Review of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) by Trevor R — 03 Apr 2013

This is a tragic case of what-might-have-been. The upside of the spectacular failure of this film is that it gave rise to Whedon's desire to tell the story right, which resulted in the brilliant TV series.

"Buffy" the movie is wildly disjointed, and nobody seems to really have any idea what sort of story it is. There's a lack of trust in Whedon's initial script, and the incessant meddling by the director can be downright painful.

Still, there's things that work: the casting is solid, the concept is inspired, and there's some genuinely funny moments (Paul Reubens extended death scene is a classic). This is not a very good movie, but rather an occasionally charming glimpse into the origins of one of the great fictional creations of the last few decades.