Five star reviews are pretty rare for me. In the case of Serenity, I believe a rating this high is warranted. Serenity was the highly anticipated conclusion of that compelling and woefully short lived Space Western series known as Firefly, and this review assumes the reader has seen that glorious single season.

I had heard that serenity "resolves" the plot of Firefly. While I'd say that is essentially true: yes, this film generally does that, but also raises the ante by introducing a new concept. In fact, Serenity goes further than just about any other sci-fi series conclusion I am aware of. It seeks to challenge and penetrate the vapid conception forwarded by almost all science fiction: "Hey kids, there is a utopia out there, and all we need now is just the correct formulation of fascistic progressive statism to finally realize it."

Firefly had its plot issues, and I could tear it apart as well as the pickiest reviewer. Regardless, I'd give that series a 4.6 of 5 stars. Why? Because this series challenged any number classical limits imposed by the genre. How fast does the ship travel? Never addressed. Where is Earth? Blissfully ignored. But beyond the standard fare, perhaps the strongest virtue Firefly had was the fact that the viewer's intelligence was never insulted. It was bold and direct and a little dry in disregard of the conventional sci-fi viewer contract. Serenity takes that concept of trust in the consumer and multiplies an already sharp point.

Core Plot Concerns:

Who are the Reavers? Solved.

What chance do rebellious privateers possibly have against an ever encroaching federal state? Solved.

More info about the formation of the Alliance? Partially Solved.

Will the young doctor (Simon) and his hot little engineer crush (Kaylee) figure it out? Solved.

Can Mal and Inara ever increase the level of passive aggressive flirtation to something even halfway worthy of either character? Solved.

What would it take to finally quiet River's fragmented and severed mind? Solved in a "TV" form of believable.

Will Jayne ever become a "real boy" and someone we find tolerable? Solved.

What happens with Wash and Zoe? Solved in a haunting way.

Shepherd Book, what's his story? Solved enough. (Whatever his former life entailed, in the end, the writers trusted the viewer to realize that it changed him into a far more powerful kind of person.)

And one new concept:

What happens when the most perfectly written, delightfully sinister "federal" enforcer (arguably, of all time) bumps into this ugly thing called personal freedom and independence? Solved.

Battle strategy:

Twists worthy of a micro version of BSG and the TNG movies.

Hand to Hand combat:

Riveting in the typical way required these days to close out any screenplay.

In summary, the movie Serenity does the task justice of wrapping up almost every conceivable loose end left by the short-lived Firefly series. It is a must-see for any fan or even semi-fan. The only drawback is that it doesn't quite do justice to the colorful universe created by Joss Whedon and Co. in the series... but how could any two-hour movie ever hope to do so? This show was cancelled far too soon - so say we all. It will be missed sorely and us browncoats will be eternally dreaming of a reboot.