Customer Reviews
The Complete Series 
2008-07-12
So, before I got this, I had never seen a single episode. I had just recently picked up Firefly and loved that. I also really enjoyed the Astonishing X-Men comic as well. So, I asked around a bit to see if this box set would be worth it--after already buying it as a Gold Box Deal. Good thing for me, everyone said I'd find it entertaining even if I didn't completely love it.
I can't speak for the entire series, since I've only watched the first season thus far--but, it reminds me a lot of Smallville... with vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness. And, I assume just like Smallville, this will change from the 'freak of the week' into something more. I have high hopes.
I can, however, speak on the production quality of the box set itself. The box is a heavy carboard. The top of the box flips backward and the front comes forward, and has some text on it. On top, you get a letter from Joss Whedon, a DVD with extras, and a quarter-inch book with a listing of each episode. In the front, it even has the list of Joss' favorite episodes and a brief description of why.
Beneath that, you have the actual DVDs. Each season comes in a 5.5x5 box that's much like a box. Each DVD has it's own "page" of hard plastic so you can flip to the DVD you want without having to remove the first DVD to get to the second one (You know what I'm talking about if you buy a lot of TV DVDs). It also keeps each DVD fairly safe, which is always a plus. Each season stacks on top of the next, and forms a picture of the Buffy gang.
If you buy the DVDs seperately, it's only $132!!! 
2008-07-11
Yup, it's true. $20 for seasons 2-7 and $32 for season 1 = $132. Unless you want to pay $55 extra just to get the official "collector set box", you're better off buying each season on its own (plus then you can buy the new-used ones and save even more!). How has no one noticed this?!?
This is a great show, thus I give it 5 stars. Amazon, however, is just trying to get you to pay extra. Hint: a box is not worth $55, nor is any of the special packaging you get in the collectors edition.
Worth $80, worth $180, worth whatever you pay for it 2008-07-09
Buffy truly may be the greatest show ever broadcast. At minimum, it can stand shoulder to shoulder with such other television masterworks as the Wire, the Shield, Oz, Deadwood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the Simpsons. I don't much care for Joss Whedon's other work--and I think he's pretty much an insufferably self-regarding psychopath--but I am forever in his debt for this incredibly well-written, well-shot, and well-acted serial.
Show - 5 stars, the rest of it - 3 stars... 
2008-07-04
I have to say Buffy as a show is awesome. I love how much fun it is, how it never takes itself too seriously, and how much I've come to love these characters. The show itself is definitely worth 5 stars.
The packaging on this set is awesome, too. I was a late comer to the show, so I didn't purchase the individual seasons when they came out. This set was great for that purpose, all the episodes in one place, for one great price (more about that in a minute).
I was concerned, however, when I purchased this set, because I've read so many reviews saying that discs were loose or damaged when they arrived because the packaging of the set isn't very good. Luckily, my set did not have this problem. Everything was in its place, all of the discs were still secured in their holders, it was perfect. I was very, very glad about this.
The reason I've given this item 3 stars instead of the 5 the show deserves, however, is the fluctuating price and the difficulty I had getting the set in the first place. I'd been watching the price on this set for awhile, seeing it fluctuate, but always landing around the $140 mark. Even though that was a bit pricey, I figured it was still cheaper than the $200+ that Amazon.ca (I'm Canadian) wanted. I happened to check the set on a day when it was offered at $99 and change, so I jumped on it. I was so excited about that price, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the set!
A month came and went, along with a few e-mails back and forth with Amazon, each time telling me to wait a little longer for the set, which never showed up. Finally, via the phone support, I managed to get them to ship me another set and I had it within 3 days. The part that bothered me is that they were convinced it had been delivered, but wouldn't give me a tracking number so I could see for myself. It shouldn't have taken over a month to get the set, they should have replaced it faster. But, once the replacement was sent, I received it, so Amazon, in the end, did their job.
The price fluctuation I've noticed since that time really bothers me, as it does many other reviewers. As I'm typing this, the price is currently over $180, which is ridiculous. For that reason, I would recommend going to a more stable retailer, where the price is what it is, with no chance that it'll jump $80 over night. Amazon is great for many things, but price stability isn't one of them.
