With a reboot of the Charlie's Angels franchise hitting theaters recently and performing pretty poorly (at the time I'm writing this the film currently holds a 3.9/10 on the IMDb and likely won't turn a profit), it got me thinking about the two previous films that were released in the early 2000's. Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle were released in 2000 and 2003 respectively, and starred Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu as the titular 'Angels'. Now, I hadn't seen either one of those films in over a decade but, they were box-office successes and I remember thinking that they were fun action flicks. So, I decided to rewatch them both and see if they hold up...
They do not.
Let's start off with 2000's Charlie's Angels. This one is probably the better of the two, but not by much and some of that is just because it's about 10 minutes shorter. The basic premise of this first film involves the Angels being hired to rescue a computer software genius named Eric Knox who has been kidnapped. Along the way they encounter a strange and mysterious assassin they call the "Thin Man" (played by Crispin Glover). Of course, in a twist anyone could see a mile away, Knox and his business partner who hired the Angels are in cahoots with the "Thin Man". It's a pretty funny movie, although I think most of the things that had me cracking up were not intended to do so. One thing that I had forgotten over the years was the stellar cast that was assembled for this film. Starring along side the Angels are the likes of Bill Murray, Tim Curry, and Sam Rockwell who just the year before was in The Green Mile. Unfortunately, the film is poorly written and the plot seems to only serve as a means to get the three attractive leads from one scenario in which they wear sexy outfits to another. Additionally, most of the stunts are beyond ridiculous and it's directed by McG, who has never directed a good movie.
Moving on to 2003, and we got the sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. This one is also directed by McG and, much like the first film, is mostly eye-candy with very little plot. Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Crispin Glover, Matt LeBlanc and Luke Wilson all reprise their roles from the previous film. However, interestingly enough, Bosley (played in the first film by Bill Murray) was recast with Bernie Mac taking over the role. The Angels' mission in this film is to recover two titanium rings that, when put together, reveal a list of people in protective custody. The rings are eventually acquired by former Angel Madison Lee (played by Demi Moore). Madison's plan is to gather several different criminal organizations and sell the rings to the highest bidder. 'Full Throttle' is a great way to describe this movie, as the unconvincing special effects and impossible stunts have definitely been kicked up to another level in this entry. Likewise, the plot is just a bit dumber, the acting is just a bit more over-the-top, and the musical selection is just a bit more on the nose.
Overall, these movies are kind of fun, the characters seem to exist in an absurd world that is completely free of logic, and I laughed a lot rewatching both of them. That being said, I think they are bad films. I'm glad I sat down and rewatched them but, I don't think it's something i'll be doing again anytime soon.
I give both Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle a 1.5 out of 5
