Pros: there are entertaining action scenes; meeting new Angels; filming in Hamburg and Istanbul Cons: noticeable overkill with the script; the banal lot of the negative characters in Charlie’s Angels
Genre Action
Directed by Elizabeth Banks
Cast: Kristen Stewart (Sabina Wilson), Naomi Scott (Elena Hoflin), Ella Balinska (Jane Cano), Elizabeth Banks (Susan Bosley), Sam Claflin (Alexander Brock), Noah Centineo (Langston), Patrick Stewart (Stan Bosley), Luis Gerardo Mendez (Saint), Magdalena Tan (Ashley Remoquillo), etc.
Компании Columbia Pictures, Brownstone Productions (II), 2.0 Entertainment
Year of release 2019
IMDb website
The story of the Angels began in 1976 – this year the first series was released about three women who graduated from the police academy and became private detectives. In each episode, the heroines investigated a new case, receiving assignments from boss Charlie, whose face no one had ever seen. The series was extended over five seasons, which were accepted by the audience, despite constant changes in the main cast.
In 2000, a full-length adaptation of the series was released with new Angels played by Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. The film was quite popular, although film critics blamed it for its frivolity. A couple of years later, a sequel to the action film appeared with the same cast, but it was not possible to repeat the success of the first film.
It seemed that this was the end of the story. True, in 2011, a series about yet another Angels was briefly aired on the ABC television channel – it was such a failure that the project was closed, pretending that it had never existed. So the images of Charlie’s Angels, by and large, were assigned to Barrymore, Diaz and Liu in history.
But, as you know, Hollywood loves to return to old and well-tested characters. In 2018, filming began on a new film, which was initially mistaken for a large-scale reboot of the franchise. Elizabeth Banks, who directed and wrote, called the upcoming film a sequel, not a remake.
Banks’ words are confirmed by one of the scenes in the new film. In it, the operator shows photographs of previous Angels, apparently retired. Well, now their places have been taken by representatives of a new and more freedom-loving generation. Their roles were played by Kristen Stewart (whose filmography is filled with the mass cinema Twilight and at the same time the festival Clouds of Sils Maria), Naomi Scott (viewers saw her in the new adaptation of Aladdin), Ella Balinska (she has not previously appeared in famous films).
The plot of the film shows a programmer who participated in the development of the Kalisto device – it is a new source of energy and, if used incorrectly, can become a dangerous weapon. The girl knows too much, they begin to persecute her, so Charlie’s Angels take over to protect the heroine. They are representatives of a powerful organization operating throughout the world. Charlie himself still remains anonymous, he transmits orders through an assistant called Bosley. Previously, this position was held by Stan (Patrick Stewart), but he is retiring, and a new Bosley (Elizabeth Banks, also director) will lead the Angels.
The plot with a secret weapon hints that a big hunt is about to begin for him. Of course, it will be accompanied by long chases, shootouts and fights. According to the agency’s tradition, the heroines will use several Bond-inspired devices, as well as use the old Angels trick of dressing up in identical costumes.
It’s probably worth saying right away that the new film is radically different from its predecessors from the 2000s. He is already accused of feminist ideas, which, in fact, is to be expected from modern cinema. The heroines of the film have truly become stronger, smarter and more invincible, which is nothing to be ashamed of.
The first half of the film is a dynamic, glossy action film, enticing with action and changing locations (the film was filmed in Hamburg and Istanbul). The plot is simple, but it attracts and holds attention.
In the second half of the film, something very banal happens to the script. Elizabeth Banks is fixated on girl power, noticeably overdoing it and destroying the adequacy of the same idea. Moreover, in the end everything goes according to the old pattern, when negative characters talk out their plans out loud for a long time, wasting time on obvious dialogues, and then receive a portion of punishment.
In a word, it all started well, but ended with an excess of imagination. At the same time, the new Charlie’s Angels can still be given a chance if there is no initial skepticism about the actresses and the main idea of the film about female agents. Without prejudice, the film will pass as an entertaining movie for one time.
Conclusion:
glossy action that keeps you busy with chases, but cannot adequately convey the idea of strong heroines.
