   #copyright

Serenity (film)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Films

                       Serenity
     Directed by   Joss Whedon
     Produced by   Christopher Buchanan
                   David V. Lester
                   Barry Mendel
                   Alisa Tager
     Written by    Joss Whedon
      Starring     Nathan Fillion
                   Summer Glau
                   Adam Baldwin
                   Chiwetel Ejiofor
                   Gina Torres
                   Alan Tudyk
                   Morena Baccarin
                   Jewel Staite
                   Sean Maher
                   Ron Glass
                   David Krumholtz
      Music by     David Newman
   Cinematography  Jack N. Green
     Editing by    Lisa Lassek
   Distributed by  Universal Pictures
   Release date(s) September 29, 2005 (Australia)
                   September 30, 2005 (North America)
                   October 7, 2005 (UK)
    Running time   119 min.
       Country     United States
      Language     English
       Budget      $39,000,000
     Preceded by   Serenity: Those Left Behind
                All Movie Guide profile
                     IMDb profile

   Serenity is a 2005 science fiction western film written and directed by
   Joss Whedon. It is set in the universe of the canceled FOX science
   fiction television series Firefly, taking place approximately two
   months after the events of the final episode. Set 500 years in the
   future, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a transport
   and cargo ship. The captain and first mate are veterans of a
   Unification War and fought on the losing side. Their lives of petty
   crime are interrupted by a psychic passenger who carries a dangerous
   secret.

   The film was released in North America on September 30, 2005 by
   Universal Pictures. It received generally positive reviews and opened
   at number two, taking in $10.1 million its first weekend, spending two
   weeks in the top ten, and totaling a domestic box office gross of $25.5
   million and a foreign box office gross of $13.3 million. Serenity won
   film of the year awards from Film 2005 and FilmFocus. It also won IGN
   Film's Best Sci-Fi, Best Story and Best Trailer awards and was runner
   up for the Overall Best Movie. It also won the Nebula Award for Best
   Script for 2005, the 7th annual 'User Tomato Awards' for best Sci-Fi
   movie of 2005 at Rotten Tomatoes, the 2006 viewers choice Spacey Award
   for favorite movie, the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation,
   Long Form and the 2006 Prometheus Special Award.

   Among fans, the film is commonly referred to as the "Big Damn Movie" or
   abbreviated "BDM", a reference to a line from a Firefly episode in
   which Mal and Zoe call themselves "Big Damn Heroes" after rescuing
   River and Simon. Serenity is a rare occurrence in the industry—as
   canceled TV shows are rarely continued in major motion pictures.

Production

   The film is based on Firefly, a television series that was canceled by
   FOX in December 2002, after 11 of its 14 produced episodes had aired.
   When attempts to have another network pick the show up failed, creator
   Joss Whedon decided to try and sell it as a film. Through a connection,
   he was introduced to Mary Parent with Universal Pictures, who
   immediately signed on after watching the episodes on DVD. By June of
   2003, actors Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin confirmed this on the
   official Firefly forum, as did Whedon in several interviews.

   After Universal Studios acquired the movie rights to Firefly from FOX,
   Whedon began writing the screenplay. Universal planned to start
   shooting in October of 2003; however, delays in finishing the script
   pushed the start of shooting to June of 2004. Universal, while on board
   with the movie, was not willing to spend the typical budget for a story
   set in space ($100 million), and Whedon convinced them he could do it
   for less, and without filming in Canada. And in 50 days, instead of the
   usual 80. On March 3, 2004 the movie was officially greenlighted to
   enter production and it was revealed to have budget of only $40
   million. Typically, production of a movie would try and save money by
   not filming in Los Angeles, but Whedon insisted on staying local and
   hiring local, union crew.

   Principal photography started on June 3, 2004. Joss Whedon stated that
   the film would be released as Serenity, in order to differentiate it
   from the TV series. All nine principal cast members from the television
   series ( Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena
   Baccarin, Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau)
   returned for the movie. On September 17, 2004 Joss Whedon announced on
   the movie's official site that shooting had been completed.

