Fishing tour captain Baker Dill has his life turned upside down when his ex-wife Karen shows up asking Dill to help her kill her violent new husband, saving her and their son. But even as Dill struggles ethically, things only get stranger.
Matthew McConaughey (Dill), Anne Hathaway (Karen), Diane Lane (Constance), Jason Clarke (Frank), Djimon Hounsou (Duke), Jeremy Strong (Reid), Rafael Sayegh (Patrick), Charlotte Butler (Lois), David Butler (Jack).
Serenity begins as the simple story of Dill, a fishing boat captain scraping by on quiet isolated island. But when his ex-wife Karen shows up hoping for help killing her new husband, things start to get strange. Dill is concurrently obsessed with a huge tuna he has been trying to catch for years at all cost. These parallel storylines generate nice depth to the film, but why stop there? The final third of the film introduces another twist which reframes almost the entire film. The story finishes nicely with the potential, but not setup, for a sequel.
Acting was good here with McConaughey delivering well. Hathaway was solid, delivered nicely, and worked well with Clarke and McConaughey. Clarke was well cast, fit his role nicely, and delivered almost too well. Lane was enjoyable as always and Hounsou was a nice choice to round things out. The remainder of the supporting cast was good throughout.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are well done with a realistic feel. Use of natural scenery added nicely. Mild CGI and action scenes were both good and fitting. Dialogue had nice depth and plot movement. Sound and soundtrack are pretty good.
Serenity was a surprise in a few ways. Summaries of the film focus on the drama and thriller aspects which were good, but almost completely ignore the sci-fi aspect which was a wonderful surprise. The result is a film with some nice surprises and more depth than expected. Those who enjoy a solid drama or thriller with a mild sci-fi aspect should enjoy this the most.
With some sexuality, violence, a bit of gore, foul language, and adult situations, this should be fine for older teens and above.
Released: 2019
Reviewed: 8.29.19
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Indie Dramas
copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
Matthew McConaughey (Dill), Anne Hathaway (Karen), Diane Lane (Constance), Jason Clarke (Frank), Djimon Hounsou (Duke), Jeremy Strong (Reid), Rafael Sayegh (Patrick), Charlotte Butler (Lois), David Butler (Jack).
Serenity begins as the simple story of Dill, a fishing boat captain scraping by on quiet isolated island. But when his ex-wife Karen shows up hoping for help killing her new husband, things start to get strange. Dill is concurrently obsessed with a huge tuna he has been trying to catch for years at all cost. These parallel storylines generate nice depth to the film, but why stop there? The final third of the film introduces another twist which reframes almost the entire film. The story finishes nicely with the potential, but not setup, for a sequel.
Acting was good here with McConaughey delivering well. Hathaway was solid, delivered nicely, and worked well with Clarke and McConaughey. Clarke was well cast, fit his role nicely, and delivered almost too well. Lane was enjoyable as always and Hounsou was a nice choice to round things out. The remainder of the supporting cast was good throughout.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are well done with a realistic feel. Use of natural scenery added nicely. Mild CGI and action scenes were both good and fitting. Dialogue had nice depth and plot movement. Sound and soundtrack are pretty good.
Serenity was a surprise in a few ways. Summaries of the film focus on the drama and thriller aspects which were good, but almost completely ignore the sci-fi aspect which was a wonderful surprise. The result is a film with some nice surprises and more depth than expected. Those who enjoy a solid drama or thriller with a mild sci-fi aspect should enjoy this the most.
With some sexuality, violence, a bit of gore, foul language, and adult situations, this should be fine for older teens and above.
Released: 2019
Reviewed: 8.29.19
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Indie Dramas
copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
