Review: The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Susan Granger
Susan Granger's review of "THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH" (MGM/UA)
When you go to a James Bond film, you're looking for escapist
fantasy - and that's what you get in this 19th installment in the
long-running, most successful film franchise in cinema
history. Directed by Michael Apted, the adventure begins with a
sensational, action-packed opening sequence in Bilbao, Spain, where
Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is attacked by a sexy sniper, setting the plot
into motion. Bond's mission, this time, is to find the notorious
international terrorist (Robert Carlyle) responsible for the death of
a British oil tycoon in an explosion in M16 headquarters. This
formidable villain has a bullet lodged in his brain, rendering him
unable to feel pain. To track him down, Bond is assigned as a
bodyguard for the tycoon's beautiful daughter, Elektra (Sophie
Marceau), who is building an oil pipeline through some of the most
dangerous territory on the globe. And his only ally in remote
Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea is a nuclear weapons expert,
Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards), whose name leads to one of the
funniest last lines of a movie in years. Suave Pierce Brosnan embodies
007, delving into the emotional depth of his relationships, and Denise
Richards is amusingly absurd as a scantily clad rocket
scientist. Desmond Llewelyn returns as Q, with amazing high-tech
gadgets, including a speed-boat and BMW, and John Cleese is introduced
as R, his inept assistant. Judi Dench is back as M with Samantha Bond
as Moneypenny. "Orbis non sufficit," Latin for "The world is not
enough," is the Bond family motto (On Her Majesty's Secret Service,
1969). For James Bond fans, on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, The
World Is Not Enough is a spectacular, fun-filled 10, packed with all
the excitement you expect - and more. It's a jaw-dropper, so buckle
up for a wild ride!
Scott Renshaw
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise
Richards, Judi Dench, Robbie Coltrane.
Screenplay: Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein.
Producers: Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Director: Michael Apted.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (violence, adult themes)
Running Time: 128 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
After 40 years and 19 films, the James Bond series is a cinematic
institution -- perhaps even the last cinematic institution. In a film
industry climate where the object of big-budget movies is generally to
show the audience something new and dazzling, the Bond series is all about
structural stability. You know you'll get a show-stopping stunt sequence
to kick things off. You know that stunt sequence will lead into opening
credits filled with writhing female silhouettes. You the opening credits
will lead into a visit with Q (Desmond Llewelyn). You know Bond will fire
off a few ghastly puns aimed at Q's latest gadgets. Going to a Bond film
is like going to a fast food restaurant. You attend because there's
something comforting about knowing it will taste the same every time. It's
a recipe you don't want to see shaken or stirred.
In a sense, there's little to say about THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH that
hasn't already been said about the 18 installments that have preceded it.
It goes without saying that Agent 007 (Pierce Brosnan) has a mission that
involves a beautiful woman or two. One of them is Elektra King (Sophie
Marceau), an oil heiress whose pipeline -- and life -- appear to be in
danger; one of them is Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards), a nuclear
weapons expert in a pin-up body. It similarly goes without saying that
there's a villain bent on mass destruction. His name is Renard (Robert
Carlyle), a terrorist-for-hire who has been rendered impervious to pain by
a bullet to the medulla oblongata. And it goes without saying that the
clock is ticking on a dastardly plan involving the very fate of the free
world (or at least Istanbul), and that only Bond can save us.
It does bear mentioning that THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH turns out to be
a frustrating combination of the all-too-common and the distractingly
absent. The film does open with a rousing pre-credits chase sequence
involving motorboats racing down the Thames. When Bond leaps from a boat
sailing through the air, catching the dangling rope on a hot air balloon
in the process, there's hope that director Michael Apted can maintain that
sort of high-flying absurdity. Then the wearying deja vu begins to set
in. How many times can we thrill to Bond fleeing gunmen while skiing? How
many times can a shootout in a place where every inanimate object explodes
be interesting? How many times can you wring excitement from getting
caught underwater without air? To Apted's credit, he does find a slick new
twist when he threatens Bond with a helicopter armed with a massive
clearcutting saw. Far more often, the perfunctory thrice-hourly action
sequences are just there to remind you that you're watching a Bond film.
Sometimes the reminder is necessary, because THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
is otherwise short on traditional Bond texture. The film may trot out
locations in Spain, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey, but it never does
anything with them, denying us the welcome pleasure of Bond film as exotic
travelogue. Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards, scrumptious though they
may be, are a major come-down from the magnetism of TOMORROW NEVER DIES'
Michelle Yeoh. Most disappointing of all is Renard, who may be the least
commanding villain the series has ever seen. It's bad enough that he gets
only a few scenes to develop any kind of personality; it's inexcusable
that he turns out to be a self-pitying lap dog for the real villain
pulling the strings. Mix in the absence of a suitably unstoppable nasty
henchman (are the Oddjobs and Jaws's of the post-Cold War world so hard to
come by?), and you've got a pretty vanilla thrilla.
It is enjoyable to watch Pierce Brosnan growing into the role of Bond
so comfortably. Connery enthusiasts may cringe, but I believe Brosnan is
the best all-around Bond yet -- no one else has combined such convincing
licensed-to-kill menace with a bon vivant twinkle in the eye. He's still a
presence worth watching, as are Dame Judi Dench (in a meatier-than-usual
role for M) and John Cleese (bringing his exquisite comic timing to Q's
maladroit assistant). But when the best thing about a Bond film is the
acting, you know something isn't right. Perhaps I've reached a point in my
movie-going life where a Bond film is a no-win proposition. THE WORLD is
not enough -- not enough creativity, and not enough welcome nostalgia
value. Even for fast food, the familiar tastes too familiar, and the
unfamiliar just tastes wrong.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 Bond issues: 5.
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Steve Kong
A film review by Steve Kong
Edited by Steve Kong
Copyright 1999 Steve Kong
I'll admit up front that I've only become a big fan of the James Bond films
after I saw GoldenEye. I've seen one or two Sean Connery Bond films, one
Moore, and all of the Dalton ones. Strangely, it was Dalton's Bond that
truly introduced me to the Bond franchise. But, it was Brosnan's Bond that
got me hooked. Dalton's Bond was, well, terrible. Brosnan is the better
Bond. And to stir some controversy, I think that Brosnan is a better Bond
than Connery, I think that Brosnan is the best Bond of all.
