Current Events > Buffy the Vampire Slayer

(+) Yeah! (+)

Watched the movie for the first time. Haven't seen the show. Already miss Kristi Swanson.

This is very, VERY minor connections from the movie to the show. The only one I can think of is that they say something along the lines of, "Yeah, remember when vampires attacked my old school?"

---

It's somewhere in the middle, but it's closer to canon than not-canon. The events of the movie definitely happened, but obviously things like vampires having the ability to levitate don't.

---

pegusus123456 posted...

It's somewhere in the middle, but it's closer to canon than not-canon. The events of the movie definitely happened, but obviously things like vampires having the ability to levitate don't.

This is the answer. The movie is like a blurry watercolor of the canon events before season 1.

I know a lot of people hate the movie, especially compared to the show, but I love it. It's brilliant as a satire of American culture at that very specific moment and place in time.

You should definitely give the show a chance! It's pretty different in tone from the movie, and some say the first season is rough, but I love it all.

---

You should definitely watch the show. I haven't seen the movie, but I thought it was basically like a pilot/prototype for the show, not canon.

---

They mention the movie a few times I believe. Especially about her changing schools and getting a new watcher.

---

BeyondWalls posted...

They mention the movie a few times I believe. Especially about her changing schools and getting a new watcher.

There's a small flashback in one episode where it shows her at the old school. Her old Watcher is there too, though he's played by Richard Riehle instead of Donald Sutherland.

---

It's not canon but the comic, The Origin, is based on Whedon's original script for the movie and he has acknowledged that as canon.

---

Where does BtVS rank on best television? I go for classic and iconic shows.

sLaCkEr408___RJ posted...

Where does BtVS rank on best television? I go for classic and iconic shows.

It's the best non-comedy tv show ever made.
---

the original script of the movie is canon to the series
but the movie itself isnt as the script was changed a lot and joss whedon wasnt happy with the final product

---

IIRC Joss Whedon has gone on record saying he doesn't like the movie at all and they botched his script.

The movie takes place before the show (she learns she's the slayer in the movie; she's already the slayer in the show). In the show every now and then she mentions events before the series starts, but what she says slightly conflicts with the movie, i.e. in the show she says she was expelled from her previous school for burning down the gym which was full of vampires vs in the movie she fights them but it doesn't play out the same way.

Also, the slayer mythos is different. The watchers are just normal people with training, they're not chosen/reborn like in the movie. And there's no menstrual cramps=demons stuff lol.

sLaCkEr408___RJ posted...

Where does BtVS rank on best television? I go for classic and iconic shows.

Really damn good. I just rewatched the entire series during quarantine and it still holds up if you can get over a few instances of bad 90s/early 2000s special effects.
---

Also if you intent to engage with the show make sure you acquire the old DVD releases or rips thereof rather than the horrible new(ish) transfer on blu-ray. Not sure if the new transfer was originally released on DVD too.
---

DeadBankerDream posted...

Also if you intent to engage with the show make sure you acquire the old DVD releases or rips thereof rather than the horrible new(ish) transfer on blu-ray. Not sure if the new transfer was originally released on DVD too.

I heard about this.

The whole series is on Hulu, is that the original? I don't think I noticed anything weird.
---

The series is available on Hulu. Have there been any changes from the original broadcast? I hate when music is removed from streaming services.

I watched Buffy recently after my gf trying to get me to watch it for a long time.

I'd say it's pretty good but the last line 1-2 seasons kinda drag on. Especially the last one. But when you keep in mind the state of television at the time, it's pretty amazing. Some episodes are still really really good, the rest is kinda campy and goofy but not in a bad way.
The musical episode is fantastic.

---

The movie is vaguely canon. Like the overarching events Buffy goes to school, finds out she is a slayer, gets attacked by vampires, her watcher dies, and she burns down the gym to stop the vampires happened. Anything more specific than that did not.

---

The "remaster" of the show added a new filtering process to clean up the image, which often also just removes minor facial features and gives the characters a glazed, doll-like look. It also presents season 4-7 in widescreen format. The show was shot in widescreen later on, but it was always intented to be cropped to fullscreen and sometimes show things that weren't intended to be in the image, like the edge of a stage prop, incomplete CGI, boom mic. I also think they show the early seasons in widescreen and do some awful cropping to make it so, but I can't quite remember if that's something I actually remember or just something my brain has fooled me into thinking.

Here's a video regarding it, but I can't say if it has spoilers or not, been a while since I watched it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZWNGq70Oyo&ab_channel=PassionoftheNerd

I assume the Hulu transfer is the new filthy shit.
---