Serenity
Film poster
Directed by	Joss Whedon
Produced by	Christopher Buchanan David V. A film poster is a Poster used to advertise a Film. There may be several versions for one film Joseph Hill " Joss " Whedon ( born June 23, 1964 in New York City is an Academy Award -nominated and Hugo Award Lester Barry Mendel Alisa Tager
Written by	Joss Whedon
Starring	Nathan Fillion Gina Torres Alan Tudyk Morena Baccarin Adam Baldwin Jewel Staite Sean Maher Summer Glau Ron Glass Chiwetel Ejiofor David Krumholtz
Music by	David Newman
Cinematography	Jack N. Green
Editing by	Lisa Lassek
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	September 29, 2005 September 30, 2005 October 7, 2005
Running time	119 min. Barry Mendel is a Rye Country Day School graduate and a two time Academy Award nominated producer who has produced various films including Funny Nathan Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian Actor known for his lead role in the television series Firefly Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American Television and movie actress. Alan Wray Tudyk (born March 16 1971 is an American Actor. Biography Early life Tudyk of Polish descent was born in El Paso Morena Baccarin (born June 2 1979 is a Brazilian actress of Italian origins best known for her roles as Inara Serra in the short-lived Adam Baldwin (born February 27 1962) is an American Actor. He is known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick 's Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress, best known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in Firefly Sean Maher (born April 16, 1975 in Pleasantville New York) is an American Actor, best known for his role as Simon Tam Summer Glau (born July 24 1981 is an American Dancer and actress, best known for playing River Tam in the short-lived Science fiction series Ron Glass (born July 10, 1945) is an American Actor. He is known for his roles as the witty Detective Ron Harris in the Television Chiwetel Ejiofor, OBE (pronounced approximately /tʃuwɛtəl ɛdʒəfɔː/ born 10 July 1974) is an award-winning and two-time Golden Globe David Krumholtz (born May 15, 1978) is an American actor He currently stars in the CBS television show Numb3rs. David Newman (born March 11, 1954) is an American composer known particularly for his music for the movies. John Newton Green, or Jack N Green (born 18 November 1946 in San Francisco California) is an American Cinematographer Lisa Lassek is a Film producer and editor whose credits include her role as Associate Producer for the television series Firefly. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$39,000,000
Preceded by	Serenity comic miniseries
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Several comic book miniseries have been released under the Serenity title set in the fictional universe created for Joss Whedon 's Firefly television The year 2005 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Devil's Rejects, Cheaper Space Western is a subgenre of Science fiction, primarily grounded in film and television that transposes themes of American Western books and film to a backdrop Joseph Hill " Joss " Whedon ( born June 23, 1964 in New York City is an Academy Award -nominated and Hugo Award It follows on from the canceled Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place about two months after the events of the final episode. Science fiction first appeared on Television during the Golden age of science fiction, first in Britain (UK and then in the United States Firefly is an American Science fiction Television series created by writer/director Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer " Objects in Space " is the fourteenth and final episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon ^[1] Set 510 years in the future, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a transport and cargo ship. A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of Ship or vessel that carries Cargo, goods and materials from one port to another The captain and first mate are veterans of the Unification War, having fought on the losing side. The Unification War is a major fictional event in the backstory of Joss Whedon 's television show, Firefly and its motion picture sequel Their lives of petty crime are interrupted by a psychic passenger who harbors a dangerous secret.

The film was released in North America on September 30, 2005 by Universal Pictures. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American It received generally positive reviews and opened at number two, taking in $10. 1 million its first weekend, spending two weeks in the top ten, and totaling a domestic box office gross of $25. 5 million and a foreign box office gross of $13. 3 million. ^[2] Serenity won film of the year awards from Film 2005^[3] and FilmFocus. Film is a weekly film review show on BBC television The first series was broadcast in 1972 (BBC South East only under FilmFocus is a British Film Website which has been running since January 2004. ^[4] It also won IGN Film's Best Sci-Fi, Best Story and Best Trailer awards and was runner up for the Overall Best Movie. IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video ^[5] It also won the Nebula Award for Best Script for 2005, the 7th annual 'User Tomato Awards' for best Sci-Fi movie of 2005 at Rotten Tomatoes, the 2006 viewers choice Spacey Award for favorite movie, the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form^[6] and the 2006 Prometheus Special Award. Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Script. The stated year is that of release awards are given in the following year Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. The Spacey Awards (also referred to as The Spaceys are Awards presented by the Canadian cable network Space. The Hugo Awards are given annually by members of the World Science Fiction Convention for the best science fiction or fantasy works The Prometheus Award is an award for Libertarian science fiction novels given out annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society which also publishes a quarterly journal

Serenity is a rare occurrence in the industry: a short-lived TV show continued as a major motion picture. ^[7]

Plot

Five hundred years in the future, mankind has abandoned Earth and emigrated to a neighboring star system. In the place of national governments, the interplanetary Alliance wields tight political power over inhabitants of the wealthy "central planets", while life on the partially-colonized "Outer Rim" planets resembles the lawlessness and desolation of the American Old West. In the Firefly television series the Alliance is a powerful authoritarian government and law-enforcement organization that controls the majority of territory In the depths of an Alliance facility, Simon Tam rescues his sister River Tam from her scientist captors, who experiment on her with hopes of harnessing her psychic abilities as a weapon. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. Telepathy ( Greek τηλε tele meaning "distant" and πάθεια patheia meaning "to be affected by" describes the purported transfer In hiding from the Alliance, the siblings eventually find safe harbor on the spacecraft Serenity, filled with a ragtag crew that makes a living by taking jobs of varying legality in the Outer Rim.

