Rating: Summary: Better end it here! Review: Please, the Brosnan Bond movies just keep getting worse. Put us out of our misery! Let this series go to rest quiety before the memory of some wonderful films is lost in the disappointments of late.
Rating: Summary: AWESOME! Review: ONE OF THE BEST "BOND" FILMS, AND PROBABLY THE BEST OF THE MOST RECENT PRODUCTIONS. VERY IMAGINATIVE MATERIAL. GREAT CAR STUNTS. UNBELIEVABLE CLOSING SCENES. I LIKED IT A LOT. WAS IT THE PERFECT MOVIE "5"? NO, BUT CLOSE.
Rating: Summary: A middle tier James Bond Review: I've been a James Bond fan for a long time. Before President Kennedy made Ian Fleming's books popular, I had read every book and was pleased with the early Bond movies. Like most older Bond fans, I have particular favorites; 'From Russia With Love', 'Goldfinger', 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', and some were definite bombs such as 'A View to Kill'. 'Die Another Day' is not amoung the best nor the worst. I like Brosnan as the first truely believable James Bond since Connery but the director seems to think that the only way you can sell an action movie these days is to appeal to the MTV set.One of the real pleasures of the Bond series is that you know that the physical stunts are expertly staged with mechanical & physical stunt work. The camera lingers over every scene in early Bond movies which makes the more cinema literate viewer appreciate the staging done to pull off the stunts. Early Bond films used few, if any, visual camera tricks other them the standard blue screen. Such is not the case with 'Die Another Day'. The use of digital and computer generated effects is far to obvious in this film and detracts from the overall effect for older viewers like myself. Early Bonds were smart and fit but not super human. Their actions were believable. For example, Brosnan's first film 'GoldenEye' had a now classic 'tank through the streets' sequence. It is a perfect example of the use of mechanical-physical stunt work built around the use of camera forced perspective. Compare this with the 'cars on the ice lake' chase. The computerized graphics are unreal and the physical forces displayed are unrealistic. Maybe for a cartoon, but not for a live-action movie. I hope that this trend in filmmaking will not continue. Being blasted out of my theater seat with overloud sound, 1/2 to 1 second film edits, and digital enhancements, is not my idea of a good time at the movies. If you think I am wrong about this, wait for the DVD and watch the film at home on a TV. Decide for yourself how well this film holds up to repeat viewing. BTW, I do intend the buy the DVD when it is released in June, 2003. I am, after all, a James Bond fan.
Rating: Summary: Lousy Movie, but neat Special Effects Review: This Bond thriller is packed with cliches and poor character development. It contains the worst dialogue of all the Pierce Brosnan Bond films_ not just from Bond, but just about every character's lips_ especially Halle Berry's. The intro of the film is surreal and lacks the usual touch of class_ due to a poor title song and some awful nude lady collage. It's basically the same Bond script, like all the others ie_ good girl, bad girl; he has a vodka martini; he gets the cool spy gadgets; he goes around telling everyone his surname first; plenty of things blow up; there's some sick puppy (who must die) who has a devious masterplan; Bond gets laid by the good and bad girl; he's falling out of a plane...you know, all the usual stuff, and yes, he's in bed again by the end of the movie. It's like dog food formula, at this point, and in need of some fresh ideas. You never feel as if his life is really in danger, as he crusades through his most superficial and materialistic adventure. What is Madonna doing in the film_ her part was a pointless detour, but somewhat fitting in the overall flatness of this flick. A lot of work went into making this film visually exciting, but some basic things are missing from the getgo_ especially good writing. If you want to laugh, check it out because, in my opinion, it's so absurd it really should have been a comedy.
Rating: Summary: Bond downgrading Review: Been a bond fan before JFK. Disappointed in DAD from a Bond perspective, but an entertaining movie from Michael, Barbara and team. I shuddered when I heard that Madonna was to do the theme song, and I was correct. It was disastrous. I can sing the theme songs for all of the movies (Dr. No didn't have one). DAD was just a repititious ramble of "Die Another Day". Didn't particularly care for Ms. Berry. Bond movies are taken a little more serious with me. Bond movies should not be done with what's popular at that time. Lots of good actors around, e.g., Sean Connery as "M", since he probably would not do it, how about Roger Moore. George Lazenby might even be interested. Cleese is ok as "Q", but not as clever as DL. Here's hoping the next Bond is worth remembering.
Rating: Summary: Action packed joyride through Bondsville !! Review: I'm not an avid 'Bond' fan. I havn't seen all the films, and frankly don't care to; I watch movies for entertainment, escapism and enjoyment. And I have to say, I got it right here. Although the film breaks no moulds, it has everything an action flick movie go-er could wish for; a dashing hero, a naughty villian, sex (in true Bond style), action (lots of it), betrayal, suspense etc, the list is endless. A Bond movie that keeps the secret agent-genre alive without kicking the 'living daylights' out of it (can't believe I said that). The action is fantastic, cartwheeling us from scene to scene following a plot obviously designed to get the most ass-kicking as is possible from a feature length movie. James' one liners are delivered as cornily (?) as possible (they ARE supposed to be you know) and it even manages to take a giggle at itself with some clever references to past exploits. Special effects are as overdone as the stunts, as is it's ilk, and are very well executed (most of the time). 'Normal' Bond buffs will love it I think, from the diamond encrusted visage of a nasty henchman, to the massive laser generator orbiting the Earth to be used for no good (A la Goldeneye) to the grand Ice Palace of James' nemesis Mr Graves. I thought the whole thing was great fun to watch, and took me right back to when I could watch a film and come away wishing I was as dashing and heroic as the protagonist. My advice...go and watch it, you'll be glad you did. Fantastic. **** (5 stars would have to be a truly exceptional film.)
