This remake of ’Wings of Desire’ failed to bring out the sentimentality in me because of several negative points. Seth (Cage) is an angel in human form, invisible to all but those that are dying, or to other angels, or to those--like Maggie--whom he chooses to show himself.
He falls in love with Dr Maggie Rice (Meg Ryan), a heart surgeon with a heart of gold, and goes to the extent of bartering his elevated status as angel for the life an an earthling for her sake. Maggie falls in love with him too. When Maggie finds out the truth about him, and of his sacrifice for her sake, there is this paradise, the fulfillment of romance, but not for long. Unfortunately, Maggie dies. After her, what remains of Seth’s life seems directionless, undeveloped.
The movie is slow paced, the atmosphere depressing. The performances by both Meg Ryan and Cage are excellent in terms of their screen chemistry, but it (especially of Cage) is not supported well. Somehow there is a gap between the seriousness of things and the dialogues that support it; they are not able to carry well, inspite of the love-lorn, and beautiful-sadness-looks of Cage. Seth seems doomed right from the beginning, his sucess would’nt have gone well with the tone of the movie.
He seems a loser. I would visualise an angel as benovelent but with a better grip on things and clear ideas. Seth doesn’t seem anything of that kind. The dark tone, and mawkishness of the movie, drag it down to being bland. But I am sure there will be lot of people who will find the movie touching. Maybe the movie would have been better received several decades ago and in black and white.