Johnny English Reborn (2011)

Since I enjoyed Johnny English and I'm looking forward to seeing the new movie releasing later this year, I checked out Johnny English Reborn. Though I didn't have very high expectations, it still managed to disappoint me. 

Dismissed after an embarrassing mission in Mozambique, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) has spent the last five years in a monastery in Tibet, learning new skills and training the weakest parts of the body. But when MI-7 learns that the Vortex, an agency of skilled assassins, is planning to kill the Chinese premier, Johnny English is called back in action and, with the help of rookie Agent Tucker (Daniel Kaluuya), he must stop the Vortex before they succeed.

Just like in the previous film of the series, the plot is very simple and you can predict how it's going to develop and end right from the start. The plot to Johnny English Reborn though differs from its predecessor's for one small detail, it's not the least interesting nor engaging. It's just dull and tedious.

And there's little Rowan Atkinson can do to save the situation. Though he still steals the shows with his faces, grimaces and gestures, the writers just went too far with the character of Johnny English. Instead of being a parody of James Bond, English is now so exaggerated that he's almost become a parody of himself. Which is pretty annoying and takes the fun away from the movie.

Universal Pictures

The supporting characters/actors aren't that better. Though I really like Daniel Kaluuya, I don't think he has what he takes to do this kind of comedy. He just doesn't have the charms to be the funny sidekick and he is a barely decent replacement to Ben Miller's Bough. And the villain, Dominic West's Simon Ambrose, a colleague and old friend of Johnny English, isn't as memorable as John Malkovich's Pascal Sauvage in Johnny English.

The comedy doesn't work that well either. While there are some solid laughs, many of the jokes are laughable to say the least, they are quite predictable and some of the gags are so overused they become boring.

I really hope Johnny English Strikes Again is going to be better than is. It shouldn't be harder to do a better job, right?

Johnny English (2003)

Earlier this month, the trailer for Johnny English Strikes Again dropped. It was funish so I decided I'd rewatch the first film before the new one. I had no idea there was a second movie, Johnny English Reborn, and now that I've rewatched Johnny English, I realised that I hadn't seen this one either.

This one goes like this. When Agent Number One (Greg Wise) is killed and so are all the other MI7 spies while attending Number One's funeral, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson), the only British spy left, is tasked to protect the British Crown Jewels. But he fails to do that and the crown is stolen. With the help of his assistant, Bough (Ben Miller), Johnny starts investigating the theft and the prime suspect is a mysterious French entrepreneuer, Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich).

An obvious parody of James Bond, the plot is simple, rather weak, sloppy, beyond predictable --there are some twists but you can see them coming miles ahead-- and has plenty of holes, but it's decent enough to keep you interested and entertained.

The plot, however, isn't really the thing about Johnny English that keeps you entertained. That would be Rowan Atkinson. He is the glue that keeps the film together and prevents it from being tedious. His portayal of Johnny English, the most clumpy and imcompetent spy ever --even his sidekick is a better spy than he is--, is excellent. Atkinson uses his comedic abilities very well and his deliveries are always funny, even with most of the jokes and gags being incredibily predictable.

Universal Pictures

The supporting cast is also worth of a mention. While Natalie Imbruglia should stick with singing as she does a way better job in that field, Ben Miller does a good job as Bough, English's assistant. The stand out, however, easily is John Malkovich. He plays Pascal Sauvage, easily the most silly character he has ever played. He is given no funny lines whatsoever and he can only rely on a ridiculous French accent to make the audience laugh, but he manages to make that work. The character is quirky and absurd but Malkovich makes you believe such a person could actually exist.

As I mentioned above, the comedy isn't Johnny English's strongest suit. It's very predictable, gags and jokes often feel forced and the laughs don't come as fast as they should, but overall it works.

Ultimately, this is not The Naked Gun, but it's still worth the time if you are looking to a silly movie to entertain you.