Tomorrow Never Dies

"Tomorrow Never Dies" manages to top "Diamonds are Forever" and J.W. Pepper as the dumbest thing to happen to Bond's cinematic incarnation, until "Die Another Day" came along, that is. It's blisteringly, unrelentingly, unbelievably stupid from start to finish. Yes, I've heard the defenses: "it's a Bond film, what do you expect?" seems to be a popular one. What's even sadder is that certain people relish this stupidity, and wish that this was how most Bond films were.

I hate to say it, as he is a friendly and intelligent person and based on what those who are properly acquainted with him say, a remarkably professional and careful director, but Roger Spottiswoode's work as director here is poor for the most part, with the exception of the one truly great sequence in the film- the chase scene with Michelle Yeoh tied to Bond on a motorbike (probably thanks to a second-unit director anyway). It's not a confidently directed movie at all, and only looks somewhat good thanks to Robert Elswit's photography.

I wish the direction at least was good, as it is hard to compound how atrocious this script is. The vast majority of the dialogue is among the most ridiculous you've ever heard (no, seriously, take a Michael Bay film and dumb down the worst scene then you've got "Tomorrow Never Dies" for basically its entirety). What's most insulting about this script is that Bond barely features in it. Oh, sure, Bond is present in most scenes, but for all he actually does and says it could have been just about anyone in the scene. He speaks strictly in short sentences the writer thought were witty or clever (boy, was he wrong), or partakes in action scenes. I've always defended Brosnan's Bond, but I realize now that I am defending his better Bond, and not the terribly-written and lazily performed version present in this flick and "Die Another Day". What's going on here?

Let's end this with some positive comments: The score is good. It's much, much better than the "GoldenEye" score (oh why couldn't they have hired David Arnold for that movie?), and relies heavily on Barry-like arrangements of the Monty Norman theme, but the original parts are nice too. There are a couple of solid action scenes, and the motorbike chase really is terrific, but this movie is too dumb and too awkwardly-directed for it to work on any level.

3/10

Jonathan Pryce is the evil Elliott Carver in this James Bond version with Pierce Brosnan in the role. Dame Judi Dench is M and Geoffrey Palmer (her costar from her British comedy series) is also in the film. Samantha Bond played Ms. Moneypenny. Teri Hatcher and Michelle Yeoh played his love interest. It's the same routine with exotic stunts; a romance; and adventure around the world. A typical James Bond film.

I first saw this in the early 2k on cable tv.

Revisited it recently.

This is the eighteenth in the Bond series and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

After the sinking of HMS Devonshire in the Chinese-occupied waters in the South China Sea and the killings of Devonshire's survivors with weaponry loaded with Chinese ammunition, Bond has only 48 hours to investigate its sinking and avert a conflict between the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom.

This one doesn't have a good pre credit scene but it has an awesome motorcycle chase sequence.

There is not sufficient action towards the end.

The villain Elliot Carver ain't that good.

This time Bond faces a psychopathic media mogul, Elliot Carver, hell bent on securing exclusive broadcasting rights in China for hundred years.

Bond also faces Dr. Kaufman and his student Stamper.

Bond gets to cool off with Cecilie Thomsen, Michelle Yeoh n Teri Hatcher.

We have idiot henchmen in this movie.

They try to break the car's windshield by hammer n other stuff but to no avail, they cud have tried shooting guns cos later when Bond flees with the car, the windshield breaks due to shooting.

The car chase sequence is silly cos Bond manages to evade everything including a bazooka by just remote controlling the car.

Some info on the great Dr. Kaufman : a professional assassin and a professor of forensic medicine (way before Dexter).

Kaufman loves bragging about his professionalism and how his services as an assassin are in demand all over the world. Of all the methods at his disposal, apparently his specialty is the celebrity overdose.

This film isn't quite as good as "Goldeneye", but it still another fun addition to the series.

Pierce Brosnan once again shines as James Bond, and Wai Lin, played by Michelle Yeoh, is quite possibly the toughest Bond girl ever. She does a lot of karate and steals the show as much as Brosnan.

Elliot Carver, played by Jonathan Pryce, is a pretty decent villain. He is nowhere near as intimidating as some of the best Bond villains, but he is certainly passable. His goals were a little more realistic than most Bond villains. His henchmen is just another Red Grant clone.

The story, while not the deepest, has a lot of intriguing elements with Carver writing disasters in his newspaper and making them happen. The media angles makes a lot of sense these days. The locations work, especially Thailand.

This film is up there with "Moonraker" as one of the most relentlessly action-packed entries in the series. We get a spectacular opening sequence, a chase in a parking garage with Bond using his remote-control BMW, a wicked motorcycle chase, and so much more.

This is a very solid if slightly by-the-numbers entry in the series. There is rarely a dull moment, and there is enough action for several movies. Another fun Bond film.

RATING: B

It is more like a remake of the overused formula plot of old Bond movies where a megalomaniac steals and strikes the superpowers from a hideout to create a misunderstanding and start WWIII and become the principal bargainer in the process. It lacked intrigue, suspense, twists, not that many of Bond movies have that, but was far too straightforward, predictable and cliche. I always liked Brosnan , he is one of the better Bonds I felt, hope he had something more play to with in the opportunities he got to play this iconic character. 6/10