Whedon is the patron saint of those who equate �good dialogue� with �more dialogue.� His writing in �Serenity� is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, he�s created a lingo that exists at the intersection of frontier slang, sailor salt, and SoCal talk. The interaction between the outlaws is like something out of David Mamet or �Master & Commander� in that we don�t understand how individual words and phrases are being used until we �see� what everyone does as a result. That�s how movies are supposed to work: �show,� don�t �tell.� But when characters start giving us chapter and verse on how they feel about each other, the results are disastrous; we veer away from the space chase into a soap opera. The B couple is embarrassing, over-explaining every little look and glance. The one-liners are almost too plentiful to be funny. The Operative is a relentless motormouth�yack-yack-yack�but, since �The Matrix� movies, I guess no one takes you seriously unless you have a tough black guy who knows kung-fu and big words. Again, Joss, this is a movie, not TV�don�t �tell� us how these people feel, �show� us!
The movie�s production design is cheap and charming. Let�s just say that �Star Wars� is Neiman-Marcus and �Serenity� is the knock-off you buy at Target: they�re both cut from the same cloth, but only one has been to the tailor. Both feature vaguely jittery, computer-generated effects, but extra credit if you can guess whose jitters are less vague. Compared to �Star Wars,� space battles in �Serenity� are a bit choppy, blurry, and peopled by spaceships that are all the same grey-black metal. Both �Revenge of the Sith� and �Serenity� feature unscheduled landings on concrete runways, but one is distinctly better than the other. Few of the costumes and makeup in �Serenity� look beyond the capacity of the average university drama department. Muzzle flashes on the ends of guns are treated as privileges, not necessities. But I love that �Serenity� heedlessly bounds past these rough edges.
Will �Serenity� please �Firefly� fans? If you�re a regular visitor to my website, you know I don�t care. You know I regard with contempt viewers who decry movies that are unfaithful to the books or history upon which they are based. Joss Whedon has made a good movie and that�s what counts.
Finished Saturday, October 1st, 2005
Copyright � 2005 Friday & Saturday Night
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