Basically, to sum up, I would highly recommend this set to anyone looking for all of the Buffy eps in one place, but I wouldn't recommend buying it from Amazon. Chances are you'll find it cheaper elsewhere.
Seven Seasons of Excellent Television 2008-07-03
If you like anything else Joss Whedon has made, buy this. If you've watched the show, buy it because you want to watch it again, not for the extras or the 40th disc. Most of the extras are simply not worth watching. They tend to be just recaps of the season or, in the early seasons, episode commentary by one person, usually a writer or director. The roundtable discussion on the 40th disc wasn't particularly compelling either.
The biggest technical problem with the set is that the transfer of the first two seasons to DVD is really bad, they're watchable, but those two seasons have noticeably worse video quality than do later seasons.
In the end the most important point is that the show itself makes up for what's lacking in the extras and the video quality issues. All seven seasons are consistently well written and well acted, and while the music and other production values aren't as high as Firefly, it's still a show I love and a show worth watching.
Beware the extras 2008-07-01
No Description Available.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 19-SEP-2006
Media Type: DVD
one of the best shows in TV history 2008-06-25
I am a die-hard Buffy fan and proud of it. I have been a fan since day one, even recruiting my mom and sisters as big time fans along the way, and really, I never get tired of this show, despite having seen every episode numerous times. I can honestly say ill still be watching this show for many years to come.
Despite being a huge fan, I probably wont be buying the collectors set, because I already own each season on DVD individually, so i figure it would be pointless, but I wanted to use this opportunity to give my overall opinion on this show. I read quite a few of the buffy bashing reviews on here, and while I think that's fine, because everybody is entitled to their own opinion, and frankly, buffy really isn't a show for everybody (after all, not everyone can appreciate it for the brilliant show that it is) but I for one want to let everybody know why you should give this show a chance.
First of all, as I've already said, this show is brilliant. Granted, it could have gone in the complete opposite direction, and would have been a big time dud, had it fallen into the wrong hands, and had it had different actors in it. (if you've seen the buffy movie, you know what I'm talking about! Kristy Swanson did not do the role of Buffy justice at all....which leads me to one other thing: do not base your opinion of this show on the horrid movie!) all of the actors, luckily, are amazing, and play their characters extremely well, and are really very talented for TV actors, especially Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is extremely impressive in her role as Buffy the vampire slayer. The entire cast has great chemistry, probably the best I've ever seen on a TV show.
This show is about a young woman, Buffy Summers (starting off in high school) who not only has to deal with normal, everyday teenage girl stuff, but also has the weight of the world on her shoulders (literally!) as she is forced to fufill her role as The Vampire Slayer, and really, has to save the world on a daily basis from various forms of evil (really, vampires are the least of her problems compared to some of the other things she goes up against!) and unlike other slayers who came before her, Buffy has an advantage: her friends (willow, Xander, and various others, depending on the season) who help her in her non-stop battles against the forces of evil. And then you also have Rupert Giles, Buffys watcher, the guy who is supposed to guide Buffy and help her fufill her slayer duties, but who ultimately grows a strong bond with Buffy and her friends, and is definitely one of the most loveable characters.
The show is clever and witty, and it has the ability to not only make you laugh, but also cry, as you can't help but feel for Buffy as you watch the struggles that she must go through, throughout her years as a slayer. The dialouge is powerful and the characters are so well developed, that you can't help but love them.
A few highlights of the show:
-buffy falling in love with Angel, a vampire who has a soul, and will lost that soul, if he experiences even a moment of true happiness
-Buffys ultimate battle against The Master during the season one finale
-Buffy dealing with her pain over being killed (and then revived by angel and xander) by the master
-Buffys battle against Angel after he loses his soul, (buffy loses her virginity to Angel, which is his moment of true happiness, thus leading him to become evil) and ultimately, she has no choice but to kill him in order to save the world and send him to hell (afterwards she flees LA)
-the first episode of season 3, in which Buffy is living in LA, (which is where she ran to after sacrificing angel) dealing with her pain over living in an angel-less world
-buffys return to Sunnydale, where she still has to deal with angels absence, but also has to deal with:
A) her mother, who is hurt that Buffy left only a note but no explanation of where she had gone, and who is also dealing with the fact that her daughter is a vampire slayer
B) Giles, who still harbors a deep feeling of loss over Jenny Calendar (one of Angels victims) and is also upset over not knowing of Buffys whereabouts
C) her friends (xander, cordelia, willow, oz...) who are still dealing with the consequences of Angels rampage and also can't help but resent Buffy for just taking off
-the arrival of Faith, the rogue slayer who starts off as a friend, but later becomes Buffys worst enemy
-The death of Buffys mother in season 5
-spike falling in love with Buffy
-the introduction of Buffys little sister Dawn, who is the key to opening up a portal to hell
-buffy sacrificing her life to save the world at the end of season 5
-buffy having to deal with life after being brought back from the dead in season 6
-learning that buffy was in Heaven, and not some sort of hell dimension, as her friends had believed
....and those are only a FEW of the great moments of Buffy. And really, if that doesn't want to make you watch this show, then I don't know what will!
