Customer Reviews

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I first watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer when it first came out, and I was only seven years old. Back then I enjoyed it for it's neat clothes, bright colors, spunk, and fun. I bought it later on when I was around 10, and made my family and friends watch it every day! I eventually grew out of that phase, put it away, and let it collect dust for many years after. I am now 20, and just the other day decided I wanted to watch it again. I have a new found appreciation for this classic 90's, B-movie, vampire flick. It is a lot more witty than anybody is willing to give it credit for. It depicts everything in it's own stereotypical light... Valley Girls: dim-witted airheads, who shop all day, and think bugs and the ozone layer are plaguing the environment... Vampires: night-walking, cape-wearing, pale-faced, hissing, heathens..who fly (a lot of people are against the flying in the movie because it's not in the show, but in all reality, every other movie vampire has the superspeed/levitation/flying ability that is lacking in the show)... the cheerleader/jock relationship...the shallow, uncaring mother (the opposite of Joyce from the show)...the bright-colored spandex/jackets/dresses/jewelry of the early 90's. It's all there! My favorite thing about it has to be the dialogue. There are SO many quotable moments in the movie and silly phrases that are terribly hard to forget (like anyone would want to anyway...(see the quotes link back on the 'Buffy' main page)). It's irreverant, silly, goofy, pointless, and just an all-around good time.

I really think that I should make it perfectly clear, though, that the movie is NOTHING like the show. There are very minor references in the show to the movie, but that's mainly to Joss Whedon's ORIGINAL script, and not to the final cut. The only thing they truly share is the title/title character. I've read more than my share of complaints about the movie and how it lacks the depth of the show. This is very true, but it's not supposed to be deep; it's supposed to be campy. The cast is fun, and there are appeareances of many well-known 'celebrities' (Hilary Swank, Stephen Root, Ricki Lake, Ben Affleck, David Arquette, etc.). Being a super fan of both the movie and the show (the movie first, of course) I prefer to not compare the two at all. It's the proverbial apples and oranges dilemma...two totally different things that have no business being compared to one another. Fans of the show looking to find major prequel elements are sure to be disappointed, but fans of B-movies, cult classics, and good old-fashioned fun, are sure to be pleased by this over-the-top, hilarious movie.

As many know, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is now a cult hit tv show. This is what started it all. Joss Whedon wrote the script for the movie, but always envisioned it as a tv series. And although his script was tinkered with, for the movie, I think the movie turned out good. Of course, it's campy and cheesy. But that's what makes it good. Kristy Swanson stars as Buffy, she who must rid the world of the forces of darkness. She is guided by Merrick, her watcher, played by Donald Sutherland and a friend, Pike, played by Luke Perry. There are also appearances by the then up & coming David Arquette and Hilary Swank. When Buffy finds out her destiny as the Slayer, she must help Merrick slay a very powerful vampire, played by Rutger Hauer. Of course, chaos ensues, but Buffy saves the day in a final showdown worthy of all the one-liners shot out by Rutger and Kristy. Although the hit show created by Joss is superbly better, the movie still holds it own and will go down as a cult classic.

This is where it all began. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER was the introduction to the character of a high school girl called upon to tackle the supernatural evils of the undead. Many of the familiar elements are there: the Watcher, the training, etc. However, the movie was played more for laughs, basically trashing Joss Wheadon's original vision. Kristy Swanson is cute and funny as the title role, while Donald Sutherland is appropriately sage and befuddled as her Watcher, Merrick. Unfortunately, Rutger Hauer's king vampire, with his cheesy fangs, seems like a bargin basement Dracula from a bad Hammer flick, while Paul Reuben's antics are so hammy, they belong between two slices of bread. The movie is entertaining, and it does provide a prequel of sorts to the excellent TV series it spawned. Otherwise, stick with the TV show, which FAR more superior and entertaining.

