Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic show wrecked by terrible transfer
Review: This is a hard review for me to write. While the 12 episodes in this set are excellent TV, and I loved the beginnings of this series, the technical flaws overwhelm this DVD release.I'm not a techno-guy; I got my DVD player as a wedding present. But I expect that digital technology should offer an improvement over VHS quality, or at least be as good. For this set, you actually see a dramatic loss in quality over the 6 episodes you can buy on VHS. At first I thought I was mistaken, so I played an episode on VHS and at the same time on the DVD; switching back and forth, I was sickened by the clear conclusion: The transfer to DVD was poorly done, so much so that if I were able to buy the other 6 episodes on VHS, I would -- and I'd return the DVD set, or donate it to the library, but I wouldn't keep it in my collection. I should be able to keep the DVD's as replacements for my VHS tapes, but not with this set. There is no excuse for the abysmal quality of the transfer; the video levels make each episode look like they were shot in 8mm back in 1978, and the audio isn't much better. Again, I'm not much on the technology, but this release is an insult to BtVS fans who've waited so patiently for this otherwise great series to reach their private collections. That said -- if you've actually gotten past the commentary about the terrible quality of the DVD's -- the episodes are priceless TV. Not many shows deserve such praise, but this series -- at least in this season, and the next -- does. It was funny, campy, slick, intelligent, and got some great acting from its stars. Before the series began to take itself too seriously, and before all the complexity of several seasons began to weigh it down, this first season really sparkled. For this, I applaud Joss Whedon & Crew for their first-rate, remarkable work. Too bad Warner Bros. shipped such a pathetically transferred set to the public; they'd better fix their quality control for the 2nd season.
Rating: 
Summary: Buffy First Season
Review: Any season of Buffy is a good season. It's amazing to see how fresh and new everyone is in this season. By the fourth or fifth episode it seems the cast is getting its act together. They start to calm down and really enjoy the many Buffy-ism's. Great DVD, I'm buying the next one as soon as it is out.
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Buffy The Vampire Slayer is easily the best show on television to date. It's wacky, inventive, and the characters grow more and more with each passing season. It's a wonderful show for the whole family and I highly recommend getting the whole series on DVD. I've seen this show since episode one and I have never missed a single episode yet. I know that I plan to buy the whole series. You should , too. Trust me, you'll love the series as much as I do.
Rating:
Summary: Still fresh, funny and scary
Review: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was a critical hit in its first season on TV, airing in the spring of 1997 on the then-unproven WB Network. The show wasn't a must-watch cultural phenomenon at that point, but I watched about half the episodes and knew at the time that something very special was waiting to be born here. Happily, we were all proven right a year later. Now that Season 1 is offred on DVD for the first time, the show's beginnings are as attractive as ever. The first 12 episodes fall into two categories: light horror (stories reminiscent of "Twilight Zone", "X-Files", and of course, "Goosebumps"), and an epic season-long story arc. Shows like "The Witch" (the first episode I saw), "The Pack", "Puppet Show", and "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" (then known online as "Invisible Girl") follow the same format: A creepy supernatural menace mirrors the Sunnydale High School kids' own insecurities. These episodes do a fine job of introducing the small regular cast. Cordelia is a shallow cheerleader who finds a heroic side. Xander is a wannabe Lothario, and Willow just wants a date with him. Buffy's mom is completely in the dark about her daughter's job as Slayer. All these characters would grow and evolve in later season, and at times seem a little flat in the early going (especially Mrs. Summers, who'd grow in importance as the show moved along). However, moments of real horror are present here, most notably the death of Principal Flutie in "The Pack". The remaining episodes trace a story arc: an ancient evil, the vampire Master, is trapped in a fallen church under the school, and with the help of vampire minions -- and a child to lead them -- must break captivity and kill Buffy in order to reclaim the world. Each story escalates in both tension, and significance to the arc. In "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date", Buffy slays vampires, but fails to notice the young Anointed One. In "Angel", we learn that the tall, thin (though not anymore!) brooding stranger with the crush on Buffy was indeed a vampire himself. "Prophecy Girl", the season finale, breaks all the rules by killing off not only the show's main villain, but also its heroine. The DVD's features are sparse and standard. Of little interest are the photo gallery and previously-published pilot scripts. Better are the recycled-from-VHS interviews with series creator Joss Whedon, short but revealing. Most interesting is the Whedon commentary track on the two-episode pilot, offering revealing information (the school "set" was in fact one corridor, used several times; the entrance to The Bronze was in fact the exterior of the warehouse where "Buffy" is filmed) and wry humor. The best of "Buffy" is yet to come on DVD, and it would be welcome to see more commentary from Whedon and other production regulars, as well as from castmembers like Alyson Hannigan, the show's breakout character Willow, and Anthony Stuart Head, as the fussy librarian Giles who anchors the early shows with his store of occult knowledge and crisp tweed suit. Still, there's a lot of mileage to enjoy from these first three discs.
