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Movie review: Banks’ ‘Charlie’s Angels’ successfully reboots franchise with strong performances

(Courtesy of Merie Weismiller Wallace/Sony Pictures Releasing)

"Charlie's Angels"

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

Sony Pictures Releasing

Nov. 15

By Sam Connon

Nov. 14, 2019 10:46 p.m.

For the first time in four years, Elizabeth Banks is back in the director’s chair.

And while she still has room for improvement in her craft, one thing is for sure – she knows comedy inside and out.

Banks’ newest film, “Charlie’s Angels,” is a reboot-sequel almost 20 years in the making. The franchise’s two films in the early 2000s, starring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore, were dripping in the corny, tight-black-leather style of the time. This year’s reimagining successfully brings what began as a 1970s television show into the modern day through its over-the-top and self-aware fashion, zany tone, and outlandish cameos.

“Charlie’s Angels” is a run-of-the-mill spy romp on the surface, chock-full of doomsday devices and plot twists, but Banks overcomes the tired premise through her style and down-to-earth comedy.

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The film is centered around Elena Houghlin (Naomi Scott), a scientist in Hamburg, Germany, who just so happened to help develop a potentially dangerous solution to the world’s energy crisis. When Elena reaches out for help in exposing her project’s shortcomings, she gets roped into the world of the Townsend Agency, which has sent secret agents Sabina Wilson (Kristen Stewart) and Jane Kano (Ella Balinska) to save both her and the world.

The plot is satisfyingly mysterious, creating plenty of mistrust and confusion along the way. And while the surprises are genuinely unpredictable, they aren’t what pull the movie together. Instead, it’s Banks’ signature ability to both write and direct ensemble casts that’s on full display in “Charlie’s Angels,” boasting hilarious and memorable performances from Patrick Stewart, Sam Claflin, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Noah Centineo and even Banks herself.

Each member of the supporting cast is hilarious in their own way, but the film is carried by its three killer female leads, injecting “Charlie’s Angels” with the perfect amount of laughter and personality throughout. Stewart is the standout among the leading ladies, putting her comedic chops on display in a way she had yet to demonstrate on the big screen.

It has been easy to pigeonhole Stewart simply as Bella Swan from “The Twilight Saga,” overlooking her critically acclaimed dramatic work in “Clouds of Sils Maria” and “Still Alice” – but her performance as Sabina is personable, energetic and potentially career-defining.

Scott’s Elena, on the other hand, is a run-of-the-mill, smart-yet-wildly-in-over-her-head audience surrogate. Nonetheless, Scott’s inherent charm and empowering performance make her a solid central character despite the script’s shortcomings.

Stewart and Scott – known for their appearances in “The Twilight Saga” and the 2019 “Aladdin” remake, respectively – might be household names, but their co-star Balinska is relatively unknown. Or at least, she was before her undoubtedly cool performance in “Charlie’s Angels,” which will certainly help the British actress break out stateside. Balinska starts off the film overly stoic and not the most likable of the bunch, but her polished action scenes and eventual growth make Jane arguably the most dynamic character in the film.

However, aside from Balinska’s entertaining hand-to-hand fight scenes, the action in “Charlie’s Angels” is severely lacking. The creativity is there – with the action set pieces being centered around everything from horse chases to dance battles – but it is poorly executed. The sequences are edited to death, with cuts every other second blurring the action and weakening what could have been extremely entertaining scenes.

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But by the climax, the action settles in and epitomizes the signature style Banks brings to the table. From the costumes to the settings to the gadgets and weapons, “Charlie’s Angels” is loud and bombastic in all the right ways.

The feminist messages are laid on a little heavy in the opening scene, and the social criticism can sometimes come at the detriment of certain character arcs, despite Banks’ good intentions. But what makes the commentary worthwhile is its nuance later in the film, as well as its surprising ability to walk the line between self-awareness and parody.

She wasn’t able to ace every element in her second go at directing, but Banks earned her wings regardless.

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Sam Connon | Alumnus
Connon joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2017 and contributed until he graduated in 2021. He was the Sports editor for the 2019-2020 academic year, an assistant Sports editor for the 2018-2019 academic year and spent time on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats, while also contributing movie reviews for Arts & Entertainment.
Connon joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2017 and contributed until he graduated in 2021. He was the Sports editor for the 2019-2020 academic year, an assistant Sports editor for the 2018-2019 academic year and spent time on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats, while also contributing movie reviews for Arts & Entertainment.
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