THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
(Pierce Brosnan; Sophie Marceau; Denise Richards)
by None

(Author’s Note: By the way, when I saw the preview for the new Arnold Schwarzneggar movie End of Days, the first thing I could think about were the possible one-liners he might have. "Go back to hell." "It's time to die." "You are not forgiven." "It's judgment day." Ha, T2 alert. Well, the only one I've seen is "Where're you going?" "To save the world." Which isn't bad at all... I saw another one in the trailer, but I forget... anyways, to the review!)

    Maybe I just expected too much from the 20th installment of the James Bond series. Or maybe the quality really wasn't there. Hmm, it's obviously never good news when you start a movie review like that. Either way, the only way that can sum this movie up is disappointment. What's wrong with this movie? After all, it was probably the most promising of all three Brosnan Bond movies. (The only three I've seen in the 007 series)

"Before I kill you, Mr. Bond, would you care to hear about my plan to dominate the Earth... and have a quickie?"

    Well, The World is Not Enough has a lot of good things going for it. Pierce Brosnan turns in what is probably his best performance as the British super-spy. He seems more human, and actually shows some emotion in the film. The Bond girls are great, with Denise "Lara Croft" Richards (check out her little green tank top & shorts outfit- it's dead-on to the star of the Tomb Raider videogame) and Sophie Marceau both very easy on the eyes. The action is explosive and leaves you on the edge of your seat, starting from the beginning all the way to the end, including breathtaking speedboat & skiing pursuits. So then again, what's wrong with the movie? Probably the most important part of a movie: the script.

    It's a Bond movie, you ask, is the dialogue really that important? Well, here's an excerpt:

Hot Banker: "Mr. Bond, would you double check my figures?"
Bond: "I'm sure they're perfectly... rounded."

    Alright, it's pretty funny right now, right? Well, here's more.

Bond: "What will the world come to if you can't trust a Swiss banker?"

    Amusing, you say? Here, take more. (I'm paraphrasing this one)

Q's protégé: "Ah, there's the famous Double-0-7 wit... or at least half of it."

    And more! And more:

Elektra King: "And soon, I shall have the world in my grasp."
Bond: "The world is not enough."
King: "Catchy. Where'd you come up with it?"
Bond: "Family motto."

    Alright, so you get the point, right? I can't even remember the other millions and millions of puns that the writers dumped in The World is Not Enough. I understand where they are coming from: Calm the hectic action-packed pace with some humor. However, it gets really annoying. Practically every line that comes out of the actors' mouths is either a set up line or a punch line.

The action never stops in The World is Not Enough, especially with this amazingly choreographed chase scene.

    Then, there is the Denise Richards factor. Yea, yea: I'm probably asking for it from guys everywhere. She is one of the hottest, if not the hottest, actresses out there today. In fact, she is a perfect choice for a Bond girl- but wait until you hear the crap the writers had spewing out of her mouth. Last time I checked, Denise Richards played the part of Dr. Christmas Jones, main female protagonist to Bond, not Dr. Christmas Jones, tour guide and narrator to the audience. Yet, in effect, that is exactly what she does throughout the entire damn movie. "My god, James, by utilizing this nuclear reactor, Elektra's going to blow up the other three pipelines, leaving only the King pipeline to transport oil in the future." And "(buzz) James! 20 seconds before (something) blows up! We must (insert solution here) before time runs out!" God, she is hot... but do all hot chicks have to be stupid? Her lines are bad to the point of grimacing.

    A couple of smaller complaints before I wrap it up. James Bond has always been God's gift to women. However, it seems like the writers have just completely neglected what draws women to him. Literally two seconds after they meet and Bond exits, the camera closes in on Denise Richards with a knowing look on her face. In an earlier scene, all Bond needs to say is "But I really need a medical clearance" and the MI6 doctor immediately strips and they do the nasty. Also, after Sophie Marceau tells Bond he needs to live, the next scene is of them in bed, despite the fact he seems to want to stay distant from her. It just seems too easy... ah, maybe I'm just jealous. Also, the bad guy seems to reach way too much: the very concept of a man who did not die with a bullet in his brain, and rather, gets stronger daily, is pretty much retarded. One final bitch and moan: the opening credits sequence is getting on my nerves. They play Garbage's rendition of the theme song, as computer generations of different shapes and crap are seen. It's just getting pointless...

    Despite all of this bitching and moaning, and I know that's a big despite, The World is Not Enough is still not a bad movie. Why? The movie moves on reasonably quick, with action everywhere and not a sign of slowing down. There are actually some light moments before they start to overdo it, and there seems to be less advertising of products in the movie. (Although the whole "Here's your new BMW, 007" and the camera freezes on the damn car for like 20 minutes is annoying) The stunts are impressive, Brosnan is very solid, and the premise isn't bad. The opening sequence of events is most impressive, and it sets a great tone for what to expect. Although the writers need to be shot.

Alright, go ahead. Stop reading this caption. Instead, just gaze at Denise Richards' amazing "assets".

Overall Rating: B-
Summary: Where does this rank with the previous two Bond movies? Well, it's more light-hearted than Goldeneye, but a little darker than Tomorrow Never Dies. (Which was basically one for teenagers) It moves faster than both, but doesn't flow as smoothly as TMD. And the plot, well, it's not as solid as Goldeneye, but on the same level as TMD. Conclusion? While it surely will disappoint some, it won't turn you off the series completely. The action is just too good for that.