Release Date: October 21, 2011
Our Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: Comedy, Action
Director: Oliver Parker
Writer: Hamish McColl, William Davies
Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Kaluuya
Studio: Universal Pictures
Official site: www.johnnyenglishreborn.com
Running Time: 101 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for mild action violence, rude humor, some language and brief sensuality.
Ha…ha…ha…ha…:-)
This is all the expression of me while watching the film ‘Johnny English Reborn’ from the beginning till the end. That is a truly interesting and hilarious movie of the year.
Yeah…Johnny English is back, with the best actor suited for the hilarious character; Rowan Atkinson, famous for his portrayal as Mr. Bean. But this time, he appeared on screen for a serious issue based on the film, which is to destroy the plan to kill the Chinese Premier created by Vortex, a group of three members containing a key respectively which can be combined to open a storage containing a drug that could control a person’s mind. Sorry for a little spoiler here and eventhough the plot seems so serious…whenever Johnny English is there, everything is turned into laughter….so it is like a brilliant mix of hilarious and action scenes. Excellent!
I hardly remember much things from the first film of Johnny English, back in 8 years ago. Now, Rowan Atkinson reprised his role for the much anticipated sequel. Eventhough it is clearly visible that he is getting much older (he is now 56 years old), he can still make everyone laugh. You wouldn’t think of a second that the laugh intended from this film is nonsense, illogical, weird or being forced in. Everything is so natural despite there is a serious mission in charge by Johnny English in the film. His expression of face is already his best tactic in providing much fun for the film, not to mention funny dialogues, gestures and silly actions from him. He is still at his best on delivering the comedic contribution to the film.
Rowan Atkinson definitely steals the show, and I don’t even mind bothering to look much at other casts’ performances. Sorry for that, but Rowan really attracted my attention the most from his awkward but funny appearance. The other casts performed well too actually. The story is interesting, and the setting gets to switch from many locations (Tibet, Macau, Hong Kong, Switzerland and London). The people that strikes fear to Johnny English is not the man behind the evil plan, but is an old Chinese lady hired in support of the plan. It is really funny when the lady confronted Johnny in many scenes and tried to kill him.
After watching this film, now I know there is more than only one reason why the film is entitled ‘Johnny English: Reborn’. It is not only because of it is a sequel that Johnny is back in action after so many years of training himself in Tibet, but also because he is really ‘reborn’ at the end of the film after a kiss. Ahh…sorry for another spoiler. I have watched the trailer of this film quite a long time ago and it is really promising that this is going to make my day enjoyable. Yes, it truly is..But I think the film is edited and some scenes are cut off with no reason. Anyway, I am enjoying it and let me assure you, this is a film that provides you entertainment unlike any others. In the cinema just now, there are even a number of people clapping their hands at some scenes where it is really brilliantly created to evoke our expression of laughter. You must not miss it! :)
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Surya has done two characters. One is as Bodhidharma and the other one as a worker in circus. Surya is fabulous as Bodhidharma. However the character of circus boy who turns into a savior is not properly etched. Shruti Hassan looks decent and acts well. Her character is essential and critical in this film. Johnny Tri Nguyen - a Vietnamese American actor has donned the role of villain and he is deadly.
Story - screenplay - direction: Story of the film is excellent. The director Murugadoss has come up with a novel idea by blending a real/historic incident to a fictional set-up. However, the screenplay is not taut and the required emotion which is vital for semi-science-fiction films like these is missing. Direction is good in parts. The way he has explained the story of Bodhidharma (first 20 minutes), the function of DNA and how virus spreads is excellent. Murugadoss who has done Ghajini by mixing class/mass commercial elements in right proportion didn’t get them right in this movie. The character of circus artist Surya becomes passive as heroine dictate terms in most of the movie. Murugadoss came up with nice concept, but lost it in translating onto the screen.
Other departments: Music by Harris Jayaraj is good. Yamma Yamma and Oh Ringa Ringa are catchy. Cinematography by Ravi K Chandran is excellent. Dialogues are okay. However the dubbing voices used for small artists are artificial/over-dramatic and remind us of popular Hollywood Tamil dubbing voices. Peter Hein choreographed stunts and they are partly good. Editing should have been better and production values are good.
Analysis: First half is okay. Second half lacks the commercial grip. 7th Sense is an example for a big-star-cast-huge-budgeted movie that looks wonderful on the paper, but falters in the execution. The concept is innovative, but format/screenplay/arch is not good enough to narrate this story in an arresting fashion. We have to wait and see how this Diwali release fares at box office.