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"'Enough'
is Not Enough"
by Scott Mantz
"The World is Not Enough"
Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Denise Richards
Directed by Michael Apted
There was a
time when the public eagerly awaited the release of each new James
Bond picture. During the days of Sean Connery and Roger Moore, it
was probably the only time you could count on seeing a movie with
action, suspense, humor, explosions, and, of course, beautiful women.
Well, times certainly have changed. With a decade spawning the release
of films like "Die Hard", "True Lies", "Mission: Impossible", and
even the silly "Austin Powers" pictures, you can't help but wonder,
"Is there still enough room left for James Bond?" You betcha!
The problem
is that even though the casting of shoe-in Pierce Brosnan gave the
Bond franchise a much-needed shot in the arm, it's safe to say that
there's really nothing unique about the newest installment of the
37 year old franshise. But you know what? That's OK. I know it's
a cliche, but the saying "the more things change, the more they
stay the same" defintely applies here. In his third outing as the
secret agent with a license to kill, Brosnan is clearly comfortable
in his predecessor's shoes. However, while "The World is Not Enough"
definitely has its moments, it actually turns out to be the weakest
of Brosnan's three outings as Bond.
After one of
the longest and best prologues in any of these films, James Bond
(Pierce Brosnan) is sent to protect wealthy oil magnate Elektra
King (Sophie Marceau), whose father has just been killed. The culprit
this time is Renard (Robert Carlyle), who has a bullet lodged so
far in his brain that it will eventually kill him, but until that
happens he feels no pain. As a result, he can push himself longer
and harder than any normal man. His plan? To steal a nuclear bomb
and create total chaos in the oil industry. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
teams up with nuclear scientist Chrismas Jones (Denise Richards)
to find the bomb and save the world.
All the usual
suspects are here. As expected, Judi Dench is wonderful to watch
as M. She is one strong, authoritative figure. While she clearly
doesn't care for Bond's methods, she still has to respect that he
gets the job done. Although it's great to see longtime Bond regular
Desmond Llewelyn back as Q, he looks more like he was just propped
up against a wall to deliver his sarcastic routine ("Oh, pipe down
Double-Oh-Seven!") and give the audience a link to the past. As
a nod to finally passing on the torch, John Cleese makes a brief,
but funny, cameo as Q's protogee in the weapons division.
Of course, what
would any Bond film be without the most beautiful women in the world?
Well, they're represented quite nicely here, thank you. Sophie Marceau
holds her own against Brosnan, and their chemistry is electrifying.
She exudes such sexuality, it's no wonder Brosnan lets his guard
down and sleeps with her (who wouldn't?). She may start off as the
damsel-in-distress-du-jour, but she seemlessly segues into the evil
mastermind behind the whole master plan. Unfortunately, the same
can't be said for Denise Richards. While she may have been perfectly
cast as the bitch-on-wheels in "Wild Things" and "Drop Dead Gorgeous",
she doesn't quite cut the mustard as a nuclear physicist, delivering
her flat lines without any passion, inspiration, or believability.
Even though
there are the usual high speed chases and catastrophic explosions,
you can't help but feel like you've seen it all before. And come
to think of it, you have. The exciting boat chase in the beginning
is nothing more than an update of the one from "Live and Let Die".
I think I lost count on how many Bond villans were intent on using
nuclear weapons to destroy the world. Heck, there's even a guy who
sports gold teeth! This is all exciting, but after seeing it so
many times before in different incarnations, you can't help but
be a little bored this time around. There was a time and place when
these shenanigans were unique, but these days it's just not enough.
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