MIT Lecture Series Committee

Rated PG-13
119 minutes

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Serenity (2005)

Beloved television cult director Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) makes a spectacular first foray onto the big screen with Serenity, the cinematic adaptation of his wildly popular but short-lived sci-fi series, Firefly. A mix of space western, comedy, and drama, Serenity follows captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his ragtag crew as they trade their way around the edges of civilized society. Of particular interest are two passengers they take on, Simon and River Tam (Sean Maher, Summer Glau), a brother and his telepathic sister on the run from the corrupt governing Alliance. As notorious former members of the anti-Alliance opposition, Mal and his crew make it difficult for Simon and River to stay hidden. Everything goes completely awry when a government assassin is sent to retrieve River. As Mal is forced to choose between his close-knit crew and the brother and sister newcomers, it becomes apparent that River harbors both a dangerous secret and astounding fighting powers, and Mal decides that discovering the truth about what she knows might just be worth his time. [www.rottentomatoes.com]

"The cleverest, crankiest, wittiest, wildest, and most character-driven sci-fi adventure in 25 years; it's the best outer-space trip I've been on since the empire struck back."
      -- Scott Weinberg, Efilmcritic.com. Read this review.