92. Serenity; movie review

SERENITY
Cert 15
107 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex, scenes of domestic violence, bloody images

During Oscar season, a combination of Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway would usually be guaranteed a place on the red carpet.
Their presence alone makes it surprising that Serenity's film company held back on marketing because of negative reaction at test screenings.
Nevertheless, it appears it decided to cut its losses and may have been proven right - the $25m-budget movie has made just $10.3m at the North American box office.
Those stats are unlikely to be improved by its run in the UK which has been limited because of its simultaneous release on Sky Cinema.
Regardless, I was immersed in Serenity, largely thanks to the performances of its A-list cast, until an ending which felt much flatter than the rest of Steven Knight's movie.
McConaughey is the star of the piece, leading tourists in pursuit of huge ocean fish from a tiny seaside town.

His problem is that he has become obsessed with landing a giant tuna which has eluded him three times previously.
This means his business is suffering to the extent that he needs to sell his body to a willing older woman (Diane Lane).
And then his ex-wife (Hathaway) turns up unexpectedly with an offer to solve his financial woes by bumping off her current husband (Jason Clarke) because he consistently beats her.
And there is also danger to his son (Rafael Sayegh) who stays in his darkened bedroom to keep away from his bullying step-father.
The narrative seems straightforward but there are mysterious factors at play.
Eg... why is a man in a suit (Jeremy Strong) trailing McConaughey's character wherever he goes and how does the latter have a telepathic connection with his son?
As said, the reaction to Serenity has been generally unfavourable and I must admit that its twists are a bit hard to swallow.
However, the great cast builds up tension and there is a wonderfully evocative backdrop.

And, therefore, while understanding that it has flaws, I found it engaging nevertheless.


Reasons to watch: Top quality cast
Reasons to avoid: Its mystery element clangs a bit

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? Plymouth Island as seen in Serenity is fictional but Plymouth Rock is where it is believed the Mayflower pilgrims disembarked in 1620.

The final word. Steven Knight: "With Matthew, if you’re going to create that all-American hero archetype – he’s the Robert Mitchum of our day, in my opinion. He’s got that closed-down, unavailable presence.  Anne, I think, is the best actress around and so they were both first choices."

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