cshep

25 May 2012

Somewhat Funny, Somewhat Uneven Atkinson Vehicle...

Johnny English(Rowan Atkinson) returns as MI7 Secret Agent who afterbeing blamed for a fouled-up assignment in Mozambique 5 years earlier,gets a second chance when personally requested for a vital mission.In order for MI7 to obtain important info, Atkinson must contactFisher(Richard Schiff)who with two other partners, are known as"Vortex." Each of the "Vortex" trio has one part of the key , that whenput together open a case that contains a deadly secret.Atkinson is at his best when put in out of control situations and makesit even more bizarre. His dead pan expressions are hilarious as are hisquick wit. Pegasus/Pamela(Gillian Andersen) MI7 Chief, plays her partstraight and does a fine job.While the script tries to give Atkinsons character more depth, somescenes are redone, and it doesn't add to the film. Agent Tucker(DanielKaluuya) sidekick to the obtuse English performs creditably,also atribute joke to the Actor Chris Tucker.Really funny at key times. and sometimes gets in its' own way. Endcredits have Atkinson making dinner to the "Hall of The Mountain King."Worth staying to see. 7 out of 10 rating.

Ayal Oren

25 May 2012

Being both a cartoon and a human being at the same time - it takes a genius

Much like its predecessor Johnny English Reborn is a cute silly spyspoof, relying on the comic genius of Rowan Atkinson. His perfect comictiming, his designed for comedy face and the sheer absurdity of castinghim as a would be super spy. But there's more to it, and it's still allin Atkinson's genius as he manages to perform the impossible and createa cartoon character who's also so very human that one can't help butroot for him. You may laugh yourself silly watching him making a foolof himself repeatedly, but you'll also feel for him and wish for hisunlikely triumph. His support cast is very good and up to the task, thedirecting is mainly busy staying out of Atkinson's way and making sureeverything else clicks in perfectly, and it does. I don't want to gointo comparisons, but Rowan Atkinson, whose proved himself to be agreat screen clown and a very competent actor, is upping his game anotch or two and proves he can do both at the same time - not manycould do that.

Lloyd Bayer

23 May 2012

A bit of Bean and a bit of Bond Stirred, not shaken!

It is quite evident that this film and the preceding 2003 version aremuch lighter analogies of James Bond movies. Having said that, any orall clichés or scenes that resemble those in Bond films are negatedsimply due to the satirical nature of this film and in no way does ittry to be more that what it is— a comedy. Here's a re-cap if you have missed the first part. Johnny English(Rowan Atkinson) is a bumbling idiot whose incompetence leads to thedeath of British Intelligence operative 'Agent One'. At the funeralthat follows and under English's watch, all remaining MI-7 agents arekilled by a dirty bomb. It is now up to English to avert a plot tosteal the Crown Jewels and stop a despot from claiming the Crown ofBritain. With this second installment, we learn that after the firstmovie, English becomes a top agent on Her Majesties' Secret Service butafter bungling up a high profile mission in Mozambique, is dismissedfrom the Secret Service. Before the opening credits we are taken toTibet, where in a monastery, English learns martial arts and gainsinsight and retribution for his past mistakes. Soon after, MI-7re-instates English after learning of a plot to kill the Chinese PrimeMinister due to attend a summit in Switzerland. What follows is anaction packed, albeit, laughter induced farce where English mustprevent a shadow organization known as 'Vortex' from assassinating theChinese premier. Through trial and error, and many more errors, hediscovers the involvement of the KGB and the CIA and learns that no onecan be trusted, including friends at MI-7. Why do I think this movie is better than the first? For starters, PeterHowitt from the first movie is replaced by Oliver Parker as director,giving "Reborn" a tweaked look and feel that results in a fast pacedfilm with never a dull moment. Although Howitt's version relies heavilyon witty dialogue synonymous with typical British humor, Parker takesthis further by giving us moments we really want to see—Rowan Atkinsondoing what he does best. As such, there are moments where we get to seeMr. Bean again. Standout scenes are when English attends an emergencymeeting with the British prime Minister and whenever he has to recallthe "Mozambique" incident; hilarious and priceless, yet scenes with anunmistakable "Bean" signature. Having also written the screenplay forthe first movie, William Davies returns as co-writer but punctuates thescript with equal amounts of action and comedy. While comedy hereconsists of visual gags, minor slapstick moments and English's eyebrowraising dialogue, action is peppered with car chases, firefights anduse of gadgetry found in espionage movies. On that note, the plot takeson a slightly darker shade as compared to the first movie, resulting ina final act that looks almost as if it were indeed an espionagethriller. Like a Bond film, the plot also has English going places andis seen in and out of Tibet, Macau, Hong Kong and London, with anexplosive finale on the Swiss Alps. For a comedy of this nature, don't expect anything along the lines ofserious acting. Watching this movie with that expectation willseriously undermine a viewer's experience, especially with Atkinson asthe titled lead. His facial expressions alone are enough to throwperformance gauging out the window. Aside form Atkinson, GillianAnderson heads MI-7 as "Pegasus" in a role parallel to M in Bondflicks. Rosamund Pike is the agency's psychiatric-consultant andEnglish's love interest while Dominic West plays another covertoperative in a role critical to the plot. Playing English's sidekickand voice of reason, new comer Daniel Kaluuya adds to the laughter asEnglish's only admirer. As a Chinese assassin, PikSen Lim has some ofthe best scenes in the film opposite Atkinson. It was only after thescreening and while researching for this review that I realized withamazement, that Lim played Chung Su-Lee, a Chinese communist butEnglish student in the UK, in that 1970s sitcom "Mind Your Language".For the most part, it must have been a herculean task for all otheractors to maintain a straight face while Atkinson went about his comictalents. As a comedy, "Reborn" is in a class of its own. Even so, fans of the"Austin Powers" franchise may find "Johnny English Reborn" a tad bitmore entertaining, minus the often colorful characters associated withthe former. As I stated in the beginning, if you are willing to takethis movie at face value, then you will find yourself chuckling all theway to the end.

