Out on DVD, Mr Bean Johnny English strikes again in the 3rd instalment of his spy franchise.
And it really begs the question of why they bothered. The film misses the mark on what makes the Johnny English franchise great. The franchise is supported by two main pillars; Rowan Atkinson's buffoonery and superlative grasp of physical comedy, and parodying another spy film franchise. And it really struggles to do these aspects justice.
As far as parodies go, the original Johnny English poked a lot of fun at Rush Hour, whereas Johnny English Reborn was taking the mickey out of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Johnny English Strikes Again...one could perhaps consider it to be leaning more into the James Bond franchises, with the presence of Olga Kurylenko (who was in Quantum of Solace), as well as the significance placed on all of the spy gadgets, fast cars, and villains on superyachts.
The buffoonery and physical comedy also don't have the same level of strength that the previous instalments had. The film continues to cater to a young audience with a lot of great slapstick comedy, but there is little to appeal to the older viewers, with most jokes and gags telegraphed well in advance. One scene on a boat looks like it was ripped shot for shot from Naked Gun. It takes away from the joy of the stupidity of it when you know what is going to happen at the start of the scene.
It feels like the story is non-existent. The film is a selection of skits loosely assembled together, as every line of dialogue and every item the camera looks at, does nothing but line up a future "joke".
And it really begs the question of why they bothered. The film misses the mark on what makes the Johnny English franchise great. The franchise is supported by two main pillars; Rowan Atkinson's buffoonery and superlative grasp of physical comedy, and parodying another spy film franchise. And it really struggles to do these aspects justice.
As far as parodies go, the original Johnny English poked a lot of fun at Rush Hour, whereas Johnny English Reborn was taking the mickey out of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Johnny English Strikes Again...one could perhaps consider it to be leaning more into the James Bond franchises, with the presence of Olga Kurylenko (who was in Quantum of Solace), as well as the significance placed on all of the spy gadgets, fast cars, and villains on superyachts.
The buffoonery and physical comedy also don't have the same level of strength that the previous instalments had. The film continues to cater to a young audience with a lot of great slapstick comedy, but there is little to appeal to the older viewers, with most jokes and gags telegraphed well in advance. One scene on a boat looks like it was ripped shot for shot from Naked Gun. It takes away from the joy of the stupidity of it when you know what is going to happen at the start of the scene.
It feels like the story is non-existent. The film is a selection of skits loosely assembled together, as every line of dialogue and every item the camera looks at, does nothing but line up a future "joke".
In its defence, however, I did enjoy the premise of the film. A cyber attack revealing all current agents, which brings the old school agent back into play; highlighting the question of a spy agents relevance in this day and age.
Johnny English as a character was tonally inconsistent, which make him hard to gauge as a character. Sometimes he is incredibly smart, other times a bumbling buffoon, and it switches from one to the other, at one point actually becoming Mr Bean in a dialogue-free scene that involved Mr Bean's dance moves.
The supporting cast does a great job, with Ben Miller and Emma Thompson completing their roles well, but otherwise, the film is rather forgettable. It's simply a funny skit, which ends in a convenient plot device to send them towards the next funny skit and repeat.
It's not bad by any means, but it is certainly underwhelming and feels like the writers really phoned it in. Not something I'd feel the need to see again. A movie to rent when young family are coming to visit, not something I'd recommend purchasing.
Johnny English as a character was tonally inconsistent, which make him hard to gauge as a character. Sometimes he is incredibly smart, other times a bumbling buffoon, and it switches from one to the other, at one point actually becoming Mr Bean in a dialogue-free scene that involved Mr Bean's dance moves.
The supporting cast does a great job, with Ben Miller and Emma Thompson completing their roles well, but otherwise, the film is rather forgettable. It's simply a funny skit, which ends in a convenient plot device to send them towards the next funny skit and repeat.
It's not bad by any means, but it is certainly underwhelming and feels like the writers really phoned it in. Not something I'd feel the need to see again. A movie to rent when young family are coming to visit, not something I'd recommend purchasing.