Buffy the Vampire Retrospective: The Movie

If you were a 90s kid like myself, or relatively young in the 90s, no doubt you're at least familiar with the hit TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which ran from 1997-2003. It was created by Joss Whedon, the genius behind other popular shows like Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse, as well as the film continuation of Firefly, Serenity, Cabin in the Woods, and directing the first two Avengers movies as well as the Justice League movie.
Before Buffy Summers graced the small screen played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, she appeared on the big screen played by Kristy Swanson in the 1992.
While Whedon wrote the script, he quickly departed the project when he grew displeased with the studio and director's interpretation of his script. 
The Buffy movie is very campy, much lighter in tone than the series; it's cheesy at times and satirizes the 90s valley girl cheerleader archetype.

Some fans I know completely disregard the movie--not only because it has an entirely different cast than the series, but because there are several discrepancies. In the movie, Buffy is a senior in high school, with two absent, relatively wealthy parents; in the series, Buffy is a sophomore in high school and has an absent father, but a caring, loving mother, Joyce. In the film, vampires have human like faces with notched ears and die in a normal fashion; in the series, vampires can appear human, but when they're in a fight or bloodlust, their faces change to include ridged foreheads and yellow eyes. When they die, they dissipate into dust. In the film, Slayers are born with a mole on their chest as a sign of their Chosen status, while this is ignored in the television adaption.
Myself, I enjoy the movie for what it is, simple entertainment. I consider it a backdoor pilot for the TV series  Kristy Swanson played the role well and I think was well suited to the film medium. I absolutely love Sarah Michelle Gelllar--as Buffy and in real life--but I feel her acting niche is better suited to television.

Back when I was in high school (2005-2009) I would watch the movie and the series every spring; I have watched the movie once since then, as well as certain episodes, but I have not watched the whole thing in 11 years.
As part of my rewatch plans, I started with the movie, as per usual. My opinions on it haven't really changed. Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it so terrible I cringed? No. I'm a fan of camp and satire, so that aspect greatly appeals to me. Kristy Swanson is a good actress and very friendly (I met her at Comic Con a few years ago,) but the real star for the movie for me is Luke Perry as the lovable ruffian Pike. 

I adored Luke Perry on Beverly Hills, 90210 as Dylan McKay, and here, he plays a similar character. It takes a special actor to add a nuance to an otherwise one-dimensional character, but Luke managed to do so. I don't feel that Luke and Kristy had amazing chemistry, but they played well off of each other and did the best they could with the scrip they were given.
Final Consensus: while not as good as the series, the movie is a decent endeavor and worth if a go if you're a complete-ist like I am. It is very dated, but anyone who was alive at the time should appreciate the nostalgia.