Review of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) by Zach D — 22 Mar 2012

A lot of time has gone by since the first time I saw "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and I thought it deserved another chance. I really didn't care much for it the first time around, but since then it has inspired a hit television series and gained quite the cult following of its own. Well, the film really hasn't improved much since then, and my feelings towards it didn't change much either.

It's got a great premise, but the film just lies there and if a film has to try this hard to try to be fun and likable, it will almost surely never achieve that. It just never takes off like it should. Kristy Swanson has never been more appealing than she is here, and it's almost as if the role was tailor made for her. Donald Sutherland tries to bring some dignity to his thankless role, and he almost succeeds. Paul Ruebens is a lot of fun as a vampire, but Rutger Hauer is completely wasted as the dark leader. It's just one more example of the film having potential and not even realizing it.

The dialogue is filled with tired and unfunny Valley girl lingo. It would take "Clueless" three years later to make this stuff feel fresh again. Maybe a more experienced director could have managed to breath some life into this dry picture, but newcomer Fran Rubel Kuzui just can't pull it off. The fun feels forced, and everyone in the cast seems to be having a lot more fun than you will by watching this disappointment.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is a film that I really wanted to like, but it just doesn't fall into place like it should. Maybe I should let it age another fifteen years and give it another try.