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Leave A CommentI'll watch any movie at least once, but when 'Charlie's Angels' came out a decade ago I didn't rush to the theater to see it. Fast forward ten years: It's taken me this long to actually watch 'Charlie's Angels' all the way through. I'd caught bits and pieces over the years, mostly just checking out clips of Cameron Diaz dancing in her underwear. I just never felt like the McG-helmed action picture, based on a cheesy 70s TV show, would amount to anything. You know what? I can admit when I'm wrong.
The secret is that for its entire running time, the movie never takes itself seriously. After all, how serious can a movie be with a chain-smoking, sword-wielding Crispin Glover as the main bad guy? From the opening moments, when L.L. Cool J makes a comment about the 'T.J. Hooker' movie playing on the plane, and how it's just another stupid remake of an old TV show, you know what kind of self-referential fun you're in for.
'Charlie's Angels' follows the exploits of a specialized team of buxom beauties who happen to be very skilled spies. Working for the mysterious, never-seen Charlie, they take on jobs from various people who need their services.
What you need to know about the plot is that the group of ladies takes a job from a corporate executive played by Sam Rockwell, who is worried that his competitor is stealing his ideas. Alright, that's all you need to know. Like many action movies the plot is just there in order to drive action through it. We're just along for the ride.
I know deep down somewhere I should dislike a movie like 'Charlie's Angels,' but I just can't. It's just too lovable. The cast alone makes you adore it. Not only do you have Lucy Lui, Drew Barrymore, and Cameron Diaz playing the luscious angels, but you have a supporting cast of Crispin Glover, Sam Rockwell, Luke Wilson, Tim Curry, and the ever entertaining Bill Murray. Just look at that cast and tell me, what's not to love?
It would be one thing if 'Charlie's Angels' tried to be serious, and came off as unintentionally funny, but since it's never playing serious to begin with, we can laugh along with it as the girls do one slow 'Matrix' style kick after another. We giggle (and ogle) at all the outrageous outfits they wear. And to top it all off we get to see more Sam Rockwell dancing skills. There's no way I couldn't like this movie.
Sony's 1080p candy-coated transfer of 'Charlie's Angels' will make a nice addition to your collection of catalog titles on Blu-ray.
The image is pumped up with maximum color, giving everything a slightly overblown look. Nothing to worry about here, this is exactly what McG wants for his film. Colors are bold, bright, and unrelenting. Reds are slightly overpowering, but every other color shimmers with pop and pizzazz.
Fine detail ranges from nice to fantastic. Softer shots prevail when the camera backs up to get everyone in the frame, but during close-ups the detail is phenomenal. Take a look at the part where the girls are describing how to get into the secured mainframe. The camera focuses in on their lips. Each and every pore is visible. Every single lip line can be seen. The red lipstick pops off the screen.
The image is squeaky clean, harboring no remnants of buggy source noise. If I had one complaint about the video here it would be that skin tones rarely ever look natural. Yes, this is most likely a product of the super-saturated nature of the film, but skin tones are either bright white or a fake-tan orange hue. It was the only aspect of the video presentation that keeps it from the coveted demo-worthy tier. Make no mistake though, this intensely colorful, sleek looking transfer is one of the most enjoyable catalogs out there.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio presentation stands its ground against its formidable video counterpart. The soundtrack is constantly alive with non-stop action. The surrounds create an aurora of ambient sound that gives you the coveted "there" feeling. Helicopters swoop in and out of view, with directionality placing them exactly where they should be in the soundfield as the sweep across it. Bass is heavy during the movie's many explosions. Rotating blades of a chopper send LFE thumping into the room. Everything about this track screams action movie, and that's what we want.
The dialog is perfectly intelligible, never really getting lost in the fog of heavy LFE or loud sound effects. It feels like it's mixed together very well, providing nice prioritization. Even subtle sounds like a cell phone ringing off screen, made me actually check to see if it was my phone ringing.
This is an engaging sound mix with the right amount of spunk and attitude to go along with the film.
'Charlie's Angels' is a laugh-fest, but it's meant to be. It's got a great cast, and it's just a whole lot of fun. The video and audio make for a great catalog offering, and with its somewhat sizeable package of extras, 'Charlie's Angels' deserves a recommendation.
