It’s been 9 years since I first saw Charlie’s Angels but I remember the night vividly. I was hanging out with my two best girlfriends for the evening. We were all unemployed so the only thing we could afford for fun was some cheap Thai takeout and an even cheaper VHS rental of Charlie’s Angels from Blockbuster. I clearly remember how yummy my pad see ew tasted that evening – and how much I hated every aspect of the film. I thought it was pure trash! What a waste of my $3.99! So you can just imagine how excited I was last week when I found out that I was going to have to sit through it again. Not.
But then something crazy happened. I actually enjoyed Charlie’s Angels the second time around! I’m sure that a large part of it is that watching any film on Blu-Ray is far superior to watching it on VHS. And this time I saw it on a real HD television with real surround sound instead of on my friend’s little 12” TV that she’s had since the 80’s. Part of it is probably because I’m generally happier in life now that I’m gainfully employed and don’t live with my parents and can actually afford things like HD TV’s. But I think that the real reason I hated it so much the first time is because I had missed the “point”.
Charlie’s Angels is a bad movie but it knows it’s bad and that’s what makes it good. The plot is absolutely nonsensical. Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell), owner of Knox Technologies, has been kidnapped. His business partner hires the mysterious Charlie to locate him and his missing software. Charlie puts his angels Natalie, Dylan, and Alex (Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu) on the case. Assisted by their loyal sidekick Bosley (Bill Murray), they show lots of cleavage and kick lots of butt to eventually save the day. Most of their “plans” are completely ridiculous, over the top and involve technologies that don’t exist. The bad guy’s motivation is implausible and Charlie’s reasons for remaining a faceless voice-box are flimsy. But if you overlook all these things, there is plenty left to enjoy in this film.
The best thing about Charlie’s Angels is the cast. The chemistry between the angels is great and they all do a fantastic job playing off of each other. They know how cheesy this movie is so they play most of the scenes for laughs. Crispin Glover also makes for a hilarious villain as the hair-sniffing Creepy Thin Man. And of course, Bill Murray and Luke Wilson are always good.
I generally don’t like action films but I liked the action sequences in Charlie’s Angels. Not only are the fight scenes all expertly choreographed but the soundtrack really works well to enhance them. It isn’t just a lot of car chases and big explosions – although those are definitely there! There is also lot of cool martial arts action that made me wish I could move like that!
Don’t be like I was and hate this movie just because it doesn’t make sense or because the plot is stupid. Just take it for what it is and have fun watching it. It won’t blow you away or make you think deep thoughts or anything like that but it will give you a solid 98 minutes of escapism. Now that I’m 9 years older and wiser I’ve learned that sometimes that can be something truly valuable. Or at least worth $3.99!
Charlie’s Angels arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 2.40:1. Charlie’s Angels transfer looks good for the majority of the film. The colors are very vibrant specially colors like red and to some extent blue. Black levels look good, but they appear outstanding towards the last portion of the film. Fine details suffer a bit especially with facial shots. There are shots that appear soft and others that are exceptionally detailed. Skin tones are appear well done, but they do take a warmer look during certain scenes. All in all Charlie’s Angels looks good, not great.
Charlie’s Angels arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. Charlie’s Angels is loud, very loud at that, but fortunately the track manages to find some balance among all the chaos. The dialog is clean and clear and does not become overwhelmed by the action. The rears are constantly being used for atmospherics and the bass adds an extra level of support creating an incredible 360 degree soundstage. Bullets are heard soaring through the soundstage and every punch landed is heard with the appropriate force. Charlie’s Angels sound good on Blu-ray, but you might want to lower the volume a tad bit since it’s rather loud.
Commentary with Director McG and Cinematographer Russell Carpenter – This commentary goes over various aspects of the film including the color scheme, filming locations, working with the star studded cast, the stunts, and more. If you are a fan of the film you must listen to this track.
Getting G’d Up – This featurette allows the cast to talk about the director McG.
The Master and the Angels – Choreorapher Cheung-Yan Yuen, allows the viewers to go behind the scenes and take a look at the different fighting styles the actresses had to learn for the movie.
Welcome to Angel World – This just lets the viewer reinforce the thought of the as a non-too-serious film.
Angelic Attire: Dressing Cameron, Drew and Lucy – The lets the viewers see the various attires used in the film.
Angelic Effects – Behind the scenes look at the special effects in the movie.
Wired Angels – This takes a quick look at the wiring the cast had to use for certain scenes in the movie.
Deleted scenes – A total of three (3) deleted scenes are included.
Blooper Reel
Music videos: “Independent Women Part 1” by Destiny’s Child, and “Charlie’s Angels
2000” by Apollo Four Forty
BD-Live Connectivity
MovieIQ
Charlie’s Angels is a fun movie with a great cast and some nice action sequences. It’s not a “good” movie per se but it is most definitely entertaining. If you are looking for something serious you may want to look elsewhere. The Blu-ray features very good video and audio transfers and a good set of supplements to round of this release. If mindless fun is your thing, I recommend Charlie’s Angels.
