Plot: A deranged media mogul is staging international incidents to pit the world's superpowers against each other. Now 007 (Pierce Brosnan) must take on this evil mastermind in an adrenaline-charged battle to end his reign of terror and prevent global pandemonium!
Firsts: Bond working with a female Chinese agent. I know it's a stretch, but there's isn't much to work with here.
Gadgets: Fully loaded BMW, multi-function cell phone including remote control to the BMW, cigarette lighter explosive, and wristwatch with detonation device
Girls Bond slept with: Danish professor, Paris Carver, and Wai Lin
Elaborate murder attempt that Bond escapes: Left at the mercy of Stamper and his Chakra torture devices
Personal review: It may not be a popular opinion, but I really love this entry and it's my favorite of the Bond franchise. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I study the mass media, which plays such a large role in this film.
Having a media mogul as the primary villain of the film was inspired. It felt current and to a certain degree realistic. It helps that Jonathan Pryce does a fantastic job as Elliot Carver. He has moments of pure madness, but then he also exhibits some levity by trading one-liners with Bond and his karate mockery after capturing Wai Lin.
And it always helps when the main villain surrounds himself with good help. Carver's got a decent group of henchmen. Some are good because they've got great names to yell out; Stamper! Gupta! And others like Dr. Kaufman are just plain creepy and evil.
Even though this was only his second attempt, Pierce seemed pretty comfortable in the role and continued to play it right. As for the rest of the returning cast, I liked that they made an effort to make M more likeable by having her spar with Admiral Roebuck; in fact, I thought that aspect of the story could have been developed more. Samantha Bond also really began to shine as a Moneypenny who was still smitten with 007 but wasn't afraid to call him on his BS either.
The action scenes, as usual are top-notch. I particularly like the plunge down the banner and the motorcycle scene. The remote control car scene is fun, but gets a bit ridiculous. The final shootout upon the stealth boat, seems very reminiscent of some previous Bond climaxes, which is a good thing.
Now let's talk about a few weaknesses. I've got mixed feelings on Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin. Her actions scenes are fantastic and provide a new dynamic to the 'Bond girl'. However, she's had next to no chemistry with Brosnan. I would have liked it if she had just remained a colleague and/or was killed off so that there would have been room for another girl to ride off into the sunset with Bond.
The other disappointment is Sheryl Crow's theme which is dull and lifeless. The song over the closing credits is even better than that one. I'm not quite what happened there, but it certainly didn't do its job in setting the mood of the film.
Overall, most will find this to be an average outing, but I have a strong connection with this one. It's a fun ride and firmly established Brosnan as the right guy to be playing 007 at that time. 8.5/10
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