For a while now, there has been a cult following for the now-cancelled Fox TV series Firefly, and though a friend has desperately tried to get me into it, I have declined. “Serenity,” a film extension of the show, made me pick up the Fox DVD box-set on the way home.

Think of the show as an American rendition of Cowboy Bebop, the popular anime following a crew of bounty hunters as they traverse the galaxy.

Or maybe think of it as a “Star Wars” spin-off that follows Han Solo across space with a crew of Harrison Ford clones, all delivering sarcastic, lovable lines that popcorn flicks get so wrong, so often.

You could say Joss Whedon, a first-time feature film director (who has earned some street credentials on popular TV shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”), was heavily influenced by the jumpy scares you see in The Ring, or the breathtaking martial arts witnessed in oh-so-many kung fu movies.

Yet somehow, through all the borrowing, nothing ever feels borrowed. That’s probably because in the midst of all the genre-bending stunts behind the camera, on the screen it is a compelling story.

The film follows a group of mercenary cowboys-turned-heroes as they flee from an overbearing empire (dubbed the Universal Alliance, led by a sword-wielding antagonist whose honor code borrows heavily from Samurai lore), which is intent on capturing a crewmember of theirs.

All the while, there is a roving third party of zombies, which they’ve renamed Reavers in this film. These zombies have no allegiance to the Universal Alliance, civilians, or anything else.

I hear you saying, “Of course, they’re zombies, dummy.” Oh, but they are so much more. Reavers can sort of think, while running about manically, while toting machine guns, while eating people.

The ships captain, Mal (Nathan Fillion), is like many characters of his type (I was going to say a scruffy looking nerf herder but then you’d know what a dork I am and I already made one “Star Wars” reference). A tough guy with a big heart, he tries to hide. On the ships journey, he has to decide between what’s right, and what will keep food on his crew’s plate.

I’m sure the TV series fleshes out the other crewmembers because the audience of die-hard fans ran the gamut of emotions during the film’s subplots. But, if you’re new to the story line then things such as a sidebar love story will probably get lost on you, too. As a stand-alone movie, the crewmembers seem little more than cannon fodder.

But that’s okay, because there is an enormous balancing act in this film that they get more right than wrong. On top of everything else, there’s something in this film that separates it from all the sci-fi clones and rehashes. There is real morality and humanity in the characters and story.

A drama this is not, but it has more depth than 99 percent of the sci-fi films you’ve seen in recent years. Did I mention the special effects aren’t too shabby, either? They suit the story instead of the other way around, and while impressive, on the way home you’ll be remembering the characters more than the explosions.

Don’t judge this movie by its trailer (which had turned me off to it entirely before I got offered to see it for free), because it doesn’t do “Serenity” justice.

This is a popcorn flick with a soul, a special effects extravaganza where the actors are still given a set to act on, and it’s a cooler vision of space than Lucas or Spielberg have offered in decades. It’s not an entirely unique work, but it feels more like homage than stealing.

Chances are you’ll be too busy enjoying yourself to really care.

And if none of this got you interested in the movie, imagine the girl from “The Ring,” plus the asses of the zombies in “28 Days Later,” divided by kung fu stunts that would have Keanu Reeves saying “woah.”