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Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Series 1-7 - Complete (DVD)
Horror - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, Anthony Stewart Head, Alyson Hannigan, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, James Marsters, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amber Benson more
Production Year: 1979 - Horror - Director: John Carpenter - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: John Houseman, Janet Leigh, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, James Canning
Production Year: 1980 - Horror - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Peter Cushing, Diana Dors, Denholm Elliott, Brian Cox, Sian Phillips
A review by RichardW on Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Series 1-7 - Complete (DVD) February 19th, 2001
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
Advantages:
The most innovative, entertaining, thought - provoking show on television, all in the same box . Like having a novel playing before you . . .
Disadvantages:
Not as good as Buffy gets, but a vital introduction . . .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' was originally commissioned as a mid-season replacement for a show that was cancelled in the States (damned if I know what the ill-fated cancelled show was - anybody else?). As such, the season runs to only twelve episodes, rather than the usual run of twenty-on/twenty-two. Yet in those few episodes, the season establishes itself with a confidence and ability that many debuts haven't reached by the end of a full season.
In retrospect, one of the fine things about so short a season is that it all fits on the one three video boxed set, rather than being broken into two. It's a fine, self-contained introduction to the series if you haven't yet had the pleasure, and I can't recommend that you try it too strongly.
Before I go on, I should mention that this is a specific review of this particular season of 'Buffy' - I've written an overview elsewhere at Ciao that will introduce you to the characters, actors and so forth. I'll also warn you that there be plot spoilers coming, which I specifically avoided during the general review…
Many of the episodes, given the season's brevity, are an introduction to the range and variety of themes and storytelling styles the show can handle, and it's an impressive display. Of course, there are some arcing themes that play off the development of the characters too - much of this season is about the mixture of hormonal emotions young teenagers experience regarding the areas of teen romance and social alienation. From the word go, Buffy herself, is an outsider, and she's not used to it. At her previous school she herself was the centre of attention, the spoilt and precious teen-bitch. That was before the responsibility of being the Slayer was handed to her.
A beautiful counter-point to the fantasy adventure of the Slayer's activities is the notion of Buffy being a reluctant heroine, who wants only to have a normal life, and be a normal girl. Were it not for the weirdness forced upon her by her supernatural duties, Buffy would be at the core of the 'in' crowd, and the loss, to her, is continually painful. Yet we also have a young, irresponsible girl coming face to face with responsibility. Part of the show's success lies with her occasional failure in this regard. What really counts though is not her success or failure in any individual attempt, but her effort, which is constant, if begrudging. As such, the season's prime metaphor is nothing less than the strange transition period between childhood and adulthood. I can't remember another show that has better captured this nebulous period. Buffy and her friends are neither little adults nor big children - they're genuine teens.
As regards romance, Buffy sees little of it, again because of her great responsibility - parallel with real young people who have to grow up too early (perhaps because of ailing parents, personal illness, bereavement and more). Where she does make an effort to date a boy, it goes almost tragically wrong. What does begin to grow is her interest in the 200-year old vampire with a soul, Angel. More on that in a moment.
In Xander and Willow we have many of the same problems reflected, offering at times a counterpoint and at times a further enhancement of the theme. Through these characters the season looks frequently at the romance Buffy is getting no time to experience. Xander is a typically hormonal young man, fantasising constantly about women and sex, and at the same time utterly terrified of both. From the first episode of the season, his attention fixates on Buffy as the potential woman of her dreams, yet she sees little of his true his true feelings, thinking of him as just a friend. How many men have been in this position? Come the season's climax, when he finally admits her feelings and she rejects him, the writers of the show avoid the easy route of them 'staying friends', and instead show with some accuracy the pain this causes him.
Of course, while Xander fantasises about the unattainable Buffy, Willow in turn is fantasising about him. It's an ironic set-up, for she's the person Xander is most likely to turn to for comfort and advice. Her own source of comfort is Buffy herself, creating a gorgeous vicious circle of unrequited love with the distracted Buffy at the centre. Even friendship, when you’re a teen, is alarmingly complex.
One factor of the series that is surprisingly successful is the role of the adult in a teen's world. Buffy's own parents are separated, with her dad living in Los Angeles. Joy, Buffy's mother, is an engaging parent. Unsure what to do with her daughter, who always seems to be in trouble, yet means so well, her own struggle to do right is ably portrayed. The mother/daughter relationship is genuine and touching in so far as it is portrayed. While it would be easy to keep the mother distant and controlling, to stereotype the mother, the writers work hard to bring a sense of genuine involvement to the relationship, which pays off in spades. Utterly oblivious to Buffy's secret, Joy's efforts to deal with the mystery of her daughter's life reflects very well the struggles of every parent who suddenly discovers a stranger living under their roof. 'Buffy' does not just speak to teens.
