The last time we saw Charlie’s Angels in action (“Charlie’s Angels”), it was by Joseph McGinty Nichol (better known in Hollywood as McG, the director who is afraid to fly), and the trio starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. Two moderately successful sequels that, at the beginning of the new millennium, rescued the glamour of the popular ABC series, broadcast during the 1970s and 1980s.As the industry demands emotional rescue from time to time, private detectives commanded by the mysterious Charlie Townsend return to the big screen – their return to TV in 2011 didn’t work at all – for the first time, under the eye of a female filmmaker willing to highlight each of the characteristics of its characters. Recent film hits such as “Wonder Woman” (Wonder Woman, 2017), “Captain Marvel” (Captain Marvel, 2019) and so many others, gave her the necessary confidence and the most conducive atmosphere for Elizabeth Banks to load this adaptation to her shoulder and keep adding voices in front of and behind the screen.
The actress from “The Hunger Games” began to get involved with the production and realization from “Perfect Rhythm” (Pitch Perfect, 2012), making her behind-the-scenes debut with its sequel, “More Perfect Notes” (Pitch Perfect 2, 2015), a small step towards the equal opportunities he pursues with his Hollywood colleagues, ever since. “It’s a really exciting time for women-directed and film-directed films. Audiences are really looking for those aspirational stories about real characters that you can relate to, and I think the women in my movie are definitely authentic and empathetic, but the most important thing is that they’re really funny”, she sentenced the filmmaker, a little away from the sexy and fanciful image of the series starring Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith, among others.” Charlie’s Angels” version 2019 is not intended to erase any of these legacies, but quite the opposite, embracing each of their performances. This is not a remake or a reboot of the franchise, rather a “continuation” that incorporates the events of the TV show and McG movies, imagining Charles Townsend as the head of an international spy agency that has been growing (and bringing together achievements) to the of these last four decades, where the shift agents were changing, now, leaving the place to this new trio.
Angels in action
The girls in question are: Sabina Wilson (Kristen Stewart), the skillful one who adapts to any situation; Jane Kano (Ella Balinska), former MI6 agent who functions as a “muscle” of the group; and Elena Houghlin (Naomi Scott), an MIT scientist who, according to the director, “is the heart of the film.” The cosmopolitan adventure – very in the style of “Mission Impossible” – takes them on a world-wide walk to cities like Istanbul, Hamburg and Berlin, but Banks’ idea is to go beyond super-action and breathtaking landscapes, highlighting teamwork: “For me it was important to me it was important make a film about women working together and supporting each other, and not one on their romantic entuntlings, or about their mother who they don’t call enough. It was important to do that for the ‘Angels’ and treat them with the respect their skills demand.” Banks and his “Angels” drink from the Ethan Hunt franchise in more ways than one. The director and co-writer (here shares credits with David Auburn and Jay Basu) admits that their mixture of humor and roughness inspired their group dynamics, emphasizing how well they work by cradle the team is well oiled and united, and adds different characters (and personalities) such as Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson. As they say, in the variety is taste.
Elizabeth Banks, front and behind the scenes
“Charlie’s Angels” arrives in Argentine theaters in November, and adds new features such as Bosley’s shared role between Banks, Patrick Stewart and Djimon Hounsou, turning this ally of the girls into a “role” to be occupied by different people , and not as much as a character in itself. Nor will the elaborate action sequences be lacking, but don’t expect crazy things that defy the laws of physics, as the director took a more “realistic” approach, a bit to differentiate herself from so much blockbuster starring superheroes and strange creatures who have already cowed all the known options. Equally, the important thing is the possibility of the franchise reaching the screen from a female perspective and a filmmaker like Elizabeth Banks committed to the cause and its protagonists. It is clear that their idea is to demonstrate the ability of these women to achieve their goals on their own. “I mean, women can do anything. That’s not just my personal belief. That is the fundamental belief of Charlie’s Angels,” he sentences, making his point of view clear. In this note:
