Buffy: Good Angel, Bad Angel
We here at BOTO consider Joss Whedon to be a staple of contemporary nerd culture.
Although short-lived, Firefly, a “space western” television series about a group of renegade smugglers who live in a post-civil war, science-fiction society, garnered a cultish fanbase whose efforts included fan support campaigns and a rather precious name. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, written during the Writers’ Strike to stick it to the network executives and create a format for promoting independence from the corporate structure, recorded booming DVD sales even after its fans could no longer watch the three-act show online for free. (Joss himself explains why here.) For her part, Nicole admits to a particularly soft spot for Joss’ signature show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This show about a typical-schoolgirl-turned-vanquisher-of-evil boasts its own set of rabid devotees, many of whom are currently up in arms (or adjectives) over the prospect of a Buffy movie being remade by the rights holders of the franchise – the Bad Angels, if you will - without involvement on the part of its creator.
Like most diehard Buffy fans, Nicole is understandably outraged. Apparently, this plan – alienating Joss from a project based on his own vision – was not enough of a disaster the first time around, when Joss was so irritated with how many of his ideas were being bastardized and how much of the script was being rewritten that he left the set during production, never to return. (Nicole supposes that the members of the original directing and producing team have learned one lesson from their first attempt – this time, they are making no bones about not incorporating Whedon – or anything involving Whedon’s show – in the creation of this new film.) Furthermore, everyone knows that absolutely turning over someone’s creative work to a different writer cannot possibly yield a positive result. Hasn’t Hollywood learned enough from remaking Star Trek without Gene Roddenberry? How dare J.J. Abrams write a film that relies more on action-movie sensibilities than on esoteric knowledge of a fictional language? For the sake of context, imagine what would have happened if George Lucas hadn’t written the three Star Wars prequels: what would these films have been without Jar Jar Binks? In the case at hand, what if a non-Whedon director made a Buffy feature without an unending stream of unintelligible pop-culture references? The audience may actually be able to understand all of the dialogue! Ultimately, given that 97% of Buffy fans surveyed selected either that such a remake would “never exist to me” or asked “Where is the riot?”, Nicole is certain that there must be a better way to pay homage to the Buffyverse.
Well, leave it to the good people of Dumbo, Brooklyn to solve this problem. More on how after the jump:
On June 3, 2009, the Galapagos Art Space (the Good Angels) hosted a delightfully nerdy tribute to Buffy and Co.: a Sunnydale High School Class of 1999 Ten Year Reunion. The event showcased everything that made the beloved series a fan favorite (and, if Nicole may say so, put it head and shoulders above the insipid Twilight craze): acting as assigned BtVS characters, and dressing as their favorites, allowed participants to draw from the show’s snarky dialogue and kitschy costume design, while the 1990s-themed music and eulogy to the deceased citizens of the Hellmouth reflected the campiness of the musical acts and the whimsical, often cavalier portrayal of death in the Buffyverse. Nicole commends Clinton McClung, the organizer of the event, from whom those planning the new Buffy movie could learn a thing or two. Alas, they cannot learn too much, as Whedon has prevented them from using any of his characters or, for that matter, anything other than the name “Buffy.” The old adage about a rose by any other name smelling as sweet seems applicable here… except that a foul movie called a rose would still smell, look, and feel like a foul movie.
Like this article? Help us spread it around the Internet by Digging it or using any of the other Share/Save options below. For more from or about Nicole Catá, check out her online bio.
Nicole Catá is a rising junior at Columbia University. She is honored to serve as your humble co-editor and snark-provider. Nicole respectfully reminds you to make way for ducklings. Read more.