adam_bloodworth

22 May 2012

Johnny English Reborn isnt fun as a movie but as an Atkinson fan and nothing more, it is satisfying.

English returns with a script so poor it could take on Little Fockers;but time pauses for Atkinson; the jelly bean afloat this melting pot ofartistry.Johnny English 2 is sure to be appreciated in the same way any badmovie would be. The necessary untangling of plot and characterdisasters; the needing to discover just what was so unfailingly bad.The difference for this disaster is that none of this matters; becauseno one: the distributors; general public; even Atkinson himself, arebothered. Decades on and greying, Rowan Atkinson has lost none of the pizazzwhich has graced him his position as pallbearer of the British comedyCrown. The film is entirely his, a tour-de- force-Atkinson; hisexpression fuelled actions as strong as ever as he effortlessly glidesover a faulty picture. From these ends, the film needs nothing morethan the main man to satisfy in a recurrent way.The largest laughs come from he most minimal of skits, for instance an'MI7' scene in which English loses control of his chair; and isfrantically driven skyward and down again, all the while discussing hisinternationally important mission. It is the simplicity ofcharacter-driven foolishness which still works in 2011; as we focus onthe actor himself; not English nor Bean, nor Blackadder; and with thisprior acceptance, the movie is an enjoyable watch.There isn't enough simple humour. Forays into the world of the Bondmovies are frequent; English's destruction of a cable car clearlymirrors the 'Jaws' scene in Moonraker, which provides for littlesatisfaction: there are no silly faces here; just standardised CGI withlittle heart. Sometimes, too, these bombastic dealings with action rub off on thecomedy, which is miscast, overblown and awkward far too often toforgive. A recurring instance with an elder assassin inevitably makesway for some hearty ageism; as English headlocks and tackles hissupposed culprit to the floor, (the wrong one, obviously). The scene isdifficult to watch; too believable and thus digs at a sensibility farremoved from the comic. Although purely providing as set-ups for English's varyingdiscrepancies, the supporting cast are strong, including GillianAnderson, who plays well a character who lacks any definitive edge. The'exterior' efforts are all worthy in setting up the main man's parades.Despite a lacking of genuine laughs then, the movie is satisfying dueto its' indulgent qualities; much like visiting a batty relative in thecountryside; Atkinson's song and dance is appreciated as a BritishInstitution rather than an addition of filmic value.

21 May 2012

Politically Correct --- but with Fart Gags,

Not a surprise. Same story of Mr. Bean universe and same recipes. Senseof existence in honey cream. Small things with great importance.Relationship as result of many crumbs. And love as ingredient of base.But behind that, a beautiful movie. And the root is Mr. Bean who createa special Johnny English. The theme is generous; so the errors arecages at every step. But the art of Bean gives force of story andlights very delicate. So, the seeds of our passing are more than ametaphor. And the Heaven is more close of Bean idea. So, Mr. Bean isreally great in this movie. And his science to be the right characteris source of a good show and axis of a fine definition of a writer art.

aadc1

21 May 2012

A bunch of warmed up, same old gags. Look instead the Pink Panther with Peter Sellers.

