Serenity

First, I must confess that I wholeheartedly despised the idea of Sci-Fi prior to this course. I found an appreciation for it in alot of the readings and have begun to realize that it plays an important role in helping people understand technologies power and the role of human nature. Having said that, I still did not enjoy watching this movie. I appreciated its point, but the violence was a bit out of my realm of enjoyment (cannibalism? ewww....). I think I was also a bit put out by the opening scence of a peaceful school-like setting and then !wham! River is a government project. The idea of creating a society of sinlessness by destroying the core of human nature was just not enjoyable. As the movie progressed, I began to understand how the point was less about creating a perfect society and more about removing people power to choose. If they are programmed or scared into a certain way of life, then they have lost any rational ability to think for themselves or weigh in on what really is right or wrong. The crew of the Serenity was able to embrace that this was the case and, although in a renegade manner, separate themselves in order to retain their freedom of thought and choice. I think it is most important to note that the Alliance holds no regard for how it uses it technology and manipulation to achieve its goal whereas the crew of the Serenity seems to conduct business, even illegal business, in a way that is least harmful for the others involved. The only scene I recall their aggressiveness being offensive as opposed to defensive was against the Reefers, and even that can be construed as defensive since they were cannibals. Overall, I think the idea of using technology to change the human nature is disturbing so I found the principle of demonstrating this as a failure to be a great theme, but I still don't think I will pursue similar movies...