Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Movie Review:


Well director McG’s vision of the classic television show returns to the big screen. His breathless trio of Natalie (Cameron Diaz), Dylan (Drew Barrymore) and Alex (Lucy Liu) cascade back into the celluloid arena with a new Bosley and an all new lethal couple. Is the same old business or just more freakish summer-filled saccharine?

In the first film, we were introduced to the Angels with a crazy airplane and boat opening sequence that set the tone for the entire film. It was fun fresh and adrenaline pumped. Then the film featured the old-fashioned intro-sequence and the audience was hooked.

In the sequel “Full Throttle”, the trio is back and this time the Angels uncover a secret in their midst while trying to out-smart ex-Angel turned demoness Madison Lee (Demi Moore) and psychotic Irish mobster Seamus O'Grady (Justin Theroux).

Lee and O’Grady’s sinister plot surrounds a missing set of rings that hold the secret to unlocking the list of the members of America’s Witness Relocation Program. The rings are referred to as “halos”. How does this all connect to the Angels and what is with the new Bosley, now played by Bernie Mac?

“Full Throttle” is probably the purest example of a “freaky summer popcorn movie”. It’s fun, full of high-octane and has a killer soundtrack.

I had a lot of problems with the film’s opening moments that circle a lot around the “dam sequence” seen in the film’s first trailer. It was just so over the top that I cringed at what was going to come next. But as soon as I heard that old Charlie’s Angels music and the intro-sequence I couldn’t help but smile. It brought back the same old feeling I had when I saw the first one.

I also really liked that there were a lot more references to the series in this film then its predecessor. I really enjoyed Drew’s character’s angst toward being the only Angel left after the others had moved on. But what really made that whole storyline great was her later being consoled by Jaclyn Smith (Kelly Garrett from the original series), who happened to be the only Angel to survive the entire series and suffered through what Drew’s character was imagining. Little things like that just make a TV junkie smile.

My only real problems with the movie were the “cartoon violence” and in some situations I found myself missing Bill Murray’s Bosley. I really liked some of the scenes involving Bernie Mac but Murray really brought something that was missing this time out. The best scene for me with Mac was the surfer-beach sequence. I howled with him in his surfer outfit. I guess the film as a whole kind of scaled down the whole Bosley character. Bosley was an intricate part of the series and they seemed to have lost his worth. It is a shame.

When I interviewed Angels’ director McG three years ago, I remember him saying that music is one of the key elements if not the most important to him when he makes a film. He envisions a song for every scene. Well the songs he picked for this film really made an impact on me. I really loved how he brought back so many favorites and they didn’t disturb the film’s flow at all.

Demi Moore’s return to the silver screen has been toasted as a grand achievement. I really enjoyed her as Madison Lee and she nailed the part. But standing in her shadows is the performance of Justin Theroux. I loved his performance as Seamus. His performance seems to be a combo of “Jackass” star Johnny Knoxville and Robert DeNiro in “Cape Fear”. It is such an under-rated performance. He was so evil and menacing.

If you can let go of the “cartoonish” violence and just enjoy the ride “Full Throttle” is a great summer ride.

(3.5 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

After rescuing the head of the US Marshall Department Ray Carter (Patrick) from Mongolian terrorists, Angels Natalie (Diaz), Dylan (Barrymore) and Alex (Liu) discover that his kidnapping was part of a plan to steal Halo, the US key to the Witness Protection Programme. The Halo key consists of two rings, one held by Carter and the other by the Head of the FBI. When both of them end up missing and witnesses start turning up dead, it is up to the Angels and Bosley (Mac) to find out who is behind it.

Adrenalin filled, switch your brain off at the door, action movies don’t come much dafter than this but you can’t help having fun.

Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is more of the same. Big fights, huge stunts and lots of slow motion shots of the scantily clad girls. Director McG, with a slightly larger budget this time around, takes the action up a notch but of course does nothing with the story. Again the film looks more like an extended pop video, with the flimsy plot just serving as the less than tacky glue that holds the action scenes together. If fact it feels like some things are missing, probably still on the cutting room floor, that would have filled in some of the gaps and plumped up the decidingly thin storyline. For example, why was The Thin Man (Crispin Glover) in the movie and who were the Angels saving at the dirt bike contest?

Story aside, there is still plenty of fun to be had with this movie. The three Angels look like they are really enjoying their roles. All three of them do come across as genuine friends who would go that little bit further, even at the risk of their lives but it is the fun element that pushes the movie out of the average category. As well as all the action, there is time for comedy as well. Coming from the Angels, the new Bosley, the excellent but slightly underused Bernie Mac and the numerous celebrity cameos, the comedy in this film is one thing the writers have got right. The running gag with John Cleese as Alex’s Dad, for example is very well done and extremely funny.

The much heralded return of the cosmetically enhanced Demi Moore as fallen Angel Madison Lee is good but she is sadly underused. Still looking striking and not at all plastic (money well spent), she holds her own with the younger Angels but it is a shame that the writers didn’t give her more to do as she made an excellent villainess.

All in all Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is a no brainer, disposable action movie that is filled to the brim with stunts, gags and not much else. It isn’t a movie that you will remember for the rest of your life or probably even the rest of the day after you’ve watched it but there are worst way of spending you time that are a lot less fun than this.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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