A bunch of warmed up, same old gags. Look instead the Pink Panther withPeter Sellers.Mr. Bean is the only thing Rowan Atkinson can do well. It is also theonly new creative and innovative thing he does. The rest is to forget,like this thousandth James Bond persiflage. Although Atkinsonparticipated himself in a very small side role in the "Never say neveragain" 1983 Bond movie.Maybe he got from there his uncreative inspiration to do a Bondpersiflage.There is an absence of new creative gags. Everything had already beenseen once or more often before. From such movies I demand somethinginnovative in this area. Some new never seen gags. Not the same oldwarmed up gags.Also it is disturbing that he is neither the full idiot, nor the fullcool guy. Unlike Peter Sellers in his unforgettable Pink Panthermovies. This was the best secret agent/ policeman persiflage ever done.Watch those movies instead and you will fall over dead of laughing. :-)

Luigi Di Pilla

17 May 2012

The first was much more better

My expectations has been met but the first was anyway better. The storycopies very clearly James Bond but it is mixed with some funny scenes.I have to admit that many plots are predictable miles away and all seenbefore in other action movies. I missed some original ideas from RowanAtkinson. The characters have been well developed but some parts beganto be boring because it was all the time the same scene. My nine yearold son liked it very much and wants to see it again on DVD. I say nothank you. It merits anyway a 7/10 because it succeeds in entertainingthe children. For adults or family see instead MR.BEAN'S HOLIDAY that is the bestlong movie I have seen so far from Rowan Atkinson.

cumhur-isb

17 May 2012

not as funny as the first one

I was a little surprised after watching the film because it is not asfunny as the first one. I think the cat-window scene and the aircrafton board are the most laughable part. Do not be so excited thinkingthat it would be a funny Atkinson movie... I remember in the firstmovie that many dialogs and scenes were awesome and funny that thelaughter was not stoppable in minutes. Of course, there are some scenesthat have a British black humor like chasing on the roofs and on thesea. They are only making you smile. Chasing the wrong woman indifferent scenes, even at the end of film, gets you bored indeed.Overall, the film deserves 5-6 out of 10 at most.

irishm

17 May 2012

Not as effective as the first film

I wish I could rate this higher. I also wish I had enjoyed it more. Idon't think my hopes were unreasonably high; I was a huge fan of thefirst film, but I know sequels often don't measure up so I tried tokeep that in mind even as I ducked out of work 15 minutes earlyyesterday afternoon to catch the first show. It was okay. And yet,Rowan Atkinson is capable of so much more than being "okay". What wentwrong here? Well, the story didn't hold together as well as the firstfilm. The gags weren't as creative. The writing lacked spark. There waszero chemistry between Johnny and the "love interest". The sidekick hadno personality and might as well not have been there. In general Ifound the film very predictable, and that's kind of sad because Iusually can't see things coming a mile away when everyone else can.Maybe it's because I've been a Rowan Atkinson fan for a long time and Ican sense when a situation is being set up to accommodate a piece ofhis shtick. At times it felt almost as if the writers had a checklistof pieces of business to write scenes for. Facial tics? Check. Numb-lipbabble? Check. Etc., etc.My favorite part, that nearly caused me to leap to my feet in thetheater and applaud, was to see Tim McInnerny in the role ofQuartermain. Any time I can get two "Blackadder" stars in the samescene, no matter what I'm watching, is cause for celebration.Adequate, worth a look for Atkinson fans, but nothing special here;much of it has been seen before. His follow-up to the first Mr. Beanfilm was such a vast improvement on the original, it's too bad thepattern wasn't continued here.

Alex Little

16 May 2012

Not a very clever film at all

Most of us are really fed up of these constant, really poor kids comedythrillers which come out seemingly every day, winding our minds up withstories of "evil aliens" etc. There are too many examples to list, butit can safely be said that Johnny English does tend to go along theselines a little bit. So it was a rainy Sunday. On TV we would have to have watched KellyRowland express her love for some truly dreadful "wannabes" on XFactor, so it was decided we and the kids should go to the cinema.Faced with several very violent-looking films and some silly romanticnonsense the only film really available for us was Johnny EnglishReborn. So in we went armed with two big boxes of popcorn bigger thanour heads just in case. The film started off with some rather poorhumour. No one in the cinema (including us) found a Chinese monkgetting smacked round the face with a gong stick very amusing, and itimmediately gave us the impression that the film was going to be a poorone. The film became a lot better later on though there was stillabsolutely no adult humour. Fortunately the kids humour was a lotbetter than previously on in the film. The film's quality escalated and soon the plot did become quiteinteresting. However, too much of the plot was given away too quicklyand soon you could tell how the film was going to end, even thoughthere was...45 minutes left? Not good. And when the film did end, itended with absolutely no imagination. There was no twists or surprises.The kids loved it so I pretended to love it as well, even though we mayas well indeed have just stayed at home and watched Kelly Rowland andthe X Factor instead. There wasn't a lot of difference at all, and theonly things that saved this from being a complete flop was theoccasional half-funny scene and the convincing and well-playingcharacter of Rowan Atkinson.

