Will admit to having enjoyed the previous two films, while not considering either amazing. They were enjoyable films that succeeded at what they set out to do. So a large part of me was hoping for the same with this latest instalment, having found myself surprisingly entertained by the trailer. So 'Johnny English Strikes Again' was seen for those reasons, plus for such a great cast on paper and as someone trying to see as many 2018 films as possible.
Having seen 'Johnny English Strikes Again', it turned out for me to work generally as a silly inoffensive piece of entertainment. Which was right, because that was what was expected by me going into the film and what the first two were. It is not a great film and has faults, do think too it's the weakest of the three. However, having had my expectations dampened hearing negative things from word of mouth and from critical opinion from people with opinions mostly respected by me, it was better than expected. Best film of the year? Not even close. Worst of the year? Nowhere near that extreme either.
'Johnny English Strikes Again' does have a very flimsy story that didn't feel like it had enough to it to fill a feature-length film, it's also very low on surprises with a lot being easily predicted before even happening. It also came over as not much more than a series of gags and set-pieces that are easy to follow but don't always connect with each other, moments of disjoint here and there. The villain came over as too obvious too early and didn't seem that memorable or interesting to me, one can argue that the villains in the previous two were obvious too but they, especially Sauvage, did leave some impact at least.
Most of the gags and humour worked, but parts did have a slightly borrowed/recycled feel which took away from the surprise factor. Parts of the film go a little overboard with the broad silliness and momentum sometimes suffers with some dragged out stretches. The visual effects looked cheap and under-budgeted and there is some blatant product placement that distracts and adds nothing.
This sounds like 'Johnny English Strikes Again' is a bad film. Have already made it clear that from personal perspective it was not. Had no issues with the cast, Rowan Atkinson still has it and does bumbling and broad to often hilarious effect. Ben Miller is appealing and funny as returning Bough, while Emma Thompson brings sheer class to the film. Olga Kurylenko is both sexy and dangerous and the appearances from other well known faces like Michael Gambon and Charles Dance were fun. With the exception of some cheap visual effects the production values are fine, especially the gorgeous scenery and locations. The photography and editing are suitably slick. The music is pleasant with moments of infectiousness and the direction is a long way from a hack job.
Furthermore, there is some very amusing and smart dialogue, love the interplay between Johnny and Bough. There are moments that are laugh out loud funny, like with the virtual reality, and there is a good deal of excitement in the well choreographed set pieces. Did like more of a Mr Bean style with splashes of Inspector Clousseau, while not making it too different to the previous two films. 'Johnny English Strikes Again' doesn't try to be anything more than it strived and needed to be, try too hard (while still showing a good deal of effort) to cater to everyone's needs that it becomes a tonal mess (one of the biggest problems with 'Venom'), knew what it was trying to be and who to aim it at (a family audience).
In summary, didn't blow me away but not a regretted experience by any stretch. 6/10 Bethany Cox
