Plot summary (from the studio): Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of the improbable secret agent who doesn’t know fear or danger in the comedy spy-thriller Johnny English Reborn. In his latest adventure, the most unlikely intelligence officer in Her Majesty’s Secret Service must stop a group of international assassins before they eliminate a world leader and cause global chaos.
In the years since MI7′s top spy vanished off the grid, he has been honing his unique skills in a remote region of Asia. But when his agency superiors learn of an attempt against the Chinese premier’s life, they must hunt down the highly unorthodox agent. Now that the world needs him once again, Johnny English is back in action.
With one shot at redemption, he must employ the latest in hi-tech gadgets to unravel a web of conspiracy that runs throughout the KGB, CIA and even MI7. With mere days until a heads of state conference, one man must use every trick in his playbook to protect us all. For Johnny English, disaster may be an option, but failure never is.
Warning: Spoilers below!
Liked:
- There were a few funny scenes in the movie. For example, I laughed when Johnny couldn’t stop his chair from moving up and down (as he sat next to the PM), and the whole “Shu-San” Chinese pronunciation of “Susan” on the plane was great. I also chuckled when Tucker had to give the helicopter altitude as “18 inches”.
- The cleaning lady assassin was pretty good. Usually those gimmicks start to wear thin in a comedy, but I liked seeing her pop up in unexpected places.
- The movie was easy to watch and kept moving at a decent pace.
Disliked:
- A lot of the humor in this film was just way too juvenile for my tastes (e.g. the “balls of steel” crap). Maybe that kind of thing appeals to teenage males, but I just didn’t like it.
- I’m not a Rowan Atkinson fan and don’t think his facial expressions and whatnot are particularly funny. I watched this because other family members wanted to see it; it’s not something I would have ever chosen on my own.
- The double agent/mole thing was too predictable. I get that the “mystery” isn’t what this kind of movie is all about, but still… I just got very impatient waiting for the characters on the screen to figure out what everyone in the audience knew almost from the beginning.
Rating:
Despite not liking Rowan Atkinson or this type of comedy, I went into Johnny English Reborn with an open mind. That didn’t help at all, as I found the film to be mostly groan-worthy and predictable. I give this one 2 stars out of 5.