"Director: Joss Whedon"

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 3 (New Packaging) | DVD | (03/10/2011) from £24.90   |  Saving you £3.09 (12.41%)   |  RRP £27.99

  The third season of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer was marked by the arrival in Sunnydale of renegade slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a moody loner who seemed to like her demon-staking calling just a little too much. While Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was always wary of Faith, the two developed a deep friendship and appreciative rapport--that is, until the evil mayor of Sunnydale (Harry Groener) tapped into Faith's dark side and lured her into his plot to take over the world, first as a double agent spying on Buffy, then as out-and-out nemesis. And as the mayor's ascension approached--which happened to fall on Sunnydale High's graduation day--Buffy and Faith's battles got nastier and nastier, as Buffy attempted to wrestle with her dark side (literally and figuratively), save the world and her friends, and keep her lover Angel (David Boreanaz) out of Faith's evil clutches. Chock-full of exceptional episodes, this third season started out with a bang (the superb season opener "Anne," in which a runaway Buffy finally returns to her Slayer calling) and never let up. Among other highlights, the season introduced former vengeance demon and soon-to-be regular Anya (Emma Caulfield), fleshed out Angel's tortured character (and readied him for his own series), and featured a hilarious doppelganger Willow (Alyson Hannigan), a vampire from a parallel universe, who in Willow's own words was "evil and... skanky... and kinda gay!" (Total foreshadowing there, folks.) The season's pièce de résistance, though, was the two-parter "Graduation Day," wherein Faith tries to kill Angel, and the students of Sunnydale High prepare to do battle with a mutated mayor and his army of demons. Aside from the series' exceptional writing and acting, this compelling year of Buffy was anchored by the consistently excellent Gellar, as well as Dushku's complicated Faith, a girl you truly love to hate. By the time you finish these episodes, Faith will have cast a spell on you that you'll find very hard to shake. --Mark Englehart

• Buffy The Vampire Slayer - The Complete DVD Collection | DVD | (30/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £179.99

  A specially created box set containing all 7 seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer: over 100 hours of vampire ass-kicking action!

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 6 (New Packaging) | DVD | (03/10/2011) from £99.99   |  Saving you £-72.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £27.99

  The sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer followed the logic of plot and character development into some gloomy places. The year begins with Buffy being raised from the dead by the friends who miss her, but who fail to understand that a sacrifice taken back is a sacrifice negated. Dragged out of what she believes to have been heavenly bliss, she finds herself "going through the motions" and entering into a relationship with the evil, besotted vampire Spike just to force her emotions. Willow becomes ever more caught up in the temptations of magic; Xander and Anya move towards marriage without ever discussing their reservations; Giles feels he is standing in the way of Buffy's adult independence; Dawn feels neglected. What none of them need is a menace that is, at this point, simply annoying--three high school contemporaries who have turned their hand to magical and high-tech villainy. Added to this is a hungry ghost, an invisibility ray, an amnesia spell and a song-and-dance demon (who acts as rationale for the incomparable musical episode "Once More, with Feeling"). This is a year in which chickens come home to roost: everything from the villainy of the three geeks to Xander's doubts about marriage come to a head, often--as in the case of the impressive wedding episode--through wildly dark humour. The estrangement of the characters from each other--a well-observed portrait of what happens to college pals in their early 20s--comes to a shocking head with the death of a major character and that death's apocalyptic consequences. The series ends on a consoling note which it has, by that point and in spite of imperfections, entirely earned. --Roz Kaveney

• Angel: Complete Season 1 | DVD | (18/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £79.99

