JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN on Bluray

Jeri Jacquin

Our favorite spy, well my favorite spy, is returning to Bluray and DVD from director David Kerr and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment with JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN.

British Intelligence is in the middle of a hack and all of their agents have been exposed through a cyber attack. The Prime Minister (Emma Thompson) has no choice but to call in retired MI7 agents and among them is the one and only Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson).

English has been keeping himself busy as a geography teacher but actually teaching his students a little bit about being an agent. Happy to be back, he requests his old partner Angus Bough (Ben Miller) and a car that is a little less 007 and a lot more Agent English.

They take off to France to find out how the cyber attack started. While staking out the yacht ‘Dot Calm’, English comes into contact with the lovely Ophelia (Olga Kurylenko) as they both see suspicious server activity but have to escape being caught.

Back at MI7, the Prime Minister decides it’s time to get a hold of Jason Volta (Jake Lacy) for help. Jason is a Silicon Valley billionaire who has his hands in all kind of tech world wide. As more cyber attacks happen, the PM needs to make an agreement at the G12 meeting.

Back with English, he is totally taken with Ophelia and doesn’t know she’s been sent by Russia to take out English but instead, she starts to like him. Working together they discover what Volta is really up to and try to reach the PM to tell her all about it. Not getting any help from MI7, English and Bough have a little help from wife Captain Lydia (Vicki Pepperdine) who gets the boys to the meeting.

But it isn’t that simple because nothing with English ever is. One phone call to close to the sub wreaks havoc but only this agent knows how to throw a tablet and change the course of destruction.

Seriously, the kids need him back at school!

Atkinson as Johnny English is quirky suave, dedicated to his belief in something even though it’s wrong and the luckiest retired agent to ever turn something wrong into something right. I have been a huge fan of this actor/comedian since I can remember. I suppose we could go way back to Lord Blackadder and Mr. Bean days. As a matter of fact, my son (now well into his 30’s) and I use to absolutely lose it watching Mr. Bean together. We are twisted like that. Here we all these years later and still get together to get our fix of Atkinson and his brand of comedy.

Kurylenko as Ophelia is certainly getting her share of spy’s as this isn’t the first time she’s been sexy chasing a guy in a tux with a gun and spiffy car. Here she takes a hand a comedy and is pulled in to Johnny English just like the rest of us. Thompson as the Prime Minister is hilarious because I actually think her portrayal would make that position in Parliament more believable.

Miller as Bough is the perfect sidekick to Atkinson’s English because he’s a little more concerned with safety than looking good in a tux. Oh lets just say it, he’s too sweet to be put in such crazy situations yet, he manages well. This time he has a little help from Pepperdine as wife Lydia who thinks he’s just as adorable as I do.

Lacy as Volta attempts to portray himself as the good guy but English, Bough and Ophelia know differently. Never let your billions get in the way of psycho I always say and Lacy gives us plenty of well groomed world domination psycho-ness.

Other cast include Adam James as Pegasus, Pippa Bennett-Warner as Lesley, Miranda Hennessy as Tara, Irena Tyshyna as Viola, David Mumeni as Fabian, Samantha Russell of Prime Minister of Sweden, Pauline McLynn as Mrs. Trattner, and Matthew Beard as P.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us all to experience and re-experience in our own home theatres. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

The Bonus Features Exclusive to Bluray, DVD and Digital include: The Comedy Genius of Rowan Atkinson – A look at Rowan’s comedic talents – the meticulous attention to detail that is the hallmark of his work. Johnny English combines the best of Rowan – a skillful use of dialogue and slapstick, and The Johnny English Legacy - What has changed in the series this time around, for Johnny, and for the world? In this piece, we learn form the cast and filmmakers how the character has evolved and what’s changed without changing the core of the incompetent agent we have come to know and love.

Also, Virtual Reality JOHNNY ENGLISH STYLE – Virtual reality might be everywhere, but no one does it quite like our intrepid agent English, The Gadgets – Rowan leads us through his notable collection of gadgets as the team provides insights into their creation, The Cars – Rowan is a well-known auto enthusiast, and had a big say in the choice of cars used in the film, Locations and Design, a Cast of Characters – With a lead like Rowan Atkinson, the supporting cast has to be just as strong and finally, Feature Commentary with Director David Kerr.

JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN gives us everything we love about spy comedies but Atkinson style! He is Johnny English through and through and with a pretty cool cast to support the madness there is no way laughing isn’t part of the plan. This is fun and funny and I personally wouldn’t have it any other way.

In the end – only the best will do ---- and no one else is available!