ANGEL was a fun movie I discovered one late night on USA Network and I didn't know there were two sequels until I came across this wonderful collection from Vinegar Syndrome. The first movie ANGEL is the best of the three and each sequel is a case of diminishing returns. Each movie is enjoyable in its own right and some fans of ANGEL will probably just buy the single disc release of ANGEL and skip the two sequels or even the limited edition collection with the slip case you can pull apart to get at the three movies in their individual cases.

ANGEL follows a teenage girl named Molly who decides to become a hooker named Angel. Her life comes crashing around her when a serial killer starts targeting street hookers.

AVENGING ANGEL takes place years later where Molly is going to college as a lawyer when someone close to her is murdered. She dons the persona of Angel again to get revenge.

ANGEL III: THE FINAL CHAPTER finds Molly with a career as a crime photographer who become Angel one more time to save the sister she never knew she had and to avenge the death of the mother who abandoned her when she was 12.

The writers and director of the first ANGEL never attended to do a sequel, but they were contractually locked to do the sequel AVENGING ANGEL which Joseph Cala and director Robert Vincent O'Neil didn't like as much as ANGEL. Most of the cast from the first returned, but Angel was recast because the producers didn't want to pay more for Donna Wilkes to return. Angel/ Molly was recast again for the third one with Mitzi Kapture in the title role this time (before Mitzi would go on to star in the SILK STALKINGS TV series). The only part of the ANGEL series not included in this set or the previous release is ANGEL 4: UNDERCOVER which was the pilot for an ANGEL cable series which wasn't picked up.


SPECIAL FEATURES:
ANGEL-
DISCOVERING AN ANGEL- interview with co-writer/ director Robert Vincent O'Neil
PLAYING BOTH SIDES- an interview with actress Donna Wilkes (Molly Stewart/ Angel)
A CHANCE MEETING- interview with co-writer Joseph Cala
ANGEL'S THEME- interview with composer Craig Safan

Theatrical trailers for ANGEL, AVENGING ANGEL, and ANGEL III
Deleted scenes and outtakes presented with no sound

AVENGING ANGEL-
CHASING AN ANGEL- interview with co-writer/ director Robert Vincent O'Neil and -writer Joseph Cala on how they had to do the sequel because it was in their contracts
STREET SMARTS- interview with actress Betsy Russell who took over as Molly Stewart for the first sequel after the producers decided not to bring Donna Wilkes back for the role

Theatrical trailers for ANGEL, AVENGING ANGEL, and ANGEL III

ANGEL III: THE FINAL CHAPTER-
Audio commentary with writer/ director Tom DeSimone (as moderated by David Decoteau of RapidHeart.tv) which is more of a discussion of the director's career than an actual discussion of making the movie (which you don't hear anything about until halfway into the track)

Stills gallery
Theatrical trailers for ANGEL, AVENGING ANGEL, and ANGEL III

FINAL ANALYSIS: ANGEL is the best of the three movies and each movie is diminishing returns. Each sequel is enjoyable in its own right. The extras give insight in how the movies were made and why the main character was recast with each movie. The only movie in the series not included in this set is the unaired pilot for the ANGEL cable TV series.

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