Yar, you be here: City of Angels > Customer Reviews

City of Angels Customer Reviews (25 - 27 of 51 Reviews)

Will love prevail?--beware Nic Cage fans
There's no question that 1998's 'City Of Angels' is a very diverse movie. It has great acting (some by an actor who comes off roles in '8mm' and 'Snake Eyes'), love, demise, angels, and even a great soundtrack. This movie resides nicely in my extensive movie collection, even though most of the others are comedies, dramas, or action movies. Nicolas Cage is one of my favorite actors; which is why I bought this in the first place. And I'm glad I did. Cage's performance is actually one of his best, and Meg Ryan is also at her finest. This is certainly not one of the best films I've ever seen (and it's not one of my personal favorites), but it is still pleasing and [at least] worth your time.

A lot of other reviewers have gone into great depth in explaining the plot. Therefore I won't do the same; I'll just give a brief overview of it. The movie's plot is based on the characters of Seth (Cage) and Maggie (Ryan). Seth is an angel who is sent to "pick up" the people he's to take to heaven. And when he is waiting for a patient of Maggie (she's a doctor) to pass, he finds himself fascinated with her relentlessness in not giving up on the child. Seth almost feels violated; as Maggie looks him in the eye and (seemingly) tells Seth not to take him yet. The way the two interact when they're supposed to not even notice each other is outstanding. Even though Seth knows that he's dead, he sometimes feels as if he can intermingle with her. This part of the movie is by far the best; and once the two actually are able to communicate (how I won't ruin for you; I wouldn't be able to explain it too well), everything that seemed to be amazing within the movie begins to fade. The acting becomes more average and the story starts to slow down and not let you know where it's going. There's not much more that can be said about the film or it's basis. But as for the ending, it almost ruined the movie completely. I won't spoil it for you; as you can decide for yourself whether or not it's fitting. It came up too fast, I think. And I will stick to my saying it was one of the weaker endings in the romance movie library. I could've easily changed my ranking to 4 stars from three if they'd had a better ending. But even if you know what actually happens or you hate poor endings in film, still watch the movie. The beginning and (overall) acting by Nicolas Cage are certainly worth it. But for the common Cage fan: stay away from this one. If you are hoping for a repeat of any of his action sequences from his previous or latter movies, you will be extremely disappointed. This is a love story, this is not an action movie. Nonetheless, he does an excellent job with his role and almost outdoes himself. Meg Ryan also rises to the occasion; for all you 'Sleepless In Seattle' fanatics out there.

In the end, 'City Of Angels' is, overall, a decent movie. The cast list is pretty limited; as really only Cage and Ryan are given the chance to shine. But Andre Braugher does a good job in the small supporting cast, and Cage's 'Leaving Las Vegas' co-star Elisabeth Shue appears shortly as a pregnant woman. Still, Cage and Ryan are all you need to enjoy this movie. It was a very popular movie, but I do believe it's slightly overrated. The ending was very ineffectual and may, in time, make you lose interest in the movie (meaning you won't want to watch it again). But kudos to Nicolas Cage for trying something new with his distinct career. Definitely watch this movie if you haven't already. You may not completely like it, but you will at least be able to form some strong opinions about it.

Weak, unmotivated, and boring...
"City of Angels" has a lot of cool ideas. It has a great style of direction about it. It's biggest problem is that it falls under the standard movie cliches for love stories. A shame, because the first two acts are very good. Nicolas Cage is an angel. He walks the Earth unnoticed and unseen by humans. It is suggested that in death, one can see or feel the angels, which is an interesting concept indeed. Meg Ryan is a doctor who is a little lovesick. Cage follows her around one day and becomes increasingly interested in her. Finally, she sees him and the two begin to fall in love. So far, the movie is interesting, original, and very well-acted. Then it comes to a point where Cage must make a choice. He must either stay an angel or become human and live with Meg. It doesn't take a genius to predict what happens. The movie loses itself in utter predictability and uses recycled story elements from so many other romance movies. I realize I'm a guy and that I probably shouldn't like this movie anyway, but I believe in giving movies a fair chance. I like the first two acts of this movie a lot. I like the concept, I like the characters, and I like the acting. The third act is just so contrived and desparate I wanted to shout in anger at the screen during its climax. I didn't hate this film. I just hated the outcome. Would I recommend it? No. But I don't doubt that there are people that liked it.

Great Actors, Though Provoking Story Line - Bring Kleenex
My main reason to see this movie was Nicolas Cage - he is my favorite actor, so I was going to see the movie no matter what. Movies are a personal experience - it all depends what you want to take away from the experience of watching them. I personally loved this movie.

This movie was very touching, if you picked up on the subtle nature of what was going on. Maggie (Meg Ryan) was struggling with her faith while being a heart surgeon who can't see the connection between her work and faith in God. Don't let that scare you - religion isn't the main focus of the movie. It was very moving to watch Maggie come alive once she meets Seth (Nicolas Cage) who is an angel.

Another reviewer had a great point - the movie, if you spend time thinking about it, really does make you realize all the little things that we all take for granted. Dennis Franz's character really brings these things to light, but he reminded me that you don't always have to take life so seriously - there has to be room for fun and enjoyment.

I will admit that I was disappointed with the ending, but every movie has to end and even though I needed some Kleenex it was a very powerful ending to a though-provoking movie. The soundtrack of this movie is also great! The songs perfectly fit each scene.

The most memorable line from the movie for me is when Seth says the following to Maggie shortly after they meet for the first time:

"Some things are true whether you believe them or not."

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Next Page