In many of my reviews, I write that the movie sucked, but I was entertained. Really, that's all I care about when I see a movie, I wanna be entertained. Most recently, "2 Fast 2 Furious" was like that. Yeah, the movie sucked, but it I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Another example is "Charlie's Angels." Was it a good movie? Well, no. It's flawed to the extreme, and it doesn't even try to make sense, but I still liked it. It was a fun movie. So walking into "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," I pretty much expected the same thing. I didn't expect to do a lotta thinking, I just wanted to sit there, escape from the world, and have a good time. I just wanted to be entertained. Unfortunately, despite the low standards I set for the movie, I was disappointed.
Both of the "Charlie's Angels" movies are similar. They both have silly plots, they're both way over the top, they're both incredibly far-fetched, and they're both very high-energy. However, with "Full Throttle," the plot is even sillier, it's even MORE over the top and far-fetched, and it isn't as high-energy as the first one. The disappointment starts early, too. The opening sequence in "Charlie's Angels" is awesome. It's totally preposterous, but it's a great intro. It does a great job of setting the tone for what's to come, and the character introductions that follow are beautiful. As soon as the movie starts, the roller coaster ride begins. With the sequel, it's not nearly as good. The opening sequence drags, the way it ends is anti-climactic, and the character introductions came off as stupid.
The three girls are back for the sequel. Cameron Diaz as "Natalie," Drew Barrymore as "Dylan," and Lucy Liu as "Alex." As disappointing as the movie is, these three have great chemistry together, and they look like they're having a great time. If there's a third film, I hope they return, because I really do like them together. Hopefully, they'll get a better script, though. Also returning is Luke Wilson as "Pete," Matt LeBlanc as "Jason" (they're both okay, but there isn't much for them to do in the film), and Crispin Glover (he's the oddball who starred in "Willard") as "The Thin Man." He's barely in the film, but he's one of the best things about it. I honestly think that they should give the character his own movie. It would only work if Crispin Glover plays him, though. Seriously, a movie based on that character could be really interesting. Anyway, John Forsythe also returns as the unmistakable voice of "Charlie."
There are a couple of new faces in the film, most notably, Bernie Mac, who replaces Bill Murray as "Bosley." The two of them are supposedly brothers in the film, and an explanation is given. It kinda makes sense, too. I like Bernie Mac, he's a funny guy, but I don't think he belongs in the movie. His brand of humor totally clashes with the kind of humor you'd find in a movie like this. Dennis Miller is one of the funniest guys in the world, but he doesn't belong in a movie like "Friday," ya know? The comedy styles clash. Other new faces include Justin Theroux (he was in "Mulholland Drive"), who's pretty good, and John Cleese, who's good, but has a thankless role.
Then there's Demi Moore. She's all over the media right now because she's dating Ashton Kutcher (personally, I think it's a publicity stunt, but whatever), and supposedly, this movie is her big comeback. I always thought that Demi Moore was a good actress, and of course, I always thought of her as sexy, but seeing her in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," I'd have to say that yeah, at first glance, she looks fantastic, but after a while, she looks fake. Something about her looks more like a mannequin than a woman. Her teeth look totally different, too. She's obviously had a lotta work done, and she looks really good, but I think that if Demi stayed natural, she'd look even better.
There are plenty of cameos to watch out for. Some of them are huge, and others are obscure. The one I was looking forward to was Pink. I dig her. She's in the movie for about a minute, and I think she has two lines, so I can't tell you if she's a good actress or not. She looked really yummy, though.
This movie was directed by McG, who directed the first "Charlie's Angels" movie. I think he's a good director, but he gets a little crazy with the CGI, the flips, the kung fu, the fighting... it's just too much. Someone needs to say, "take it down a notch, McGinty" (McG's real name is Joseph McGinty Mitchell). On the plus side, he makes things look cool. As for the writers, well, there were a few. The story was by John August (he helped write "Charlie's Angels" and "Titan A.E."... he also wrote "Go," which is a great movie), and the screenplay was by John August and Cormac Wibberley & Marianne Wibberley (together the Wibberleys wrote "The Sixth Day"... they also helped write "I Spy"). I didn't like the script. Sorry. I know that John August is capable of much more, so I'm a little surprised at how bad the script is.
This movie isn't COMPLETELY awful. There are a few good parts, and McG makes everything look cool, but put simply, it isn't as fun as the first one. It's a real letdown. I guess what it comes down to is that "Charlie's Angels" is flawed, but entertaining. "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" is just a big, incoherent mess.
Scale of 1-10: 4