After a bank heist on an Outer Rim planet is disrupted by a horde of feral, spacefaring cannibals known as Reavers, the crew narrowly escapes back to Serenity. Robbery is the Crime of seizing Property through Violence or Intimidation. Reavers are a fictional group of humans in the television series Firefly and the movie Serenity who live on the fringes of civilized space and Simon accosts the ship's captain, Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, protesting River's involvement in the raid and her exposure to danger, and declares that he and River will leave Serenity at the next spaceport. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a Fictional character leading the ensemble in the 2002 Science fiction television series ''Firefly'' and the 2005 film

The crew disembarks at a trading post and enters a bar to meet with Fanty and Mingo, the men who hired Serenity for the robbery. River wanders into the bar and observes a television advertisement, which causes her to immediately and brutally attack the other patrons until Simon arrives and utters a code phrase, which renders River unconscious. Thoroughly confused, Mal takes River and Simon back to Serenity, where Simon reveals that River was conditioned to be an Alliance assassin. Classical Conditioning (also Pavlovian or Respondent Conditioning) is a form of Associative learning that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov Mal contacts Mr. Universe, a reclusive techno-geek who analyzes the bar security camera footage and discovers that a subliminal message in the advertisement triggered River's attack. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. A subliminal message is a signal or message embedded in another medium designed to pass below the normal limits of the human Mind 's perception Unknown to the crew, the message was placed by the Operative, a self-described monster with no name or rank, assigned by the Alliance to retrieve River at all costs. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly.

Mal receives a call from Inara Serra, a former passenger, asking for help with local unrest. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. Recognizing that he is entering a trap, Mal visits Inara and finally meets the Operative, who offers to release Mal if he surrenders River. Mal refuses and, following a vicious struggle with the Operative, escapes with Inara to Serenity. Aboard the ship, River reveals the existence of "Miranda", an Outer Rim planet deemed uninhabitable by the Alliance and located on the far side of a Reaver fleet. This is a list of fictional Planets and moons from the Firefly / Serenity Fiction. The crew discovers that the Operative has attacked all of Serenity's ports of refuge, killing their former shipmate Shepherd Book in the process. Stricken with guilt and vengeance, Mal overrides his crew's protests and disguises Serenity as a Reaver vessel, allowing them to sneak through the Reaver fleet unmolested and land on Miranda, a planet that contains only corpse-filled cities despite being fully habitable. A holographic recording from Dr. Caron, a regretful Alliance scientist, explains that the Alliance attempted to bring peace to the population by filling the atmosphere with a drug designed to suppress aggression. The drug instead suppressed the people's motivation to do anything, and they died of starvation, while "about a tenth of a percent of the population had the opposite reaction"^[8] and became the hyper-violent Reavers. Mal declares his intentions to broadcast this message to the solar system via Mr. Universe's powerful transmitters, aware of the Operative and the certain trap that awaits them.

River (Summer Glau) amidst the dispatched Reavers

As the Operative mobilizes an Alliance fleet above Mr. Universe's station, Mal provokes the Reaver fleet into pursuing Serenity and leads it into a massive space battle with the Alliance. With both sides distracted, Serenity, pursued by a Reaver ship and the Operative in an escape pod, crash-lands on the station, where they are surprised by Reavers, who kill pilot Wash. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. The crew enters the station and sets up defense positions, while Mal descends to transmit the Miranda message. As the crew's defense crumples beneath the Reaver assault, they retreat behind a blast door, which jams before it can close. A blast shelter is a place where people can go to protect themselves from Bomb blasts With everyone wounded and ammunition low, River dives through the blast door and seals it. In the depths of the station, Mal is attacked by the Operative, whom he narrowly defeats and incapacitates, leaving the man to watch the broadcast of the Miranda message. As a wounded and exhausted Mal rejoins the crew, the blast door opens, revealing River standing victorious amid piles of dead Reavers. Alliance troops burst onto the scene, but the Operative, his faith in the Alliance shattered by the Miranda message, orders the soldiers to stand down.

The crew buries their deceased friends and repairs Serenity. As the ship prepares to leave, the Operative approaches Mal and warns him of possible retaliation by the Alliance. Mal returns to Serenity's cockpit and with his new co-pilot River, blasts into space.

Cast

The crew of Serenity at the start of the film, from left to right: Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Nathan Fillion, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau. Adam Baldwin (born February 27 1962) is an American Actor. He is known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick 's Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress, best known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in Firefly Alan Wray Tudyk (born March 16 1971 is an American Actor. Biography Early life Tudyk of Polish descent was born in El Paso Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American Television and movie actress. Nathan Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian Actor known for his lead role in the television series Firefly Sean Maher (born April 16, 1975 in Pleasantville New York) is an American Actor, best known for his role as Simon Tam Summer Glau (born July 24 1981 is an American Dancer and actress, best known for playing River Tam in the short-lived Science fiction series

