Serenity - 2-Disc Collector's Edition DVD Review

What can I say? I married a Browncoat.

And just like she did with Lost, she got me hooked on the Firefly TV series via DVD. Unfortunately, unlike Lost, which has a supportive network and good ratings, Firefly got cancelled by FOX after only 12 episodes had aired. However, thanks to legions of dedicated fans known as "The Browncoats," the show was revived as a feature film in 2005, with mastermind Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) writing and directing.

Serenity is darker and far more intense than its television counterpart, as the crew comes face-to-face with the dreaded "Reivers" (also spelled "Reavers," but I prefer the William Faulkner spelling, thank you very much), and we learn that the character of River (Summer Glau) is more than a mere psychic. She's also an assassin who can kick some serious ass. Captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) is also a lot darker here, as he was lightened up on the series at the request of the network.

The witty banter and comic relief that were such a large part of Firefly are still present in Serenity, but the gravity of the events in the film put humor on the back-burner for the most part. These are life-and-death matters, and a couple of the beloved characters sadly end up dead.

Although I was familiar with the show before watching the movie, I think Serenity stands on its own, and will appeal to people who haven't seen the series. It is not for the kiddies, however, as, to quote the MPAA, "some scenes may be too intense for younger viewers."

Strike "may." It was pretty intense for me, and I'm all growed up!

As I mentioned in my review of Firefly: The Complete Series, there is talk of another feature film, or maybe two (rabid Browncoats maintain that only a trilogy will suffice). According to Whedon, whether or not there will be another movie is largely dependent on the sales of this deluxe 2-disc set. So, if you want to see more adventures with the crew of Serenity, be  sure to buy this Collector's Edition, which is beautifully packaged and jam-packed with extra features.

It's shiny.

Available from Universal Home Entertainment.