Rating: Summary: Lights, Camera, ACTION & MORE ACTION Review: This is a fun movie, filled with nonstop action and special effects and I enjoyed it tremendously. It is lighthearted fantasy entertainment. Without a doubt in my opinion it is by far the best of the current generation of Bond movies since the use of computer enhanced special effects has come into general practice. I think it is meaningless to try to compare it with the early movies based on Ian Fleming stories meant to involve serious spycraft; if those are your type of film , you can skip this one.I loved the new weapons even if totally unbelievable and the new toys and gadgets for Bond (especially the car). This is a different and very enjoyable Pierce Brosnan making his debut both as a surfer and later as an unkempt POW (if you liked Remington Steele you can always watch THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR instead). With Halle Berry as his equal and Judi Dench and John Cleese completing the cast of good guys, they become a very formidable even if apparently overmatched team. Bond is betrayed while attempting to complete a mission in North Korea ( apparently a true axis of evil country as President Bush claims), and the most graphic and realistic horror scenes take place while is he tortured following his capture. The action then moves to Cuba and the Caribbean, followed by England, Iceland and back to Korea for the grand finale. In order of appearance, my favorite scenes were 1)the Hovercraft battle, 2)the wonderful swordfight full of great stunts in the staid London men's club, 3) the windsurfing scene dodging artic ice floes, 4) the final car chase and 5) the grand finale aboard a disabled airplane where an impossible escape was accomplished just as the plane disintegrated. All these were of course totally unrealistic but nevertheless fantastically entertaining. I hope they give you some idea for the range of action and the nature of the story. So if you just want to relax and enjoy a fun film, see this. You know the good guys will win, the bad guys will die despite their apparent superiority, and Pierce and Halle will have a great time together when they are not just trying to stay alive.
Rating: Summary: Who is paying these people? Review: Who is paying these people to write this stuff. This was the dumbest, poorest and cheapest looking Bond ever. Ian Flemming is roling over in his grave right now. The computer graphics are the worst and the rest is just all poor. I'm a real James Bond fan and this isn't a James Bond quality movie by any means.
Rating: Summary: A Clear Break From The Rest Of The Series Review: "Die Another Day" is a very different James Bond movie. To many, this is a godsend. I personally have enjoyed the entire series. I find each movie to have its own merits, but, of course, I have my favorites. This, I would say, is one of them. I would have to admit that this is the best Pierce Brosnan movie yet. It beats most of Roger Moore's movies save "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "For Your Eyes Only." It would rank close to a few of Sean Connery's movies. I know that what I said is sacrilege, but let me clarify. I personally do not like "Diamonds are Forever", it has a very different tone from the rest of the Connery Bonds. It is slow starting and the audience is left wondering when the movie is going to start half-way through the movie. Besides it has the gayest (no pun intended) henchmen of any Bond movie. I like "You Only Live Twice" but it just doesn't seem to have the character of the first 4 films. I believe if I were to choose my 4 favorite Bond films of all time, they would be "Thunderball", "From Russia With Love", "Goldfinger", "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." "Die Another Day" would rank as the 5th. Here is why: "Die Another Day" depicts James Bond as a vulnerable human being. The tendancy for the last 10 Bond movies except "License to Kill" is to make Bond a god-figure. Bond is in peril and we have no clue as to what will happen next. How will or Will Bond escape this one? This movie felt a lot more down to earth, almost as if it could have actually happened. Almost is a key word though. That one special-effects scene (you all know the one that I am talking about) was so dumb. Because of this, I want to rate this movie as a 4.75. It really detracted from what the movie had going for it. I loved all the cameos, though. This movie is definitely worth seeing. I would have to say this is the best movie since Bond #12.
Rating: Summary: As Good as They Say Review: This movie is better than critics say. It has much more plot development and action than the last two. It is different than any Bond done so far. Instead of the usual mission, Bond is captured by North Koreans, and over a year later is only set free because he is supposedly leaking information. He then goes on a vendetta to unmask the traitor who set him up. It is the best Bond that Pierce Brosnan has done so far. It has all of the classical James Bond elements, including girls, funny one-liners, and crazy gadgets. The main problem with it is that it is unbelievable. The part with the invisible car, the entire satalite thing; you just don't want to believe it. It definitely has the feel of a real James Bond movie. And the opening sequence is one of the best of the series. It is worth at least the money that you spend to go see it.
