Search - Charlie's Angels on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Violence, Brief Nudity, Questionable for Children, Sexual Situations, Suitable for Teens Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 03/27/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 39 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 178 Genres: Action, Comedy, Action Comedy, Parody/Spoof, Buddy Film See Also: Los Angeles de Charlie (Charlie's Angels), Charlie's Angels, Charlie's Angels [UMD for PSP], Charlie's Angels

They're beautiful, they're brilliant, and they can kick your butt -- the most glamorous private eyes in the world are back in action in this big-screen adaptation of the popular '70s television series. Natalie (Cameron Diaz) is the smart but silly one, Dylan (Drew Barrymore) is the tough but fun-loving one, and Alex (Lucy Liu) is the classy but hard-as-nails one, and they work for a man named Charlie (voice of John Forsythe), who never meets his employees face to face. Along with their helper Bosley (Bill Murray), the Angels are sent into action when electronics genius Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell) is kidnapped, with the nefarious Roger Corwin (Tim Curry) as the prime suspect. But they soon learn even bigger danger is afoot -- the kidnappers have gotten their hands on Knox's latest invention, a system that can monitor voice communication from anywhere in the world, virtually ending the notion of private conversation. Charlie's Angels also stars Crispin Glover, Luke Wilson, Kelly Lynch, and Tom Green. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cameron Diaz - Natalie
Drew Barrymore - Dylan
Lucy Liu - Alex
Bill Murray - Bosley
Sam Rockwell - Eric Knox
Crispin Glover - Thin Man
Luke Wilson - Pete

Charlie's Angels was a movie that left a lot of people shaking their heads and chuckling at the same time -- even critics, who seemed struck by its goofy charm. That the DVD release is practically of reference quality is nigh unto amazing -- but there it is. The video component is superb, sharp and clear throughout. The transfer is anamorphic, at 2.35:1. Colors are accurate and vivid throughout, with no sign of color bleed or smearing, and blacks are solid and detailed. There are no signs of compression artifacts or edge enhancement throughout, which is impressive, considering the color schemes and design elements in use. The image is of a high enough quality to use as a monitor reference for regular home theater systems. The sound is equally impressive. Dolby Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 English tracks are included, as well as a French Dolby Surround track. The sound design is excellent, with good use of surround channels and good dialogue separation. The soundstage works well in both the Dolby Surround and Dolby 5.1 modes, though the bass is less focused and pronounced in Dolby Surround -- the 5.1 mix provides the subwoofer channel with a good solid workout, with clean, clear bass that adds perfect emphasis in many scenes. The French soundtrack has a decent voice cast, but the dialogue is mixed a little high.

The DVD is fairly heavy on extras, with an excellent commentary by director McG and cinematographer Russell Carpenter -- neither one of whom has any illusions about the film they've made. McG's sheer energy is amazing -- he packs enough for several commentaries into one, and Carpenter is hard-pressed to keep up. There are also several featurettes, based in part on the film's electronic press kit, but expanding on this a fair bit -- "Getting G'ed Up" focuses on the director (with some funny deadpan bits from Bill Murray), "The Master and the Angels" focuses on fight choreographer Cheung-Yan Yuen and his work with the actors, "Angelic Attire" focuses on clothes, "Angelic Effects" covers the work of Patrick McClung and his visual effects team (who saw their workload quadruple), and "Wired Angels" provides a look at the bare, unprocessed Chinese Alley sequence. A trio of deleted sequences (with McG introductions) are included -- and it's easy to see why they were dropped. The "Outtakes & Bloopers" section is actually the end credits minus text, so more or less redundant. Music videos by Destiny's Child and Apollo 440 follow, as do short bios, the teaser, and theatrical trailers (anamorphic transfers both), as well as trailers for Vertical Limit, My Best Friend's Wedding, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Adventures of Joe Dirt, and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, all anamorphic except for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is a rather fuzzy full-frame transfer. ~ Steven E. McDonald, All Movie Guide