 Once
upon a time there were three beautiful actresses who went to Hollywood,
and they were assigned the hazardous task of turning an extremely
popular television series from the 70's into a fun, sexy and exciting
movie. Little did they realize that production delays, budget
over-runs and reports of on-set bickering would turn this into
the toughest mission of their careers. By the time the movie opened
in the fall of 2000, anxious moviegoers had every reason to believe
that this adrenalized chick flick was a box office bomb just waiting
to explode.
Well, it
just goes to show you that you shouldn't believe everything you
read (or hear), for not only was the movie much better than expected,
but it was also a box office sensation that grossed almost $265
million worldwide. Now that these lovely actresses proved that
they could deliver the goods, there was every reason to believe
that they could do it even better the second time around.
To that extent,
mission accomplished! Not only is Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
a tighter, better, more focused sequel that tops the original
film in just about every way, but Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore
and Lucy Liu are at the top of their game as Charlie's sexy, ass-kicking
detectives. With so much fun to be had with one movie, one can
only hope that there's a Charlie's Angels 3 just waiting
in the wings.
Natalie (Cameron
Diaz), Dylan (Drew Barrymore) and Alex (Lucy Liu) must face their
biggest challenge yet when they go undercover to retrieve two
missing rings that contain the names of every person in the Witness
Protection Program. When witnesses start turning up dead, the
Angels discover that the perpetrator is Madison Lee (Demi Moore),
a former Angel who now works for the dark side. Aided by their
trusty colleague Bosley (Bernie Mac), the Angels begin an incredible
adventure that turns deadly when Dylan confronts a secret from
her past.
After overcoming
the obstacles that threatened to derail the first film, returning
director McG is obviously much more confident with his vision
in turning Charlie's Angels into a live-action version
of The Powerpuff Girls. The former music video director
ups the ante from the original movie with even more candy-colored
vibrancy, retro-style sass, pop-cultural hipness and a rip-roaring
soundtrack that keeps the film moving like a non-stop music video.
The fight
scenes in the first film were clearly influenced by The Matrix,
so it seems appropriate that the aptly titled Full Throttle
takes them to the next level (think Charlie's Angels Reloaded).
There are quite a few edge-of-your-seat action scenes, especially
a high-octane dirt bike chase that puts you right in the driver's
seat. The stunts are obviously far-fetched, but that's the whole
point, and the movie's cartoonish style serves as a constant reminder
that this is all in the name of 100% fun.
As with the
first film, Cameron Diaz steals the show with her idealistic,
charming and incredibly sexy turn as Natalie. At the opposite
end of the spectrum is Drew Barrymore, who is equally sexy and
a little tougher as the heavy metal-inspired Dylan. Lucy Liu balances
out the threesome, but her colder turn as Alex makes her a little
too distant to embrace. What's important though is that they all
seem like they're having a blast, and their good-natured chemistry
is what makes the film extremely infectious.
Anyone watching
the first movie could tell that Bill Murray didn't belong there,
so it was no surprise when he passed on reprising his role as
Bosley. Murray may be out, but in-demand funnyman Bernie Mac is
in as his brother (don't ask), and his more outrageous personality
fits the tone of the sequel much better. There are plenty of other
returning players as well, not to mention a ton of celebrity cameos
-- but to reveal who they are would simply spoil the surprise.
Where bad
buzz surrounded the first film for months, at least the sequel
has some good buzz in its favor -- specifically the return of
Demi Moore. After taking a six year break from Hollywood (not
including 2000's little-seen indie flick Passion of Mind),
Moore is back big-time, and at 40, she looks better than ever
and could easily pass for someone almost half her age (like her
current boyfriend, but hey, we won't go there!).
If there
is any fault to be found with Full Throttle, it's that
the filmmakers were clearly having too much fun to take notice
of the convolutions with the plot. Then again, the plot becomes
almost secondary after a little while, so you just go with it.
Thanks to the immeasurable chemistry between Diaz, Barrymore and
Liu -- not to mention the talented hand of director McG -- Charlie's
Angels: Full Throttle ends up being the summer equivalent
of a cinematic gift from the gods.
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