Another Universe

The television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is a tremendous success, loved worldwide. The people who know it are never lukewarm about it. Rather, they are obsessive and passionate. The online Buffy community is strong and well connected. If you are reading this article, no doubt you know this already.

But here is an interesting thought:
Why don't any fans of the TV show have any sort of connection with the original movie?

Now of course, I am not going to argue that the movie is as good as the series. That would be a ludicrous assertion. However, I do have an issue with the fans of the TV series who disparage the original film. The film is the predecessor to the series, and for that alone it deserves respect. Besides, it is quite unfair to judge the two works on the same grounds. The atmosphere of the movie is worlds apart from that of the series. Look at the movie - there are token poignant moments thrown in, but nothing spectacular. Buffy feels somewhat unhappy that her mother doesn't care about her...Buffy has a conversation with Pike in her living room and discusses the new serious part of her life... Most of all, her watcher, Merrick, is killed by Lothos.

In the context of the movie, these moments work out fine. Of course they can't compare to the heart wrenching tragedy (no, maybe not Aristotelian) of Angel losing his soul as Buffy loses her virginity, of Angelus murdering Miss Calendar, of Drusilla killing Kendra, of Willow in a coma, and certainly that of Angel regaining his soul only to be sent to hell by his true love. Yet the show has had over fifty episodes at this time and the movie is only ninety minutes long. Think about it - the movie is the length of merely two Buffy episodes, minus commercials.

Another difference between the show and the movie is the movie's lack of extensive characterization. Again, time constraints make such a step highly difficult for the movie to accomplish. Of course, it can be argued that we are in love with Willow within the first fifteen seconds of seeing her, so let us look at the topic from a different angle. There is no need for characterization in the original Buffy. The point is that everyone in Buffy's world is hyperbolically, shallow and frivolous, including herself, which makes it all the more ludicrous that she is "The Chosen One". If we loved any of her friends, we might care about the terrible things that happen to them. As it is, we remain stricken by the fact that a ditz can indeed be made to think, even minimally, if the stakes are high enough. If anyone looks for meaning in the movie, they are sorely misled as to what it is meant to be. This is not Citizen Kane - does that really need to be said?

In following with the previous point, one of the beauties of the original film is its utter and divine silliness. The way I see it, more movies should be devoted to absolutely ludicrous premises and plotlines.

Cassandra: What do you guys think about the ozone layer?

Buffy: "Yeah, gotta get rid of that."

The list of ridiculous humor goes on and on. As Paul Reubens' vampire looks at his arm that has just been ripped off, what does he say? "You ruined my new jacket! [To minions] Kill him a lot!" Buffy's "keen fashion sense" teams up with her PMS-sense to protect the slayer in tight spots. Such out-of-nowhereness makes the movie quite lovable in its beautiful purposelessness.

Another wonderful feature of the movie is the omnipresence of actors and actresses that one would not expect in such a film. Donald Sutherland makes a beautiful Merrick, with Rutger Hauer as Lothos, the original Master Vampire. Of course, we love that the television show has the tendency to be an early gig for unknowns who become big, but is any character in the movie not played by someone famous? Kristy Swanson as the original Buffster, Hillary Swank as her ditzy clique-mate, Luke Perry as Pike, Paul Reubens in a lovely turn as a pale leather clad vamp (where have I heard that recently?), David Arquette as Benny, even Ben Affleck in an uncredited role as a disgusted basketball player (yeah, that's him!). Oddly enough, in a role that got cut out of the movie but is immortalized in a pic on the box, our own Seth Green as a nerd vamp.

He is the only member of the television series that was in the original movie. It is truly enjoyable to see all these actors, who can do actual acting if they choose, doing this silly fluffy movie for what had to be (for at least some) the enjoyment of it.

Here comes the point, ladies and vamps - the original movie shouldn't be regarded as a blot on the career of the beautiful Joss Whedon, some sort of embarrassment to us Buffy fans. Rather, the movie should be regarded as yet another alternate universe. We have already visited at least one of them, in "The Wish". One distinction is that in the movie, Buffy is a senior, and while the show sort of picks up the tail end of the movie (the original movie script had Buffy burn down the gym, like Principal Flutie says in "Welcome to the Hellmouth"), she is suddenly a sophomore. In "The Wish", everyone but Giles dies at a time different from their relative demises in the regular dimension. Well, let's say that in the movie reality, the slayer before Buffy dies a few years later, making her a senior. Of course, Buffy looks different, but isn't the beauty of Buffy fans their ability to suspend reality for their greater enjoyment? People who try to reconcile the movie and the show tend to sprain their brains, which is bad. I was originally a fan of the movie and the first time I saw a vamp turn into dust, I was excessively disoriented. Now, I merely adapt to the fact that each has a different set of rules and conditions. To all of you who have some sort of superiority complex regarding the movie - give it a chance, not as part of your Buffy universe, but an alternate one. If you can get beyond your original Willow-deprived stupor, I think you will find a movie that is, though incredibly silly, still worth watching and definitely entertaining.