Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is the big-budget, big-screen version of mud wrestling. Get sexy women wearing as little as possible, pour liquids over them and let them get down and dirty so they can kick, claw and punch for the titillation of leering eyes.

Such crass antics have a certain undeniable appeal in the case of Full Throttle, the sequel to Charlie's Angels, the modest hit of fall 2000.

The first Angels was cute in the guilty-pleasure kind of way it spoofed the original '70s TV show.

The jiggle factor of the TV show was replaced by a winking kick-butt homage to current movie trends.

In Full Throttle, the jiggle is back, bigger and raunchier than ever.

For director McG, it's all about showcasing Drew Barrymore's bust, Lucy Liu's legs and Cameron Diaz's posterior.

That McG is one determined and inventive guy is evident in the way his cameras lovingly caress his three curvacous, giggly stars.

Then there's Full Throttle's much-hyped special effect.

We're not talking the clumsy stop-motion wire work that lets the Angels fly and tumble or about the murky computer-generated images that aren't even remotely convincing.

It's Demi Moore as the villain, fallen Angel Madison Lee, that puts the "special" back into special effects. The skin on her face is almost as tight as the muscles on her body.

When she and Diaz share a bikini scene, it's the only time Diaz's posterior is upstaged.

That Moore is meant to be as sexually ambivalent as she is nasty is highlighted in her final battle with Diaz, which ends with Moore licking her opponent's face and aiming her tongue for Diaz's mouth.

The producers and stars of Full Throttle keep insisting the film is aimed at women and young girls. But from the first shot of Diaz in micro-mini shorts riding a mechanical bull to the battle with Moore, it is clear the film is meant to fulfil as many male fantasies as possible. Just look who these women choose as their soul mates.

Diaz giggles, chortles and snorts her way into the heart and bedroom of the ever-bland Luke Wilson, while Liu romances and karate-chops TV's favourite male bimbo, Matt LeBlanc.

After ogling every hunky extra in the film, Barrymore settles for Hollywood's king of weird, Crispin Glover.

Bernie Mac has replaced Bill Murray as the Angels' go-between and he's been allowed to riff on his TV and stand-up persona, but his character remains undefined. Full Throttle's biggest virtue lies in its relentless pursuit of laughs, and McG is a master of the sight gag.

His apprenticeship in making music videos and commercial spots means he's able to cram maximum action into minimum time.

He's also up on his pop culture, which allows him to spoof everything from vintage James Bond films to such current youth flicks as the surfing movie Blue Crush and TV giants like CSI.

Some of the gags are hilarious while others fall flat, but there are so many of them and they come so fast, it defies real evaluation.

More impressive is McG's use of songs and music that often serve as an additional punch to the gags.

Full Throttle is silly to the extreme and works best for audiences who are as undiscerning as its creators.

CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE * * 1/2

What: Action adventure, directed by McG

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu

Classification: PG

Where: Huron Market Place, 1251 Huron St. (453-4672); SilverCity, Masonville Place (673-4125); Wellington 8, 983 Wellington Rd. (685-2529); Westmount 6 Cinemas, 785 Wonderland Rd. (474-2152)