So, it is to no surprise that I loved The World is Not Enough. It's a
Don't Miss film, packed with action, intrigue, and well, everything that
we've come to expect from a Bond film: "Bond, James Bond", "Shaken, not
stirred", M, Q, beautiful women with funny names, and heaps of sexual
innuendo. Brosnan's Bond films have revitalized the Bond franchise. With
each film getting better, The World is Not Enough is the best of the three
Brosnan Bond films.
The storyline is convoluted and in the tradition of Bond storylines, it
needs a lot of suspension of disbelief. I must say though, the story was a
little more fleshed out than other Bond films, especially the
characterizations. More on that later. An oil tycoon is killed and Bond
is asked by M (Judi Dench) to protect his daughter, Electra King (Sophie
Marceau), because she may well be the next victim. The terrorist that
killed Electra's father is a man named Renard (Robert Carlyle), who lives
after having a bullet lodged into his brain by another MI6 agent. The
bullet is killing Renard slowly, but with everyday it is lodged in his
brain, he becomes stronger - don't see Bond films for medical class. It
seems that Renard has bigger plans than just killing Electra. Somehow, in
this entire story a physicist, Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards), gets
sucked into being Bond's sidekick. (Yes, I know what you're saying,
"Denise Richards? A physicist?" Yes, it's true.) So, Bond must save the
world from Renard and someone else, which you'll find out in the film, but
it's not too hard to figure out. There are other little sub-plots in the
film and they are, though light in treatment, well written. There is also
an introduction of a new character to the franchise, R (John Cleese), which
seems to be Q's (Desmond Llelewyn) replacement.
If you've seen the last two Brosnan Bond outings and liked them, you'll
absolutely love The World is Not Enough. There are enough explosions,
gunfire, and chases to make your heart glow. The film opens, like all Bond
films, with a well-executed action sequence. The one in The World is Not
Enough is an extended sequence that starts in an office goes to boats in
the Thames and ends in a hot air balloon. Quite a rousing start to the
film with the action gets better from there.
Brosnan is cast perfectly as Bond. He has just enough of a sly boyish
charm to fill the shoes of Bond. Yet he has a detached front to all of
it. This time around, Brosnan has gotten the role down pat, maybe gotten
it down just a little too well. At times Brosnan seems to be bored with
the role and looks as if he's just going through the motions. At other
times though, Brosnan seems to be going all out with the role - look at the
scene with Brosnan and the sunglasses in the casino. He's mixed in this
outing, but he's still the best Bond in my mind.
Carlyle is cast as the villain in this film, but he is only half the
badness of the film. And, well, he's not the memorable half of the
badness. Known mostly, in America at least, for his part in The Full
Monty, Carlyle's part feels padded. His part is wholly forgettable and
underwritten. He also doesn't have enough menace in him to be scary on
screen, at least not enough to be a good villain. Carlyle does what he can
with his role.
Marceau is the standout performer of the film. She gives such depth to her
Bond-girl role that the role can't even be called so. She is classy in the
role, giving it a full and rich performance that will be remembered for a
while - and that is saying a lot since, as you may remember, this is a Bond
film! Kudos to Marceau for putting such great effort into her character.
And, well, finally there's Denise Richards. She can't act worth a lick and
I think the only reason she's in the film is so that she can run around in
tight t-shirts, tight shorts, and tight pants - getting the box-office grab
from the male audience. Oh, and not to forget, she also gets a scene in a
wet white t-shirt. Yes, Richards is the true Bond-girl of The World is Not
Enough. She fills the role OK. She really can't act, but she does seem to
be putting in a good effort and it looks like she's having fun with the
role. Her role is fairly thin and her lines are even worse. But, I guess
she's there for eye candy and she works well as so.
The film is directed by Michael Apted, who is better known for his
documentaries (7 Up series) and non-action films (Nell). Apted does just
fine as the director of this film. Putting together some finely crafted
action sequences that get the adrenaline pumping. I loved the opening
sequence, the skiing sequence, and the caviar sequence. They are all well
done. Apted is a notch better at action direction than Tomorrow Never Dies
director Roger Spottiswoode. The cinematographer, Adrian Biddle (Aliens,
Thema and Louise), works well with Apted and the film is strikingly
beautiful. Maybe for Bond 20 the producers can sign John Woo into for the
director's chair and see how much better the action can be. The three
Brosnan Bond films have been directed by directors not really known for
directing action (Martin Campbell, Roger Spottiswoode, and Michael
Apted). I'd love to see what kind of Bond film would come out of it being
directed by a director strictly known for his action work.
What needs to be noticed in this film is the score by David Arnold
(Stargate, Independence Day, Tomorrow Never Dies). Eric Serra scored the
first Brosnan Bond film, GoldenEye. Serra took the stance that John
Barry's Bond theme was old, worn out, and, well, wouldn't work for the new
Bond films. Serra's generic score for GoldenEye didn't do the film
justice. Serra dead wrong about Barry's Bond theme. Arnold proved Serra
wrong with his score to Tomorrow Never Dies, weaving Barry's Bond theme
into an original score, making the score reminiscent of Bond without
copying Barry outright. Arnold's score for Tomorrow Never Dies took me
aback. The day before the release of The World is Not Enough, I bought
Arnold's score for the film. Arnold has outdone his Tomorrow Never Dies
score with his The World is Not Enough score. This score is wholly
original, yet it draws enough from Barry's Bond theme that it seems quite
familiar. The Bond feeling is back in the score and it works really well
with the film. Kudos to Arnold for putting together a wonderful score.
Bottom line? Don't Miss The World is Not Enough. This is the best Bond
film to date.
---
Steve Kong rev...@boiledmovies.sbay.com
not all film critics are the same.
i'm your hard boiled movie guide.
Mark O'Hara
A Film Review by Mark O'Hara
Visit Online Film Critics Society at http://www.ofcs.org
It's hard to find a film franchise with more artifice than James Bond. And
what ensures the survival of this species is the natural acting of Pierce
Brosnan.
