Here’s Johnny!

Now showing at OmnipleX, Antrim, ‘Johnny English Reborn’ is that rarity - a sequel that’s as good if not better than its predecessor yet one that can stand on its own two feet.

This time round a slightly greying Johnny English goes up against international assassins hunting down the Chinese premier.

He’s brought back to active service for that special mission by spy chief Pamela Thorton (X Files’ Gillian Anderson) having been left out in the cold literally - at a Tibetan monastery - after messing up a top security job in Mozambique some years earlier.

He is teamed up with a new sidekick (Daniel Kaluuya) who he bonds with quite early on in true Johnny English style - by dueting the old David Soul classic, “Don’t Give Up On Us Baby”.

J.E. also finds himself in the company this time of fellow Brit spy Simon Ambrose (Dominic West) and beautiful special agent Kate Sumner (Rosamund Pike) as he bumbles through the plot in Mr Bean-like fashion.

Like the original film, there is plenty of rubbery-faced comedy from Atkinson and lots of moments when you find yourself not knowing whether to laugh or cringe at his incompetence.

With one shot at redemption, however, he must employ the latest in hi-tech gadgets to unravel a web of conspiracy that runs throughout the KGB, CIA and even MI-7.

And there are gadgets galore in ‘Reborn’, not least the voice-controlled Rolls-Royce that follows its owner around on command and a souped-up wheelchair in which Johnny speeds around the streets of London in a bid to evade the baddies.

It’s suitably billed as “One man, One Mission, No Chance”, so, how does it all turn out?

Well, once again it’s all about the journey for Johnny, so if you’re a fan of his first rollercoaster outing back in 2003 then you really ought to join him on his second.

Early ticket sales speak for themselves - this spy spoof went straight to the top of the UK box office on its release, ironically knocking Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy off the No1 spot and taking £4.97m in its first weekend.

‘Look out...old Johnny is back!’