   Whedon's task was to take a television series that few people had seen
   and explain the premise, without boring the viewer, or the fans of the
   franchise. He achieved the exposition by constantly shifting the
   opening sequence: at first it is a traditional narrative, but then
   turns out to be a school room, which then turns out to be in River's
   mind, etc. The viewer is constantly fed new information. Whedon stated
   in the commentary that this works thematically as well, since it
   depicts River's fractured state of mind. When they reach the ship,
   Whedon uses a long tracking shot to establish "safety".

   Since the budget was not very large, practical special effects were
   used as much as possible: if a CGI composite was called for, as many
   tangible sets and props were made to reduce the amount of CGI needed.
   The most technically challenging scene was the mule skiff chase. For
   budget reasons, a gimbal (a hydraulic turntable) and CGI, like the pod
   race in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, were quickly ruled out
   and challenged the production team to find an alternative. Instead they
   built a trailer with a cantilevered arm attached to the "hover craft"
   and shot the scene while riding up Templin Highway north of Santa
   Clarita. As "Serenity" visual effects supervisor Loni Peristere stated
   in a Los Angeles Times article: "Traditionally this would have been,
   like, a 30-day shoot. I think we did it in five."

   One item that could not be reused from the television show that would
   have helped save money, was the original set of the interior of the
   ship Serenity. It had to be rebuilt from scratch for the film, using
   frozen images from the Firefly DVD set. ZOIC, the CG-rendering company
   that produced the graphics for the series, also had to perform a
   complete overhaul of their computer model of Serenity, as its
   television model would not stand up to high-definition cinema screens
   (and future HD DVD resolution).

   The set for the failed colony, Miranda, was filmed on location at
   Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California. (The building into
   which the Alliance ship is crashed is the DRHS Band and Orchestra's
   rehearsal room.)

   Renowned comic book artist Bernie Wrightson, co-creator of Swamp Thing,
   contributed concept drawings for the Reavers. Other comic book artists
   who contributed to the production design include Joshua Middleton and
   Leinil Francis Yu (Visual Companion).

Synopsis

   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

   Five hundred years into the future, mankind has abandoned Earth and
   moved en mass to a new large star system. The system is controlled by
   the authoritarian Alliance, but away from the "core planets" outlaws
   like the crew of the interplanetary cargo ship Serenity can scrape out
   a living if they dodge Alliance forces and the Reavers - savage
   space-faring cannibals who raid the worlds of "the Rim." One of the
   Alliance's projects is the creation of a cadre of conditioned psychic
   warriors. The star "pupil" of this project is teenager River Tam. After
   her older brother Simon rescues her, the Alliance Parliament gives high
   authority to The Operative, who begins a ruthless search for the two
   fugitives.

   Roughly eight months after River and Simon have joined Serenity's crew,
   the ship's captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds overrides Simon's objections
   and insists upon bringing River and her talents along on a bank raid.
   The raid is interrupted by a Reaver attack. After the crew narrowly
   escapes them, Simon confronts Mal, who decides to leave the two
   fugitives behind at their next stop. At said stop, River starts a
   deadly commotion that is triggered by a subliminal message broadcast by
   the Alliance in a commercial. Mal allows Simon and River to continue
   traveling on Serenity while the crew contacts a reclusive techno-geek
   known as Mr. Universe. Mr. Universe discovers the subliminal message
   and also notes that River whispered the name "Miranda." Mal receives a
   call from Inara, a former passenger. Suspecting a trap, but mindful
   that she must be in danger, Mal visits her and is confronted by the
   Operative, who offers to let Mal go if he turns River over to him. Mal
   refuses, and thanks to Inara's quick thinking, they escape from the
   Operative and back to Serenity. Another of River's outbursts shows the
   crew that " Miranda" is an unknown outer rim planet, about which River
   learned something horrible when in contact with members of Parliament
   during an inspection visit of her training. Since traveling to Miranda
   would require a suicidal crossing into Reaver territory, Serenity
   instead goes to Haven, now home to another former passenger, Shepherd
   Book. On arrival, the crew discovers that the outpost has been ravaged
   by Alliance forces, fatally wounding Shepherd Book in the process. The
   Operative sends a message claiming responsibility, and promising more
   of the same until River is turned over.