• Nathan Fillion as Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds: A former sergeant on the losing side of the Unification War, he struggles to survive free and independent of the Alliance. Nathan Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian Actor known for his lead role in the television series Firefly Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a Fictional character leading the ensemble in the 2002 Science fiction television series ''Firefly'' and the 2005 film The Unification War is a major fictional event in the backstory of Joss Whedon 's television show, Firefly and its motion picture sequel Captain Malcolm Reynolds was named #18 in TV Guide's "25 Greatest Sci-fi Legends" list in 2004. TV Guide is the name of a North American weekly magazine about television programming ^[9]
• Gina Torres as Zoe Washburne (nee Alleyne): A former corporal who fought under Mal in the war, and Wash's wife. Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American Television and movie actress. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. She is fiercely loyal to Mal, whom she still addresses as "sir".
• Alan Tudyk as Hoban "Wash" Washburne: The pilot of the ship, and Zoe's husband. Alan Wray Tudyk (born March 16 1971 is an American Actor. Biography Early life Tudyk of Polish descent was born in El Paso This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. He often acts as a voice of reason on the ship.
• Morena Baccarin as Inara Serra: A Companion who formerly rented one of Serenity's shuttles. Morena Baccarin (born June 2 1979 is a Brazilian actress of Italian origins best known for her roles as Inara Serra in the short-lived This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. In the television series Firefly and its feature film sequel Serenity, a Companion is a skilled well-educated and well-respected member of a In one of the Operative's traps, Mal is reunited with Inara at her training house, and the two escape back to Serenity.
• Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cobb: A mercenary skilled with weapons, Jayne is often the "main gun" for jobs and is someone who can be depended on in a fight. Adam Baldwin (born February 27 1962) is an American Actor. He is known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick 's This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. ^[10] He seems dumb, but may be smarter than he lets on. ^[11] As Whedon states several times, he is the person that will ask the questions that no one else wants to. ^[12]
• Jewel Staite as Kaywinnit Lee "Kaylee" Frye:^[13] the ship's mechanic, has an intuitive, almost symbiotic, relationship with machines and is, consequently, something of a mechanical wizard. Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress, best known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in Firefly This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. She is also notable for a persistently bright and sunny disposition.
• Sean Maher as Simon Tam: Simon is River's loving brother who helped rescue her from the Alliance. Sean Maher (born April 16, 1975 in Pleasantville New York) is an American Actor, best known for his role as Simon Tam This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. He and River are taken in by the crew of Serenity. A trauma surgeon before the rescue, he serves as a doctor to the crew. His life is defined by his sister's needs. ^[11]
• Summer Glau as River Tam: River is a seventeen-year old psychic genius. Summer Glau (born July 24 1981 is an American Dancer and actress, best known for playing River Tam in the short-lived Science fiction series This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. She and her brother are taken in by the crew of Serenity after he rescues her from an Alliance Academy. The Alliance's pursuit of River acts as the film's motive impulse. But, more abstractly, the film is the "story of Mal as told by River". ^[14]
• Ron Glass as Shepherd Derrial Book: A shepherd, or preacher, with a mysterious past, Book was once a passenger on Serenity, but now resides on the planet Haven. Ron Glass (born July 10, 1945) is an American Actor. He is known for his roles as the witty Detective Ron Harris in the Television Mal and the crew look to him for help.
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as The Operative: A ruthless, intelligent employee of the Alliance assigned to track down River and Simon. Chiwetel Ejiofor, OBE (pronounced approximately /tʃuwɛtəl ɛdʒəfɔː/ born 10 July 1974) is an award-winning and two-time Golden Globe This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. Although Ejiofor was on the top of the casting director's list for the role, the studio wanted someone better known. Whedon, however, was eventually able to cast Ejiofor. ^[15]
• David Krumholtz as Mr. Universe: A "techno-geek" with good relations with the crew of Serenity, especially Wash, Mr. David Krumholtz (born May 15, 1978) is an American actor He currently stars in the CBS television show Numb3rs. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. Universe lives with his "love-bot" wife and monitors incoming signals from around the universe.

Production

Development

The film is based on Firefly, a television series cancelled by Fox television in December 2002, after 11 of its 14 produced episodes had aired. ^[16] When attempts to have another network acquire the show failed, creator Joss Whedon attempted to sell it as a film. Through a business connection, he was introduced to Mary Parent with Universal Pictures, who immediately signed on after watching the episodes on DVD. Mary Parent is a producer for and former President of Production for Universal Studios Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American ^[16] By June 2003, actors Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin confirmed the deal on the official Firefly forum, as did Whedon in several interviews. Nathan Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian Actor known for his lead role in the television series Firefly Adam Baldwin (born February 27 1962) is an American Actor. He is known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick 's ^[17][18][19]

Writing

After Universal Studios acquired the movie rights to Firefly from Fox, Whedon began writing the screenplay. His task was to explain the premise of a television series that few had seen without boring new viewers or longtime fans. He based his story on original story ideas for Firefly's unfilmed second season. ^[20] Whedon's original script was 190 pages, and attempted to address all major plot points introduced in the series. After presenting the script to Universal under the title "The Kitchen Sink", Whedon was asked to cut down the script to a size filmable under his budget constraints. ^[20] Universal planned to begin shooting in October 2003, but delays in finishing the script postponed the start of shooting to June 2004. ^[16]

The opening sequence shifts perspectives several times, from a traditional narrative to a schoolroom setting, which turns out to be in River's mind, and so on, with information constantly stimulating the viewer's mind. Whedon said in the DVD commentary that the approach works thematically as well, since it depicts River's fractured state of mind. When they reach the ship, Whedon uses a long tracking shot of several minutes to establish "safety". A long take is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general usually lasting several ^[14]

Filming

Universal, while on board with the movie, was not willing to spend the typical $100 million for a story set in space. Whedon convinced them he could do it for less money, without filming in Canada, and do it in 50 days, instead of the usual 80. ^[21] On March 3, 2004 the movie was officially greenlighted to enter production and was revealed to have a budget of under $40 million. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " ^[22] Typically, production of a movie would try to save money by not filming in Los Angeles, but Whedon insisted on staying local, and hiring a local union crew. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West

Principal photography began on June 3, 2004. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Joss Whedon said that the film would be titled Serenity, in order to differentiate it from the TV series. (Whedon also mentions in the Serenity DVD commentary that Fox still owned the rights to the name 'Firefly'). ^[23] All nine principal cast members from the television series (Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau) returned for the movie. Adam Baldwin (born February 27 1962) is an American Actor. He is known for his roles as Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick 's Alan Wray Tudyk (born March 16 1971 is an American Actor. Biography Early life Tudyk of Polish descent was born in El Paso Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American Television and movie actress. Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress, best known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in Firefly Morena Baccarin (born June 2 1979 is a Brazilian actress of Italian origins best known for her roles as Inara Serra in the short-lived Nathan Fillion (born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian Actor known for his lead role in the television series Firefly Ron Glass (born July 10, 1945) is an American Actor. He is known for his roles as the witty Detective Ron Harris in the Television Sean Maher (born April 16, 1975 in Pleasantville New York) is an American Actor, best known for his role as Simon Tam Summer Glau (born July 24 1981 is an American Dancer and actress, best known for playing River Tam in the short-lived Science fiction series Stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski, a student of Jeet Kune Do under Dan Inosanto, created a customised fighting style for Summer Glau to use in the film's fight scenes. It was a hybrid of Kung Fu, kickboxing and elements of ballet, all combined to create a "balletic" martial art. Kung fu and wushu are popular terms that have become synonymous with Chinese Martial arts. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance ^[24]

