In a previous review, I discussed the television series Firefly.  Serenity is the movie that was made two years after Fox canceled the series.

Joss Whedon had an interesting dilemma — create a movie that anyone could see without having to see the TV series, while adding new stuff for those who did see the show. Given that task, I think he did a decent balancing job.

He brought back the original actors, some with slightly different situations.  He did a good job of wrapping up some loose ends from the show and the ending was satisfactory.  I may not have liked where some characters ended up, but then it was not my story to tell — that may be because I watched the series immediately before watching the movie.

The DVD includes:

• deleted scenes
• audio commentaries
• documentaries

My advice:  enjoyable.  If you are wanting something that is not your typical sci-fi movie, then check this one out…

One of the great uses of DVD technology is the ability for those of the TV age to collect those series that we connected with and enjoyed. Additionally, it gives us the chance to revisit some series that were critical successes, but could not find an audience. Firefly is one such series.

Firefly is a western series set in space, and comes from the mind of Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. This is actually a smart concept, not just from originality, but from a business standpoint. Very few sci-fi special effects were needed and the Western U.S. became his backlot.

So why did it not last?

Well, Fox refused to air the show in the correct order. For a show like CSI, this is not a big deal; but imagine watching Lost out of sequence. Then Fox scheduled it for Friday nights, not the place for a series to catch on. Finally, Fox would air for 2 weeks and then take it off for 5 weeks.

With the release of the series on DVD, people could now see the show as it was intended to be watched. Thus, the demand grew for more — that led to the creation of a major theatrical release. Only one other show generated enough buzz from DVD sales to be brought back in any form and that was Family Guy.

The show centers around a ship and her crew. Much like Han Solo and Chewie, the crew of Serenity travels around, providing services such as transport and smuggling to those that want to avoid attention from governmental entities. At one of their stops, they take on some passengers that become part of the crew.

All 12 episodes are strong with story and do a good job with character/relationship development. I wonder how deep the series would have gotten had it been allowed to build. The cast was well-picked and directed.

The DVD box also includes:

• Theme song video
• video of Joss Whedon singing the theme
• deleted scenes
• gag reel
• some commentaries for certain episodes
• quick interview clips

My advice: Find the time to watch this series. It will show you what Fox passed on to bring you the latest iteration of So I Want to Marry My Farmer’s Pig…