   Again overriding the crew's complaints, Mal orders that Serenity be
   made to look like a Reaver ship. They successfully sneak the disguised
   vessel through an entire fleet of Reaver warships. Upon reaching
   Miranda, the crew finds it has a completely habitable environment — but
   the sprawling cities are empty except for masses of badly decomposed
   corpses, all without apparent cause of death. The crew discovers a log
   recorded after the disaster by an Alliance expedition, which reveals
   that the Alliance administered a chemical substance designed to
   suppress aggression and thus render the planet free of violence. It
   worked so well that the populace stopped working, eating, or caring
   about anything and let themselves die. However, a fraction of the
   population had the opposite reaction, turning hyper-aggressive and
   mentally unstable: they became the Reavers. A sickened Mal plans to
   reveal this secret to all the worlds by using Mr. Universe's
   transmitter equipment, but the Operative has anticipated this and waits
   just outside of Reaver space with an Alliance fleet. During the return
   trip through the Reavers, Serenity opens fire upon a pursuing ship,
   causing the other vessels to chase it: Serenity emerges from Reaver
   space flanked by the entire Reaver fleet. A massive battle ensues
   between the Alliance and the Reavers, allowing Serenity's pilot Wash to
   fly down to Mr. Universe's planet. The Operative's ship is destroyed,
   and he also flees to the surface in an escape pod.

   Serenity crash lands on the planet and while it suffers massive damage,
   the crew has survived. Just as everyone begins to relax, a Reaver
   harpoon impales Wash, killing him instantly. Fleeing Serenity, the crew
   sets up a last stand to give Mal the time he needs to get to Mr.
   Universe and transmit the message. Mal finds Mr. Universe murdered, but
   triggers a message revealing a hidden backup transmitter. The Reavers
   attack the crew, inflict several injuries and force them to retreat.
   The crew tries to close a blast door, but it will not seal completely,
   so River dives through the gap in the door and seals it from the other
   side trapping herself with the Reavers. Mal reaches the secondary
   transmitter, but then The Operative appears, leading to a final bloody
   showdown between the two men. Mal emerges as the victor but does not
   kill the Operative, instead leaving him to watch the recording from
   Miranda. Mal returns to his crew; just as he is told what River did,
   the blast door opens to reveal River standing unscathed amidst an
   enormous pile of dead Reavers. A squad of Alliance troops belatedly
   storm onto the scene, but the Operative, his faith in his mission
   shattered by the Miranda message, orders them to stand down. The crew
   buries Mr. Universe, Shepherd Book, and Wash and patches up Serenity.
   As they prepare to resume their travels, the Operative makes his own
   exit, promising Mal they will never meet again. Serenity blasts off
   with Mal in Wash's seat at the helm, and River acting as his copilot.
   Spoilers end here.

Promotion and releases

   Hoping to generate buzz through early word-of-mouth, Universal launched
   an unprecedented 3-stage campaign to sneak-preview the then-unfinished
   movie in 35 US cities where the television series had earned high
   Nielsen Ratings. The first stage of screenings was held in 10 cities on
   May 5, 2005. The second stage, held on May 26, 2005, added an
   additional 10 cities and was also the source of controversy when
   individual theaters began selling tickets before the official
   announcement was released, leading some shows to be sold out before
   being announced. The third round of screenings, with an additional 15
   cities, was held on June 23, 2005. The screenings proved a success,
   with all three stages selling out in less than 24 hours, the
   second-stage screening in Washington DC sold out in a mere 22 minutes
   and the second screening in Phoenix sold out in 8.

   Australian audiences were the first outside North America to get
   preview screenings. After an exclusive Sydney test screening, Melbourne
   held a public screening on July 21, 2005. This was followed by a film
   festival screening on the Gold Coast on July 22, 2005. Public preview
   screenings were held in Adelaide and Sydney on August 1, 2005, and
   Perth on August 4, 2005. Further screenings were held in Victoria,
   Tasmania, and Queensland in late August.

   A showing of the finished film billed as the "Gala Premiere" was held
   at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 22, 2005,
   followed by an interview with Whedon the next day, and preview
   screenings across the United Kingdom and Ireland on August 24, 2005, in
   London, Birmingham, Manchester and Dublin. Several of the screenings in
   all the countries featured the attendance of Joss Whedon and the film's
   cast, followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Whedon also attended
   two Q&A sessions after sold-out screenings of the finished film in
   Melbourne and Sydney on September 12, 2005 and September 13, 2005.

