Serenity: Critic Reviews

Serenity, despite its simple chase plot and elegant narrative ductwork, is unmistakably a TV season's worth of roller-coastering drama, most of it balanced on the capable shoulders of Fillion, a natural leading man.

Joss Whedon's unassuming science-fiction adventure is superior in almost every respect to George Lucas's aggressively more ambitious screen entertainments.

Though diehard fans probably will take issue, Serenity is mostly sci-fi silliness attempting to be something more substantive.

Half a millennium after Neil Armstrong's one small step for mankind and we're back in the saddle again.

After an hour of intense disorientation, the movie's arch sarcasm becomes oddly entertaining.

Whedon, who always delights in blending genres and tones, has assembled his most frantically disparate collection of pop culture quotations, boldly and cleverly going where plenty have gone before.

As always, Whedon's sci-fi fantasies smartly parallel the serious issues we're grappling with here on Earth, while his protagonists remain mordantly funny in the face of utter disaster.

The best summer thrill ride since Batman Begins, Serenity roars in a late but mighty welcome considering this year's sub-fun slate.

A space spectacle resonant with witty dialogue, accessible characters and kaleidoscopic action.

Go out and see Joss Whedon's witty whizbang of an action movie, or we will kill a kitten.

Serenity is made of dubious but energetic special effects, breathless velocity, much imagination, some sly verbal wit and a little political satire.

Serenity is a brash, funny, action-packed bit of sci-fi ecstasy.

Joss Whedon makes a rousing feature-directing debut, exploiting the cult status of his short-lived series Firefly to continue it on the big screen.

A kicky mix of space-movie mayhem and cowboy-movie corn.

The cast, a handful of sarcastic, working-stiff interstellar outlaws, is a magnetic bunch, turning the cliches of sci-fi adventure inside out.

If you want to take a trip to the stars, this is the rocket to ride.

A good old-fashioned space opera.

Bounces around to sometimes memorable effect but rarely soars.

Serenity is so like TV that it ought to come with a clicker so we can switch over to the next movie at the multiplex.

It would make a cute TV show.

Fans get priority seating on the ride, but there's plenty of room for rookies to clamber aboard.

Part of the kick to Serenity is watching the filmmaker expertly play with moods as he hyphenates the western and sci-fi genres.

Serenity is a trim little picture of epic proportions.

I mean Serenity no disrespect when I say it's enjoyably junky.

Serenity isn't about effects. It's about narrative and characters, and it does a solid job in both areas.