The producers of this film realized why the first Charlie's Angels film was a smash.  Three women, having fun.  Shaking booty.  Kicking booty.  Girl power.  Cuteness.  Sex appeal. 

They took that formula, and expanded on everything.  There's a lot more sexiness in this film than the first.  A lot of booty shaking.  More dancing.  More not-too-subtle sexual suggestiveness between the Angels.  More over the top fight scenes. 

In addition to doing more of everything from the first film, they've also added Bernie Mac, who will help bring in the African American audience.  The Masked Reviewer must suppose that someone thought three hot white women wouldn't be attractive to enough of the African American community, so Bernie adds the black perspective.  For those of you who didn't know that Bernie Mac is black, you would've found out as soon as the movie started.  That's because every single line Bernie Mac has in the film is told from the stereotypical black point of view.  It's delivered well and can be funny, but it is a little sad because his appearance in the film seems a little forced.  It also can make the viewer clearly aware of the stereotypes that black actors have tried to overcome -- or cash in on, in some cases. 

Of course, the Masked Reviewer was very happy that they spent a few moments in the film explaining how Bosley metamorphosized from Bill Murray to Bernie Mac.  That kind of plot hole would have been just the sort of thing that would send the Masked Reviewer back to the Asylum.  But they resolved it, so everything will be okay. 

The opening titles for the film were good: they created a brand new opening sequence with scenes from the girls' pasts.  The graphics were slick, even.  Although, there is a lingering question: why is the title of the film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle?  There's no references to throttles in the film.  They don't even do much throttling.  I guess they wanted something more peppy than just Charlie's Angels 2, but surely the could have come up with something better.  Maybe Charlie's Angels: Check Out Our Asses! or Charlie's Angels: Triple Team.  That'd be a good title for the third one.

It's at least three minutes into the film before the first kick in the groin.

The action in the film is plentiful, but over the top.  And, not just a little out there, like Matrix Reloaded, but way over the top.  The first film featured fight scenes that let you marvel at the wonders of wire technology in action films, but there wasn't much you'd think could ever happen.  Charlie's Angels 2 features scenes that are so far beyond far-fetched that if there was a Spiderman, you wouldn't believe it if he did some of the scenes in this film.  It's okay, though, because the film is all about fun.  It's not about believability.  They may have pushed it a bit too far with their stunts, because it just gets ridiculous, but still, everything about the film is about fun.

It's also clear that the cast (Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore, and Cameron Diaz) have a great time working on these films.  They seem to really enjoy each other, and everyone else on the cast (except maybe the bad guy) are having a grand old time.  They've added a few goofy sound effects (bonk!  boing!) and hammy double-takes, and the film comes close to being too goofy to enjoy, but they manage to keep it under control and for the most part you can just go with the flow. 

Then again, the Masked Reviewer might have been swayed by the fact that Cameron Diaz looks so hot in this film that she melted the Masked Reviewer's pen.  At least, he thinks it was his pen.  She does a striptease at one point in the film, and while you don't actually see anything worth selling your soul for, it's still nice to see.  Almost nudity, but not quite. 

The musical soundtrack features a wide variety of recognizable tunes.  They add to the fun feel of the movie, and it almost feels like a music video.  It is non-stop, with the Angels bopping from one setting to another, stopping only long enough to toss their hair around in slow motion.  The theme music from Cape Fear adds a lot for the Masked Reviewer, who now can't help of Sideshow Bob from "The Simpsons" every time he hears it.

There are a bunch of great cameos in the film, too.  Since the Masked Reviewer doesn't want to ruin any surprises, he won't say who all is in it, but there are a lot of nice surprises.   One of these appearances should've been kept out of the previews, because it does take away from the film if you know about it.  But, since the Masked Reviewer would ruin the surprise here for those of you who don't know about it, the Masked Reviewer won't speak of it again.  Suffice it to say, everyone looks good, too.

It's worth staying until the very end of the film.  There's extra footage and outtakes that roll during the credits.  In addition to a scene with the Angels all wet and soapy at a car wash, there are some good bloopers and Bernie Mac has his funniest line, possibly the funniest in the film.

If you liked Charlie's Angels, you'll probably like this sequel.  If you didn't, you should pass on this one.  If you didn't see the first one, it's a high-energy cute and sexy fun flick.  It doesn't try to be an action movie or a comedy or a drama, it just is what it is, a fun diversion that everyone seemed to enjoy making.  The fun is contagious.  One might say that Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle spreads fun like VD.  But that wouldn't look good on the posters.  If you go in with the right attitude and want to see some hot babes kicking butt, you'll have a fine time.

Expectation from the Title: After getting out on bail, Charlie Manson decides to buy a professional baseball team.  When the relief pitcher for the Angels needs to win a power-boat race to save his adopter son, he and Charlie team up to beat the bad guys, full throttle.

This film is not to be confused with Charlie's Angles, the upcoming trigonometry movie. 

Mother's Rule (Always Say Something Good About Everything):  Cameron Diaz has such a pretty smile. 

The Pros: Cameron Diaz is sexier than sex.  Nice cameos (in the movie, but Cameron's are nice too).  Funny soundtrack.

The Cons: Over the top, more of the same from the first movie.  Bernie Mac does a fine job, but his role was kind of disappointing.  Fight scenes beyond cartoonish.