Rating: 
Summary: A hi-tech insult to Ian Fleming
Review: The return of James Bond is always an anticipated event. When 'Die Another Day' came out, expectations grew, knowing it was the 20th Bond movie to be released in the ever-going series. Pierce Brosnan reprises the role of 007 once again, but his age is very noticeable here. Bond seems to have immatured, somewhat returning to the campy, comic-book style ego of the Roger Moore days. What's even more disappointing is that 007 has gone way too hi-tech, it's become evident this is no longer the original Ian Fleming creation we have all come to know.The story itself is just a reworking of the plots found in 'Diamonds Are Forever' and 'GoldenEye'. The dialogue is boiled down to constant childish one-liners and James isn't the same cool, charming and intelligent spy he used to be, being heavily dependent on gadgets and guns instead of brains. Halle Berry as Jinx feels like she belongs in another movie and her presence serves no purpose to the story. You get smacked in the face with loads of special effects, and the movie is so technologically annoying. Genetically altered villians? Weapon-enhanced cars that don't dent? Also, the part where James hang-glides off the cliff and water-skis is the most laughable scene in 007 history. 'Die Another Day' also contains the worst theme song of any Bond movie, and David Arnold's score isn't quite up to par. The only thing great about this movie is the nostalgic elements they integrated from previous Bond films. If you're a big fan of action, women, cars, guns and explosions, you may enjoy 'Die Another Day'. However, seasoned 007 fans may want to wait for Bond's next outing. As the 20th installment in a long-running series, this was a disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Cool. Very Cool.
Review: While "Die Another Day" may not be the absolute best of all the Bond films, the DVD is, by a long shot, the best Bond package ever released for home viewing. MGM/UA have outdone themselves with this outstanding two-disc set. The story is well known...Bond goes on a mission to North Korea, goes through trials and tribulations, gains a new mission in life, and pursues the bad guys around the world, coming back full circle to North Korea. The movie is chock full of what you would expect from a Bond film, beautiful women, fantastic sets, brilliant stunt work, and breathtaking chases (you'll love Bond's new Aston Martin Vanquish). Director Tamahori's vision and direction is top notch, which shows in almost every frame of this excellent transfer. The only mentionable flaw I noticed with the movie itself is that some of the CG work (a relatively new addition to Bond films) is painfully obvious in a couple of scenes, and could have possible given a better appearance using more conventional techniques. But, all things considered, this film was well done and is an excellent addition to the Bond series. As far as DVD's go, you would be hard pressed to find a better-presented package. From the moment you start the DVD, it's just one wonderful feature after another. The animated menus are themed after the movie, and present you with an interactive experience that further draws you into the world of Bond. On the main disc there are two separate commentaries, one by director Tamahori and executive producer Michael Wilson (more technical in nature), and the other with stars Brosnan ("...and my knee went out right about...here") and Pike ("It's a good thing this was one of the last scenes we filmed...it's so difficult doing a love scene with somebody you hardly know") which provides some very nice personal insight into the making of the movie. But the most innovative and entertaining feature is the one called "MI6 Data Stream". When activated, this feature turns the movie into a kind of "pop up video" with little unobtrusive balloons that pop up every few seconds or so displaying tidbits of information, trivia, Bond folklore, etc. There are even "incoming video transmissions", that split the screen to display the movie in a small screen at the corner, while the main screen shows a brief interview, technique review, or "making of" segment relating to that particular scene. Very interesting stuff, even to a non-obsessive Bond fan. Although, I must admit, that on rare occasion, these video segments would actually detract from my viewing experience, by coming in during a critical scene point. Even with that in mind, this feature alone made the movie more enjoyable than I felt it had been in the theater. Disc two is jam packed with features as well...a "making of" documentary, scene evolutions, title design feature (so absolutely amazing, it made me wonder why the hadn't used the same techniques for those couple of degraded CG scenes in the movie...it would have been a definite improvement), a feature on "grading" the film, image collections, the Madonna "Die Another Day" video (and a second "making of the video" video), and an overview of the special equipment used in the movie (hosted by the ever-funny John Cleese). Like I said...a package difficult to match anywhere. This DVD is a "must" for any Bond collector, and an excellent addition for ANYONE's movie collection. It will provide you with a good 8 hours or so of entertainment (if you use view all the extra features) and is well worth the price of admission. Maybe they should have just titled the thing "Buy Another DVD".
