| In his 19th screen outing, Ian Fleming's superspy is once again caught in the crosshairs of a self-created dilemma: as the longest-running feature-film franchise, James Bond is an annuity his producers want to protect, yet the series' consciously formulaic approach frustrates any real element of surprise beyond the rote application of plot twists or jump cuts to shake up the audience. This time out, credit 007's caretakers for making some visible attempts to invest their principal characters with darker motives--and blame them for squandering The World Is Not Enough's initial promise by the final reel. By now, Bond pictures are as elegantly formal as a Bach chorale, and this one opens on an unusually powerful note. A stunning pre-title sequence reaches beyond mere pyrotechnics to introduce key plot elements as the action leaps from Bilbao to London. Bond 5.0, Pierce Brosnan, undercuts his usually suave persona with a darker, more brutal edge largely absent since Sean Connery departed. Equally tantalizing are our initial glimpses of Bond's nemesis du jour, Renard (Robert Carlyle), and imminent love interest, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), both atypically complex characters cast with seemingly shrewd choices, and directed by the capable Michael Apted. The story's focus on post-Soviet geopolitics likewise starts off on a savvy note, before being overtaken by increasingly Byzantine plot twists, hidden motives, and reversals of loyalty superheated by relentless (if intermittently perfunctory) action sequences. Indeed, the procession of perils plays like a greatest hits medley, save for a nifty sequence involving airborne buzz saws that's as enjoyable as it is preposterous. Bond's grimmer demeanor, while preferable to the smirk that eventually swallowed Roger Moore whole, proves wearying, unrelieved by any true wit. The underlying psychoses that propel Renard and Elektra eventually unravel into unconvincing melodrama, while Bond is supplied with a secondary love object, Denise Richards, who's even more improbable as a nuclear physicist. Ultimately, this World is not enough despite its better intentions. --Sam Sutherland |
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 God Bless This Movie |
| Review Date: April 30, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Dave, Bethel Park, Pa |
| "Goldeneye" was great. "Tomorrow Never Dies" was good. "The World Is Not Enough" was excellent. Pierce Brosnan, no matter what cranky critics say, is a fantastic Bond, who is sort of like a melting pot of the past actor's best attributes. Connery's vicious edge, Moore's amusing wit, and Dalton's brutality. Another thing that makes Brosnan a keeper is that, like Connery and Moore, he has fun with Bond. Dalton and Lazenby made the mistake of taking this as a serious acting job. It isn't. TWINE does have a great script which is understandable (I guess a lot of people who complained just weren't attentive, since very few modern movies require that.) Renard may have been a lame bad guy, but Carlisle did play him well and believably - isn't that all that counts? Denise Richards, however laughable she was as Christmas Jones, did well with her material. And, the way I look at it, she wasn't evne the main Bond woman this time around. Sophie Marceau is perhaps one of the sexiest Bond women ever to grace the silver screen. There was no doubt that she was the perfect choice for Elektra King, playing the good-girl gone bad to a tee. I hope she is more visible in future years. |
Thank God, it has a plot!
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| Review Date: April 4, 2000 |
| Reviewer: , Jersey City, NJ United States |
| I think right now, the 007 dynasty is damned-if-they-do and damned-if-they-don't. It seems every time they try to do something a little bit edgy or different from the usual formula, they get castigated by millions of viewers crying, "This is not we expected!", while the more formulaic films get lambasted for containing "all the usual lame gadgets and contrived stunts". Personally, I love it when the creators try to depart from the norm, and TWINE is one of the best examples of this. To begin with, it actually has a plot! I agree, it's not the best plot I've ever seen, but in Bond films the plot does not have to be airtight, and at least there is more to this one than the stupid action-driven premise of TND. Brosnan is seriously trying to portray 007 as a real person, rather than the suave superhero parody that Moore was trying to be. Carlyle is great as the new millenium's Jaws, although he is seriously underused. The action is not non-stop, but when it comes it is breathtakingly done. Come on, admit it - you never expected that second parafoil to open up, did you? Overall, I'd say this is the fifth best James Bond ever, much better than TND and leagues ahead of anything Moore or Dalton ever did. Just for comparison, my all-time favourite is Goldfinger, followed by FRWL, OHMSS, and Goldeneye. |
The World is not enough DVD
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| Review Date: May 4, 2000 |
| Reviewer: MATTHEW LEE EDWARDS, |
| I was recently lucky enough to obtain an advance copy of the region 1 disc in England. I have been told the two main differeces between my copy and the U.k release will simply be a different graphical interface. The dvd is chocked full of special features, the best one however is a feature similar to that of Tomorrow Never Dies storyboard, however this time around you can opt to stop the action when a special symbol is displayed (007) and watch how that stunt etc was created- Fantastic. The quality of picture is excellent, I saw the premiere here in London, and the picture quality on my desktop p.c is sharp well detailed and clean. The sound however is where the disc really excels. The boat sequence in particular picks up every splash and bullet. Forget the Matrix, this dvd is the new showcase by which all other dvd releases will be judged. |
cool film
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| Review Date: February 25, 2000 |
| Reviewer: J. Gotham, Staffordshire UK |
| This film is just amazing, from the brilliant opening sequences and right through the whole film.... its a welcome return to a more traditional bond adventure, traveling the world doing cool stuff and very nice ladies (much better than that ugly moose from the last one !). Many 'critics' slammed this film because they wanted it to be more like the previous 2 films, action adventure kinda stuff, but while the action is not too 'in your face' it is very effective, interesting and entertaining. This film kept me interested all through, great baddies, great stunts, great girls, great story... everything errr GREAT ! Buy this film ! YOU MUST ! |
bond is back
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| Review Date: March 7, 2000 |
| Reviewer: , |
| bond is back in this action thrill ride.more like the old ones with sean connery,and roger moore.it goes back to bonds roots showing that he's still serious,and at the same time has a charm,and loves women,and witty too. this bond movie is one of the best.a great openeing scene.great stunts start to finish.pierce brosnan gave it all in this one,way better than golden eye which is still good.anybody whose a bond fan will love this one.the plot has great twists and turns which i love.this is the best yet. |
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