James Marsters makes Spike funny without making his bitterness harmless. We rate the wit and vulnerability, and recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer for both; a film such as Dragonball Evolution gives us much less reason to stay.
Fi1m perspective
Spike speaks with a north London accent, but the force of James Marsters's performance is in how quickly his voice can move from cynicism to hurt. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), the British punk vampire gives him room to be funny and unpleasant without settling for either. We laughed at Spike's cynicism, then felt more for him than we had expected because Marsters allowed the vulnerability to show. He keeps the bitterness audible. We recommend the series with reservations about its uneven supernatural plotting, and his performance gives us another reason to tolerate it.
The part began as a short villain arc and grew into a regular role, continuing in the spin-off Angel (1999). Subsequent work has centred on recurring genre television roles and voice acting, with Smallville (2001) and Torchwood (2006) among the television credits. Those longer engagements suit an actor who can keep finding something worth attending to in an abrasive character. His supporting role in the romantic drama P.S. I Love You (2007) is a departure from that pattern, rather than the beginning of a move away from it.
Anthony Head informally coached the accent, and Marsters brings the vocal assurance of extensive theatre work to Spike. He can make the cynicism sound convincing without letting it account for everything the character feels. His physical presence establishes the threat; the emotional shifts in his voice give us something to follow once we have become accustomed to the danger he presents.
Dragonball Evolution (2009) supplies the caution. Marsters plays Lord Piccolo in James Wong's fantasy adventure, where thin writing and uneven action leave little reason to care about the mystical quest. Chow Yun-Fat supplies welcome silliness, but this is a poor film and Marsters's presence cannot make it worth an evening. Start with Buffy, and give its performers time to make the uneven plotting worth forgiving.
Biography
James Marsters is an American actor. He is best known for playing the vampire Spike in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) and its spin-off Angel (2000–2004).
Marsters trained at the Juilliard School and the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. He has appeared in other science-fiction series including Smallville (2001–2011) as Brainiac and Milton Fine, and Torchwood as Captain John Hart. His film credits include P.S. I Love You (2007) and Dragonball Evolution (2009).
