Firefly

For sheer, joyful entertainment, though, there’s no question as to this festival’s hottest ticket: the world première of Joss Whedon’s Serenity. A science fiction western based on Whedon’s cult television series Firefly, it picks up where the series left off, pitting Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his rogue crew of small-time rebels against the military might of a superpower called The Alliance. Between them lies the mystery of River Tam (Summer Glau), a psychic assassin who holds the key to the future of the universe.

As the man responsible for Buffy The Vampire Slayer, perhaps only Whedon could conceive of a science fiction western - and pull it off with such élan. His command of form and playful delight in extending it serve him well again here; Serenity delivers all the thrills, spills and eye-popping explosions one could demand of a big studio blockbuster.

A complex ensemble piece without major stars, it has characters to care about, a keenly political intelligence, and some of the most cracking banter since Howard Hawks was in his prime. It deserves to be a huge hit when it’s released next month.