Fruity Oaty Bar commercial is partially inspired by Mr. Sparkle, the mascot of a fictional brand of dish-washing detergent, who was featured in The Simpsons episode "In Marge We Trust".[52] Serenity is one of several films set in the future that speculates how popular culture might evolve. Other films include Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange and The Fifth Element. This future envisioned in Serenity has two political and cultural centers: Euro-American and Chinese. Characters all speak English and Mandarin, with the latter language reserved for the strongest curse words and the most affectionate diminutives.[citation needed] The Chinese spoken in the film is however not the standard Beijing version of Mandarin, but includes some Taiwan-specific slang.[citation needed] English in Serenity also has its own slang; for example, where 21st century people might say "neat" or "cool", the characters in Serenity say "shiny". While these two are the dominant languages of the film, other languages are also spoken in the Firefly / Serenity universe, including Russian (spoken by Simon during the movie). The safeword phrase that Simon uses to shut River down, "Eta kuram na smekh", is a Russian expression ("Это курам на смех"). Literally, it means, "That's for chickens to laugh at" — a Russian idiom for "That's ridiculous."[53] The English subtitles on the DVD incorrectly list the line as "[speaking Chinese]".

Shepherd Book refers to himself as a Christian, suggesting that Christianity has survived in some form into the future 500 years hence.

During the "marriage" ceremony between Mr. Universe and his love-bot Lenore, he breaks a wine glass. This is a Jewish wedding tradition, implying that Judaism has also survived in some form, and that Mr. Universe is Jewish.

At one point in the film, Inara pays homage to a Buddha statue, suggesting that the Buddhist philosophy, or a form of it, may have survived.

Soundtrack

Main article: Serenity (soundtrack)

The soundtrack to the film was released on September 27, 2005. It was composed by David Newman, and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony under Newman's direction. According to director Joss Whedon's sleeve notes for the album, Newman was recommended by Universal's music executives when he requested a musician capable of "everything." It is of note that the acoustic guitar version of the Ballad of Serenity, which was used at the end of the film's credits, is absent from the soundtrack.

Whedon's directions to Newman for the Serenity theme were that he wanted something homemade and mournful that would let viewers know that they were now "home" and evoke the idea of the pioneer, when everyone only had what they could carry.[54]

DVD release

Serenity was released on DVD, UMD, and VHS in North America on December 20 2005. It quickly went to #1 in sales on Amazon.com.[55] It also spent two weeks in the top ten on Billboard's Top DVD Sales charts, peaking at #3. As of January 15, 2006, the DVD/VHS rentals of the film have grossed around $9,190,000.[56] The DVD presents the film in anamorphic widescreen, with 5.1 surround sound. Included as extras are an audio commentary by Joss Whedon, deleted scenes and outtakes, and several short documentaries. These documentaries include "Future History: The Story of Earth That Was", "What's in a Firefly", and "Re-Lighting the Firefly". Also included is a short introduction to the film by Joss Whedon, and an easter egg on the U.S. edition that features a small featurette on the "Fruity Oaty Bar" commercial, entitled "We'll Have A Fruity Oaty Good Time".[57]

On February 8, 2006, the film was released as a two-disc set in Australia (Region 4) and parts of Europe (Region 2). In addition to the supplemental material found on the North American (Region 1) release, this release contains new features. At present, disc 2 is exclusive only to Australia and Benelux — Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It was released in Germany as part of the special edition[58] However, other international territories may decide to release the 2nd disc as well. Added material for disc 1 includes "A Filmmaker's Journey: Journey with Joss from Script to Screen", which is available on all international DVDs, but not the US version. Added material for disc 2 includes a Joss Whedon Q&A session filmed at FOX Studios in Sydney, extended scenes, and two documentaries entitled "Take a Walk on Serenity" and "The Green Clan". An "exclusive collector's tin" version of Serenity was also released for the two disk edition by the EzyDVD chain of stores in Australia.[59]

Serenity was chosen as one of the first HD DVDs to be released. The Serenity HD DVD was released on April 18, 2006. On the day of its release, it ranked in the later 100s on Amazon.com in top selling DVDs. Given the low demand for HD DVDs at this point, this is quite notable. As of July 1, 2006 Serenity remains the second highest selling HD DVD.