I first saw this movie back in 1992 when it was first released, and I thought it was good campy fun, nothing more. When I began watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer the TV series, and saw Joss Whedon's true vision for the story, I realize he must have been furious at how the studio basically rewrote his script. If you are a Buffy fan and you have never seen the movie, it is worthwhile from a historical standpoint to see all of the contrasts. The movie's Buffy, played by Kristy Swanson, is a tall large girl as opposed to Sarah Michelle Gellar's petite Buffy. In the movie, Buffy's mother is a boozing socialite with little time or patience for Buffy and their family appears affluent, as opposed to TV's all-American middle-class mom Joyce. Also in the movie, all victims of vampires become vampires themselves and when vampires are "staked" they do not turn to dust as they do in the series, but leave behind a pesky corpse. Of course, the watcher who first tells Buffy of her calling is not the Giles of the series, but regardless of that, he does not have any of the characteristics of a watcher as we have come to know them on the series. Also, the lead vampire, played by Rutger Hauer, is not the least bit scary. Instead he is more like a villain out of the equally campy Batman TV series. There is also no mention of vampires lacking a soul. There are a few moments in the movie, though, that have at least the ring of Whedon's brand of humor. What comes to my mind in that category is after Buffy has staked a large number of teen vampires that have invaded her high school dance, the principal is going around putting detention slips on all of the staked teen vampires' corpses as punishment for disrupting the event. This seems very much like something principal Snyder of Sunnydale high school would have done.

Long before the public was provided the television series: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," there was the film of the same name. Both are the brainchildren of writer/creator Joss Whedon, but Whedon has said that the film was NOT his vision of the story he had written. That is why he created the television series - which, although at times humorous, is far more dark and serious than the film that started it all.

The film tells the story of valley girl cheerleader Buffy Summers and how she is led to the dubious career of vampire slaying. Buffy is head bimbo among the group of her vacuous friends in their high school. With little more than what the latest fashion trends are to toil her brain, Buffy is anything but concerned about anyone other than herself. Enter Donald Sutherland as Merrick, her soon to be Watcher (an individual who teaches slayers their craft). Merrick must not only convince Buffy that she is a slayer by birthrite, but also convince her that vampires exist - no small feat.

The story is told in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Buffy, the film, never seems to engage the viewer to the action, as though the director didn't quite know how to present the subject matter. It's not that the film isn't watchable - because it is - it's just that it loses steam when it isn't funny - and it is often funny. The valley girl schtick works well in this film.

The actors are up to the task and seem to have fun doing it.

Used as a reference for the television series, the film is surreal on an entirely different level. Watch it as a standalone and enjoy it. Don't try to compare it to the series.

It seems like the critical loveletters to the tv show of "Buffy" always want to talk it up at the expense of the movie, but that's missing the point. "Buffy" is a great tv show -- one of my favorites -- but it's also a great movie that should be taken on its own merits and not compared to the show.

The movie is campy and manages to parody the valley-girl/cheerleader while still being respectful of its characters. In that respect, it has a lot in common with "Clueless." Like the tv show, it explores teen loneliness and isolation, but here we see Buffy's transition from "typical" teen to slayer used to suggest that even the popular girls who seem to have it easy are as prone to doubt and insecurity as anyone else. I'm making it all sound too serious here, but while the tv show tends to be taken so, so seriously as a representation of teen life, I think the movie tends to be too easily dismissed.

In sum, it's funny and ironic and totally enjoyable, but still intelligent and thoughtful. You just have to be able to look past the campiness to see how it's smart.

Incidentally, not only does it have a very early performance by Hilary Swank, but an uncredited one-line appearance by Ben Affleck. Whoever cast this movie was clearly ahead of their time.

When I first heard that there was a TV show called "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", my first reaction was shock and disbelief because I remembered this film, and wondered how an entire TV show could be based on this light, campy, summer fluff film.

The later TV series far and away exceeds its cinematic predecessor, but the film is nevertheless an entertaining diversion. Donald Sutherland is no Anthony Stewart Head, nor is Kristy Swanson a Sarah Michelle Gellar, and, heck, Luke Perry isn't even a Nicholas Brendon, but they're not trying to be. Fans of the TV show may be put off by the total disconnect between this fluff movie and one of the best shows on TV, but if they can break the connection, they'll find that this is an entertaining group film in the spirit of "Bill and Ted". Not great cinema, but not a bad way to spend $5.00. (which is what it cost me to see the film in the theater in 1992. How times change.)