The World is Not Enough

If you're new-ish to Rath's Reviews, welcome to my continuation along the James Bond series. 

The more we get into the Pierce Brosnan era, the more and more I remember my time with these films, though to be fair, everything beyond GoldenEye has a spot in my film memory, for better or worse. 

Brosnan's legacy is often cemented firmly within his starting film, followed by a couple of more forgettable follow-ups, and a final "disaster" by most critics accounts. Is it weird that I'm strangely excited to revisit Die Another Day to see if it's that bad?

Regarding The World is Not Enough, I remember it with mostly fond memories, thanks largely to another fun videogame adaptation (or so I remember) and a series of memorable scenes stitched together into a slightly-less-memorable film. 

By my account - unless Die Another Day shocks me - The World is Not Enough sits solidly (and somewhat distantly) behind GoldenEye, reminding me of the same level of quality of the random Connery and Moore film, or somewhat both of Dalton's films; movies where there's no critical error, but it's also not as iconic as something that preceded it. The World is Not Enough definitely exists in a place between the 1st and 2nd Brosnan Bond films (if you're like me and see that Tomorrow Never Dies has a critical flaw in a dumb villain) as a solid actioner with some pretty people and an interesting, but somewhat convoluted story.

It's that story in particular that I appreciate more at an older age. In 1999, 9-year-old Jordan was just impressed by how cool Brosnan was and the explosions and chase scenes. Most of the sexual innuendo and foundational plot beats that contain "sex" went way over my head. This time around, I really noticed how much the film centers around...well...Bond's inability to keep it in his pants. There's kind of a convoluted, but espionage-filled, story behind all of that about stolen plutonium, but by and large this is actually an assessment of how easily Bond can be manipulated by the opposite sex. Because of that, it makes Sophie Marceau's Elektra King one of the more unique villains in the entire Bond series, and make no mistake, she is the core villain here. Not bullet-in-the-head, Renard (Robert Carlyle). The film kind of forgets this in the end given that Bond's final showdown is versus Renard - in a very awkward, claustrophobic fight in a sub - but Elektra's influence is all over the film and the multiple characters she interacts with. Unfortunately, outside of Elektra and Bond, the other characters are forgettable/bad though obviously that sentiment does not include Q (Desmond Llewelyn), M (Judi Dench, with a lot to do this time), or R (John Cleese) as they're all superb. Despite his unique circumstance, Renard is a pawn and forgettable, with a very "meh" performance from Carlyle. Denise Richards, God bless her, is downright awful as Dr. Christmas Jones, reminding me of some of the painfully awkward actresses who filled the Bond girl role in the early days. She's obviously here for a...ahem...reason, but there's little chemistry between her and Bond, despite her Tomb Raider outfit, because she's in over her head a bit. 

"Ooo yeah baby, make it hurt!"
"Dafuq?"

Skiing after Taco Bell...

Luckily, the strong action from the previous two Brosnan-era films is present here too - though I'd argue it's perhaps the least impressive of the bunch thus far. We have a stunning and fun opener with a boat chase through London, a much better BMW this time around (though still pairing in comparison to any Aston Martin), a ski sequence that definitely harkens back to the days of old when several Bond films had one, and a pair of thrilling escapes in a pipeline and mining facility that bring back memories of the videogame. Unfortunately, the dock-battle sequence is slow and awkward, not holding up well over time and the aforementioned finale has some tension, but is ultimately forgettable.

All of this is filmed well, comparatively to the older films, where it holds up and the action is mostly edited without a heavy hand. The theme song - while perhaps not the best in the title sequence (I think it's "fine") - adds a lot to the soundtrack throughout. "The World Is Not Enough" key music notes combined with the classic James Bond fare actually make this one of the most effective original scores the series has seen in a while (not including GoldenEye's iconic one).

When the boat is cooler than the cars, you
know you have to bring back Aston Martin...

My revisit with The World is Not Enough was a pleasant one that I enjoyed and is probably one of the bigger examples of a previously-seen Bond film getting better with a re-watch. I absorbed much more this time around in regards to the core themes of the story and despite the action (still good) feeling like a step down, the overall package tends to be great, if not super memorable. Where Tomorrow Never Dies will probably end up below average on my ultimate ranking, Brosnan's third film will be above average. 

Now it's on to see if Die Another Day really is that bad...

CONS

• Dull and awkward finale with the not-main-villain
• Action is a partial step down from previous Brosnan installments
• Plutonium plot beats and overall espionage elements are a bit convulted
• Forgettable side characters and Denise Richards as Dr. Jones is pretty awful

PROS

• Brosnan still owns this role, as smooth and suave as ever
• Sophie Marceau plays a layered, complex villain that's one of the most unique in the franchise
• The themes around Bond and his weakness for women is well-handled and the feud he creates with Elektra - and the chemistry - gives the film its pulse
• Handful of awesome and/or tense action beats
• Bond score plus "The World is Not Enough" theme leads to one of the better Bond OS
• Q, M, and newly introduced R are as awesome (and funny) as ever

Retro Rath's Review Score | 8/10