  Taking the Spin-off genre to the extreme, Angel attempts to replicate the success of Buffy by taking the heartthrob as the lead. Spin-off shows rarely match the success of their parent programmes, especially in the superhero/fantasy genre (cf. The Girl From UNCLE, The Bionic Woman, The Green Hornet--Frasier being the notable exception). Characters who were perfectly useful as supporting figures dwindle when forced in the spotlight, and Angel takes a special risk by building an entire series around a character who is: (a) supposed to be a mystery man; (b) a vampire who once spent half a season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a dastardly villain who killed without remorse; and (c) played by David Boreanaz, who is well up on handsome and broody but still can't do an Irish accent to save his life and is visibly learning this acting lark as the series progresses. The premise is that Angel, the vampire with a soul, has finally admitted he'll never get it together with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), unless a reunion crossover episode or two are scheduled. He moves to Los Angeles, a city haunted not only by demons and vampires but lawyers and agents. Angel sets up as a private investigator and solves cases with a supernatural aspect, partnered with Doyle (Glenn Quinn), a half-demon with a proper Irish accent and the useful psychic ability to know when someone is in trouble (thereby predicting any given week's plot), and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), another Buffy refugee here trying to reinvent herself as a struggling big-city single girl. Far less consistent than its parent show, but also not saddled with quite so much of a continuing story arc, Angel has a very different feel, cued by its effective semi-Goth violin theme tune and lots of film noir-ish LA street scenes, with a dose of cynical inside-the-entertainment-industry stuff. It has its share of familiar ideas (such as a Fight Club episode) and simply daft premises (a demon-centred show which allegorises the debate about female circumcision , for example). Angel alienated a lot of initial fans by killing off its most appealing regular a third of the way into the run, dusting off hideous English comic stereotype Wesley the Watcher (Alex Denisof) as a replacement. However, it also comes up with some ingenious moments: in a two-parter guest-starring sometime Buffy villainess Faith (Eliza Dushku), the show finally delivers something scary and emotionally powerful as Angel proves he can solve cases his ex-girlfriend can't. Meanwhile, the last couple of episodes--which beef up a satanic law firm as regular foes and resurrect a long-dead character as a major troublemaker for the future--go from promising to delivering. --Kim NewmanOn the DVD: the DVD set is only moderately generous with features, compared to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series DVDs. There are two episodes with commentaries--creators Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt discussing the series' genesis and "City Of ". Added to this Jane Espenson, the resident queen of farce, talks us through the haunted apartment episode "Rm w/a Vu". Also included are four featurettes--introductions to the characters of Angel and Cordelia, a series one overview and a discussion of the show's demons--scripts for the two Faith episodes, cast biographies and a gallery of stills and blue-prints. Most importantly, given the way Angel was butchered by Channel 4 for an inappropriately early time slot, the show's violence and strong language are offered uncut. Presented in English and French Dolby Surround Sound 2.0 and with an aspect ratio of approx 1.33:1 --Roz Kaveney

• Dollhouse | Blu Ray | (11/10/2010) from £12.97   |  Saving you £17.02 (131.23%)   |  RRP £29.99

  The thrilling Dollhouse reunites Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon (Firefly Serenity) and Eliza Dushku (Angel). Echo is an 'Active' - someone whose memories have been wiped and replaced. Hired for nefarious gains she acts with no memory of before. Can she rediscover her true identity before it's too late? Episodes Comprise: 1. Vows 2. Instinct 3. Belle Chose 4. Belonging 5. The Public Eye 6. The Left Hand 7. Meet Jane Doe 8. A Love Supreme 9. Stop-Loss 10. The Attic 11. Getting Closer 12. The Hollow Men 13. Epitaph Two. Return

• Angel: Complete Season 5 | DVD | (21/02/2005) from £49.99   |  Saving you £30.00 (60.01%)   |  RRP £79.99