The spy who is as ageless as Barbie finds himself the unwitting conveyor of
a death weapon, a turnabout he finds most unsatisfying. An oil magnate and
friend of M - Bond's boss at British Intelligence, played by Dame Judi Dench
- has been blown apart; what's worse, the sacred ground of MI6 headquarters
as been desecrated. The businessman's daughter has escaped her kidnappers
just in time for her father's funeral. This woman, Elektra King (Sophie
Marceau), has inherited the fortune, and immerses herself in completing an
oil pipeline that will span western Asia and help supply the entire Western
world into the next century.
Our hero sets out to guard Elektra's body, as he believes a dreaded
terrorist is back in circulation, and Elektra may be his next target. Of
course Bond is successful in saving her life, but then goes out on his own
in an attempt to find the evil Renard (Robert Carlyle). During this
self-directed sub-mission, Bond encounters a young and brilliant scientist
named Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards). It is in an underground
mission complex that Bond and Dr. Jones (catchy name, no?) fall into the
clutches of the saggy-faced fox Renard - just another level in the game of
following the Bond formula. Will James even have time to get friendly with
Christmas?
The conflict is more complicated than this, and very formulaic. There's
really nothing we haven't seen before. So how does Pierce Brosnan figure?
This man's acting is not as stylized as the acting of Sean Connery - the
only better Bond. But Brosnan is strong precisely because he calls little
attention to the artifice; he simply engages in corny one-liners and then
gets into the next action sequence. Somehow he manages to maintain his
dignity and wit throughout; it's as though he tolerates the whimsical
demands of the script, and focuses his talents on what he's good at -
interacting with others in the cast. No one before him has played a more
sympathetic Bond. Most viewers won't even get angry at him for the loose
morals he continually displays, or for the downright tacky sexual puns. We
even get a tiny glimpse of vulnerability. Once it is implied that Bond has
lost one close to him, and at various points we are convinced by Brosnan's
wincing that his collarbone is not fully healed from the hi-jinx near the
start of the story.
As in any Bond installment, the women are beautiful, and Sophie Marceau is
believable enough in the multi-faceted role she is called upon to play. As
the American scientist Jones, Denise Richards speaks and reacts sufficiently
well, but gives herself away when she opens her mouth. With the accent and
looks of a teenager, Richards fails to create the illusion of scholarly
wisdom and worldly sophistication needed for the role. As Bond's superior,
M, Judi Dench acts with understatement; we hope to see her in more scenes
than are usually allotted , and we are not disappointed. We even get a peek
at the skills that helped her gain her status.
One underutilized character is Desmond Llewelyn's Q. He appears in only two
scenes, showing Bond a couple of gadgets and scolding him for stealing a
miraculous boat he was saving for his retirement. Yes, it is suggested that
he's going, as we meet John Cleese, that master of the cameo appearance, as
R, Q's slightly buffoonish yet haughty replacement.
Renard does an adequate job as the main villain. Early in the narrative we
are treated to a holographic profile of this evil man. What's scary is that
he has suffered a gunshot wound to the head, the bullet lodging in his
brain, unable to be removed. Slowly it is killing him. The right side of
his face resembles melted plastic, and he sports a shaven head, which causes
him to resemble a young Alan Arkin. He is hateable enough, but one wishes
for a bit more motivation, a few more explanatory tidbits from the too-slick
script.
Robbie Coltrane does a reprise of his character from "Goldeneye," Valentin
Zukovsky, offering a degree of comic relief, and support for Bond.
Michael Apted is a very accomplished director -- he was at the helm of
"Nell," Gorillas in the Mist," and "A Coal Miner's Daughter," among many
others -- and it shows in this film's pace and tone. Apted takes risks here
and there, but never goes too far over the top. The chase scenes are
plenty, and have the necessary conventions of action. Apted is able to
blend scenes of exposition well with the action. His only handicap is the
script's lack of detail; the set-up is too fast, and we sometimes find
ourselves wondering if we missed something.
The short review is that Apted links his scenes well, and delivers a solid
third campaign in Brosnan's naturally suave Bond. This whole franchise has
always been a method of delivering sex and style, wit and chase. Don't miss
it if you're a fan of things Bond
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Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Some movies shoot for the moon. Others wallow in the dirt. Bond films,
on the other hand, have modest, simple aspirations. They are happy just
to provide solid entertainment value. And by that metric, THE WORLD IS
NOT ENOUGH, directed by 42 UP's Michael Apted, does exactly what it sets
out to do. Pierce Brosnan in his best film yet as James Bond, proves
once again that he's the best Bond since Sean Connery.
The most important costars in the Bond movies are the spy's toys. These
films usually have the audience applauding for the stunts, and this
episode of the superspy saga is no different.
The best of the bunch in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH is a sleek, one-man,
black boat complete with jet afterburners, which looks like something
custom-made for Batman. The vehicle even has the ability to dive
underwater briefly while the driver holds his breath. It can turn into
a car as well, all the better to engage in a typical Bond demolition
derby.
The plot, not that it's important, involves competing oil pipelines and
stolen plutonium. "If there's the slightest chance, Bond will succeed,"
his boss, M (Judi Dench), reassures us. The outcome of a Bond movie is
never in question, but who cares? That's not why we're here. We come
to have fun and enjoy the action, like the helicopter with a supersized
chainsaw attached, which cuts through cars and buildings.
Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) is a recently kidnapped daughter of a
wealthy oil magnate who's building a large oil pipeline in competition
with 3 other Russian ones. Sophie Marceau, who possesses the eternal
beauty of a lush oil painting, has a knack, as she showed in FIRELIGHT,
for appearing hopelessly vulnerable while being anything but. Bond
films always feature beautiful women, and the two this time are among
the best of the Bond babes.
Besides Marceau, the sexually charged Denise Richards (WILD THINGS)
plays Dr. Christmas Jones, a nuclear physicist with explosive good
looks. First seen in a tight fitting tank top and brief shorts, she
makes science look pretty exciting. Under Apted's direction, both of
the women hold their own against the world's best spy. King is
deceptively alluring, and Jones is young and cocky. "You want to put
that into English for those of us who don't speak spy?" Jones mocks Bond
at one point.
After an injury, Bond seduces M5's female doctor in order to be declared
fit for service. "He has remarkable stamina," her report concludes.
The movie is rife with such double-entendres, which delight the older
members of the audience while going right over the heads of the younger.
