6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
After a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all of the active undercover agents in Britain, Johnny English is forced to come out of retirement to find the mastermind hacker.
Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, Olga Kurylenko, Jake Lacy, Emma ThompsonComedy | 100% |
Action | 80% |
Adventure | 67% |
Family | 54% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS:X
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The fate of England’s most secretive spy service is in the hands of a bumbling retiree in Johnny English Strikes Again, Director David Kerr's debut feature film. The picture is the third in the Johnny English series, following Johnny English and Johnny English Reborn. The franchise is both a spoof on James Bond and, more importantly, a vehicle for Rowan Atkinson to harness is considerable comedic might. The series is certainly nowhere near as good as his breakthrough Mr. Bean, though these films follow the same basic formula featuring Atkinson bumbling about and inadvertently making a mess of everything he does and everywhere he goes. Johnny English Strikes Again sees the character pulled out of retirement and into the modern world. Hilarity ensues as the analog agent must dabble in a digital world.
Universal's Blu-ray release of Johnny English Strikes Again is of a very high quality. The digitally sourced picture is sharp corner to corner throughout, with finely revealing details and smooth, clear definition the norm. Character close-ups reveal rewarding skin details, showcasing pores, lines, eyes, and hair with very impressive depth and clarity. Clothing details are precise, particularly critical given the number of high dollar suits and dresses seen throughout the film. Fine fabric definition and stitching details are always intimately visible. Environments are sharp, with practical sets, of course, the highlight, though some digitally constructed backdrops are a little flat. Colors are bold and intense. English's red Astin Martin is a particularly robust standout, but coloring proves even, dense, and well saturated throughout various interior and exterior locations alike. Flesh tones are well defined throughout but black levels are a little problematic, particularly in an early nighttime scene in which English is evaluating his pupils. Blacks are raised and push purple. Aliasing interferes in a few places, such as on a blue shirt at the 10:30 mark, while severe banding at the 22:45, 26:13, and 1:15:21 timestamps are also troublesome. On the whole, though, the image is gorgeous, with effortlessly complex detail, high end clarity, and bold and accurate colors the norm.
Johnny English Strikes Again strikes audio gold via its excellent DTS:X Master Audio soundtrack. Music is joyfully wide and filling, with seemingly equal status given to fronts, surrounds, and top layer speakers alike, including a prodigiously delivered Dance song in chapter 10 which is the absolute sonic highlight throughout the entire film for its depth, detail, and total stage transformation into that dance floor. High yield action details are well defined and perfectly integrated into the stage, taking full advantage of every speaker in the DTS:X arsenal. Well balanced atmospherics at a posh restaurant where English poses as a waiter in chapter four offers an example of the track's ability to finely hone less prominent support elements with the same elegance as the more intense music and effects. A "slight pop," as English calls it, in chapter six offers a momentary but weighty low end charge and is one of the best one-off examples of low end extension in the track. Dialogue delivery is clear and center focused. It is always well prioritized.
Johnny English Strikes Again contains a handful of featurettes and an audio commentary track. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies
Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.
Johnny English Strikes Again delivers regular laughs, which is all one can reasonably want or expect from a movie like this. The story is paper-thin, granted, but it's well thought out in terms of allowing Atkinson to play around with a fully realized buffoon of a persona that is the star of the show, not the framework plot details. This is a fun, mostly family-friendly Comedy that may be far removed from Atkinson's glory days as Mr. Bean but is still a showcase for his considerable comedic talents. Universal's Blu-ray delivers strong 1080p video, a terrific DTS:X soundtrack, and a nice selection of bonus content. Recommended.
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