Rating: Summary: The Greatest Bond film since On Her Majesty's Secret Service Review: The greatest Bond film since On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Brosnan is brilliant and has become a very credible 007. To me he is the second greatest Bond - my favorite still remains Timothy Dalton. The film's action scenes are probably the greatest in Bond history while the first half of the film is very Fleming like. The first half could be a Fleming novel - it is that good. The teamwork of Brosnan and Berry is brilliant. She is the greatest Bond lady since Michelle Yeoh and among the greatest Bond girls ever. Pike is excellent although it is maybe too obvious she is a villain. I'm from Iceland and it is brilliant to watch Bond in action in my home country. Seeing him drive the all famous Aston Martin in Iceland gave me the chill. But the greatest aspects of the film is all the known items from previous films that appear throughout the film. From the novel Bond picks up in Havana (written by a James Bond) and Brosnan's "stealing" and eating a grape (a la Thunderball) to the emergence of Jinx from the ocean (Dr. No) and all the old equipment in Q branch. Brilliant stuff that will keep the hardcore Bond fans happy. Die Another Day is a fantastic Bond adventure that should please both hardcore Fleming fans and the average action film fan. A must for all Bond fans.
Rating: Summary: Die Another Day Review: As a true Bond fan (yes, I even liked Timothy Dalton in the role), take it from me, the potential of this movie far outweighs its final mediocre version. When it comes to action movies, this is top-notch, but us Bond-aficionados have come to expect the best. The best, however, was not delivered this time. Die Another Day will forever be similar to Diamonds Are Forever- a few great moments, but ultimately forgettable.
Rating: Summary: How Far Can Bond Go?..... Review: The long-awaited 20th Bond film has finally come out, and after seeing it, my enthusiasm as a big Bond fan has dwindled. For the history of Bond, "Moonraker" has held its place as the most far out and craziest of the Bond films. But now Die Another Day has shoved Moonraker aside and taken its place. Bond movies are supposed to be big and action-packed, but how far can you go?..... The plot of Die Another Day revolves around Bond being sent to a prison camp after wreaking havoc in a de-militarized zone in Korea, north of the 38th parallel. While the teaser depicting Bond surfing to his destination is quite exciting, the movie slowly falls apart there. After 9 months in a prison camp, Bond is "abandoned" by MI-6 and turns into a "rogue" agent. If this sounds anything like Licence To Kill, the "nostalgia" feeling doesn't quite end here. Bond eventually ends up in Cuba where he hears of a clinic that changes the faces of people. Along the way he meets up with Jinx. Jinx (Halle Berry) is probably one of the worst female Bond roles to date. She is crude "Yo mama! .... He DID you?!" and was so hopelessly stupid that she had to be introduced Honey Ryder style, emerging from the water in a Honey Ryder bathing suit. And they thought they could fool us by having the bathing suit be orange...... And so the story goes from there. Bond jumps around from one dangerous encounter to the next, soon finding out that Gustav Graves is Colonel Moon, the man Bond supposedly killed in Korea. And his plan is to use a laser satellite (Goldeneye or Diamonds Are Forever anyone?) to destroy whatever he wants to destroy. Suddenly Bond is at an ice palace, getting himself into more action situations. There is a car chase scene where Bond and the badguy should just stand there, selling the the cars to the audience rather than having us cringe at the terrible CG effects. Then the story moves on into the ice palace melting, and Bond and Jinx escape, only to end up on Graves' airplane, where a fight ensues. During this fight we are shown ten minutes worth of bad CG effects and are revealed everything that may have been confusing to us. Throughout the movie, three things are apparent: the quips are not placed subtly, the CG effects are terrible, and the camerawork/music/action sequences are obviously trying to appeal to pop culture. Madonna's title song is terrible as is her cameo. The 80's and early 90's are over, so I think it is time she takes a step back off the stage before she ruins another Bond movie. The same goes for Halle Berry. She may have won an Academy Award, but not all acting roles are the same, so she wasn't necessarily a fool-proof choice. And I think it's time Bond girls get toned down a little. Equality between the sexes may be necessary in the real world, but James Bond is a fantasy world so quit trying to make everything politically correct. The character of Gustav Graves is another weak point in the film. The most apparent is when he is fencing Bond at Blades. Gustav Graves totally tears the card club apart, yet no police officers or security officers ever arrive. Just because he is rich doesn't mean he can destroy anything he likes. And his over-the-topness was a bit over-done. Skydiving into the spotlight of media cameras? Building an impractical ice palace? Destroying a card club in London? It is amazing that he didn't fall under suspicion a lot sooner. The problems with this movie are so numerous that not even the 1,000 word limit offered by Amazon.com would be enough to say everything. Die Another Day appears to be the turning point in the Bond series. I will give the Bond movies one more chance to redeem themselves. But if the next Bond movie is bad, I will very sadly have to say, "You just killed James Bond."
Rating: Summary: Not the best, but very entertaining Review: The newest Bond, Die Another Day, was a very good movie and it was extreemly entertaining. For all the people that think the stuff he does is to far-fetched, let me tell you this: you look back on the Connery ones, and the older Moore ones and say, "now that's believable", but back in the 60's it wasn't...Goldfinger was far-fetched for its time just as Die Another Day is far-fetched for its time. The fact of the matter is this movie was purely entertaining and fun to watch. Now granted, its plot is not the best in the world, but few Bond's have both an excellent plot and good action. The best Bond to date is Goldeneye which has a great plot and great action...but if you already have Goldeneye this is a great DVD to get. And try not to overanalyze James Bond, its a movie and a fictional character for crying out loud...like it for what it was and that's a fun, entertaining movie.
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