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Serenity
A group of rebels travel the outskirts of space evading the sinister Alliance regime. Their lives of smuggling and cargo-running are interrupted by a psychic passenger who harbours a dangerous secret. Soon, the crew find themselves being pursued by an Alliance agent who will stop at nothing to find them.
2005 · Directed by Joss Whedon · 119 min · Science Fiction · Action · Adventure · Thriller · Screenplay in the scene database · 8 frames
Tagline
They aim to misbehave.
Plot
In the 26th century, humanity has colonized a new solar system. The central planets formed the Alliance and won a war against the outer planet Independents who resisted joining the Alliance. Child genius River Tam is conditioned by Alliance scientists into becoming a psychic and an assassin but is rescued as a teenager by her brother Dr. Simon Tam. During her training, River inadvertently read the minds of several top government officials and learned their secrets. Consequently, an Alliance agent known only as the Operative is tasked with recapturing her.
The siblings have found refuge aboard the transport spaceship Serenity with Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds; first mate Zoe Washburne; her husband, pilot Hoban "Wash" Washburne; mercenary Jayne Cobb; and mechanic Kaylee Frye. Despite Simon's objections, Mal brings River on a bank robbery. River warns them that savage and cannibalistic Reavers are coming. They escape, but Simon decides he and River will leave Serenity at the next port. Once there, however, a subliminal message in a television commercial causes River to attack numerous bar patrons, and Mal takes the siblings back aboard the ship. The crew contacts reclusive hacker Mr. Universe, who discovers the message designed to trigger River's mental conditioning. He notes River whispered "Miranda" before attacking and warns that someone else has viewed the footage.
Mal receives an invitation from courtesan Inara Serra. Realising it is a trap, Mal goes to confront the Operative who promises to let him go free if he hands over River. Mal barely escapes. Miranda is discovered to be a planet located beyond a region of space swarming with Reavers. The crew flies to the planet Haven but find it devastated and their old friend Shepherd Book mortally wounded. They realize the Operative has killed anyone who gave them safe harbor and will continue until he gets River.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Written by: Joss Whedon
- Cinematography: Jack N. Green
- Edited by: Lisa Lassek
- Music: David Newman
- Production design: Barry Chusid
- Produced by: Barry Mendel
Cast
- Nathan Fillion as Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds
- Summer Glau as River Tam
- Gina Torres as Zoë Alleyne Washburne
- Alan Tudyk as Hoban 'Wash' Washburne
- Morena Baccarin as Inara Serra
- Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cobb
- Jewel Staite as Kaywinnet Lee 'Kaylee' Frye
- Sean Maher as Simon Tam
- Ron Glass as Shepherd Derrial Book
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as The Operative
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English, Mandarin
- Studios: Universal Pictures, Barry Mendel Productions
- Budget: $39,000,000
- Box office: $38,869,464
- Themes: spacecraft, martial arts, telepathy, dystopia, fugitive, space western, planet, cannibal, space opera, operative
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