Yesterday being Columbus Day, and the boyfriend and I having the day off, we decided to take in a film. He chose Serenity solely based on the fact that he heard it was supposed to be good. I had also heard phenomenal reviews of it, but neither of us knew what it was going to be about at all. I had seen one ad on television for it, and all it said was it was an action-adventure film. There weren't too many other details, so I was a little worried that it might eat it hard and we'd be out our hard-earned $10. Fortunately, the movie did not in any way disappoint.

This film was written and directed by Joss Whedon, who you should remember from being the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, and has signed on to do Wonder Woman, the feature film due to begin production in 2007. Unbeknownst to either of us, Serenity is meant to be the cinematic version of Firefly, inasmuch as we had never seen the show. Now, while I admit I wasn't the biggest Buffy fan, the show was good, and this movie confirmed what I believed all along - Buffy was a mere shadow of what this man is capable of. Serenity was a very well thought-out plot and well-executed film, weaving its deep characters with a bushido-style honor code. Mix with that the old West guns and talk, and you've got a mishmash film that speaks brilliantly to its ideals. The film is also very pleasing to the eye, mixing gorgeous, deep colors with dark, brooding colors to portray two different worlds. Really fantastic work behind the camera was equalled by the ensemble cast in front. The truly enjoyable part was that not one of the actors was a big name actor, but rather all the original cast of the television show, which I'm sure has been a comfort to the fans who went to see the movie. Those of you who watched Firefly will recognize Nathan Fillion reprising his role as Malcolm Reynolds, and does a perfect job of striking the balance between heart and vigilantism. The action sequences were great, and I never found myself bored at any point during this film, which is an accomplishment.

I definitely would recommend this film if you're looking for a good action flick, as it is much better than most of the fare we were handed this summer. As good as it is, however, it's not making a fortune at the box office, which is most likely due to poor marketing. As I said, I'd never heard of it. I'm sure if more knew what it was about or even that it was out, it would do much better.