Rating: Summary: Die another day Review: I am a huge James Bond Fan and I think Pierce Brosnan is the Best Bond (since Sean Connery). I just came back from seeing DAD and I totally agree with Marc H. from Napa and the reviewer fron UK. This movie ...... This is NOT a James Bond movie. For those of you who think it will become a classic, think again. GOLDFINGER, THUNDERBALL, LIVE AND LET DIE, GOLDENEYE are all classic Bond movies. All this hoopla about a new Bond for the millennium is complete bull. If that's the direction that the Bond franchise is going, I'm soory to say it will lose a lot of devoted fans, me included. Halle Berry is a very talented actress, but she is completely wasted in this overblown CG festival without a (decent) plot. I think this is a good movie for 13 year olds who love extreme sports on ESPN and computer games. I have been a fan since the first James Bond, and I was looking forward to see the 20th and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the best secret agent ever. Instead, I went to a stupid and over-the-top circus that takes away all the excitement and magic of a James Bond movie. IT WAS JUST WAY TOO MUCH. What a letdown. Makes you appreciate a movie like XXX. Too bad.
Rating: Summary: Something missing... Review: I have no choice but to rate this movie as four stars. There is so much that the filmmakers got right, it overshadows what they got wrong. But wrong there still is. As for right, the villains are the best since "Goldeneye". They have the typically Bondian quirks that make them stand out above your average villain (one has diamonds imbedded in his face, while another is incapable of sleeping). John Cleese is a respectful replacement for the late lamented Q (there's a nice tip of the hat to Connery's Bond during the scene in Q's workshop). Both M and Moneypenny are in fine form as their respective characters. The villains have an interesting ice palace lair, and Bond has a new car and some neat new gadgets. Great action and stunts are par for the course. And the ladies are worthy of being Bond girls, too. As for wrong, there is just no way our hero James Bond would be stuck in a North Korean prison for fourteen months. Fourteen days, maybe. Fourteen months? No way. And was it really necessary that he be there that long? Surely, Bond would have more than enough reason to seek revenge in a much shorter period of time. Further, Bond would never be seen as so expendable to Her Majesty's Secret Service. The "Matrix"-inspired camera moves (rapidly zipping in on a scene, then jamming into slow-motion speed), also does not fit the Bond mold. The scene where Halle Berry comes out of the surf a la Ursula Andress in the classic "Dr. NO" (complete with a knife at her side), simply screams of a lack of originality. And then there's Brosnan. As much as I like the actor, he's starting to look just a wee bit past it here to be playing Mr. Bond. Throughout the picture, I couldn't help constantly thinking of Roger Moore towards the end of his run as 007; just a bit past believability, but a fan favorite still game to play Bond. And the theme song is nice techno pop, but is it worthy of Bond? I think not. First, Sheryl Crow (TWINE), now Madonna. I liked a-ha's "The Living Daylights" and Duran Duran's "View to a Kill" as stand-alone songs, but they were not right for Bond any more than Crow or Madonna. While I recognize the need to have popular and marketable artists singing the movie themes for tie-in sales, I don't think either of these two qualify as Bond singers. We need the torchy singers back, like Shirley Bassy, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Tina Turner, or Carly Simon. There's a certain quality to the songs and artists that is missing here. Bond music isn't, and shouldn't be, techno. The new Madonna song is great, just not right for a Bond picture. Letting someone like Eminem do the next theme is unthinkable, but st this point I wouldn't be surprised if they inflicted it on us. I admit, I am a Bond purist. I think that Bond should still sport his cigarette case, not so he smokes, as much as it makes a good prop for Q to put gadgets in. I think there is no need to try and make Bond "real" for the real world. Sure, being captured and tortured by the bad guys is the reality that real secret agents may face, but not Bond! Bond is smarter, luckier, better than the average spy. Bond is who men wish they were, not someone who goes "boo, hoo" when he has to kill someone. Any aging franchise needs a bit of updating from time to time, but with Bond, that updating is more often than not in the form of a new actor in the Bond role. A new actor brings his own style to the character, giving Bond all the updating that may be required. The argument that trendy rock or pop singers or 'hip' "Matrix" camera work is required to make a Bond movie marketable with today's moviegoing public just doesn't wash. Overall, "Die Another Day" worth a view. Of course it is. As an action film, it's awesome. As a Bond film, there's just enough of the old Bond magic hiding beneath the modernized elements to still be enjoyable. Better than "Octopussy"? You bet! But the best Bond ever? Hardly.
