CULTURE

Critics Say The New Charlie’s Angels is Actually Worth Your Time

Kristen Stewart in particular is being praised for her performance in the franchise reboot.


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Charlie’s Angels/Sony Pictures

The Charlie’s Angels second reboot film was initially met with a healthy amount of skepticism. Despite the majesty of Kristen Stewart’s press tour outfits, a major promotional song by Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Rey, and love for the franchise at large, fans didn’t seem to be clamoring for the new film. There are so many memes about missing the Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu iteration (though, there are not as many memes about the original Charlie’s Angels. RIP Farah Fawcett).

But the critics have spoken, and they seem to like it. “[The film] works because Elizabeth Banks, having graduated from the Pitch Perfect series, proves herself to be a filmmaker who can stage fireworks with extreme flair,” Owen Gleiberman writes at Variety. The plot of Charlie’s Angels turns on a series of reversals and double-crosses that Banks juggles with propulsive agility. She also elicits a sensational performance from the actor who plays the supreme villain. He hits a note of dastardly Machiavellian panache that brings life to the film’s cartoon vision of three Angels taking down the patriarchy, one strike-a-pose masquerade and forearm smash at a time.”

Stewart’s performance in particular was widely-praised. Gleiberman writes that the star “exudes a flashing-eyed magnetism,” and David Ehrlich at Indiewire called her a “killer comic lead.”

“While her puckish and sarcastic turn as an heiress-turned-Angel might seem like a major pivot away from the likes of Adventureland or Personal Shopper, Stewart is an actress who wants to be seen, and she wears each of her latest character’s disguises with the confidence of someone who’s already spent a lifetime hiding in plain sight,” he writes.

Beandra July at The Hollywood Reporter was wholly enthusiastic about the film. “The result is a grand remodel that honors its precursors while elevating itself beyond them,” she writes. “Banks brings Charlie’s Angels into the modern age with flair, all while unapologetically raising a feminist flag, championing female friendships and subtly making a point about the urgency of the ongoing climate crisis.”

Well, then! Good morning, angels.

Related: Kristen Stewart’s Charlie’s Angels Promo Tour Outfits Are Incredible