In this age of increasingly crass Internet humour, now more than ever we need a return to good old-spirited British comedy. In this respect, Johnny English Strikes Again delivers. Rowan Atkinson returns as the hapless, James Bond spy knock-off, Johnny English, who is brought swiftly out of semi-retirement, (he now teaches "spying" to children at a private school in Lincolnshire), and back into the field when a cyber attack on MI7 compromises the identities of all the current agents. English is forced to pit himself against the cause of this, and subsequent, attacks - a technology guru called Jason (an unfortunate lacklustre performance by American actor, Jake Lacy).
Aided by his sidekick Bough (a very welcome return by Ben Miller), English dispenses with all the modern technology MI7 has to offer, some of which he calls "a box of gobbledygook", in order to make himself "invisible to a digital enemy", with the aim of thwarting the villain when he least expects it. Emma Thompson gives a surprisingly so-so performance as a neurotic Theresa May-esque PM figure, but we are treated to a nice cameo scene with acting stalwarts Edward Fox; Charles Dance; and Michael Gambon as ex-agents competing for the assignment which our Johnny eventually gets. This is a brilliant moment where the senior agents play with old-fangled gadgets à la James Bond of the 20th century, inspiring a moment of Mr. Bean wonderment in the Johnny English character. There is also a nice performance by Olga Kurylenko, erstwhile Bond Girl (Quantum of Solace, 2008), as the ambiguous spy, Ophelia.
The film has received a predictably entertaining soundtrack by long-time Atkinson collaborator, multi-talented composer Howard Goodall. (You might remember his wondrous theme "Mad Pianos" from Atkinson's 1997 film, Bean: The Movie) The music hints at the catchy themes by Goodall and Edward Shearmur from the original Johnny English (2003), but it is also a brilliant score in its own right. While it is a sheer delight to see Rowan Atkinson in any role at any time, nothing lasts forever, and one wonders whether there is any life left in the Johnny English franchise given that this has been a rather disparate trilogy with nearly a decade in-between each film. Another thing of note, as the Johnny English franchise creeps on, the lines between the character and Mr. Bean are ever more blurred. Even Johnny English's car at the beginning is strikingly like Mr. Bean's British Leyland Mini 1000.
One thing is for sure, this third outing tops the disappointing sequel Johnny English Reborn (2011), a film which, I believe, tried to be bigger and better in scale than the first, but failed. As testified by the original Johnny English and this current outing, the key to success is "simplicity". A simple plot, fairly simple locations, and the old-school comedy that Atkinson does so well. In a similar manner to the debate surrounding a further Indiana Jones film and an ageing protagonist, the question is when is old too old? I suppose the answer is predicated on the success of this film, which will surely do well, at least with domestic audiences.
Aided by his sidekick Bough (a very welcome return by Ben Miller), English dispenses with all the modern technology MI7 has to offer, some of which he calls "a box of gobbledygook", in order to make himself "invisible to a digital enemy", with the aim of thwarting the villain when he least expects it. Emma Thompson gives a surprisingly so-so performance as a neurotic Theresa May-esque PM figure, but we are treated to a nice cameo scene with acting stalwarts Edward Fox; Charles Dance; and Michael Gambon as ex-agents competing for the assignment which our Johnny eventually gets. This is a brilliant moment where the senior agents play with old-fangled gadgets à la James Bond of the 20th century, inspiring a moment of Mr. Bean wonderment in the Johnny English character. There is also a nice performance by Olga Kurylenko, erstwhile Bond Girl (Quantum of Solace, 2008), as the ambiguous spy, Ophelia.
The film has received a predictably entertaining soundtrack by long-time Atkinson collaborator, multi-talented composer Howard Goodall. (You might remember his wondrous theme "Mad Pianos" from Atkinson's 1997 film, Bean: The Movie) The music hints at the catchy themes by Goodall and Edward Shearmur from the original Johnny English (2003), but it is also a brilliant score in its own right. While it is a sheer delight to see Rowan Atkinson in any role at any time, nothing lasts forever, and one wonders whether there is any life left in the Johnny English franchise given that this has been a rather disparate trilogy with nearly a decade in-between each film. Another thing of note, as the Johnny English franchise creeps on, the lines between the character and Mr. Bean are ever more blurred. Even Johnny English's car at the beginning is strikingly like Mr. Bean's British Leyland Mini 1000.
One thing is for sure, this third outing tops the disappointing sequel Johnny English Reborn (2011), a film which, I believe, tried to be bigger and better in scale than the first, but failed. As testified by the original Johnny English and this current outing, the key to success is "simplicity". A simple plot, fairly simple locations, and the old-school comedy that Atkinson does so well. In a similar manner to the debate surrounding a further Indiana Jones film and an ageing protagonist, the question is when is old too old? I suppose the answer is predicated on the success of this film, which will surely do well, at least with domestic audiences.