The opening scene with the Boat Chase was incredible! Overall nice Bond movie but not the best of the Brosnan films.
One of the worst James Bond intros ever (I think those psychedelic colors should symbolize the colors of the oil but it looks just crappy)! The story isn't great either although the idea behind it ("Oil is the elixir of life for the West") isn't that bad... All in all a mediocre Bond movie and Brosnan's / Bond's invincibility is so annoying, again!
There’s not a lot to say about this one. They played it really safe and relied on a lot of elements that worked in the past. You can clearly see the continuing evolution of the Brosnan era towards cheesier territory, which once again leads to diminishing returns here. The plot and filmmaking are uninteresting, there’s not a lot to chew on because the new characters don’t leave a mark, nor is the story all that compelling. It’s a very by the numbers Bond flick where its main appeal comes down to the references to the classics. It does lead to some inventive action (boat chase; the ski chase which ups the ante from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), but so much of the exposition and character moments feel way too ordinary. The reliable elements are still entertaining as usual (Brosnan, Dench, Llewyn), however the new supporting cast they recruited kinda sucks (in particular Denise Richards, terrible performance). Overall, while it is forgettable and too devoid of risk, I’d still take this bland film over Die Another Day any day of the week.
4/10
It's a Bond movie with all its pros and cons. Brosnan is still fantastic. They little nuances he brings (like adjusting his tie underwater during the boat chase) are great.
Yes, there are parts that are repetitive that we've seen in one form or the other in other Bond films. Does that mean they're less exciting ? No ! I still enjoy those pre-green screen, pre-CGI in camera stunts. They are simply amazing.
The story ? Yes, been there, done that. Is the movie less entertaining ? Again, no ! I enjoyed this one, too.
Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards have to be one of the best one-two punches in Bond history. Top 3 easily. That counts for something as well, or not ?
One of the best Bond theme songs , Garbage’s theme is still the best part of this outing
Despite a decent attempt at a plot twist involving this movie's Bond girl, the overall story of this 007 film falls flat. Not bad, just super forgettable.
...what? This movie has practically nothing in it! Stop reading!
good Bond movie, with a lot of action and scenarios. Farewell to the classic Q and with the opening scene in Bilbao
I thought Christmas only comes once a year.
The worst line from Bond to end a very average movie.
Well, they just cannot stop from shooting themselves in the foot can they...? Bond producers are so bloody infuriating!
One fo the best franchises in movie history and they are unable to forge their own destiny - choosing to tread the same old worn path time and time again.
If Goldeneye was a modern Connery, then this Moore the whole way. It has the skiing, the underwater, the boat chasing, the hot air balloon, the nuclear bomb diffusal.
It hasn't aged as badly as I thought it would. Christmas Jones is still a poor Bond girl but not as bad as some of the others from the dodgy 60s and 70s films. Carlyle is okay but not great - yet it is Sophie Marceau who deserves all the credit.
I like the little bits that Brosnan clearly adds in himself. The aftermath of the killing shows that Bond is an assassin and that should never be forgotten.
There is a significant chunk of nonsense though that I'd like to have had removed or replaced which I'd hope a director's cut would have done. But seemingly the 160 minute press cut isn't worthy of a re-edit now that that Bond producers got their cheque...
If the stupidity didn't escalate with each movie, I'd be looking forward to rewatching Die Another Day. I've braced myself...
7/10
The World Is Not Enough continues the high energy and explosive action of the Brosnan era. In this adventure Bond is sent to protect oil heiress Elektra King after her father is assassinated by a terrorist. The casting of Robert Carlyle as the villain is inspired, as he has tremendous screen presence. However, Denise Richards comes up wanting as the Bond girl. Though most of the action sequences are well done, a few of them go on too long and feel a bit forced. Still, the storytelling is pretty good, and has a fair amount of twists and turns. Despite a few rough edges, The World Is Not Enough is a thrilling Bond adventure.
There is a lot of action and some of it is good but the story is bad.
I like story and actions. Good finishing.
There are so many problems with this film. The Bond girl is terrible, some of the action makes no sense, and Renard does not get any interesting screen time. However, it isn't too terrible either. We get more M, which is great. The boat chase is fun, and I love the return of Valentin Zukovsky. Overall I'd probably come in a bit lower in my rating, but to be honest I remember this one so well from my childhood that I enjoy it more than I probably should.