  Lives were upended--and some co-opted--in the fifth and final season of Angel, as the denizens of Angel Investigations found themselves taking on one of their scariest endeavors ever: corporate life. After making a literal deal with the devil (or something distinctly devil-like), Angel (David Boreanaz) moved his team from their crumbling hotel to the high-rise digs of law-firm-from-hell Wolfram & Hart, his reasoning being they could better fight the forces of evil from the inside, and with more resources to boot. Clever maneuvering or easy rationalization? A few members of Angel's team accused him of selling out (as did a number of viewers), but as with most of the show's previous four seasons, Angel somehow took a dubious premise and mined it for gold. And with one core cast member gone (Charisma Carpenter, whose Cordelia was immersed in a deep coma), it seemed as if the show, from within and without, would suddenly fall apart--that is, until Angel's longtime nemesis Spike (James Marsters) showed up, fresh from his sacrificial roasting at the series finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Let the vampire games begin! With Buffy off the air, fans flocked to Angel's last season to get their fix of Joss Whedon's "Buffyverse" in any form they could, and the addition of Spike was a shrewd one, albeit not enough to keep the show from getting canceled. And for the first half of the season, the creative forces behind the show seemed to be toying ruthlessly with the audience. Spike was around, but not entirely corporeal; Angel himself became sullen and withdrawn; and most horrifically, sweetheart scientist Fred (Amy Acker) and former watcher Wesley (Alexis Denisof) underwent traumas that would test even the most devoted viewer. However, just when you'd be about to throw in the towel, things started changing for the better--Spike became a permanent fixture (both in the flesh and on the show), Angel's secret motives were revealed, and the introduction of demon warrior Illyria, who proved to be the show's answer to Buffy's sardonic demon-made-human Anya, was a welcome breath of fresh air. Creatively, Angel also came up with some of its best episodes, including "Smile Time" (where Angel is turned into a puppet – really!) and "You're Welcome" (the show's 100th episode, which marked the bittersweet return of Carpenter's Cordelia). The ending of the series was deliberately ambiguous, and not everyone made it through alive, but in going out kicking, it was a proper sendoff for a show that always fought the good fight. --Mark Englehart

• Buffy Season 4 | DVD | (18/09/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In its fourth season, Buffy the Vampire Slayer had to change its formula radically. Two major characters--the vampire-with-a-soul Angel and Cordelia, the queen bitch of Sunnydale High--had gone off to be in their own show, Angel, and soon after the start of the season Willow's werewolf boyfriend Oz left when Seth Green needed to concentrate on his film career. Buffy and Willow started college, where they met new characters like Riley, the All-American Boy with a double life, and Tara, the sweet stuttering witch; but Xander and Giles found themselves at something of a loose end. Several characters were subjected to the radical re-envisioning possible in a show that deals with the supernatural: the blond vampire Spike came back and soon found himself with an inhibitor chip in his head, forced into reluctant alliance with Buffy; the former vengeance demon Anya became passionately smitten with Xander. Not all fans were happy with the central story arc about the sinister Dr Walsh (Lindsay Crouse) and her Frankensteinian creation Adam, though Crouse's performance was memorable. The strength of Season Four was perhaps most in impressive stand-alone episodes like the silent "Hush", the multiple dream sequence "Restless" and the passionate, moving "New Moon Rising", in which Oz returns, apparently cured, only to find that Willow is no longer waiting for him. This was one of the high points of the show as a vehicle for intense acting, perhaps only equalled by "Who Are You?", in which the evil slayer Faith takes over Buffy's body and Sarah Michelle Gellar gets to play bad girl for once. --Roz KaveneyOn the DVD: Buffy Season 4 was a hit and so is this sublime box set. The commentaries for "The Initiative", "This Year'sGirl", "Superstar" and "Primaveral" are all well above average, but are nothing compared to "Hush" and "Restless" where Joss Whedon gives out all the information and insights any fan would dream of. The four featurettes included are a pleasure to watch, especially the evolution of the sets for the show. The scripts, trailers and cast biographies complete the set and make for a decent addition to your Buffy archive. The soundtrack is in 2.0 Dolby surround, but the image is as grainy and dark as the previous seasons on DVD. --Celine Martig

• Angel: Series 1 (Standard plastic case packaging) | DVD | (01/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Angel - Season 1 Box Set [Repackaged]

• Serenity - Steelbook - Universal 100th Anniversary Edition | Blu Ray | (25/02/2013) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-5.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Can't stop the signal...Beloved television cult director Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel) makes a spectacular first foray onto the big screen with Serenity, the cinematic adaptation of his wildly popular but short-lived sci-fi series, Firefly. A mix of space western, comedy, and drama, Serenity follows captain Malcolm Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his ragtag crew as they trade their way around the edges of civilized society. Of particular interest are two passengers they take on, Simon and River Tam (Sean Maher and Summer Glau), a brother and his telepathic sister on the run from the corrupt governing Alliance. As notorious former members of the anti-Alliance opposition, Mal and his crew make it difficult for Simon and River to stay hidden. Everything goes completely awry when a government assassin is sent to retrieve River. As Mal is forced to choose between his close-knit crew and the brother and sister newcomers, it becomes apparent that River harbors both a dangerous secret and astounding fighting powers, and Mal decides that discovering the truth about what she knows might just be worth his time.Many of the film's action sequences revolve around Summer Glau's martial arts skills in her portrayal of River. Glau prepared for her role with Hong Kong stuntwoman Ming Lu, as well as stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and Hiro Koda, and as a result performed nearly all the stuntwork herself. In addition to the stellar stunts, realistic graphics, and an often haunting score, the film's actors display a rare chemistry that brings viewers both into their lives and into a possible version of humanity's future.

• Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 6 | DVD | (18/09/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The sixth series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer followed the logic of plot and character development into some gloomy places. The year begins with Buffy being raised from the dead by the friends who miss her, but who fail to understand that a sacrifice taken back is a sacrifice negated. Dragged out of what she believes to have been heavenly bliss, she finds herself "going through the motions" and entering into a relationship with the evil, besotted vampire Spike just to force her emotions. Willow becomes ever more caught up in the temptations of magic; Xander and Anya move towards marriage without ever discussing their reservations; Giles feels he is standing in the way of Buffy's adult independence; Dawn feels neglected. What none of them need is a menace that is, at this point, simply annoying--three high school contemporaries who have turned their hand to magical and high-tech villainy. Added to this is a hungry ghost, an invisibility ray, an amnesia spell and a song-and-dance demon (who acts as rationale for the incomparable musical episode "Once More With Feeling"). This is a year in which chickens come home to roost: everything from the villainy of the three geeks to Xander's doubts about marriage come to a head, often--as in the case of the impressive wedding episode--through wildly dark humour. The estrangement of the characters from each other--a well-observed portrait of what happens to college pals in their early 20s--comes to a shocking head with the death of a major character and that death's apocalyptic consequences. The series ends on a consoling note which it has, by that point and in spite of imperfections, entirely earned. --Roz Kaveney

• Doom/Serenity | DVD | (26/12/2006) from £9.43   |  Saving you £3.56 (37.75%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Doom (Dir. Andrzej Bartkowiak 2005): Based on the hugely popular video game Doom is an explosive action-packed thrill ride! A frantic call for help from a remote research station on Mars sends a team of mercenary Marines into action. Led by The Rock and Karl Urban they descend into the Olduvai Research Station where they find a legion of nightmarish creatures lurking in the darkness killing at will. Once there the Marines must use an arsenal of firepower to carry out their mission: nothing gets out alive. Serenity (Dir. Joss Whedon 2005): Beloved television cult director Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer Angel) makes a spectacular first foray onto the big screen with Serenity the cinematic adaptation of his wildly popular but short-lived sci-fi series Firefly. A mix of space western comedy and drama Serenity follows captain Malcolm ""Mal"" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his ragtag crew as they trade their way around the edges of civilized society. Of particular interest are two passengers they take on Simon and River Tam (Sean Maher and Summer Glau) a brother and his telepathic sister on the run from the corrupt governing Alliance. As notorious former members of the anti-Alliance opposition Mal and his crew make it difficult for Simon and River to stay hidden. Everything goes completely awry when a government assassin is sent to retrieve River. As Mal is forced to choose between his close-knit crew and the brother and sister newcomers it becomes apparent that River harbors both a dangerous secret and astounding fighting powers and Mal decides that discovering the truth about what she knows might just be worth his time. Many of the film's action sequences revolve around Summer Glau's martial arts skills in her portrayal of River. Glau prepared for her role with Hong Kong stuntwoman Ming Lu as well as stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and Hiro Koda and as a result performed nearly all the stuntwork herself. In addition to the stellar stunts realistic graphics and an often haunting score the film's actors display a rare chemistry that brings viewers both into their lives and into a possible version of humanity's future.

