Joss Whedon makes genre stories talkative, funny and attentive to their characters. We rate his television work most highly; his films are less distinctive, and his dialogue sometimes needs to leave an unhappy moment alone.
Fi1m perspective
Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy can be funny without ceasing to sound fed up. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), that irritation gives the supernatural business someone worth following, and it is the clearest reason to value Whedon’s work. We were moved by Gellar’s performance because the heroine’s prickliness remains intact even when she invites sympathy. Whedon’s gift is to make genre stories feel inhabited by people who have opinions about what is happening to them. The qualification is important: the performers deserve their share of the credit.
Whedon is one of its writers, alongside Marti Noxon and Jane Espenson, and the cleverness can become too evenly distributed. Too many characters have a ready answer, and a joke sometimes cuts short the unpleasant feeling a scene needs to sustain. The pilot’s latter stretch is a test of patience, while elsewhere threats can be prolonged beyond their interest. We recommend the series for its performances, with some patience required for the supernatural plotting; the dialogue is not always as helpful to the actors as it might be.
Buffy established his approach to genre television: a strong female lead, with room for long-form storytelling. With Firefly (2002), he took the ensemble into a space western; Serenity (2005), his feature directing debut, continued that cancelled series. The Avengers (2012) brought that television-honed attention to a group of characters into a major superhero film. The move makes sense: a director interested in how people talk within a group has something useful to bring to a gathering of heroes, particularly when each needs to remain recognisable.
We are less persuaded by him as a visual director: the features can be functional where the television has a recognisable voice. The uncertain pacing of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) shows the limits of his skill with ensembles. Much Ado About Nothing (2012), his home-shot Shakespeare adaptation, offers a smaller setting for his interest in group performance and wit. Start with Buffy, and give Gellar time to make the case; the pilot alone is not a fair test.
Biography
Joss Whedon, also credited as Joseph Hill Whedon, is an American writer, director and producer. Born in New York City on 23 June 1964, he is the son and grandson of television writers. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1987 and began his career as a staff writer on the sitcom Roseanne.
Whedon created the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), writing and directing multiple episodes. He later wrote and directed the film Serenity (2005) and wrote and directed The Avengers (2012). He has also contributed to films including Toy Story (1995) and Alien Resurrection (1997).
