Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Overlooked Movies: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Every now and then there's a movie that nobody likes but me, and I like it a lot.  That's the case with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I find hilarious.  I even own and have listened to the novelization on tape.    I realize that this makes me stupid and immature, but I can't help it.  Maybe you prefer the darker TV series that came along later.  Not me.

Kristy Swanson is the Valley Girl who discovers that she's the one chosen to be the slayer of vampires.  Donald Sutherland is her mentor.  Rutger Hauer is the head vamp, and his right-hand minion is Paul Reubens.   That's right, Pee-Wee himself, and he's hilarious.   So is Stephen Root, who plays the high school principal.  Luke Perry is okay.  And let's not forget Tilda Swinton in what must be one of her least typical roles.

I found the whole movie hilarious.  For me, Kristy Swanson is the real Buffy, and Sarah Michelle Gellar is merely a pretender.  Joss Whedon apparently didn't approve of the movie and claims that much of it was rewritten.  The story is that he left the set and never returned.  His vision was ruined and was shown only in the TV series.  That's fine by me.  I still prefer the movie.  And I'm not one bit ashamed.  Okay, maybe a little.

6 comments:

George said...

Your review of BUFFY made me want to drop everything and watch it again! You're right: it's fun!

Anonymous said...

Pee Wee was definitely the highlight for me.


Jeff

mybillcrider said...

I thought Pee-Wee was great. But then I liked the whole thing. It doesn't take much to entertain me.

Ray Kolb said...

I liked the movie as well but I liked the TV show even more.

Todd Mason said...

I'm another who's fond of the film...but the best episodes of the tv series are wonderful.

Todd Mason said...

And many episodes are fun and hilarious.

Meanwhile, Donald Sutherland's typically awful attempt at a Brit accent makes Swanson's plastering of him that much more deserved.