Internet campaign

   The trailer also generated buzz on the Internet. It was uploaded on
   April 26, 2005 and by April 28, 2005, it topped the Yahoo Buzz Index.
   Universal also utilized a viral marketing campaign, producing five
   short videos that were released on the internet between August 16, 2005
   and September 5, 2005. These short films, known as the " R. Tam
   sessions," depicted excerpts of counseling sessions with the character
   River Tam while she was being held at a "learning facility" known only
   as "The Academy". The counselor in these sessions is played by Joss
   Whedon himself. Taking place before the events of the film or the
   television series, the videos shed some light on the experiments and
   torture "The Academy" conducted on River. They "document" her change
   from a shy child prodigy to the mentally unstable character of the
   television series.

   On October 5, 2005, Universal also made the first nine minutes of
   Serenity available online. A browser plug-in allowed the viewer to see
   the opening of the film in full-screen broadcast quality ( bandwidth
   permitting). The clip was removed a few weeks later.

DVD release

   Serenity was released on DVD, UMD, and VHS in North America on December
   20, 2005. It quickly went to #1 in sales on Amazon.com. It also spent
   two weeks in the top ten on Billboard's Top DVD Sales charts, peaking
   at #3. As of January 15, 2006, the DVD/VHS rentals of the film have
   grossed around $9,190,000. The DVD presents the film in anamorphic
   widescreen, with 5.1 surround sound. Included as extras are an audio
   commentary by Joss Whedon, deleted scenes and outtakes, and several
   short documentaries. These documentaries include "Future History: The
   Story of Earth That Was", "What's in a Firefly", and "Re-Lighting the
   Firefly". Also included is a short introduction to the film by Joss
   Whedon, and an easter egg on the U.S. and Canadian editions that
   features a small featurette on the "Fruity Oaty Bar" commercial,
   entitled "We'll Have A Fruity Oaty Good Time". It can be found by going
   to the main menu, selecting "play movie", then pressing the left
   button. A design on the right will highlight. Press play.

   On February 8, 2006, the film was released as a two-disc set in
   Australia ( Region 4) and parts of Europe (Region 2). In addition to
   the supplemental material found on the North American (Region 1)
   release, this release contains new features. At present, disc 2 is
   exclusive only to Australia and Benelux — Belgium, The Netherlands, and
   Luxembourg. It was released in Germany as part of the special edition
   However, other international territories may decide to release the 2nd
   disc as well. Added material for disc 1 includes "A Filmmaker's
   Journey: Journey with Joss from Script to Screen", which is available
   on all international DVDs, but not the US version. Added material for
   disc 2 includes a Joss Whedon Q&A session filmed at FOX Studios in
   Sydney, extended scenes, and two documentaries entitled "Take a Walk on
   Serenity" and "The Green Clan". An "exclusive collector's tin" version
   of Serenity was also released for the two disk edition by the EzyDVD
   chain of stores in Australia.

   Serenity was chosen as one of the first HD DVDs to be released. The
   Serenity HD DVD was released on April 18, 2006. On the day of its
   release, it ranked in the later 100s on Amazon.com in top selling DVDs.
   Given the low demand for HD DVDs at that point, this is quite notable.
   As of July 1, 2006 Serenity remains the second highest selling HD DVD.

Reception

   Awards
   Serenity won film of the year awards from Film 2005 and FilmFocus. It
   also won IGN Film's Best Sci-Fi, Best Story and Best Trailer awards and
   was runner up for the Overall Best Movie ( Batman Begins received first
   place). Won the 7th annual 'User Tomato Awards' for best Sci-Fi movie
   of 2005 at Rotten Tomatoes. It also won Nebula Award for Best Script
   for 2005. Serenity won the 2006 viewers choice Spacey Award for
   favorite movie. It also won Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form at
   the 2006 Hugo Awards. SyFy Genre Awards 2006: Best Actor/Movie
   Runner-Up: Nathan Fillion; Best Actress/Movie Runner-Up: Summer Glau;
   Best Movie Runner-Up.

   Serenity received mostly positive reviews from film critics, with a
   "fresh" rating of 81% from the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes,
   which compiles reviews from a wide range of film critics. Ebert &
   Roeper gave the film "Two Thumbs Up," and The San Francisco Chronicle
   called it "a triumph", while The New York Times described it as a
   modest but superior science fiction film. It is listed at #38 of top
   Science Fiction movies on IMDB. Science fiction author Orson Scott Card
   called Serenity "the best science fiction film ever," further stating
   "If Ender's Game can't be this kind of movie, and this good a movie,
   then I want it never to be made. I'd rather just watch Serenity again."

