Must-see movies are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale.

Title: Serenity
Date: 2005

Vitals: Based on Joss Whedon's critically-acclaimed TV series Firefly, Serenity focuses on a band of interstellar renegades trying to make a (less than honest) buck while fleeing authorities and protecting some human cargo whose fate is intertwined with a massive government cover-up. A cult hit, Serenity is also known for borrowing themes and imagery from Westerns, making it one of the only space cowboy flicks.

Famous names: Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, Chiwetal Ejiofor

Crunchy goodness: 5

The shit: In the far future of Serenity, prostitutes are treated like royalty. Inara, a main character in the TV show Firefly, is one such prostitute — she appears in Serenity as well, as the only high-class person on the movie's eponymous spacecraft.

Design breakthrough: Serenity successfully combined Western movie style with science fiction tech, giving us a gritty, brokedown future where outlaws roam remote worlds stealing cattle and everybody speaks a patois of Old West English mixed with Chinese.

Sight you'll never unsee: River, the government-created, psychic human weapon, gracefully smashes and kills her way through an outlaw bar after her "attack" switch has been activated by subliminal data embedded in an advertisement for something called Fruity Oaty Bars.

Can't Stop the Serenity