One cost-cutting item that could not be reused from the television show was the original set of the interior of the spaceship Serenity, which had to be entirely rebuilt using frozen images from the Firefly DVD set. ^[21] The set for the failed colony, Miranda, was filmed on location at Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California. Diamond Ranch High School (or DRHS) is a High school ( Secondary school) operated by the Pomona Unified School District (PUSD in California ^[25] (The building into which the Alliance ship is crashed is the DRHS Band and Orchestra's rehearsal room. )

On September 17, 2004, Whedon announced on the movie's official website that shooting had been completed. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Design

An example of the Wild West influenced clothing and weaponry in Firefly and Serenity.

The film appears to have been influenced by the post-American Civil War Reconstruction period,^[26] with Malcolm Reynolds facing obstacles similar to those of landless Southerners competing against carpetbaggers and elites, and, it has been suggested, the Reavers standing in for the Indians. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South In United States history carpetbaggers was the term southerners gave to northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction, between 1865 and 1877 Elite (also spelled Élite) is taken originally from the Latin, eligere, "to elect" ^[27][28] Renowned comic book artist Bernie Wrightson, co-creator of Swamp Thing, contributed concept drawings for the Reavers. Bernie "Berni" Wrightson (born October 27, 1948, Baltimore Maryland, U The Swamp Thing is a Fictional character created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson for DC Comics and featured in a long-running horror-fantasy Reavers are a fictional group of humans in the television series Firefly and the movie Serenity who live on the fringes of civilized space and ^[29] Other comic book artists who contributed to the production design include Joshua Middleton and Leinil Francis Yu (Visual Companion). Joshua Middleton (sometimes credited as Josh Middleton) is a Comic book artist currently signed exclusive to DC Comics. Leinil Francis Yu (born July 1977 is a Filipino Comic book artist, who began working for the American market through Wildstorm Productions

Serenity costumes are influenced by Wild West style: natural materials such as wool, cotton, and leather in drab earth tones predominate. Some clothing also reflects an east, south, and southeast Asian and Indian fusion of color and beauty^[30] as well as influences from the American Civil War, late 19th century as well as the 1930s depression era. Mal's suspenders are strongly influenced by a World War 2 design. ^[31] The clothing of the Alliance organization within the series (in reality, reused uniforms from Starship Troopers^[32]) is monolithically monochromatic, similar to the uniforms of the Galactic Empire in the Star Wars films. In the Firefly television series the Alliance is a powerful authoritarian government and law-enforcement organization that controls the majority of territory Starship Troopers is a 1997 sci-fi - Action film directed by Paul Verhoeven, written by Edward Neumeier, and starring The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the Star Wars universe. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Serenity appears to be influenced by Western genre set design, in particular, entertainment programs set in the West during the 1970s and 1980s such as Little House on the Prairie. The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Little House on the Prairie is an American one-hour dramatic Television program that aired on the NBC network from September 11 1974 to The cramped interior of the Serenity ship itself appears to be strongly influenced by the 'the future looks worn down' precedent set by the famous fictional Star Wars spaceship the Millennium Falcon^[33] but devolved even further. The Millennium Falcon is a fictional spacecraft in the Star Wars universe commanded by smuggler Han Solo ( Harrison Ford) and his In a similar vein to the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Serenity goes for an occasional underdone look, or "used future", as Star Wars creator George Lucas refers to it. Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (originally released as Star Wars) is a 1977 Space opera George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter ^[34]

"Serenity" was clearly written by someone who grew up worshiping at the altar of Han Solo and the space marines in Aliens, but this genre picture is still a thrillingly original science fiction creation. The writing is as good as in the best "Star Trek" episodes, while offering a thoughtfully bleak vision of the future that brings to mind Blade Runner. "^[35]

—Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

This future envisioned in Serenity has two political and cultural centers: Anglo-American and Chinese. Characters all speak English and Mandarin, with the latter language reserved for the strongest curse words. ^[36] While these two are the dominant languages of the film, other languages are also spoken in the Firefly / Serenity universe, including Russian (spoken by Simon during the movie). The safeword phrase that Simon uses to shut River down, "Eta kuram na smekh", is a Russian expression ("Это курам на смех"). Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Literally, it means, "That's for chickens to laugh at" — a Russian idiom for "That's ridiculous". ^[37]

Visual effects

Adam Baldwin on top of the mule, which is shown here attached to the rig created to help achieve the effect of a hover craft.

Since the budget was not very large, practical special effects were used as much as possible: if a CGI composite was required, as many tangible sets and props as possible were constructed to minimize the use of CGI effects. Computer animation Computer-generated imagery (also known as CGI) is the application of the field of Computer graphics or more specifically 3D computer graphics ^[38] The most technically challenging scene was the mule skiff chase. ^[38] For budgetary reasons, a gimbal and CGI, much like those used in the pod race in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, were quickly ruled out, creating a challenge for the production team to find an alternative. A gimbal is a pivoted support that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis Star Wars Episode I Phantom Menace is a 1999 military sci-fi film written and directed by George Lucas. ^[21] Instead, the crew fashioned a trailer with a cantilevered arm attached to the "hovercraft" and shot the scene while riding up Templin Highway north of Santa Clarita. Templin Highway is a two-lane road in Los Angeles County California, United States that connects Interstate 5 and the old Golden State Highway ^[21] Serenity visual effects supervisor Loni Peristere stated in a Los Angeles Times article, "Traditionally this would have been, like, a 30-day shoot. I think we did it in five. "^[21] Zoic Studios, the CG-rendering company that produced the graphics for the series, had to perform a complete overhaul of their computer model of Serenity, as the television model would not stand up to the high-definition scrutiny of cinema screens (and High-definition video resolution). Zoic Studios' - written as ZŌIC - is a Special effects company based in Culver City California which primarily deals with computer generated special effects High-definition (HD video generally refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition (SD video most commonly at display resolutions of 1280×720 ^[39][40]