In a cameo John Cleese plays R, the replacement that Q's been training.
R goes over all of the bells, whistles and guns in Bond's latest
spymobile. This one, R tells him, even has 6 cup holders.
The funny script by Bruce Feirstein, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade is
filled with puns and clever little jokes. "I see you put your money
where your mouth is," Bond ridicules a slimy, hired gunman with a mouth
full of shiny, gold teeth.
Bond movies don't really have messages. They're happy just to amuse us,
which this one does in spades with its great stunts, funny dialog and
crisp acting. On the other hand, if we want to go looking for a
message, Bond himself says it best. Stunningly handsome, lying in bed
next to the equally beautiful King, he tells her, "I take pleasure in
great beauty." Now that's something with which viewers of either sex
can identify.
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH runs 2:08. It is rated PG-13 for intense
sequences of action violence, some sexuality and innuendo and would be
acceptable for kids around 10 or 11 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 10, who has seen all but 2 of the Bond films, loved
this one, giving it ****. He especially liked the battles and the
boat/sub/car. His friends, ages 10 and 11, with him mentioned the same
things, and had similar ratings -- Steven ****, Nickolas ****, John ***
1/2 and Alan ***. Alan and John complained that there was too much
sleeping around. (There is no sex or nudity in the film, and the women
are strategically covered by the bedcovers.)
Email: Steve....@InternetReviews.com
Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Tim Chandler
The World Is Not Enough
Rating: 2 stars (out of 4)
The Info
Directed by: Michael Apted
Written by: Bruce Feirstein, Michael France, Neal Purvis, Dana Stevens,
Robert Wade
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Denise Richards, Robert
Carlyle, Judi Dench, Robbie Coltrane
Produced by: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson
The Nutshell
James Bond is back in yet another mission to save the world from evil.
The Review
There aren't many film series that make it past the third sequel or
so. And of the handful that come to mind (Police Academy, Hallowe'en,
Friday The 13th), only James Bond has managed to stay interesting and
successful. While the other series suffer from a lack of star power,
repetitive situational comedy or poor efforts, Bond has never failed.
The lead actor switches help; when Roger Moore's run was starting to
sag, even Timothy Dalton's presence helped, though not for long. A
strong reliance on testosterone-fuelled explosions and sex has given the
series a large set of fans which shows no sign of abandoning ship. The
only problem with Bond is the fact that this, the 19th film in the
series, suffers from an obvious lack of originality. Basically,
everything has been done. Boat scenes? Check. Ski scenes? Check. Outer
space scenes? Check. You name it and Bond has done it. This gives The
World Is Not Enough a been there, done that feel, and makes for a
forgettable cinematic experience.
Does this sound familiar? A bald, facially-scarred villain wants to
re-shape the globe using a nuclear weapon. It should, because not only
did classic Bond baddie Ernst Bloefeld try this, so did Dr. Evil from
the Bond-parody Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. With
nothing new left to try, director Michael Apted is forced to take Bond's
adventures from the past, and make them better; he does not succeed.
The story, involving a nuclear bomb, some oil pipelines, and several
beautiful women is as pointless as it is poorly written. The point of
Bond is to remind us once again that he is "the gentleman spy" and that
he can get out of any situation. Yet there is a sense of desperation
about the film, as if the pantheon of writers involved in the project
were worried that there wasn't enough "Bond-ness" to go around. So
instead of a ski chase where he is pursued by other skiers, he is chased
by ultra-cool para-choppers. Instead of a thrilling boat chase, we get a
thrilling boat chase followed by a short trip through city streets and
cafes, where in the real world he would kill easily five to ten people
with his actions. Instead of simply being debonair with the ladies, he
beds not one, not two, but three of them, including Denise Richards, who
is 27 to Brosnan's 46. Some of the action sequences are undeniably
interesting, but it has all been done.
The acting is what you would expect from a Bond film. Sophie Marceau
does a better job as Elektra than she did previously opposite David
Spade in Lost & Found, though this does not say much. Marceau has a
monotone way of speaking that gets irritating after a short while, and
does not fit the part very well. As Dr. Christmas Jones, Richards plays
a nuclear physicist (the concept of which is laughable) and you just
know her unorthodox name garners a few lame jokes in the film. Richards
is a dreadful actress in my opinion and (I never thought I would say
this of anyone in a Bond film) her lack of acting ability hampers the
film greatly. Brosnan is in usual form, as are Judi Dench and Desmond
Llewelyn in their returning roles as M and Q (John Cleese makes a cameo
as R). Robbie Coltrane is amusing a Russian caviar gangster, while
Robert Carlyle (of Ravenous and The Full Monty) joins a long list of
over the top Bond villains as Renard, a terrorist who has a bullet
lodged in his brain with gives him super-strength and pain tolerance.
About the only things that impressed me about this film were the
opening credits sequence and the music. After the traditional shot of
Bond centred in a gunman's sights, the title appears and we are treated
to an appealing mosaic of flowing oil droplets which form female
silhouettes while a song by rock band Garbage plays. While in no way
revolutionary, the special effects display is intriguing and one of the
few things about the film that didn't remind me of something else. The
score by David Arnold takes the classic Bond theme song and gives it an
electronica-laced overhaul, giving several scenes a musical boost.
The bottom line with this film is simple; if you are a devoted Bond
fan, go see the film, you will probably like it. If you have hated every
Bond film you have ever seen, then do not go see this one, it is more of
the same. This is an old series which is in need of another boost
(luckily Pierce Brosnan has declared this his final Bond, opening the
door to another new face and some new ideas). One can hope that that
boost will come soon, before Bond starts to sink, the way Batman did
after his first film.
Copyright - Tim Chandler
The Bottom Line front page - Max'd On Movies - The O.F.C.S.
Mark R Leeper
CAPSULE: Pierce Brosnan's third outing as
James Bond, while less flamboyant than his previous
two, is the best spy story of the three. Brosnan
is almost to the point where one can think of him
as Bond. This is a low-key outing, but a story
with some ambiguity and intelligence of a higher
level than one usually finds in a Bond film.