Sequels

Fans of Firefly had hoped that if Serenity was successful, it might lead either to a revival of the television series or a film franchise (colloquially referred to as the "Big Damn Trilogy", or BDT). The former was always unlikely, since Fox still owns the Firefly television rights and Joss Whedon refuses to work for Fox again.[60] Fans' hopes for further theatrical films appear to have been partially dashed by Serenity's poor box office showing. However, on December 1, 2005, IGN Filmforce reported that Universal had expressed an interest in making a Serenity TV movie for broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel (which is owned by Universal), and eventual DVD sale. It is expected that commissioning of a television sequel would be contingent on strong DVD sales of Serenity.[61] Joss Whedon, in response to the many rumors and speculations, has always said that nothing will be decided until the DVD sales are known.

On June 23, 2006 a number of fans organized and spread word of "Serenity Day", on which all fans were proposed to purchase a copy of Serenity in an attempt to convince Universal that a sequel would be profitable. The significance of this day is that June 23, 2006, is the one-year anniversary of the third and final advance screening of Serenity prior to its release, and also Joss Whedon's birthday. The impact of the event could be seen from Serenity reaching #2 in the Amazon DVD Charts.[62], the highest ranking the DVD reached since January 16. [63]

Spin-offs

Several spin-offs have been released which tie in with the film. One of the first, the R. Tam sessions, which are set before the film and TV series, were released unofficially by Whedon via the internet from August 16, 2005 to September 5, 2005, as a form of viral marketing for the film. A novelization of the film was written by Keith R. A. DeCandido, and published on August 30, 2005. Serenity: The Official Visual Companion was written by Joss Whedon, published by Titan Books, and released on September 1, 2005 in paperback. It contained the film's screenplay, along with other supplemental features such as concept art, film images, and a map of the 'verse. A role-playing game entitled Serenity, published by Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd, was released in 2005. This was followed by Serenity: Out in the Black by Tracy and Laura Hickman.

Bridging the gap between the end of the television series and the beginning of the movie is a three-issue comic book series entitled Serenity: Those Left Behind. The comic is written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, illustrated by Will Conrad and Laura Martin, and published by Dark Horse Comics. The story focuses on the crew of Serenity taking a salvage job from Badger following a botched theft on a backwater planet, and the pursuit of River by the ominous blue-gloved men seen in the television series. The story is considered part of the Firefly/Serenity canon. Each issue of the series features three different covers, with each cover featuring one of the nine main characters, each by a different illustrator, including Joe Quesada, Bryan Hitch, Tim Bradstreet and John Cassaday. The first issue was published in July 2005, and the final one appeared in September. The comics quickly sold out on release, with both the #1 and #2 issues going into second printings. Many comic book retailers reported that it was their highest selling comic those months, in part because of the multiple covers, but also because it attracted a group of customers who are not traditionally comic book buyers. The comics were later reissued as a trade paperback compilation. It has been recently confirmed that Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews will write more Serenity comics for Dark Horse. The new comics are expected to be released sometime in mid-to-late 2006 or early 2007.

"Serenity Now" event

Beginning in January 2006, fans (with Universal's blessing) began organizing charity screenings of Serenity[64] to benefit Equality Now, an organization supported by Joss Whedon. By mid-June, 41 such screenings had been confirmed for cities in Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, and the United States, and as of June 19, there were 47 scheduled screenings. The project was referred to as "Serenity Now/Equality Now" on the official website, is often referred to in shortened form as "Serenity Now" or by the acronym "SN", and was coordinated through Can't Stop The Serenity(sic), where a full list of screenings was also available (the website has since changed hands and temporarily is being hosted at a different URL). The majority of the screenings were held on or around June 23 - the date both of Joss Whedon's birthday and of the final US sneak preview screening. As of July 15 the Can't Stop The Serenity website, after getting reports in from 41 of the 47 scheduled screenings, stated that the project had raised an estimated $64,871.27 for Equality Now. A breakdown of the 2006 screenings and their respective takes after costs are figured in is still listed on the new Can't Stop The Serenity website.

