Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)

I went to see this sequel this afternoon. It was actually my wife who wanted to see it. I enjoyed the first movie and had a good idea what to expect. What I got exceeded my expectations.
This movie was a lot of fun. The pace of the movie was incredible. It starts off fast like a James Bond movie (and we’re not talking your Timothy Daltry-Bond here either) and never slows down. The plot makes some good twists without becoming too distracting. Who wants the plot to get in the way. The plot is simple: bad guy wants to do something really bad and Angels thom him or in this case her.

Bill Murray is only seen in a picture in this one, replace by Bernie Mac. They explain this casting change in passing and make fun of the racial difference. You see, Bernie Mac plays Bosley’s brother.

The opening credits play with the columbia logo again. After the initial opening action sequence, you have an introduction a la John Forsythe reminiscent of the TV Show. This featured some action sequences from other “missions”. There’s even a clip from the first movie.

In the story Matt LeBlanc’s character is an actor and is making a sequel so there are lots of little comments about the “Sequel” and how it compares to the first movie. There are Tom Cruise Mission Impossible 2 references galore. It may be interesting to note that the movie in the movie is the only sequel carrying a number. This movie’s title is “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle”. It is clear to see that this movie is not a #2 but rather a whole movie unto itself. It is more like Thunderball to Dr. No. Since Drew Barrymore is producing the series, you can look forward to more movies.

This movie could not be made without the special effects. There are tons of Matrix-esk camera shots. They have evolved beyond bullet-time. Imagine a dirty bike racer jumping up into the air, pulling out his guns, shooting, and then holstering the guns before he lands.

The movie earns its PG-13 rating with a healty dose of inuendo and sexual references. John Cleese has a “Three’s Company” moment with Matt LeBanc as Lucy Lui’s father. Most of the references will go over most kids’ heads. The language is mild as well.

Demi Moore plays an ex-Angel. She gets to shoot Bruce Willis in one seen. How ironic. If you are a fan of the TV show, you’ll recognize Jackie Bisset in one seen as another ex-Angel. I had to ask who she was as I’ve never seen an episode of the TV show.

Excellent movie. It was superior in action to XXX and the last James Bond movie and had more girl-power than a Reese Witherspoon movie. This is a good matinee selection. It could also be a good date movie.