I give Steven Knight, writer and director of “Serenity,” credit for establishing a big leap with this different film, but it fails to meet expectations with its script writing and awkward plot twists.

‘Serenity’ consists of Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey), a fishing boat captain who leads tours off to Plymouth Island, a tropical paradise. His ex-wife, Karen (Anne Hathaway), who he hasn’t seen since he returned from the war in Iraq, appears practically begging him to kill her current, abusive husband Frank (Jason Clarke).

‘Serenity’ has one of the worst script writings in a thriller movie. The consistency of horrible chemistry and overdramatizing their words and lines felt as if Hathaway and McConaughey were forced to do so by their director. I honestly felt as if they could have done better based on their Oscar worthy acting from previous movies they starred in.

The horrible script also contributed to the fact that each scene felt overly cheesy to the point that I didn’t know what to feel during the moment. The movie’s inconsistency of introducing new characters randomly and out of place made the film feel obscure and hard to follow along.

The second half of the movie however, opens up a segway of interpretation that excuses the horrible acting, script and direction of the first half. A plot twist occurs, making the film even more profoundly confusing and in someway disturbing, but at least made the film a lot more interesting. I was instantly reminisced of the plots from “The Sixth Sense” with a mix of “Bandersnatch.”

The ending scene was very abrupt, like a punch in the chest, but with much justification and regard to the overall plot of the story. It actually made me tear up and appreciate the concept of the film on a deeper level.

The dramatization in the ending scene was undoubtedly the highlight of the film. Sparking up a comprehensive grasp, but also leaving the audience room for interpretation.

The idea of ‘Serenity’ in itself was interesting, but so complex that Knight’s difficulties with writing a comprehensive script allowed for both McConaughey and Hathaway to suffer the blows of his failure. Although the film had its memorable moments like its ending, ‘Serenity’ lacks an identity, and its inconsistency and poor script writing is something not to be remembered for.

2.5/5