The Bottom Line
Pros
- Show has an eerily dark mood and a film-noir like atmosphere
- Charismatic ensemble cast and good-looking actor in leading role
- DVDs have bonus materials including commentary on selected episodes
Cons
- Choppy pacing weakens dramatic momentum and emotional impact of storylines
- Unbelievable, fantastic, and unrealistic (could be a pro)
- Although there were interesting episodes, the show was uneven and didn’t draw me in completely
Description
- DVDs (6) of third season of "Angel" television show
- DVDs have bonus materials, including commentaries on selected episodes
- Release date for DVDs: February 10, 2004
- Excellent picture quality Note: only discs one and six evaluated (partial screener received)
- Excellent sound quality Note: only discs one and six evaluated (partial screener received)
- Running time: 990 minutes
Guide Review - "Angel – Season Three" DVD Review
One of the things that I like about “Angel” is how it creates an eerily dark mood and a film-noir like atmosphere, which adds an interesting emotional texture to its mix of horror, science-fiction/supernatural fantasy, and drama. The show looked and sounded particularly good on the DVDs I previewed, and the widescreen format adds greatly to the visual appeal.
This was one of the better seasons of “Angel” that I’ve seen on DVD. Angel and his investigation team deal with some intriguing new challenges in season three. There were a couple of episodes that I found particularly interesting, including “That Vision Thing” where Cordelia's disturbing visions take on agonizing physical manifestations and “Carpe Noctem” where an evil old man is wily enough to bind Angel in a spell and switch bodies with him. Another particularly dramatic development in season three was the return of Angel’s son Conner as a teenager.
Although there were imaginative aspects to many of the episodes, I thought that the third season of “Angel” was a little uneven. I was entertained at times, but the show didn’t always draw me in completely. Perhaps this was because the choppy pacing of some of the scripts managed to weaken the dramatic momentum and emotional impact of many of the storylines.
But, all in all, the DVDs were worth watching, and I predict that this show’s many fans will enjoy the DVD set even more than I did.
