Anthony's Film Review - Charlie's Angels (2019)

Here's another remake of a notable female-led television series, a remake that is at least decent...

Charlie's Angels was a TV series that ran from 1976 to 1981, centering on three female detectives working for an unseen man named Charlie. As of 2019, I never saw the show but I like the concept. Many years ago, I watched the 2000 movie remake of Charlie's Angels, which was an OK movie overall. Nineteen years later, another Charlie's Angels remake hit theaters. I also think it's an OK movie, but if I had to pick between the 2000 and 2019 versions of Charlie's Angels, I would pick the latter. It's better than the 2000 version, though only by a few steps, such that my 1-to-10 rating for this movie ends up being the same as that of the 2000 movie. That said, let me explain the main pros and cons that I observed.

First off: the expansion of the original concept. Previous incarnations of Charlie's Angels involved one single agency with one team of women led by Charlie's assistant named Bosley. This time, the same agency model has been replicated worldwide, such that there are numerous international agencies with all-female agents, all led by Charlie. Furthermore, the name of each agency leader is Bosley, which in this movie is treated as a rank rather than a surname. Another thing to note is an early scene that showcases the power of women and girls in all walks of life, reminding us that girl power exists everywhere. All of this comes at an interesting time in real life when awareness of feminist issues and empowerment of women are on the rise.

Going back to this movie, another thing I liked is the plot. I would certainly not call it flimsy, poorly written, or incomplete. There are enough elements to constitute a basic plot structure, and there are actually a few twists and turns that prevent the story from being mundane. The plot centers on a technology that is designed to benefit the world, but can be weaponized if it falls into the wrong hands. Naomi Scott plays a systems engineer named Elena, who has helped design a new method to provide electrical power but also discovers that a flaw in the system could allow evildoers to turn it into a deadly weapon. She is thrust into danger once an assassin attempts to kill her and two of Charlie's Angels, Jane (played by Ella Balinska) and Sabina (played by Kristin Stewart), fend off the attack. Elena becomes a witness to protect and, over time, an Angel rookie alongside Jane, Sabina, and their Bosley played by Elizabeth Banks.

Then there's the action. Simply put, it's fun and exciting. This isn't one of those movies where the action seems pointless. To a certain extent, the action feels like it's part of the story, not a deviation from it. Plus, it's refreshing to see women involved in hard-hitting action and life-or-death situations just like men in other action movies. At times, the ladies involved in combat appear to get hurt as much as a man would, but that just shows how they can be just as tough and skilled. So thumbs up from me for the action in this Charlie's Angels movie.

Now, what about the flaws? I can only think of two minor ones that are enough to prevent a higher rating for this movie. One is the manner in which the story is presented. It's rather fast-paced, to say the least. Not so rapid that we cannot digest any part of the plot, but still fast enough for certain scenes to move by more quickly than one may expect. This is particularly true for some dialogue scenes where the main characters are uttering lines designed to elicit laughter from the audience (remember that this action movie is one of those more lighthearted ones). You may also notice that the final scene before the credits roll seems to wrap things up quickly rather than carefully.

The other minor flaw is the lack of character development. It's not that there's no character development at all. It's that characters are developed minimally, just enough to know who is who. We know that Jane used to be an MI6 agent, Sabina has a prior criminal record before using her skills as an Angel, and Elena has the brains to hack electronic systems. Beyond that, there isn't too much we know about these three Angels, or even their Bosley for that matter. I will say, though, that Patrick Stewart as a retiring Bosley has a notable presence in this film. He is perhaps the most interesting character here, without whom the movie would probably be boring.

So with a mix of things that bring up my enjoyment of the movie and other things that limit it, my rating for Charlie's Angels is a 6 out of 10. Like I said, I would choose this over the 2000 Charlie's Angels remake because it's a few steps higher than that older movie, but the few extra steps still keep the rating at a 6 instead of bumping it up to a 7. Basically, this movie is fun on a simple level without doing anything too sophisticated. That said, don't forget that women can be as tough as men, in the movies or anywhere else. I have a feeling that this will be re-explored in a Charlie's Angels sequel. (Based on the way this one ends, a sequel is surely coming.)

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Charlie's Angels, visit the Internet Movie Database.