Full Throttle, No Pickup :(. Review on Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Movie

The movie is about three women who are selected to be an "Angel" employed by a faceless, mysterious billionaire employer Charlie of Charles Townsend Agency, whose opening line ''Good Morning Angels'' out from a speaker is what many generations of

Americans are brought-up with. Having said that, lets go straight into the story of this edition of CA (Charlie's Angels).

The Story

Movie starts somewhere in Mongolia, where Alex (Lucy Liu), Natalie (Cameron Diaz)

and Dylan (Drew Barrymore) rescue the boss of US Marshall Services Erik Carter

(Robert Patrick, the T-1000 in T2:Judgement Day) who was kidnapped by some Mongolian terrorists. Then the Head of Security for the Justice Dept William Rose Bailey (Bruce Willis) gets killed despite his huge security enclosure bang inside a secured Hangar.

The Angels get back to their personal life which is the main thrust as per the Director (McG) & Producer (Drew Barrymore) in this edition of CA. Alex is visited by his father Mr. Munday (John Cleese). Also to add star value is Alex's boy-friend Jason Gibbons (''Friends'' star Matte Blanc), who is an Macho Action Movie Star but ''not-at-all-that-way'' in real life. Personal life of Natalie continues from where it left in the first edition. She moves in with Pete Komisky (Luke Wilson), creating ruffles in the other two angel's minds...

And Bernie Mac takes over as new Jimmy Bosley, the link between Charlie and his Angles, from Bill Murray (Part 1). Hey, the first scene is actually his first day at job!!!.

The Federal Witness Protection program, which changes the identity of witnesses and their families who testify against crime syndicates and criminals, faces its worst ever crisis. The whole list of such witnesses along with their new identity is transferred into two Titanium Rings in highly encrypted format, which is called HALO-Hidden Alias List Operation (Dunno why do this in the first place!!??). Individually these rings are totally un-decipherable. But the problem is, when the two rings are joined it acts like a key to each other and Presto you have the list with you (dunno how that list pops out, on paper/display/com link?? no idea).

That aint the crisis, isn't it? Actually One ring which was worn by Carter and the other one is worn by Bailey. Carter's ring was lost during his spectacular rescue from Mongolia. And Bailey's ring too!!. Now word is out to all crime families that the list is out for sale. 

Angels have to retrieve the rings before the list is out. But they don't know who is behind this. We know it, don't we!! Rather I know and you will know now. It was all arranged by a ''Fallen'' Angel (for the non-Aficionados: an ex-Angel who turns bad) Madison Lee (Demi Moore). A role model for all angels, past and now. The undercover agent in that gang is killed by Madison's men, which is the start of the thread that leads into the plot. With some ''marvellous'' detective display that will put Sherlock Holmes to shame, the angels try to find the man behind the murder. That takes them to a Miami beach, Motocross race, then to the Pier for a spectacular fight scene. Dylan's past catches up with her, where her ex-boyfriend Seamus O-Grady (Justin Theroux) who she sent to prison many years ago, returns to settle the score, a punk with full of tattoos, and a Mohawk haircut. Actually he is the ''entrustee'' of the ring. 

Oh the fight is wonderful alright, Full credit goes to Cheung-Yan Yuen, the Hong Kong fight choreographer, who also working in the first edition, in the same capacity. I almost forgot, "The Thin Man" (Crispin Glover) is back and he appears back in the Motocross fight. This time around he has a good story behind him and hello, he is here to help the Angels!!!

Ok Lets start analyzing 

Story (2/5)

Honestly the story sucks!! (CA Aficionados please excuse me) There was not a speck of a story. This was like a Dahi Puri made at South Indian Military Hotel.. Too many stories to concentrate and it leaves you gasping for breath.

Plot (1/5)

Not a speck. Seriously would any right minded put all the WPP List in two rings and give it to two people for safety?? HALO, what happened to those powerful computers 12 floors beneath the ground or that secret base in the Utah desert. Also each twist and turn is ''guided'' by a flash-back so that you don't get confused(!!)

Action (3/5)

Oh yeah this movie has some action scenes. Good co-ordination stunts but not in the leagues of X-Men or Matrix. But Cheung-Yan Yuen has done justice to his job. Also the production team says the girls did some of the stunt themselves. Trust me Demi Moore sizzles in some of the stunts. Actually she looks younger and active than Lucy or Drew!!!

Comedy (2/5)

The Director asks us to believe that Matt Blanc, John Cleese and Bernie Mac are in the movie to add some pep and vigour to the comedy(???). But I sincerely feel it hasnt come forth, atleast not in high gear. For some reason, Cleese doesn't get to put his full form and pain the abdomen of viewers with his spectacular flavour of comedy. Yet he does gets few good takes along with Jason. But, Bernie... he hardly has any comedy effect on screen. Bill Murray was far better in the last edition.

Special Effects (1/5)

There were few explosions and gymnastic stunts on moto-bike. But for that, there was not any major special effect display in the movie. So you can might as-well dismiss it.

Movie Pace (2/5)

I dont know how to write about this. Sometime I felt the movie was fast. Sometime it went into ''Flash-backs'' and sort of got slow...

Cast & Direction

Lucy and Diaz are ok. Doesn't Drew Barrymore looks a little ''big'' for the young role she is doing? Hey come on, what am I thinking, she is the producer for christ sake. For others I really loved Diaz's lover, cute fella for that role. Cleese, Blanc look totally out of place. And Bernie is certainly not for this role..... 

If you don't have any other thing to do and no other movie in the Video Shop,

ok then, pick up this one. Not otherwise....