The World Is Not Enough
Is it just me, or do Bond previews always get you hyped? OK, OK... except for the dark years (referring to Timothy Dalton). I didn't think I'd buy Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist, especially one named Christmas, but decided I'd go for the rest of the movie. Always some good chase scenes, explosions, and usually Bond getting a little from at least two babes. I wasn't disappointed on any of my expectations.
Bond is back, as a mysterious assasination goes awry in MI6 headquarters. The bomb kills a British blueblood, but fails to kill M and Bond. The millionaire has a daughter who continues his work, which is suspected as being the reason he was assassinated. Bond is sent to protect her, but soon finds himself embroiled in a plot involving a Russian renegade who had kidnapped the heiress at one point and who is now attempting to steal a nuclear weapon. Denise is the lead scientist on site, as the nukes are being dismantled; you know what happens next: a bomb gets stolen and she has to tag along to disarm it. The whole movie revolves around an oil pipeline being built that will provide the western world with a ready supply of crude, and the intrigues as one person or group after another attempts to sabotage the fuel line. It's a somewhat predictable plot line, and as anyone with a brain suspected, Brosnan gets both Sophie and Denise in bed (not together, but I can dream).
Overall, this wasn't a bad movie. Brosnan is just getting better as Bond, and you can feel some of the dark side of the character starting to ooze out. Sophie is OK as the heiress, but nothing spectacular. Denise (and the twins!!) is there to distract us from a somewhat weak plot, and John Cleese, the heir-apparent to Q's office, makes a very brief appearance. Judi Densch does well with the M character, but nothing to howl about. And Renauld (sorry, but I don't know the actor's name) is just a little too one-dimensional. A bullet supposedly robbed him of senses like touch and smell, but his hearing and sight are OK...? Nothing else really happens with his character, except that every time he gets hit or knocked down, he looks at the injury in what I think is supposed to be a dramatic moment illustrating his immunity to pain; it just looks like he's intrigued by the fact he has fingerprints.
Again, this is one I'd recommend as a matinee. Brosnan is great, but just can't pull this puppy off. The characters are transparent, with the nod to Pierce as the exception, and the plot never really grips you with suspense. See this one at a matinee.
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