On Monday, students lined up outside the Center for Film Studies more than three hours for a special screening presented by Joss Whedon ’87. The wait was worth it for avid Whedon fans, who squeezed into the packed cinema to watch the director’s first feature film, “Serenity,” to be released in theaters later this month.
As creator of the critically acclaimed and widely viewed series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and the spin-off show “Angel,” writer-director Whedon is considered instrumental in reshaping the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Students were privileged not only to be among the first to see “Serenity,” but also to pick Whedon’s brain during a Q & A session following the screening.
“Serenity” is Whedon’s feature version of his short-lived TV series “Firefly,” best described as a sci-fi Western, which was cancelled after only ten episodes. The film follows a renegade crew who must work together to bring justice against the Alliance, a conglomerate power that controls the galaxy. Universal Studios made the risky decision to go forward with the project as “Firefly”’s successful DVD sales proved that there could be a profitable market for a feature film. Yet, it is questionable whether the film will cross over to an audience beyond Whedon’s fan base when it hits wide release in theaters.
“I had never seen the TV show so I didn’t know what to expect, but I did really enjoy the movie,” said Janet Dewar ’09.
During the Q & A, Whedon acknowledged the difficulty he had with writing the film, since he had to consider both the viewers familiar with “Firefly” and the many others who were not. When he asked the audience whether anyone had not seen the TV show, the majority of people raised their hands. The difficulty in deciding what information to put in and what to take out led to a long editing process, Whedon said.
The title of the film was not revealed until everyone was seated in the cinema, largely due to the growing fear of piracy in the film industry. Security was tight as photographic devices, including cell phones, were confiscated at the door and trained piracy personnel from Universal were present during the screening with special vision goggles. Despite the obvious anxiety created by an audience of Internet savvy college students, everything ran smoothly. The CFS proved an ideal venue with its first rate sound and image quality, which complemented the action-packed sci-fi film.
Whedon took a large amount of time to get to as many people as possible. When answering questions, Whedon said that he made a conscious choice to create a female hero, which he felt was missing in a genre where the hero was typically male. Perhaps it is this sensibility that has led him to his next endeavor: the feature film adaptation of DC comics’ heroine Wonder Woman that he has yet to begin writing.
He was personable and witty when he spoke, revealing an endearing side that can only be characterized as the lifelong sci-fi nerd in him. While speaking to senior film majors before the event, he both proudly and self-mockingly admitted to owning not one but two lightsabers.
“You need two for fighting, of course,” he said.
When he explained what it was about the fantasy genre that made him such a die-hard fan, it was clear it was a personal connection to its mythological elements. Whedon explained to his audience that his work deals a lot with outsiders.
“The essence of the human condition is loneliness, to feel separate from the rest of the world is common – it is common to me,” Whedon said.
Much of his work, including “Serenity,” provides narratives involving groups of outsiders finding each other. Appropriately, the fantasy genre serves the same purpose for its audience.
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