Film

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

A sequel that leans harder into cartoonish action and costume changes, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu remain irresistible company. McG's direction is all velocity and spectacle. It's bright, silly, and proudly artificial—made for people who enjoy watching attractive people do impossible stunts while grinning.

TMDb rating2.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like breezy, gleefully silly action comedy where the stunts are big, the banter is quick and the leads clearly enjoy being ridiculous together.

Skip it if you want a tight plot or sharp satire, since the story is a loose excuse for set pieces, and the gags sometimes land with a thud.

What it asks of you: Under two hours and brisk throughout, with fast cutting and little pause for feeling, so you mostly need to keep up and let the noise carry you.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Ocean's Eleven2001

A heist ensemble that matches Charlie's Angels for charm and style. The cast clearly loves being there, the plot zips along, and it never mistakes itself for serious drama.

But Steven Soderbergh's direction is cooler and more controlled, which some find slick rather than fun. Less comedy, more swagger.

Ocean's Eleven poster

Mr. & Mrs. Smith2005

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as married spies trying to kill each other. Same energy: glamorous, absurd action, charisma doing most of the heavy lifting, and a winking acknowledgment that none of this matters.

But It takes its romance seriously in ways that might feel at odds with the action-comedy tone. More dramatic weight than you might expect.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith poster

Kingsman: The Secret Service2015

Matthew Vaughn's love letter to spy-movie excess. Stylish choreography, a villain you'll enjoy, and the film knows exactly how preposterous it is. Pure entertainment without apology.

But The comedy is meaner and the violence more graphic. It's got a nastier edge than Charlie's Angels, which some find refreshing and others find unnecessary.

Kingsman: The Secret Service poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Atomic Blonde2017

Both are built around the charisma of their lead performers, but Atomic Blonde asks us to believe in them as athletes and soldiers, not cartoons. It's the film Charlie's Angels *could* be if McG decided the stunts mattered.

Charlize Theron as a spy in 1980s Berlin. The action sequences are real, visceral, and choreographed like dance. It's got the same aesthetic glamour as Charlie's Angels but treats the action with genuine craft and physicality.

But It's significantly darker and more violent. There's no comedy, and it's interested in the cost of the job. You're watching a serious action film, not a lark.

Atomic Blonde poster
More like this (8)

xXx2002

Vin Diesel in an action-comedy that embraces its own ridiculousness. Extreme sports, a cocky hero, and no pretensions to realism. It's genuinely made to entertain rather than impress.

But The writing is thinner than Charlie's Angels. The charm relies almost entirely on Diesel's charisma, and the plot is barely present.

xXx poster

Knight and Day2010

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on the run together. It's cheerful, romantic comedy-action that doesn't demand anything of you except willingness to enjoy attractive people in exotic locations.

But Consensus was harsh. Critics found it tonally confused and forgettable. It's aggressively slight, even by these standards.

Knight and Day poster

Spy Kids2001

Robert Rodriguez made a kids' spy-action film with genuine visual invention. It's colourful, kinetic, and genuinely clever about its own silliness. Better directed than it has any right to be.

But It's aimed at children, which means the humour is broader and the stakes feel lower. As an adult, you might feel you're watching from the outside.

Spy Kids poster

The Losers2010

An ensemble action-adventure that doesn't take itself seriously. Zoe Saldana and a team of attractive action heroes, quick banter, and a plot that exists mainly as an excuse for set pieces.

But It's assembled from action-movie clichés without adding much originality. Watchable but instantly forgettable, which is the risk of this kind of film.

The Losers poster

Shoot 'Em Up2007

Clive Owen in a film that understands it's absurd and loves itself for it. Stylish, violent, and funny. It's a film that knew exactly what it wanted to be and committed completely.

But The violence is cartoonish but constant. Some find the tone exhausting rather than liberating—it never takes a breath.

Shoot 'Em Up poster

RED2010

Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich as retired spies. It's action-comedy made with affection for its stars. Lighter than it sounds, warm-hearted, and genuinely funny.

But It's unambitious and coasts on charm. The plot is thin even for this category, and it seems to know that and not care. Some find that refreshing; others find it lazy.

RED poster

In Like Flynn2018

Both understand that spy-movie tropes are inherently funny, and both would rather look great and move fast than pause for coherence. Charlie's Angels as a Warner Bros. cartoon.

An animated spy-comedy about a cat and mouse duo. Absurdist humour, gorgeous animation, and it moves at exactly the same velocity as Charlie's Angels. It's pure style over substance, but the style is impeccable.

But It's a kids' film, which means it can feel thin and audience-exclusionary to adults. The plot is genuinely negligible. You're watching for the jokes and the look, which might feel like not enough.

In Like Flynn poster

Ghostbusters II1989

Both are sequels that double down on what made the first one work rather than trying to improve it. Both understand that a sequel's job is not to justify itself, but to spend time with characters you like in silly situations. Both commit to the bit.

Ivan Reitman's underrated sequel. It knows it's unnecessary and luxuriates in absurdity: the Ghostbusters are reluctant heroes, the plot is ridiculous, and the film is unapologetically just here to entertain. Pure good faith.

But It's older and slower by modern standards. The effects look dated, and the pacing assumes audiences wanted to sit with jokes. It feels like a film from a different era about comedy in film.

Ghostbusters II poster

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DOA: Dead or Alive, D.E.B.S.