AMAZING!!! KAYLEE IS AWESOME!!! the Reavers are kinda creepy, but otherwise the movie is awesome. the space theme is cool, the effects are good, and the characters and plot rock. Firefly fans, Kaylee and Simon finnaly get together!!! GREAT MOVIE!!!
Serenity
-
Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
-
Common Sense says
A bit clunky, but entertaining sci-fi.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12–13
What to watch out for
-
Violence:
-
Sex:
-
Language:
-
Consumerism:
-
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Serenity was written by Cynthia Fuchs
Parents need to know that the movie includes some rambunctious action, drawn from both Western and science-fiction conventions. They fight with their fists, guns, and other implements; they also engage in chase scenes on speedy hovering vehicles. Space battles -- between space ships -- result in some raucous explosion and shoot-out scenes. Some aggressive, martial-artsy fighting. Characters drink and smoke in a bar. One couple kisses and looks to be headed to off-screen sex; one character has designed a robot to service him (the implication is that she's a sexual companion). A woman crewmember sees her husband killed, suddenly and brutally.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the various loyalties revealed in various pairings and groups of characters: brother and sister, romantic couples, devotion to causes and communities as ideals. How does River's wrestling with her training and instinct as a "weapon" serve as counterpoint for the Operator, who sees himself as a "monster" but also believes in his mission to commit murder and mayhem, as a means to eventual peace?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Serenity
What’s the Story?
500 years from now, humans are colonizing space, terraforming planets in far-flung solar systems, jumpstarting civilizations in their own image, and wreaking havoc based on assumed values and prerogatives. Two sides have formed amid the expansion, the mighty Universal Alliance and the scrappy independents. The Alliance is not only interested in colonizing worlds, but also minds and bodies. A prominent experiment along these lines is River (Summer Glau), an extra-sensitive telepath, brainwashed in Alliance classrooms as a child, then electro-refitted in an Alliance lab until her brain essentially blew out. She wears gauzy goth dresses and teeters between anxious passivity and deadly accuracy, able to climb walls, cling to ceilings, break bones when "weaponized." Her brother Simon (Sean Maher) rescues her from the lab, and they take refuge on the Serenity, a ship captained Mal (Nathan Fillion). His crew -- tough guy Jayne (Adam Baldwin), warrior Zoe (Gina Torres), her partner and ship's pilot Wash (Alan Tudyk), and mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite) -- worry that they are carrying these risky (paying) passengers, as the Alliance is sure to track them down.
Is It Any Good?
SERENITY makes the future quite like the present. That's not a bad thing. Though occasionally clunky in structure and execution (some images reportedly culled from unused footage from Joss Whedon's TV series Firefly, from which the storyline and characters are drawn), the movie is entertaining and the dialogue often witty.
Styled like cowboys, Mal's team resists the Alliance for all the right reasons. If the brutal, brave, confused adolescent is a favorite trope for Whedon and his fans, the tormented but also irredeemably fated River is also here a sign of resistance to conventional thinking. River's telepathy -- which makes her (seem) crazy and grants her way too much information pertaining to everyone around her -- is related thematically to the film's most idealistic notion, that media exposure -- via a character with access to all angles of dissemination, Mr. Universe (David Kurmholtz) -- might save the 'verse.
Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures, Director: Joss Whedon
Run time: 119 minutes
Theatrical release: 9/30/2005, DVD release: 12/20/2005
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, and some sexual references
Run time: 119 minutes
Theatrical release: 9/30/2005, DVD release: 12/20/2005
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, and some sexual references
Our Members Say
See all 19 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
-
I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
great movie for 13+
-
I rate this title off for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
The idea revealed at the end (don't want to spoil things by being too precise here) is deeply terrifying and the stuff of nightmares for adults, let alone kids.
-
I rate this title on for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Excellent Sci-Fi Western has some very Violent Moments
This is a very, VERY good film; one of the best sci-fi films I've ever seen. Parents: Careful when letting your kid watch this film; it has lots of action which will appeal to them but it has a lot of scary moments due to the Reapers (and a concept related to the Reapers which I won't spoil) and Summer, a deranged little girl (reminds me of the Ring). But, if you can stand some intense sequences of violence and pervasive disturbing images, then you should be okay and will probably really like this film.
-
I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
Enjoyable Space Adventure
This is very enjoyable sci-fi, action movie. I would recommend this movie to any star wars fan, or anyone who like those space movies with lasers, flying in space, and explosions. There is a couple of swear words, (1 f**k, maybe 1 or 2 s**t and maybe 2 d**n) There is 2 scenes of kissing and one leads to an off-screen sex.There are many space lasers, gun and fist fights and some zombie cannibals. There are some sudden deaths of major characters, and one short scene of torture on a young girl. Overall, I'd suggest this for 12 year olds, but some 11 year olds would be okay.
-
I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Laughable
Kind of cheesy and confusing. Not particularly enjoyable.
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
-
I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Excellent Story from TV series everything answered
The whole family went! Children from 13, 16 & 20, plus Mom & Dad. Great entertainment for this age group. Sexual sitations are vague. Violence is the primary concern involving social behaviors, drug modifications, eventually leading to cannibalism.
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Great for Firefly fans!
Hubby and I were really looking forward to this movie and we weren't disappointed. Our kids are too young to watch (11 and under,) but good action and good moral point to the story-that everyone needs to believe in something. A few unexpected story surprises but a great movie.
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Everyone loves River-fu!
This is my new favourite movie. twaz awesome beyond belief. i havent seen firefly (teh series) yet. i plan to, though. it had everything one would want in a movie and, more importantly, it was not at all cliche or predictable. P.S. to bubbo: you are obviously norrow-minded and uninteresting. serenity is not laughable nor cheezy. go stuff yourself. also, i can kill you with my brain.
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Genius
You will watch Serenity on the edge of your seat. The dialogue is snappy and when it's funny, it's very funny. The characters are layered and fascinating. This movie is about loyalty, the difficulty of doing the right thing, and making the best of what you have. Every family should have a copy. However, because of the intensity of many scenes and disturbing imagery, I would not recommend that any child 10 or under sees this. June 23rd is Serenity Day, when fans of Firefly and Serenity will go out and purchase the movie to show Universal there is support for a sequel. p.s. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the "Operative," not the "Operator."
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
-
I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
The best, most overlooked film in a long time
I suppose this review is a bit biased, seeing as I'm a fan of the TV show (Firefly) on which "Serenity" is based. But this is a witty and imaginative movie, and the casting (which is the same as the TV show) is fantastic. I wouldn't let a younger kid see it, it's about right for people around 13-14, although there's much less sexual content and swearing than in a lot of other movies that have been rated PG-13. This could have gotten away with a PG had the show been more popular (and had Fox not cancelled it). A very good movie that is definitely out of its element, considering what Hollywood has released in the past few years.
-
I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
-
I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Scary
I'm 18, but it was a little too scary in parts. I was glad to have someone safe to watch it with, or I would have been hysterical by the time the Reavers actually showed up. Not a movie for young kids. I wouldn't show it to anyone under 15-16. A little darker than the TV series, but still exceptionally well-written and better morally than anything else out there. I don't know how it got iffy social standards, considering the main characters you're rooting for are showing good morals.
-
I rate this title off for age 0 and give it
Give Recommendations, Get Them, Too!
Become a member and get recommendations from other parents based on your child's age.Tell us your child's age:
Already a member? Log inOur Members Rate It
Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it's too violent |
Have you seen it?
For Your Family
Get age-based recommendations for your kids:
Customize based on your child's age
