Elizabeth Banks | Screenlife Reviews

Of all the franchises begging to be brought back to the silver screen, Charlie’s Angels was not one that was high on too many people’s wish list. The early 2000’s films featuring Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz were fine enough action films, if somewhat disposable, but the chemistry of the core cast was enough to leave most with fond memories of the franchise. Enter the 2019 reboot/sequel starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and newcomer Ella Balinska; a surprisingly fun, upbeat action film that ultimately succeeds thanks to solid performances from its core trio and by never taking itself too seriously. Whilst its message of “girl power” is a little ham-fisted and unsubtle in its delivery, and the plot is about as cookie cutter as it gets – straight out of 2000’s action cinema – there is never a dull moment and for a Charlie’s Angel movie released in 2019, that’s far better than what was to be expected.

The “angels” are a team of female super spies from around the world coordinated into one cohesive task force called the Townsend Agency, led by the ever present, yet never seen “Charlie”. Beneath Charlie are his lieutenants – all codenamed “Bosley”,- just to be intentionally confusing – men and women from intelligence operations around the world who act as direct liaisons to the agents in the field and mentor them through their rigorous training process. When the agency receives a call from Elena (Naomi Scott) about the potential weaponising of Callisto, the renewal power source she has created for boss Alexander Brock (Sam Claflin), it sets off a chain reaction of mayhem as multiple parties vie for control of the device. Bosley (Elizabeth Banks) sends in two of her top agents to protect Elena and prevent anyone else from getting their hands on the device; Sabina (Kristen Stewart) and Jane (Ella Balinska), and what follows is a series of twists and turns, all fairly predictable, as the three girls learn to work together and become a sisterhood in order to save the day.

Charlie’s Angels really shouldn’t work as well as it does and that success all comes down to the script, written by Banks (pulling triple duty by also starring and directing). She mixes the early 2000 tropes with a 2019 view on women – confident, self-assured spies who can do anything and get the job done – to great effect. You understand that these women are trained killers and the world is at stake yet it’s all just so ridiculous and fun, as the whole team slings one-liners at each other whilst they escape numerous close encounters with evil henchmen. Whilst the script is solid in the way it handles the tropes of the genre and its humour, it falls down in the story, which is simply plot development after plot development to put the spies in a variety of fun locations or situations. It doesn’t make sense and is full of loop holes and leaps in reality which just aren’t justifiable. It’s the kind of film that would rather hit you with a montage of random girls doing activities like riding horses or surfing to portray the message that girls can do anything, rather than spending the time to build up a story that makes a bit of sense and shows that these girls are actually in danger of not making it out alive. It doesn’t derail the show as it’s clear from the opening scene that this is not in any way going to be a serious film, but it just would go that extra mile to raise the stakes and allow for some investment in the characters beyond their surface level personalities.

Banter is the name of the game here and while the interplay between the cast makes the film, the characters are surprisingly one note, barely going beyond surface level or digging into anybody’s motives or psyche. Having said that, there are no weak links in the cast and everybody plays their characters competently enough. Kristen Stewart shows a new side of herself that audiences may be taken aback by, as the spunky spy Sabina, easily the most energetic member of the cast, showcasing a mix of deadpan and wisecracking comedy that will no doubt surprise. She’s come a long way since her Twilight days, appearing in a host of indie dramas over the years since the monster franchise wrapped up and her re-entry to mainstream blockbuster cinema is a breath of fresh air. There’s still that same brooding somewhat closed-off energy that remains from Twilight but the role is perfect to show off her other talents, both action and comedy, and this should go a long way to boosting her prominence in more blockbuster work, should she choose to go that route.

Naomi Scott gets the most traditional story arc of anyone in the film as Elena, going from timid whistleblower to reasonably competent super spy, but it all feels so rushed, with the transition happening in less time than the film takes to bust out an Ariana Grande song (of which there are many). Scott is the audience surrogate here, showing us the mysterious Townsend Agency from an outsider’s perspective, but there’s only so long you can watch her open mouthed look of surprise before it gets stale. She’s fine in the role and won’t be going anywhere, coming off a solid year between this and the recent Aladdin reboot. Ella Balinska rounds out the core trio as the emotionally shut-off lone wolf Jane, a former MI6 operative turned angel who must learn to trust her teammates if they have any hope of succeeding. She’s surprisingly the strongest of the trio, really selling herself as the emotionally damaged spy who has clearly suffered in her former job. Her arc feels the most earned and while it is not as central as Elena’s it is surprisingly emotional and cathartic and Balinska hits all the beats surprisingly well, considering this is one of her first big roles.

At a time when theatres have been mostly dominated by drama and horror, Charlie’s Angels provides a high-octane shot of adrenaline: full of big, bombastic, explosion-filled set pieces and zingers a-plenty. Whilst the story won’t set the world on fire and the characters are all a bit one-note, the cast playing them is clearly having so much fun that it becomes infectious. The jokes land when they need to and the pace moves at a clip, making this an easy, breezy enjoyable time at the movies or a shot of fun at home on a boring Sunday afternoon.

Charlie’s Angels stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, Elizabeth Banks, Patrick Stewart & Sam Claflin – In cinemas now.

