Written by: Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

Rising from the ashes of Joss Whedon's feverishly- loved but short-lived TV series "Firefly," this new, feature-length comic book adventure is a sci-fi/western hybrid.

500 years into the future, after surviving but losing a galactic civil war, roguish Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his grungy crew aboard the Serenity space freighter have become smugglers-for-hire. The Alliance runs the solar system, while the Independents struggle to survive, eluding carnivorous zombies known as Reavers. Seeking sanctuary are fugitives Simon (Sean Maher), a doctor, and his telepathic, schizophrenic sister, River Tam (Summer Glau). Because of her incredible psychic abilities and intimate knowledge of the Alliance's best-kept secrets, River is pursued by The Operative (Chiwetal Ejiofor), a lethal bounty hunter.

Creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," Joss Whedon caters to his fanboys but  doesn't really expand his range beyond episodic action. Building on the already established crew camaraderie, the bantering dialogue is smart and funny. Despite the photographic expertise of Jack Green, Whedon's inexperience as a feature-film director shows, inviting comparisons with "Battlestar Galactica" and, even more, "The Chronicles of Riddick," including Summer Glau's resemblance to Thandie Newton,  There's new music this time 'round but the "Firefly" theme is tucked in the final credits.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Serenity" is a fan-based 4. If you're familiar with these characters from "Firefly," you'll enjoy it far more than those who aren't. (The same could be said about the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" movies but this TV-show-turned-movie doesn't soar in that stratosphere.)