Charlie’s Angels vs Hobbs & Shaw

Shannon Corbeil
Apr 29, 2020 3:52 PM PDT
1 minute read
Movies photo

SUMMARY

The new Charlie’s Angels trailer dropped today. Written and directed by Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games), who will also star as the timeless ‘Bosley’ character, the film stars Kristen Stewart (Snow White and the Huntsman

The new Charlie's Angels trailer dropped today. Written and directed by Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games), who will also star as the timeless 'Bosley' character, the film stars Kristen Stewart (Snow White and the Huntsman), Naomi Scott (Aladdin), and Ella Balinska (Run Sweetheart Run) as the three angels.

After recently writing about the Hobbs & Shaw trailer, I couldn't help but notice how different the advertising is for female-driven and male-driven films.

Watch below and see if you can catch it yourself:


CHARLIE'S ANGELS - Official Trailer (HD)

www.youtube.com

CHARLIE'S ANGELS - Official Trailer (HD)

"We're gonna need a wig, toys, clothes," said no one in a male-driven action story ever.

Now, here's the Hobbs Shaw trailer:

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw - Official Trailer [HD]

www.youtube.com

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw - Official Trailer

"We're gonna need the best trackers in the business. We're gonna need to operate outside of the system," said an operative with more substantial priorities.

If you had to boil down these two trailers, this is what they're communicating about their films:

Charlie's Angels: Fun, pretty girls fight bad guys.

Hobbs Shaw: Strong, funny men fight bad guys.

The comparison between these two trailers highlights a subversive social construct: in order for men to be heroes, they need to be strong (a feature that can be developed through will and dedication); in order for women to be heroes, they need to be beautiful (something outside of their control without painful surgery, or, I guess, wigs, toys, and clothes?).

Related: The 'Hobbs Shaw' trailer is perfect — don't at me

I will at least acknowledge that the 2019 Charlie's Angels description has been improved since the 2000 one:

2000: They're beautiful, they're brilliant, and they work for Charlie. In a smart, sexy update of the 70's TV show from celebrated music video director McG. CHARLIE'S ANGELS revolves around three female detectives as intelligent and multi-talented as they are ravishingly gorgeous and utterly disarming.

(WE GET IT. YOU'D BONE THEM. CALM DOWN.)

2019: In Banks' bold vision, Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska are working for the mysterious Charles Townsend, whose security and investigative agency has expanded internationally. With the world's smartest, bravest, and most highly trained women all over the globe, there are now teams of Angels guided by multiple Bosleys taking on the toughest jobs everywhere.

Now here's the description for Hobbs Shaw:

Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Johnson), a loyal agent of America's Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015's Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they've tried to take each other down.

But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown's Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw's sister — these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves.

Just imagine if The Rock were on a super secret mission that involved coordinated dancing.

These are meant to be fun tentpole films, but stories have always impacted society and culture. These two films clearly have different target demographics, but they each seem to be straying from the path of the hero's journey against evil. They stray in completely different, but I'd argue equally concerning, directions: for girls, it's that excessive beauty is the answer to our problems and for men, it's excessive violence.

What do you think? Are these films saying something about our society or are they just here to show us a good time? Leave a comment and keep the conversation going.

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