   However, some reviewers felt the film was unable to overcome its
   television origins, and did not successfully accomplish the transition
   to the big screen. USA Today wrote that "the characters are generally
   uninteresting and one-dimensional, and the futuristic Western-style
   plot grows tedious" while Variety declared that the film "bounces
   around to sometimes memorable effect but rarely soars".

   Despite critical acclaim and Internet buzz, Serenity performed modestly
   at best at the box office. Although several pundits predicted a #1
   opening, the film opened at #2 in the United States, taking in $10.1
   million its first weekend, spending two weeks in the top ten, and
   totaling a box office gross of $25.5 million. Movie industry analyst
   Brandon Gray described Serenity's box office performance as "like a
   below average genre picture".

   Serenity's international box office results were mixed, with strong
   openings in the UK, Portugal and Russia, but poor results in Spain,
   Australia, France and Italy. Universal International Pictures canceled
   the film's theatrical release in at least seven countries, planning to
   release it directly to DVD instead. The box office income outside the
   United States was $13.3 million, with a worldwide total of $38.8
   million, slightly less than the film's $39 million budget, which does
   not include the promotion and advertising costs. The film's creators
   and supporters are hoping that strong DVD sales, similar to those of
   the Firefly television series, may lead to the production of a sequel.

   In October 2006, Joss Whedon announced on his website that there were
   currently no plans for a sequel.

Cast

     * Nathan Fillion as Mal. A former sergeant on the losing side of the
       Unification War, he struggles to survive free and independent of
       the Alliance. Captain Malcolm Reynolds was named #18 in TV Guide's
       "25 Greatest Sci-fi legends" list in 2004.

     * Gina Torres as Zoe. Another veteran who fought alongside Mal in the
       war, she is fiercely loyal to Mal, whom she calls "the captain."

     * Alan Tudyk as Wash. The pilot of the ship, and Zoe's husband. He
       often acts as a voice of reason on the ship.

     * Morena Baccarin as Inara. She is a companion and formerly rented
       one of Serenity's shuttles. In one of the Operative's traps, Mal is
       reunited with Inara at her training house, and the two escape back
       to Serenity.

     * Adam Baldwin as Jayne. A mercenary, skilled with weapons, is often
       the "main gun" for jobs and is someone who can be depended on in a
       fight. He is a "lummox" but thinks he is the smartest guy in space.
       As Whedon states several times, he is the person that will ask the
       questions that no one else wants to talk about.

     * Jewel Staite as Kaylee. Kaylee, the ship's intuitively skilled
       mechanic, also has a persistently bright and sunny temperament.

     * Sean Maher as Simon. Simon is River's loving brother who helps
       rescue her from the Alliance. He and River are taken in by the crew
       of Serenity. His life is defined by caring for his sister.

     * Summer Glau as River. River is a seventeen-year old psychic genius.
       She and her brother are taken in by the crew of Serenity after she
       is rescued from an Alliance Academy. The Alliance's pursuit of
       River forms the basis of the film's plot. As Whedon states, the
       film is the "story of Mal as told by River."

     * Ron Glass as Shepherd Book. A shepherd, or preacher, Book was once
       a passenger on Serenity, but now resides on the planet Haven. Mal
       and the crew look to him for guidance.

     * Chiwetel Ejiofor as The Operative. A ruthless, intelligent employee
       of the Alliance assigned to track down River and Simon. In
       searching for the person to place the role, Ejiofor was on the top
       of every casting director's list, but the studio was wanting
       someone more well known. Whedon, however, was eventually able to
       cast Ejiofor.

     * David Krumholtz as Mr. Universe. A "techno-geek" with good
       relations with the crew of Serenity, especially Wash, Mr. Universe
       lives with his "love-bot" wife and monitors incoming signals from
       around the 'verse.