Musical score

The film's musical score was composed by David Newman, and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony under Newman's direction. Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of Musical notation; like its analogs -- books pamphlets etc David Newman (born March 11, 1954) is an American composer known particularly for his music for the movies. The Hollywood Studio Symphony is the credited name of the Symphony orchestra behind many major soundtracks, including The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe According to director Joss Whedon's sleeve notes for the album, Newman was recommended by Universal's music executives when he requested a musician capable of "everything". Whedon's directions to Newman for the Serenity theme were that he wanted something homemade and mournful that would let viewers know that they were now "home" and evoke the idea of the pioneer, when everyone only had what they could carry. ^[41] The official soundtrack was released on CD on September 27, 2005. The soundtrack to the 2005 motion picture Serenity was released on September 27, 2005. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It is of note that the acoustic guitar version of the Ballad of Serenity, which was used at the end of the film's credits, is absent from the soundtrack.

Release

Hoping to generate buzz through early word-of-mouth, Universal launched an unprecedented 3-stage campaign to sneak-preview the then-unfinished movie in 35 US cities where the television series had earned high Nielsen Ratings. Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the Audience size and composition of television The first stage of screenings was held in 10 cities on May 5, 2005. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The second stage, held on May 26, 2005, added an additional 10 cities and was also the source of controversy when individual theaters began selling tickets before the official announcement was made, leading some shows to be sold out before being announced. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The third round of screenings, with an additional 15 cities, was held on June 23, 2005. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The screenings proved a success, with all three stages selling out in less than 24 hours, the second-stage screening in Washington, D.C. sold out in a mere 22 minutes and the second screening in Phoenix sold out in 8. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D ^[42][43]

Australian audiences were the first outside North America to get preview screenings. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. After an exclusive Sydney test screening, Melbourne held a public screening on July 21, 2005. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This was followed by a film festival screening on the Gold Coast on July 22, 2005. This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Public preview screenings were held in Adelaide and Sydney on August 1, 2005, and Perth on August 4, 2005. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Further screenings were held in Victoria, Tasmania, and Queensland in late August. Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent There had been a screening of the unfinished film in February 2005 at the British Film Institute in London. This version of the film had a temporary score, including movements from Braveheart, as well as some unrendered effects and scenes which were later deleted. The audience comprised industry professionals and fans.

A showing of the finished film billed as the "Gala Premiere" was held at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 22, 2005,^[44] followed by an interview with Whedon the next day,^[45] and preview screenings across the United Kingdom and Ireland on August 24, 2005, in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Dublin. The Edinburgh International Film Festival or EIFF has moved its date and will now take place in June Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Several of the screenings in all the countries featured the attendance of Joss Whedon and the film's cast, followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Whedon also attended two Q&A sessions after sold-out screenings of the finished film in Melbourne and Sydney on September 12, 2005 and September 13, 2005. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The trailer also generated considerable buzz on the internet. It was uploaded on April 26, 2005 and by April 28, 2005, it topped the Yahoo Buzz Index. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[46][47] On October 5, 2005, Universal made the first nine minutes of Serenity available online. Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[48] A browser plug-in allowed the viewer to see the opening of the film in full-screen broadcast quality (bandwidth permitting). The clip was removed a few weeks later.

Marketing

Several tie-in products were released to promote the film; The novelization of the film was written by Keith R. A. DeCandido, and published by Simon & Schuster imprint Pocket Star Books on 2005-09-01. Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido (born April 18, 1969 in New York, United States) is an American Sci-fi and Fantasy writer Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes Paperback books Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. ^[49] Serenity: The Official Visual Companion was written by Joss Whedon, published by Titan Books, and released on September 1, 2005 in paperback. Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company established in 1981 Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It contained the film's screenplay, along with other supplemental features such as concept art, film images, and a map of the universe. A role-playing game entitled Serenity, published by Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd, was released in 2005. A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Serenity Role Playing Game is a Science fiction Role-playing game released in 2005 and set in the universe of the movie Margaret Edith Weis (born March 16, 1948 in Independence, Missouri, United States) is a fantasy novelist who along with This was followed by Serenity: Out in the Black by Tracy and Laura Hickman.

A three-issue comic book series entitled Serenity: Those Left Behind was released from June through September of 2005. A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative Serenity Those Left Behind is a 2005 three-issue Comic book Limited series published by Dark Horse Comics. It was intended to bridge the gap between the end of the television series and the beginning of the film. The comic was written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, illustrated by Will Conrad and Laura Martin, and published by Dark Horse Comics. Laura DePuy Martin is an artist probably best known for her work as a - primarily freelance - colorist in the comics industry Dark Horse Comics is one of the largest independent American Comic book publishers behind dominant publishers Marvel Comics and DC Comics The story focuses on the crew of Serenity taking a salvage job from Badger following a botched theft on a backwater planet, and the pursuit of River by the ominous blue-gloved men seen in the television series. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. Joss Whedon mentioned in a November 2007 interview that he is reteaming with Brett Matthews to write a new Serenity miniseries, titled Better Days, relating a heist where everything goes right and the crew finds themselves in a rare place: on easy street. The adventure takes place "before the movie and before certain people were iced"; i. e. , in the timeframe of Firefly. The new comic is due in early 2008. ^[50]

