Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)

Directed by: David Kerr | 89 minutes | action, adventure | Actors: Rowan Atkinson, Olga Kurylenko, Emma Thompson, Jake Lacy, Charles Dance, Ben Miller, Miranda Hennessy, Adam James, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Irena Tyshyna, Adam Greaves-Neal, James Eeles, David Mumeni, Pino Maiello, Peter Singh , Tuncay Gunes

At family parties, it’s a phenomenon you’d rather not be around: the drunk uncle. While the alcohol fumes come towards you, you have to hear terribly bland jokes with a beard in sober state. Escape is impossible, because you are clamped by an arm around your shoulder. How do you keep up this misery and how long can someone laugh at their own stale jokes? ‘Johnny English Strikes Again’ is the cinematic version of that annoying family man. One advantage: you can escape this…

In ‘Johnny English Strikes Again’ the title character makes his third appearance in a poor parody of old spy movies. Of course, the James Bond films – mainly the older versions with Roger Moore – serve as the main source of inspiration. To be a bit hip, this part makes fun of the digital age where everyone is connected. Precisely by not being online and relying on analog technology, professional bumbling Johnny English manages to stay out of the hands of his enemies.

The point of this series is that in the first part everything was already told. The downright self-righteous title character pretends to be a clever spy and womanizer, when in reality he is an incompetent bumbler who succeeds in his missions thanks to a lot of luck. This second sequel is a repeat of post-meal brewing and mustard. The jokes are up and even a comic genius like Rowan Atkinson fails to raise a smile more than once. The jokes are very stale and predictable. Apart from a few successful jokes (a VR scene and a fragment that takes place in a disco), there is little to do in this film.

Atkinson’s strength is his inimitable facial expression and body language, but he gets little to do. Add to that the fact that English is a rather annoying and narcissistic character and you understand that this anti-hero can count on little sympathy. The supporting actors – except for Emma Thompson – are nothing to write home about either. What remains is a superfluous comedy that excels in predictability. ‘Johnny English Strikes Again’ isn’t worth your hard-earned money.