Review of Charlie`s Angels

Introduction

Many “classic” television series have been made into films over the years, many with dubious results, The Avengers (which I though was one of the worst films I’ve ever seen) and The Dukes of Hazzard Reunion (not much better) are good examples of times when the originals should have been left alone.

Last year, Charlies Angels received the big-screen treatment, with Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore replacing the original Angels. Rather than take the unadvisable step of making the film in the same time period as the original, the producers set the film in the present day, therefore avoiding the need to make the series look like the original, one of the many problems in The Avengers.

The plot consists of the Angels being hired to find a kidnapped computer genius, the target of industrial espionage. However, all is not as it seems, and the Angels soon become the targets themselves and the three sexy detectives have to save themselves and their company.

Video

Charlies Angels was made last year, and as you would expect, is beautifully presented on this DVD. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image is crisp, dirt free and detailed throughout the film, with no problems evident.

Visually, the film has a great deal going for it. Apart from the Angels themselves (more about them in a moment), the sets are quite comic book in style, with plenty of colour and using today’s locations, but with a hint of the style of the original series. There are also plenty of set-piece action scenes, all of which look very good, helped of course by CGI which was not available when the original Angels were strutting their stuff. The opening and closing sequences in particular look very good.

The fight scenes in the film were choreographed by Cheung-Yan Yuen, who worked on The Matrix and numerous Hong Kong movies, so the film has a distinct style, with plenty of bodies flying through the air, performing kicks and somersaults, all of which presented with plenty of slow-motion.

I mentioned the Angels above, and the filmmakers use every opportunity to show off the three gorgeous actresses playing them. If you fancy Cameron Diaz, you’ll be pleased to hear that she spends a great deal of the film wearing very tight trousers and low-cut tops, with the camera concentrating on her bum. Likewise, Lucy Liu emphasises her sultry Asian looks with some fantastic tight leather outfits, one of which so tight you can hear it squeak as she walks…or how about Drew Barrymore, who is given every opportunity to show off her cleavage. For the voyeurs amongst you, there are plenty of gratuitous close ups of the three ladies bending over etc!

Audio

The soundtrack comes in Dolby Digital 5.1 and like the video, is a high quality presentation. There’s plenty of use made of all channels, with numerous effects zooming around the room – the opening plane/skydive/speedboat sequence sets the standard, and the rest of the film maintains it.

There’s also a great soundtrack, which booms out of the speakers, using the full range available, which really adds to the comic style feel of the movie.

The dialogue is always clear and understandable.

Features

The DVD is a “Special Edition” and contains a generous helping of extras.

First of all there is an audio commentary from the director and cinematographer. There are also numerous featurettes, all of which are fairly short, but reasonably interesting, apart from the “Director McG” featurette which is one of the worst examples of backslapping I’ve seen in ages!

Of particular interest is the featurette about the Angels using the assorted wire rigging for the kung-fu sequences. The outtakes and bloopers reel is actually the same on that runs during the ending credits of the movie and is therefore of limited interest. There are also two music videos – one from Destiny’s Child and the other from Apollo Four Forty. Rounding things off are trailers and talent files.

The menus are colourful and well animated, and most importantly easy to navigate around.

The film is packaged in a black Amaray case and contains a folded colour insert, which has the production notes and also details the chapter breaks.

Conclusion

Overall Charlies Angels is an entertaining comedy action movie with the emphasis on the action and Angels instead of the plot. As such it succeeds, it would be hard to imagine a “serious” film based on the Angels, and the cheesiness of this remake makes it a winner.

The three Angels play their parts perfectly, with each of them managing to combine the tasks of looking gorgeous with the numerous action sequences very well. Bill Murray is at home in the role of Bosley and the supporting cast of Tim Curry, Kelly Lynch, Sam Rockwell and Matt Le Blanc are all good (although I just can’t take Matt Le Blanc seriously when he’s not starring in Friends). John Forsythe returns as Charlie, although we don’t see much of him as usual!

The picture and sound are very good, and there is a good range of extras.

To summarise, Charlies Angels is mindless entertainment, visually appealing and good fun, presented on a quality DVD.