I found this iconic space western streaming for free on YouTube ‣ Diverse Daily

There’s no shortage of timeless sci-fi movies available to stream, and you can watch thought-provoking classics, like Blade Runner, or action extravaganzas, like Terminator 2:Judgement Day for free on YouTube.

Serenity is a 2005 space-western based on the canceled FireFly TV show. The show was created by Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Avengers fame. FireFly only aired for 11 of its planned 14 episodes before being canned by Fox. Its popularity and strong DVD sales spurred Whedon to approach Universal about a possible movie adaptation with him writing and directing. Universal green-lit the project and Serenity was born.

The movie is about a rag-tag group of smugglers who travel through space looking for jobs. The ship’s doctor rescues his sister with psychic abilities from a secret government facility and they hide with the crew. They commit a bank heist on a planet, and it goes wrong when they’re attacked by the hyper-aggressive Reavers who kill anyone who crosses their path.

The doctor and his sister decide to leave at the next spaceport, but discover that a shady government operative is after them and has put a bounty on their heads. The crew must find a way to stay ahead of the pursuing government and discover the secret origins of The Reavers.

Serenity is an action-packed adventure filled with gunfights, shootouts and space battles. The chemistry between the crew holds everything together. Each has a unique and believable personality, and it’s great to see flawed characters making morally-grey decisions while under pressure. It also takes viewers on a journey through interesting worlds like desert outposts and cyberpunk cities.

The cast includes Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcom Reynolds, Alan Tudyk as the pilot, Hoban Washburne, and Chiwetal Ejiofor as the villainous Operative who drips with menace and steals the show.

Serenity was a box-office flop on release, making around $40 million on a $39 million budget. The CGI is dated, but everything else it top-notch, and it deserves another chance as a fun space opera that doesn’t take itself seriously.

Serenity is finally available to stream on YouTube

Watch this cult-classic space-western for free with ads

Joss Whedon’s Serenity is now available here for free on YouTube. You can also buy or rent it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango if you prefer an add-free experience.

Collectors can buy DVDs, Blu-Rays, and 4K UHD discs from Amazon if they want the best home viewing experience that only physical media can provide.

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YouTube has other sci-fi classics streaming this month.

Christopher Nolan’s Inception is a mind-bending sci-fi thriller with a star-studded cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, and Cillian Murphy. It follows a team of thieves who steal information from people’s minds. They take on their most dangerous job yet, to infiltrate the mind of an executive and plant a new idea. Things don’t go as planned and they get sucked deeper into his subconscious.

The Omega Man is a Charlton Heston dystopian thriller based on the novel, I am Legend. Robert Neville must survive alone in a future Los Angeles after a war has destroyed most of the population. He spends his days foraging for supplies while avoiding a nocturnal mutant cult who are out to get him. Things take a turn when he meets a woman who might be key to finding more survivors and reversing the mutation.