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Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)
Fox // PG-13 // September 4, 2001
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
It probably seemed like just another campy horror comedy when it was originally released in 1992. Actually, it was just that; "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" was not a critical or box office success when it was first released, yet the TV series that resulted has become one of TV's biggest cult followings. I've never seen the series, but the movie has always been one of those pictures that I'll sit through if it's on television on a Saturday afternoon (which it frequently seems to be). Sort of like a horror film version of "Clueless", I've never found it that funny or scary, but simply rather lightly amusing at times.
The film stars Kristy Swanson as Buffy, an air-headed teenager who is concerned with nothing more than cheerleading and clothes. The only problem for Buffy is that she's actually the chosen one - the Vampire Slayer that will stop the coming legions of the creatures, lead by Lothos(Rutger Hauer). Trained by Merrick (Donald Sutherland - I'm not sure how they roped him into this), Buffy eventually realizes that she must go out and fight to save her friends.
The only thing that "Buffy" has going for it is Joss Whedon's clever screenplay, but matters aren't helped by Fran Rubel Kuzui's bland direction. The performances are really nothing too interesting, either. Swanson is the best of the bunch - she's cute and funny and it's too bad that her career has really dissapeared (a minor comeback in "Dude, Where's My Car?" didn't do much.) Since this was the time of "Beverly Hills, 90210", Luke Perry costars and further proves his lack of acting ability. Other supporting performers who many might be familiar with are Hillary Swank, David Arquette and Natasha Gregson-Wagner.
Overall, "Buffy" is as successful as it is thanks to Swanson's spirited and funny performance. It's not a remarkable picture in any sense, but it remains a decent cult comedy.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Buffy" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. I believe that this is the first edition of the movie that's offered the film in its original aspect ratio. Fox's presentation is generally enjoyable, but there are some problems that are a little hard to overlook. Sharpness and detail are generally enjoyable - the picture seems just well-defined enough, but there's the occasional soft-looking scene.
The picture has a few problems - none of them are terribly distracting, though. Print flaws are not too terrible for the 8 year old movie; there's some occasional slight marks and scratches, but the picture is largely free of such noticable wear. Otherwise, grain is noticable in some of the low-light sequences. The picture is free of edge enhancement, but I did notice a couple of tiny traces of pixelation.
Colors looked generally solid, appearing very slightly faded or bland in a couple of sequences, but otherwise seeming accurate and natural looking. Flesh tones looked natural, as well. The picture will likely please fans of the movie, but won't impress or thrill those folks.
SOUND: "Buffy" is presented in Dolby Digital 4.0. The film's sound presentation isn't terrible, but it's generally lacking in envelopment. Surrounds are hardly used throughout the movie - there are a few minor instances of surround use here and there for sound effects,but they're not terribly noticeable or effective. The score is really the only element that sounds full and rich; otherwise, dialogue sounds rather unnatural and some of the sound effects are rather cheesy (a couple of instances of thunder sound particularly lame). Listenable, but nothing suprising or remarkable.
MENUS:: Very basic menus revolving around the cover art.
EXTRAS:: 4 minute featurette, trailer, 2 TV spots and trailers for "Batman: The Movie", "Bedazzled", "Big Trouble In Little China", "The Legend of Hell House" and "Young Frankenstein".
Final Thoughts: "Buffy" remains a campy comedy with a cult following, mainly due to the fact of interest where the reportedly very different show originated from. The DVD provides decent audio/video quality, but not much in the way of supplements. Still, fans should be able to find the DVD for as little as $14.99.
It probably seemed like just another campy horror comedy when it was originally released in 1992. Actually, it was just that; "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" was not a critical or box office success when it was first released, yet the TV series that resulted has become one of TV's biggest cult followings. I've never seen the series, but the movie has always been one of those pictures that I'll sit through if it's on television on a Saturday afternoon (which it frequently seems to be). Sort of like a horror film version of "Clueless", I've never found it that funny or scary, but simply rather lightly amusing at times.
The film stars Kristy Swanson as Buffy, an air-headed teenager who is concerned with nothing more than cheerleading and clothes. The only problem for Buffy is that she's actually the chosen one - the Vampire Slayer that will stop the coming legions of the creatures, lead by Lothos(Rutger Hauer). Trained by Merrick (Donald Sutherland - I'm not sure how they roped him into this), Buffy eventually realizes that she must go out and fight to save her friends.
The only thing that "Buffy" has going for it is Joss Whedon's clever screenplay, but matters aren't helped by Fran Rubel Kuzui's bland direction. The performances are really nothing too interesting, either. Swanson is the best of the bunch - she's cute and funny and it's too bad that her career has really dissapeared (a minor comeback in "Dude, Where's My Car?" didn't do much.) Since this was the time of "Beverly Hills, 90210", Luke Perry costars and further proves his lack of acting ability. Other supporting performers who many might be familiar with are Hillary Swank, David Arquette and Natasha Gregson-Wagner.
Overall, "Buffy" is as successful as it is thanks to Swanson's spirited and funny performance. It's not a remarkable picture in any sense, but it remains a decent cult comedy.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Buffy" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. I believe that this is the first edition of the movie that's offered the film in its original aspect ratio. Fox's presentation is generally enjoyable, but there are some problems that are a little hard to overlook. Sharpness and detail are generally enjoyable - the picture seems just well-defined enough, but there's the occasional soft-looking scene.
The picture has a few problems - none of them are terribly distracting, though. Print flaws are not too terrible for the 8 year old movie; there's some occasional slight marks and scratches, but the picture is largely free of such noticable wear. Otherwise, grain is noticable in some of the low-light sequences. The picture is free of edge enhancement, but I did notice a couple of tiny traces of pixelation.
Colors looked generally solid, appearing very slightly faded or bland in a couple of sequences, but otherwise seeming accurate and natural looking. Flesh tones looked natural, as well. The picture will likely please fans of the movie, but won't impress or thrill those folks.
SOUND: "Buffy" is presented in Dolby Digital 4.0. The film's sound presentation isn't terrible, but it's generally lacking in envelopment. Surrounds are hardly used throughout the movie - there are a few minor instances of surround use here and there for sound effects,but they're not terribly noticeable or effective. The score is really the only element that sounds full and rich; otherwise, dialogue sounds rather unnatural and some of the sound effects are rather cheesy (a couple of instances of thunder sound particularly lame). Listenable, but nothing suprising or remarkable.
MENUS:: Very basic menus revolving around the cover art.
EXTRAS:: 4 minute featurette, trailer, 2 TV spots and trailers for "Batman: The Movie", "Bedazzled", "Big Trouble In Little China", "The Legend of Hell House" and "Young Frankenstein".
Final Thoughts: "Buffy" remains a campy comedy with a cult following, mainly due to the fact of interest where the reportedly very different show originated from. The DVD provides decent audio/video quality, but not much in the way of supplements. Still, fans should be able to find the DVD for as little as $14.99.
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