It's probably best that I'll start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of Rowan Atkinson. In my eyes, he's the funniest physical comedian in the world, and up there with the all-time best comic actors. Mr. Bean is amongst the most hilarious TV series ever made, and even Atkinson poorer efforts, such as the two Bean movies, have still had numerous laugh-out-loud moments. The original Johnny English was one of the daftest films I've ever seen. The whole thing was extremely predictable, extraordinarily stupid and yet somehow very, very funny. Whilst I'm aware that others may not share this opinion, I thought it best to lay down the fact that I went into JER with higher expectations than I really should for what is, essentially, Mr Bean pretending to be James Bond for 90 minutes.
I was expecting to be disappointed. The 'Aisle or window seat' gag near the start was a total miss, although there had -admittedly- been a snigger previously as the title character bounced his way through the 'training'. The film continued as Mr. English finds his way back to London to rejoin MI9, with my expectations turning to a perhaps appropriate level, although I need not have been so concerned. It wasn't long before the film had set me off again. Perhaps 'serious critics' may turn their nose up at the film, but I think to deny that Johnny English Reborn is very, very funny is to go against the majority's opinion, and I happen to be one of the majority.
It's hard to write about comedy, especially good comedy. And even more so, slapstick comedy. Atkinson's work relies so heavily on the element of surprise that naturally occurs when we see a helicopter traveling along a road as if it were a car. There's plenty of gags that can tease a snigger out, if anything more than the original, which seemed to almost take its plot seriously. This one's jokes are usually hits, but they tend to be around the outside of the dartboard, with only one or two comic bulls-eyes lingering on the tape. There's nothing quite as funny as the muscle-relaxant drug from the original, but it's still the funniest of three comedies I've seen this year, and, as such, is certainly recommended.
7 voice-changing sweets out of 10
