Tomorrow Never Dies

I love James Bond. I love Pierce Brosman's performance of 007.

But honestly, the video game is better than this film. Tomorrow Never Dies has some underlying messages of the power of media-gone-wrong, but nothing about this film proves memorable. I actually had to refresh my memory by Youtubing scenes to remember what happened in this movie.

2/5. Good action but forgettable in the era of the late 90s/early 2000s action movie boom.When I first watched this film, I didn't like it. Revisiting this film, I learned to appreciate it more as a true installment in the franchise.

The first film without Albert Broccoli (RIP) that was true in spirit to his vision of James Bond.

Tomorrow Never Dies (such a silly name) is a modern retelling of The Spy Who Loved Me with some changes to make it more fitting for a modern audience. It's my honest opinion that this film should be revisited and reexamined.

Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of a more stylish, sleek, and tongue-in-cheek Bond is there. Action is satisfying and locations are exotic. Instead of a malevolent USSR or SPECTRE, we get the capitalist bogeyman as the antagonist. This makes the film much more relatable to today's world.

Tomorrow Never Dies is a world where mass media has gotten too powerful and tries to start WWIII. Though I find it hard to imagine a media mogul buying a top-of-the-line stealth cruiser without anyone noticing, themes still echo today. Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) is an excellent hybrid of Steve Jobs' visionary idealism with Rupert Murdoch's ruthlessness. An artistic difference from the USSR or the evil shadow empire of SPECTRE.

The anti-Bond strongman of Stamper (Gotz Otto) was an enjoyable portrayal that echos of Robert Shaw's performance of Red Grant in From Russia with Love. Though a bit more expressive, Gotz had an intimidating appearance on screen.

Another aspect that I enjoyed about this film is the role of strong female characters. Early on we get M's flawless clapback of a general. Also, the Bond girl in this film, Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) plays a strong female counterweight to Bond. She acts as a non-passive character, acts independently of Bond, and is strong/smart enough to hold her own.

Of course, there are some faults. Besides the title name makes no sense, there are some things I wished the film developed more. TND could have built more upon the media causing mayhem for views (something we can all relate to in 2020). Also, I was saddened to see that Paris Carver's (Teri Hatcher) and Dr. Kaufman's (Vincent Schiavelli) characters were not developed. They could have been much more interesting characters.

But, it's a Bond movie. It's meant to be enjoyed more than examined for deep thinking.

3.5/5. Good movie but with some flaws. Still a good watch many years after

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

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.

James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) heads to stop a media mogul's plan to induce war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive global media coverage.

The Bond films are both hit and miss as well as an acquired taste. And each time there is a new Bond, people readjust and some people just will not move on. Personally, I think Brosnan was a great Bond, and I actually think this is one of the best films in the series, contrary to popular opinion.

Much of the series is either about Soviet issues or post-Soviet issues. This one, however, is about global media dominance. Now 20 years old, it seems more appropriate than ever with its satellites and cell phones. This movie could have been made today with only the most minor of adjustments.

A far cry from Goldeneye, but It doesn't necessarily deserve all the hate it receives either. Tomorrow Never Dies is a fast paced affair, and an easily agreeable time-waster, but it's not the follow-up Goldeneye deserved, either. It's much too daft for the heavy plot that it has. The main reason this movie is entertaining is the spectacular stunts. It has some great action set pieces, which managed to make the time pass nicely. Michelle Yeoh makes for a refreshingly unique Bond Girl, due to her actual Martial Arts background. I dug the chemistry with her & Brosnan. Speaking of Brosnan… He is very good as Bond. He has charisma and wit to spare. He's not quite as good as Timothy Dalton, but he is excellent nonetheless. Johnathan Pryce is decent as the villain. He is fitfully menacing and did the job overall. Teri Hatcher's character is a bit disposable, but she was good in her role. Desmond Llewelyn & Judi Dench are as classy as ever

Final Thoughts: Instantly forgettable stuff, but it manages to be an effective time-waster. It's not a great Bond film, but it is an OK action film. I didn't mind it at all.

5.6/10