Charlie's Angels - Più che mai

Attacking `Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle' is a bit like shooting secret agents in a barrel; there's just not a lot of sport in it because it's way too easy to do.

Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore return as the giggly, jiggly trio who, we're supposed to believe, are amazing, expert crime fighters. About the only way this material stands even a chance of succeeding is if the filmmakers treat it like some over-the-top, live action cartoon (or is it video game?) - which is pretty much what they've done. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a cartoon almost totally devoid of wit, creativity and charm. The plot mainly consists of finding ways to get the girls into campy costumes and situations. Thus we have the angels as nuns, the angels as welders, the angels as exotic dancers. The problem is that this cutesiness wears awfully thin after awhile, especially since that is pretty much all the screenplay manages to come up with in the way of entertainment.

The stunt sequences – which consist mainly of tedious slow-motion shots of the girls flipping through the air, karate-chopping the bad guys and dodging bullets - are so excessive in nature that we begin to understand what a detrimental effect `The Matrix' (however inadvertently) has had on filmmaking in the past few years. When any physical action - no matter how contrary to the laws of physics and gravity - is possible, how are we supposed to care what happens to the people involved? If no one seems to be in any real danger, all possible suspense is eliminated and we are left admiring the work of the special effects team and very little else. The `Charlie's Angels' films are not alone in this regard, but they do serve as handy warning signs of the potentially debilitating effect of this trend on the future of action movies.

About halfway through the film, Jaclyn Smith, one of the angels from the original TV series, shows up to dispense some veteran advice to one of our intrepid little cherubs. Though long past her prime, Smith is so goddess-y beautiful in her brief moments on screen that, not only does she outclass all three of the leading players, but she makes us, heaven forbid, even feel a twinge of nostalgia – however faint - for the original series. Frankly, I didn't think that was possible. Credit the makers of this fiasco for achieving at least that much with their film.

This movie is one half Mission Impossible and one half Airplane. The combination of which not only requires 'suspension of disbelief', but I'd say you need to string your disbelief up by the roof beams and flog it mercilessly.

If I haven't been clear enough, let me put it plainly: do not, I repeat, do not take this movie seriously in any way, shape or form.

That much should be obvious in the first 2 minutes when we see the angels walk into a Mongolian prison camp and start riding a mechanical bull to the tune of "Wild Thang" while kicking the asses of hundreds of 300-lb men. I won't tell you what happens in the next 2 minutes, but it makes the first 2 minutes look like a nature documentary.

I saw this movie last night and I'm still not sure what the plot is. But it was thoroughly entertaining (especially for a hetero guy who enjoys gratuitous booty shots). Some gags were pretty funny, while others were so lame you have to laugh anyway. But really the comedy is the fact that everything is so unbelievably unbelievable.

Glancing at some of the reviews here, I see that the tongue-in-cheek comedy was lost on a lot of people, and instead of having a good time they probably ended up hurling things at their TV screen. I'm just here to warn you, do not fall into that trap. Realize that it's a comedy. It panders to the lowest brain cell in your skull. And it delivers a wild ride.

P.S. The soundtrack absolutely kicks butt. J Geils Band, Bon Jovi, Loverboy, David Bowie, Journey... if you were alive & remotely cool in the 80s, you'll really dig it.

This is not a film to be taken seriously. I love it! It is just such an entertaining film. The action is enjoyable and well done, although it is unrealistic, but that is why I loved it. The acting is good, the writing is of course so intentionally cheesy and corny, but I loved the plot! The women are HOT HOT HOT, and that is something that matters. I do not get why this film gets too much hate. Honestly, it is just done as a popcorn action film, and it works!!! It really is mindless, and that is why it is easier to enjoy than maybe other action films like Spider-Man (although another similar action-packed film Wanted is just better in every way and not mindless actually). Still, this film works for me, and I think it is better than the original.

This is a big, shiny, silly, camp summer blockbuster and I suspect most of the bad reviews are purely because it dares to make fun of itself in a way that Mission: Impossible, Die Hard, X-Men and all those dude- dominated action movies don't.

But really, I have to worry about all those people who hated this on seeing it. Did they not see the first movie? Or perhaps they thought the original TV show was a cerebral example of 1970's TV programming.

The fact is if you liked the 2000 movie, with all the silly in-jokes, cultural references, campy soundtrack and frankly ridiculous stunts then you'll enjoy this one just as much. Maybe more because it also has Demi Moore looking amazing and a Jaclyn Smith cameo.

I liked the first Charlie's Angels film. OK so it was never going to make cinematic history, but it was fun in a kitsch kind of a way.

Not so the second. The storyline is disjointed, and the action sequences are so far overdone it's laughable. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but when the Angels are flying around like Matrix Agents even dodging bullets, it just gets silly. There are numerous references to other films, but I get the impression that they're included as padding rather than genuine homages.

Demi Moore looks great, but is wasted in this compost heap of a film. If ever there was an argument for not buying a DVD before you've watched it, this is it.