It’s time for the nineteenth and last Bond of the millennium. At this point it does actually feel like they have been making these for 1000 years.
A wealthy businessman is killed inside the MI6 headquarters. Bond is sent to protect his daughter, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) from the terrorists coming after her. Things turn out not to be as they seem.
Things get going on home turf with an explosion in London, in the secret service building. It’s novel and implies a genuine threat.
Otherwise, structurally, The World is Not Enough swings back to the James Bond films of old; that is to say, following 007 on his long convoluted quest to unravel a devious scheme. It’s perhaps been done to death but the franchise’s disastrous attempt to deviate off course in the last film makes this a welcome return to familiar territory.
This isn’t all good. A return to the old-style also brings back the same old problems. The story only sort-of makes sense and it’s hard to believe anyone’s motivations. At one point someone steals a submarine; a roundabout way to wreak havoc unless you are sinking ships for a living… There has to be a reason for why a crazy rich person would want to get richer (beyond just ‘they are crazy’), or more powerful. When the audience can come up with a dozen less complicated ways to achieve the same result, it’s probably time for a re-write.
Luckily enough for the film makers, at this point Brosnan is James Bond. He’s reassuringly able to pull off whatever bullshit the script throws at him, which is key if you’re going to play a suave, gadget-laden super spy that’s been around since the 60s.
There are some other decent performances in here. Sophie Marceau is well-cast as the mysterious leading lady and her scenes with Brosnan sizzle. Robbie Coltrane is brought back from GoldenEye, a welcome sight although it’s unclear what purpose he serves other than to fill out the run-time. Same with Denise Richards, who provides a welcome sight for different reasons perhaps, and equally serves no function. Actually she’s horribly mis-cast as a nuclear physicist and got a Razzie nomination for her work.
As usual, the film holds itself to a certain level of technical prowess. The stunts in particular are well executed. The early boat chase is a fine example - if you pause and go through frame by frame, it’s clear that for a lot of the time Brosnan is actually in the boat. Like the tank in GoldenEye, it gives these moments an extra polish and credibility.
The pacing is more on point too. Apted never lets things get dull. This is helped by the excellent soundtrack by David Arnold who writes the title song and expertly ties it into the film. It makes the film feel like a single piece of work, binding everything together in places where it would otherwise fall apart.
The World is Not Enough isn’t an instant classic but fifteen years on it still feels quite modern and innovative. It’s a very solid entry into the catalogue and cements Brosnan into history as James Bond for a generation.
Review by drqshadowBlockedParent2020-05-01T15:43:56Z
A rather static, nostalgic adventure for 007, which frequently calls back to scenes and settings from the character's previous outings. An alpine ski pursuit, for example, not unlike the one Roger Moore undertook during The Spy Who Loved Me. A high-speed boat chase, memorably portrayed in Live and Let Die and Moonraker... and three or four others, actually. Even the criminals' evil scheme, a convoluted plot to monopolize precious resources, recalls the machinations of Auric Goldfinger (he sought gold, of course, while the modern baddies are more concerned with crude oil). The memory-tickling action throwbacks are an improvement, at least; appropriately thrilling, inventive and faintly comical, with explosions galore and a dynamic knack for one-upping themselves.
Bond emcees a swinging good time during the early going, before the plot ramps up and the pace slows down. Once that page turns, though, the film quickly grows messy and overwhelming. The excess of overwrought side characters, each with a little twist or swerve up their sleeve, creates a tangle of confusing, unnecessary secondary arcs. Bond himself seems nearly as lost as the audience: hurriedly dashing from one swanky locale to the next, accidentally stumbling across information and ad-libbing his way out of a jam. He becomes someone we watch momentous things happen to, not the clever instigator of such organized chaos.
Maybe a good supporting cast would help to patch over such problems, but The World is Not Enough has nothing to offer in that respect. Naughty bad guy Renard, who feels no physical pain, is stoic and boring, his quirky power scarcely explored for more than a few cheap tricks. Christmas Jones, played by a doe-eyed Denise Richards, is laughably implausible as a bombastic nuclear physicist. Not even John Cleese, forced into a suitable role as Q's timely replacement, seems like a good fit. The superficial bits are fun and effective, but the story-driven later acts are all tired and tedious. Call it middle-of-the-road.