Rating:
Summary: Bond is at it again!
Review: High-tech gadgets, beautiful women, stuff blowing up--this is what James Bond has come to mean. In this, the 20th film in the series, the tradition continues. Bond kills people, sneaks around, breaks stuff, sleeps with women--everything every 007 fan expects. This particular film co-stars Halle Berry and features a climax in a hotel made of ice. Somehow, 20 films and 5 different Bonds have not made this series grow tiresome yet. There are still new and exciting things that happen with every film, and still the concept seems fresh enough to continue to be entertaining. Bond is, and continues to be, a winner.
Rating: 
Summary: This series will have to die another day...
Review: Since his first screen appearance in 1962, James Bond seems to have morphed into a type of Barbie doll. In his 21st adventure, "Die Another Day," we see Bond surf on some giant waves off North Korea, man a hovercraft, receive an invisible Aston Martin Vanquish, ride a melting iceberg on a sheet of metal and a parachute, and, don't forget, he also pilots a helicopter before it has an untimely doom. But you can't blame the series for exaggerating the action scenes lately. Since Sean Connery's reign as Bond, special effects have been moved up a notch, and Bond has only to compete with summer blockbusters such as "xXx" and so on and so forth. Bond used to be stylish, slightly unrealistic, and classy. Bond is now a full-out action hero, still stylish, but not quite as classy in terms of execution. I miss Bond walking around in a tuxedo, doing covert operations, out-smarting the baddies with brains instead of brawn. Of course, in the end, it always came down to brawn, such as in "Goldfinger" with Bond's fight with Oddjob, but through most of the film, Bond didn't pick up machine guns, punch guys in the face, pilot a helicopter, surf tsunamis, et cetera. But to be quite honest, though Bond has lost some of his classiness, the films are still fun to watch. In this newest instalment in the ever-continuing series, the film opens up in North Korea, where Bond (undercover) is making a deal with a Korean, in exchange for something called "conflict diamonds." I wasn't really listening to everything, mainly because the plots aren't given much thought these days. You have to be quick to catch everything, because the filmmakers just don't have time to fit a plot inside the action film! Bond's mission is compromised; his cover blown. He tries to escape in a hovercraft, but only ends up being thrown in a torture camp for 14 months. Yes, you heard right, Bond is caught in this film. For 14 months. Talk about breaking tradition. Anyway, after 14 months, MI6 becomes worried that Bond is talking, so they make an exchange - they give Zao (a guy who looks like he was running downhill on a diamond mine and fell face-down) to the Koreans, the Koreans give them Bond. But now Bond has a personal vendetta to figure out who blew his cover back 14 months ago, so he traces down Zao at a gene-switching facility; Zao escapes, things go boom. But Bond also finds diamonds with the name Gustav Graves written on them, and traces down Graves--a multi-millionaire--to some exotic location, who knows where, I honestly don't remember. Skip forward on your DVD a few chapters, and you see things start to unfold a bit more. Lotsa things unfold. ;) And if you look at the characters' names, you can pretty much guess who they are. Hint: Graves' last name is "Graves"--what could that possibly mean? One of the two Bond girls is named Frost--what could that possibly mean? The other Bond girl in this film is female NSA agent Jinx (Halle Berry), who was born on--guess when--Friday the 13th. She teams up with Bond to hunt down Zao, and turns the film into more of a buddy-buddy picture, rather than a Bond picture. Strong fans might be upset by this, and my personal beefs with Halle Berry aside, I can say that the Bond series needs some new air if it wants to compete with action films; so the whole buddy thing works in this film. As long as they don't overdue it. I don't want Bond teaming up with some loose-cannon agent next time, in tradition of "Red Heat," "The Hard Way" and all those other funny films that wouldn't fit Bond. A few times I missed the idea of Bond strategizing by himself, the quiet man who is cool under pressure. Jinx is a loud-mouth, and