Michael Apted is an odd choice for director, but he
does fine. Rating: 6 (0 to 10), high +1 (-4 to +4)
There is a spectrum of styles for the plots of Bond films. On one
hand you can Style I in which you have comic book super-villains who
are trying literally to destroy the whole world; you can have women
with dirty-joke names (e.g., Pussy Galore); you can have clues that
fall into Bond's lap by coincidences or by villain over-confidence, so
it looks like Bond always knows what he is doing; Bond always has just
the right gizmo to get out of a nasty situation; Bond never gets
injured or always heals in seconds; and the villain destroyed when Bond
pulls one conveniently located switch. DR. NO started this trend and
it is not surprising that it seems childish. Ian Fleming actually
wrote the plot of DR. NO first for Captain Jamaica his planned
childrens television show. When Captain Jamaica did not sell he
rewrote the story as a supposedly adult spy novel in his then fledgling
James Bond series.
On the other hand you can have Style II spy story. That puts Bond
into the shadowy half-world of international espionage where he wants
to get a microfilm that tells with whom Iraq is making secret treaties;
Bond does not know who his friends are and who his enemies are; when a
bullet hits his arm it is out of action for the rest of the story; Bond
has to think very fast frequently; and occasionally Bond makes very
wrong decisions. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE was an effort to move in that
direction, though John LeCarre or Len Deighton writes more in that
style. There are people who just love the Style I Bond films and they
are an easy formula to write. I prefer the latter and subjectively
placing a Bond film on this spectrum is how I judge if it is a good
film or not. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH has been released with much less
hype than most Bond films, and while it is still closer to the
unrealistic style of story, it still is more realistic than most Bond
films.
In Spain James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is picking up a stash of
money recovered from a mission that killed an MI6 agent. He is
betrayed and nearly killed, though his life is saved by the
intervention of a mysterious sniper. Bond returns the money to its
industrialist owner only to find out the money was booby-trapped to
explode and kill its rightful owner. Explode it does rather
spectacularly giving rise to an impressive boat chase. The money had
been ransom for the industrialist's daughter Elektra (Sophie Marceau).
Bond realizes that the means to kill the industrialist required not
only the money and an assassin a short distance away to trigger it, it
also required that the industrialist be wearing a special doctored
lapel pin. This implies that the victim must have been betrayed from
within his own organization. Bond immediately realizes that anyone who
would use such an arcane, inconvenient, and telltale mechanism to try
to kill someone and still get it to work must be impressive indeed.
That implies that his next victim might be Elektra who slipped through
the assassins fingers once already. Elektra is continuing her father's
project to build an oil pipeline across Western Asia. Bond discovers
the terrorist who kidnapped her is an ex-KGB agent whom a bullet in the
brain has left unable to feel pain This makes the assassin, Renard
stronger every day. Bond dons a cover as a businessman and goes in to
protect Electra only to have her see through his cover in seconds. She
is a strong-willed woman and highly capable woman with no intention of
cooperating with Bond. But he still determines to protect her.
This film makes several concessions to realism previous Brosnan
Bond films would not. Bond gets hurt several times in this film and at
least for a short time it slows him down. He also makes mistakes
trusting the wrong people. Bond deduces that the briefcase of money is
a trap, but it is not soon enough to prevent the murder plan from going
through. Hence Bond is more fallible than in previous films. The
villain's plan is more flamboyant than simply embarrassing the British
Secret Service and killing Bond as it was in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, but
the plotter and the plot are far less exaggerated than Hugo Drax and
his plan in MOONRAKER. This also is an improvement. And more than in
recent films it takes Bond a while to sort out good guys from bad guys.
The ending is more tense than spectacular. These criteria do not
guarantee a good Bond film, but certainly it is more intelligent than
Bond films have been of late.
Traditionally Michael Apted's documentaries have been much better
than his fiction films. But here his touch does nothing but good for
the Bond series. Either Pierce Brosnan is starting to get the hang of
being Bond or I am just starting to think of him that way, but he seems
more natural than he has in the past. Robert Carlyle as the assassin
Renard is acceptable in a role very different from his in THE FULL
MONTY or TRAINSPOTTING. He did not need the bullet in the head gimmick
to be a good villain. Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards are
acceptable in their roles. Some critics have found it unrealistic to
have Denise Richards with shorts and bare midriff as a nuclear
scientist disarming warheads. To me that just means the critics are
more out of touch with the world than are the filmmakers. That job
would probably be taken by someone just out of graduate school and
Richards is reasonable in the part. Less reasonable is John Cleese as
R, the buffoon successor to Q. Casting Cleese is a step in the wrong
direction. The series already has plenty of chuckles and needs more
credibility.
Usually the best part of a Bond film is the artistic opening
credit sequence which used to be done by Maurice Binder. The visuals
in this one are on the theme of oil and seeing women in the crude in
the nude has all the taste of women mud-wrestling. Most Bond films
take place in exotic settings which serve as product placement for
tourist destinations. Even Istanbul seems unromantic in this film and
Azerbaijan is not vying very hard for tourist dollars.
Overall this may not be the most memorable entry in the series,
but it is the best in recent years. I give it a 6 on the 0 to 10 scale
and a high +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Just so the reader can know what my values are in Bond films I
would rate the Bond film best to worst as:
1. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
2. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
3. THUNDERBALL
4. DR. NO
5. LICENSE TO KILL
6. GOLDFINGER
7. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
8. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
9. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
10. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
11. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
12. OCTOPUSSY
13. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
14. GOLDENEYE
15. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
16. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
17. A VIEW TO A KILL
18. MOONRAKER
19. LIVE AND LET DIE
MINOR SPOILERS... MINOR SPOILERS... MINOR SPOILERS... MINOR
SPOILERS...
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH uses a lot of the trademark Bond touches.
Somehow the gun-sight opening at the beginning of a new Bond film still
always packs a bit of a thrill. In this film Bond is once again a
womanizer, which probably was some of the fun of the earliest Bonds.
Traditions I could do without include the extended skiing sequences and
the tiresome running gag that Bond is so often caught having sex in the
final scene. Ideas in this one that seem foolish include a pair of
special glasses whose power seems ridiculous. I am not an expert but
it would take some convincing for me to believe the loss of one source
of oil would so badly affect Britain. They do have sources in a lot of
other places, including the North Sea. It would take even more
convincing that anyone would want to hold a half-grapefruit-sized
hemisphere of weapons-grade plutonium in their bare hand.
