I know that I'm more than late to the party, but it's a crying shame that Firefly got canceled after only one season on the FOX network. Mixing together elements from sci-fi, westerns, and space operas, the show was truly unique and had a great and lovable cast of characters. Sadly, after a measly 14 episodes, the show was canceled for good with little to no hope of renewal. However, a few years later, Joss Whedon was finally able to create a legitimate finale for the show - Serenity. Taking place roughly a year after the events of the show, Serenity hopes to end Firefly in a much more cinematic and exciting way.

Picking up where the series left off, Serenity follows Malcolm Reynolds, an ex-soldier turned gunslinger, and his scrappy but lovable crew on the class Firefly ship, Serenity. After a quick recap of how Simon and River, brother and sister fugitives, get aboard the Serenity, we're subjected to a plot filled with government secrets, high-octane action, and plenty of witty writing.

The characters, as always, are the selling point of the Firefly/Serenity franchise. Ranging from charming young ladies like Kaylee to 'shoot-first-ask-questions-later' Malcolm, the characters are all well-written and insightful. Not only that, but it's just plain fun to watch these great characters interact with each other. With some witty jokes and fantastic interaction, it should be quite easy to fall in love with the crew of the Serenity.

Also, the action this time around is much, much more stylized and fluent. From the get-go, we're presented with fights and shootouts that are of a far higher quality than the show ever had. The visuals look slick and the violence suits the film like a glove, providing some great eye-candy to go along with the lovable characters.

Where the film falls apart, though, is in its execution of story. While the plot was interesting and all, it's given a very large spotlight that takes some of the shine away from the characters. The characters are what made me enjoy Firefly to start with - not the so-so plot. Because the spotlight's taken off of these charming people, the wittiness and characterization begin to become lacking as the film progresses. It's not like the plot was anything above and beyond or amazing either, so this decision simply baffles me. If you've ever seen a film that relies on government secrets for plot-points, then you should know virtually everything that the film's going for.

Speaking of plot-points, I hated the pacing for this film. It starts out great, like any episode of Firefly, but then turns into a film that's comprised of two major parts: long build-up and unsatisfactory results. The build-up for this film takes literally half of the runtime, and yet the "shocking secrets" and "epic climax" don't feel that shocking or climatic. It takes too long to get anywhere and, when we do get somewhere, the actual "action" seems cliched and unoriginal.

Also, if you're not a fan of the "anybody can die" trope, then you probably should skip this movie and let "Objects In Space" remain as the finale. It may be nowhere near as exciting, but it doesn't try to be "edgy" by abruptly killing off people for pure shock value.

Anyway, for what it's worth, Serenity is a fun little film that serves to end the Firefly series. Though the plot gets too much spotlight, the lovable characters are able to make an above-average plot enjoyable thanks to their lovableness and witty script.