Serenity!

I’m in! I just got notification that I have been selected as one of the people to see Serenity on the 27th. As a part of this, I’m obligated to provide you with the following synopsis:

Joss Whedon, the Oscar® - and Emmy - nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE, ANGEL and FIREFLY, now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity. The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family -squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

I think this is a pretty shitty synopsis. I cut ’n pasted it exactly, only putting a little markup in place. You’ll note that it was poorly proofed: Whedon never produced a television show named “Buffy the Vampire”. I didn’t watch it, but I’m pretty sure she was quite the opposite of a vampire… a slayer of some sort. It should also be noted that his feature-film debut is based on his TV show “Firefly”. That connection is worth noting. And referring to Mal as “hardened” seems pretty inaccurate. I’d put him in the “dissolusioned” category if any. But maybe this is why nobody has asked me to proof-read a movie synopsis.

Regardless, I think it is important to note that “Firefly” and, I assume, “Serenity” is character-centric sci-fi. Sure, they have spacecraft and super-cool computers, but the show was about the interesting people, society, political sides, and their interactions. The future is just a backdrop for a real story. I enjoyed the story as it was told on “Firefly” immensely, and I look forward to seeing the movie adaptation (and hopefully get some damn closure about several of the story arcs). If the movie is told in the same spirit as the show I suspect that it will be enjoyable to people that aren’t necessarily sci-fi fans (something “Star Trek” never did).