Mark R. Leeper
mle...@lucent.com
Copyright 1999 Mark R. Leeper
Fontaine Lien
by Fontaine Lien
WARNING: Contains plot information.
Welcome to the world of Bond, James Bond; where the women are
beautiful, the scenery is dazzling, the bad guys are stupid, the jokes
are corny, BMW hawks its newest Beamer like a maniac, and where James
Bond continues to elude the AIDS virus despite his philandering (the
SNL skit doesn't seem all that unlikely right now).
Perhaps I am doing the series a disservice because I haven't seen the
older films. This is only the second James Bond film I've seen, and
already this latest MGM offering seems eerily similar to "Tomorrow
Never Dies" in structure, characters, and dialogue. I wonder if all
of them are like this? Save for a couple of minor differences,
"TWINE"is all I expected it to be based on my viewing of "TND."
While I've always been a fan of the series' stylish, computer
generated opening sequences accompanied by a Bondish theme song, I've
gotta ask: "What were they THINKING?" Though by the end of the film I
realized what the black gooey substance was, that was still pretty
disturbing to watch. The background images were seemingly taken from
any graphic designers' stock of ready-made patterns.
The plot was all right, designed more for capitalizing on the studio's
special effects budget than for winning an award in script-writing, of
course. I've gotta admit though, I liked the twist in the middle of
the movie, even though many must have seen it coming. It was great to
see a Bond girl as not just the victim of the archetype villain, but a
better and even more wicked and coldblooded manipulator. I'm glad
Sophie Marceau has taken the role of Elektra King; I was getting sick
of seeing her in the gentle, meek, porcelain doll roles. She has
disarming features, which makes her particularly effective in the role
of the villain. I also enjoyed Robert "Full Monty" Carlyle as the
"other" villain; though they were pretty vague about his motives.
Yes, in typical Bond fashion, substance was sacrificed for style. I
won't go on about this because I'm sure you are all familiar with
their way of filmmaking. Okay, let's insert this gadget here because
it looks cool on screen. All right, lets make Pierce do this and do
that for God knows what reason because that would make for a great
action sequence. Bullet in the medulla makes one grow stronger? Must
be a new medical technique invented by the oh-so-convincing *Doctor*
Christmas Jones. Science is made to look ridiculous. And please, for
the next movie lets not have the characters dropping puns all over the
place? It gets old. Fast. The action scenes seemed frivolous and
farfetched, but what the hell, they looked cool. Especially that
beautiful mountain they skied on. Could've just borrowed one of those
cool snowmobiles huh? One of the things I like about these movies --
the exotic locales.
I've never liked Denise Richards (Christmas Jones). TWINE only
further solidifies my opinion of her as a pouty-lipped bad actress.
Nuclear physicist? Yeah, that's REALLY believable. Just hearing her
deliver her lines made me want to puke. Put some punch into it, girl!
She and Pierce had absolutely no chemistry together. But then again,
James Bond sleeps with anyone, chemistry or no chemistry :-)
A couple of standouts that I really enjoyed, though . . . The
expansion of the role of M, done wonderfully by Judi Dench. In TWINE,
she emerges as not only Bond's supervisor but a much more dynamic and
complex character. Dench brings to M a dignity befitting her age and
position (perhaps it has to do with Dench's really status in life.)
Kudos to the scene on the dock. On one hand we've got James Bond
manipulating his slick car, but I'm glad we also got a glimpse of what
the other characters were doing. In too many incidents we see the
main character dealing with a dangerous situation, and later we see
him meet up with his buddies without knowing how his buddies escaped.
Many might think the worst of "TWINE." And yes, it does have flaws,
but I suppose I was happy with what I saw because I didn't expect
anything else. Perhaps they're churning out these movies according to
a set formula because this is what people have come to associate with
the 007 series. A story involving lots of money, a freakish villain,
a femme fatale, cool gadgets and killer stunts. Naked women prancing
across the screen in the opening sequence. Cheesy and fraught with
impossibilities, yes; but that is the moral of the story. I expected
James Bond and nothing else, and I was reasonably happy.
Rating: C (First viewing, 11/20/99)
*Female Fashion Instinct: Nice gown Elektra wore to the Casino.
Justin Felix
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999)
Copyright 1999 Justin Felix.
All of my film reviews are archived at
http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Justin+Felix
This review has been submitted to The Shrubbery
http://www.theshrubbery.com
Any comments about this review? E-mail me at justi...@yahoo.com
Rating: *** (out of five)
Screenplay by Bruce Feirstein, Michael France, Neal Purvis, Dana
Stevens, and Robert Wade.
Directed by Michael Apted.
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, and Denise Richards.
Theme song performed by Garbage.
Rated PG-13 (contains lots of Bond violence, Bond sex, and Bond
innuendo) 128 mins.
Synopsis: British secret agent James Bond sleeps with three women (a
doctor, a nuclear physicist, and a wealthy oil inheritor, no less!),
drives a nifty car, and saves the world from a guy who has a bullet in
his head.
Comments: This is Bond Film #19. Nineteen James Bond movies. It's
incredible when you think about it. After the sequel number goes up too
high, usually filmmakers drop the numbers from their titles because they
know that audiences get a little suspicious about the quality of
sequels. ALIEN 4, hence, becomes ALIEN RESURRECTION, and HELLRAISER 4
changes into HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE. The people behind the Bond films,
however, are even smarter. The movie titles make no mention of their
main character, and none of them suggest that they are a sequel. THE
WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, for example, bears no relation to the previous Bond
film, TOMORROW NEVER DIES. To further the cleverness, both titles are
really cool. I remember seeing a poster for THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
during the summer and immediately being drawn into the film's hype. Has
there been a cooler film title in recent memory than THE WORLD IS NOT
ENOUGH?
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH is not only the nineteenth Bond outing, but it
is also the third movie featuring Pierce Brosnan as 007. I'm not going
into an elaborate discussion of which Bond actor has been the best; most
argue correctly that it will always be Sean Connery. Brosnan, however,
has done a pretty good job at establishing himself as a respectable
second. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH is certainly not the best Bond film
ever made (indeed Brosnan's last outing in TOMORROW NEVER DIES is
slightly better), but it is a respectable, watchable action flick good
for a Saturday afternoon matinee.
