While the following review is considered "spoiler-free," some readers might find what could be considered minor spoilers.

Were you one of the people that tuned in each night a couple years ago when Fox tried to show "Firefly" to limited success? Maybe you were one of those people -- like me -- that discovered "Firefly" on DVD some time later.

If either of these are the case for you, then you will be getting a special treat this weekend when Capt. Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and crew return, this time in the big-screen feature "Serenity."

Reynolds, who captains a beat-up smuggling ship 500 years in the future, really has his hands full this time around. Just like the series, the dreaded Alliance -- which governs the group of terraformed planets that make up the backdrop for "Serenity" -- are still after Dr. Simon Tam (Sean Maher) and his mysterious sister River (Summer Glau), except this time they decide to send a slick assassin (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to get the job done before any of the government's big, bad secrets get out.

In true Joss Whedon form, we get to see a continuation of the biting dialgoue between all the main characters as they simply can't seem to have anything go right for them. From the opening (and magnificently shot) flyby of the Serenity, to its near crash landing in the opening minutes gives Whedon -- who wrote and directed this film -- a chance to introduce not only the characters, but also their relationship with each other.

In fact, Whedon does a pretty decent job of trying to explain the backstory of "Serenity" in a matter of minutes to try and appeal the film to a more general audience who might not have ever watched a minute of "Firefly." But does it work? Not really.

And it's not really Whedon's fault. It's not like something that is set in present-day New York City and such, where all the writer has to do is introduce characters. Whedon has a difficult task of bringing everyone up to speed on who the Alliance is, where did these planets come from, why are some places more technologically-advanced than others, what's up with River Tam, is that really a prostitute?

What makes the movie more difficult to follow is the fact that even though the original series had only 13 episodes, fans were given the opportunity to know the characters, to fall in love with the characters, to know the ship, to fall in love with the ship. We know what's going on with Mal and Inara (Morena Baccarin). We get it when Wash (Alan Tudyk) offers his usual sarcastic charm. We smile when Kaylee (Jewel Staite) gets all googly-eyed over Simon. But while new audiences will see it and understand it, the depth of it all will simply be lost.

"Serenity" is pure and simple and action-packed movie, with lots of answers -- and a lot of tears (there is a tremendous amount of loss in this film) -- but all of that is geared to the fanbase more than it is to general audiences. Sure, it's a gift to the fans ... but a bigger gift would be to ensure we can get more "Serenity" films in the future.

I would love to see new viewers go to the theater, fall in love with the characters, and then go out and buy the DVD set and maybe even join a group or two that is trying to get the show back on television. But in the end, they might just leave the theater when the end credits rolled having thoroughly enjoyed a great film, but then worrying about taking out the trash when they get home.

"Serenity" opens Sept. 30 in theaters across the United States. It also stars Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, and Ron Glass.

Serenity

MIchael Hinman is the founder of Airlock Alpha, and writes out of Tampa, Fla. He can be reached at michael@airlockalpha.com.