Scifinews.net Reviews: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 7 (Region 2)

All good things come to an end, and unfortunately, even our favourite slayer is no exception to this rule. With the release of Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 7 on the 5th April, we say our final farewells to Miss Summers and the Scooby Gang.

Being a fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer since stumbling across it part way through season 1, I was very happy to see season 7 land on my desk for review. Granted I had already avidly watched each and every season 7 episode on satellite television, but that wasn’t the point - the DVD box set allowed me to relive the season and revisit favourite episodes and scenes. Not to mention additional extras have always been pretty strong in Buffy DVD releases!

Season 7 pits Buffy against her worst enemy to date, the primordial evil that has existed since the dawn of time… “The First” - looking at Buffy’s past enemies (A god, her best friend, and even geeky teenagers!) it’s not surprising the penultimate season matched Buffy with such a huge foe. As with most all powerful “dark lords”, The First doesn’t step up to the plate empty handed, and has its own “emissaries of evil” - in the form of Uber Vamps, Bringers and even a twisted psychotic “man of the cloth” - to do its bidding. (Editors Note: psychotic priest “Caleb”, is played by none other than Nathan Fillion, Captain Malcolm Reynolds in Joss Whedon’s second sci-fi/fantasy series Firefly)

On the side of all things good is Buffy along with her faithful Scooby Gang who are joined by faces old and new - rogue vampire slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), reformed vampire Spike (James Marsters), ex-villain Andrew (Tom Lenk) and the new principal of Sunnydale High (DB Woodside)… oh! and don’t forget the few dozen “potential” slayers!

As the season progresses, emotions run high, tensions reach boiling point and the situation is grim. As a viewer you are left hanging on the edge of your seat - drawn into the show - caring about the characters as if they were your own friends.

With all hope lost, are Buffy’s final episodes her last? Is her final destiny in life to die trying? Or can the situation be saved by the help of her friends and the appearance of Angel...

The DVD Box Set

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 7 comes packaged much like previous seasons and contains 6 feature packed DVD’s including all 22 episodes from the season. Special features are abound in the form of episode commentaries, featurette’s, trailers, outtakes and Easter eggs with hours of fun to be had well after the episodes have been viewed. Fans with a DVD capable drive in their pc should also note that Buffy Season 7 contains a great DVD-ROM extra in the form of Willow’s Demon Database, a guide to all demonic creatures from season 1 through to season 7.

Episodes are shown in their original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and subtitles are available in English for the hard of hearing. Sound quality is limited to 2.0 Dolby Surround, rather than the newer 5.1 standard which is a little disappointing, but this does not detract from a great box set. Picture quality is good throughout.

Fans of Buffy will of course love this set and I’m positive new fans will be created through friends and family viewing this release. Buffy Season 7 is a great DVD box set with countless extras and a great storyline. The only drawback with this set is the RRP of £79.99 which just can’t be justified in today’s marketplace given other sci-fi/fantasy series with the same amount of discs are being released with an RRP of £39.99 - half the price of Buffy. The absence of Sarah Michelle Gellar in the extras is also disappointing.

Final verdicts for Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 7?

An Uber Vamp Ass Kicking 8/10!