Even though there are legions of Star Wars fans out there who will say that their film can't be compared to anything that's just not true of Serenity. It exists in exactly the same film universe of the film that broke it all open 28 years ago.
"Both of these evil empires drive me up the wall..."
Think about it. In both films, you have a crew that plays basically on the fringes of society in their space universe. And, in both cases, there is a governmental power that is corrupt that the lead characters are in rebellion against. And, in both, there is a captain of the ship -- "Mal" Reynolds in Serenity and Han Solo in Star Wars -- who both pretend to be apolitical but can be counted on to stand up for what's right when the chips are down.
Star Wars, back in 1977, was completely, wonderfully unique. That has to be remembered even though, for me, the magic has long since gone and I've grown a little tired of the franchise. SerenityStar Wars being a neighbor and the TV show, Firefly, on which it is a feature-length extension. is the new kid on the block, yes, but even that block is based on
Laying down all my cards here, I have to say I enjoyed Serenity a whole lot more than the last version of Star Wars (which was the sixth film but the third in the series which still sounds confusing). Mal seems like a more reasonable captain and when the bad guy asks him if he is prepared to die and he answers, "I am", there's no false bravado, he's just stating a fact. All the characters in Serenity work better for me. I like they way they're written, the way they're acted and the world they inhabit. And yet...
Star Wars (1977). Because it blew me away when it first came out and it made the world safe for Serenity to be made. No matter where the franchise went, it remains the undisputed heavyweight champion of the universe.
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Movies-Squared (Two Reviews for the Price of One!) reviews one film out in the theaters today by comparing it to a related film out on DVD -- and declares a winner. The connection might be subject matter, director, actor, whatever...
