Average Rating: 
Rating:  - "The music of pain." (or at least adolescence)
For a first time screenwriter, Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was a good effort for a feature film. I thought for sure the series was going to tank. When I started watching halfway through the first season, I quickly found that I was wrong. "Buffy" simply blossoms on television. I've been hooked ever since.For the first time, Whedon has provided us with all the terrors of high school (remember those?) in a horror genre setting. Not only that, but he provides a confident, cool FEMALE character to trounce the bad guys. Whether you're a fan of the genre or a teenage feminist, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) provides a niche for the unpopular misfits in high school, but looks upon them as heroes. Were you as uncomfortable as Xander (Nicholas Brendon)? As geeky as Willow (Alyson Hannigan)? As quick with an aphorism as Oz (Seth Green)? The series proves that high school is indeed survivable no matter who you are, even if you're cliquish Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter). And in the end, the more unpopular you were - possibly the more important you were to your teenage community. Mix in your favorite teacher (or librarian) played by Anthony Stewart Head (who should play "Doctor Who" after he's done with "Buffy") to be the requisite horror genre British pseudo-scientist, and Buffy's single mom (Kristine Sutherland) and you're all set to go with the most intelligent sci-fi TV series possibly written for this age group. (The next closest thing being the intelligent, yet non-sf "Freaks & Geeks".) I'm not kidding. It's amazing how quickly these characters grow in the first season and their responses remain true to life despite the extraordinary situations they're thrown into. Creator Joss Whedon has become one of the most talented writer/directors working in the industry today, despite the fact that "Buffy" is most of what he's been doing for the last five years. As far as what you get in this box set, you're in for a treat. This is the full first season, not just the half previously released on VHS; including the season finale "Prophecy Girl" - where we see just how heroic Buffy really is, despite her adolescence and fear of death. Also present throughout the series are teenage issues of emotional/sexual conflict ("Teacher's Pet") and problems with acceptance ("The Pack"). Specific highlights also include Whedon's commentary for the two part premiere as well as the first appearances of Angel (David Boreanaz) and Jenny Calendar (Robia LaMorte). Remember, Buffy's not JUST about vampires. In fact I think it's safe to say that vampires are secondary to the emotional undercurrent of the show, if not a particular episode's plot. Forget "Felicity" and shove off of "Dawson's Creek", this is the one for the adults.
Rating: - Splendid.
This boxed set and its follow-up (the six-disc Second Season set) are must-owns if you're even remotely interested in film or television.Buffy the Vampire Slayer simply has some of the best writing going. Joss Whedon made a brilliant move by adapting the charming but forgettable 1992 feature into the television medium. The longer character-development arcs and sense of intimacy in television are just perfect for fleshing out what at first may seem a whimsical idea, that of a high-school cheerleader who defies horror-movie convention and strikes back at the monsters and madmen. Within the first episode of the first season, the series finds its heart (along with your funny bone) and never loses it. Of course, much credit has to be given to the stellar cast: As Buffy, Sarah Michelle Gellar's is nothing short of a virtuoso performance, her facility with both drama and comedy lighting up every scene; Nicolas Brendon is delightful as charming loser Xander, often surprising you with moments of pathos underneath a clown veneer. Alyson Hanigan (Willow)'s comic timing is razor-sharp, and Anthony Stewart Head deftly juggles stuck-up conservatism and a disarming sense of self-deprecating humour as Buffy's "Watcher" and guardian, Giles. Even the small roles are highly memorable, my favourite being the engrossing role-switching dual performance of Robin Riker and Elizabeth Anne Allen in the episode "Witch". The writing is some of the sharpest I've seen in TV, witty and authentic to its teenage characters, free of the I'm-too-hip attitude that so many teen movies are plagued by. And Whedon had made sure that amidst all the monster slaying and wisecracks, emotional resonance is never sacrificed. Each one of these characters is lovingly constructed, feeling like old friends after a while. The second season is where the series really soars into the stratosphere. However, the first season contained in this boxed set is lighter in tone and therefore, arguably, more purely enjoyable. A definite candidate for the top spot in my DVD collection.
Rating: - Finally!
Fans have waited this moment for years. We can buy The Complete Buffy's First Season at last. All the 12 episodes are more then worth the price.
Sara Michelle Galler, Angel's introduction in "Angel", the pilot episode "Welcome to Hellmouth", The grate villain The Master (the eldest and strongest vampire of them all), and a lot more inside this 3 disc set. It seems to have good bonus features, and did I mentioned Sara Michele Galler?. Definitely the best TV series after Dark Angel. It has it all, drama, comedy, love stories, action, Sara Michelle Galler kicking the you know what out of the vampires and demons, an amazing writing work (my own personal opinion is that Buffy has one of the best script works in TV production).
Every episode without any exception is smart, funny and every actor and actress give their best performance. The adolescence parody that Buffy the Vampire slayer offers is more then accurate for those who understand it. I'm most interested in the Joss Whedon Commentary, I really want to hear his perspective on the interviews about the episodes "Hellmouth," "The Harvest," "Witch," "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date," "Angel" and "Puppet Show".
I think I don't have to say much, "it's Buffy" after all, and the name says it all. Finally fans are rewarded for their patience. I just hope season 2, 3, 4, and 5 don't take to long.
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