Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Johnny English Strikes Again arrived on Blu-ray this week and I am happy to check this film out since I missed it in theaters. As a kid, I loved watching the first Johnny English starring Rowan Atkinson in 2001. When I was in elementary school, I loved watching James Bond and the first film arrived at the right time for me to appreciate the comedy as well as the spy aspect of the movie. The second film came out in theaters many years later and the third film just came out last year.
After a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all the active undercover agents in Britain, Johnny English is forced to come out of retirement to find the mastermind hacker. The Johnny English franchise is not meant to be complex or deep, it is meant to entertain and make people laugh. Johnny English Strikes Again succeeds once again at making me laugh.
There is plenty to love when watching Johnny English Strikes Again. Rowan Atkinson gives every scene his all, which makes the whole film enjoyable. I love this style of humor and Atkinson always pulls off the silly slapstick shenanigans. Years have passed since the last Johnny English film and more technology has been readily available to the general audience. With more advanced technology, this allows for the film to explore different kind of gadgets for English to use. There is an extended sequence involving virtual reality that had me laughing so hard my sides were hurting. I have always admired British humor and throughout the years Rowan Atkinson has always made me laugh. The series of mishaps for the character is something I will always find hilarious.
Much like the previous Johnny English films, the plot feels a bit predictable and the villain’s motive is something I have seen before. Much of the storyline regarding the cyber-terrorist feels thin, but the hijinks keep me distracted from the poor story. I wasn’t going into this movie expecting to be wowed by the story or villains, I was expecting to have a good time.
The film looks clean on Blu-ray with colors feeling vibrant and details popping from the screen. Many bright colors such as English’s red Aston Martin stand out throughout the movie. The dark colors throughout the film don’t feel gloomy and are nicely rendered.
The audio for this spy-comedy is also enjoyable with the score and dialog clearly understood. The score from Howard Goodall is immersive and the dialog from the cast doesn’t feel overshadowed by background noise. Universal Studios always provides the best when it comes to audio and video on their Blu-ray releases.
Johnny English Strikes Again is loaded with special features for everyone to enjoy. There is a feature commentary with the director David Kerr, which I always love checking out. There are also special features that showcase the gadgets and cars used in the film. ‘A Cast of Characters’ looks at the supporting cast of the film which includes Emma Thompson, Jake Lacey, and Ben Miller. One of my favorite special features on the release is ‘The Legacy of Johnny English’ where the cast and crew discuss the three Johnny English films. There are also various special features that look at the locations and production design as well as the director and a few cast members discussing what it was like working with Rowan Atkinson.
Johnny English Strikes Again is a film for the whole family. This isn’t a film that is going to be vulgar and offend anybody. It is just an innocent film with Rowan Atkinson being goofy and having fun. Universal Studios provides a great Blu-ray release loaded with special features that impress the fans of the trilogy. If you loved the first two films, I highly recommend checking out the newest edition in the Johnny English franchise.
UPHE generously provided Hotchka with a Bu-ray of the film for reviewing purposes.
Share this post
