Rating: Summary: Desmond Llewelyn is turning in his grave Review: For almost 40 years, Q-branch has managed to produce spy toys that pushed the envelope just enough that they could be fun if you didn't get too deconstructive. This movie blasted through the envelope with an invisible car and a holodeck, reducing Bond from a suave, almost believable secret agent to this decade's next sci-fi character.I was skeptical about Halle Berry being a Bond girl, as she is so well established and distractingly beautiful, but she held the movie together. I only hope that Ms. Broccoli is through with her experimentation, will fire her director, [fire] her writers, and continue the tradition of James Bond in a spirit more becoming of the legacy set before her.
Rating: Summary: Long, loud, laborious mess Review: Diamonds, DNA or doomsday? Writers, please make up your minds. This story feels like the nervous (or lazy) agglomeration of too many ideas, too many opinions, and not nearly enough good sense. Had the very surprising anti-British/American angle taken up in the opening scene been retained, this could have been a vastly more entertaining night out. But it's a Bond film, after all, so provocative subtext is quickly swept aside to make way for hot chicks, cool gadgets, and a one-dimensional megalomaniac villain with - surprise, surprise - some freakish henchmen and a doomsday device up his sleeve (this time, quite literally). But while it hits all the traditional Bond notes, it somehow just doesn't play. Halle Berry is wasted, as are Rick Yune and relative newcomer Rosamund Pike ("Grace Kelly bio-pic, here I come.") Brosnan goes through the motions capably enough (copious chest-hair notwithstanding), but Toby Stephens is simply laughable as the villainous Gustav Graves. It doesn't help that he plays him uncannily like Rik Mayall's Lord Flasheart from "Blackadder". Even the trademark, innuendo-laced dialogue is surprisingly flaccid - ironically, it now sounds like an "Austin Powers" script, but without the nerve go all the way. The digital effects are far too obvious (only the climactic sequence really impresses), but it's the "stunts" they're used to create that really annoy - Bond's escape from the iceberg goes too far, even for this franchise of cinematic impossibility. As in the "Star Wars" prequels, it isn't so much the quality of the effects which grates - it's the low quality of the writing they're trying to represent. With so many Bond parodies and knock-offs crowding the market these days - from the deliberately funny ("Austin Powers") to the unintentionally hilarious ("xXx") - the original franchise is going to have to do much more than just trade on its name. It can't be that hard. Just start with a decent script.
Rating: Summary: It Hurts. Review: The Bond series has produced some fine movies, such as "You Only Live Twice", and some awful ones, such as "Moonraker", possibly one of the worst movies ever. And this one almost beat it. ... There is a difference, folks, between the need for suspension of disbelief (especially for sci-fi films) and being cretinous. Mainly, I mean to say this: the laws of physics exist, whether you like it or not. If a car falls 30,000 feet, AT LEAST the windows will break. Also, surfing a super-sonic wave just can't happen, folks. .... P>And never mind the acting. The only two who save themselves are Brosnan and Berry, who do satisfactory jobs. I understand Bond films aren't dramas of the highest order ... Toby Stephens, who plays Gustav Graves, is so bad it isn't even laughable. It is indeed true that the 007 series is made with the must-shut-off-the-brain gospel which our dear friends at Hollywood have been piously spreading since Day One, and they no doubt influenced the makers of all the Bond movies. .... I never write reviews but this one deserved it.
Rating: Summary: Die Another Day - An action flick that'll make you smile! Review: Die Another Day, Pierce Brosnan's fourth outing as James Bond 007, has obviously been thought out well; and as a result, it's probably the most enjoyable action film of 2002 (blasting the awful XXX into orbit). With a popular Madonna theme song to back this new direction in a Bond film, D.A.D. deserves praise for daring to be different, while keeping all the right traditional elements at the same time. Halle Berry and Rosmaund Pike are good choices as good and evil Bond girls, and the ice lake car chase between Bond and enemy Xao (Rick Yune) is incredible. Just the sight of Bond using his ejector seat to return his overturned Aston Martin to upright can make anyone smile! Go see it! You won't regret it. Trust me.