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH doesn't deviate much from the traditional Bond
formula. Many of the same supporting characters appear here: Miss
Moneypenny, M, and Q. Bond scores with several good-looking
models-turned-actresses. He drives around in a souped-up sports car.
The world is in danger, and he saves the day. Sometimes the routine is
good to see. Unfortunately, another part of the formula exists in this
film: bad guys don't kill the good guys--they just talk and talk until
the good guys find an avenue to break free and save the day. I don't
know how many times someone had a chance to ice either Bond, M, or the
nuclear physicist (more about this ridiculous character in a bit) but
managed to screw it up because either (a) they wanted to talk, (b) they
wanted to gloat, or (c) they wanted to restrain their captor for some
other bad guy to talk or gloat to. Sometimes you just want to tell the
bad guys to shoot. They'd win that way.
There are actually a couple bad guys this time around. I won't spoil
the fun by revealing who the secret bad guy is; although, if you have
half a brain, you'll figure it out pretty quickly. The "bad guy from
the beginning," Renard, is fairly original though. Apparently, he has a
bullet lodged in his brain that's slowly killing him. That makes him,
in some respects, more dangerous than other Bond villains because, let's
face it, he doesn't have much to lose. Also, apparently, this bullet
makes him numb to outside stimuli, so he doesn't feel pain. This makes
him a bad ass when it comes to fighting. It may not be realistic, but
it's still cool.
The most absurd aspect of THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH is not its convoluted
storyline or electronic gadgets. Denise Richards, pouty supermodel babe
from such campy movies as STARSHIP TROOPERS and WILD THINGS, laughably
tries to pass herself off as a nuclear physicist. Folks, this is the
most ridiculous casting I've seen in a long while. My friend and I
laughed a number of times as she spouted dialogue unconvincingly. She
was included, I'm sure, just so we could see her do a number of wet
T-shirt scenes in the ultimate showdown with Renard inside a flooding
submarine. Oh, by the way, this "scientific thinker's" name is Dr.
Christmas Jones. I don't know which is worse: her name or the final
Bond line in the film as he scores with Dr. Jones. I'll give you a
hint; it has to do with the old adage that Christmas comes but once a
year. Ugh.
While THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH may not be a groundbreaking or original
entry in the action film genre, it is still 007 and still entertaining.
The film's opening, featuring the title song performed by the rock group
Garbage, is quite good. The closing credits promise that Bond will
return in another film. At least, unlike other film series that have
gone on well too long like BATMAN and HELLRAISER, this is something to
look forward to rather than cringe at.
edwin jahiel
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (UK-US,1999) * Directed by Michael Apted.
Written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Bruce Feirstein, based on a
story by Purvis and Wade. Photography, Adrian Biddle. Editing, Jim
Clark. Production design, Peter Lamont. Music David Arnold ("The
WorldIs Not Enough" theme performed by Garbage and written by Arnold
and Don Black) Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Cast: Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), Sophie Marceau (Elektra), Robert
Carlyle (Renard),Denise Richards (Christmas Jones), Robbie Coltrane
(Valentin Zukovsky), Desmond Llewelyn , John Cleese , Maria Grazia
Cucinotta (Cigar Girl), Samantha Bond (Moneypenny), Michael Kitchen
(Tanner), Colin Salmon (Robinson), Serena Scott Thomas (Dr. Molly
Warmflash), Ulrich Thomsen (Davidov), John Seru (Gabor),
Claude-Oliver Rudolph (Colonel Akakievich) , Dame Judi Dench (M) An
MGM release. 128 minutes.PG-13
James Bond flicks are among my un-guilty pleasures. They include not
only the Sean Connery vehicles but also the oft-maligned Roger
Moores, Timothy Daltons and the underrated George Lazenby in " On Her
Majesty's Secret Service." Pierce Brosnan I could take or leave. His
are not Pierce-Arrows among Bonds. But the latest one, "The World is
Not Enough," is a pain.
It also pains me to be negative about director Michael Apted's first
(I think) action-action pic, when Apted has several excellent or at
least solid works: "Triple Echo," "Agatha," "Coal Miner's Daughter,"
"Gorky Park," ," "Gorillas in the Mist," Class Action," "Incident at
Oglala," "Thunderheart," "Nell."
Better yet, he is the maker of the documentary "Seven Up" (1964)
which follows a number of kids in the UK. Its artistic/sociological
success made Apted follow it up with the same subjects seven years
later (in "Seven Plus Seven"), then in "21 Up," "28 Up," "35 Up." Now
being released in the U.S.A is "42 Up." The first reports are most
positive.
Should James Bond henceforth be called James Moribund? The latest
entry relies exclusively on derring-do, much of it borrowed from
earlier Bonds. Enough is enough, especially when the plot, such as it
is, consists of a collage of sequences which not only scream "deja
vu," but are by and large uninteresting and characterless -- as are
most of the characters in the story.
"The World is Not Enough" (an awkward title that signifies nothing)
floats on a sea of excesses, without any of the novelty, humor and
amusing sophistication of many earlier Bonds. It opens in a promising
locale, Bilbao in Spain, yet the sequence's heroics feel pasted on.
It gets worse in London, with a dumb chase and duel of hydrofoils on
the Thames, capped by a balloon. It is all SFX (special effects) and
nothing else. Then come the credits which -- as in an omen -- specify
that the title song is performed by Garbage.
Bond goes to Baku in Azerbaijan, then to Kazakhstan, then to the
Caspian Sea, then to Istanbul --and perhaps other places ending in
"stan" for his exploits. His original assignment is to protect
Elektra, the daughter of an assassinated oil tycoon, against a
terrorist called Renard. That word means "fox" in French, but Renard
is a dull, un-foxy villain. His distinction: he has a bullet in his
head. It makes him immune to pain. But we, the audience, have no such
immunity against boredom.
Mourning does become Elektra, since she has chic outfits in the most
impossible locations. As played by Sophie Marceau, a very popular
star in France but no true performer, Elektra bored me. Even when she
turned out to be a nasty little number and not a true victim. There
is sex, of course, with Bond. It is the sort of thing that in keeping
with our new ethos (hypocritical or not) plays down sensuality,
nudity, flesh-photography and groans. It is a dutiful acknowledgment
of the old Bond-as-womanizer thing, here sanitized and clearly used
as a filler.