The organizers of individual screenings were able to donate anywhere from $236.11 (the estimated donation from the Oxford, UK screening before the final tally) to $6,900.00 (the estimated donation from the Portland, Oregon screening before the final tally) to Equality Now, though 20 of the 26 screenings with confirmed, finalized donation amounts as of August 31, 2006 fell into the $300-$2000 range.

Discussion on repeating the event in 2007 began almost immediately upon the event's completion. Devin Pike, organizer of the 2006 Dallas event, replaced "The One True B!x" as the primary organizer and webmaster in late August of 2006[1]. Though there was some disagreement amongst organizers regarding whether to schedule the 2007 event for the same late June timeframe or to schedule it for the official anniversary of the film's U.S. release date (September 30), the decision was made to hold future "Serenity Now" events in June to connect it with the original 2006 date.

Notes

  1. ^ In the film, Mal says that Simon and River have been on the ship for 8 months. In the Firefly episode "Trash", Mal says that he first encountered Saffron "bout a half year back". Therefore, only two months at the most could have taken place between the series and the film.
  2. ^ a b "Serenity (2005) - Daily Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
  3. ^ a b "Films Of The Year". BBC. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
  4. ^ a b "Serenity". FilmFocus. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
  5. ^ a b "The Best of 2005". IGN Film. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
  6. ^ a b "Hugo and Campbell Awards Winners". Locus Online. 2006-08-26. Retrieved 2006-08-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Russell, M.E. (2006-06-24). "The Browncoats Rise Again". The Daily Standard. Retrieved 2006-07-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  8. ^ a b c Whedon, Serenity: The Official Visual Companion, p.17
  9. ^ "Captain on Deck! hello to all". Official Firefly Forum. 2003-06-13. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ ""Serenity Saloon" is open fer bidness". Official Firefly Forum. 2003-06-06. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ ""Serenity Saloon" is open fer bidness". Official Firefly Forum. 2003-06-06. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b c d e McNamara, Mary (2004-10-09). "Down-home directing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2006-07-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  13. ^ a b Snyder, Gabriel (2004-03-03). "Whedon's 'Serenity' greenlit". Variety. Retrieved 2006-07-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  14. ^ Snyder, Gabriel (2004-03-21). "'Firefly' feature alights". Variety. Retrieved 2006-07-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  15. ^ a b Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, track 1 "Living Weapon"
  16. ^ a b Whedon, Serenity DVD, "What's in a Firefly"
  17. ^ Miller, Gerri. "Inside 'Serenity'". Retrieved 2006-07-09.
  18. ^ "Interview with Zoic Studios' Visual Effects for Serenity". NewTek.com. 2006-01-24. Retrieved 2006-07-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Dead city of Miranda/modern American high school". Whedonesque.com. 2006-04-19. Retrieved 2006-07-02. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  20. ^ Epstein, Daniel Robert (c. 2005-09-30). "Interview with Joss Whedon". Suicide Girls. Retrieved 2006-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "More Serenity Screenings Announced, Sell Out Immediately". rottentomatoes.com. 2005-05-12. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  22. ^ "Serenity Screenings Sell Out". slashdot. 2005-05-01. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  23. ^ Serenity at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
  24. ^ Reel Life: Joss Whedon Live Onstage Interview at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
  25. ^ "Serenity Trailer Now Online!". WHEDONesque. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite web}}: Text "year-2005-04-26" ignored (help)
  26. ^ "Serene on the Screen". Yahoo Buzz Index. 2005-04-28. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  27. ^ R_Tam_Sessions_Full.mov (The site's FAQ states that it was not involved with the making of these videos in any way.)