Themes

   While the film depicts the Alliance as an all-powerful,
   authoritarian-style regime, Whedon is careful to point out that it is
   not so simple as that; "The Alliance isn't some evil empire", but
   rather a force that is largely benevolent. The Alliance’s main problem
   is that it is in over its head dealing with all the myriad cultures
   that it cannot control and should not try to. What the crew of
   Serenity, and specifically Mal and his lifestyle, represents is that
   people have the right to choose, even if that choice is wrong. This is
   the main message of the film - that no one person or group has the
   right to impose their views on others, even if it is a better way of
   thinking.

   The Operative embodies the Alliance and is as Whedon stated the
   "perfect product of what's wrong with the Alliance". He is someone who
   is a force for good, who wants to achieve a "world without sin", and
   believes this so strongly that he will do anything to achieve it,
   including risking his soul. In contrast, Mal is someone who has lost
   his beliefs. By the end of the movie, however, Mal finally believes in
   something so strongly that in a sense he approaches this potential to
   be a monster, for he asks the crew to lay down their lives for this
   belief. Whedon has said that the most important line in the movie is
   Mal's line to the Operative "I'm going to show you a world without
   sin." Whedon's point with this, and with Mal saying he is a "fan of all
   seven", is that sin is "outdated" and that it is just, quite simply,
   who we are as humans.

   The characters' sense of belonging, relatively relaxed approach to
   conflict, natural disregard for authority, mixture of prudishness and
   passion, as well as physical courage and a sharp sense for materialism
   appears to be heavily influenced by their author. The primary social
   influence on Serenity and how it portrays its internal social universe
   of antagonists and protagonists appears to be influenced by the
   American depictions of the Wild West. However with the moral status of
   the antagonists in question it appears to be more complex in its
   depiction of human nature than at first glance.

Cinematic and cultural allusions

   The creator of the series appears to be influenced by the Post American
   Civil War period and in particular is influenced by struggles faced by
   the landless of the South as they competed against carpetbagger and
   elite alike. Malcolm Reynolds faces similar obstacles with a similar
   lack of support. There is a claim that the Reavers would be the Indians
   in this 'Post Civil War' theory. Shephard Book behaves in a positive
   Christian way as well as referring to himself as one. Inara pays homage
   to a Buddhist statue, and in Jewish tradition, Mr. Universe breaks a
   wine glass during his "marriage" with his love-bot Lenore.

   Serenity is influenced by the Wild West style of drab earth tone
   clothing used in depictions of that era. Natural materials such as
   wool, cotton, and leather predominate. The clothing also contains an
   east, south, and south-east Asian and Indian fusion of colour and
   beauty as well as influences from the American Civil War, late 19th
   century as well as the 1930's depression era. Mal's suspenders are
   strongly influenced by a World War 2 design. The clothing of the
   Alliance organization within the series is monolithically
   monochromatic, similar to the uniforms of the Empire in Star Wars as
   well as being the same props used in Starship Troopers. Serenity
   appears to be influenced by the Western set design notably
   entertainment programs set in the West during the 1970s and 1980s such
   as Little House on the Prairie. The cramped interior of the Serenity
   ship itself appears to be strongly influenced by the 'the future looks
   worn down' precedent set by the Millennium Falcon but devolved even
   further. Like every space movie made after Star Wars, Serenity goes for
   a clean movement of form that with its occasional underdone look
   harkens back to the film work done with the old dykstra mechanical
   rigs. The usual lack of sound when the virtual camera is floating in
   space appears to be influenced by the similar usage in 2001

   Joss Whedon explains in the DVD commentary track that the planet
   "Miranda" received its name in reference to a line spoken by
   Shakespeare's Miranda in The Tempest, Act V, scene I: "O brave new
   world, / That has such people in't!" The Alliance had hoped that
   Miranda would be a new kind of world, filled with peaceful, happy
   people, and represents the "inane optimism of the Alliance". It is also
   of note that the planet on which River was conditioned is called Ariel,
   which is also the name of a character in The Tempest (who represents
   the wind). The aforementioned quotation from The Tempest also gave the
   title to the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, which portrays an
   orderly but passionless society in which the populace are kept in check
   by means of a drug, Soma. Huxley described his novel as a "negative
   utopia". Like the World State of Brave New World, the Alliance in
   Serenity attempts to create a perfect society by administering a drug,
   but their manipulation leads to the exact opposite.

   Serenity also owes a debt to such science fiction classics that
   influenced it such as Blade Runner, Star Wars and Aliens.

