Tomorrow Never Dies

For some odd reason, I remembered more about Tomorrow Never Dies than it likely has any right to. 

To its credit, there's a decent amount to like, a little bit to love, but all in all I think the initial and retrospective consensus is: "meh?"

Tomorrow Never Dies - coming in 1997 off the heels of GoldenEye - feels like very safe James Bond. Nearly every scene, every plot beat, and every character feel like they're longing to just land "somewhere in the middle" of the Bond franchise as a whole. 

It's not a bad film at all (though there is one element I hated...stay tuned) but it's aggressively just good. It doesn't defy expectations like GoldenEye did. It doesn't try something new like Dalton's films did with their tone. Nor is it "big" enough to match something as grand as The Spy Who Loved Me. 

Tomorrow Never Dies - for the most part - just...is. 

Maybe it was destined to have that legacy? After all, it did open the same weekend as Titanic, a film that would go on to stand the test of time and box office legs. Even more concerning is that it seemed to be an early warning sign that perhaps the talent behind the screen just wasn't there in the 90s (or they were off doing better things more likely) and that Brosnan's films would peak with his first. And despite my opening sentiment about how much I remembered (think the Celine Dion lyric "It's all coming back to me, coming back to me noowwww!"), I'm shocked at how different my opinion was from 7-year-old Jordan back in the day who thought this was the coolest movie ever at the time. I'm now very curious how my thoughts of The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day have aged. 

For Tomorrow Never Dies, it does have one element against it that I find somewhat unforgivable and that is its villain. One could argue that Jonathan Pryce gives a "memorable" performance as Elliot Carver, sure. I suppose he does. But damn what a dumb villain in the lore of James Bond. To my memory, he's the first I've actively hated - not because he's evil or daunting - but because his motives are idiotic and he feels like a genuine moron. "I want to be richer! So I'll build a huge media company and then build a 'bad-guy' department who can control the news headlines. Because I'll crack the story early, I'll be rich!" or something else like "Hey, you know what would be a good idea that totally wouldn't have the world's nations investigating me? When I give my TEDx, I'll mention to the whole world that what I seek is power! I'm sure that won't ring any bells!" Clearly, I'm triggered by how much I dislike this villain and, to be honest, there's part of it that stems from Pryce's over-the-top, Steve-Jobs copy-cat performance. When a villain's motives aren't believable - or even worse, they're pretty stupid when they're supposed to be smart - it makes the rest of the entirety of the film harder to care about. 

You know who sucks? This guy

Aside from Pryce's Carver being memorable for the wrong reasons, the other characters are forgettable completely. Pierce Brosnan continues to #slay has Bond, and I remember why I thought he was so damn cool back in the day. Because he is. Otherwise however, we're left with Teri Hatcher as perhaps the most forgettable Bond woman ever and Michelle Yeoh as a high-potential Bond girl who doesn't feel like she's given enough to do and ends up being forgettable because of it. Unique? Absolutely. But she's probably not making any Top 10 Bond Girl lists. But (!) Tomorrow Never Dies does continue the wonderful Q vs. Bond chemistry that is at a series-best between Brosnan and Llewelyn and is a delightful treat anytime we get more of it. Equally so, Judi Dench, for the sparse moments she is M, continues to own the role just as much as Brosnan owns Bond. 

I'll also give credit where credit is due that Tomorrow Never Dies has some great action beats, and they, along with Brosnan as Bond, are what save the film from totally escaping my memory. The opening sequence is yet again bombastic and actually very reminiscent of GoldenEye while the highlight is the thrilling, handcuffed escape through Saigon that includes a skyscraper jump and a memorable motorcycle chase. And, despite having legitimately the least exciting Bond car ever with the BMW 750i, one can't help but love the gadget-heavy sequence fully controlled by Bond in its back seat. 

This chase still holds up well today
and damn does Brosnan's hair look great!

The legacy of Tomorrow Never Dies is an odd one because it sits so weirdly within Brosnan's resume. Die Another Day - for better or worse - goes completely off the rails and The World is Not Enough likely had tempered expectations stemming from following this film. But here we have the sequel to one of the best Bond films that - aside form its leading man and action sequences - feels hollow and dare I say, phoned in? There's a part of me that enjoys the film, but whenever I think back on it, it's really only the action sequences that I take with me. Oh...and how much I think Carver is an awful Bond villain. That too.

CONS

• Elliot Carver is an awful, and quite stupid, Bond villain. Most of this is the writing/plot, part of it is Price's performance itself
• All other characters are forgettable. This is especially a shame for Michelle Yeoh's Wai Lin as there could have been something special there given the time
• Overall just a silly plot. Intellectuals would likely say "Oh it was ahead of it's time"...I say it's still pretty dumb
• The contract with BMW during Brosnan's tenure is killing me. These Bond cars are lame
• In between the action, the film is largely forgettable, middling Bond fare. It plays it too safe
• Generic original score outside of the Bond theme

PROS

• Brosnan is a fantastic Bond and reminds me why I thought he was so damn cool when I was little. It seems effortless for him
• Q and M are fantastic when they're on screen, particularly the banter between Bond and Q
• Gadgets galore!
• Wonderful action that holds up well and I would argue "saves" the film. The opener is a blast (literally) and there are other highlights sprinkled throughout the film

Retro Rath's Review Score | 6.5/10