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32 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
In the beginning, there was Buffy the camp comedy classic, May 13, 2001
Pity poor Buffy (Kristy Swanson). She just wants to enjoy her life as a cheerleader/Valley girl when some scruffy old guy (Donald Sutherland) shows up and tells her she is "the Chosen One." You cannot believe how being a Vampire Slayer puts a crimp in a young girl's lifestyle. But when vampires (Rutger Hauer & Paul Reubens) are snacking on your classmates, what's a girl to do but grab some stakes and get down to some serious slaying. Fortunately, there is a cute guy (Luke Perry) as a bonus. For fans of the hit television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," the original movie is certainly a mixed bag. The strengths of the film come from Joss Whedon's script, which takes the ...idea of the blonde bimbo being chased by the monster and reverses it so that she end's up kicking the monster's butt. The weaknesses of the film come from director Fran Rubel Kuzui, who plays the whole thing for camp, personified by Paul Reubens over the top turn as "Lefty" and his agonizingly long death scene. But if you listen past the deliver to the actual lines, you can clearly find the foundation for the Buffy character on television. Donald Sutherland lends a certain amount of weight to the proceedings as Buffy's Watcher, but Rutger Hauer's considerable presence is lost in his campy Vampire King. What looks the most out of place is the fighting style of Kristy Swanson as Buffy, which combines martial arts with gymnastics and cheerleading, which, again, fits more into the camp style of the film. Ultimately the direction overwhelms the promise of the script and we are left with basically a one-joke film that does not get too far off the ground. But if you compare this to the pilot for the television series, you certainly get a better feel for how Joss Whedon refined his vision of the Slayer.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply wonderful!, March 7, 1999
By A Customer
I saw this movie when it first came out in the theatres and I have loved it ever since. When it came out The fashions in the movie were all the rage and Buffy is what most teenage girls of that time would want to look like. It was scary but it was also funny and sweet. Another plus was Luke Perry who was already huge on 90210. I loved that movie and when the tv series came out I was surprised at although there were similarities, the television show is much darker. Yet I still love the show and becaus I absulutely loved the movie, I'm glad they turned it into a show. I thought Kristy Swanson was a perfect Buffy and I was hesitant to give Sarah Michelle Gellar a chance but she has lived up to her characer beautifully.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Funny movie that takes a beating because of the series, January 20, 2007
This movie is funny. Unfortunately, it is dissected by the hardcore Buffy fans that were lured in by their love of the television series, and subsequently bashed.
I liked this movie back in the day, and I still enjoy it. I never watched Buffy the Vampire slayer on TV, so I don't hold a grudge against this movie as its predecessor.
If you watch this movie expecting what you saw on TV, you will be disappointed, but it's unfair to drag this movie into the mud just because it's not the same thing as the TV show.
Overall, it's a funny movie that will give you a few laughs and that you'll enjoy, as long as you don't watch it expecting Buffy from the WB series.
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