  28. ^ http://video.vividas.com/CDN1/3929_Serenity/web/index.html
  29. ^ Serenity (2005) at Rotten Tomatoes
  30. ^ Ebert & Roeper, Reviews for the Weekend of October 1 - 2, 2005
  31. ^ a b Hartlaub, Peter (2005-09-30). "'Serenity' earns director Whedon spot on sci-fi's Mount Rushmore". San Francisco Chronicle.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  32. ^ Dargis, Manohla (2005-09-30). "Scruffy Space Cowboys Fighting Their Failings". New York Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  33. ^ "Top Rated "Sci-Fi" Titles". IMDB.com. Retrieved 2006-09-16.
  34. ^ Card, Orson Scott (September 30, 2005). ""Uncle Orson Reviews Everything"". Hatrack.com. Retrieved 2006-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Karger, Dave (2005-09-29). "Back in Commission". Entertainment Weekly.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  36. ^ Gray, Brandon (2005-09-29). "BOX OFFICE FORECAST". Box Office Mojo.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  37. ^ "Box Office Forecast". Box Office Report.
  38. ^ Gray, Brandon (2005-10-17). "'Fog' Tops Soggy Weekend". Box Office Mojo.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  39. ^ "Serenity (2005) - International Box Office". Box Office Mojo.
  40. ^ "Firefly mentioned in TV Guide". FireflyFans.net. 2004-07-26. Retrieved 2006-06-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  41. ^ "Interview with Nathan Fillion - Dreamwatch Magazine 107". whedon.info. 2003-09-09. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  42. ^ Whedon, Firefly: the complete series: "Train Job" commentary, track 10
  43. ^ a b Whedon, Firefly: the complete series: "Serenity" commentary
  44. ^ Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, track 7 "Mr. Universe"
  45. ^ Whedon, Serenity: The Official Visual Companion, pp.21, 24.
  46. ^ Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, track 11 "Miranda"
  47. ^ a b c Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, track 17 "Fighting for Belief"
  48. ^ Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, track 2 "A Better World"; Whedon, Serenity: The Official Visual Companion, p. 21
  49. ^ a b Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, track 10 "Posing a Threat"
  50. ^ Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, Track 14, "Learning the Secret"
  51. ^ Richter, Ingrid (1999-11-23). "Parallax Reviews: 'Forbidden Planet', Forbidden Fruit". space.com. Retrieved 2006-07-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  52. ^ Whedon, Serenity: Making of Fruity Oaty Bar on Serenity DVD
  53. ^ eyeofhorus (2005-09-13). ""Having a beer with Joss"". Serenity Oz (serenitymovie.com.au). Retrieved 2006-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  54. ^ Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, Track 3 "Aboard Serenity".
  55. ^ "Serenity DVD Amazon sales rank tracker". Fireflyfans.net.
  56. ^ ""Top Renters for Week Ended [[January 15]], [[2006]]"". VideoBusiness.com. Retrieved 2006-03-12. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  57. ^ DVD Easter Egg found on Serenity (Widescreen)
  58. ^ "German Special Edition on Amazon.de".
  59. ^ Serenity (EXCLUSIVE Collector's Tin) (2 Discs) @ EzyDVD
  60. ^ "Completely completed SERENITY screens at Comic-Con! And..." Ain't It Cool News. 2005-07-25. Retrieved 2006-06-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  61. ^ "Exclusive: A Serenity Sequel?". IGN.com. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
  62. ^ "Serenity DVD Amazon Info Tracker". Fireflyfans.net. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
  63. ^ "Serenity Day website". Retrieved 2006-06-06.
  64. ^ "Can't Stop The Serenity".

References

  • DeCandido, Keith R.A. Serenity. August 30, 2005. ISBN 1-4165-0755-8.
  • Whedon, Joss. Serenity: The Visual Companion. September 1, 2005. ISBN 1-84576-082-4.
  • Serenity (DVD). 2003-12-09. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |producer= (help); Unknown parameter |director= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |distributor= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
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