Should I see it?
Please, no.
Please, no.
Short Review: I really wanted to like this movie. Then again, I would like to be able to sing like Bono. I don’t think either one are going to work out for me.
My search continues.
As I mentioned, this film stems from a television show. The film’s writer/director Joss Whedon is wildly successful in television, with Firefly, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel under his belt. His writing has been cherished by many and he has amassed an army of fans. I don’t get it.
Whedon’s script for this film is nearly unbearable with its paper-thin characters and hokey dialog. This writing would serve a short form well but doesn’t play at all when you’re working with it for two hours. Think of it this way: my reviews are bitter and poorly written, but they are brief (usually). Can you imagine how awful it would be to have to read my ramblings for ten pages? The lesson here is what works on TV doesn’t always work in film.
While this film does offer a good introduction to the material for the uninitiated, it fails to impress once you get to know it. The acting is substandard and the production looks cheap. It is obvious much of the budget went into securing the original actors from the series, and into six or seven expensive FX shots. On the whole, this production looks and feels like it belongs on the SciFi Channel. I kept waiting for the BowFlex or Miller Lite ads to come on.
Even if you look past the wooden dialog and community theater acting (excepting lead actor Nathan Fillion who fits his role well – except I kept thinking “isn’t that the guy who sang for Crowded House back in the 80’s?”) there is the insipid morality presented by this twaddle. The worldview and theology set forth by this piece is something I would expect to hear coming out of high school students (and not the bright ones). If you are a Christian, this film should turn you sour. If you’re a Christian and you don’t have a problem with the ideas this film puts out, you need to go back and read your Bible again…all of it.
The one notable Christian character is of course called Shepherd Book. The lame half thoughts this guy kicks out are embarrassingly sophmoric. An example of the wondrous wisdom pouring from this loser’s maw is his dying words to his atheist friend “I don’t care what you believe, just believe it!” Sounds Christian to me. “Sure, Christ died for your sins and you are redeemed only through him, but that’s just me, I’m silly that way. You believe what you want. Hey, you want to believe this cigarette lighter is God? Okay, as long as you believe it! It doesn’t matter in the end.” The script goes out of its way to set up this guy as being a Christian and then falsely portrays the theology. My spite for the worldview of the film is deeper than just how ignorant Weldon is about my faith. The film presents truly vile characters as heroic and that is always bad. The characters are lying, murdering fiends that live for themselves. In the end, the message is that the only thing one needs to believe in is “love”. Which, if you’re running around the universe murdering and thieving, this makes sense. You don’t want to submit yourself to God or any one else who’s going to hold you accountable.
If you have children who want to watch this film, I’d suggest keeping them from it. Beyond the post-modern philosophy you will have to contend with brutality, and bad lighting. There are needless references to sexuality and scenes of bloody violence in a film that should have been purely geared towards younger audiences. These items may be a problem for many parents along with the continual question “Mom, Dad, why are all of the camera shots so poorly laid out?” “He’s used to shooting for television, Son. He’ll learn…he’ll learn.”
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