The new Buffy movie is an awfully stupid idea.
To be honest, I am a longtime, devote fan of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer television show. In addition to its savvy, smart dialogue, Buffy was a thinly-veiled supernatural metaphor for the high school and young adult experiences. One of the reasons that Buffy worked so well, was that beyond the vampires and demons, the show was immensely relatable to the generation who grew-up watching it. When I heard that Warner Brothers was going to be making a reboot of the Buffy franchise without either show creator Joss Whedon or Sarah Michelle Gellar, well, frankly, I was appalled.
Buffy is not Batman or James Bond. While those franchises have been arguably successful in hiring new actors to play the eponymous title characters, Buffy simply does not fall into the same category. For any person who has even seen a single episode of Buffy knows that, without a doubt, Sarah Michelle Gellar just doesn’t play Buffy- she IS Buffy. Any other actress playing Buffy would be considered near sacrilege. The strength of Gellar’s portrayal of Buffy, coupled with Whedon’s unique and timely writing, helped mold the character into the icon she became. If Buffy isn’t once again played by Gellar or written by Whedon, then we are simply not talking about the same character. Furthermore, without the familiar supporting characters (Giles, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Angel, Spike), then the result isn’t even the same show. The result will undoubtedly be generic and bland.
Clearly, the Buffy reboot is an attempt to capitalize on the painfully overplayed vampire craze. However, just because Warner Brothers creates a movie about a blonde girl who slays vampires, that doesn’t necessarily equate to Buffy. Buffy was more than just her badass persona, or her penchant for dating vampires. Bella Swan she is not. The character of Buffy, and the show itself, was an allegory through which viewers could relate to the difficulties of teenage hood and life itself. Sure Buffy kicked ass every episode, but it was how she related to her friends and the weekly disasters that made her a relatable icon.
As with any show, Buffy was far from perfect. There were storylines and certain episodes that did not sit well with viewers. However, when Buffy was on its game, as is most often was, the show was about as close to perfection as possible. It was a show that broke genres and redefined the landscape of television.
If the Buffy television show was not good, or hadn’t happened, then I’m sure most people wouldn’t care at all that the tenuous remake was happening. But, alas, this is not the case. The show has been regularly recognized as one of the best and most groundbreaking shows in the history of television. To put it bluntly, why mess with perfection? The only possibly result is disappointment and disaster.
I get that the television and film industry is out to make money, and the decision to remake Buffy is a glaring example of the capitalist greed of Hollywood. However, wouldn’t it be more financially prudent to include both Whedon and Gellar on the project, so as to include, rather than alienate, Buffy’s existing fan base? There is seriously no logical reason why Gellar and Whedon should be included on this project. If Gellar and Whedon for some reason don’t want to be included in a Buffy remake, then they shouldn’t make the film at all. Buffy is something that simply cannot be remade.
– Chris Heide
I agree with everything you say there im a big buffy fan always have been i wanted a movie for years but not this way, i want joss and geller even if we couldnt have geller id be conent with joss… Its just not going to work whats the point its like a slap in the face for the die hard fans of the show im sure you would agree, Iv have no interest if joss is not involved..