Dads Army (2016 film)

Plot

It is summer, 1944 and the invasion of Normandy is approaching. Nazi forces in France, seeking intelligence on the invasion location, send their best spy to a town on England's channel coastline, Walmington-on-Sea. In the town, Captain Mainwaring's Home Guard is suffering from a lack of luck and appreciation. This is until an elegant journalist, Rose Winters, arrives to report on the platoon's motives and activities, allegedly for The Lady magazine. The platoon are charmed by her presence, especially Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson, causing feuds with the townsfolk, especially the platoon's wives. Adding to tensions it emerges Sergeant Wilson and Rose Winters shared a past dalliance at Oxford University.

Meanwhile, MI5 detect a radio signal transmitted from Walmington-on-Sea towards Berlin, believed to be from the Nazi spy. MI5's Major Cunningham and Captain Meeks locate Captain Mainwaring and inform him of the enemy presence, stating "it could be anyone". This news gives the Home Guard a chance to locate the spy and make a real difference in the war.

While accompanying the platoon on a patrol, designated Top Secret by the British Army, Winters discovers the Dover base is intended to deceive German air reconnaissance, part of the (real) Operation Bodyguard. Winters now knows the invasion will target Normandy. As the platoon searches for the spy, Rose claims it is Sergeant Wilson. Captain Mainwaring believes Rose and arrests Wilson. However, Private Godfrey's sisters investigate Rose and find evidence questioning her journalist credentials and that Rose has a home address in Berlin. The platoon and their wives rally to stop Winters and exchange fire with a German U-boat and a Wehrmacht landing party who are helping Winters escape.

The U-boat flees without Winters boarding. Mainwaring arrests Winters and hands her over to MI5. The troop then parade through Walmington, having fought off the Nazis, and are congratulated by Colonel Theakes. Mainwaring and Wilson reconcile. Theakes underlines the platoon success by telling them they have played a prominent part in the war effort.

Cast

Ian Lavender makes a cameo as Brigadier Pritchard, providing a link with the original series, Frank Williams reprises his role as the Vicar. The regular series character of the Verger Maurice Yeatman was not recreated for the film. Mrs. Mainwaring, who was a completely unseen character for the whole of the original series, now has a prominently visible role in the film, where she is portrayed as a Chief Volunteer of the local Auxiliary Territorial Service, and is even more pompous, domineering and vociferous than her husband.

Production

Filming began in Yorkshire in October 2014. Principal photography took place at North Landing, Flamborough Head and Bridlington. The East Riding Theatre in Beverley was used for Church Hall/Parade room and Captain Mainwaring's office. Sections of the film were also captured in Leeds and Pickering. Jones' van from the original television series, on loan from the Dad's Army Museum, was used in the film.

Reception

Dad's Army has received generally negative reviews from critics, though Toby Jones' performance was praised. The film currently has a 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9. On Metacritic, it has a score of 38 out of 100, based on 7 critics, which indicates "generally unfavourable reviews".

Sean O'Grady, of The Independent, gave the film a five star review, remarking that rather than threatening the series' legacy, it "surpasses the original", calling it a "well-crafted reproduction" containing all the elements that made the original so clever, durable and loveable.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian was slightly less convinced, giving it two stars, stating that "it’s hard to escape the sinking feeling that this is a waste of talent—that this is a good-natured, well-meaning but pointless kind of Brit-comedy ancestor worship; paying elaborate homage to a TV show that got it right the first time."

Empire rated it two stars describing the plot as "moderately entertaining bunkum" and that "as a whole it's an inessential oddity—amiable enough but also over-reverential and unlikely to leave a lasting impression".