Johnny English, le retour

For those sick of the recent high school/teen comedies and rom-coms we're bashed with these days, this film will be a breath of fresh air for you. Sure, the film has some rehashed comedic scenes, but a lot of the humour is pure laugh-out-loud type layered on very good bits of suspense and chase scenes. I really loved the well-choreographed chase scenes and the climactic battle, which was something the first film lacked.

The first film made me laugh so much back then and I've watched it a lot of times since 2003. Watching it now as I'm older, I thought its plot was too formulaic and the characters, beside Malkovich, were weak and bland. This film, however, had a great damn cast and a well written overall story. I liked how it had more darker elements than the first one - the violence, the suspense and the chase scenes were thorough, whereas in the first film everything seemed light and slapstick-ish, even the villains. The villains in this were top-notch and serious.

This film began a little unfunny and was been-there-done-that with its humour, but around 15 minutes later good humour started to kick in. The funny scenes in this film were pretty infrequent and laugh out loud type, while the funny scenes in the first film were more chuckle type and frequent. But I still prefer the humour in this one. Rowan Atkinson was still excellent with his humour, and I doubted that because I thought he lost his magic because of his awful Bean 2 film.

The film had scenes were I laughed so much. I really loved those classic Rowan Atkinson situations and his witty lines. The fight scenes were awesome and I loved how they made them humorous at the same time. The climactic scene in the mountains was just epic. What I loved about this film is that it mixed suspense and comedy at the same time, and that was awesomely done.

The music composer must be commended for a rousing score, frequently referencing the Johnny English Theme, particularly during the splendid opening titles sequence. The cast is solid, particularly Rosamund Pike.

A friend of mine warned me to go in with zero expectations. So I did. I read a few reviews around the internet about the movie, going on about how the audience weren't roaring with laughter.

Well that simply wasn't what I just been through. There was a scene or two where the audience even started applauding!

Frankly speaking, this movie is a vast improvement over the first one, with heightened unpredictability and more genuine gags.

I think what you'll have to remember, if you're gonna catch it, is that Atkinson is best known for his slapstick (+silent) comedy, and not hilarious lines like Adam Sandler.

If you're expecting a deep plot and clever dialogue, you won't find it in this movie - though I must say that the move has gotten the balance of plot, dialogue, and comedy, quite right.

It was like watching Mission Impossible with a better looking Tom Cruise.

This is not to say I didn't enjoy the 2003 film Johnny English, I did. It was cute and funny with a great cast, if occasionally a little too silly and predictable. Johnny English Reborn I was of two minds whether it would work, it looked very funny and interesting, but I worried that it would be too more of the same or that Daniel Kaluuya would be overused or irritating.

What a surprise! Johnny English Reborn was very thrilling and funny. It is not flawless, while the story is more original this time around it does take some time to set up, part of me felt that the film could've been shorter and Kaluuya's character is performed with enthusiasm if rather annoying and imitative of Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour movies.

However, visually it is striking with great locations and efficient editing and cinematography, and the soundtrack is rousing and memorable. This time around I found the direction an improvement, glossier and more assured, and while some may find the set pieces and effects on the slapsticky side I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I found them neatly choreographed, well performed and also they showed off Rowan Atkinson's strengths. The script is constantly lively and amusing, with some fun laugh-out-loud moments. I for one loved the cast. Rosamund Pike, Dominic West and especially Gillian Anderson are appropriately straight-faced, but it is Atkinson's(once again doing what he does best and playing to his strengths) show all the way, his facial expressions especially are a delight.

All in all, much better than anticipated and one of for me one of the bigger surprises of this year so far. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This movie is great. I love Rowan Atkinson and he is hilarious as always in this movie. There were some very funny gags and the plot wasn't simple but wasn't hard to follow either. Would recommend to people of all ages!