Usually when a film gets turned into a TV series the resulting TV series not only is pretty bad but the film that it's spun off from is usually a big hit. However tho the same thing cannot be said for this show as this is a case where the show became more well known then the movie so much so that alot of people don't even know that there was a Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie and so then join me as I review the episodes that are technically a two part episode with the episodes in question being called simply just "Welcome To The Hellmouth" and "The Harvest" enjoy.
The plot of these episodes is when she discovers that there vampires all over her new school new girl Buffy must do whatever she can to stop something called the harvest from happening once and for all. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes was in all honesty not that bad as these two episodes are basically just the pilot to the show and it therefor does have alot of setting up to do in the first episode and therefor making these first two episodes a two parter does make sense in that ese but at the same time tho this plot isn't strong enough to support one episode let alone two episodes ad even then it could be argued that the show doesn't have to do that much setting up due to the fact tat it's a sequel to the movie and therefor alot of the ground work is already done but on the flip side of that tho this is a plot that whilst it could have been alot better and alot more focused as the two episodes basically spend alot more time in setting up the show as a whole then it does in telling a good plot something which the makers of the show could have done and yet for whatever reason they chose not to which does result in a plot that both feels perfectly fine for a two part episode despite it's lack of strength and also a plot that doesn't get alot of focus but on it this is despite the fact that when the episodes do focus on the plot that we get to see alot of potential in not only these episodes but the show as a whole with the plot of these episodes also being really rather entertaining and a well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Starring in these episodes is Scooby-Doo star Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy and Nicholas Brendon as Xander. Also starring these episodes is How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan as Willow , Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia , Anthony Stewart Head as Giles , Mark Metcalf as Master , Brian Thompson as Luke , David Boreanaz as Angel , Ken Lerner as Principal Flutie , Kristine Sutherland as Joyce , Julie Benz as Darla , J Patrick Lawlor as Thomas , Eric Balfour as Jesse and Mercedes McNab as Harmony.
Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes was in all honesty not that bad. With the acting in these episodes being as good as was to be expected as afterall these were the first two episodes of a new show and therefor the acting isn't always going to be that good as the actors are still trying to find there characters and with that in mind the acting in these episodes was as good as it was ever going to be as alot of these actors not only were but it could be argued in some cases still are very little known actors and yet they still somehow managed to turn in some really good performances and while they all would go on to become known for playing these characters as the show went on is still nice to see where these characters first started and where these actors performances first started out from as well with the best actor in these first two episodes being Anthony Stewart Head as Giles as not only is he the most experienced actor out of all the actors that in these first two episodes but he's also the one that brings the most gravitas as well with it being clear right from the moment that he first appears in episode one that he has great screen presents with the acting that's in these very episodes really being helped by the fact that the scripts for these very episodes is just so good that all the actors in these episodes have to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out of them naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in these very episodes.
For once I really can't credit any of the CGI effects companies that worked on these episodes as there are none listed anywhere online. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual CGI that's actuall6 featured / presented to us in these very episodes well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual CGI that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes was in all honesty not that bad as for the time that these episodes were made in there CGI was pretty good even more so when you take into account that they were made on a TV show budget and those usually aren't that high in the first place but yeah it would be hard to argue the fact that the effects in these first two episodes have aged poorly as they really have done with them at best looking like very early Playstation 2 cutscene graphics and not something that you'd expect to see in a TV show but with that being said tho you do have to remember that these episode were made at a time where CGI was just starting to get used in television and heck it was just starting to get used in film as well and so we can't really judge the effects in these two episodes episodes by the standards of today as we rather have to judge them by the standards of the early to mid nineties and with that mind these episodes effects aren't that bad granted there not good either but for the small budget that this show would have had the effects turned out alot better then what they really had any right to and while the effects in the show as a whole would of course get better and better the longer that the show goes on for the debut two episodes the effects turned out to be alot more better then what they really had any right to as you can tell that whoever did the effects for these two episodes much like the makers of the show itself were held back by the technology that had available to them at the time.
Incase your wondering on if the movie is canon to the show or not the answer is yes as they make references to the movie in the first episode. With them making references to the fact that vampires attacked the gym in Buffy's old school which caused her to pretty much almost burn the place down with the only thing about the movie that never gets resolved or even mentioned even in passing is her riding of into the sunset with Pike which is weird as there would be a very similar character to Pike who would be one of the most popular characters of the show called Spike that whilst he's not in these first two episodes nor is he in this whole first season he would get introduced in the shows second season and be a very popular character and yet the show makes no references to Pike or even Buffy having a previous boyfriend in her old hometown either which just feels weird granted they also don't mention Merrick either but then it could be argued that he's not brought up because of the fact that Buffy is still meant to be dealing with the trauma of the movie when this show first starts out and therefor she's choosing not to mention him which is fair enough but even Giles doesn't mention him and he's effectively replacing Merrick as a character but at the same time tho given just how much this shows creator and executive producer feels about the movie maybe he chose not to mention those characters as a way to set the show apart from the movie which is something that would make sense were it not for the fact that these two episodes do make references to the movie which therefor do make the movie canon to the show something that wouldn't be possible if he really did want to set the movie aside from the show itself.