All I'm saying is, give this show a chance!
Late to the party but lucky nonetheless 2008-06-21
I was never a Buffy fan when the show was on the air. I had seen the movie and did not think much of it. I never really heard much about how the writer was disatisfied with the results, that he had a different vision for the idea and when the show came to life it more accurately reflected his vision. When I first heard about Buffy coming to TV I shook my head in disbelief. I assumed, like the movie, it would be an extremely campy comedy and would perhaps last a couple of episodes and then would be discarded.
I started seeing reviews that praised the show and caught a few bits and pieces. After a couple of seasons I have to admit that I was curious but had no interest in diving into a TV drama midstream. I rarely have a fixed schedule so watching week in and week out just was not going to happen.
I think over the course of the show's live airings I saw perhaps 2 episodes total. My regret over not having watched it had grown but then I simply forgot about it after that, for a couple of years. Angel left the airwaves, another show I had not seen, and I heard how good Firefly was, another Josh Whedon effort.
Strange as it may sound, seeing Serenity in the theaters was my introduction to the whole JW universe, which intrigued me enough to buy the Firefly season on DVD and discover how much I really enjoyed it. Not just because of my enjoyment of all things Sci-Fi but because of the great dialogue and excellent storylines.
Which leads me back to Buffy. After seeing the entire series on Amazon for over a year and it having a spot on my wish list I finally coughed up the dough for it earlier this year.
Thus I had the priviledge of seeing the entirety of this series, from the very first episode to the apocalyptic conclusion all within a period of about 4 months with absolutely no previous viewing or experience with the show. I personally knew no fans of the show, had never discussed it, or had a single presumption going in, except that the critics had loved it and so had its fan base. So in a way, I guess I am extremely lucky.
Viewing the entire series without any interuptions was a dream come true for me. Sure, there is something to be said about the tension that builds from episode to episode when there are weeks in between their viewing but knocking out an entire season in a week or two does have its advantages.
Seeing it all in such a condensed time frame allowed me to see nuances a first time viewer may have missed over the course of seven years vs. several weeks. The cohesion and constant attention to detail was quite impressive. I am sure there are ultrafans out there who could easily point out a contradiction or flaw here or there in the logic string of the entire seven seasons but for me it was a fantastic tale from start to finish.
The show is fun, which was the goal for me. Fun characters, fun stories. I have favorite episodes, characters, and seasons, but all of it comes together so nicely and I also got to avoid any behind the scenes drama that may have taken place during its time on TV, including Sarah Michelle Gellar calling it quits earlier than perhaps others wanted and the show switching networks. Watching it like this required no compromises, no fear that things would not work out in the end. All in all, a very blissful experience.
My next step is watching Angel, from start to finish, uninterupted and unblemished by any previous viewing. I am quite looking forward to that as well.
If you love Buffy get this set 2008-06-21
I have recently become a Buffy fan. As soon as I watched the first season I fell in love with this show. The dialogue is absolutely hilarious. There are several episodes that are hard hitting episodes that deal with real every day issues. The characters are awesome and you really care about what happens to them. If you love this show I would recommend this collection. You get all 7 seasons and a bonus DVD with extras like bloopers and a cast interviews. I am so glad I got this collection so I can watch my favorite episodes again and again. If you are a true fan of Buffy your DVD collection is not complete withouot the Chosen Collection.
Prompt Delivery 2008-06-15
It arrived quickly, in perfect condition. Just as advertised. :) I have no complaints.
