Why is serenity bad for you

Deadline wrote that McConaughey specifically "is breathing fire over feeling like he was duped. According to the outlet's sources, Hathaway and McConaughey had agreed to a full campaign "including a junket and as many late-night and daytime talk shows as would have them" when Aviron agreed to promotion and advertising "commensurate with a screen release.

But worry not! The film, which feels more like a comedy than a thriller, could quite possibly age into the perfect midnight movie. Originally appeared in the Washington Post. Patrick originally created the game so that a version of his father would live on in a gentle, nonviolent environment—but has decided to change its code so that the avatar of his father can murder the avatar of his stepfather, because Patrick has decided he wants to kill his actual stepfather in real life.

Naturally, Dill does not take this news particularly well. And for that, Serenity deserves our appreciation, if not our praise. Looking for more? Sign up for our daily Hollywood newsletter and never miss a story. By Sonia Saraiya. I t happens about once a year. A film is released, often featuring major stars and a shockingly large budget, that is so mind-numbingly bad that the critical response is akin to a ritual killing: its flaws must be dissected, its creative choices mocked and its actors shamed for their poor judgment.

Recent entries in this contemptible canon include The Snowman, The Book of Henry and, wrongly, Serenity, the unhinged Matthew McConaughey mystery about a guy named Dill, a fish named Justice and a tropical island made up of ones and zeroes.

Serenity arrived with an impressive pedigree. Knight clearly has talent to spare, and with Oscar winners McConaughey and Anne Hathaway on board, expectations for Serenity were high.

The first warning sign came when the film, slated for an awards-season release date, was quietly pushed to January, often a sign that the studio thinks it has a bomb on its hands.

Language is also very strong, with frequent uses of "f--k," "s--t," and more. Characters drink frequently, sometimes to the point of extreme drunkenness.

The main character smokes cigarettes. The film goes in an unexpected direction, and while it works for a while, by the halfway point, it comes pretty badly unraveled. Add your rating See all 5 parent reviews.

Add your rating See all 3 kid reviews. Baker sometimes sleeps with the lonely Constance Diane Lane and sometimes stops for a glass of rum, but mostly he thinks about catching a large, elusive tuna called "Justice. Karen and Baker had a past together, and a son, but now she's married to the abusive, drunken Frank Jason Clarke.

Frank is coming for a fishing trip, and Karen asks Baker to take him out, get him drunk, and throw him overboard to be eaten by sharks. Baker must decide what to do, but things get more complicated when an unusual fishing gear salesman Jeremy Strong shows up with some unexpected information. Starting out with promise, like a glossy, heated, modern-day film noir tribute, this thriller eventually begins to reveal its twist, and everything that was working until then simply collapses.

Written and directed by Steven Knight , who usually specializes in dark, noir-like stories Eastern Promises , Locke , etc. For one, the heightened performance style, presumably borrowed from classic movies like Double Indemnity , stops working as well within the new context.

It becomes difficult to care about the characters, and the actors' oversized performances are somewhat silly. Only Hounsou somehow hangs on to his dignity. And the entire film noir concept, with its sex, booze, and murder, doesn't make any sense when the twist comes; it's actually somewhat icky in context.

Even the twist is handled poorly. There's no mystery. The island scenery is appealing -- with occasional lightning storms adding atmosphere to the bright island air -- and Hathaway makes a great femme fatale. It's too bad Serenity couldn't have been a straight-up film noir from start to finish. Families can talk about Serenity 's violence.

What's shown, and what's not shown? How did the violent scenes affect you? How does the movie depict sex? How would you describe the main character's attitude toward it? What values are imparted? How is drinking depicted? How often do characters drink too much? Are there realistic consequences?

Why does that matter? How did you feel about the movie's twist? Did it shed light on the rest of the movie? Did it betray what you'd thought you'd seen? What makes for a good twist vs. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.