The Angel Collection: Angel / Avenging Angel / Angel III

while angel could've been a graphic & sleazy exploitation film in the eighties or just a touching made for tv film about the children of the night, it was actually neither one but somehow managed to work well. the first film is pretty much a gritty classic in the tradition of scorsese's "taxi driver" which depicts hollywood as being merely a playground filled with corrupt or quirky characters who seem to have little regard or respect for young women. to make things worse, we have a jack-the ripper killer on the streets knocking them off one after the other. although the dialogue could use some work here here & there, i do like this film & anchor bay did a great job with the dvd here. the extra/alternate footage is nice but somehow it's lost it's sound over the years. nevertheless, donna wilkes did a great job as angel even though she was nearly 25 years old & the angel character was a mere 15. the 2nd film is a decent & entertaining sequel which shows us angel(now played by a younger betsy russell) finishing up law school. after the cop who got her off the streets is murdered, she returns to avenge his death. like the 1st entry, we find again the sweet girl with a heart of gold returning to the streets & teaming up with some old quirky characters as well as some new friends. johnny glitter is just way cool & a bit out there. although not as good as the first by longshot, i have no huge complaints. there are less undraped females in the 2nd film so this is more like something you'd see on usa late nite. the 3rd entry is by far the worst in my opinion but what is the angel collection without it, right? mitzi kapter does an incredible acting job with the material presented here but the overall story seems far away from the first two without the return of kit carson or solly. also, why is angel working in an art factory after she graduated from law school in avenging angel? i mean, how can she put all that schooling to good use in this line of work? and she just so happens to run into her maternal mother who'd left her at such a young age? to make things more interesting, there's a half- sister whom molly's mom conceived 14 years ago that's treading down the same path which molly/angel took in her mid-teens. although the story may be thoughtful & interesting at times, it lacks the campy humor or wit of the originals & tries too hard to be serious. thus, angel 3: the final chapter fails miserably. i, personally, would've been happier with just the first two entries or perhaps the 4th one which may never see the light of day on dvd unfortunately. even though i've never seen the 4th entry, i've been told it follows the series a bit closer than the third entry. evidentally anchor bay had their reasons for not including the 4th sequel but this is somewhat disappointing. as you are only paying a mere thirty some odd bucks for the whole package or less depending on where you're shopping, i will give this a five star as the first two entries are worth the price you pay. thank you anchor bay!

Angel Our Fav 1980s Hooker Is Finally a released on dvd..But please note that the 5 star rating for this dvd is for the first Angel movie ONLY..Movie 2 Avenging Angel is about 3 stars..And the 3rd movie here is barely a 2..I can't say too much good about 2nd and 3rd movie..But the first and original Angel movie starring a sexy Donna Wilkes..Who was at the time in her mid 20s playing a not quite 15 year old schoolgirl hooker..This is one of my favorite movies of the 1980s..The videotape had many Moons ago burned out so the release on dvd is welcomed..The first movie is so good it is worth the price..She is by day a cute little schoolgirl innocent in pigtails..And by night a "hot child in the city" as that song said..This movie really brings that song to mind even though it isn't played in the movie but it should..Hooker by night walking the streets along Hollywood Blvd..Little top short black leather skirt just wished she would've kept the pigtails here too but hey who is complaining..She walks the streets along side some wild characters..Including 2 veterans of film (i may have their names spelled wrong if i do forgive me) Rory Calhone he lampoons the cowboy that he had played in so many old western movies..And the best one is played by Dick Shawn picture half Frank n Furter from Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Milton Berle..You may remember Dick Shawn as LSD/Hitler in movie "Producers"..Can see some of his character from Producers here too..He is hilarious in the movie..And political correctness thankfully is no where to be found which makes it a welcomed sight in this day and age of political correctness..This is sort of a Jack the Ripper kind of tale set in 1980s Hollywood Blvd..Where Angel tracks down the serial killer who is killing off her co streetwalkers..Both her innocent and hooker portrayals is the sexiest you will see in any 80s film..Yeah it is cheaply filmed we could've filmed the movie ourselves..Like i said what i wrote here is about the first movie only..One question how can they call a the complete collection..
For there was also a Part 4 to this sexploytation movie series..Part 4 had found Angel treading into the world of Rock Groupies..And it is NOT here in this set..So it isn't complete..Sad it isn't coz that one was the best one next to the classic first movie..I recommend this set ONLY to get the first one coz it is the only way can get it on dvd..There are NO behind the scenes here wish there was..Would love to see more of Donna Wilkes...She Lil Angel during the day but a Lil Devil by night..Donna Wilkes is piggytails sex and candy wittle schoolgirl what HOT dreams are made of...Schoolgirl Mmmmmm Daddy Like......

You know you're living in America when you can get the Angel Trilogy on DVD with extras delivered to your home straight from Amazon! This set is amazing, a real treat for Angel fans. I have my VHS versions of Angel and Avenging Angel, along with sealed back-ups in a safety deposit box in case one of them broke and they were no longer available on the market to replace. But now with the DVD set, all is secure!

I have posted extensive reviews of these three movies under the VHS version here on Amazon, so I won't repeat them. The sound and visual quality here are excellent, as good as old low-budget movies will look. The theatrical trailors on each (2 on Angel) are amazing. Angel has three deleted scenes with no sound, but with subtitles. For Angel fans, a true treat, but as extras go otherwise, they're not much. One is an existing scene in the movie with slightly different dialog that features some smoking. I guess they didn't want to glorify smoking in the final version, who knows. The chapter selections are superb, and, catch this, "Something Sweet" plays when you're at the menu, with Angel/Molly leaning into a car. Wow, it doesn't get any better than that. Anchor Bay did a great job.

Certainly, Angel 3: The Final Chapter is the dud of the series. It stands fine on its own, but not next to Angel and Avenging Angel. But no real Angel series is complete without it. Angel 4, that other reviewer was right, it doesn't really belong here anymore than Halloween 3 belongs in any Halloween set.

It's a minor miracle that we have this set on DVD with a few extras. I would have liked to have seen a where-are-they-now retrospective featuring the lovely Donna Wilkes, Betsy Russell, and Mitzi Kapture. They could talk about their experiences playing Angel, how they fit into the series, sort of like what the Bond Girls recently did for a special. Susan Tyrell or Cliff Gorman interviews would have been nice also, or even the woman who played guidance counselor, Patricia Allen, in Angel. But, let's not ask for the moon, we have the stars.

Angel fans, ENJOY! You're in for a great treat.