More grit, less glam
Review
Charlie’s Angels (M, 118 mins)
Directed by Elizabeth Banks
Reviewed by James Croot ★★★
Forty-three years after they first debuted on television, and 16 years since they last hit theatres, everybody’s favourite female detective agency is back and taking aim at a whole new generation.
The first time Sony tried to create a cinematic franchise out of the concept, it attempted to cash in on the aftermath of Spice Grrl power and the success of Austin Powers.
Combining the talents of Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore resulted in an entertaining initial romp that was unfortunately tainted by an awful, overblown 2003 sequel, terribly sub-titled Full Throttle, that killed the series stone dead.
But, as anyone who has witnessed the birth and rebirth of
Spider-Man over the past two decades knows, Sony loves a reboot. And so, we have a McG [director]-free, reimagined Angels for a post-Me Too world.
Here, ‘‘Charlie’’ is the unseen head of the Townsend Agency, a global network of female operatives who use their skills and guile to stop corruption, abuse and general megalomaniac behaviour.
American heiress Sabina (Kristen Stewart) and former British Intelligence Officer Jane (Ella Balinska) are two of their most highly regarded agents, who are paired together for a vital new mission in Germany. Systems engineer Elena Houghlin (Naomi Scott) wants to blow the whistle on her bosses at Brok Industries.
Her revolutionary clean energy device, Calisto, is about to be sold, but it comes with a potentially fatal flaw – it can be weaponised.
Elena has tried to get her superiors to listen, but they dismiss her concerns. However, even as she seeks the Angels’ help, it’s clear that someone doesn’t want her talking.
With its giddy action sequences, expertly choreographed fight scenes and frank dialogue about the place of women (and men) in 2019, director Elizabeth Banks’
(Pitch Perfect 2) tale is clearly designed to capture Millennials’ attention, even though it still finds time for a makeover scene (albeit one disguised as a Bond-esque armoury visit), a dance number and boasts a soundtrack curated by Ariana Grande.
The result is a kind of a cross between Kingsman, modern-day Mission: Impossible and the most recent iteration of The Man From
Uncle. That’s certainly no bad thing and, in the central trio, they’ve found a triumvirate of charismatic leads. Stewart (Twilight), in particular, looks like she’s having a ball, breaking audience perceptions of her.
Sadly, while the dialogue may feel up-to-date, the plot is very much last century. After a series of potentially interesting double and triple-crosses, things evolve towards a predictable conclusion.
And, like the recent Terminator instalment, this seems to revel in elevating the current conflict between two generations – Baby Boomers and Generation Y – in the absence of anything deeper to discuss.
Fans of Barrymore-led movies will also despair that these Angels pack plenty of heat, with gun-porn a-go-go in lieu of more stylish solutions.
Perhaps that’s just reflective of a reboot that wants to offer more grit and less glamour (although there are still plenty of eye-catching outfits on display). Do stay for the end credits, which offer some cameo-heavy training scenes and hope for an even more entertaining way forward.