Johnny English Reborn
Ilan Eshkeri
" I preferred the Shearmur one "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Johnny English returns in Johnny English Reborn, a sequel to the highly successful parody of James Bond. In that first one, agent Johnny English was called on board, after every other agent was killed. Largely unleashing the more familiar gags, it was nonetheless a box office success around the world. Large enough to let Johnny English return to MI7 after a 7 year absence. And like the first film, this one was greeted with mixed reviews, despite becoming another winning box office champion. Sadly for many Edward Shearmur did not return as the composer, the choice was given instead to London born Ilan Eshkeri.
Of course you know Ilan Eshkeri of Stardust fame. And somehow, that score hasn't been matched. Of course projects like Stardust don't come at a regular basis, but somehow Eshkeri never matched that magic ever again. So enter Johnny English Reborn, a typical run of the mill spy score that sounds deliciously entertaining during several portions of the score. Luckily somehow Edward Shearmur's spirit lives on through Eshkeri's main theme, this in the fun "London", the action packed "The Toy Cupboard", "Commandeering the Vessel", "Bravo Commander", the at times heroic "Wheelchair" or the delightful "Cliff Jump".
And while Eshkeri is not stating his main theme, he is unleashing some fun orchestral moments during the entertaining "Rooftop Chase" and the dark duo "Golf" and "Poisoning the Drink". Plus there's a nice moment of soft choir during "Church Escape", a manic collision of strings during "The Manic Phase" and a rewarding bit of patriotism during "Buckingham Palace".
Unfortunately Johnny English Reborn doesn't hold its ground, especially after a while. The music's highly enjoyable in the first tracks, but begins to lose its wow factor pretty quickly, delivering enjoyable but not rewarding orchestral music. In that aspect, Shearmur's music had a lot more to show for. It's all the same after a while, and I quickly noticed that I was losing interest during my listen. I know this isn't Stardust, and something tells me we're not gonna get it back that soon, but somehow the begin of Johnny English Reborn never received an encore.
Tracklisting
1. London (1.34)
2. The Toy Cupboard (2.09)
3. Hong Kong (2.21)
4. Rooftop Chase (2.57)
5. Commandeering the Vessel (1.31)
6. Bravo Commander (0.40)
7. Killer Cleaner (1.34)
8. Hypnotification (2.06)
9. Karlenko Arrives (0.29)
10. Golf (2.21)
11. Helicopter (2.29)
12. Church Escape (1.53)
13. Wheelchair (3.43)
14. Ambrose (1.01)
15. Timoxybarbobutenol (1.47)
16. Tucker Shoots Johnny (1.23)
17. Poisoning the Drink (1.08)
18. The Manic Phase (4.08)
19. Lipstick Gun (3.15)
20. Johnny Reborn (2.19)
21. Cliff Jump (2.33)
22. Umbrella (0.45)
23. Buckingham Palace (1.04)
24. Killer Queener (1.10)
Total Length: 46.20
Of course you know Ilan Eshkeri of Stardust fame. And somehow, that score hasn't been matched. Of course projects like Stardust don't come at a regular basis, but somehow Eshkeri never matched that magic ever again. So enter Johnny English Reborn, a typical run of the mill spy score that sounds deliciously entertaining during several portions of the score. Luckily somehow Edward Shearmur's spirit lives on through Eshkeri's main theme, this in the fun "London", the action packed "The Toy Cupboard", "Commandeering the Vessel", "Bravo Commander", the at times heroic "Wheelchair" or the delightful "Cliff Jump".
And while Eshkeri is not stating his main theme, he is unleashing some fun orchestral moments during the entertaining "Rooftop Chase" and the dark duo "Golf" and "Poisoning the Drink". Plus there's a nice moment of soft choir during "Church Escape", a manic collision of strings during "The Manic Phase" and a rewarding bit of patriotism during "Buckingham Palace".
Unfortunately Johnny English Reborn doesn't hold its ground, especially after a while. The music's highly enjoyable in the first tracks, but begins to lose its wow factor pretty quickly, delivering enjoyable but not rewarding orchestral music. In that aspect, Shearmur's music had a lot more to show for. It's all the same after a while, and I quickly noticed that I was losing interest during my listen. I know this isn't Stardust, and something tells me we're not gonna get it back that soon, but somehow the begin of Johnny English Reborn never received an encore.
Tracklisting
1. London (1.34)
2. The Toy Cupboard (2.09)
3. Hong Kong (2.21)
4. Rooftop Chase (2.57)
5. Commandeering the Vessel (1.31)
6. Bravo Commander (0.40)
7. Killer Cleaner (1.34)
8. Hypnotification (2.06)
9. Karlenko Arrives (0.29)
10. Golf (2.21)
11. Helicopter (2.29)
12. Church Escape (1.53)
13. Wheelchair (3.43)
14. Ambrose (1.01)
15. Timoxybarbobutenol (1.47)
16. Tucker Shoots Johnny (1.23)
17. Poisoning the Drink (1.08)
18. The Manic Phase (4.08)
19. Lipstick Gun (3.15)
20. Johnny Reborn (2.19)
21. Cliff Jump (2.33)
22. Umbrella (0.45)
23. Buckingham Palace (1.04)
24. Killer Queener (1.10)
Total Length: 46.20