The Big Think

Just got back from watching Serenity. I was powerful enthused (Mal-ism there) to see so many people at the early showing. I don’t know if it’s because the film has such good word-of-mouth, or if science fiction fans are all a bunch of cheapskates (the first matinee is only $4.50), but the place was about 2/3rds full.

My review? I really, really enjoyed it.

I won’t spoil anything about the movie, but I will say that one of my favorite shots, one that stood out even above the hugely-movie-ish Giant Space Battle special effects shots, was the first sequence just after the title that opens up in space, moves through the front window of the ship’s cockpit as it makes a blazing reentry into atmosphere, and then follows Cap’n Mal as he talks to the members of his crew, but what makes it special is that the whole shot- probably 2-3 minutes- is one continuous sequence with a steady cam and no breaks or interruptions (it’s a beautiful piece of up-and-down-stairways camerawork with only one slightly awkward zoom towards the end of the marathon) as it moves gracefully throughout the entire ship, showing every room from cockpit to cargo hold in a way that finally made me grasp not only the physical layout of the ship (I could never quite get it in my head from the small screen), but also in a way that makes me appreciated that the set designers, artists, and technical people made the Serenity set look believable and real; that they poured their love into their work and wanted to do the set reveal, introduce the characters, and show the cast credits while taking the viewer on a visual ride that most people may not notice but that doesn’t end until you see the final credit: directed by Joss Wheadon.

The rest of the movie skillfully weaves together the story line from the series, but does it in a way that won’t be boring to people who already know what the story is about. The movie answers a lot of questions and ties up enough loose ends to be satisfying to fans, but leaves enough space for future films (or maybe even the return of the series?).

Another favorite part: watching the credits. I’m a credit-watcher. Maybe it’s the fact that I do production work, or that I’ve crewed on a few films, but I know the long days, weeks, and months that go into the crafting of a hundred and eighty minutes of celluloid. I understand and can appreciate the sacrifice of gaffers, boom monkeys, and grips. I always sit and watch the credits, even if I know there won’t be a little Pixarish surprise at the end. I’ve done it for so long now I can usually pick out a few names from other films. I’m usually the very last one to leave the theater. Not so Serenity. There were probably fifteen people still sitting quietly watching the credits roll as a nice acoustic guitar version of the TV theme played over the last 30 seconds.

And I thought to myself: credit-watching sci-fi geeks. These are my people.