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Review of Johnny English Strikes Again (Howard Goodall)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if all forms of espionage parody music appeal to your tastes, for Howard Goodall offers up a sufficient entry in this franchise without making the most out of the opportunity.

Avoid it... if you had hoped that Goodall would recapture the larger-than-life scope of the original Johnny English score he helped to fashion, his solo effort here disappointingly shallow and perfunctory.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Johnny English Strikes Again: (Howard Goodall) Proving that hauling the Johnny English character out of retirement once wasn't enough, 2018's Johnny English Strikes Again tickled audiences to significant box office returns a third time. The bumbling British agent is among old MI7 spies brought back into service to save the world after all the legitimate, current ones are compromised. As fate would have it, English is the only one able to take on the mission to save the world from an American tech villain, with a little help from a female Russian spy along the way. The appeal of Rowan Atkinson's antics seems to know no bounds in his native country, the man's immense talent for physical humor once again on display as his character stumbles through a number of lucky circumstances to achieve his mission. The soundtracks for the Johnny English movies have been pure parody fun, combining glitzy espionage scores of high jazz style with a variety of humorous source songs. Nothing in this equation changes in Johnny English Strikes Again, though the highlight of the music in the film is undoubtedly the outrageous dance moves Atkinson applies to Darude's "Sandstorm" song, the comedian once again showing the audience things that cannot be unseen. Several major scenes use song placements, and one of the funniest, involving English in a virtual reality mishap, intentionally chops up the score to play only when you view his perspective from within the simulation but not all the mayhem he's causing around him. The original Johnny English score by Edward Shearmur took inspiration from music written by resident Mr. Bean composer Howard Goodall, while Johnny English Reborn allowed Shearmur associate Ilan Eshkeri the chance to give that sound another spin. For Johnny English Strikes Again, Goodall was allowed to score the picture himself, and he took the opportunity to spin it back towards the music he wrote for the Barclaycard television commercials of the 1990's that actually introduced Atkinson as a faux secret agent. The theme of those commercials informed the first phrase of Shearmur's main identity and Eshkeri's offshoot, the latter technically closer to Goodall's approach.

While it was heartening to see Goodall get a chance to score Johnny English Strikes Again after providing so much music for Atkinson's characters on the small screen, he only achieves a moderately successful result. With each successive score in this franchise, the music became less refined and robust, with Goodall achieving parody but through rather dainty constructs and orchestration rather than over-the-top brute force in the espionage genre. He does pilfer many the norms of the James Bond scores, especially those of the David Arnold era, but the recording is often flimsy and resorts to cuteness more than necessary. This despite few fully realized references to other tunes, like the brief Canadian parody in the middle of "Johnny's On Board." While a wide variety of orchestral and rock colors are applied, the performances are surprisingly shallow; occasional synth choir effects are muted before the enhanced choral presence in "Helicopter," and the electronics aren't always appealing, the obnoxious, bubbling analog synth tones in "Break-In" yielding a pointless cue. The narrative is fine at the start and end, but the middle suffers from a lack of focus, the long, source-like "Flaming Lobsters" shifting through light salsa and jazz tones without advancing the themes. The main theme is similar enough to the Shearmur original take on Goodall's Barclaycard idea for casual listeners to make the connection, though the version here is a much closer sibling to that original melody, to its detriment. Shearmur worked magic with the idea, and Goodall, like Eshkeri, really struggles to conjure a satisfying second phrase for the idea. Still, it's prevalent in this score, hinted at 1:37 into "Forest Mission" before enjoying its suite-like arrangement throughout "Opening Titles" with obligatory brass and electric guitar. The theme becomes cute throughout "Johnny's On Board" and "Boat Mission," achieves better attitude on electric guitar (and wild drum kit solos) at 0:35 and 2:15 into "Car Chase," and is laced throughout "Learner Driver" in fragments. The idea becomes somber on horn, clarinet, and trumpet early in "Sacked Johnny," indirectly informs the burst of action in "Knight Hiding," and reprises the opening titles sequence in "Mr. English Returns" with light vocal backing, finishing "End Roller Medley" with similar flair. The first phrase of the theme occurs as a stinger throughout the work as well.

Goodall's main theme for Johnny English Strikes Again contains a romantic bridge sequence distinct from the equivalents of his predecessors, and his is vaguely John Barry-like and underutilized in the score, not justifying its existence. It interjects at 0:37 and 1:13 into "Opening Titles," opens "Car Chase" briefly, features early in "False Flirtation and Tablet Choice" in a simpler, cyclical variant, and is handed to a trumpet at 2:42 into "U.N. Speech." The theme reprises its opening titles interlude duties in "Mr. English Returns" and makes a cameo in the middle of "End Roller Medley." The highlight of the narrative in Johnny English Strikes Again is Goodall's villain material that encompasses both the Russian spy and American tech billionaire, the main representation a simple and memorable melody that flourishes as a good rhythm, too. Debuting at 1:07 into "Forest Mission," this theme is hinted in the latter half of "Volta, The PM and Dot Calm," opens "Boat Mission," offers a quiet moment during the percussive action at 1:12 into "Car Chase," and figures at 2:13 into "False Flirtation and Tablet Choice" on sinister violins just prior to the famed dance sequence. The villain theme enjoys cool swagger to open "Castle Arrival" and closes out that cue on soft strings. It develops into grandiose variants in the latter half of "U.N. Speech," with a new form consolidating in the impressive choral climax of "Helicopter." The only other recurring theme of any significance is one of regal intent for British leadership, opening "Volta, The PM and Dot Calm" and closing "Helicopter" with humble relief. Together, this set of themes basically achieves its purpose but doesn't develop into half the narrative it could have provided. This unfortunate lack of focus leaves you with a few singular highlights outside of the somewhat trite opening and closing titles, led by "Car Chase," "Castle Arrival," and "Helicopter." These moments would make an appreciable addition to a suite with Eshkeri's best material from Johnny English Reborn. But neither of the sequel scores achieved the ballsy force of will that Shearmur provided for the first film, each successive entry losing more of that depth of style. The 54-minute digital-only, score-only album for Johnny English Strikes Again suffers from volume fluctuations between tracks. The score barely achieves a third star in its rating due to its sufficient character, though one can't help but be disappointed by this missed opportunity.  ***

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 53:53

• 1. Forest Mission (2:18) • 2. Opening Titles (2:08) • 3. Johnny's On Board (2:54) • 4. Flaming Lobsters (5:19) • 5. Volta, the PM and Dot Calm (2:33) • 6. Boat Mission (3:47) • 7. Car Chase (3:06) • 8. False Flirtation and Tablet Choice (3:27) • 9. Break-In (3:29)

• 10. Learner Driver (2:32) • 11. Sacked Johnny (1:58) • 12. Castle Arrival (4:35) • 13. Knight Hiding (0:42) • 14. U.N. Speech (7:07) • 15. Helicopter (3:52) • 16. Mr. English Returns (2:10) • 17. End Roller Medley (1:56)

NOTES & QUOTES:

There exists no official packaging for this album.

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