Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) [Movie Review]


Dir: David Kerr
Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, Olga Kurylenko
Dur: 1 hr 29 mins
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 6/10

The Johnny English franchise hasn’t been of much interest to me except for two things: one, Rowan Atkinson stars in an actual film! and two, it is a pretty good parody of James Bond. When the film released, I wasn’t too excited about it. My interest in the film increased when I heard that some of my friends literally laughed at every scene in the film. This got me wondering about the comedic quality of the film and I finally brought myself round to seeing it.

It starts off on a pretty interesting note, both by way of introducing the film and by re-introducing the titular character. The addition of Olga was a slick Bond-like move, and it had its desired effect. The film got the look and feel of a true spy story. The plot felt slightly better constructed than the previous one but I’m not in a position to make a sound judgment since the last film was released so long ago. Nevertheless, the film is quite comedic and had me in splits on a few occasions. Rowan’s typical slapstick comedy is evergreen and as funny as ever! It’s good to see that he still hasn’t lost his penchant for tomfoolery. By way of Bond parody, the film appears to have taken a deviation and instead of focusing on cool gadgets and amazing cars, chooses to emphasize the simpler things of life and business.

I was a bit disappointed with the impression I was given about the film but as it stood, it was pretty entertaining. Rowan, as I have said earlier too, is as good as ever. Olga is a real jewel in the cast and there is no forgetting Emma Thompson, for her brilliant portrayal of a goofy Prime Minister (a slight dig, if I may, at Teresa May).

TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qv6p6pTz5I

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