there's rarely a moment of silence in this film, whether it be big explosions, big fights, or big mouths. The last truly entertaining Bond film I have seen was 1995's "Goldeneye," Pierce Brosnan's first--and finest--outing as the secret agent. I like "Goldeneye" because it seemed buried in Bond's roots--a tribute to all that was good, especially "Goldfinger." The locations were exotic, but slightly more realistic than those in the recent films. I liked how Brosnan had the characteristics of Connery's Bond. In all respect, I think Pierce Brosnan is the most worthy successor to Sean Connery, but the main flaw is that the films so often slip into the summer blockbuster slot (i.e. "Tomorrow Never Dies" and "The World is Not Enough"), that it's hard to enjoy Pierce's performances as Bond. "Die Another Day" entertained me, thrilled me, and wowed me, but I can't really say it did anything great for me. It's the second-best Pierce Brosnan Bond film, and in terms of action it is unbeat by any other Bond film, but I just hope that next time they try something a bit more classy. All in all a film worth seeing, but when compared to "Goldfinger," it is its own seperate series.
Rating:
Summary: A Collection of Hits and Misses
Review: The movie itself is more akin to 2.5/5, but with the DVD content considered here the package is actually a 3.5/5. I'll just note some things here. HIT: 1) Brosnan as usual IS Bond.
2) They brought serious British cars (well, Ford's Brits...) back to the fore, with a tremendous Aston Vs. Jaguar chase.
3) The opening Korean/Prison scenario is actually very welcome, giving Brosnan a chance to be more human in the role. MISS: 1) Some CG effects were horribly ill-conceived.
2) The storyline and settings grow more absurd with every passing moment, more so than might be expected even for escapist Bond fare. They are also elements that are far too plainly derivative of previous Bonds.
3) Halle Berry is cute as always but looks uncomfortable in this action role, she comes across as too dainty in action. Rosamund Pike came across as a better candidate for the primary Bond girl, but Berry had the name and predetermined marketability...In fact, Madonna (unbelievably, as I'm no fan) had a surprisingly comfortable scene exchange with Bond which suggested she too could have been better than Halle Berry. Overall, the movie is fun to watch, has some innovative (if whacky) plot twists, Berry and Pike do their best with weak material, and there is a lot of action packed in here right from the very start. The DVD content is also engaging, especially the text overlay option in which trivial or interesting facts and occassional video intermissions are peppered throughout the movie. Plus all the trailers and several effect "makings of". A great package which helps at least in appreciating how much went into making the film, regardless of the end result.
Rating:
Summary: Fakiest thing since Britney's chest!
Review: Yeah, Bond can surf and flip a car with missels being launched. Bond surfing reminded me of watching "Beach Blanket Bingo" in the old days. The great blue screen affect. Don't take me wrong I love the old Bond films but this one is cheesey and "oh my god get me a bucket" dramatized. I know, I know it's entertainment not a movie. I know not a movie.
Rating:
Summary: Great Fun - But a little familiar
Review: Pierce Brosnan is back in his 4th outing as the tuxedo clad suave English spy, and looks set to have sealed his name in connection with Bond, in almost Sean Connery fashion.
Heavily SfX laden action sequences break up the usual one liners, and witty inuendo but this time, for a change there seems to be a real underlying tenacity and gritty toughness to the Bond character. The opening 5 minutes is almost brutal (and a little different in style compared to the usual openings) albeit a tiny bit annoying being overladen with the titles, but apart from that is extremely enjoyable.
A big problem with all Bond movies, is the comparison factor to those that went before, and although Brosnan is definiteley the right man, the plots seem to be relying heavily on older movies. In this outing James must save the World (again) from a madman who is using diamonds, to build a super space laser weapon, to eliminate the free world - sound familiar? Well yes it does, and the story is more than a little similar to Diamonds are Forever.
