I was hoping for something funny that would live up to its predecessor, but all I got was action, action, action and not much laughs out of this poor attempt to bring back Johnny English, our favorite comical British spy.
After saving England from a French villain in the first film, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) becomes a monk and is estranged from his service as a spy for her majesty. He learns martial arts and all that jazz that concerns being zen and keeping in touch with your inner spirit. But he soon gets a wake up call from MI7 to help them investigate a case regarding an organization plot to assassinate the Chinese premier but he is reluctant to join them because of his last failed mission that keeps haunting him.
Other actors include Dominic West who plays "Agent One" at MI7, Rosamund Pike as Johnny's love interest who works at MI7 as well, and Gillian Anderson as the new 'Pegasus'/boss.
This film compared to the first one is a little bit more dark in tone and there is way more mystery and action scenes which will probably excite people who are looking for a more somber storyline and who enjoy lots of action. I would say it seems much more like a "serious" take on a James Bond parody film but I personally enjoy good, solid comedy throughout if that's what they advertise. So, if you are a fan of the first Johnny English then you might be a bit disappointed at the low level of comedy featured on screen. I wouldn't say it doesn't contain any comedy at all, but there is just that other feel to it that many people probably wouldn't suspect when viewing for the first time.
However, the mystery and suspense level is very exciting and chilling at times with the action adding that much more energy to the plot. The cinematography, taking place in various locations like China, is captured very well throughout and I think stays true to how people would see those places.
Overall, the film is rather forgettable with characters that are rather bland and lacking in depth. It tries to be complex a little too much but doesn't seem to pull it off in the process. I was hoping for a lighthearted comedy, but got a dark thriller that only hints at comedy every now and then. Rowan Atkinson's talent for comedy has been utterly wasted in this production, just proving that maybe sequels aren't meant to be made all the time. No thought put into this one and I continue to be in favor of the one and only Johnny English without him being Reborn.
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