Director: Fran Rubel Kuzui
Cast: Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Luke Perry
Have I Seen it Before: Yes…
Did I Like It: Here’s the thing. I’ve increasingly been of the opinion that some media properties have one form where they work best. Ultimately, Star Trek works at its best when it is a TV show, although there are some exceptions. Batman is best served, most consistently by comic books. Why anyone thought Transformers work beyond action figures will be beyond me, and yes, I am including cartoons there.
So, too, that it is impossible to view this movie as anything other than a good idea still waiting for its format. It’s easy to say that, as we did get this story in a far more dynamic format as a television series. The mythology (which at first blush is pretty silly) can be explored deeper. We can come to like the characters. We can tell stories different than the flimsy one involving Lothos (Hauer).
Here, things seem incomplete. Some of the wit that Whedon brought to the TV series is here, but it’s ancillary to the desperate need of the studio to force this idea into the package of an innocuous teen comedy of the early 90s. Almost none of the feminism* that becomes the core of the series is here, content instead to make the “this blonde valley girl is going to save us all” joke prop up the whole affair.
Ultimately, the idea works better as a TV show.
But, to be fair, there is that scene (really a litany of them, including a post-credit tag) where Amilyn (Paul Reubens) keeps reacting to getting staked. Over the years, it is honestly the only part of the film I truly remember, and I’m fairly certain it will only be a matter of time before that’s the only thing rattling around in my brain after this screening fades. It’s that memorable of a movie.
Also: what happened to Pike (Perry)? Does anyone know? Whedon?
*Much can be said about Whedon’s feminist bona fides now, and for that matter his credentials as a decent human being. However, judging the work on its own merits, I’m still content to label the TV show as legitimately feminist, even if the primary author’s intent is suspect.