ckoolkat

15 May 2012

Johnny English is going on a new mission and has many FUNNY things....he gets a girlfriend and made few people killed. Basically he is rebo0rn!!!!! dramatic song

This story is better than the 1st Johnny English.....He'sREBORN!!!...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i just need to say that.......johnnyEnglish (Rowan Atkinson) has gone older and is back inbusiness!!!!!!!!..........well i myself should say u watchers will belaughing EVERY MIUNUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!It just so amazing!!!!!!!!!!!....it's just hilarious i can't describeHOW Funny IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!!,,,,,,But i should say...you watchers out there has to see THISMovie.........!!!!! Johnny's got a girlfriend (a little spoiler)andkissed....

Neil Welch

14 May 2012

Daft but enjoyable

Johnny English is recalled to MI7 after being retired in disgrace. Heis set to work against a plot to assassinate the Chinese PrimeMinister. That's all you need to know as regards the plot.But you might need to know that this is a belated sequel to a filmwhich was commissioned on the back of a series of TV commercials forBarclaycard, featuring Rowan Atkinson as a secret agent in the JamesBond mold, suave but disastrously inept. Rowan Atkinson is best knownas Mr Bean, and also as UK TV's Blackadder.This movie is a great deal slicker than its predecessor, but it is justas daft. Much of it might appear not to be out of place in a James Bondmovie, except you're never sure when it will be done in slapstick orFrench farce style.I have seen some negative reviews and if you are a critical person thenthere is stuff here to be criticised. But if you are in the mood for anundemanding comedy with some enjoyable action sequences, then there isa lot here to enjoy.

intelearts

10 May 2012

479th Review Honestly, the ideal film for airflights. Well, I slept through it.....

Johnny English Reloads starts strongly with Atkinson in a TibetanMonastery (a good staple if ever there was), but as the plot unfolds soit unravels and becomes pretty montone - they're just simply aren'tenough ideas to sustain a full film.What we get isn't dreadful, but it really isn't much fun or that either- it spends most of its time pastichng the spy genre which is fairlyfunny but Bond did it better itself.This will be a commercial success as it is just exciting andinoffensive enough to be suitable for every flight ever, but it lacksthe wonderful creative spark that he, Curits, and Driscoll bought to MrBean - it is chiefly guilty, and I never thought I'd bring this chargeagainst Rowan Atkinson whose Secret Policeman's Ball et al are some ofthe best of British comedy of the past thirty years, of beingunimaginative, turgid, and often resorts to the sort of humour thatjust makes you smirk.It's the trading of originality for something too safe that makes thissellable, but it also makes it very dull indeed.

megggymag

10 May 2012

whatever...

I am very disappointed, to be honest.The first Johnny English movie got only 5.2 or what and this one isover 7... I was totally mislead by this. I have been watching the firstmovie in the past 8 years quite often, this one I will never ever!There were only two parts where I found myself laughing - one with thechair in the first 15 minutes and the one with his hand on his eyes inthe last 15 minutes. In between I was wondering how could this moviereceive this much of good rating.My expectations were way too high for this movie and I had to find thejokes way too lousy to enjoy :(

helmutty

07 May 2012

Johnny Englishs back

I have no idea why the sequel to the funny Johnny English took at least8 years to be made. I am surprised that there're no Direct-To-DVDsequels (It is smart not to). Guess what. This is bigger than the firstone though I wouldn't say that this is more funnier than the firstmovie but this at least has some hilarious moments. Surprisingly,Singapore has this faster than in U.K and USA.The story: The movie opens with Johnny English training with monks in amountain. He is 'kicked out' from the British spy agency as he mostlymessed up his mission. But Johnny is called back for the impossiblemission...This is not like the first one. I have to admit that thiscontains some tense moments and sometimes, it is like the movie hasveered off into the thriller/spy genre. It contains more serious spystuff and people being shot and injured than the first one and the lasthalf and hour seems to be taken from a serious spy movie like JamesBond. This also amps up the action by having a number of chases scenes.This still has its fair share of funny parts due to Rowan. He may begetting old but he still has what it takes to be funny. Look at hispriceless expressions. The movie mostly packs slapstick and tries to befunny at most times. Some jokes work and a few do not. One of the mostamazing things in the movie is that all the actors and actresses cankeep a straight face when Rowan acts funny in front of them.Overall: I enjoyed this spy thriller spoof due Rowan. He is the perfectJohnny English, the underdog spy. I would be wishing for another sequelbut again, it's the Box Office. Hope that this makes more money thanthe first one and voilà, another sequel in a few years time. But pleasedon't make me wait for 10 years.

