Just as Charlie’s Angels was being released in theaters, director Elizabeth Banks went on a preemptive strike by claiming that if her reboot of the continuation of 1970s “Jiggle TV” series would only fail because of misogyny. In the ultimate effort of “woke-ness” Banks instantly shifted the blame on 48 percent of the population.
This go around, the now multi-ethnic and very talented cast. Naomi Scott plays the worrywart, Ella Balinska is the bad ass, Kristen Stewart is crazy one and the multiple Bosley’s are played by Banks, Patrick Stewart, Djimon Hounsou and four others. Frankly, the concept was interesting and the action was great, but the over the top posturing and constant reminder that these are, “strong women,” took away from a movie that should have been just a big, dumb, fun action movie. We don’t need to be reminded every two lines that they are strong women, cinema is a visual media, for those of us with sight, we can clearly see, the woman with the gun and shot the bad guy is the heroine.
The best Easter Egg was realized that the voice of History’s Ancient Aliens is Robert Clotworthy, who voices Charlie.
Unfortunately, everyone probably feared that Birds of Prey would be this same kind of posturing and that’s why it was ignored by audiences. That comic book based film showed how you can have a cast of strong women without the constant reminder of, “don’t forget, were strong.” In fact, I’m going to watch that again, this afternoon.
Some people will say I know nothing of strong women because I’m a man or whatever nonsense. I can point out directly on my maternal side that my grandmother, mom, aunts and cousins all survived a civil war, while on my paternal side, again, my grandmother, aunts and cousins survived a revolution. I know strong women because I was raised by and surrounded by strong women. Not once did they have to posture because their survival and presence was enough. You want to meet strong women, go look at Syria and those 15 year olds defending their villages against the Free Syrian Army.
Banks didn’t want to take responsibility for a poorly made film and not only her actions prior to its release but the final product proves that Charlie’s Angels could have been so much more.
CHARLIE’S ANGELS BONUS MATERIALS
- Gag Reel – Check out these fun and never-seen-before bloopers saved from the cutting room floor!
- 5 Deleted Scenes
- 4 Behind-the-scenes Featurettes
- “Stronger Together: The Sisterhood of the Angels” – Watch how the Angels trio of Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott & Ella Balinska prepared for their iconic roles and formed a genuine sisterhood on set.
- “Elizabeth Banks: As BOSSley” – We’ll take a look at why the Charlie’s Angels Director, Actress, Writer and Producer Elizabeth Banks is the perfect person to reintroduce audiences to this beloved, fun and action-packed franchise.
- “Warriors on Set: Angels in Action” – The cast & crew take a look at some of the biggest action scenes from the film, including a peek behind-the-scenes of the stunt rehearsals with the cast.
- “Tailored for Danger: Styling the Angels” – Learn all about the glamourous costumes, hair and make-up used to create the glitzy world of Charlie’s Angels!
- “Don’t Call Me Angel” Music Video featuring Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus & Lana Del Rey
CAST AND CREW
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, Elizabeth Banks, Djimon Hounsou, Sam Claflin, Noah Centineo, and Patrick Stewart
Executive Producers: Matthew Hirsch, Leonard Goldberg, Drew Barrymore, Nancy Juvonen
Story By: Evan Spiliotopoulos and David Auburn
Screenplay By: Elizabeth Banks
Produced By: Doug Belgrad, Elizabeth Cantillon, Max Handelman, Elizabeth Banks
Director: Elizabeth Banks
- Total Score
Summary
Charlie’s Angels is a fun action flick if you can suffer the dialogue.
