Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons review: A fascinating tale of force-fed fantasy

A still from Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons (Image via Hulu)
A still from Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons (Image via Hulu)

Matt Tyrnauer's latest three-part documentary, Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons, dived head-on into the glamorous and twisted world of fashion and perhaps its biggest player/exploiter, CEO Les Wexner. Through a series of cleverly documented testimonies, archival footage, and attention-grabbing narratives, the documentary did not lack the means to be entertaining for even a second.

The documentary was split between exploring the rise of the brand, the alleged ties of the CEO, and the harrowing tales of exploitation from ex-models. It also spent a significant time deciphering the image that Victoria's Secret created about the "perfect female form." In a way, filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer's journalistic curiosity and cinematic bait merged to create a documentary that is both fascinating and perplexing.

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Read on for a detailed review of Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons.


Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons review: Interesting premise that is often overburdened with details

While it is hard to find technical flaws in Matt Tyrnauer's works, this one carries the burden of serving a platterful of details and stories. It is not the filmmaker's fault that a brand with a history this big has ties to so many controversies, making it nearly impossible to explore the story without diving into the details. While Tyrnauer did not compromise in this regard, he evidently could not place it in the most streamlined manner.

What this really did was make the film a jumble of information rather than a concrete tale of a brand's rise and fall. Apart from this, there is nothing negative about the near three-hour docu-series, that aptly, and sometimes aggressively, explores the different eras of the brand. Beginning from a humble idea that changed the facade of American fashion, the documentary showcased the story of Wexner and his genius in its full glory.

Despite the controversies and the negative press, it is impossible not to praise someone who has been such an instrumental part of the American fashion industry. Wexner managed to market something that the world did not know it needed, subsequently turning it into a fantasy that became an object of desire. While the first half-hour is more focused, the documentary quickly becomes disjointed, burying viewers in detail.

There was something in this film for everyone, which is a plus. There is plenty of information available that would provide an honest perspective, even for those who are actively looking for the controversies surrounding the larger-than-life CEO and his alleged affiliation with the notorious Jeffrey Epstein.

Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons doesn't waste time lingering, but it still feels a little off the mark, owing to the constantly shifting storyline.It is not the easiest to follow, but for those who do it successfully, it is a goldmine of information, carefully curated with great interviews and a clever pace.

Making the parts more episodic would have probably been much better for viewers, but the more chaotic approach isn't repulsive either. Of course, there is a lot left out and a lot left to uncover, but it is not the filmmaker's job to spoonfeed the data. For what it is, it is an excellent tale of glamor, rise, and fall, perhaps only weighed down by a weak conclusion and scattered details.

Victoria's Secret: Angels and Demons is now streaming on Hulu.

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