Rating:
Summary: I want more episodes
Review: There is a sticker on the box touting 24 episodes, yet there are only 13. I had already seen the 13, and there really aren't any added features that would require you to buy the dvd especially if you already own the box set of season one vhs tapes. I love the show, and this is quality television, but please, get the sticker & the advertising correct!
Rating:
Summary: Buffy's Best
Review: I can understand why FX didn't want this series released for such a long time. After buying it and watching these eps until I nearly memorized every line, and then seeing the same eps on FX, the TV airings are chopped to hellmouth and back. A lot of the best lines have been trimmed out to make room for more commercial breaks. But not on the DVD. This really is the complete first season, not just every episode, but every line in every episode. It's been said that the quality is no better than what's aired on digital cable, which is not entirely untrue -- the first seasons were filmed on 16mm, and so the DVDs are only as good as the source material will allow (later seasons move up to 35mm). But these episodes are COMPLETE. Many of the lines trimmed out of the show on FX are the most choice ones -- many of Xander's "Xanderisms" are missing. And if you aren't watching the whole Buffy, you aren't watching Buffy at all. Also, did I mention the comentary by Buffy creator Joss Whedon on "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "The Harvest" is also worth the purchase price. BTW -- I can't wait until my copy of Season Two arrives.
Rating:
Summary: I Love This Show
Review: I never watched Buffy when the show first came on Tv. I recently moved overseas and was looking for something to invest in and enjoy, long term. Low and behold, I found it. I really love this show. Ms. Gellar is a wonderful actress. The supporting cast is a lot of fun and I adore Mr. Head, the actor who plays Giles. The episodes are entertaining and unique. I can't wait for the second season. I am addicted to the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series.
Rating:
Summary: Hi, I'm Kim, and I'm a Buff-a-holic
Review: Friends kept telling me "you'll love this show, you should watch it" but I was thrown off by the "teenybopper" ish feel I THOUGHT it would have. (no offense intended, but you know what I mean). I'm 32, far from the so-called teen demographic, and while I see why teens would love it, I think there is so much in this show that every age can enjoy it. I watched one episode late at night and was instantly hooked. That weekend, I bought the complete first season and, while eating chicken soup and getting over a bad cold, spent the entire day on the couch happy and content learning about Buffy's world. I now watch as many episodes as I can. The show contains really clever, intelligent, ironic moments, as well as classic references to literature, pop culture, mythology. It also is plain funny, a lot! This show reverses much of what we think about "women" in TV & drama, and it makes us think about those roles we take for granted. I also love the relationship that develops between Buffy & her group of loyal friends & sidekicks, even her enemies! I'm counting the days till the next season is released, and wish they would just hurry it up! As for the DVD version, it's crisper, cleaner than the TV signal. You don't have to watch commercials and you also get extras. As Buffy says in one of the earliest episodes-- "You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?"
Rating:
Summary: Great Show
Review: I am one of the Buffy fan's who have been watching from the very beginning (and I am above the age of 30 which also makes me one of the "older" group upon which is not supposed to like shows like this). I try to never miss an episode and am rarely disappointed. When I first watched the show I was watching because although I found the movie funny and liked it I thought using it as a premise for a series was a little stupid. The show surprised me by both a continuation (to some extent) of the movie and a completely different show altogether. Unlike the movie, the show is not campy, it has lots of action and drama while adding character quirks that make you both laugh at them and like them. The first season is very very good, making me an instant fan, but what makes this show great is the fact that it keeps getting better and better.
The DVD is great because it allows the shows to be watched in order (references to past events are mentioned frequently - which adds a sense of continuity and allows several storylines to go on at once - episode storylines and continuing or season storylines). Although there aren't a lot of extras, the ones that do exist are great. The pilot script, a once shown seen, behind the scenes commentaries.
I am also an Angel fan, but I do feel that the DVD could have been improved by a commentary from Sarah Michelle Gellar rather than David Boreanez who wasn't even in the opening credits during the first season.
All in all a great DVD and a must have for the true Buffy fan.
Rating:
Summary: The best show on TV!
Review: This is my favorite TV show ever, and I couldn't wait for it to start coming out on DVD. Even though the first season isn't my favorite, it still really sets the mood for the show. It's funny though to go back and watch this while watching the new episodes in season six. So much has changed, and watching the first season feels very nostalgic. There were actually a couple episodes I hadn't seen like "Nightmares" and "The Puppet Show" that were great. You can see why this is still the best show on TV. Also Joss's commentary on a couple of the episodes was really interesting. He's a genious!
|