With the father missing, the father role of Buffy's life is taken on by Giles, the school librarian and Buffy's Watcher (trainer, teacher and mentor). Utterly out of touch with young people and their culture, Giles is constantly entertaining. While attempting to teach Buffy both the skills she needs to survive, and the responsibility of her role, he strives hard to understand her. No tyrant, his bafflement at the complexities of his charge's life is the flip side to Joy's attempt to understand and identify. By having an Englishman present, the show also succeeds in pointing out the strangeness of American culture when viewed from the outside. Where Joy has been there and done that (in her time), Giles has no frame of reference for life in a Californian High School. When he does try to identify, he has a complete inability to factor in the fact that Buffy is a girl. Repressed to the nth degree, he spends a good deal of effort in this opening season treating her as the Slayer, rather than a developing girl.
The teachers of Sunnydale High school are also a varied bunch. Some try to reach out to the struggling Buffy, some want to dismiss her as a troublemaker. Most frequently seen are the headmasters. Principal Flootie introduces himself in episode one - a PC teacher for the modern age, wary of inappropriate touching, willing to be open and communicative, stressed t the difficulties of his position. When trauma occurs, a visit to the school counsellor is mandatory under this man. In his own attempts to understand his charges, to motivate them and set a good example, he fails utterly. He is the classic example of a teacher who wants to reach out, but mis-remembers completely how to do so, and ends up embarrassing both himself and his pupils. He doesn't last long. When he is replaced, it is with the cynical, tyrannical Principal Snyder (played brilliantly by Armin Shimmerman). Small-minded, utterly tyrannical, Snyder is the sort of headmaster who doubtless misses the days of corporal punishment. Somewhat sinister, he provides a far more valid counterpoint to the attempts to understand made by Giles and Joy. Understanding, in Snyder's world, is irrelevant. Discipline is all.
Okay, that's an overview of themes and so forth. What of the fun stuff? What actually happens? Even more spoilers below…
The season opens with a brilliant two-parter, which launches the plot-arc of the next twelve episodes marvellously. Buffy moves to Sunnydale, wanting nothing of her role as Vampire Slayer (the plot picks up from the end of the best-forgotten movie starring Kirsty Swanson, in which Buffy lived in Los Angeles and became the Slayer). Unknown to her, she has moved to a town situated directly over the temporarily closed Hellmouth. Beneath the city streets, stuck like a cork in a bottle, an ancient vampire known as the Vampire blocks the mouth to hell, and is desperate to escape. Over the course of the two-parter, Buffy is forced to stop his efforts, thwart an ancient prophecy, and accept that she is the only Slayer, the only one who can stand against the vampires. Come the conclusion, which sees the core cast teamed up (the reactions of Xander and Willow to the existence of vampires is priceless). Over the next twelve episodes, the Master continues his efforts to escape, leading us towards the season finale, in which ancient prophecy states that Buffy will die at the Master's hands. Something of a cross between the Dracula and Nosferatu vampire arch-types, the Master avoids cliché through a marvellously camp performance, which manages to be intensely sinister. It is, by and large, his vampire followers who provide the day-to-day slaughter of the Slayer's life.
Outside of the main story-arc, the stand-alone episodes allow the series to stretch it's wings a little, featuring the likes of Witches, possessed puppets, maniacal demon robots, praying mantis women, and more. Each works on various levels to expand the themes of the series, and each is worthy of individual comment. For me, the highlight of the season is the episode 'The Pack', in which Xander and a group of school bullies are possessed by the spirits of African Hyenas. Suddenly, the likeable Xander begins to draw away from his friends, to spend more time with the school bullies. Becoming increasingly cruel, the pack prey on the weak and helpless, including Willow. The episode really belongs to Nicholas Brendan, usually the comic stooge of the show as the Chandler Bing-alike Xander. His transition from likeable goof to school bully is intensely disturbing, and reflects so well the route chosen by so many young people in the quest to 'fit in'. It blows your conceptions of the series, and the actor, wide open, and makes you suddenly aware of just how good this cast is. Various scenes disturb on various levels - two standing out particularly. In one, the pack (minus Xander) attacks and eats Principal Flootie (leaving the way open for the introduction of Snyder). In an age where teachers are genuinely at risk of assault from their student's, the message of the moment is not lost. At the same time, Xander is trying to force himself on a confused Buffy. By using a core character to introduce the concept of rape to the show, the series gives an inkling of the risks it is prepare to take in the cause of good storytelling.
