Johnny English Reborn

The sequel has definitely moved on a lot from its predecessor with Rowan Atkinson the only returning cast member, and even his character has gone through significant changes, as although he still says and does stupid and idiotic things to produce humour he is less like Mr Bean and is simply not quite as idiotic, with him frequently making use of his ‘wisdom’ to overcome challenges, and does not do any ridiculous things in showers. Yet of course he still performs acts like a total moron while saving the day from the evil organisation Vortex who are attempting to assassinate the Chinese Premier, a plot that amply forms a background to the story and enables the comedy to flow at a good pace. The problem with it is isn’t that it’s incredibly predictable, but that it is simply not engaging. Worse still, neither are the characters, as despite having a good cast including Rosamund Pike and Dominic West we don’t particularly care about any of them, with even Johnny himself utterly two-dimensional. All of which though could easily be forgiven if the movie was funny.

There is indeed humour to a small extent, with plenty of predictable slapstick that is enough to raise a mild smirk but not full on laughter, a habit that continues throughout the film. The result therefore is mixed as there is enough here to keep the audience faintly amused and stop them getting agitated or nodding off, but it is never particularly engaging, with Toshiba’s product placement being perhaps the most memorable thing about the entire film. Yet there is one clear advantage over much of its competition, as compared to many other ‘family’ comedies it certainly does not feel like an exercise in torture for any accompanying adult and is instead perfectly palatable. So the picture is a vast improvement on the likes of Alvin and the Chipmunks in terms of something to be watched with young children, who seemed to enjoy themselves rather a lot in the screening I was in.

Therefore the film does have its audience and its market and may do very well as a result, but as a piece of cinema the overall the experience is rather disappointing. Its plot is predictable to say the least, as though there are the gags there are no great memorable moments or anything unexpected. Yet on the other hand, you could do much worse, as the most remarkable thing about this picture is how unremarkable it is.

See Tyrannosaur at York City Screen. For more information, visit http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/York_Picturehouse/

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