Never say never to Bond
By JEFFREY Q. IRISH
Scene Movie Critic
"The World Is Not Enough" is the 19th and newest film starring James Bond in the longest running film series in history. It is hardly different from any other 007 film, but that didn't disappoint anyone who saw it in the sold-out theatres across America this last weekend.
The film has all the characteristics viewers have grown to love. Like usual, there is the characteristic martini order — "shaken, not stirred" — at the casino, the car chases, the visits to M, Q and Moneypenny, the gunfights, the evil villain's plot to take over the world and of course, the babes.
Let's talk about the babes. Denise Richards, who plays Christmas Jones, is one of the highest-caliber women Bond has ever seen (by caliber I'm referring both to the size of her gun barrel and the quality of her character — it's a homonym). Richards is most remembered for her menage-a-trois with Matt Dillon and Neve Campbell in "Wild Things."
She is voluptuous (silicone?), beautiful and an airhead. One might call her the poster child for dumb blonde jokes. Her character is supposed to be a nuclear physicist who helps Bond with her deft knowledge of nuclear devices, but she is so unconvincing with her slow delivery of nuclear terminology (in a wet tanktop and hotpants) that most of the crowd laughed every time she opened her mouth.
On the plus side, Oscar winner Judi Dench (not a babe) and Sophie Marceau (Braveheart) give strong female performances as M and Electra King. M's role is expanded to reconnaissance work, a break in tradition that probably disappoints 007 enthusiasts. Marceau's character is an enigma for most of the movie.
Pierce Brosnan plays Bond for the third time and gives another stellar performance. Which brings up the question: Who is the best James Bond?
The answer is very simple because no one will ever replace Sean Connery, the original Bond. He was strong, cunning and debonair. Connery was and always will be James Bond. Brosnan lacks in the strength department while bringing a certain sensitive femininity to Bond that is necessary to sell tickets in the politically correct '90s. But this detracts from the original character that made the series so popular.
He is probably the second best though, because he looks so natural in every spy aspect and knows how to nonchalantly deliver the double entendres. Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and "the other guy" just don't seem to have the instinctual suaveness of Brosnan, who has an advantage from his early stint on "Remington Steel."
The action stunts are again nothing short of spectacular. From the opening boat chase on the Thames River to the "Running Man"-esque pipeline pursuit and the climactic finish, British director Michael Apted delivers traditional 007 excitement. To take an overused movie quote cliché, "it was non-stop action thrills."
The plot is believably complex and probably the best since "Goldfinger." The ending is the best from an action film in recent years, it doesn't seem too long or too short.
Judging a 007 film is difficult because one is always looking for the characteristic Bond traits, but still wanting originality. "The World is Not Enough" contains all of the customs, but falls slightly below par in originality, particularly with the villains. It is a good 007 film, but not great.
Four out of five shamrocks
All Scene Stories for Monday, November 22, 1999
