This year is set to go through the greatest number of sequels ever released at once. With X-2 hitting the silver screens in May, 2 Fast 2 Furious next, T3 will be arriving within the next fortnight and with other trilogy/sequels being released into the movie-world like the Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle half-heartedly tagged along.
The advertising strategies for other Sequel Summer movies have been as cheap as Aaron Spelling’s mansion (which I have seen – completely irrelevant, I just wanted to boast) with teaser trailers giving us a sneak preview of the blockbuster months in advance following up with a long trailer identifying main themes of the upcoming sequel (most noteworthy was the Matrix’s teaser that tickled our fancy and left us wetting ourselves in excitement – OK, not so graphic). Charlie’s Angels 2 did not follow in this trend. It was only two weeks before it’s initial release had I heard much malarkey about it. Even still – after passing the phase of teaser trailer showings the only trailer made for it was a short 10-20 second sneak preview when I expected a full whopper minute longun’.
Full Throttle was undoubtedly an extremely expensive film to make. Stunts were professional, Matrix-style slow-montioned (particularly over-clichéd now, but they’re still easy on the eye) bullet-time photography. This however, must be its best point. Oh, maybe the girls getting soapy washing a sports car in skimpy bikinis flashing oh-dear-God the most amount of ass you could fit onto a cinema screen. (I’m done, phew).
Here’s the low-down on Full Throttle’s “plot”. Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu reprise their roles as Natalie, Dylan
and Alex, three bodacious babes who kick ass, kick serious ass, and kick ass MORE. All looking perfect, feminine and downright hubbadahubbada; all backed by an anonymous millionaire who funds the Angels in their fight against crime for a division in an intelligence agency. This is all quickly recapped in FT for those who haven’t seen it’s predecessor.
This year there’s another story, another big bad and more guises in which the Angels get to look completely ridiculous and yet gorgeous. Its opening scene wasn’t as explosive or magic, as I’d hoped for it to set the scene for the whole film. In a bar in Mongolia the Angels in disguise (Ms Diaz as a faux fur goddess… A Swedish goddess. This is HOSTEL JA?!) seemingly hinder the plan of a bunch of rotten-teethed scallywags who are holding an intelligence agent hostage. Leather-clad Alex saves his ass while ditsy Natalie straddles a bucking bronco and rather dare-I-say butch Dylan has a drinking contest with an ugly non-event. The Angels win the round escaping death by mounting spinning chairs, kicking the asses of 50 or more men, falling down a dam in a truck and miss death by an inch when oh-so-lucky the helicopter from nowhere falls down with them and kick starts into action just before watery doom. Angel style!
The rescued agent bears a titanium ring sought after by an evil weevil (an unseen evil weevil – now now, I wonder who that could be) as there are two rings in existence that when brought together unlock the secrets of the Witness Protection Programme; with the names and identity’s of those under the programme. It comes to surface that our very own Angel Dylan once had to go under the programme, her real identity being Helen Zaas. Yes that is Helen’s ass. Cue jokes. Laugh, laugh, chortle, chortle. When Helen witnesses the murder of a somebody (It is never really explained, well that’s Charlie’s Angels for ya’!) by her boyfriend (the head of the Irish mafia) she becomes Dylan; in future to be recruited to be an Angel. There is a lesser mention of Natalie’s other half in this movie, but she does get to revive her dancing shoes and strut her stuff in an uncannily co-ordinated dance with random people as in the first film. Demi Moore takes on the role of the fallen Angel; Madison Lee, driving the new 400 grand Ferrari might I add and looking stunning for her age. Creepy Thin Man returns and scares the bejesus outta’ me with his hair-sniffing fetish (there is a little light shone on this and we find out [slightly] the reason behind this – though it doesn’t explain his general creepiness).
There are numerous cameos in this sequel, including Pink on the site of her “Feel Good Time” video (in the most farfetched motocross scene), Bruce Willis as the wearer of the second titanium ring and Carrie Fisher etc. (those are only the ones I can remember).
There are many disappointing factors to Full Throttle which really detract from the original. Bosley as Bill Murray is taken over by his brother Bosley (played by comedian Bernie Mac) who takes the touches of comedy to the extreme, but doesn’t really play a big enough part in the film to be able to get away with it. His character could’ve been happily written out and the film’s rating wouldn’t have lowered. The greatest comedy brought to the film is the general innuendo from the Angels, a particular incident involving cocks and beavers. John Cleese (the master of comedy) is a healthy addition to the film as Alex’s clueless father under the impression (by no fault of Matt Le Blanc) that Alex is some sort of swinger “we double teamed her” “I’ve found a whole new way to help people that makes me feel alive. We’re a team. We just took on 12 sailors. I’m going to take a shower because I’m covered with you can only imagine.” Classic, just classic. So naughty and yet 12A.
There were a few true cringe worthy moments, mostly involving the outrageous stunts; the flips and turns of the Angels mid-air were too rigid and the special effects team may as well have kept the strings on; it didn’t make as much of an effort to look realistic as films like the Matrix did. Charlie’s Angels, the original established itself a good reputation as a complete farce with unbelievable action and could lack in storyline for what it made up in comedy and saintly Angels. The sequel however, it seems, has gotten a little too cocky and let itself think it can get away with it’s lacking storyline; and those moments that aren’t generally explained in the film should just be smudged and forgotten by the hard-hitting action that follows. Charlie’s Angels would basically be a hit if Diaz, Barrymore and Liu got nekked-ish and paraded about on screen; which is practically Full Throttle condensed into one scene.
The film pays homage to a number of classics, including a scene where the Angels are welding in a rendition of Flashdance with “What a feeling” blasting from the speakers and The Sound of Music when they are disguised as nuns. It’s an un-spoofy spoof.
Full Throttle is not meant to be something that you’ll love; it’s not arty farty in the slightest, it’s completely clichéd and revels in this too. It’s sequences in which the Angels superhumanly so flip from one motorbike to another or escape an explosion and slide down a three inch thick rope on two-by-fours are just meant to be accepted. Full Throttle is simply a 100 minute plus suspended disbelief.
Absurdly, I immensely enjoyed Full Throttle, throughout the farce, the no-brain-action, the spider-man undies worn by Diaz and the over-the-top comedy from Bernie Mac. Put the aforementioned together and you gots yourself a good clean-ish fun movie. Oh yeah, by the way, this film is ass-a-tized for all you ass lovers :op.
Uncannily, I recommend this.
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Production Year: 1995 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Allie Byrne, Oliver Cotton, Emily Mortimer, Michael Cochrane
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1996 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Daragh O'Malley, Oliver Cotton, Jason Durr, Sean Bean, Allie Byrne
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![Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78525022.jpg "Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle [DVD] [2003]")
Jul 23rd, 2003
(Jul 26th, 2003)
very helpful by (100%):
