At a time when franchise turkeys abound (looking right in your cyborg eye, “Terminator: Dark Fate”), let’s give thanks to writer/director Elizabeth Banks, a show-stealing Kristen Stewart and their stylish and savvy new “Charlie’s Angels.”
The iconic female secret agents, they of the infamous posing and groovy disco theme, first found pop-culture importance with the 1970s TV show and then later with a flashy 2000s big-screen reboot. The revitalizing new “Angels” (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters Friday) ties together every iteration with a clever touch and a lack of the usual franchise pretension.
This heavenly action-comedy takes on familiar elements of John Wick and James Bond but is sufficiently empowering – “Women can do anything” is literally the first line in the movie. There’s also an unexpectedly dark edge throughout for the new “Angels,” from gallows humor to actual dangerous stakes for our butt-kicking crew.
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The way in for a new generation of “Angels” fans is Elena (Naomi Scott), a MIT-trained engineer working in Hamburg on a new source of clean energy that she discovers can also be weaponized. When she decides to blow the whistle on these dangers, she’s introduced to the Townsend Agency, now an international organization full of highly trained women ready for any and all assignments.
After she escapes assassination at a coffeehouse, Elena goes on the run and teams with a pair of Angels – ex-MI6 bruiser Jane (Ella Balinska) and heiress-turned-criminal Sabina (Stewart) – for a globetrotting mission to keep this new technology from getting in the wrong hands and becoming a killing machine.
Though lifestyle gurus and old cohorts lend expertise, the Angels’ biggest help is handler Bosley (Banks). A maternal lieutenant, she’s of many Bosleys – including one former pro football player –who work for the mysterious Charlie Townsend, a major difference from previous “Angels” versions with just a single Bosley. (Patrick Stewart gets a great role as the oldest-school Bosley, and the movie offers interesting subtext in regards to both respecting elders and underestimating youth.)
During a time so many rebooted movie properties whiff at finding their place again, “Charlie’s Angels” is pretty much a template for how to do it right. Banks doesn’t get stuck in the past nor does she ignore old history, instead adding to it – endless costume changes and dudes getting their posterior whupped are here, of course, but so is organic kombucha, warm hugs and the occasional “swipe right” reference. (There’s also a multigenerational conversation about Batman that’s just too perfect.)
Scott (aka the new Princess Jasmine from May’s live-action “Aladdin”) is solid as the Angel rookie learning on the fly, and newcomer Balinska has the tough superspy attitude on lock: Jane only lets her guard down sometimes, though sparks when flirting with Elena’s nerdy co-worker (Noah Centineo).
But why this trio – and honestly most of the movie – works is Kristen Stewart, who’s never had such a perfect blockbuster role. Say what you will about her “Twilight” beginnings and one horrendous stop in fairy-tale land for “Snow White and the Huntsman,” Stewart is heck of an actress and her charisma comes unchained in “Angels:” Sabina is a constantly endearing force of nature who always complements rather than overshadowing her pals (even when turning her nose up at going to Istanbul because of a bad lamb and yogurt experience one time).
This “Charlie’s Angels” goes full throttle into the #MeToo era, and having women in all the key creative roles probably took too long, honestly, though the result is a fresh new beginning for an old-school classic.
