Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Season 5, Stars 5, 29 April 2006
Well , I must say I enjoy Buffy greatly, so excuse this ever so slightly biased review.
Where to begin? I have watched Buffy from the start, and this season is probably my favourite. Better episodes, better effects, although still some dodgy moments where you can easily see that it is not Sarah Michelle Gellar doing the stunts, and better storylines. This is, for any Buffy fan, a must-buy, as it is essential to anyone who enjoys the comedy-horror genre.
Although Season 5 is still comedic, it also has many more serious moments. Not to spoil it for those who have not seen the series yet, two major deaths rock the Sunnydale Slayage Crew. These are excellently handled, and in no way seem like they are tying off loose ends.
The episodes are excellent. From fighting Dracula, to multiple Xanders. Froma new sister, to an old foe swapping sides. This season is excellent.
The first disc houses such gems as the introduction of a sister, without any back story or any clues into why she is there. These facts are revealed slowly through the next disc, with amusing storylines for Spike, clearly an excellent addition to the princpal cast. Anya also comes into her own, and becomes revels in the joys of capitalsim.
Through the next disc a departure of a relatively new character, Riley, hurts Buffy tremendously, whilst the appearance of a troll lightens the mood considerably. The fourth disc includes the funny episode where the Watcher's Council return to Sunnydale, and reveal a shocking secret about the main enemy of this series. Spike also has a choice to make, whether to fall back into the arms of his old flame, Drusilla, or to move on and persue his newest conquest, a source of exasperation for Buffy.
The fifth disc is a solemn affair, with the death of a principal cast member, who had been with Buffy from the beginning. As Buffy and her 'Scoobies' attempt to cope, the attacks on them by the villain of the series grow more violent and frequent, leaving a dissuaded Buffy sure that she cannot beat the villain. When his new enemy learns of an importance in the Scoobie gang, and this member of the gang get captured, Buffy goes into meltdown. With the help of Willow, Buffy recovers and faces the most terrifying villain ever in the history of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, with a conclusion that is heart wrenching.
That was a long description, but Buffy is worth that. Joss Whedon, the creator, has truly emersed us in the most interesting TV show of recent times. A must for fans, and a must for anyone. I encourage you to buy this DVD. No, I implore you to buy it.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"You're not the brightest god in the heavens, are you?", 5 Mar 2007
Season four of Buffy The Vampire Slayer was entertaining enough but had a few glaring flaws, most notably a weak villain, an even weaker love interest for Buffy, and a relative lack of emotional weight. One of the joys of season five, then, is that every one of these problems is addressed in this much improved and very enjoyable collection of episodes. Believe it or not, even Riley is better this year.
More than making up for the slightness of Adam is this year's 'Big Bad', an exiled demon god named Glory, who is wonderfully played as a kind of `Anti-Buffy' by Claire Kramer. Thankfully, season five's villain is tied tightly into this year's ongoing plot, and, despite being a pretty wee thing, Glory is brilliantly established as a credible threat to Buffy and the rest of the `Scooby Gang'.
Season five's big new cast addition is Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn, Buffy's newly acquired younger sister. Plenty of fans objected to this new member of the Summers family, but I think she proves to be a worthwhile part of the show - this year, at least - and her presence adds a great deal of emotional weight to the overall story as Buffy struggles against seemingly insurmountable odds to keep her sister from harm.
As with season three, season five delivers a consistent crop of episodes with not a stinker to be seen. The infamous count turns up in Buffy Vs. Dracula, Xander is hilarious in The Replacement, Tara joins the gang in Family, Spike's origins are revealed in Fool For Love, ER's Abraham Benrubi hilariously guest stars as Olaf the troll in Triangle, Willow shows the first signs of her dark side in Tough Love, and the story reaches its heartbreaking conclusion in The Gift.
All that said, there is a problem this year, and it's one many fans will not agree with. Joss Whedon's episode The Body marks, for me, the point at which much of the fun was drained out of this show. It's a superb piece of writing and features stunning performances from the entire cast (especially Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan and Emma Caulfield), but the level of legitimate grief it introduces feels strangely at odds with Buffy's usual mix of humour, action and emotion. The Body tips the scales, I think, a little too far into a bleak, overly serious place that would come to dominate the sixth season.
Small complaint aside, this fifth year of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an excellent watch and sits easily alongside seasons two and three as one of the most enjoyable and entertaining seasons in the show's seven year existence.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A season with VERY strong episodes..., 8 Jul 2006
For me this season was extremely strong, for character development and the range of storylines that are happening at any given time.
The way the storyline of Buffy's mother's illness is portrayed was excellent. In turn that produced probably the best and most poignant episode with "The Body", as Buffy finds her mother dead. It's such a huge surprise for a TV show in this genre, to tackle this subject so well. It was just spot on for how a person feels in that situation. Even the inclusion of a vampire in the morgue didn't affect the tone of the episode.
The whole Dawn storyline is a fascinating twist through the season even if Glory is a bit tedious, but there's always something for everyone with Buffy and this season has a spectacular cliffhanger finale episode.
Again these season sets are superb value for money, with commentaries on various episodes...and with the ability to read a text version of the commentary on screen instead of just a voice over, it's an excellent addition for people who rely on subtitles. The extra featurettes with views from the cast and crew are always welcome too. 5 stars!
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