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A passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit. When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime who will destroy anything -- or anyone -- to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But, the greatest danger of all may be on their ship. From the mind of Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) comes a new edge-of-your-seat adventure loaded with explosive battles, gripping special effects and fantastic new worlds! What is UMDTM?
UMD, Universal Media Disc, is a brand-new and groundbreaking optical storage medium, designed for the high speed and efficient delivery of digital entertainment content that can store up to 1.8 GB of digital data on a 60mm disc -- or an entire feature film on a single UMD video. All UMD DVDs are produced in Widescreen and encoded using advanced AVC compression. UMD for PSP will play on the new PlayStation Portable handheld entertainment system.
Specifications
Diameter: 60 mmMaximum Capacity: 1.8GB (Single-sided, dual layer)Laser wavelength: 660nm (Red laser)
"Not since the Matrix has a movie rocked so relentlessly!" Mark S. Allen, UPN-TV/Premiere Radio Networks
"An absolute blast." John Procaccino, CBS-TV
"Slamming Action Sequences." Tom Long, The Detroit News
"The funny, adventurous Serenity proves there is life after cancellation." Christian Toto, Washington Times
"Serenity flies with sass and spirit, qualities that have been in palpably short supply in that Star Wars series since, well, Star Wars." Jan Stuart, Newsday
"Joss Whedon's unassuming science-fiction adventure is superior in almost every respect to George Lucas's aggressively more ambitious screen entertainments." Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
Editor's Note
Beloved television cult director Joss Whedon (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL) makes a spectacular first foray onto the big screen with SERENITY, the cinematic adaptation of his wildly popular but short-lived sci-fi series, FIREFLY. A mix of space western, comedy, and drama, SERENITY follows captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his ragtag crew as they trade their way around the edges of civilized society. Of particular interest are two passengers they take on, Simon and River Tam (Sean Maher, Summer Glau), a brother and his telepathic sister on the run from the corrupt governing Alliance. As notorious former members of the anti-Alliance opposition, Mal and his crew make it difficult for Simon and River to stay hidden. Everything goes completely awry when a government assassin is sent to retrieve River. As Mal is forced to choose between his close-knit crew and the brother and sister newcomers, it becomes apparent that River harbors both a dangerous secret and astounding fighting powers, and Mal decides that discovering the truth about what she knows might just be worth his time.Many of the film's action sequences revolve around Summer Glau's martial arts skills in her portrayal of River. Glau prepared for her role with Hong Kong stuntwoman Ming Lu, as well as stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and Hiro Koda, and as a resulted performed nearly all the stuntwork herself. In addition to the stellar stunts, realistic graphics, and an often haunting score, the film's actors display a rare chemistry that brings viewers both into their lives and into a possible version of humanity's future.
| Features | DVD Picture Quality | | Full Length Movie |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 12/20/2005 |
| Running Time: 119 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2005 | | Catalog ID: 28637 | | UPC: 00025192863721 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"[A] TV season's worth of roller-coastering drama, most of it balanced on the capable shoulders of Fillion, a natural leading man." -- Grade: B 10/07/2005 p.51Sight and Sound
"Many of the film's pleasures are down to small-screen values...and the good-humoured playing of an experienced, non-starry ensemble cast." 11/01/2005 p.78 New York Times
"Scene for scene, SERENITY is more engaging and certainly better written and acted than any of Mr. Lucas's recent screen entertainments." 10/28/2005 p.E29 Premiere
"Sci-fi connoisseurs will find this esoteric universe quite refreshing; the effects and action are wisely underplayed to keep the focus on its crackling, character-driven story..." 03/01/2006 p.111-112 Uncut
4 stars out of 5 -- "This fantastically funny, inventive triumph defied all the doubters, proving both a smash with sci-fi nerds and a joy for skeptics..." 04/01/2006 p.142 Widescreen Review
"Some scenes have a surreal blown-out and hazy appearance that evoke a dreamy mood....The visual effects are effectively incorporated with the live action." 06/01/2006 p.64 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 7 of 10
Serenity is a fast-paced, engaging science fiction adventure tale. The emphasis should be on "adventure;" the "science fiction" just gives Whedon (making his directorial debut) an interesting canvas to paint upon. In many ways, the film is old-fashioned. The space-ships are not sleek and streamlined - they're hunks of junk being held together by paperclips and masking tape. The characters talk like they learned English in the 19th century Old West (with occasional Chinese curses thrown in for good measure). And guns fire bullets, not laser blasts. This is one of the key elements that separates the Star Trek camp from the (new) Battlestar Galactica one. Serenity falls in the latter, "retro" category. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
Serenity is made of dubious but energetic special effects, breathless velocity, much imagination, some sly verbal wit and a little political satire...Like Brave New World and 1984, the movie plays like a critique of contemporary society, with the Alliance as Big Brother, enemy of discontent. - Roger Ebert
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