 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Review Date: December 25, 2005
- PG-13
- Genre: Horror
- 1992
Common Sense Media says
Flippant horror comedy that birthed the TV show.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this forerunner of the classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series has a much different, less serious flavor (and a different cast) than the program. There is mild swearing and verbal sexual innuendo. Though violence is frequent, it's also cartoon-like and almost entirely bloodless, even when people are killed and vampires are being speared or, in one case, deprived of an arm. Except for supernatural mentors (master vampires and vampire-hunters) adults appear either idiotic or inconsequential, and a man in his 50s is considered disgustingly old.
What's the story?
Buffy (Kristy Swanson), a pretty and popular blonde of the "Valley Girl" variety at a Pasadena-area high school, suffers strange dreams at the same time her peers start falling victim to a vampire invasion led by master vampire Lothos (Rutger Hauer). A roving vampire hunter named Merrick (Donald Sutherland) tells Buffy she's destined to be a "slayer," a born hunter-killer of vampires, and he trains her in how to fight the fiends. Buffy has to make some serious choices, however, when responsibility of exterminating vampires hurts her standing with her boyfriend and cheerleader squad-mates.
Is it any good?
Buffy's millions of TV fans may be surprised at the tomfoolery tone. Here the premise of a bloodsucker-battling cheerleader is milked at least half the time for gonzo humor, send-ups of Southern California stereotypes (fashion-conscious girls, New-Agey teachers) and some feminism lite, as Buffy evolves into being less like the characters in Clueless and more of a self-reliant warrior princess (though along the way she picks up a new, equally non-conformist boyfriend).
This is a lot fluffier than the good-vs.-evil gravitas from the prime-time saga. The vampires, though dangerous, are also rather goofy, more akin to bad boyfriends or rival-school punk nuisances. For example, one infiltrates the varsity basketball team and intimidates opponents with his fangs and hoops skills.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the different ways that popular-culture storytellers have handled vampires, from Dracula to Twilight. They have symbolized pure evil but also romance and sexuality. Here vampires -- who look kind of like a marauding gang from a rival high school -- serve as a sort of catalyst for Buffy to grow up and realize there is more to life than classroom popularity. What do you think of this Buffy compared to the revamped TV version?
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AGE
Trash I tell you.
No one of an age should view this piece of garbage.
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AGE
Its a great movie and you should watch the tv show
this film is a great family movie for 12 and teens as it only has one rude scene with a sausauge
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Kid, 12 years old
September 1, 2009
AGE
for tweens and up
ha this was so funny
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Kid, 11 years old
September 26, 2009
AGE
good for teens
Funny, but violent. It was good.
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AGE
It practically makes fun of itself
Nothing like the TV series, but if you are into movies that are so bad there good then this is the movie for you.
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AGE
crappy + buffy is if possible even more rude than on the show. not witty.
Watch the show instead. It may seem boring the first episode, but it gets better.
The movie is impossible to watch. + buffy is stupid and her rude remarks aren't even funny in this "version", the way they are on the show. I can't say that the tv show is better than the movie, because they are not comparable.
Script is different, not the same sense of humor, not the same actors (which makes sense apart from the role of Buffy).
I'm a huge fan of the show but I couldn't even get through this. It was so boring and slow I had to stop watching. But don't worry, you don't have to see this film to fully understand and enjoy the tv show.
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AGE
Great show, but not a great movie
I think that Buffy the Vampire slayer is a great show, but not a great movie.
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Fran Rubel Kuzui |
| Cast: | Donald Sutherland, Kristy Swanson, Paul Reubens |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Run time: | 86 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | July 31, 1992 |
| DVD release date: | September 4, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
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