          "Serenity" was clearly written by someone who grew up worshiping
          at the altar of Han Solo and the space marines in "Aliens," but
          this genre picture is still a thrillingly original science
          fiction creation. The writing is as good as in the best "Star
          Trek" episodes, while offering a thoughtfully bleak vision of
          the future that brings to mind "Blade Runner."
          —Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

   The Fruity Oaty Bar commercial is partially inspired by Mr. Sparkle,
   the mascot of a fictional brand of dish-washing detergent, who was
   featured in The Simpsons episode " In Marge We Trust". Serenity is one
   of several films set in the future that speculates how popular culture
   might evolve. Other films include Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange and
   The Fifth Element. This future envisioned in Serenity has two political
   and cultural centers: Euro-American and Chinese. Characters all speak
   English and Mandarin, with the latter language reserved for the
   strongest curse words. While these two are the dominant languages of
   the film, other languages are also spoken in the Firefly / Serenity
   universe, including Russian (spoken by Simon during the movie). The
   safeword phrase that Simon uses to shut River down, "Eta kuram na
   smekh", is a Russian expression ("Это курам на смех"). Literally, it
   means, "That's for chickens to laugh at" — a Russian idiom for "That's
   ridiculous." The English subtitles on the DVD incorrectly list the line
   as "[speaking Chinese]".

Soundtrack

   The soundtrack to the film was released on September 27, 2005. It was
   composed by David Newman, and performed by the Hollywood Studio
   Symphony under Newman's direction. According to director Joss Whedon's
   sleeve notes for the album, Newman was recommended by Universal's music
   executives when he requested a musician capable of "everything." It is
   of note that the acoustic guitar version of the Ballad of Serenity,
   which was used at the end of the film's credits, is absent from the
   soundtrack.

   Whedon's directions to Newman for the Serenity theme were that he
   wanted something homemade and mournful that would let viewers know that
   they were now "home" and evoke the idea of the pioneer, when everyone
   only had what they could carry.

Sequels

   Fans of Firefly had hoped that if Serenity was successful, it might
   lead either to a revival of the television series or a film franchise
   (colloquially referred to as the "Big Damn Trilogy", or BDT). The
   former was always unlikely, since Fox still owns the Firefly television
   rights and Joss Whedon refuses to work for Fox again. Fans' hopes for
   further theatrical films appear to have been partially dashed by
   Serenity's mediocre box office showing. However, on December 1, 2005,
   IGN Filmforce reported that Universal had expressed an interest in
   making a Serenity TV movie for broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel (which
   is owned by Universal), and eventual DVD sale. It is expected that
   commissioning of a television sequel would be contingent on strong DVD
   sales of Serenity.

   On June 23, 2006 a number of fans organized and spread word of
   "Serenity Day", on which all fans were proposed to purchase a copy of
   Serenity in an attempt to convince Universal that a sequel would be
   profitable. The significance of this day is that June 23, 2006, is the
   one-year anniversary of the third and final advance screening of
   Serenity prior to its release, and also Joss Whedon's birthday. The
   impact of the event could be seen from Serenity reaching #2 in the
   Amazon DVD Charts. the highest ranking the DVD reached since January
   16, 2006.

   On October 1, 2006, Whedon posted a comment to the Whedonesque.com
   website, responding to a rumor that he was currently working on a
   sequel to Serenity. He wrote, "There's no sequel, no secret project
   regarding Serenity or somesuch and I'm not even sure how anyone thought
   there was talk there. I've seen Nathan and Tim (and Summer and Alan)
   recently because they're my friends because I'm so, yeah, awesome. So
   let's put that to bed and smother it with a pillow."

   Whedon's response to the rumor consequently sparked many websites to
   publish articles stating that he would never do a sequel to Serenity.
   Joss again returned to Whedonesque.com to respond to the new stories
   and wrote, "Holy Mother of Oats! I turn my back for five minutes
   (that's how long it takes to admire my lovely back) and the interweb
   goes banoonoos! Isn't there any ACTUAL news to get wrong? Sorry about
   all this; it might be best if I just stay off the computer for a
   while....Here's a thing: when Firefly was cancelled, my heart got
   broke. Sounds a bit much, but it changed me. Not even Serenity could
   patch that wound. I'm wearier, warier -- after all those years as a
   movie writer, you'd think I'd be prepared for another lesson on my
   unimportance in the scheme of things, but I wasn't....All these rumor
   of projects or the death of projects... When the two worlds align and
   something actually happens, whatever it is, you guys know I'll be on
   this site as soon as I'm allowed to be. And I'll be very very clear.
   There is no news. Not never, just now."

