It all began with a 1986 cult film I previously reviewed, Night of the Comet, which featured two teenage girls in a post-apocalyptic world fighting zombies and mutants. It was comedic, fresh, down to earth, sarcastic and quirky. This inspired a young writer named Joss Whedon, who would then get the idea to make a show in a similar vein as Night of the Comet but applying his own style to it.
Whedon has said that he initially conceived Buffy as being a subversion of the typical horror movie trope: Instead of a blonde girl getting killed by the monster down an alleyway, she kicks it's ass. A disposable character being elevated to not only a prominent role, but also to being a special "chosen one." This premise led him to create a story about a girl who is tasked with becoming the next woman to fight the forces of evil.
20th Century Fox became interested in the script Whedon wrote for a feature film with that concept but the executives decided to do some changes. The darker elements would be toned down and the comedy would be less unorthodox. These demands seem baffling to us nowadays after watching the Buffy TV series and becoming familiar with Whedon's work, but back then nobody could really predict how much people wanted a story like that and just how many people would resonate with it. Needless to say, Whedon left the project and abandoned his advisory role, walking off the set because of creative differences.
The result of this was Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1992. It starred Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Swank, David Arquette and Luke Perry. The direction duties were handled by Fran Rubel Kuzui, she had previously been a notable name in Cannes with her feature debut Tokyo Pop in 1988. She was also the one who discovered Whedon's script and was able to get the film done in the first place, she retained the rights to Buffy and was credited in the TV series and in Angel as a producer, even though some sources say she wasn't involved with those shows at all.
Buffy Summers (Kristy Swanson) is a run of the mill popular high school cheerleader from L.A. Her average and superficial life is often interrupted by strange nightmares about being a vampire slayer in a previous century. One day she meets an odd man named Merrick (Donald Sutherland) who tells her she is a Slayer, a female vampire killer, and her dreams are nothing but memories of the past generations of slayers. Buffy doesn't want such a radical change in her life but recent vampire attacks force her to take action and train to defeat the evil vampire overlord Lothos (Rutger Hauer).
In all honesty, while the show has a lot of virtues I would argue that one my favorite outings in the franchise is actually this medium budget film. Fran brought a very lively aesthetic and a compositional style to Buffy, something missing from the flat TV visuals we get in the series. It manages to achieve a lighthearted humorous tone without falling into the Whedonisms that seem a bit tired now after so many MCU movies and several attempts by many other people at replicating Whedon's writing style. This movie dilutes the quirkiness, scattering it among its tone, mood and cinematic aspects, employing a lot of unconventional and expressive transitions, camera movements and shots that make the film more dynamic, not to mention the abundance of saturated colors and the cartoony personalities of the characters.
Buffy has a greater arc in this movie as the contrast between her initially shallow and trivial valley girl personality eventually grows very organically into a more responsible and substantial one when she is recruited to kill vampires. All done through the character's decisions, by very focused and specific actions, never dragging the story nor filling it with a bunch of subplots that add very little, much less overly long dialogue scenes or speeches. It has an unpreoccupied spirit that's hard to dislike but could also alienate viewers who are looking for a more dramatic work.
The comedy could be hit or miss for some people, I personally find it hilarious because the sensibility the movie establishes allows the actors to be more extravagant and silly in their delivery, something that sort of clashes with the mundane setting and tone the TV show had, which made the Whedonisms stand out more. This is another type of humor, cheeky enough to be out of the ordinary but not full on campy as it never gets drunk in its silliness. It's like one of those 80's indie slacker teen comedies turned into a horror fantasy flick, it's laid back and chill but very endearing.
If you are just thinking about getting into Buffy I can totally recommend you check out this flick before watching the show as a lot of character progression with the main character is done here. Whedon didn't like the movie and the series only mentions the original script he wrote but you can consider it canon anyways. I could also see someone who originally watched the TV series first giving this one a chance but only if they are willing to do it with an open mind and taking it as it's own thing or at the very least as an alternative interpretation.
Regarding the acclaimed TV series, that's perhaps something we should check out next year. For now, watch this awesome movie.
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