Another episode worthy of note is 'Angel', in which it is revealed that this character is a vampire. Previously appearing to offer cryptic warnings and clues to Buffy, unwilling to involve himself too much in the goings on around him, he at first embodies the mysterious stranger. As the series progresses though, Buffy and he grow closer despite their bickering. Unable to risk romance with her peers, for fear of endangering them through her lifestyle, she senses a kindred spirit in Angel. At their first, inevitable kiss, Angel accidentally reveals himself for what he is, and flees. As a viewer seeing this for the first time, the shock is intense. Buffy has fallen in love with the very thing she is sworn to destroy. The whole series is flipped on its axis in one moment, and everything you thought you knew changes. The big romance you though was coming has just become SO much more complex. Of course, it turns out that Angel is cursed by Gypsies to retain his soul. Though once the scourge of Europe, he now suffers daily the guilt of hundreds of atrocities. He murdered and fed off his family, killed thousands, and our view of him alters vastly. Afterwards, the pair of them cool off on the romance, but it's there, bubbling under, and is going to feature heavily in the second season.
The series conclusion, in which the Master escapes, kills Buffy, and opens the Hellmouth, is a brilliant piece of storytelling. Buffy's reaction to the prophecy of her death, which Giles and Angel were trying to keep from her, is fabulous, and the tone of the episode, with it's gloom and power, is superb. Of course, at the time of making, the producers had no idea whether or not the show was going to run to a second series, so the final episode concludes in such a way that everything could be wrapped up. It adds to the self-contained feeling of this particular boxed set, and again makes it an excellent starting point for your 'Buffy' addiction. And you will be addicted. Each episode is as satisfying as television gets, and watching the whole season is like reading a novel with dozens of layers to peel back. Check it out, whether fantasy TV is usually your thing or not.
Advantages: Pure escapism! Disadvantages: Some facts are truer than you may think.
...along a skeleton idea that Buffy is the Chosen One, she would rid the world of all the evil things, and who is blessed with Superhuman powers in order to do so. The hook of having a Slayer fall in love with a vampire (as never the twain should meet) is powerful enough to get you pretty much involved in wondering how the story turns out. While this is being played out, there are any number of seemingly unconnected sub-plots and episodes that take ... ...scenes…if the cult status of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is anything to go by, it is likely to appeal to anyone, no matter what age, that loves a little bit of gothic fantasy brought into our immediate lives.
The series is now currently available in box set up to Season Five. The first season is a mere three tapes, comprising of three to four episodes per tape, the last tape usually only having three episodes because the grand finale is usually ...
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25.08.2001
Season One on DVD Review ofBuffy The Vampire Slayer - Series 1-7 - Complete (DVD)by
buddy_holly
Advantages: Good package with fantastic extras Disadvantages: Picture quality not the greatest
...warnings before going into a Buffy montage mimicking the opening sequences of the show and snippet of "Nerf Herder" music plays in the background. The main menus are static but look fantastic. When you choose an episode you get a little Buffy sound bite. The menu structure is a different from the norm. Each episode is listed on the main menu while the extras, chapter and language selection are listed underneath. Each episode is split into around ... ...Joss Whedon and David Boreanaz, Buffy Trailer and "Original Pilot Script". The special features menu for "Witch" and "Teacher's pet" removes the Joss Whedon commentary option. The best extra is easily the commentary by Joss Whedon, which covers the first two episodes and reveals a lot about the thinking behind the writing. We get to learn a lot about how things were done and what was originally intended and some interesting casting facts. There is ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Brilliant Packaging, Great Value For Money Disadvantages: Picture Not Too Great, But Can't Be Helped
...maybe not to everyone's tastes, Buffy The Vampire Slayer has everything any sci-fi and fantasy fan could want, from action,romance,drama and vampires, this is a cult classic. Despite now being into it's fifth season, it's nice to go back to when it all started, with a low budget, some may say camp, show with a twist of comedy value. For just £39:99, with 3 discs containing the entire first season, with directors commentary on some of the episodes, ... ...Joss Whedon/David Boreanaz Interview Buffy trailer DVD-ROM content, screensavers & Buffy weblinks Pilot script Commentary, Episodes 1 & 2 contain Joss Whedon commentary DISC TWO: Episode 5: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date Episode 6: The Pack Episode 7: Angel Episode 8: I Robot, You Jane Special Features: Music Video 'I Quit' Photo Gallery DISC THREE: Episode 9: The Puppet Show Episode 10: Nightmares Episode 11: Out of Mind, Out of Sight Episode ...