R. Tam sessions

Main article: R. Tam sessions

Universal also employed a viral marketing campaign, producing five short videos that were released on the internet between August 16, 2005 and September 5, 2005. The R Tam sessions are a series of five short videos released by Joss Whedon over the internet which were set within his fictional Firefly universe Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to Marketing techniques that use pre-existing Social networks to produce increases in Brand awareness Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. These short films, known as the "R. Tam sessions", depicted excerpts of counseling sessions with the character River Tam while she was being held at a "learning facility" known only as "The Academy". The R Tam sessions are a series of five short videos released by Joss Whedon over the internet which were set within his fictional Firefly universe This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. The counselor in these sessions is played by Joss Whedon himself. Taking place before the events of the film or the television series, the videos shed some light on the experiments and torture "The Academy" conducted on River. They "document" her transformation from a shy child prodigy to the mentally unstable character of the television series. ^[51]

Home video

Serenity was initially released on home video in North America on December 20, 2005. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was released on Region 1 DVD, UMD, and VHS, and the DVD quickly went to #1 in sales on Amazon.com. DVD video discs may be encoded with a region code restricting the area of the world in which they can be played DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is The Universal Media Disc ( UMD) is an Optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on the PlayStation Portable. Amazoncom Inc ( is an American electronic commerce ( E-commerce) company in Seattle Washington. ^[52] It also spent two weeks in the top ten on Billboard's Top DVD Sales charts, peaking at #3. As of January 15, 2006, the DVD/VHS rentals of the film had grossed around $9,190,000. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[53] Included as extras on the DVD are an audio commentary by Joss Whedon, deleted scenes and outtakes, and several short documentaries. These documentaries include "Future History: The Story of Earth That Was", "What's in a Firefly", and "Re-Lighting the Firefly". Also included is a short introduction to the film by Joss Whedon, and an easter egg^[54] that features a small featurette on the "Fruity Oaty Bar" commercial. A virtual Easter egg is an intentional Hidden message or feature in an object such as a movie, Book ^[55] NASA astronaut Steven Swanson, a fan of the show,^[56] took the Region 1 Firefly and Serenity DVDs with him on Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-117 mission, which lifted off on Saturday June 9, 2007. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program An astronaut or cosmonaut (космона́вт) is a person trained Steven Ray Swanson (born December 3, 1960 in Syracuse New York) is an American engineer and a NASA Astronaut. Space Shuttle Atlantis ( Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-104 is one of the three currently operational orbiters in the Space Shuttle fleet of STS-117 was a Space Shuttle mission flown by Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'', launched from pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The DVDs will permanently reside on the International Space Station as a form of entertainment for the station's crews. ^[57]

The film was released as a two-disc set in Australia (Region 4) and parts of Europe (Region 2) on February 8, 2006. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This version included new features, in addition to the supplemental material found on the North American (Region 1) release. At present, disc 2 is exclusive only to Australia and Benelux— Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It was released in Germany as part of the special edition^[58] However, other international territories may decide to release the 2nd disc as well. Added material for disc 1 includes "A Filmmaker's Journey: Journey with Joss from Script to Screen", which is available on all international DVDs, but not the US version. Added material for disc 2 includes a Joss Whedon Q&A session filmed at FOX Studios in Sydney, extended scenes, and two documentaries entitled "Take a Walk on Serenity" and "The Green Clan". An "exclusive collector's tin" version of Serenity was released for the two disk edition by the EzyDVD chain of stores in Australia. ^[59]

Serenity was released on HD DVD on April 18, 2006, and was one of the first films to be released on the format. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It ranked in the later 100s on Amazon.com in top selling DVDs. Amazoncom Inc ( is an American electronic commerce ( E-commerce) company in Seattle Washington. Given the low demand for HD DVDs at that point, this is quite notable. The disc included all of the bonus features found on the original Region 1 disc. As of November 29, 2006 Serenity was the fifteenth highest-selling HD DVD. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. After the title key for Serenity was copied from a software player (as documented in Muslix64's doom9 forum thread) and posted on the internet as a riddle,^[60] the film soon became the first HD DVD release to be released on the BitTorrent network on January 12, 2007. Before editing this article or commenting on this article's talk page please read the Electronic Frontier Foundation's legal primer on this issue http//www BitTorrent is a Peer-to-peer File sharing protocol used to distribute large amounts of Data. Events 475 - Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[61] The pirated release was a 19. 6 GB 1080p VC-1 . VC-1 is the informal name of the SMPTE 421M Video codec standard initially developed by Microsoft. EVO file with 5. 1 DDPlus encoded sound. Dolby Digital Plus ( DD+ or E-AC-3) is a digital audio compression scheme developed specifically for the introduction of HD DVD and Blu-ray Although many other releases soon followed after the discoveries in muslix64's thread, Serenity's marked the beginning of widespread HD DVD pirating.

A two-disc Collector's Edition DVD of the film was released for Region 1 on August 21, 2007. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. According to Whedon, the excellent sales figures for the "Normal Edition" DVD allowed this release. ^[62] The DVD included all of the once-Australian-exclusive bonus features, sans the Joss Whedon Q&A session filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney, and with new content including a DTS 5. 1 surround track, a second commentary with Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau and Ron Glass, the R. Tam sessions (dubbed "Session 416"), and the Sci-Fi Inside: Serenity documentary. ^[63][64] Universal Pictures redesigned the film's official website to reflect the new DVD set. ^[65]

Charity screenings

Beginning in January 2006, fans (with Universal's blessing) began organizing charity screenings of Serenity^[66] to benefit Equality Now, a human rights organization supported by Joss Whedon. January 2006: ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July Equality Now is a Non-governmental organization that works to protect the human rights of women around the world By mid-June, 41 such screenings had been confirmed for cities in Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, and the United States, and as of June 19, 2006, there were 47 scheduled screenings. Events 1179 - The Norwegian Battle of Kalvskinnet outside Nidaros. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The project was referred to as "Serenity Now/Equality Now" on the official website, is often referred to in shortened form as "Serenity Now", and was coordinated through "Can't Stop The Serenity" [sic]^[67]. The event was repeated in 2007 (where it reportedly raised considerably more than the original 2006 screenings;^[68])^[69] another repetition of the event is planned for 2008 with a goal of raising $150,000. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Reception

