Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Starring: Kristen Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, Luke Perry, Hilary Swank, David Arquette, Stephen Root
Directed by: Fran Rubel Kuzui
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Action
1992

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An American cheerleader, Buffy (Kristen Swanson) learns that she is the chosen one, destined to battle vampires.

Review:

Tim: I might be slightly more kind to Buffy the Vampire Slayer than many other people, especially if they are fans of television show (which I have never seen). Yes, this is a mess of a movie, but there are still glimpses of brilliance from Joss Whedon's script. Whedon is a fantastic writer, and although the studio messed up his original vision pretty good, this film is still helped by his writing. I thought this was a decent movie, but it certainly would have been better had they followed more closely with the original intent.

The cast is one of the best aspects of the film. I've always liked Kristy Swanson, even when I probably shouldn't have. I thought she was pretty good as Buffy. She has a likable on screen presence, and the role was a good fit for her. I also liked Donald Sutherland as her mentor. While I don't think he was great by any stretch, he was one of the better aspects of this film. The rest of the cast is enjoyable to see, even if they aren't great actors. We have Paul Reubens in a strange role, Luke Perry as Buffy's love interest, Hilary Swank in her first film, David Arquette in a small role, and Ben Affleck in a blink-and-you'll-miss-him uncredited role. Apparently Thomas Jane is in this, too, but I didn't recognize him. The cast as a whole is pretty strong, though.

One of the things I liked about this film is the original, fresh quality to it. Whedon certainly put an interesting spin on the typical vampire movie, and even with the studio's interference, this movie is certainly unlike what we're used to seeing. The dialogue is often crisp and leaps out of the screen. The movie is humorous and lighthearted, while also featuring some dark, sobering scenes. This makes for a unique, different feeling. I bet that's why people loved the television series- Whedon was able to put varying pieces together in a completely new package.

Unfortunately, this movie does have some major flaws as well. There's far too much in this film that doesn't work. It feels incomplete- like a vital piece is missing from the core of it. I thought the story was interesting, but stopped short of really becoming compelling. The film gets worse towards the end, before finally concluding in a pretty bizarre and unsatisfying manner. I don't know if I just didn't get it or if it was too obtuse to make much sense, but I was scratching my head as I watched the end. It felt like the movie was building up to something, only to have it dissipate away, leaving us with very, very little.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is worth watching for its unique qualities, and I suppose it's important in a way, as it "inspired" the television series, even though Whedon worked hard to make sure it was known the two were completely unrelated. Still, this is at least a decent movie, and I'm okay with that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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