It's Buffy the Vampire Slayer for grown-ups :-)
Written: Jan 26 '00 (Updated Jan 31 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It's dark, it's entertaining, it's funny, and it's original!
Cons: Like its predecessor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the show often contains reference to past events, and even events which occurred before the creation of the new series. New viewers might want to take a crash course on Buffy/Angel trivia. I'll volunt
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| lizzamay's Full Review: Angel |
I have to admit that I thought this show would have a difficult time living up to its expectations, given the success of its predecessor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Over time, Buffy has proven itself worthy of all its great reviews, and I seriously thought that Angel wouldn't be able to do the same. Well, I was wrong. :-)
I was pleasantly surprised when Cordelia Chase appeared on Angel; she always brought a harsh sense of humor to Buffy, and it's obvious that she's done the same for Angel. (example: Cordelia ALWAYS says what she's thinking, no matter how mean a comment it is. She just tells it like it is.) Fortunately, she's toned down and grown up a bit, so she's a far more likeable character. She's ALMOST the kind of person you'd want as a friend. ALMOST. :-)
Angel is as dark and brooding as ever, but he's a far less mysterious character than he was on Buffy, and that's a good thing. He also has much more of a sense of humor than he did in BtVS (Buffy the Vampire Slayer); if I remember correctly, we rarely saw him smile or laugh in his earlier years...
Doyle, the new character who came and went within a single season, was a likeable guy, and I was as shocked as the next fan in his final episode. I won't give away complete details because you'll want to watch it when it gets re-aired, but the episode was a perfect example of the writers' ability to really make the audience become emotionally invested in the shows' multi-dimensional characters. The episode nearly made me cry!
Kate is an interesting character, but it'll be interesting to see where her relationship with Angel goes now that she knows he's - errr, not human. ;-)
<rant begins here> The Oracles are a man and a woman who communicate with "the powers that be" and occasionally give Angel mysterious and cliched advice. They have only appeared in two or three episodes and are not really part of the show's main cast, but are nonetheless worthy of a sentence or two in this review, if only because I'd like to point out that they are really, really annoying. <rant ends here>
As I point out in my review's title, Angel is a bit more "grown up" than Buffy. It may not have as much ironic and biting humor (no pun intended!) as BtVS, but it certainly has its own identity; you can tell that it's a more adult show. I'm not saying that the show doesn't have its fair share of humor; Wesley, as annoying and obnoxious as he was in BtVS, is slightly more endearing and comical a character now that he's among people his own age - well, at least people who ACT his age (Angel's at least in his 200's but he doesn't look a day over 30!).
Angel's "effects" are interesting (example: the speeding lights between some scenes bring to mind the craziness of city life), and the colors are much darker than on BtVS. Even the theme song is less chaotic and more - well, dark and mysterious.
Like BtVS, Angel is not really a kids' show, but is more geared towards the "teen/twenty something and up" crowd. I'd highly recommend it, especially if you're a Buffy fan.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lizzamay
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Member: Lisa, aka Lizza
Location: Southern CA
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 147 members
About Me:
I was gone... but I'm back!
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