Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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Critics' Reviews

60
Washington Post: Hal Hinson
The movie is a mess from start to finish. But then again, this jerky, haphazard approach is part of the movie's goofy charm.Read Full Review »
60
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Kenneth Turan
Actress Kristy Swanson provides the ideal combination of energy and comic disdain that characterize a most unlikely savior. While it would be a mistake to oversell Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the sad and/or happy truth is that you could do worse on a warm summer night. A lot worse. [31 Jul 1992, p.1]Read Full Review »
60
Washington Post: Desson Howe
Buffy is amusing for a time but its destiny is to die in a disappointing, long-winded conclusion. The second half feels stretched out and muddled, as if screenwriter Joss Whedon drove a stake through his script. However, in his depiction of the vapid SoCal world, Whedon knows the territory.Read Full Review »
60
The New York Times: Janet Maslin
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a slight, good-humored film that's a lot more painless than might have been expected. Ms. Swanson's funny, deadpan delivery holds the story together reasonably well, as does the state-of-the-art Val-speak that constitutes most of Buffy's dialogue.Read Full Review »
50
Boston Globe: Jay Carr
In short, when Buffy starts getting fangy, it stops being tangy. It gets all serious and earnest and flops as a teen-age love story and as a vampire thriller and even as a parody. It's not even a "Fright Night," much less a "Near Dark," and only hints at a "Lost Boys" ambience. [31 Jul 1992, p.38]Read Full Review »
38
ROLLING STONE: Peter Travers
Buffy isn't heinous, just disposable. As a friend tells Buffy while she eyes a fashion purchase, "It's so five minutes ago."Read Full Review »
25
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Ernest Tucker
Neither funny nor scary, Buffy ends up as little more than a bunch of stereotypes (Reubens excepted) squaring off with each other as true love triumphs. Maybe it should have been called "Pee-wee's Big Denture," and given people something to sink their teeth into. But for now, Buffy remains lifeless. [31 Jul 1992, p.43]Read Full Review »
20
Time: Staff (Not Credited)
Director Fran Rubel Kuzui's frenzied mistrust of her material is almost total. Somebody should have given her a garlic necklace -- or a Miltown -- and told her to chill out.Read Full Review »
See all Buffy the Vampire Slayer reviews at metacritic.com »