New wings in Charlie’s Angels struggle to carry old ideas
A check of the time tells us it’s reboot o’clock. Yet again. A check of the pulse tells us there is no real reason to get excited, yet again.
Leigh Paatsch
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A check of the time tells us it is reboot o’clock. Yet again. A check of the pulse tells us there is no real reason to get excited. Yet again.
This time it is the turn of Charlie’s Angels to bring on the brand reactivation and bland modernisation to moderate effect.
For those who missed the franchise’s earlier incarnations – most notably, the cheesy mid-1970s TV series, and the early-2000s movies – you won’t be at a disadvantage joining the party at this late stage.
The premise remains the same: three good-looking spies-for-hire glamorously globe-trot the world to teach bad dudes all the lessons they had coming.
Our trio of high-flying, haute couture heroines are comprised of a rebellious one, Sabina (Kristen Stewart), a conscientious one, Elena (Naomi Scott), and a learning-on-the-job one, Jane (Ella Balinska).
The Angels get caught up in a nefarious plot involving a life-changing gizmo that could become a world-ending one, should it fall into the wrong hands.
Trained as a scientist, Jane had a hand in developing the dodgy tech. She’ll come in useful later in the picture, once Sabina and Elena have stopped their bickering (a trait which gets old in the movie) and completed her training.
All three leads run hot and cold throughout, but so too does the movie, which never quite nails the right tone of flippant humour needed to keep an audience on-side.
Some terrific set-piece action sequences, however.
CHARLIE’S ANGELS (M)
Director: Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect 2)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, Patrick Stewart, Sam Claflin.
Rating: **1/2
New wings can’t carry old ideas to movie heaven
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