The Top 3 Reasons to See the 'Charlie's Angels' Reboot

The angels are back … once again. First, Charlie’s Angels was a 1970s show featuring three police academy-trained private detectives who always wound up in beautiful gowns and bikinis while on the job. The original Angels: Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, and, of course, Farrah Fawcett. 

Then, it became a movie. In 2000, at the turn of the millennium, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz donned the Angels’ moniker, as three butt-kicking girls with vastly disparate personalities and skillsets. The movie did well enough at the box-office to earn a 2003 sequel Full Throttle. 

In 2011, Charlie’s Angels returned to television for a brief stay. Lasting only one season, the show starred Minka Kelly, Rachel Taylor, and Annie Ilonzeh. With an 11% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, most people have completely forgotten about this foray into the iconic source material.

Now, the Angels are back on the silver screen. However, this time, Elizabeth Banks is sculpting the depiction, and audiences receive a fresh take on the classic tale as a result. While not perfect — narratively choppy, as well as a bit in your face at times — the movie’s strengths outweigh its negatives. Below, you will find the top three reasons you should see the new Charlie’s Angels. 

1. Sisterhood is at the center 

In this rendition of Charlie’s Angels, the sisterhood between the three girls is evident and integral to the unfolding narrative and character dynamics. This is not a simple action movie with pretty women seductively outsmarting the baddies. Banks has elevated the source material on an emotional level, bringing the story into a contemporary landscape. One critic explained: 

The real asset Banks brings to the movie, though, is her own perspective. She builds the whole project on a scaffolding of sisterhood that feels so natural, it highlights Hollywood’s historic failures in this regard. These women wear what they want, love who they want, find fulfillment in their power, and support each other unconditionally.

In this movie, the women make their own choices, and they all support each other along the way.

2. ‘Charlie’s Angels’ is equal parts action and humor 

While we all love a good action movie, roundhouse kicks after uppercuts following back handspring defense maneuvers can get a little repetitive. In this film, if the action isn’t enough to keep you engaged, the humor should do the trick. One critic explained:

…it’s an easy breezy blast of an action flick that delivers as many laughs as it does roundhouse kicks, and proves to be another fascinating entry in the Kristen Stewart canon.

Like many MCU movies, Charlie’s Angels relieves tension with humor, yet the narrative remains suspenseful and appropriately sober. The humor does not detract from the movie’s dire situations; rather, it brings a necessary degree of fun to the combat sequences. 

3. ‘Charlie’s Angels’ celebrates female strength 

Charlie’s Angels is an action movie that celebrates female strength. How many of these exist? And, of the ones that exist, how many are free of sexism and overwrought, stereotypical tropes concerning female saviors? As one critic explained: 

Elizabeth Banks has created a non-stop kick-ass film that celebrates the strength of women without beating the audience over the head with it.

When it comes down to it, Charlie’s Angels is a fun-loving movie that’s easy to watch, yet it packs a punch, literally and thematically speaking.

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