A sequel in the vein of Terminator 2

Rating: 6/10 (26 December 2005)

This is another of those sequels that... suffer(?)... from a not entirely uncommon illness, known as "The T2 Syndrome". Terminator 2 may not be the origin of said illness, or even the first film to fall victim of it, but it is commonly accepted as the first recorded case of it. The syndrome renders any sequel as more of a remake of the first than an actual sequel, but the quality is a variable, it can go either way(or nowhere at all). Usually, everything in the film is kicked up a notch, higher production value, more action and more entertainment... sometimes signifying a higher budget. These films are often a desperate attempt by the film-makers to re-create the success of the first without breaking new ground or showing any originality or creativity. For whatever curiosity value it may hold; Charlies Angels: Full Throttle is another victim. As a victim of this illness, the film contains scene after scene(in fact, it's put together by them, it consists entirely of them) that are mild re-writes of scenes from the first. The plot is basically the same, and at best, fairly interesting. The minor lift the film has received in content, the fact that everything is just slightly 'more' than it was in the first makes for a few entertaining scenes scattered throughout the film(good thing, because without them, the film is barely worth watching at all). Apart from the entire original cast(well, the foundation, at least; the McCallister clan is back) returning for this sequel, we are also joined by the comedic talents of Rob Schneider, Tim Curry and Dana Ivey(I know, I know, but think of how she was in the Addams Family films, seriously), which pays off big time. The pacing is fine. The acting is mostly goofy and overplayed, which I suppose is the idea. The humor works, on occasion. There is one thing I just have to say; I don't much mind the silly humor of most of the film, but at the end... when it turns to slap-stick, Looney Tunes-like humor... that was just too much. It was bad in the first, this time, it's worse. I could barely watch. I found myself turning away again and again, taking longer and longer to look back at the screen. The content disgusted me. This is coming from a man who, in the last week, has seen Dawn of the Dead, Saw and Hellraiser: Hellseeker... during which, I never turned away, or, for that matter, regretted that I hadn't. The tone is just too much in this film, during those last scenes. I don't know what disturbs me more; the fact that I, myself, as a child, enjoyed these scenes. The fact that as I write this, there are children enjoying them. Or the fact that there are grown people... not only enjoying watching them, but thinking that it's OK, that it's OK to put that in (children's) films, to tell children that it's OK. That it's responsible. That children may, or even(*shudder*) should think that. It disturbs me. Quite a lot, in fact. That aside, the film does a nice job, through cinematography and dialog, to show the world as seen by a young child... of course, that only makes aforementioned fact even worse. I only recommend this film for people studying films, so they can analyze and debate it, get into the frame of mind behind this film, understand it. Anyone else watching it should take great care to understand that it is, in fact, fiction, and has very, very little to do with reality. I wouldn't consider this proper viewing for kids, unless these are very mature and understand that it's not real. 6/10