Charlie’s Angels is one of the most iconic series in pop culture history and has been around as long as Star Wars, if you can believe it. It’s garnered TV shows, previous movies, and even a comic book series by comic writer John Layman. Now sixteen years since Demi Moore shot her gold desert eagle magnum pistols at Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu, comes a new team of women. Taking a page out of Tyler Perry’s work regimen, actress Elizabeth Banks also serves as a writer, producer, and director for the newest Angels flick. But are the odds in favor of the new trio or does it fall flat before it even begins?
The Story
Scientist Elena Houghlin (Noami Scott) invents a sustainable energy source called Calisto that could revolutionize the industry. But there’s one major flaw, it can be weaponized. When she brings this news up to her boss and company owner, neither wants to hear it. Instead, they move forward with plans to start mass production on the product. When she decides to become a whistleblower and warn others about the dangers of her company an assassin tries to kill her.
This, in turn, brings in our two heroines Sabina Wilson (Kristen Stewart) and Jane Kano (Ella Balinska) who spring into action. Their mission becomes keeping Elena safe from unknown forces that want her dead and retrieving Calisto to prevent any mass destruction. The most interesting element of the new film is that it’s not really a reboot but a continuation of the original TV show and movies. From here the film becomes a game of who can or can’t be trusted.
The film gets off to a decent start with two out of three Angels on an assignment. Right off the bat, the mission shows Stewart as the mellow/comedic Angel while Balinska takes the more serious lead Angel . In this version of the Angels, the third member played by Scott is MIA in terms of action or combat skills. She takes a more intellectual approach to the character this time around. In this movie, the Townsend agency has evolved. It is now a global institution that has various female spies in place around the world. Even the position of Bosley has been updated to a series of individuals who are given the name. One noticeable disappointment during a retirement scene to honor retiring John Bosley (Patrik Stewart) was no acknowledgment of Bill Murray or Bernie Mack.
The Angels & Bosley
As weird as it sounds the Angels in this newest installment of the franchise can be easily compared to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. First, you have Kristen Stewart’s character who acts a lot like Michaengelo/Raphael where one minute she’s playful and funny and the next a bit more serious. Second is Balinska ‘s character who acts a lot like Leonard. Balinska is clearly the take-charge person of the group and does most of the fighting throughout the film. Last is Scott’s character who although she lacks fighting ability is the brains who gets them out of jams using her intelligence just like Donatello. This isn’t a bad thing, but more of just an observation of the characteristics of the trio. As for Elizabeth Banks, her version of Bosley didn’t really display many outstanding qualities aside from having a lot of resources.
The Verdict
Charlie’s Angels is a lot better than I think a lot of people will expect. The script does have some small flaws but is not bad in comparison to a lot of other reboots that Hollywood makes these days. It didn’t really have the whole “Girl Power” feel that everyone says either. It felt like a genuine spy thriller with women as the leads. It’s a decent feature overall that’s worth checking out. It’s entertaining, funny, and hopefully makes enough noise to get a sequel. If you get a chance to see it in theaters give it a chance.
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