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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Comedy, Less Action, More Good Support, and Still Fun, June 21, 2003
I just finished watching the Japanese premier release of "Charlie's Angels--Full Throttle" and have now very mixed feelings about it. I gave this one 4 stars, but the fact is it is slightly lower than that. Though not as much as the original movie's fun, it is still fun anyway. Maybe I expected much actions. Well, let me explain.Don't think about the story, and that's the rule of the original series in 1970s, and the first picture. The same thing can be said again. All I can say is that you will see some conspiracy about two stolen rings, a former Angel Madison (Demi Moore), Dylan's ex-boyfriend who suddenly shows up (not that 'Chad' ... thank Heaven), witness protection program, and many, many costumes. Anyway, you don't summerize the first one's, let's skip this part. Three Angels -- Cameron Diaz's 'Natalie,' Drew Barrymore's 'Dylan,' and Lucy Liu's "Alex' are all back. They are still fun/danger-loving three secret agents, but actions are less compared with the first movie. Or I should say, if you expect to see the wire actions they showed surprisingly well on the former occasion, you might be disappointed. The film gives more stress on comic/sexy aspect of the original, and you notice the increased amount of special effects used here. Actions themselves are done competently, but about the CGIs, not every part is perfect. Oh, and as to costumes, especially those of Natalie, I might add that her revealing attires are not changing, so ... you know what I mean. Perhaps most interesting part of "Full Throttle" is its supporting or guest stars. Several members from the original film's cast come back again -- Luke Wilson, Matt LeBlanc, and Crispin Glover as The Thin Man -- but Bosley's role is replaced by 'his brother' Bernie Mac, so you won't see Bill's face except briefly on a photo hanging on the wall. Many guests are added this time, though, among whom you will see Robert Patrick, Robert Forster, Justin Theroux, John Cleese, and one of the real original Angels. And you see famous twin sisters in a hilarious way. But it is Demi Moore who will astonish you, in a good sense, or a bad sense (you choose it). First she appears just like the first Bond girl (don't miss the surfing scene). Then she gets more and more ... campy, perhaps intentionally, I hope. I almost forgot one important thing. One big star appears as a cameo who gets killed. And if you know who he is, and later comes to realize who kills him, this is the biggest in-jokes the film offers. Suppose this film is a comedy, just harmless fun. Some of you might dislike this one, but the chances are you have already seen the original one, so in that case, especially when you loved its comic side, you won't be disapointed. But I expected some actions, and I knew that Yuen Cheung-Yan was involved again for the producion (and he is brother of Woo-Ping, famous for his work in "Matrix"). Impresssive (but often very ridiculous) bike stunts or skateboarding ride are there, but I find they are not enough. Instead, you see lots of gags, verbal or physical, gross-out or sexual. And they included many, many references to other famous films, which are certainly funny. So, when one of the angels appears as cheerleader, you hear the song "Mickey" (yeah, "Bring it On") And when these Angels stake out, welding, yes, you hear Irene Cara song. Maybe too predictable, but it's just OK. Don't think this sequel is improvement on the first film. It is like "Austin Powers"; the first one's sensation and funny is reduced, but the good supporting actors/actresses are still helpful. More jokes, less actions, but still fun.
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