Dad's Army

DAD'S ARMY

Director : Oliver Parker

Year : 2016

Genre : Comedy

Rating : **1/2

Having proved himself to be a master of imitation in films such as 'Infamous' and 'The Girl', Toby Jones now channels his inner Arthur Lowe in 'Dad's Army', Oliver Parker's ('St. Trinians', 'Johnny English Reborn') much anticipated big screen reboot of the classic World War II BBC comedy series of the same. Co-starring some of our country's greatest screen icons including Bill Nighy, Sir Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay, Bill Paterson and Mark Gatiss to name just a few, 'Dad's Army' sees the men of the Walmington-On-Sea's home guard face their biggest challenge yet when a spy takes up residence in the town and begins leaking top secret military information to the Boche. Could this strange set of circumstances have anything to do with the simultaneous arrival of the mysterious but beautiful Miss Winters (Catherine Zeta Jones) who has come to the town to report on the platoon's activities for the Ladies Magazine?

Continually voted one of our finest comedies (it came 4th in a recent poll to find Britain's funniest sitcom), the pressure is on director Oliver Parker to create a movie that is worthy of carrying the beloved shows name and despite ultimately failing his objective, it's not for a lack of trying. The aforementioned cast all do terrific work here with every actor perfectly encapsulating the nuances and trademarks of their small screen counterparts, particularly Toby Jones and Sir Michael Gambon who are both brilliant in their respective roles as the pompous Captain Mainwaring and the oblivious Private Godfrey. 

But despite the talents of a formidable ensemble cast and the eye of a director who has had great commercial success in the comedy genre before, 'Dad's Army' just simply isn't funny enough to hold a candle to it's far superior predecessor. The weak screenplay by Hamish McColl lacks the inherent magic of Jimmy Perry and David Croft's original television scripts, substituting the shows trademark wit and banter with crowbarred in slogans and catchphrases while the overall grand scale of the production feels oddly excessive when compared to the domestic simplicity of the programme. In the end, 'Dad's Army' is a noble effort that serves as yet more proof that the best TV shows don't always make the best movies.