Arya Ros

06 May 2012

Complete Enjoyable Trip!!

Went on a Sunday to watch this movie and Rowan Atkinson makes my day. Idon't mind all his bumbling's to put on a good show in the end. A funfamily watch. It will leave you in a feel good mood.I did not go with any expectations to watch this movie. Although I didfeel that overall the movie was a bit tepid and would say thatMr.Atkinson's antics managed to pull in the laughs. Rowan Atkinson looks lean and has lost some weight in the movie, a fewextra pounds and a little hair color would have perfected his look. Thesalt and pepper hair makes him seem like the neighborhood uncle :-)Those who do not like the character of Mr. Bean (I cant understand why)however may be heavily critical but I would recommend that you leaveaside your logic and reasoning and you will surely find the goofs worththe ride.

joaquin valle

06 May 2012

Transition from Johnny English to Johnny English Reborn

You go to a theater knowing that the first movie was really good andhave really high expectations about the second movie. If you are thesekind of people, lower your expectations. The movie is not that good,the first one is hilarious. The second one, you laugh in some parts,but the story is not as good (structure) as the first one. I am notsaying it is bad, what I am saying is that is doesn't compare to thefirst movie. There is no sequence between the movies, but there are notime line errors, which is very good. Some people might think thesecond movie is better because the have not seen the first one, thiscan happen, because in the theater where I saw the movie, almost no onehad seen the first movie and almost everyone enjoyed it very much. Thecinema was filled with laughter. Another thing that bothered me wasthat because I live in Mexico, only dubbed British movies exist, so itwas poorly done and made the movie more confusing; nevertheless, it isa very funny movie, but not as good as the first one. If you haven'tseen the first one, I recommend you to see it later.

Nishant Kumar

05 May 2012

Good movie to get back your tone of laughing!

Well I saw this movie today Sep 23 really enjoyed it..though I'm not aregular reviewer but for this movie I will say it is worth watchingeven if you are alone!! I loved seeing Mr Bean as spy and missed theTaddy :). It was good to see the actress of X-Files Gillian Andersonafter a very long time since X File Returns and here in Johnny EnglishReborn again as some officer of Secret Services..! Here in this moviesome parts are sure good to be rated as parental guidance, though frommy point of view these are very moderate like the Johnny English underphysical training with Buddhist monks in Tibet. The part of AgentTucker(Daniel Kaluuya) is commendable. If you are planning for thismovie I'm sure you'll love it--so Enjoy your Saturday and Sunday withthis movie with your friends or children along :)

elfakos

04 May 2012

a movie that shouldnt have been made

if one does not have a movie,one should not make (or even try)one.the movie failed all over. the comedy was actually laughable,meaningthat every joke was unbelievably common,cut and pasted from the book ofjokes seen 1000 times.almost no use of the talented actor and his knowntalent for good silent jokes. no genuine content,the plot was clearbefore the first half of the film,surprises were not in order exceptthe vast dullness i did not expect from a film that muchadvertised(yes,i should have known better).directing was nowhere,every member of the cast made a really evenperformance with the rest of this miserable film. even things likemusic and photography let down.all in all,the only thing that keeps it from total 0 is the known actorand character. smiling might be in order,even more so if whilewatching, you start realising how little thought was made in everyscene. do not approach

hansmoleman_12

04 May 2012

Agent Tuckers Performance will make this a BLOCKBUSTER!

Agent Tucker played by the famous and well known Daniel Kaluuya isexactly what many movies are missing. Agent Tucker is the missing linkto all those movies which lacked the ignition to make themblockbusters. Tucker plays Johnny Englishes (Rowan) sinister assistantin the epic race to find the third member of the assassination groupVortex. Tucker brings action, comedy and drama to the screen with aperformance which is sure to win him an Oscar and major roles in theyears to come. Many people say that this sequel does not live up to theexpectations of the prequel but i can surely say that this movie had meand the edge of my seat with laughter as well as the audience whoattended the screening.