Although they're not really the same story, the two movies begin the same way--following a pair of angels (Nicolas Cage as Seth and Andre Braugher as Cassiel) as they roam through a city (Los Angeles, in this case), offering unseen comfort to the troubled souls whose thoughts they hear in a near-constant stream. But where Wings of Desire stayed with this concept for almost one plotless hour, City of Angels tarries for barely 10 minutes. At that point, Seth becomes enchanted with a compassionate cardiac surgeon (Meg Ryan), and he reveals himself to her in hopes that she'll fall in love with him.

In the earlier film, the angel remained unseen to the object of his affection until he "fell"--i.e., became human. Other small details are different too. Wenders' film opens in black-and-white to reflect the reduced senses of the angels; the new film is in full color. Also, the former angel who inspires the protagonist to "fall"--a tangential figure in the original--has been made integral to the plot. (In the Wenders film, the former angel was Peter Falk playing "himself"; here it's Dennis Franz, playing a heart patient named Nathaniel Messenger.)

The biggest change, though, is one of tone. Wings of Desire was a pitch-perfect piece of mystical ennui that dissolved into a hopeful romance against the backdrop of a concert by goth-rocker Nick Cave, of all things. It was a love letter to the possibilities of a post-Cold War Berlin, and it was as thrilling as cinema as David Bowie's similarly themed Heroes is as rock 'n' roll. By contrast (and by design), City of Angels is a lesser thing--a spiritually tinged tearjerker. Even so, by starting the love story so early in the movie, the makers of City of Angels get stuck in an unfortunate angel-meets-girl cycle. Since there's seemingly little complication in the romance of a successful surgeon and her celestial admirer, the film concocts a last-minute plot twist that will leave most filmgoers (especially fans of Wenders' film) feeling betrayed.

Love story Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan in City of Angels

Of course, more Americans will see City of Angels than have even heard of Wings of Desire, and although anyone with a video-store membership should spend their money on the original instead, City of Angels does have its merits. Cage, who is different in every film, reduces his voice to a whisper and his gestures to a shrug--as would befit a being used to going unseen and unheard. Ryan, who gives the same open-mouthed, tilted-head, shifty-eyed performance in every film, does so here to charming effect. And in their small roles, Homicide's Braugher and NYPD Blue's Franz are a delight (although I kept hoping they would break off from the movie and start solving crimes).