• Dollhouse | Blu Ray | (11/10/2010) from £32.99   |  Saving you £-3.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Legendary Joss Whedon, creator of groundbreaking cult favorites "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly", reunites with fellow Buffy alum Eliza Dushku for a thrilling new sci-fi drama "Dollhouse"

• Buffy Season 3 | DVD | (18/09/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Action-packed Season Three develops major characters and plot lines brewing over the last couple of years. The Mayor, this season's major baddie, wants to become an invincible demon by slaughtering everyone at Sunnydale High's graduation ceremony but he's going to torture them all by giving his speech first. Bad-girl vampire-slayer Faith wants to get one over on Buffy and becomes even more rotten. Angel comes back from hell but isn't sure what to do about his girlfriend. Willow meets her evil gay vampire duplicate from another dimension. Xander loses his virginity but still has to contemplate his essential uselessness. Cordelia gets less whiny and has to work in a dress-shop when her father becomes bankrupt. Giles wears tweed and drinks tea, though it is revealed that he used to be a warlock and in a punk band. Besides the soap opera, there are monsters, curses and vampires (inevitably). --Kim Newman On the DVD: The DVDs are presented in a standard television 4:3 picture ratio and in a clear Dolby sound that does full justice both to the sparkling dialogue and to the always impressive indie-rock and orchestral scores. Special features include an overview of Season Three by its creator Joss Whedon, and by writers Marti Noxon, David Fury, Doug Petrie and Jane Espenson and documentaries on the weapons, clothes special effects of the show and the speech/verbal tone which makes it what it is-"Buffyspeak". The episodes "Helpless", "Bad Girls", "Consequences" and "Earshot" have commentaries by, Fury, Petrie, director James Gershman and Espenson, in which we find out some fascinating details about the way the scripts mutate and about the particular illuminations added to scripts by actors' performances. After complaints about the Season 2 DVD packaging, the disc envelopes include a protective coating. --Roz Kaveney

• Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 7 | DVD | (18/09/2017) from £11.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The seventh and final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer begins with a mystery: someone is murdering teenage girls all over the world and something is trying hard to drive Spike mad. Buffy is considerably more cheerful in these episodes than we have seen her during the previous year as she trains Dawn and gets a job as student counselor at the newly rebuilt Sunnydale High. Willow is recovering from the magical addiction which almost led her to destroy the world, but all is not yet well with her, or with Anya, who has returned to being a Vengeance demon in "Same Time, Same Place" and "Selfless," and both women are haunted by their decisions. Haunting of a different kind comes in the excellent "Conversations with Dead People" (one of the show's most terrifying episodes ever), in which a mysterious song is making Spike kill again in spite of his soul and his chip. Giles turns up in "Bring on the Night" and Buffy has to fight one of the deadliest vampires of her career in "Showtime". In "Potential" Dawn faces a fundamental reassessment of her purpose in life. Buffy was always a show about female empowerment, but it was also a show about how ordinary people can decide to make a difference alongside people who are special. And it was also a show about people making up for past errors and crimes. So, for example, we have the excellent episodes "Storyteller", in which the former geek/supervillain Andrew sorts out his redemption while making a video diary about life with Buffy; and "Lies My Parents Told Me," in which we find out why a particular folk song sends Spike crazy. Redemption abounds as Faith returns to Sunnydale and the friends she once betrayed, and Willow finds herself turning into the man she flayed. Above all, this was always Buffy's show: Sarah Michelle Gellar does extraordinary work here both as Buffy and as her ultimate shadow, the First Evil, who takes her face to mock her. This is a fine ending to one of television's most remarkable shows. --Roz Kaveney

• Angel - The Vampire Anthology - Cordelia | DVD | (01/08/2005) from £5.38   |  Saving you £7.61 (58.60%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This DVD release features 4 of Cordelia's best episodes selected by series creator Joss Whedon. Former Sunnydale cheerleader Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) moved to LA to seek her fortune after daddy's long-standing tax evasion depleted her funds. Struggling to catch her big break Cordy appointed herself to help out at Angel Investigations. The episodes in Cordelia's collection follow her from arrival in the city to turning half-demon and gaining supernatural powers that leav

• Serenity | UMD | (27/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

• Complete Buffy Collector's Edition Box Set (Series 1-7) | DVD | (22/11/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £199.99

  A specially created box set containing all 7 Seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer in limited edition numbered packaging. Also includes a letter from series creator Joss Whedon a book containing episode information and a run-down of Joss Whedon's favourite episodes. Over 100 hours of vampire ass-kicking action across 39 discs.

