25 Years Later, The Most Misunderstood Action Remake Of The Century Deserves Better

"There are films you watch at such an impressionable age that all their flaws fly above your head, while all the things it does right stick with you so long they become a foundational text. Charlie's Angels is that for me. Even as a child, wearing my VHS into the ground with each obsessive rewatch, I knew it wasn't faultless - but its splashy action, giddy humor, and Y2K girlbossery spoke to me all the same."

"Twenty-five years later, I am aware it hasn't exactly aged gracefully. That its lead trio lean into their objectification with a smile and a wink doesn't stop Charlie's Angels from catering to the male gaze, to say nothing of multiple offenses of cultural appropriation. Still, there's something undeniable about this film. It's one that knew what it wanted to be, and executed that to perfection."

"The plot of Charlie's Angels is a mercifully simple one, but also, not really the point of the movie. Natalie (Cameron Diaz), Dylan (Drew Barrymore), and Alex (Lucy Liu) are private investigators working for the mysterious Charlie - but their job goes way beyond garden-variety surveillance. They're more like a trio of James Bonds: donning effective (yet sometimes questionable) disguises, collecting sensitive information, taking down bad guys, and protecting vulnerable clients."

Charlie's Angels combines splashy action, giddy humor, and Y2K-era 'girlbossery' to create an exuberant, self-aware action thriller rooted in nostalgia. The film embraces sexiness and playful objectification while also exhibiting moments that cater to the male gaze and commit cultural appropriation. The lead trio—Natalie, Dylan, and Alex—work as private investigators for the unseen Charlie, executing stylized undercover missions and inventive disguises. The central assignment involves protecting Eric Knox, a tech savant whose voice-recognition software makes him a target for corporate takeover. Plot twists largely exist to justify action set pieces, character banter, and the Angels’ next undercover maneuvers.

Read at Inverse