Its Trevor’s Top 25 Films of the last 25 Years, with #24, SERENITY, a 2005 film directed by Joss Whedon. A movie continuation of the cult TV show FIREFLY; the crew of spaceship SERENITY must evade an assassin on the hunt for one of their own.

I found FIREFLY at a particular dark spot in my life and its themes of found family and how human connection can beat back the dark speaks to me. This film is wildly ambitious. They needed to introduce general audiences to a complex world, 9 main characters, a new villain, weird languages, and cram in a TV seasons-worth of storyline, all without pissing off the rabid fanbase. So does Whedon play it safe? Hell no! He starts with a memory, wrapped in a video playback, and then does an efficient 9-character introduction with a tracking one-shot through a spaceship. It is stupendously ballsy. There are some amazing one-liners here, the cinematography is bold, and the Inara theme music is one of my favorite all-time pieces.

Best Scene. There is a scene in the finale where someone gets shot, and after so much loss already, I thought the whole crew might die. To push us so low, then the rise back up, the exultant triumph is a masterful emotional roller coaster.

Best Performance. Nathan Fillion is the bleeding heart of this show. He is a low-rent Han Solo, but he OWNS that and makes sure to give his rogue-ish character his unique element of rage and stubborn defiance. I also love Chiwetel as the exasperating, horrifying villain.

This is a funny, tragic, beautiful sci-fi ride that leaves you asking the best kind of question: What’s next??