I have been a fan of RENT since its first release years ago. I saw the original production and several touring productions. I loved Pascal and Vega as singers, but not their acting - perhaps since both were band singers before RENT, they represented the gritty sound the original director was going for. This newly filmed version has an amazing cast who work well together and spark wonderful chemistry. The biggest surprise was Angel -- he recreated the roll and made it his own, adding some hilarious quirks to the character that made me love Angel even more; and made it THAT much more devastating when Angel meets his fate.