Some time has passed since "Objects in Space". Both Inara and Shepherd Book are no longer travelling with Malcolm Reynolds, while the Alliance's relentless pursuit of River Tam has made it harder for them to find work. Mal takes River with the crew as they rob a bank on a frontier world. Unfortunately, the job goes south when the town is attacked by Reavers and the crew barely escape with their lives. Afterwards, Simon announces his desire to leave Serenity with River, but they're reluctantly taken in after they attract the attention of a new foe known only as "The Operative".
As Serenity was made as a sequel to Firefly, watching the series is recommended beforehand. However, it doesn't allude to the events of the series too much. This is handy if you haven't seen the show, but doesn't answer a lot of questions if you have. For example, River was pursued by two men in suits known as "The Hands of Blue" in the show, but they're absent from the film. The Operative fills that role here. Now, I know there was a comic which filled the gaps, but I haven't read it. As a general rule, requiring knowledge of past events doesn't always make for a good story.
Unanswered questions aside, it's still great to see the crew of Serenity reunited. Speaking as someone who did watch the show, it's also a great build-up to the Reaver plot thread. The Reavers never actually made an appearance in the show. There was an encounter with a Reaver ship which the crew narrowly escapes from, and there was another episode dealing with the aftermath of a Reaver attack, but it mostly the mention of the name which instilled a sense of dread in people. In the film, they finally show up in force.
Mal is also shown to be a lot more ruthless in the film. Yeah, he wasn't the most heroic figure in the show, but here he doesn't hesitate to shoot a man who has just been seized by Reavers, shoots The Operative when he tries to parley, and later executes an Alliance soldier who tries to surrender. This could make it harder for newer audiences to root for him.
If there's anyone who does steal the show, it's The Operative. He's methodical and ruthless, but he's also well-spoken. As stated above, he does try and negotiate if he can, but he becomes a force to be reckoned with if he can't.
Whether you watched the show or not, the finely-crafted witty dialogue is still there. My favourite conversation is probably when the Operative visits Inara, who agrees to contact Mal with a job offer. Mal realises it's a trap right away. And the rest of the crew - who had been listening in on the conversation - are convinced when they realised Mal and Inara weren't bickering.
Well, that about wraps it up. Happy New Year, if I haven't said it already, and Happy Writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment