Customer Reviews:
the origin of the term "Buffy bad".......2007-10-05
First off, I love Joss Whedon's work (if you haven't already go check out "Firefly" it is amazing. Buffy the series is an absolute favourite for me...but the movie makes Darla's schoolgirl routine in the first series look chic, the acting quality of the 1960's Batman programmes seem first rate and well, comparisons fail me for some of the special effects. There is a bit where 'buffy' catches a knife which is beyond lame.
I blame most of this on the fact the Joss didn't direct it. For he is god and surely this pile of crp can't be his fault.
As an origins story it has good points and it is interesting to see a first draft look at the slayer mythos... but for the love of all that you hold dear - don't waste money buying it (unless you love camp/kitch so-bad-it's-good DIRE (add some hit die and increase the physical stats - sorry, ignore me) films) but if you're interested in the whole origins angle mentioned above, by all means rent it.
"Buffy bad" has now come to be the benchmark of BAD films, Van Helsing and Starship Troopers 2 being prime examples.
Summary: Joss Whedon = Good
This film = bad, very bad.
Buffy Not.......2007-07-21
This is Buffy's first vamprie slaying outing but we don't get to see Sarah Michelle Gellar as she only played Buffy for the TV series.
If you like the TV series and Sarah this may dissapoint you but you could rent in and check it out that way then decide if you want it.
I must say the TV is far better but the is due to Sarah begin given the lead you may like to see how Buffy became the chossen one and this film will show you that but TV series fans will find it less like Buffy than what they've com e to expcet.
A good start spoilt by a farsical end.......2007-06-06
This film started off quite well and could have been a decent movie. But after an entertaining first half, the movie descended into a farce that was an insult to the intelligence of the viewer.
The first two thirds of the film was quite good and I was initially asking myself why the film had been failed so badly. All seemed good, Kirsty Swanson makes a good portrayal of Buffy and the vampires are portrayed effectively as the evil malicious creature of the night that they are. The story explains effectively how Buffy is transformed from a care free materialistic teenager into a Slayer, showing all the psychological and physical conflicts that this involves. The atmosphere and physical world in the film is not quite the same as in the series. There is less humour and the vampires are slightly different. For instance, vampires can levitate, do not have bumpy foreheads and do not turn to dust when they die. However, none of this spoils the movie in any way and I was quite enjoying it up to about two thirds of the way through. Then it became a farce.
One thing that characterises most of the Buffy series, is that it takes itself seriously. The characters are supposed to be real people in a real world. There is comedy and humour, but it never spoils the sense of reality that is portray to the viewer. It is this sense of reality that is lost in the second half of the movie. For some reason, the whole atmosphere of the movie changes and it becomes much more light-hearted. Suddenly, all the vampires think they are comedians and start acting stupid in a pathetic attempt to be funny. This embarrassing attempt at comedy not only fails to be amusing in any way, but also spoils the dark image of the vampires as malicious blood sucking monsters that was built up successfully in the first half of the film. This completely ruined my enjoyment of the film.
Also, the final battle scenes are just plain stupid, with the vampires seemingly more intent on cracking second rate unfunny jokes rather than attacking people. In one case, one vampire is even able to sing a little song when he is staked by Buffy. The action at the end is completely unfulfilling as the main battle scene between Buffy and the vampires is not even shown. All we get is a scene showing a lot of dead vampires and supposedly amusing dialogue to inform us that Buffy indeed killed them all. This was a shame, because the action was decent, if sparse, up until then.
In conclusion, this film could have been decent if it wasn't for the ending. But unfortunately, the poor ending managed to spoil any good work that was done earlier in the movie.
Decent enough, but no match for the series.......2007-03-01
Before it was a top quality television series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer existed only in the form of this somewhat insubstantial film. Kristy Swanson plays cheerleader Buffy, an air headed L.A. teenager who discovers she has been chosen to defend the world from the undead scourge. She is trained by Watcher Donald Sutherland to fight off the Dracula-like Lothos (Rutger Hauer) and his army of goofy blood-sucking assistants (including Pee-Wee Herman himself, Paul Reubens).
Think of it as Clueless with comedy vampires.
With the benefit of hindsight, it's obvious that the makers of this one have missed most of the potential in Joss Whedon's screenplay, choosing to make a full-blown comedy with non-threatening vampires and none of the emotional resonance that would make its way into the TV version. It's as though they read the title, laughed at how daffy it was, and took the cheerleading vampire killer concept at face value. One of Whedon's real skills is to take an idea that seems utterly ridiculous and make you care about it, mostly by creating believable characters and pouring on the emotion, but that's not the route they've taken with this one.
Taken on its own terms, though, this is not the terrible stinker its reputation suggests. It's not a classic, either, but it's enjoyable enough if you can set your thoughts of Willow, Xander, Giles, et al to one side. Swanson is an engaging (not to mention beautiful) lead, there are some funny moments, and Reubens and David Arquette are clearly having a lot of fun hamming it up as vampires. Future oscar winner Ben Affleck even turns up for a few seconds.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is hardly essential viewing, but it's not a total waste of time, and it's also an interesting curio for fans of the T.V. show.
Can't be that bad if Joss got a series out of it!.......2006-12-28
This film sees Kristy Swanson as the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, before the Sarah Michelle Gellar TV version was created. Also stars Rutger Houer and Luke Perry.
The film starts out by proving to us that Buffy is a typical Californian bubble head with nothing on her mind other than shopping, boys and cheerleading. But then a man claiming to be her Watcher shows up and tells her that she has a sacred birthright to fight vampires that really do walk the earth. She doesn't believe her right away but meeting and killing vampires certainly changes her mind.
This film went through 3 different directors and it can show. Sometimes it's brutal and sometimes it's comedic. But it's Joss Whedons style that keeps showing through making this a good film overall.
You don't need to be a Buffy fan to enjoy this film, but it helps.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Fran Rubel Kuzui's 1992 tongue-in-cheek vampire comedy is sugar-coated horror, an unusual mix of the cute and scary, with a splash of postmodern pop nonsense to give culture critics something to think about. Kristy Swanson plays a Valley Girl who learns she belongs to a line of ancient vampirekillers. After training under the watchful eye of a mentor(Donald Sutherland), she becomes a spandex-wearing, kung-fu kicking, stake-stabbing babe and the mortal enemy of a narcissistic master vampire (Rutger Hauer). The accent is all on cheery attitude, though the action can be as authentically unnerving as any other halfway decent monster movie. Paul Reubens, formerly Pee-wee Herman, has a small role as Hauer's fanged familiar.--Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
Not the greatest movie of all time.......2004-08-14
This is not a great film by any measure, on the other hand it is not the worst I have ever seen. It's not a patch on the TV series, but will be interesting for hardcore buffy fans. There are numerous inconsistencies between the film and the start of the TV series (I think the biggest is that buffy doesn't get any older in the 4 or so years between the film and the TV series!). That's not really the point though, this was where it all began! There are definately a few "Joss" moments in the script, but it's not really laugh out loud funny like the TV series. It deserves a watch if you are a Buffy fan or have a couple of free hours where you don't really want to use your brain. You can get it from a marketplace seller for a couple of quid, and for that I would say it is worth it.
brilliant, lots of fun.......2004-05-10
this film is perfect for those who have watched the series and are interested in how buffy came to be, the action is superb and the comedy moments are perfect. fans of the series who watch this film will notice lots of differences. this is a must see for die hard buffy fans
No Way!!.......2003-09-11
If you really want some vamp killing action stick to the series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, not the film! The Buffy in the film looks like she couldn't snap a twig let alone fight the forces of evil. my judgement may of been clouded by watching the series but this film is just rubbish, I wonder how they ever talked networks into making the series.
buffy the vampire slayer.......2003-08-10
I really enjoyed this movie, most people hate this movie just because sarah michelle gellar isn't in it and........ the people who like it well, they only usually like it because ben affleck is in it. but he only plays in one scene and that's in a basketball game. i think that compared to the series buffy the movie is the best because the the title is buffy the VAMPIRE slayer and in the series it keeps bringing warlocks, demons, ghost's and other pathetic so called vampires. kristy swanson ( who plays buffy in the movie) makes this film funny with the quotes she says for example, pike says: you're the chosen guy, the chosen one, buffy says: and i chose to be shopping. this is a horror/comedy/action movie, it's great for either a late night movie or a sleepover party. thank you.
watchable, funny in bits, but the series just slays it.......2003-08-02
I have to disagree with reviews that say the series is not as funny as this film. I saw this film after watching the series and was longing to see it, and then was totally disappointed. I have watched it a few times since and it's ok, it can be funny in bits but never makes me laugh out loud the way the series does. It is a totally seperate entity and made as a camp comedy, and in that it succeeds.
I also don't think the series takes itself too seriously - in fact I love the fact that it doesn't and if you think it does then you're missing the point!
You don't need this really as a prelude to the series, it has too many descrepancies and differences to be that useful. No doubt I will watch it again when there's nothing better on, but it really doesn't deserve a place on my shelf.
UK DVD:
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6 (New Edition) [2001]
- Cabin Fever [2003]
- Candyman : Collectors Edition [1992]
- Carrie [1976]
- Child's Play 2 [1991]
- Child's Play 3 [1991]
- Christine [1983]
- Christine [1984]
- Count Dracula [1977]
- Creep [2004]
UK DVD List
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1 (New Edition)
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