Serenity

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1:27

Serenity

R

2019

1h 43m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

21%

Tomatometer

200 Reviews

31%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Baker Dill is a fishing boat captain who leads tours off of the tranquil enclave of Plymouth Island. His peaceful life is soon shattered when his ex-wife Karen tracks him down. Desperate for help, Karen begs Baker to save her -- and their young son -- from her abusive husband. She wants him to take the brute out for a fishing excursion -- then throw him overboard to the sharks. Thrust back into a life that he wanted to forget, Baker now finds himself struggling to choose between right and wrong.

Critics Consensus

A high-concept mystery with a twist, Serenity isn't what it appears to be at first -- unfortunately, it's also not anywhere near as clever or entertaining as it thinks.

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Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (LAist)

Sep 17, 2019

It's sort of intriguingly bad... [But] it's worth seeing -- the cast is terrific.

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Michael Sragow

Film Comment Magazine

Mar 21, 2019

A crackpot suspense film about a fishing boat captain who veers into perilous existential waters, Serenity tries to pull off a "bait-and-switch" times two. But will anyone take the bait either time?

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Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

Mar 5, 2019

When the twist was revealed I went, "Yeah, I know."

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Michael Cook

KLRT-TV

Jul 29, 2025

3/10

This movie is a complete waste of your time. It has fantastic actors who are completely wasted with a plot that is boring and dull.

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

Jul 14, 2024

1/5

Hindered by such a weak and conceited script, I struggle to imagine any version of this that I would be able to take seriously.

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Ryan McQuade

InSession Film

Apr 4, 2024

D

When he reaches for the stars, Knight fails to catch anything, thus leading me to admire what this film could have been, instead of what we were given.

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Yanica G

@ThinkUp 1 day ago

Serenity is captivating from the very beginning. Despite the beautiful cinematography, there is a dark and unsettling atmosphere throughout the film. At times, the viewer may feel puzzled and confused, unsure of what is real and what is not. But perhaps that is precisely what makes the film so compelling. It is a powerful way of portraying how lost and confused anyone can become within their own reality — or within a world of their own making. At its heart, the film explores the surreal idea that love can transcend the boundaries between different realities, allowing a connection between people to continue even when they can no longer exist together in the same world.

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Carol S

@RT48856984 Jun 1, 2026

Love the cast in this movie. The acting is good. Anne Hathaway plays a different sort of character. All in all, the movie is kind of a "downer" that gets a little confusing towards the middle. As time goes by, you begin to form opinions of what is going on. Not the best movie for these actors- but it’s fairly entertaining.

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GAIL B.

@RT80523423 Mar 30, 2026

What a waste of my time. Absolutely horrible ridiculous stupid movie. It was all over the place.

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Nayomi V

@Nayomi14. Mar 14, 2026

Before AI was used in movies like Inception, try to move your mind around the story, nice movie, good cast, cried at the end for the boy and the father when he said; there will always be a place for us....

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Scott W

@RT82365565 Nov 24, 2025

Not great. But great cast. And a different story

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Sam T

@RT65836059 Sep 2, 2025

Conceptually interesting and imaginative however lacking in execution. The films tone and cast offers a lot of promise but the screen play and dialogue hinders the performances and overall impact of the story. A combination of Moby Dick and the Sixth Sense. This film can be enjoyed but I wouldn’t rush to recommend it to anyone

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Matthew McConaughey

Baker Dill

Anne Hathaway

Karen Zariakas

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Serenity: Trailer 2

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Synopsis

Baker Dill is a fishing boat captain who leads tours off of the tranquil enclave of Plymouth Island. His peaceful life is soon shattered when his ex-wife Karen tracks him down. Desperate for help, Karen begs Baker to save her -- and their young son -- from her abusive husband. She wants him to take the brute out for a fishing excursion -- then throw him overboard to the sharks. Thrust back into a life that he wanted to forget, Baker now finds himself struggling to choose between right and wrong.

Director: Steven Knight
Producer: Steven Knight, Greg Shapiro, Guy Heeley
Screenwriter: Steven Knight
Distributor: Aviron Pictures
Production Co: Ingenious, Shoebox Films, Nebula Star, Global Road Entertainment
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language Throughout|Some Bloody Images)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2019, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 23, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.5M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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