Box office performance

Despite critical acclaim and Internet buzz, Serenity performed poorly at the box office. Although several pundits predicted a #1 opening,^[70][71][72] the film opened at #2 in the United States, taking in $10. 1 million its first weekend, spending two weeks in the top ten, and totaling a box office gross of $25. 5 million. ^[2] Movie industry analyst Brandon Gray described Serenity's box office performance as "like a below average genre picture". ^[73]

Serenity's international box office results were mixed, with strong openings in the UK, Portugal and Russia, but poor results in Spain, Australia, France and Italy. Universal International Pictures canceled the film's theatrical release in at least seven countries, planning to release it directly to DVD instead. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American The box office income outside the United States was $13. 3 million, with a worldwide total of $38. 8 million,^[74] slightly less than the film's $39 million budget, which does not include the promotion and advertising costs.

Critical reception

Serenity received mostly positive reviews from film critics, with a "fresh" rating of 81%^[75] from the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from a wide range of film critics. Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "Two Thumbs Up" rating,^[76] and The San Francisco Chronicle called it "a triumph",^[35] while The New York Times described it as a modest but superior science fiction film. The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H ^[77] Science fiction author Orson Scott Card called Serenity "the best science fiction film ever", further stating "If Ender's Game can't be this kind of movie, and this good a movie, then I want it never to be made. Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is a bestselling American Author, Critic, political writer and speaker. Ender's Game (1985 is one of the best-known novels by Orson Scott Card. I'd rather just watch Serenity again. "^[78]

However, some reviewers felt the film was unable to overcome its television origins, and did not successfully accomplish the transition to the big screen. USA Today wrote that "the characters are generally uninteresting and one-dimensional, and the futuristic Western-style plot grows tedious" while Variety declared that the film "bounces around to sometimes memorable effect but rarely soars". USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman

Awards

• Film of the year awards from Film 2005^[3] and FilmFocus. Film is a weekly film review show on BBC television The first series was broadcast in 1972 (BBC South East only under FilmFocus is a British Film Website which has been running since January 2004. ^[4]
• IGN Film's Best Sci-Fi, Best Story and Best Trailer awards and runner up to Batman Begins for the Overall Best Movie^[5]
• Won the 7th annual 'User Tomato Awards' for best Sci-Fi movie of 2005 at Rotten Tomatoes. Batman Begins is a 2005 American Superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies.
• Won Nebula Award for Best Script for 2005. Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Script. The stated year is that of release awards are given in the following year
• 2006 viewers choice Spacey Award for favorite movie. The Spacey Awards (also referred to as The Spaceys are Awards presented by the Canadian cable network Space.
• Voted as the best film of 2006 by the writers for the website Box Office Prophets and it came 12th Best film of 2006 in the website's readers poll. Box Office Prophets (BOP is a web site that contains movie-related features and information
• Won Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form at the 2006 Hugo Awards. The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year ^[6]
• SyFy Genre Awards 2006:^[79]
  • Best Movie Runner-Up
  • Best Actor/Movie Runner-Up: Nathan Fillion
  • Best Actress/Movie Runner-Up: Summer Glau
• SFX magazine's best sci-fi movie of all time. The SyFy Genre Awards, considered one of the first major virtual entertainment awards is a product of the Science fiction and Fantasy Web site SyFy Portal SFX is a British Magazine devoted to Science fiction and Fantasy subjects especially media-related topics but not containing fiction ^[80][81][82]

Themes and cultural allusions

While the film depicts the Alliance as an all-powerful, authoritarian-style regime, Whedon is careful to point out that it is not so simple as that. "The Alliance isn't some evil empire", he explains, but rather a largely benevolent bureaucratic force. The Alliance's main problem is that it seeks to govern everyone, regardless of whether they desire to belong to the central government or not. ^[83] What the crew of Serenity, and specifically Mal and his lifestyle, represent is the idea that people should have the right to make their own decisions, even if those decisions are bad. ^[84]

The Operative embodies the Alliance and is, as Whedon described, the "perfect product of what's wrong with the Alliance". He is someone whose motives are to achieve a good end, a "world without sin". The Operative believes so strongly in this idea that he willingly compromises his humanity in furtherance of it. In contrast, Mal is, at the movie's beginning, a man who has lost all faith. ^[85] By the end of the movie, however, Mal has finally come to believe in something—individual liberty—so strongly that he becomes willing to lay down his life to preserve it. ^[86][84] Whedon has said that the most important line in the film is Mal's contented promise to the Operative at its climax: "I'm going to show you a world without sin. " Whedon's point is that a world without sin is a world without choice, and that choice is ultimately what defines humanity. ^[84]

There are a number of religious references in the series, perhaps most notably to Christianity. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings There are two references to the "seven deadly sins". The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of Vices that were originally used in early Christian When the operative kills the government scientist in the beginning of the movie he tells him that his sin is "pride". Later, when Mal is fighting the Operative, Mal tells him he is "a fan of all seven". There is a Biblical reference after Mal tells Mr. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Universe about the Miranda tape. Mr. Universe asks The Operative (who is standing right behind him while he is talking to Mal) for his "thirty coin", referring to the thirty pieces of silver that Judas was paid to betray Jesus. Judas Iscariot, יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ was according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) In addition, a number of characters are overtly religious: Shepherd Book describes himself as a Christian, Inara pays homage to a Buddhist statue, and, in line with Jewish tradition, Mr. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Universe breaks a wine glass during his "marriage" with his love-bot Lenore.

