Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addictive viewing, 24 Aug 2006
Buffy The Vampire Slayer originally began as a spin-off show of a 1992 film by the same name that enjoyed limited success. Despite this, the creator Joss Whedon pitched the concept of Buffy The Vampire Slayer - the series to several studios before eventually getting picked up henceforth bringing about the creation of one of the most loved and successful series of recent years.
In the original film, Buffy was cast as Kristy Swanson but to bring a younger, fresher look to the series and probably also to distance it from the mediocre film, Buffy was recast as Sarah Michelle Gellar, a relatively unknown actress at the time. The series proved to be a hit for Sarah Michelle Gellar succeeding in making her one of the most recognisable TV actresses around the world.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is based around the story of Buffy Summers, an until recently normal teenage girl who discovers that she is the chosen one, a warrior of the people who's duty is to rid the world of the scourge of vampires. After moving to Sunnydale with her mother Joyce Summers (played by Kristine Sutherland) and enrolling at her new school she meets her new watcher who goes by the name of Giles, an academic who's purpose is to help and protect the slayer in the course of her duties. Her watcher just happens to be the school librarian and is played by respected British actor Anthony Stewart Head.
In this first season, Buffy is made to feel an outcast as her slayer duties and efforts to keep her identity a secret leave her displaying particularly odd behaviour so she inevitably ends up making friends with others classed as outcasts by the 'in' crowd. These people go by the name of Xander Harris (played by Nicholas Brendan) and Willow Rosenberg (played by Alyson Hannigan). The 3 friends help Buffy with her duties as her secret is revealed but they all end up being ostracised by the cool crowd (especially Buffy), headed by Cordelia Chase (played by Charisma Carpenter). Their dislike of each other is prominent through a couple of seasons.
In all Buffy seasons, there is usually a nemesis that the slayer has to deal with who runs throughout the entire season even though there are other self-contained stories for each episode. In this season the arch-enemy is known simple as 'The Master' an incredibly old powerful vampire who has been kept in a mystical prison below Sunnydale's streets for nearly a century. His intention is to open the Hellmouth that Sunnydale is built on releasing not only himself but untold evils onto the world. The only thing Buffy has to do is stop him...
Appearing in this season is vampire with a heart Angel (played by David Boreanaz) a 200 year old vampire previously called Angelus cursed with the return of his soul by gypsies after he slaughtered members of their family. Despite being a vampire, Angel caanot kill humans as his soul has brought back his conscience so spends his life drinking animal blood and trying to atone for the death and carnage he imparted on the world during his time as a killer. He also becomes Buffy's love interest and succeeds on playing this part for several seasons.
The first show does consist of episodes which are perhaps not as mature as later seasons but they are all still in high school so that's understandable. I also think that perhaps Joss Whedon was not 100% sure at that time what target audience he was aiming at. Examples of a couple of episodes are Xander being possessed and taking over the characteristics of a hyena, Willow releasing an ancient demon on line after scanning some mystical text onto a computer and even a talking, living ventriloquist doll.
Buffy spawned seven seasons and also a spin-off series called Angel starring David Boreanaz in his own show as the lead character. This show also achieved success. Buffy The Vampire Slayer cemeted the careers of a lot of people on the show and was sadly missed when it finished.
This series is a must for all ages and there really has been nothing since that has come close to the originality that made this series such a phenomenal success worldwide.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A decent start, 13 Jan 2008
I imagine that this series seemed a lot better to me when I first saw it, not because it's bad now or anything, but because it was so completely eclipsed by some of the seasons that followed it (especially the third season).
For a start, at only 12 episodes (the show was originally a mid-season replacement), it just doesn't feel like a proper season of Buffy, without enough room for the engaging arcs of seasons 2, 3, etc - the season's Big Bad basically shows up in the first and last episodes, and doesn't really do much in between.
On top of that, the stand-alone, "monster of the week" episodes in this series aren't much to shout about either - it's nice to have seen them so as to get all the references and stuff later on (Amy's origins are useful to know, and they make loads of references to Xander's encounter with a giant preying mantis in later seasons when discussing his questionable choice in women), but they do look incredibly dated now (also, I got quite a shock the first time Angel showed up, he looks so freakishly young), and there's nothing to rival legendary stand-alones like Hush or Once More With Feeling etc.
That said, if you're going to watch Buffy at all it's very useful to have seen it from the beginning, as minor plot points and characters do become more important later on in Buffy (and Angel), and the trademark sharp writing is very much in evidence, so I certainly wouldn't advise against this, I would merely offer a word of warning: if you're getting into the show on reputation alone, maybe having been too young to see the early years first time around, then don't judge the show solely on these episodes, good as some of them are - use this as an introduction to the characters and themes, and hold out for the far superior 2nd and 3rd seasons.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fantastic introduction to the world of Buffy, 22 Jan 2005
This DVD contains the entire first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 12 episodes that began as a mid-season replacement series which became a massive cult phenomenon.Despite the misleading title, Buffy quickly became a favourite of critics and fans alike, effortlessly blending drama, comedy, action and horror in each episode. The unlikely premise behind the series is that into each generation there is one girl born to become the slayer, who fights against the vampires and demons spawned by the Hellmouth, which lies beneath Sunnydale High School. Buffy gradually accepts her fate to dedicate her life to fighting evil, helped by her friends Willow, Xander, the school librarian Giles, and a vampire with whom Buffy has fallen in love- Angel. Buffy suceeds because it is an intelligent programme, beneath the self-aware horror and quick, witty dialogue. Dealing with a variety of teenage issues through monster metaphors enables the show to make an emotional impact. All of the actors in the cast grew throughout Buffy's seven years, but their performances in the first season are still very believable despite the melodrama created by the Hellmouth. Sarah Michelle Gellar brings to Buffy's role incredible depth, as a normal teenager who is denied a normal life by her abilities, bringing a mixture of strength, intelligence and vulnerability.
All the other characters are equally well fleshed out, and by two or three episodes in you will instantly recognise and care for each of them. Unfortunately on the first season DVD there are few special features to speak of, the best being creator Joss Whedon's insightful and smart commentary of the first two episodes, with with each season released on DVD the special features become better and more plentiful. Definately an essential purchase for any fans or the show, and definately worth consideration for anyone interested in seeing the first season of such an innovative and captivating show.
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