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Before I saw it, I couldn't think of any way that this could disappoint me. That turned out to be correct, because as expected, it was wonderful. I think my view of it definitely has a lot to do with being a Firefly fan, but I still think it would all make sense if I was a Firefly virgin; it just probably wouldn't mean as much (i.e. deaths of certain characters). It starts very cleverly with a sort of flashback, obviously designed to give newcomers some idea about what's going on, but at the same time it doesn't feel like backtracking to fans. The film's very densely plotted, as it's fitting in what would have taken a good few seasons if the show had continued, but it's always coherent and gripping, thanks in a large part to Joss Whedon's writing and direction. Some reviews had singled out the special effects as being poor, but I didn't see what they were on about. I thought the effects were excellent (especially considering the comparatively low budget) and were definitely on a par with many big blockbusters. I was completely wrapped up in the film from start to finish, and even the talky bits were so well written and funny that they were just as entertaining as the frequent action scenes. Speaking of action, there was one scene in particular that I found astonishing - a huge-scale space battle that could easily give Episode 3's a run for its money. I still wish that this had carried on as a series as it's better suited to that medium, but that’s not Whedon’s fault and this is as good as a film could have been, without being at least 3 hours long! Joss Whedon has given his unjustly cancelled TV show a worthy sendoff, and has produced a film that's as close in fun and heart to the original Star Wars flicks as any have come.
The summary
To sum Serenity up: exciting, engrossing, funny, entertaining, intelligent - I could go on for hours.
