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‘Serenity’: See this movie, please!

People complained about the new Star Wars trilogy, saying that the series had lost its sense of humor, as well as its senses of adventure, wonder and fun. Yet people still flocked to movie after movie, lining George Lucas’ pockets.

That’s called enabling, people. Very bad.

People also started complaining about the Star Trek movies, either arguing to reunite the original cast (again) or to bring back some fun and cool storylines to the Next Generation films. People stopped going to those movies and they won’t be made again anytime soon.

Well, if you like movies, science-fiction or not, Joss Whedon and the gang from the cancelled, but awesome t.v. series “Firefly” are ready to step in and give audiences a good time at the movies.

You like fun characters like Han Solo, who are daring, heroic and hilarious? “Serenity” has a whole crew of them. You like ships flying and crashing through space in cool fire fights with neat-o special effects? “Serenity” has those too. It also has great fighting sequences, a killer sense of humor and a heart big enough to hug the universe. This is a movie for people who like to be entertained and transported to another world when they go to the movies and it needs your help. If you want a sequel to this movie (and I really, really do), it needs to have a good audience.

The plot of the film picks up where the show left off, but if you never watched an episode, you get caught up within the first five minutes. Mal Reynolds was a soldier who fought against the Alliance (think a universal Civil War). His side lost but Mal decided not to live under the Alliance rule and became the captain of a ship, Serenity, and a bit of an outlaw (Han Solo and the Millenium Falcon, anyone?). His crew acts as couriers and smugglers in the universe. Even when their jobs are a bit shady, they are an honorable bunch and this leads them to shelter a doctor and his sister, River, a girl that the Alliance experimented on. She is now an amazing weapon and a psychic and the Alliance is afraid she knows too much. The Alliance is after her, and in turn after the ship. The crew of Serenity tries to keep her out of harms way and find out what she knows once and for all.

See, unlike the new Star Wars trilogy, there’s no talk of trade embargoes or protective tariffs. There’s just action, comedy, romance, thrills, chills and spills. Nathan Fillion as Mal is an excellent leading man, who can take and dish out a butt-kicking like nobody’s business. His crew is also excellent, particularly Adam Baldwin as Jayne, the burly, weapons-oriented dimwit, and Alan Tudyk’s snarky pilot, Wash. The film also gets a huge boost from Chiwetel Ejiofor as the assassin from the Alliance. He is particularly spooky in his quiet, steely determination to capture the girl.

I was a huge fan of the show and all of the shows in the Whedonverse (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Angel”) but you don’t have to be a fan to enjoy this film (though you will likely be a fan afterwards). What Whedon always gives his viewers is a good story with likable characters, fun action and, quite often, a few things to ponder afterwards. He is a master storyteller and he has succeeded in bringing his show to the big screen.

Take a chance on this movie. I doubt that you will be disappointed.

• ***