Firefly

The first screening of Joss Whedon’s finished cut of Serenity concluded my weekend in exciting, if unremarkable fashion. As perpetually clever as anything Whedon’s singular mind has unleashed, the space opera is just too insular to succeed as a self-sustaining work. Serenity’s explicit political message isn’t enough to sell the film to someone who is unfamiliar with the show that spawned the it (Firefly), as the film assumes the viewer is so acquainted and involved with its pre-existing protagonists that it doesn’t bother rebirthing them or articulating the world they inhabit. Whedon is always pleasantly snide and entertaining, but for those who aren’t his personally indentured apologists, Serenity is a friendly wash.