Product description

Angel: Complete Season 1

Price: £55.99
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Average customer rating: 4.5

Binding : DVD
EAN : 5039036007528
Label : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Publisher : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release date : 2004-10-18
Title : Angel: Complete Season 1
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Suitable for 18 years and over
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 6
Region code : 2
Running time : 958
Studio : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Theatrical releaseDate : 1999-10-05
Number of discs : 6

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Taking the Spin-off genre to the extreme, Angel attempts to replicate the success of Buffy by taking the heartthrob as the lead. Spin-off shows rarely match the success of their parent programmes, especially in the superhero/fantasy genre (cf. The Girl From UNCLE, The Bionic Woman, The Green Hornet--Frasier being the notable exception). Characters who were perfectly useful as supporting figures dwindle when forced in the spotlight, and Angel takes a special risk by building an entire series around a character who is: (a) supposed to be a mystery man; (b) a vampire who once spent half a season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a dastardly villain who killed without remorse; and (c) played by David Boreanaz, who is well up on handsome and broody but still can't do an Irish accent to save his life and is visibly learning this acting lark as the series progresses.

The premise is that Angel, the vampire with a soul, has finally admitted he'll never get it together with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), unless a reunion crossover episode or two are scheduled. He moves to Los Angeles, a city haunted not only by demons and vampires but lawyers and agents. Angel sets up as a private investigator and solves cases with a supernatural aspect, partnered with Doyle (Glenn Quinn), a half-demon with a proper Irish accent and the useful psychic ability to know when someone is in trouble (thereby predicting any given week's plot), and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), another Buffy refugee here trying to reinvent herself as a struggling big-city single girl.

Far less consistent than its parent show, but also not saddled with quite so much of a continuing story arc, Angel has a very different feel, cued by its effective semi-Goth violin theme tune and lots of film noir-ish LA street scenes, with a dose of cynical inside-the-entertainment-industry stuff. It has its share of familiar ideas (such as a Fight Club episode) and simply daft premises (a demon-centred show which allegorises the debate about female circumcision , for example). Angel alienated a lot of initial fans by killing off its most appealing regular a third of the way into the run, dusting off hideous English comic stereotype Wesley the Watcher (Alex Denisof) as a replacement. However, it also comes up with some ingenious moments: in a two-parter guest-starring sometime Buffy villainess Faith (Eliza Dushku), the show finally delivers something scary and emotionally powerful as Angel proves he can solve cases his ex-girlfriend can't. Meanwhile, the last couple of episodes--which beef up a satanic law firm as regular foes and resurrect a long-dead character as a major troublemaker for the future--go from promising to delivering. --Kim Newman

On the DVD: the DVD set is only moderately generous with features, compared to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series DVDs. There are two episodes with commentaries--creators Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt discussing the series' genesis and "City Of ". Added to this Jane Espenson, the resident queen of farce, talks us through the haunted apartment episode "Rm w/a Vu". Also included are four featurettes--introductions to the characters of Angel and Cordelia, a series one overview and a discussion of the show's demons--scripts for the two Faith episodes, cast biographies and a gallery of stills and blue-prints. Most importantly, given the way Angel was butchered by Channel 4 for an inappropriately early time slot, the show's violence and strong language are offered uncut. Presented in English and French Dolby Surround Sound 2.0 and with an aspect ratio of approx 1.33:1 --Roz Kaveney

Customer reviews

review by: flipinmental_bec date: 2006-01-20 rating:

Fantastic!!!!
When Angel first came out on tv I was worried that it would be too closely associated with Buffy to stand out there alone, how wrong was I???
After viewing the entire season again for the first time in 5 years, I'm pleased to say it was a sheer joy to watch and appealed to me more now i'm older. Although I have been waiting to view the classic first nine episodes with the character of Doyle in for ages, so i'm biased.
David Boreanz isn't outstanding as an actor but makes a great lead, execept trying to do an Irish accent, no David!!!

Cordella is fleshed out from Buffy and turns out to be a fantastic character, well actted by Charisma Carpenter, who balances the darkness of Angel's personality-check out the beggining of Hero for her wacky humour.

