Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle

Review by Clint Morris

If it's not a sequel, chances are the films on offer at the multiplex this week are feature adaptations of old TV Series.

From 'The Beverly Hillbillies', 'The Flintstones', 'The Fugitive' and 'The Brady Bunch' movie, seems any old series [even an unsuccessful one] can have a chance of being dusted off and given the almighty big screen treatment.

And although it makes the decision-makers of Hollywood look like a dry well of ideas - audiences don't seem to be belligerent. Not while they're making good ones anyway...

Weekly 70's action soap 'Charlies Angels' with its buxom beauties and over the top storylines was perfect for the film conversion. Drew Barrymore shared the vision, and in 2000 she gathered a couple of her gal pals for a silver screen adaptation.

More a spoof of the original series than anything, Charlies came to the conclusion that what audiences wanted to see were sexy gals, over the top stunts, sexual innuendo, asinine sight gags and a base for the MTV back catalogue.

They were probably right, with the film exultantly becoming one of the year's highest earners and, if it's your brain that needs the R and R, you'll be comfortable to know you can again leave it at the door with the sequel.

Dylan (Drew Barrymore), Alex (Lucy Liu) and Natalie (Cameron Diaz), the crime-fighting trio who work for the mysterious Charlie (voiced by John Forsythe) are back to 'throttle' some arses again.

This time, intertwined in a case about stealing two 'Halo' rings, which together reveal the new identities of everyone in the US Witness Protection Programme.

Ex-Angel Madison Lee (Demi Moore) is our culprit. She plans to sell the information to various revenge-seeking crime families. Surely she's no match for our cleavage-sharing, butt wavering Angels?

"This is like the best music video ever," someone leant over and whispered in my ear mid-screening. Couldn't have said it better myself. Nothing here resembles a movie, it's merely a string of histrionic stunts and fiddly camera movements set to the beat of the latest Top 40 chart songs.

And, like the first film, cameo appearances [everyone from Bruce Willis to the Olsen Twins and original 'Angel' Jaclyn Smith pop up] serve as putty between the emaciated plot movements.

Having said that, if you enjoyed the original, you'll enjoy this one. It's fundamentally more of the same - just a little less fresher [the joke's slightly worn off] with a couple of minor injustices [turning Crispin Glover's cool-as 'Thin Man' villain into a hammy good-guy is reprehensible].

The girls look great [obviously], the villains superbly over the top [Theroux especially, with a spot-on Irish accent] and Demi Moore is ridiculously hot as one of the films highlights. She steals many of the scenes she and the 'Angels' appear in together.

Don't speed Full Throttle to the theatre to see the thing, but if you're passing by it's worth a looksie, if only to laugh at the unchallenging and incongruous movies people are flocking to these days.

3 out of 5

Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle
Australian release: Thursday July 3rd
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bernie Mac, Demi Moore, Matt Le Blanc, Justin Theroux.
Director: McG.
Website: Click here

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