One of the few things that sadly is not explained in this episode or if it is then it's not explained very well is what this harvest thing is in the first place. As Master wants his vampires to kill these bunch of teenagers on this certain date for the harvest and yet it's never really explained what it is in the first place with the only hint of an explanation coming in "The Harvest" where we see him gaining more and more power with each and very passing victim that his vampires take and that's really it and granted this could be because the harvest might play a bigger role in the first season as a whole and isn't something that's exclusive to these first two episodes which if that is the case then fair enough but at the same time tho there still should have been something put in either episode that offers up some sort of an explanation as to what it is as then we the audience would have more of a reason to want to our see our main characters from stopping it from happening in the first place but because we don't get that it does mean that would could be a good idea for these two episodes is instead undercooked and while there is a chance that the harvest itself could be something that happens more in the first season finale which is something that would make alot of sense as it would be a truly epic way to end that first season of the show but at the same time tho it makes you wonder why the episode is called "The Harvest" if there not going to explain what this harvest thing is even meant to be in the first place as you very easily could have had Giles say what it is during one the episodes many library scenes as that is something that would have made sense for that character to do.
Both of these first two episodes do of course have to set up what the rest of the show will be like moving forward with the first episode "Welcome To The Hellmouth" doing alot more of the heavy lifting in this regard. As that's the episode that really does start everything off and so we of course have to see how the characters meet up for the first time and other such things which is fine to see but it comes at the expense of the plot for the episodes as a whole as while it was interesting seeing these group of friends meeting each other for the first time it's something that could have been done in a way that doesn't take away screen time for the episodes overall plot something which the second episode is alot more better at doing as while we do get to see them working together for the first time and alot of the team dynamics that would help to set the show up for the rest of it's run like for example Giles and Willow are brains of the group Xander is more of the groups practical joker and Buffy's the reluctant muscle of the group with Cordelia just sort of being there and having no real role in the group as a whole which is something that does make sense for her character as her character doesn't really like any of them and so of course she wouldn't want to hang around with them as to her they'd be considered lame and nerdy all of which are things that we do get to see playout in the episodes more better second episode with even all of the main characters having some truly wonderful chemistry with each other as well something that would of course only get better as time moves on with the only thing that lets them down being the fact that we don't really get much with the episodes main villains as we barely get to find out what The Masters main plan for this two parter is in the first place and while they do have some creepy looking designs the vampires don't really do all that much for alot of both of these first two episodes which s something that des make it hard to buy them as a threat to our main heroes.
Now then episode one of this show has / had an exact grand total running tome of exactly forty three minuets and thirty five seconds whilst episode two of this show has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly forty five minuets and eleven seconds. Which to be fair to these episode is pretty much the exact grand total running tome for alot of this shows episodes to have with both of these episodes having just about the right amount of plot there to cover there respective running time in the first place but in saying that tho both of these episodes don't really use there running times in one regard that being the fact that the plot for the episodes of a whole aren't that well developed with this being due to the fact that episode one spends alot of its running time in setting up the shows main characters and not in getting it's own plot started and while it's understandable why they spend alot of time in setting up the main characters as this was the first episode of the show afterall there still needed to be time given into actually developing the plot of both episodes as all of that falls on to episode two and as good as that episode is it can't tell a well thought out story and still develop it's plot and characters and while it is understandable that these first two episodes don't really develop the shows characters as we have several other episodes in just this first alone that can very easily do that for us it still would have been nice if say the episodes villains got some sort of development as that would at least have made them more memorable as characters but I really will admit that these episodes really do have some really good pacing to them tho.
So now then as this is an action show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally tought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes was in all honesty really good. With both of these episodes having some really good if somewhat cheesy looking action scenes in them which is understandable as even tho these were the first two episodes of the show and you do really want to start out with your best foot forward here they just didn't have the budget to give episode one alot of action scenes with the only real action in that episode being Buffy fighting a small group of vampires which isn't bad but the episode has the vampires take her on one and one where as in the second episode it's the whole team taking on vampires in the towns local club which is just so much better to see and it's that action scene that actually is the best action scene in both episodes as it's clear as day that the makers of this show out alot more thought and effort into making that action scene the best that it possibly could be with the scene itself even ending on a truly bada*s shot of Buffy which does go to show you just how great that the action scene in the shows second episode really is and on top of that having it set in club with a bunch of of the towns residents all around them for the sta5rt of it does add to the threat level as the vampires could very easily still take out one of the residents should they so choose which is something that does help to make the actin in that episode all the more exciting in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Overall whilst "Welcome To The Hellmouth" does have it's issues as an episode it still a really good episode in it's own right however tho it's clear as day that the second episode of this two parter is easily the better of the two due to it having a great focus on the episodes main plot and the better action of the two all of which does make this two parter one that's really worth watching in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in these very episodes in this very review and as such that really does mean that these very episodes really does earn themselves a grand total combined score of exactly an 8.5 out of 10 from me.
Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk , the official Buffy The Vampire Slayer fandom wiki page , IMP Awards . Com and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from these very episodes that I used in this very review being the really great the official Buffy The Vampire Slayer fandom wiki page really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from these very episodes with alot of them being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on the official Buffy The Vampire Slayer fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.