Rating: Summary: Die Another Day-Loads of Action (Mainly that is) Review: Die Another Day, is the latest installment in the Bond series, being Pierce Brosnans' 5th film and the 20th in the actual series. The film costars, Halle Berry, Rick Yune, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Dame Judi Dench as M and John Clesse as the new gadget guru, Q. The film does actually have a story, but is mainly about action and violence. Though, Brosnan does a fine job as Bond....James Bond. The plot of this film is essentially simple and obviously pointless, a wild North Korean agent named Zao (Rick Yune) has a laser like satelite, which can basically obliterate anything it touches. WOW! Of course Bond and his new follower, Jinx played by gorgeous Halle Berry, team up to defeat the evil villan. Also there is another villan named Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) who is the leader of this operation, Zao is his main follower. The film from here takes on a course of chaotic and vociferous action/violence. From gunplay to explosions to fistfights. That's what you pretty much get. The film was decent, it was an average Bond film, my favorite is Goldeneye and will probably remain that way until the next Bond film which is intended to be Brosnan's final film. Only time will tell. Though the film did feature some memorable and commemorative action sequences, such as the car chase in Iceland, and the hovercraft chase at the very beginning of the film. As for Bond, he is still the sophisticated and suavy MI6 agent you know. Lee Tamahori (Along Came A Spider, The Edge) does a fine job directing, but it could be better. ONE CAN ONLY HOPE FOR THE NEXT BOND FILM! As for now if you must, go see Die Another Day. Rated PG-13 for Action Violence and Sexuality. Now playing in theatres.
Rating: Summary: The weakest Bond film since A View to a Kill Review: After 40 years maybe Bond should retire. This is indeed Brosnan's weakest film as James Bond. It's a shame because the film starts off very promising showing a more human and vulnerable James Bond, but this development quickly diminishes into a ridiculous plot and even more ridiculous action sequences that make the film seem more like a parody on the Bond franchise; including multiple unneeded references to the previous Bond films. This film try's to breath some fresh air into the standard James Bond plot with bond becoming a rogue agent to extract his revenge, but this fails to work and quickly becomes the cliché plot that the majority of the films follow. This was done in a much more effective way in 1989's License to Kill. The villains and the women are some of the least interesting in the entire franchise. Denise Richards even made a better Bond girl then Halle Berry, and do we really need to see the image of a bikini glad babe slowing coming out of water yet again on film? The action sequences have always been the backbone of the series with each film trying to outdo its predecessor. But the action in this film is so ridiculous that it could not be filmed with stuntmen but instead with Brosnan on a green screen and CGI effects added. Nothing is memorable and the scenes are quickly forgotten. Something new has to be done with this series, because if it continues the way it's going, a James Bond film will be no more interesting then it countless imitators. Maybe it's time for a more serious Bond movie like the early Connery films or even the Dalton films. I hear Brosnan is going to make one more film. Roger Moore made his best and what should have been his last film - For Your Eyes Only after his worst and the most ridiculous film in the entire series - Moonraker. Maybe history will repeat itself; or the Bond films wont be worth watching.
Rating: Summary: James Bond has died Review: Frankly, I haven't watched Bond's movie since "Golden Eye" which disappointed me, as a protest, I did not pay to see the two following Bond movies. After seeing the trailer of the latest one, I can say that "James Bond has already died", so there's no need for "Die another Day", he was dead since "Golden Eye", Brosnan is the worst Bond, even David Nivan and Peter Seller in "Casino Royale" were better than him. Brosnan has only one facial expression, he has no fear, no pain, no hesistation, no nothing, it seems that he knew everything in advance and can escape from danger within his control. I vow that I will not pay to see any other Bond movie, I am sticking to my collection of the Bond movies starring Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton.
Rating: Summary: Back to bond Review: In this the 20th installment of the wonderful series we see tons of action and "women" that make a bond film great. I noticed that this is Brosnan's best work to date and he is JAMES BOND. he has got the syle that has been missing since connery left the franchise. Halley Berry is wonderful. This movie is great for many reasons, go and see what I am talking about. If you are a fan of bond or enjoy and action movie with a cool story see this movie, NOW !!!!!!!
Rating: Summary: The Best Bond Movie, Ever! Review: I have seen all of the Bond movies and up to now, I thought, nobody was able to match Sean Connery. Pierce Brosnan finally does it. His Bond character is believeable. His scenes as a prisoner for 14 months opens up another side of Bond that we have not seen before. The action and gagetry lives up to expectations. In fact the car scenes are awesome. The ice palace (or whatever it was) was a bit much but it didn't last that long, before the movie moved on to other action that brought some simulance of believeability back to the scenes. Halle Berry is the new Bond girl. She is sexy, capable and deadly. She fits the 21st Century Bond female film fatale perfectly. I also liked the updated villains. They don't just hire people to do the dirty work like Blofeld, but they have personal martial arts capabilities and driving skills that allow them to get into the action. There are scenes of head to head combat between Bond and the Mastermind of this newest plot to take over the world. If you haven't seen it, and you are a Bond fan, by all means, see the movie. This is a keeper. I can't wait until it comes out on DVD
Rating: Summary: Long and Boring Review: This movie just about put me to sleep. In my opinion, the script, and the acting was bad, it was too long. Several times I thought the movie was over and the next thing you know, we're onto another scene. This 007 movie is a disgrace to the series. I won't recommend seeing it in the theater, don't waste your money.
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