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10.03.2001
Buffy season six Review ofBuffy The Vampire Slayer - Series 1-7 - Complete (DVD)by
sphenbullet
Advantages: Hey its Buffy Disadvantages: read on
...of mine bought me the Buffy season six box set for my birthday recently. Well actually it was the first half of season six. And if you want an quick idea of what I thought then you should know that I HAD to go out and buy the second half less than a week later. I found it utterly compelling.
I'm trying not to think about the fact that season six has just started on BBC2. But then if you can't afford the box set I suppose it is a godsend.
The season ... ...Buffy is dead. The scoobies are trying to keep up with Sunnydales increasingly odd demon community. And the only thing standing between Buffy's little sis Dawn from going into care is BuffyBot, an exact robot double of Buffy only half as smart. Things are not looking good.
Well thats all the plot you are going to get from me. Im certainly not going to be the one to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. But that won't stop me from filling you ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: It's Buffy! Good strong stories and a few nice extras Disadvantages: Not really enough on the extras front
...properly explain the idea behind Buffy would take a long time, needless to say it's about a girl (Buffy Summers) who finds out she has a destiny to slay vampires and other nasty demons and generally keep the world safe. Unfortunately, she is at first reluctant to take up the mantle of The Slayer, but is talked into it by her 'watcher' (and school librarian) Rupert Giles. Just as well, because she finds out that her new town, Sunnydale, is at the ... ...the defining moments in the Buffy Saga too, Angel's background is particularly interesting.
The sound is perfect with a nice audio set up and will even make you jump from time to time when someone creeps up behind Buffy or another character, picture is also of a very high quality, as you would expect from a series this new. Extras form some interesting (but brief) interviews and the Hepburn video to 'I Quit' featuring the girls dressed up as vampires. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Intense, Intresting, Stunning, Sarah Michelle Gellar, All Performances Disadvantages: Nothing
...I don't personally care what anybody says about Buffy the VampireSlayer; they can call it strictly for teenagers, shallow, mindless or whatever, I personally believe that it was one of the most revolutionary shows in television history. It was just unique and clever with a real emotional force and I will never forget it for taking my breath away, keeping me addicted through its seven year run and actually making me care for its well crafted characters. It is true that the show dealt with teenage issues, but as the series progressed and matured to become a fully fledged adult supernatural drama it tackled bigger issues about abandonment and stability, season three was a particular turning point for the show, because it was then that the 'scoobies' finally realized that they would never win, there would always be another demon (literally...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: The shows ongoing storylines, the emotion Disadvantages: will leave you feeling very depressed once it's over!
...My eldest sister bought the seasons 1-7 boxset of 'Buffy the vampireslayer' a number of years ago. Following this purchase, she suggested herself, our stepsister and I watch them. Having no opinion of the show, since I had not previously watched it, I agreed. Little did I know that this exact show would be so captivating and exciting.
Season 1 : -
I have to be honest and admit here that I did find the first season of Buffy boring, to be frank. In comparison to the other six seasons, this one did fail to impress me. However, understanding that it was filmed in 1996/1997, I can let it slide.
Buffy Ann Summers began her first year at 'Sunnydale high,' as she moved to LA with her mother, Joyce. Following her meeting with the school's librarian, Rupert Giles, she discovers that he is in fact, her watcher.
Buffy makes friends...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Vampires, weapons, hidden identities, awesome soundtrack Disadvantages: Got a little lost part way through, but only a minor disadvantage
...want to be with to be popular.
Xander overhears Giles and Buffy talking about vampires, and is sworn to protect the secret identiy of the slayer that Buffy must uphold. Willow is a potential victim that Buffy saves, and is also an apprentice Witch who's powers are steadily growing.
Following the success of the first season, Buffy was to venture on for another six seasons, battling not only vampires, but demons, werewolves, and other creatures that until now were thought to be mythical.
Some of the characters she meets along the way are :
Angel/Angelis, a vampire cursed to walk the night, killing his own kind, and becomes a confidant, and ally in the battle against evil, also becoming a love interest as the show progresses. Angel's character went on to create the Angel spin-off series, with some episodes inter-twined with Buffy...
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Studio(s): 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox
Release date: 22/11/2004
No of Discs: 9
Catalogue No: 27295 DVD
Barcode: 5039036019002
DVD Description
Includes all seven seasons of the show.
Languages
Main Language: English
Hearing Impaired Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Cast And Crew Commentaries, Featurettes, Behind The Scenes, Outtakes, Easter Eggs, Trailers, TV Ads, Cast Biographies, Letter From Series Creator Joss Whedon, Joss Whedons Selection Of Favourite Buffy Episodes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround English
Professional reviews
Review: Funnier, smarter and more interesting than any other series out there (Total DVD, )
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Listed on Ciao since : 12/07/2000
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