Charlie's Angels - Full Throotle

What's the Plot?

Natalie Cook (Cameron Diaz), Dylan Sanders (Drew Barrymore) and Alex Munday (Lucy Liu) are America's greatest secret weapon. Together they work for a mysterious boss, known only as Charlie, accepting missions that most organisations would class as impossible. Their latest task sees them having to retrieve 2 silver rings stolen from 2 separate government officials. When brought together, these rings contain valuable encrypted information that reveals the identities of everyone in the Federal Witness Protection Program. As people from the list start turning up dead, the Angels start to follow the clues to the perpetrator, enlisting Jimmy Bosley (Bernie Mac) to help them in their undercover work. Their journey takes them from the inhospitable lands of North Mongolia, the surfing beaches of California, a dangerous motor-cross track, an orphanage on a remote island through to a star-studded Hollywood premiere before the Angels can piece all the clues together of who could stoop so low as to sell the list to the highest bidder. And what exactly does Madison Lee (Demi Moore) - once an Angel herself under Charlie's employment - have to do with it all?

The Review

It was a rare thing indeed, but with the likes of The Lord Of The Rings and X - Men, audiences are now being given sequels that are worthy of their time and money. Full Throttle thankfully keeps up this growing trend. Having learned from it's first outing it seems, the second outing of feisty threesome has improved upon the factors that let the first one down. Most notably is the plot. Straight forward and simple, there's no confusion to be had therefore allowing the audience to sit back, switch off and just enjoy a really damn good ride.

And ride it is, because the pace never lets up from the beginning ! From an opening scene that would probably make the Bond boys jealous that they never thought of it first for Pierce Brosnan to do - an escape from a Mongolian horde via a helicopter-carrying-truck over a dam whilst avoiding a tank and a rocket launcher ! - it's more akin to an amusement park ride than a movie. The film goes from one ridiculously OTT set piece to another with the 3 girls looking stunning all the time. Even when the now-legendary "Matrix bullet-time" is ripped off - a baddie turning around in mid-air to shoot at the Angels whilst his dirt-bike leaps over a huge mound all in seriously slo-mo fashion - it's excused because not only is it done extremely well, but the confident, sexy girls look so hot, you just have to forgive them !

Again, one of the key elements on display seems to be that the main leads had a lot of fun whilst making it, which is bourne out by the out-takes that run alongside the end credits - lots of giggling - and this time round, a few well-known faces who want to get into the action, make cameos, including a real treat for the original TV series fans. And yes, Demi Moore is an absolute knock-out (in both senses !) and manages to show up the young girls who play the Angels. Great for the girls to see women kick butt, and superb for the guys who get to see the girls kick butt. Bring on the third one....soon !

STEVE'S SCORE