Acting as the latest reboot of the franchise – and also a continuation of sorts to the show and the McG movies from the early 2000s – the new Charlie’s Angels is written and directed by Elizabeth Banks, making her first foray into bigger budget filmmaking, having previously tackled Pitch Perfect 2. Expanding on the concept that made the original show a hit, the Townsend Agency now has Angels around the world. In this, we follow Sabina (Kristen Stewart) and Jane (Ella Balinska), who are given a new assignment to protect Elena (Naomi Scott).
Elena has been a part of a company that has produced a new piece of technology that can revolutionize the power industry, but it could be hacked and reworked as a weapon, which her superiors are trying to keep under wraps. She has to work with our two Angels, as well as Bosley (Elizabeth Banks) to make sure the tech doesn’t get into the wrong hands. What proceeds is a globe trotting adventure where the women use fancy tech and their wits to find out who is trying to take out Elena and use the tech for their own evil purposes.
As far these kind of mid-range action blockbusters go, Charlie’s Angels keeps a fairly tight focus and doesn’t try to reach beyond its limits. This is thanks to a solid script from Banks. While it’s not the most economical, it does a good job at keeping you engaged with the story without getting too bogged down in exposition or onslaughts of plot twists. The film definitely has its fun with the pulpy thrills of a spy romp, but it’s in the small moments where the film shines, be it the humorous banter or the revealing character beats, where someone shows a different side than we have previously seen.
In the opening moments, I was a bit worried that the film would fall into the clichés of the kind of broad pop feminism you’d see in cold, corporate mandated girl power entertainment, from Sabina’s speechifying to a villain about how women are capable of many things and are easily underestimated to a montage of random young girls from around the world before the title cards hit the screen. I felt that the film quickly moved on from the initial clunkiness, and was able to find its own groove while still making its intentions very clear with the empowerment of its female leads.
As an action movie, there is a lot to be desired. There are moments that I found thrilling and exciting, but whenever it got to close quarters hand-to-hand combat scenes, the coverage would often have the camera way too close to the actors, and the editing would get far more frantic. It is disappointing to see these kind of tricks that are often used to hide bad stunts and bad choreography when, in the few moments you can see things clearly, the actors are putting in the work, and the staging and choreography is more than solid. It’s not quite to my taste, but it’s perfectly serviceable.
At the end of the day, it’s the comedy that works the best, and that’s mainly due to the cast. Everyone works well together, the chemistry is great, and there are plenty of fun gags and one-liners that are thrown at a fast enough clip so that the not-so-great ones are quickly forgotten about while you laugh at a new one. Kristen Stewart really shines here, bringing a wild energy that I really loved seeing. Ella Balinska is a compelling presence, and she sells this persona of being really good at what she does, even if its at the expense of being emotionally closed off. And Naomi Scott, who has been a bright spot in stuff like Power Rangers and the new Aladdin, is very charismatic as the newcomer who is enamored by the world of the Angels. The supporting cast, including the likes of Elizabeth Banks, Patrick Stewart, Noah Centineo, Djimon Hounsou, and Sam Claflin, are also strong, but it’s our three leads who take center stage through and through.
I don’t have a huge attachment to this franchise, I’ve seen and enjoyed episodes of the shows, and I haven’t seen the McG films since they came out, so I don’t remember much – I’m gonna take a wild guess and assume they haven’t aged well. This new Charlie’s Angels is far from perfect, but I had a really fun time with it. It’s a modest action comedy that keeps things moving, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Elizabeth Banks makes a solid transition into making bigger films, and I’m curious to see if she continues to go this route. But most important of all, I really enjoyed seeing Sabina, Jane, and Elena. They make for a great team, they’re dynamic is engaging, and they each bring something interesting to the table. Who knows if a Charlie’s Angels franchise can sneak into a blockbuster world filled with an overabundance of superhero movies, but if this pushes through, I wouldn’t mind seeing more adventures with these Angels in the future.