I could almost cut and paste my review for "Tomorrow Never Dies" here, if it wasn't for the films' differing plots- Brosnan's third go-round as Bond has a lot going for it, is a solid entry in the franchise, the villain is interesting, and it is almost assuredly better than "Die Another Day."
After a brazen assassination of a lifelong friend (David Calder) of M (Judi Dench) inside MI6 (and an exciting boat chase on the Thames), Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is sent to protect the friend's daughter Elektra (Sophie Marceau). She is recovering from a recent kidnapping at the hands of terrorist Renard (Robert Carlyle), who has a bullet in his brain that will eventually kill him, but allows him to feel no pain. Elektra has taken over her father's oil business, and Bond becomes embroiled in another round of attempts on her life, as well as nuclear physicist Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards).
Let's address the cute, sexy elephant in the room. Denise Richards is not as bad as you've heard- dragging down an otherwise pristine entry in the canon of James Bond films. Sure, her character name is ridiculous, but unlike Pussy Galore and Xenia Onatopp, she addresses the moniker and provides Bond with perhaps his dirtiest quip of all the films. Richards is fun, off-setting Marceau's dark performance as a former sexual abuse/kidnap victim. Brosnan has made Bond his own at this point, this was the third 007 film in five years. Carlyle is fine as Renard, I would have liked to see more of his absence of pain used, and Robbie Coltrane's return as Zukovsky was welcome. Kudos to whoever decided we needed to retire Joe Don Baker's Wade character. You have my eternal gratitude. This was Desmond Llewelyn's last turn as Q, he was killed in a car accident just after this film was released, and will be missed. Cleese's scene here as his protege isn't good. Dench doesn't play M as yet another damsel in distress, showing why she's the super agents' boss- plus I am a long-time fan of Dench's, and love seeing her onscreen. Garbage's theme song is the best of Brosnan's Bond films, speaking of throwing back to the past, and unlike "Tomorrow Never Dies," this film actually has an ending.
"The World Is Not Enough" is another entry stuck in between throwing back to the agent's past, and trying to find itself in the new millennium. Solid effort.
Stats:
-Directed by Michael Apted
-Screenplay by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein, Story by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade, Based on characters created by Ian Fleming
-Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Judi Dench, Robbie Coltrane, Desmond Llewelyn, Samantha Bond, John Cleese, Goldie, Serena Scott Thomas
-Media: Streamed on Amazon Prime
-Running Time: 128 minutes
-Rating: (* * * 1/2/* * * * *)
-MPAA Rated (PG13), contains physical violence, gun violence, mild gore, brief female nudity, sexual references, adult situations, alcohol use