Joss Whedon said in the DVD commentary track that the planet "Miranda" was named for Shakespeare's Miranda in The Tempest, who says in Act V, scene I: "O brave new world, / That has such people in't!"^[86] The Alliance had hoped that Miranda would be a new kind of world, filled with peaceful, happy people, and represents the "inane optimism of the Alliance". William Shakespeare ( baptised The Tempest is a comedy written by William Shakespeare. It is generally dated to 1610-11 and accepted as the last play written solely by him although ^[87] The Fruity Oaty Bar commercial is partially inspired by Mr. Sparkle, the mascot of a fictional brand of dish-washing detergent, who was featured in The Simpsons episode "In Marge We Trust". " In Marge We Trust " is the twenty-second episode of The Simpsons ' eighth season, which originally aired April 27 1997 ^[88]. Whedon also mentions, in a hidden feature on the Serenity DVD, that when the Fruity Oaty Bar commercial was being designed, he constantly asked the animators to redesign it and make it even more bizarre than the previous design, until it arrived at the version presented on screen.

Sequels

Fans of Firefly had hoped^[89] that if Serenity were successful, it might lead either to a revival of the television series or a film franchise (colloquially referred to as the "Big Damn Trilogy", or BDT). ^[90] The former was always unlikely, since Fox still owns the Firefly television rights and Joss Whedon reportedly refused to work for Fox again^[91] (though he has since agreed to write and produce the television series Dollhouse for the network). Dollhouse is an American Drama series of hour-long Television programs created by Joss Whedon which went into production in April 2008 Fans' hopes for further theatrical films appear to have been partially dashed by Serenity's mediocre box office showing. Whedon has stated that if a sequel is made, he hopes to address the Book character's backstory and deal with Jubal Early, a bounty hunter character assumed dead at the end of Firefly. This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. ^[92] The first major sequel rumor began on December 1, 2005, when IGN Filmforce reported that Universal had expressed an interest in making a Serenity TV movie for broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel (which is owned by Universal), and eventual DVD sale. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video It was expected that commissioning of a television sequel would be contingent on strong DVD sales of Serenity. ^[93] In a January 2006 interview, Whedon doubted the chances of a sequel. ^[94] On June 23, 2006 a number of fans organized and spread word of "Serenity Day", on which all fans were proposed to purchase a copy of Serenity in an attempt to convince Universal that a sequel would be profitable. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The significance of this day was that June 23, 2006 was the one-year anniversary of the third and final advance screening of Serenity prior to its release, as well as Joss Whedon's birthday. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The impact of the event could be seen from Serenity reaching #2 in the Amazon DVD Charts. ^[95] the highest ranking the DVD had reached since January 16, 2006. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[96]

On October 1, 2006, Whedon posted a comment to the Whedonesque.com website, responding to a rumor that he was currently working on a sequel to Serenity. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Whedonesquecom (also referred to as Whedonesque and spelled in the site's logo as WHEDONESQUE) is a collaborative Weblog devoted to the He wrote,

"There's no sequel, no secret project regarding Serenity or somesuch and I'm not even sure how anyone thought there was talk there. I've seen Nathan and Tim (and Summer and Alan) recently because they're my friends because I'm so, yeah, awesome. So let's put that to bed and smother it with a pillow. "^[97]

Whedon's response to the rumor consequently sparked many websites to publish articles stating that he would never work on a sequel to Serenity. Whedon again returned to Whedonesque. com to respond to the new stories and wrote,

"Holy Mother of Oats! I turn my back for five minutes (that's how long it takes to admire my lovely back) and the interweb goes banoonoos! Isn't there any ACTUAL news to get wrong? Sorry about all this; it might be best if I just stay off the computer for a while. . . . Here's a thing: when Firefly was cancelled, my heart got broke. Sounds a bit much, but it changed me. Not even Serenity could patch that wound. I'm wearier, warier -- after all those years as a movie writer, you'd think I'd be prepared for another lesson on my unimportance in the scheme of things, but I wasn't. . . . All these rumor of projects or the death of projects. . . When the two worlds align and something actually happens, whatever it is, you guys know I'll be on this site as soon as I'm allowed to be. And I'll be very very clear. There is no news. Not never, just now. "^[98]

In an interview at the 2007 Comic-Con, Whedon stated that he believes hope for a sequel rests in the sales of the Collector's Edition DVD. Comic-Con International San Diego, commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, is an annual multigenre Fan convention founded as the Golden ^[99][100] In an August 2007 interview with Amazon. com prior to the Collector's Edition DVD release, Whedon stated "It's still on my mind, I mean, but I don't know if mine is the only mind that it's on. " He later said "You know, whether or not anybody who's involved would be available at that point—everybody's working, I'm happy to say—is a question, but whether I would want to do another one is not a question. "^[101] On October 4, 2007, Alan Tudyk suggested in an interview that Universal was considering another film due to DVD sales. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Alan Wray Tudyk (born March 16 1971 is an American Actor. Biography Early life Tudyk of Polish descent was born in El Paso ^[102] Although Joss Whedon later discounted Tudyk's statement as being "wishful thinking",^[103] Tudyk is still hopeful a sequel will be made. ^[104]

Notes and references

• DeCandido, Keith R.A. (August 30, 2005). Keith Robert Andreassi DeCandido (born April 18, 1969 in New York, United States) is an American Sci-fi and Fantasy writer Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Serenity. ISBN 1-4165-0755-8.  
• Whedon, Joss (September 1, 2005). Joseph Hill " Joss " Whedon ( born June 23, 1964 in New York City is an Academy Award -nominated and Hugo Award Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Serenity: The Visual Companion. ISBN 1-84576-082-4.  
• Joss Whedon (Director). Serenity [DVD]. Universal.

External links

• SerenityMovie.com - Official website
• Serenitymovie.com.au - Official Australian website
• Serenity at the Internet Movie Database
• Firefly and Serenity at Wikia
• Interview with Serenity visual effects supervisor
• IGN visits the set of the film
• Translations of Chinese used
• Session416.com - Fan site documents the R. Wikia (originally Wikicities) is a selective Free web hosting service for Wikis (or Wiki farm) operated by Wikia Inc Tam sessions viral marketing campaign