Review of 'Charlie's Angels'

Charlie's first and original assistant John “Bosley” (Patrick Stewart) has retired leaving a network of “Bosley” operatives working for Townsend Agency around the world. Scientist Elena Houghlin (Naomi Scott) has created Calisto, a powerful and portable electricity source, but she realizes there is a flaw that could allow the device to be used as a weapon but her superior the self-serving Peter Fleming (Nat Faxon) dismisses her concerns as does the head of the company, entrepreneur Alexander Brok (Sam Claflin). Elena meets with Edgar “Bosley” (Djimon Hounsou), along with Angels the wild Sabina Wilson (Kristen Stewart) and Jane Kano (Ella Balinska) to hand over evidence that Calisto can be misused but their Bosley is killed as they are ambushed but the three manage to escape. Teaming up with former Angel Rebekah “Bosley” (Elizabeth Banks) things get complicated as their new Bosley disappears in the middle of an operation to retrieve the Calisto devices…

This is sort of an extended episode of the original television series but with some big action sequences though not quite the mania and budget of the original “Charlie's Angels” film from 2000 staring Diaz, Barrymore and Liu. The plot is fairly complex and a bit far-fetched but, as with most such films, this is just a vehicle for various action sequences which are reasonably good though it is far more understated than the 2000 film (bringing to mind it's quite preposterous motorcycle stunts). The new Angels seem to take themselves a bit less seriously in this new outing.

The main characters take themselves quite seriously but manage to always have a smile and seem to enjoy themselves, a key aspect of the original series. They still never seem to really get injured too badly despite the incredible stunts…go figure. The acting is quite good with some new blood breathing new life to the series. The introduction of Luis Gerardo Hernández Méndez as the fun “Saint” a “jack of all trades” including caterer and licensed psychotherapist provides quite a nice break from the heavy action and intense relationship between the Angels, Elana and Bosley for both us and the characters.

The idea of a much more complicated Townsend Agency with multiple Bosleys and many Angels is good fun, opening the franchise wide open for many more outings. The story has a twist that many might have seen coming from a mile away but makes things take a quite a different turn and ramping up the jeopardy for the Angels.

A reasonable action film with a few surprising twists that will keep viewers on their toes. Some may find it a bit long at just under two hours and is quite draggy in the middle with quite a lot of talking with quick, wise-cracking dialogue that gets a bit wearing after a while. Fans of the series will either recoil in disgust at some of the changes or embrace it for breathing new life into it…

Stay for the ending and the credits to see a number of surprising cameos.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2025-03-23

Directed by: Elizabeth Banks

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Year: 2019

Length: 118 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5033998/