The Film
Here is a problem with all those films that offer a fresh take on an old TV show - they don't look so fresh years later, and unlike the classic shows upon which they are based, these remakes don't usually improve with the passage of time. Instead of being an old blast from the past, these updates look all the more dated. This is certainly the case with Charlie's Angels, the 2000 film that features three attractive women who work for a boss they never see.
While this premise might have sounded good in the 1970s, it is strange to think that Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu went along with it in the new millennium. A decade later the story is cheesy, just like the old show, but this new take doesn't bring back such fond memories. The plot - which involves a heist, a double cross and a mix of tight and revealing outfits - has enough meat for an hour long show (including commercials), but it is stretched over 98 minutes, meaning there is a lot of filler, and much of it with circa late 1990s music. Instead of being ultra cool retro; it is more like decade old popcorn - just really stale.
The Picture
When compared to the original DVD (which interestingly was still in shrink wrap in this reviewer's collection), the picture really pops. A lot of films from the mid-1990s look really dated on Blu-ray, but this isn't the case with Charlie's Angels. The 1080p 2:40:1 presentation is fantastic with fairly vibrant colors and realistic flesh tones - which you do see quite a bit of in this one (so much so that you can tell Drew Barrymore and/or the stunt double is wearing a flesh colored catsuit in one "nude" scene). The transfer looks so good you might think this film were actually released this year, instead of a decade ago.
The "Angels" don't use guns, but the few instances of gunplay do resonate quite well, as do the other action scenes. The 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio sound is actually a bit hot at times, but that could be as much how director McG wanted it as it is the transfer - as the DVD is also quite loud in the sound effects department. The Blu-ray's audio however handles the ambient sounds quite well too. The dialog comes through the center channel without problem. If anything this is just one of those action films that has the audio a bit too hot in the extreme action scenes, but looking back that's how they did things a decade ago.
The Extras
Most of the extras are holdovers from the DVD, and these include commentary with the director and cinematographer, five featurettes and deleted scenes. The Blu-ray adds the movieIQ feature, along with BD-Live functionality.
Final Thoughts
The newly remastered Blu-ray of Charlie's Angels looks really good and sounds really good, but this can't make up for a fairly dated story. It is fun at times, but given that it sort of spoofs various heist films, and has a plot that is sort of predictable, it is really at best equal to a solid two-part episode of the original series.
Product Details
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