Spin-offs

   Several spin-offs have been released which tie in with the film. One of
   the first, the R. Tam sessions, which are set before the film and TV
   series, were released unofficially by Whedon via the internet from
   August 16, 2005 to September 5, 2005, as a form of viral marketing for
   the film. A novelization of the film was written by Keith R. A.
   DeCandido, and published on August 30, 2005. Serenity: The Official
   Visual Companion was written by Joss Whedon, published by Titan Books,
   and released on September 1, 2005 in paperback. It contained the film's
   screenplay, along with other supplemental features such as concept art,
   film images, and a map of the 'verse. A role-playing game entitled
   Serenity, published by Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd, was released in
   2005. This was followed by Serenity: Out in the Black by Tracy and
   Laura Hickman.

   Bridging the gap between the end of the television series and the
   beginning of the movie is a three-issue comic book series entitled
   Serenity: Those Left Behind. The comic is written by Joss Whedon and
   Brett Matthews, illustrated by Will Conrad and Laura Martin, and
   published by Dark Horse Comics. The story focuses on the crew of
   Serenity taking a salvage job from Badger following a botched theft on
   a backwater planet, and the pursuit of River by the ominous blue-gloved
   men seen in the television series. The story is considered part of the
   Firefly/Serenity canon. Each issue of the series features three
   different covers, with each cover featuring one of the nine main
   characters, each by a different illustrator, including Joe Quesada,
   Bryan Hitch, Tim Bradstreet and John Cassaday. The first issue was
   published in July 2005, and the final one appeared in September. The
   comics quickly sold out on release, with both the #1 and #2 issues
   going into second printings. Many comic book retailers reported that it
   was their highest selling comic those months, in part because of the
   multiple covers, but also because it attracted a group of customers who
   are not traditionally comic book buyers. The comics were later reissued
   as a trade paperback compilation. It has been recently confirmed that
   Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews will write more Serenity comics for Dark
   Horse. The new comics are expected to be released sometime in
   mid-to-late 2006 or early 2007.

"Can't Stop the Serenity" event

   Beginning in January 2006, fans (with Universal's blessing) began
   organizing charity screenings of Serenity to benefit Equality Now, an
   organization supported by Joss Whedon. By mid- June, 41 such screenings
   had been confirmed for cities in Australia, Canada, England, New
   Zealand, and the United States, and as of June 19, 2006, there were 47
   scheduled screenings. The project was referred to as "Serenity
   Now/Equality Now" on the official website, is often referred to in
   shortened form as "Serenity Now" or by the acronym "SN", and was
   coordinated through Can't Stop The Serenity(sic), where a full list of
   screenings is also available.

   The majority of the screenings were held on or around June 23, 2006-
   the date both of Joss Whedon's birthday and of the final US sneak
   preview screening. As of October 1, 2006 the Can't Stop The Serenity
   website, after getting reports in from 42 of the 47 scheduled
   screenings, stated that the project had raised an estimated $65,900.24
   for Equality Now. A breakdown of the 2006 screenings and their
   respective takes after costs are figured in is listed on the Can't Stop
   The Serenity website.

   The organizers of individual screenings were able to donate anywhere
   from $236.11 (the estimated donation from the Oxford, UK screening
   before the final tally) to $6,900.00 (the estimated donation from the
   Portland, Oregon screening before the final tally) to Equality Now.

   Discussion on repeating the event in 2007 began almost immediately upon
   the event's completion. Devin Pike, organizer of the 2006 Dallas event,
   replaced "The One True B!x" as the primary organizer and webmaster in
   late August of 2006. Though there was some disagreement amongst
   organizers regarding whether to schedule the 2007 event for the same
   late June timeframe or to schedule it for the official anniversary of
   the film's U.S. release date, the decision was made to hold future
   "Can't Stop The Serenity" events in June to connect it with the
   original 2006 date.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_%28film%29"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