The next minor criticism would be the high tech gadgets, which are always usually pleasing (if a touch incredible), I found an Aston Martin that becomes invisible, something of a stretch and if one looks back, the really succesful movies in the series have not relied too heavily on high tech, or made them too fantastic. These minor grumbles aside, strap yourself in for plenty of action, high jinks, and good solid acting performances all round. Haley Berry is particularly fetching, and the latest bond girl (who has a brain as well as a body) adding much to the script and story.
The real measure of this movie is it's undoubted success had it NOT been a Bond movie, one feels that if the lead character had been Harold Smith instead of James Bond, the story and production would still have been great, and very watchable, even if the razzmattaz associated with it's release, would have been probably non existent. Let's hope the super spy keeps going for another 20 movies. Enjoy !!!
Rating:
Summary: Good, but too many inconsistancies
Review: Bond a prisoner for over a year? Nope, sorry not going to accept it. Cars 12 feet apart can't hit each other with a plethora of weapons. Oh ya, and they never once suffer a bit of body damage. Given that, Die Another Day has plenty of bond gadgets and girls and all around fun. Not Pierces best bond, but enjoyable for those action movie nights.
The movie had a couple instances where it could have ended early, but bond being the licensed assasin he is chooses to not kill his target, but instead chooses to lengthen the movie. Fire the director and try again.
Rating:
Summary: The Movie That Wouldn't Die (2.5 stars)
Review: Fantastic action permeates this popcorn feature as Pierce Brosnan reprises his role as over-the-top British spymaster 007. Obviously a lot of thought and design went into the creation of this picture, which seems to blend more of Star Trek technology with typical action fare, but where it falls short is about halfway through when even the most sophisticated of gadgets can't keep the story afloat. Has Bond always been over the top with gadgets and cheesey? Absolutely. But after the first half of the movie was over, I was hoping it would end abruptly in a blaze of glory. Bond films have increasingly become more of a forum for product placement than having any self identity. Brosnan simply does not have the presence, I feel, in this movie to pull it off on his own. The other acting was mostly painful, with Halle Berry playing it cool through most of the movie. Pierce isn't too bad himself, but the script leaves much to be desired. John Cleese plays another thankless role as Q, and our villains are incredibly out of touch with their Muse. I haven't seen hammier acting since Dudley Do-right (the cartoon). And so I must confess that I am partial to the Bonds starring Sean Connery, and always will be. That said, I thought the three previous Bonds were acceptable, if a bit long. This Bond feels like it tops them all at 132 minutes. The DVD begins by playing a long preview for the DVD boxed sets, and then a long loading navigation menu, which only added to my time at the start. The extras on disc two are ample and enough to keep any Bond junkie happy for a quite a while though. Also, there is some breathtaking cinematography to be seen in this picture, and the sound on my home system was excellent. If you're a Bond fan, by all means indulge with a warning that the downward spiral of Bond seems to have reached its lowest point yet. If not, keep this one in the middle of your viewing list for a mindless popcorn movie night.
Rating:
Summary: Bond meets the Matrix
Review: New director, bad result. There are way too many Matrix-style slow motion/fast camera pans. It becomes very annoying. The story is a mishmash of previous Bond movies with a little Ursula Andress (Berre coming out of the water), Goldfinger, Live and Let Die, and others. The result is a feeling of having been here before. The interesting parts are fumbled, such as Bond surviving torture at the beginning. I thought this would make for an interesting movie as he had to deal with 14 months of of pain, but apparently he made a full recovery in about 3 minutes. Halle Berre has a great body, but it isn't exposed as much as her unconvincing performance as a secret agent. At times she looks uncoordinated and strained. The Madonna music is pretty boring as well. This isn't too much of a shock since few Bond themes are actually hits. To me, the most memorable part of the movie is Bond telling Q (John Cleese) that such-and-such was "just a flesh wound." In the same scene Cleese says "I wish I could make you disappear." Clearly, references to Monty Python and Fawlty Towers. I have enjoyed the previous Brosnan Bond movies, but this one was very disapointing. It's not terrible, but it is definitely missing the Bond feel.
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