The real gem however is the new character of Doyle a half demon whose visions guide Angel to those in need of help. Played by the late Glenn Quinn, whose humour, drunkness, Irishness, is delightful to watch. The fact that you with weep for ages at the end of Hero shows how great he was.

Welsey brought in lately did bug me at first because i'm English and we don't all talk like that!!! However he does settle in well and has great chemistry with the rest of the team.

Go out and buy you won't be disappointed

review by: wolvie-ware date: 2005-10-11 rating:

Show with a soul...
And so, finally, Angel gets his own TV show. After being the best thing about the Buffy the Vampire Slayer show it was about time the character got rewarded with this.

Not only that, but actor David Boreanaz gets to take the limelight, instead of skulking in the shadows. It is here, for the first time, that we discover that David can actually act. Angel, in his own show, is not about moody, brooding, forehead wrinkling, but stretches the character with a bit of lighthearted relief. Angel makes jokes, essentially.

This series starts off with a cracker of an opening episode, with lots of rooftop lookouts, jumping from high buildings and super-cool fight moves. Sadly, this style does not continue throughout the series, but the quality does remain.

There's a wide range of episodes which can really be watched on their own, without the baggage of knowing what went on before. they are singular stories, dealing with vampires, to ghosts, demons and all sorts of supernatural villains.

But that is what loses this season it's fifth star - the fact that there is no season long storyline. In Buffy, you have separate stories within episodes, but each episode also contributes to a season long storyline. Not so here. So by the time this series ending episode comes around, there's real no sense of accomplishment. Angel has just down an average day.

That's not to say, though, that the episodes are dull. Full of entertainment, the scripts are ingenius with thier storylines, often striving to do something different. Cordelia is a nice addition, totally opposite to Angel, and Wesley makes a surprisingly welcome return. There is also the short and sweet introduction and dismissal of Doyle, who while a great character, was not fully explored thanks to behind the scenes shenanigans that meant the actor couldn't continue to play the role. Still, the show managed to work its way around that.

Guest appearance from Oz, Buffy and Faith are always welcome, and a particular highlight - but this is Angel's show from the get go. Dark, violent and intelligent, it's not t obe missed, and just gets better from here.

review by: klinsmann18uk date: 2005-07-11 rating:

Great Stuff!!!
Man this show is just plain awesome simple as that, its a "buffy the vampire slayer spin off" which completely leaves the original show in its wake. I found this show has more depth than "buffy" with a great supporting cast such as Charisma charpenter, Alexis denisof and Glen quinn, if you thought the original show wasnt bad just sit back and enjoy the ride.....

review by: mellbergfan date: 2005-05-28 rating:

City of Angel
As a fan of Buffy I watched it from the beginning and from the start my favourite character was without a doubt, Angel. So of course when he 'spun off' I was curious to see how he would do.

Angel is better than Buffy its as simple as that. David Boreanaz is a superb actor and with his own show we can see his talents more often than on Buffy. I must confess however in this season David Boreanaz is overshadowed by the performances of Glenn Quinn another superb actor who plays Doyle, Angel's right hand man for the first nine episodes. This season is by far the best one just for the fact Doyle is in it.

Watching this you will fall in love with Doyle and feel as though you have lost a friend when he departs. Charisma Carpenter is another reason for watching this, the dark beauty is more stunning than Sarah Michelle Gellar and now she has the opportunity to show you what she can do. Sarah Michelle Gellar will make a couple of apperances in this season as does Spike played by James Marsters, who of course will later become a sidekick of the Dark Avenger.

My favourite episode is 'Hero' if you buy this you will see why.

review by: wwwj2676 date: 2005-01-11 rating:
BLOODY GOOD!!!
I bought the Angel season 1 DVD's before I had started watching it on TV. when I watched it had a great mystical sense that was dangerous and very adictive. I preferred it to 'Buffy the vampire slayer' because I think that the story was more strong and it did not seem to drag on. It has some great action scenes and some awsome masks, and the show was not serious, nor comedy but is a bit of both. This is a must see!!!!

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