What if Superman was evil? That’s the central concept behind Brightburn, the new horror film from director David Yarovesky and producer James Gunn. While a horror riff on the Man of Steel’s origin story is a great idea worth investing in, this particular interpretation struggles to soar under the weight of weak visual effects and cheap horror clichés. Nevertheless the attempt to stand out amongst the increasingly similar superhero content in today’s society is admirable – and if you’re willing to invest in the experience and look past its many flaws – Brightburn is an entertaining ride with great performances from leads Elizabeth Banks and David Denman.

The plot of Brightburn is exactly what you think it is, as we follow the development of middle schooler Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn) as he learns of his alien heritage and the accompanying powers that go with it. Guided by his own ma and pa Kent, Tori (Banks) and Kyle Breyer (Denman), Brandon should be going the way of Clark Kent, a saviour for a world who doesn’t realise they need one. Something sinister, however, calls to Brandon from the barn behind his house and curiosity gets the better of him. Up until this point the film really has a lot going for it, we’re invested in the Breyer parents and understand their affection for their adopted son, who they see as a miracle bestowed upon them. Sure, there’s the odd misstep along the way with some downright awful dialogue and some seriously questionable decisions that just defy logic, but the initial mystery surrounding Brandon, the barn and the gradual development of his powers – shown in some inventive, albeit ridiculous ways – is well paced and I was genuinely interested in what was unfolding. The film makes some pretty powerful, if not always subtle, observations on social anxiety and isolation – showing how Brandon’s inability to fit in at school pushes him towards the darker path. When Brandon finally turns, his actions are a shocking and heinous reaction to the world around him, something that is truly terrifying given recent events in our world.

It’s a real shame, given the solid foundation established in the first two acts, that the film then devolves into a series of jump scares and mindless gore. The jump scares in particular are the worst kind of horror cliché here: a character approaches the scene, the music blares and something jumps out to frighten the living daylights out of them. Only it doesn’t frighten us. These scares don’t so much instill you with any measurable fear as much as they do jolt you upright with a loud sound and a sudden camera movement. It became such common practice that these sudden noises didn’t even elicit a response from me, I simply sat there annoyed that the filmmakers chose to go for a cheap scare instead of really digging into Brandon’s character, developing the struggle between his desire to live a normal life and the pull of his alien heritage. Once Brandon turns villainous, his character is essentially forfeit and the film loses most of its stakes. It relies on the connection we have to Elizabeth Banks and David Denham’s characters to keep us invested, but all the character work developing Brandon as an innocent child tormented by his origin is wasted.

Speaking of Banks and Denham, they’re easily the brightest point (excuse the pun) of the film. We see the story, for the most part, through their eyes as they struggle to comprehend and defend their son’s increasingly bizarre and violent actions. It is tearing them apart – not only as parents, but also as a couple – and it was a wise choice to anchor the film to them as a duo. Their differing responses to Brandon’s behaviour creates conflict more interesting than any power he exhibits, and it would have served the story better to unravel this thread rather than the anticlimactic third act that we get. Jackson A. Dunn does his best with the character of Brandon, hitting all the notes that the script requires of him, but it’s ultimately a thankless role he’s been put in. There’s no real personality to Brandon, apart from the stereotypical awkward teenager archetype, and even once he turns villain, there’s no over-the-top speeches or declarations of war against humanity, just a blank stare underneath a mask as he silently imposes his will. Whilst you don’t necessarily need to go full camp with Brandon as a villain, some internal conflict would have made the film more powerful by allowing the audience to resonate with him.

What I found interesting about Brightburn was its stance on the modern super-hero film. On the one hand it’s a loving homage to the Superman franchise – specifically Man of Steel, with which it shares many similarities. There are almost shot for shot recreations of certain scenes at the farmhouse from the first Henry Cavill led movie – and even the score at times seems familiar, borrowing Hans Zimmer’s striking horns. The Breyer parents act as a modern equivalent to the Kent’s, living on a farm and attempting to teach Brandon the ethics of hard work and general goodness, and it all works well. Where the film falters is in its attempt to handle the more action oriented, superpower heavy portions of the film. The visual effects here are downright awful, not nearly at the level of the usual Warner Bros’ produced Superman films. It’s not a real problem in the first half of the film and it’s understandable given the small budget. However once the horror aspects come into play and Brandon starts uses his powers for evil, this lack of budget really shows. The gore and powers all look terrible, with the exception of one scene in a truck, and it’s distracting when you’re trying to lose yourself in a scene or performance and you can see the outline of Brandon hovering on a green screen.

Brightburn is an interesting experiment in a different kind of superhero film and I applaud it for that. It’s a rare occurrence in modern movies given that Marvel and DC movies have shown that a lighter tone almost always guarantees box office success. What works is the performances and the initial mystery surrounding Brandon’s origins before it devolves into a clichéd horror film. Having said that, the solid performances from Banks and Denman kept me invested in the story for the full runtime, despite the problems that arise in the final act. I can’t send you out to the cinemas to see it, but as a lazy Saturday afternoon movie – Brightburn is a solid choice. I’m happy that it took a chance and hope to see more studios following suit and investing in new spins on the superhero genre.

Brightburn stars Elizabeth Banks, David Denman & Jackson A. Dunn – in cinemas now.