A second woman is introduced, Doctor (sic) Christmas Jones, who is a
scientist, joins forces with Bond, also bodies -- another filler.
Denise Richards, another one of the USA's fifty million "celebrities"
looks and sounds like a Valley Girl, even though she was born in
Illinois.
When Bond meets her, he's supposed to be Russian and speaks Russian
to her and others, but somehow it is English., then it becomes "real"
English. Don't ask. Says Dr. Christmas :"Your English is very good
for a Russian" He: "I studied at Oxford." Should I comment?
Bond wears designer suits no matter what the situation, place, feats
and explosions are. He also has special see-through eyeglasses to
peer at hidden weapons on men and undies on women. By the way, when
it comes to pulchritude, there are quite a few beautiful women
glimpsed here and there, but these do not include the lead roles.
There are torture scenes in the film, but the real torture is
watching it. Not simply during its full 128 minutes, but from minute
5 to the end. A teen sitting in front of me at the rather sparsely
attended projection (it was a morning show) got up four times to get
to the theater's concession. If this doesn't speak loudly what does?
Indeed, there is no continuity, no suspense, nothing that an absentee
viewer could miss. Nor is there any "sophistication," which is
outrageous but funny in the better Bonds. Psychology rates zero,
As for acting -- what acting? As for humor, just a feeble and leaden
attempt to sketch in John Cleese as the M.I. 6 new gadget-maker. As
for novelties, the main one has Bond having a broken collar-bone,
wincing at times but still able to do his thing. We've gone from the
impossible to the supernatural, I guess.
The movie, which went through a slew of working titles, officially
has three writers. Obviously though, it had everybody else and his
sister pitching in with "ideas." It all results in no sense nonsense,
it all has no oomph, rhythm or continuity, it all proves again the
saying that "a camel is a horse made by a committee." The ratio
between cost and "quality" must make this as bad an action flick as
any.
It is painfully clear that the movie (like too many others) is aiming
at a pre-teen, teen, and early post-teen market of kids who have no
familiarity (at least on the big screen) with the rich Bond tradition.
Why do I still give it one star then? Because I have a soft spot for
Apted (critics are human after all); because the gimmick of oil and
pipelines has a real model these days; because Robbie Coltrane, as a
big Russian Mafioso, saves whatever scenes he is in.
The last words after the end-credits say JAMES BOND WILL RETURN.
Oh, no!!!
Eugene Novikov
Reviewed by Eugene Novikov
http://www.ultimate-movie.com
Member: Online Film Critics Society
The World is Not Enough (1999)
"Why can't you just say 'hello,' like a normal person?"
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise
Richards, Judi Dench. Rated PG-13.
Why can't James Bond just say "hello" like a normal person instead of
the cocky "The name is Bond, James Bond" staple? I don't think people
get a kick out of it anymore. Instead of eliciting knowing nods, it
produces lame chuckles. It's worn out and it needs to go the way of
Timothy Dalton. As a matter of fact, it's not the only thing that needs
to be eliminated from Bond's repertoire. I move for all trademark
phrases to be erased. That means buh-bye, "Martini, shaken, not
stirred." No more "talking killer." Here's a franchise desperately in
need of a reworking, and I don't mean erasing all sentimental value and
making a conventional thriller. I mean completely original, more tongue-
in-cheek humorand less self-importance. After 19 installments, the old
tradition is wearing thin.
Bond's latest escapade, uncleverly titled The World is Not Enough, runs
through all the regular conventions -- catch phrases, bodacious babes,
bad puns, et al -- except they aren't as much fun. The maniacal
supervillain this time around is Renard (Robert Carlyle), an aspiring
oil tycoon with a bullet embedded in his cranium. The bullet makes him
immune to pain and while it will eventually kill him, he grows stronger
and stronger until the day he dies. His evil plan for world domination
involves taking over a pipeline owned by the sexy Elektra (Sophie
Marceau) whose father was just killed in a bombing at Bond's
headquarters.
007 is dispatched by head honcho M (the formidable Judi Dench, playing
my favorite character in the series) to help Elektra, but whether she
actually needs help is debatable. Is she really the good girl she seems
to be? Or does she have an ulterior motive in this risky endeavor. Any
guesses? Anyone?
Things get personal when Renard kidnaps M. Rescuing her becomes Bond's
highest priority and he enlists the help of a gorgeous nuclear
physicist named Christmas Jones (Denise Richards, and by the way, where
do you get off saying a women is not interested in men at all and then
have her wear shorts above the thigh and revealing tanktops? Oh, never
mind, this is a Bond movie. I get it now. Beg your pardon.) to diffuse
the bomb Renard has planted in the pipeline and get to the place where
he's stashed away Bond's beloved boss.
This is the same old stuff except the camp value has all but
disappeared, the action isn't as exciting and the puns get lamer every
second. Director Michael Apted (responsible for, along with about 40
other movies, Nell and Gorillas in the Mist; this is, however, his
first crack at a 007 feature), who's a film veteran if ever there was
one, doesn't inject the movie with enough life; the action, with the
exception of one scene involving a bomb and a quickly moving
contraption inside a pipeline, seems perfunctory and mundane. For all
the flaws of Tomorrow Never Dies, at least that installment, helmed by
Roger Spottiswoode, had its share of exhilirating chase sequences and
inventive gadgetry. The World is Not Enough doesn't even have any cool
new Bond gizmos to amuse us with.
Pierce Brosnan is no Sean Connery, but he is one of the better things
about this movie. Charming and charismatic, I'd have to say he is the
best Bond since Connery left the scene to pursue romantic film
relations with women about 1/3 his age. Sophie Marceau and Denise
Richards are both fairly atrocious though, and while a good Bond goes
along way, he can't pull the whole movie out of the water when it's
desperately drowning.
When Bond was resurrected in 1995 with Goldeneye, the world accepted it
because of what can only be called the novelty of the old. People went
six years without Bond and all the old Bond traditions brought back to
life seemed new and cool again. Now that's worn off and the MGM
franchise is in need of some new life. Keep Brosnan. Change everything
else.
Grade: C
©1999 Eugene Novikov
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