For a little background history, this story takes place about 500 years into the future and the people of Earth have outgrown their planet. So colonization occurred, resulting in several new planets as space travel is now the norm. The lead government of all these planets is referred to simply as the Alliance. But not every planet or group of people wishes to be ruled by what they consider tyrannical leadership. And perhaps their concerns aren't far wrong, for the methods this government employs in colonization are dubious at best and heinous at the worst. Any thirst for independence and a separate government is severely quenched, hence the reason several nomadic groupings defy the Government.

Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) captains one such collection of people aboard his ship Serenity. However, his motives are not as pure as they once were. He and his companions turned to thievery and although they dislike killing, they will stoop to that level if necessary. Still, the crew members have their pluses. The pilot Wash (Alan Tudyk) is happily married to Mal's second in command Zoe (Gina Torres), and their relationship makes the ship a more cheery place. Engineer Kaylee (Jewel Staite) keeps the ship holding together by a thread and never loses her perky outlook. The only loose brick is Jayne (Adam Baldwin) with his easily ignited temper and intense dislike of the newest members to the crew of Serenity.

Doctor Simon Tam (Sean Maher) and his young sister River (Summer Glau) are on the run from the Government, and their story is a unique one. A determined Simon spent most of his adult life plotting the escape of his sister from a Government training facility. River is a special young lady with a unique gift. Her abilities to see into the future and sense the thoughts and emotions of others, not to mention her physical prowess, makes her a much desired killing machine. But River isn't a killer, at least not on that sense. She's a naive and painfully afraid young woman, and her brother is Rivers only hope in living a halfway normal life. So when they join Serenity, Simon works his hardest to earn their keep. In spite of his attempts at portraying River as normal, she is not. As the two of them are being hunted by a man called The Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), her episodes of darkness and unpredictability grow stronger. It seems she learned a secret when key members of the government came to study River in her gilded cage.

On her own, she cant recall what they are, but bits and pieces slowly surface and generally cause her to react in blind rage. Not even Simon can fully halt these attacks, and Mal is left with a choice. Will he abandon them at his very next port of call, or try to find the motives behind Rivers violence? There are Sci-Fi films, and than there are Sci-Fi films. This movie contains every interplanetary twist you could imagine from a civilization of savage killers known as the Reavers to a bizarre fascination with Chinese symbols and speech. The subtleties of Serenity could be interpreted in numerous ways. The government could be viewed as a dictatorship or it could even be seen as an insanely bizarre slur against the United States for our supposed "meddlesome ways." It depends mostly on you, the viewer.

The violence goes from rather mild to extremes in an immensely short period of time. I've never been very fond of human-like creatures going around with blood smeared on their grotesquely distorted features and skeletons tied to their ships. They're not pretty and their sole purpose in life is to literally rape and pillage anyone and anything outside their society. An entire world is completely devastated by a disease that robs a person of all will to live. Both hideously preserved corpses and skeletons are visible throughout the entire planet. People are impaled on swords on a semi-regular basis. And then come the defensive maneuvers. These people love to fight. A single person manages to wipe out an entire squadron of enemies, and than stands with blood dripping from her weaponry. So yes, the karate moves are deadly and do much damage. There's also some bone breakage near the end, people getting shot, and other various forms of graphic violence. Lets put it this way. If you can handle Equilibrium, then Serenity should be a piece of cake.

In the sexual department, these kids do pretty well for the first long while. Than comes the admittance of deep attraction between two of the characters, including a hunger for sex, and they are later seen indulging in a major make-out session when the camera thankfully cuts away. No nudity, which was nice, but honestly. It didn't further the story one iota. There is a brief mention of a woman satisfying her own physical needs, though it is ringed in subtleties. If you weren't looking for it, you might not notice the mention. Language is prevalent through the movie, but it is not in English. So, undoubtedly they were swearing, but I was unable to grasp the meaning, which was a blessing. Then comes the question of morality. Did these people do the right thing? They're space pirates, literally, and nowhere near as adorable as Han Solo. The captain Mal will threaten lives if his authority is being questioned. I believed him capable of shooting his own crew if need be, so what does that say for his character?

An old man by the name of Shepherd is apparently a retired minister who attempts to bring belief into the lives of Serenity's crew. Unfortunately, he calls for belief, but only in the vast "something" not in God specifically. That ideology harms more than heals whenever its put to any real use. These people will only assist others when it is in their best interest. Although, to their credit, at the end, Mal suddenly decides that some causes are worth fighting for. I just wish I knew how he came to that sudden and remarkable conclusion. Buddhism briefly intrudes. The acting was excellent on all counts. From Nathan to Summer, I was highly impressed with their reactions and interactions with each other. Relationships help make the movie. Even flawed, most of the characters are ones you can cheer on, Simon and his sister especially. My motives in going to attend this film were not entirely pure. Thanks to the current TV series, Numb3rs, I've become hooked on the acting of David Kurmholtz. So low and behold, there he was in all of his zany glory, and his five minutes of screen time made the movie all the more worthwhile. There was even a touch of humor to lighten the otherwise morbid atmosphere of the film. Serenity definitely has Joss Whedon's unique touch, both in the macabre and in the hilarious. If you enjoy his style of film-making, than you will love Serenity. I went knowing there would be problems and pluses. But understand this, the film is anything but serene.