If I'd have known that I might be able to get in to see "Serenity" Monday evening -- four days before it's released -- because I have so much influence and will cause all of you readers to go and see the film.

I've been anxiously waiting for "Serenity" to make it into theaters ever since the SciFi channel began airing the short-lived TV series "Firefly" on which the movie is based. The series was exciting and well-written and I was just blown away, three years after the fact, that the series was canceled in the first place. If you liked the original Star Wars -- before George Lucas went about "fixing" it -- then I'm confident that you'll love the TV series and the movie.

The best, short description of the movie and series that I read was by M.E. Russell in "The Daily Standard": "Think of it as Star Wars, if Han Solo were the main character, and he still shot Greedo first."

The PR folks for the movie are a little more verbose.

Joss Whedon, the Oscar - and Emmy - nominated writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE, ANGEL and FIREFLY, now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, Serenity. The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be able to see the movie Monday. Everybody else ought to check it out when it opens on Friday.