Suvudu Universe

After watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Tuesday night and seeing the preview for Thor The Dark World and all the rest of the things that are going to lead into Avengers Rise of Ultron it makes me think about what Joss Whedon did with The Avengers. The movie was great (it was well liked by critics and fans and made a lot of money) and it made Whedon a major Hollywood player. But, watching The Avengers a second time made me realize something: It's not as good as his first movie, Serenity.

The Avengers had a clear cut advantage at the start. Its budget was A LOT bigger (about $220,000,000 to approximately $40,000,000). It also had a bigger pre-existing fanbase (sorry Browncoats, but more people read the comics and saw the movies leading up to it like Iron man than watched Firefly, especially before Serenity came out. More people have watched the show since it became available on Netflix, and since Whedon became a household name because of The Avengers). And finally Avengers had better actors which I realize is a product of the first two things I mentioned. I know there are a ton of crazy Nathan Fillion fans around, but Robert Downey Junior has more. Some may argue the actors were just eye-candy, but they were eye-candy that played their respective roles really well.

Now, after everything I just stated, why would I say that Serenity was better? A couple of reasons actually. The first one is that Serenity was funnier. I know, I laughed my rear off nearly the entire time I was watching The Avengers. . . the first time. The second time I watched it however, I barely laughed. I know the jokes were coming and they weren't funny. Now Serenity still makes me laugh even though I have seen it countless times. The opening interaction between Mal and Wash makes me laugh every time I even think about it (I love it so much I got the "define interesting" T-shirt). I still quote the lines with friends and we laugh together. I rarely hear people quote The Avengers. Serenity is just all around funnier.

Another reason Serenity is better than The Avengers is that it is more story oriented. As I've already said its budget was much smaller, so it had to rely more on plot and characters to move the action along where as The Avengers was able to rely on special effects and fight scenes to keep people entertained, but movies like that have less longevity. The Avengers is about a group of super heroes that save the world from and alien invasion, while Serenity's action revolves around a group of normal people (ok River isn't exactly normal) Who make a stand for something they believe. Which leads into the next reason Serenity is better: It is more relatable.

Both movies are science fiction and it is unlikely either one will ever have any chance of actually happening, but Serenity is the more "realistic" movie. Serenity deals in a universal theme, one of a group of people standing against a corrupt and unjust government. That theme is what led to the American Revolution. It has led to many different uprisings and failed coups all over the world throughout history. It's an underdog story about the little guy fighting against the big guy. The Avengers is about a lot of big guys fending of aliens. It does not relate to anything we have ever dealt with, which makes it merely entertainment, albeit great entertainment. It's just that Serenity gives us a little more, which is why it is better, which is why I can still watch it over and over and The Avengers no longer carries great value with me.