• Serenity | HD DVD | (13/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Can't stop the signal... Beloved television cult director Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer Angel) makes a spectacular first foray onto the big screen with Serenity the cinematic adaptation of his wildly popular but short-lived sci-fi series Firefly. A mix of space western comedy and drama Serenity follows captain Malcolm Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his ragtag crew as they trade their way around the edges of civilized society. Of particular interest are two passengers they take on Simon and River Tam (Sean Maher and Summer Glau) a brother and his telepathic sister on the run from the corrupt governing Alliance. As notorious former members of the anti-Alliance opposition Mal and his crew make it difficult for Simon and River to stay hidden. Everything goes completely awry when a government assassin is sent to retrieve River. As Mal is forced to choose between his close-knit crew and the brother and sister newcomers it becomes apparent that River harbors both a dangerous secret and astounding fighting powers and Mal decides that discovering the truth about what she knows might just be worth his time. Many of the film's action sequences revolve around Summer Glau's martial arts skills in her portrayal of River. Glau prepared for her role with Hong Kong stuntwoman Ming Lu as well as stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and Hiro Koda and as a result performed nearly all the stuntwork herself. In addition to the stellar stunts realistic graphics and an often haunting score the film's actors display a rare chemistry that brings viewers both into their lives and into a possible version of humanity's future.

• Astonishing X-Men: Gifted | DVD | (13/05/2013) from £9.43   |  Saving you £0.56 (5.60%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The X-Men are back with the express purpose of 'astonishing' the world! Just as growing tensions between humans and mutants reach an all-time high, Dr. Kavita Rao discovers a cure for mutants. The trouble is Wolverine, Beast, Kitty Pryde, Cyclops and Emma Frost are not convinced they need curing. There's also a powerful new adversary named Ord on the scene, who threatens to silence Dr. Charles Xavier's children once and for all. Now, if the X-Men lose their powers, mankind will be powerless to defend himself against the malevolent extra terrestrial invader.

• Ultraviolet/Serenity/Resident Evil 2 - Apocalypse | DVD | (01/10/2007) from £3.30   |  Saving you £17.95 (879.90%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Ultraviolet: Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil The Fifth Element) Cameron Bright (X-Men 3) Nick Chinlund (The Legend of Zorro) and William Fichtner (The Longest Yard) star in this story of a woman caught in a futuristic civil war between the government and a subculture of disease modified humans in whom speed strength and intelligence are magnified. In the film she must fend off the human government to protect a young boy who has been marked for death. Serenity: Can't stop the signal... Beloved television cult director Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer Angel) makes a spectacular first foray onto the big screen with Serenity the cinematic adaptation of his wildly popular but short-lived sci-fi series Firefly. A mix of space western comedy and drama Serenity follows captain Malcolm ""Mal"" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his ragtag crew as they trade their way around the edges of civilized society. Of particular interest are two passengers they take on Simon and River Tam (Sean Maher and Summer Glau) a brother and his telepathic sister on the run from the corrupt governing Alliance. As notorious former members of the anti-Alliance opposition Mal and his crew make it difficult for Simon and River to stay hidden. Everything goes completely awry when a government assassin is sent to retrieve River. As Mal is forced to choose between his close-knit crew and the brother and sister newcomers it becomes apparent that River harbors both a dangerous secret and astounding fighting powers and Mal decides that discovering the truth about what she knows might just be worth his time. Many of the film's action sequences revolve around Summer Glau's martial arts skills in her portrayal of River. Glau prepared for her role with Hong Kong stuntwoman Ming Lu as well as stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and Hiro Koda and as a result performed nearly all the stuntwork herself. In addition to the stellar stunts realistic graphics and an often haunting score the film's actors display a rare chemistry that brings viewers both into their lives and into a possible version of humanity's future. Resident Evil 2: Milla Jovovich returns as Alice one of only two survivors of the contained biochemical disaster in the first Resident Evil. This film begins where the first film left off with Alice in the heart of the ravaged and deadly Raccoon City. She has been subjected to biogenetic experimentation by the vast Umbrella Corporation and become genetically altered with super-human strengths senses and dexterity. These skills and more will be needed if anyone is to remain alive.