Serenity

Critics Consensus

Snappy dialogue and goofy characters make this Wild Wild West soap opera in space fun and adventurous.

82%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 187

91%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 313,207

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Movie Info

In this continuation of the television series "Firefly," a group of rebels travels the outskirts of space aboard their ship, Serenity, outside the reach of the Alliance, a sinister regime that controls most of the universe. After the crew takes in Simon (Sean Maher) and his psychic sister, River (Summer Glau), whom he has just rescued from Alliance forces, they find themselves being pursued by the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an Alliance agent who will stop at nothing to find them.
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (Sequences of Intense Violence|Action|Some Sexual References)
  • Genre:
    adventure, action, sci fi
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Joss Whedon
  • Producer:
    Barry Mendel
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $25.3M
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Mutant Enemy
  • Sound Mix:
    Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Nathan Fillion
Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds
Gina Torres
Zoë Warren
Alan Tudyk
Hoban "Wash" Washburn
Morena Baccarin
Inara Serra
Adam Baldwin
Jayne Cobb
Jewel Staite
Kaywinnit Lee"Kayle" Frye
Sean Maher
Dr. Simon Tam
Summer Glau
River Tam
Ron Glass
Shepard Meria Book
Chiwetel Ejiofor
The Operative
Joss Whedon
Director
Joss Whedon
Writer
Barry Mendel
Producer
Christopher Buchanan
Executive Producer
Alisa Tager
Executive Producer
Jack N. Green
Cinematographer
Barry Chusid
Production Designer
Anya Colloff
Casting Director
Amy McIntyre Britt
Casting Director
Mark Brooks
Original Music
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Critic Reviews for Serenity

All Critics (187) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (153) | Rotten (34)

  • 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.

    June 6, 2007 | Full Review…

    Andrea Gronvall

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • The settings and tone are hyper-real, yet the human behaviour is grounded and credible, the moral conflicts complex and involving. Shiny, intelligent fun.

    June 24, 2006 | Full Review…

    Nick Funnell

    Time Out
    Top Critic

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

    May 12, 2006

    Ken Tucker

    New York Magazine/Vulture
    Top Critic

  • A gently intelligent action sci-fi with wit, drama, and emotion to spare, this is the blockbuster you've been waiting for all year.

    October 8, 2005 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Jonathan Trout

    BBC.com
    Top Critic

  • It has a great sense of humor about it, an attractive cast and it's just a lot of fun.

    October 3, 2005

    Richard Roeper

    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic

  • Taut, immersive, and alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, a well-balanced blend of whooping Wild West action and space opera.

    October 1, 2005

    Tasha Robinson

    AV Club
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (187)

Audience Reviews for Serenity

  • Feb 28, 2016
    An above average space adventure that has some fun easy characters to like and care for, With some funny humour and good action scenes it's all fun but the story has been done so many times it's hard to love and the effects weren't great, A few things that I struggled to get round but the ending was great and made up for other things, There's plenty like this film but it's one of the better ones.
    Jamie C Super Reviewer
  • Jan 15, 2015
    Joss Whedon's cult television series Firefly finds new life in the riveting, sci-fi thriller Serenity. When a fugitive named River Tam, who's been sheltered by the crew of a mercenary ship after being rescued from a secret government facility, is triggered by a subliminal signal something dangerous awakens within her. While the film picks up on some of the main story threads from the television series, it can stand alone. Most of the original cast returns, including Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, and Summer Glau, and are joined by Chiwetel Ejiofor; who gives an incredible performance as a cold, sadistic villain. Additionally, the action scenes are dynamic and exciting; bringing a lot of intensity to the film. A shiny adventure that's full of thrills, Serenity is remarkably entertaining and serves as a nice coda to the series.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • May 20, 2013
    Having enjoyed the space cowboy bravado of the prematurely cancelled "Firefly" television series, I went into "Serenity" with low expectations, figuring that the movie capper would answer some questions but leave more unanswered. I wasn't wrong though it was still nice to get reacquainted. The addition of quietly dangerous Chiwetel Ejiofor as an Alliance Operative provides a menacing new story arc. River's programmed badassery is brought to fruition but still mindfucky, and a couple characters receive heartbreaking yet honorable discharges. Jewel Staite as the plucky Kaylee and Adam Baldwin as the mercenary Jayne seem the weak links in this reunion - somewhat phoning in their once naive and sociopathic charm, respectively.
    Alice S Super Reviewer
  • Aug 31, 2012
    Joss Whedon is not the best writer but certainly creative at coming up with ideas for shows. The feature film of Firefly seems a bit more action packed and darker, but still nonetheless a pure space opera. Direction is not quite right (as usual) but offered a explanation for what were not explained in the TV series.
    Sylvester K Super Reviewer
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