James Bond 007: The World Is Not Enough by John Sylva Rating: B-
As the movies come and go, some bad, some horrible, some wonderful, it's good to know that you can be reassured that there is still one character you can always count on to bring you first rate entertainment in his films. Bond. James Bond. In "The World is Not Enough", Pierce Brosnan's third outing as the 007 agent, you can expect to see the usual Bond formula put to use, and you can expect to hear the same lines, feel the same emotions, and see the same type of villain wanting to cause mass destruction. Michael Apted takes the director's chair in this 19th Bond film which is a slight improvement over 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies", but doesn't reach the cleverness of Brosnan's debut as Bond in 1995's "Goldeneye".
In this chapter of the ongoing Bond series, the slick 007 agent is in charge of looking after Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), an oil heiress who is believed to be in grave danger due to the mad terrorist Renard (Robert Carlyle). The challenge of protecting Elektra won't be as easy as many of Bond's missions, for Renard has a bullet lodged in his head, making it impossible for his senses to function, resulting in the fact that he feels no pain. Along the mission, Bond meets up with nuclear weapons expert Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards) and sets off to rescue Elektra in this exhilarating story of action and inventive stunts.
Once again, Pierce Brosnan sets a new standard for himself with his performance here. Brosnan is fluently impressive, adding the extra charm and smoothness to his character needed to play Bond. The majority of the film it is hard to tell how well Brosnan is actually acting though, as he is constantly either outshone or under shone by his co-stars.
The talent above Brosnan being one of the "Bond girls," Sophie Marceau, and the talent below being the other "Bond girl," Denise Richards. Sophie Marceau is surprisingly clever here as her seemingly (hint, hint) innocent, harmless character, tricking you into her false emotions scene after scene. Her performance is the most memorable, devilishly clever performance of a Bond girl in all of Pierce Brosnan's turns as 007. On the other hand, we have Denise Richards. Where to begin? Richards shows much promise in last summer's hilarious laugh riot Drop Dead Gorgeous and 1998's Wild Things. Where did she go wrong? To make it 100% clear, Richards couldn't sell her lines if she was being held at gunpoint, her life depending on giving an adequate performance. The lines the screenplay gives her are bad enough- "Jones. Christmas Jones. And don't make any jokes, I've heard them all."- but did she really have to utter those lines without an ounce of feeling or sincerity? Girls in James Bond movies are historical for their poor acting skills, but Richards certainly sets a new low. When she's on screen with Brosnan, who doesn't particularly dazzle here either, she makes him look like an acting legend, and yes, she's that bad. Although bad she may be, the Bond series isn't known for good acting or good plots, so Richards fits into the series just as well as most of the Bond girls that have acted as badly in the past as she does here.
"The World is Not Enough" is your basic Bond, with a bigger budget and a louder soundtrack, both of which help make this installment a worthwhile venture. I've seen the majority of the Bond films to date, and not once have I witnessed one that was ever boring or non entertaining. This nineteenth installment runs at a relatively long 128 minutes, but every minute is another endeavor into the fun, exciting, dangerous life of James Bond. Although similar to its predecessors in many ways, the script does feature a key change, which is a shear delight. Judi Dench's character of M gets much more screen time in her third turn as the sophisticated boss of Bond, as she even gets involved with the villains this time around. 007 can't be the only one to get all the action can he?
The major flaw with "The World is Not Enough" lies in its screenplay, written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Bruce Feirstein. Although filled with adequate action and suspense, the storyline is unsteady. Hints are given here and there as to where the film is actually going, but other than the fact that oil is involved, and that Renard appears frequently, there isn't a plot.
"The World is Not Enough"s script is awfully close to those of the past two James Bond movies, as it covers no new material, other than introducing a new character here and there, and writing the villainess' character to perfection. As to why the writers don't try something new baffles me, as with today's technology and capability in film, the Bond films could be covering new ground in the movie industry, but instead we see the same scenes, the same characters, and the same endings, all declaring that Bond will return. Although not a fact that hurts the series, it would be wonderful to see the Bond series go higher, louder, and bigger than it has in the past, and here, in "The World is Not Enough."
The Bottom Line: Although a solid story line is only sporadically clear, the nineteenth installment in the ongoing series is host to Brosnan's best performance as the 007 agent to date.
Film reviewed December 29th, 1999.
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