Yesterday, Joss Whedon’s Serenity was screened in 10 cities across the country, and reviews are just starting to pour in. When people review early test screenings of films, just about every review contains mild or major plot spoilers. I’ve seen only ONE review of Serenity — out of about 10 — that contains any spoilers at all, and they were clearly marked as such (lucky for me).

There hasn’t been a single negative review of the film yet (one review was mixed, but the only negative part of it was the reviewer’s speculation that the film would be a “hard sell” to the general public). Even the people who weren’t very familiar with Firefly, the shortlived series on which the film is based, are saying that the film is excellent. Most of the reviewers mention that the film was — to use a cliché — a labor of love, and it shows onscreen.

Joss Whedon created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and, like it or not, Alien Resurrection. When Buffy was cancelled, there wasn’t much argument or protest, even from Joss. But it was clear that the cancellation of Firefly was not something Joss wanted to accept, and neither did the rabid fans of the show. Joss has stated that the Firefly/Serenity story was one that he HAD to tell. He had been working on it for a long time; it wasn’t just another project for him.

Fox cancelled Firefly after only 15 episodes were shot (and only 12 of those were aired), but the fan response, along with the efforts of Joss and the cast of the show, got the attention of Universal. Universal purchased the film rights from Fox, but the contract between them stipulates that the show cannot return to series format for 10 years. Whether those terms were negotiated by Universal to prevent a series from affecting film revenues, or by Fox to prevent them from looking like fools for cancelling a potentially successful series, who’s to say? The plan is that if Serenity fares well at the box office, there will be more films. Judging by the screening reviews, that seems like a good possibility.

It’s just as disappointing to see a person’s vision stifled as it is pleasant to see it brought to fruition. Firefly is one of my favorite TV series, and I’m glad that the story will continue.

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