Charlie’s Angels (2019) Review: A Surprisingly Entertaining Action-Comedy with all the Flair!

A continuation of the television series and the early 2000s Charlie’s Angels films, the new instalment of the same name directed by Elizabeth Banks takes place in multiple exotic locations from all around the globe. And the storyline revolves around an electronic gadget which is captured by a bad guy, who plans to use for terrible incentives. The movie stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska as the Angels with Sam Claflin, Djimon Hounsou, Noah Centineo and Patrick Stewart as the supporting cast in a surprisingly two-hour entertaining action-comedy.

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So, I’ve never been a massive fan of the Charlie’s Angels franchise, the first film and the Full Throttle were mediocre at best, and can perfectly be described as popcorn entertainment. Consequently, walking into the new 2019 movie, my expectations were reasonably low and the trailers didn’t excite me to run to the nearest theater as soon as possible. However, to my surprise, I found myself not checking my watch through and through, and the entire movie didn’t bore me out even for a single second. Thanks to the incredibly enjoyable action sequences. Even though there are not shot comprehensively, à la John Wick, the overall presentation and the execution managed to overpower the issues the movie had.

Complementing the action, the slick production design gave the movie a much-needed vibe that fits the narrative. Be it the fancy locations, loud wardrobe preferences, fast cars, a decent collection of songs, Charlie’s Angels has it all accompanied by some fantastic cinematography by Bill Pope. Also, for a film with women occupying most of the screen time, it did not push any needless feminist angle and was presented typical inside and out.

Moving on to the characters and the performances, Kristen Stewart, who we never saw play a major starring role in any movie after The Twilight franchise is a welcome surprise as one of the Charlie’s Angels as she displayed a ton of range and the ability to play a kick-ass action hero. Naomi Scott – who played a sweetheart in Aladdin, has a lot to offer in Charlie’s Angels when it comes to comedy and portraying more of a relatable character with charm and appeal.

Ella Balinska is most definitely the wild card here as I’m not familiar with any of her previous work. Performance-wise, she knocked out of the park and is the standout as far as the three Angels go. To a large extent, she contented with a good chunk of the action scenes and performed remarkably well with everything she’s offered.

Nevertheless, despite working with a screenplay that moved on a rapid pace, the storyline of the film had nothing new to offer. It deals with the same exact plotline we’ve seen a million times before and I wish it took more chances. Additionally, there is a myriad of subplots or loose ends which did not make any sense on the grand scale or even after the film ended. On top of that, the abundant amount of jokes thrown at regular intervals didn’t pack a punch and nearly got annoying after some time.

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Overall, Charlie’s Angels took the opportunity to revitalize a popular franchise and made sure to yield the best results in the most entertaining way possible. The film contributes fantastically in regards to the action sequences with a charming cast and a well-written screenplay. Although the negatives hinder the quality here and there, it is still a pleasantly surprising action-comedy that I enjoyed watching altogether.

Rating – 3/5 | Grade – B

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