Rating: Summary: WHAT THE HECK!?!?!? Review: OK THIS MOVIE HAS SOME GOOD PARTS, LIKE THE LAST 30 MIN, BUT BESIDES THAT IT IS SO BORING. BOND SOMEHOW CAN DO EVERYTHING THE BEST. HE DIGS A HOLE IN THE ICE AND SWIMS UNDER THE ICE, THEN APPEARS IN THE JUNGLE?!?!?!! WHAT THE. BOND SEEMS TO KNOW WHERE EVERY LITTLE SERCRET IS TO THE BAD GUYS HIDE OUT, HES NOT CHALLENGED AT ALL. THE ONLY THING GOOD IS THE MUSIC AND THE LAST 30 MIN. PLUS SOME S.E. ARE AMAZING AND SOME OTHERS ARE PLAIN PETHETIC
Rating: Summary: I LOVED IT!! Review: LOVED THE CONSTANT ACTION!! IT NEVER QUIT FOR OVER 21/2 HOURS!! THIS IS FOR TRUE BOND FANS!
Rating: Summary: 007 James Bond Die Another Day "007 is back!" Review: James Bond is back in the studios twentieth feature film. Pierce Brosnan and Die Another Day is, in this viewer's opinion, certainly a lot better than the last Bond film. The Premise: As with all Bond films, Die Another Day starts off with a huge action sequence, setting up the rest of what the film is about. James Bond infiltrates his way into North Korea, in certainly what can be described as a most unusual way. He's there to assassinate a North Korean Army Colonel who's selling weapons on the black market. His cover is blown and yet, through some pretty amazing action sequences, he seemingly accomplishes his mission. In doing so though, he's captured by the North Korean Army and in particular, the father of the Colonel he's seemingly assassinated. What follows after James Bond's capture in North Korea, is one absolutely great Bond movie, which harkens back to some of the earlier Bond movies. There's even a sequence with Q, showing off a lot of the old gadgets that previous Bond films featured. Halle Berry's performance is in par with her fine acting skills. She doesn't just come off as another Bond babe in this film, her performance, lines and action sequences put her right up there with James Bond himself. I hope the persisting rumors about a spin off with her as the lead character ring true. Overall a great Bond flick that I would recommend to anybody. If you're one of those that were put off by the last one or two Bond films and are skeptical about this one, it's okay to come back to the theater and give this genre a new look now.
Rating: Summary: Great Action Movie, Terrible Bond Movie Review: I went and saw this movie opening night. I saw the opening logo (gun-barrel logo), and thought this is going to be great. The opening logo, and maybe the underground tunnel with the old gadgets, was as close to a BOND movie as they got. The movie lacked it's usually bond qualities. I heard the BOND theme by Monty Norman played once I believe. Femme Fatatales were certainly there, but they also lacked the BOND punch. My biggest problem was that, I had trouble convincing myself that I was watching JAMES BOND. It was just an action flick with Pierce Brosnan to me. I thought before that the other BOND'S were far-fetched, but at least they were somewhat believeable. This film was almost totally sci-fi/techno/space-age garbage. Invisible cars? Robotic suits? Ice castles? Windsurfing on a sea of ice? JAMES BOND WILL RETURN! Thank God! I'm glad this wasn't the last BOND film. Hopefully they'll bring back more of the good ol' JAMES BOND for the next film.
|