Book Review “Serenity: The Official Visual Companion”

Author: Joss Whedon
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: September 1, 2005

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Serenity” is one hell of visual movie and a great follow-up to the “Firefly” TV series. My favorite part of this book is the beautiful movie stills, storyboards and rare pieces of production art. Most of the book consists of the the full shooting script accompanied by these photos. It really brings you into the development of the film. Either way this it is definitely great for the fans of the series and movies.

If you are unaware of the premise for the film it takes place “five hundred years in the future, Captain Mal Reynolds and his crew of the transport-for-hire ship Serenity take on two new passengers and soon find themselves in a crossfire between an invincible military force and cannibalistic savages”. It is written and directed by Joss Whedon, creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”. in his feature film directorial debut. It wasn’t a success at the box office, which I wish it was, so the future fate of the show was mostly lost, though fans have keep it alive in their own way.

This paperback edition includes full color pictures from the movie and looks really sharp. There is a great introduction by Joss Whedon and it is an ode to his fans. Also included is a very in-depth interview with him about the making of the film. One feature I found very neat was the shooting script that is included in the book also includes scenes cut from the final film. There are production and background memos provided by Whedon, which are great to be able to read. Lastly if you really want to emerge yourself in the film there is a great “A Brief History of the Universe”, circa 2507 A.D. Final word: No-brainer for fans.