ridiculous; From its intense beginnings to its what-really-c'mon-no- reallllllly -c'mon mid-film twist to its defiantly and successfully sentimental finale, the new Matthew McConaughey vehicle is playing by its own demented rules
it's terrible; the film is a contemporary film noir so pulpy, steamy and cheesy; The dialogue is bad; The performances are cartoonish... And the scenario abounds with cliche and lazy shorthand
a waterlogged modern noir; Many mysteries and noirs are far-fetched, even preposterous; Like a long fishing day without a bite, "Serenity" invites impatience rather than excited anticipation
a potentially enjoyable B movie, but the absurd plot twist brings it down to a Z; Steven Knight, who once made a riveting, laser-focused thriller ("Locke"), here does the opposite, creating a scattered, unsatisfying mess for this exasperating film
"Serenity" is a derivative film noir with a dumb digital twist; Steven Knight mixes a tried-and-true James M. Cain formula with a clever digital gimmick worthy of Christopher Nolan, but some of his dialogue is overripe to the point of rot
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever". And "Serenity" steps way over that line. It wants to be trashy, pulpy fun that toys with your mind and your expectations. Sadly, it just ends up insulting both
by Barry Hertz [Globe and Mail ]
by Joshua Rothkopf [Time Out New York ]
by Michael O'Sullivan [The Washington Post ]
by Rob Bailey-Millado [New York Post ]
