Ah, it's Bond, what do you expect, hmmm? Maybe some revolutionary insight into the profound existence of man? Corset-ridden comedy of manners? Or a superspy bedding lithe young beauties simply because he knows how to use his weapon effectively (hee, hee). If you expect any but the latter, you're going to be sorely disappointed. "The World Is Not Enough" doesn't pretend to be anything it's not, which is as refreshing as cinema gets at the moment. It's a cheesy yarn of... actually, no, I don't remember the storyline - something about oil, bankers and wanting to take over the world - but the visuals are superb, the acting fairly solid with flashes of brilliance, adequately directed and greatly enjoyable. What more do you want, eh?
There are sterling performances from Dame Judi Dench as M, and from Robert Carlyle as Renard. Unfortunately, Carlyle is chronically underused: we only get a brief indication of the emotional pain the character goes through. Renard does what he does for a completely different reason to any other BondBaddie (TM), but this is only lightly touched upon. After all, isn't a great idea for a character? A man who feels no pain, who will get stronger and stronger until the day he inevitably dies? He is, after all, the perfect victim AND the perfect villain: a man with nothing left to lose.
I've always had a soft spot for M ever since Dench stepped into the role. She may be MI6's "evil queen of numbers", but the bean-counter from Oxford has depth, heart and commitment. "T.W.I.N.E." expands her role greatly; we get to see a lot more of her ability to care. There's a slightly implausible bit when we are asked to believe that the head of MI6 cannot escape from a cell with a tiny wee padlock on it, but the rest of it is a tough acting role, and Dench plays it superbly.
As for Brosnan, well, he plays Bond very well indeed. It's hard to imagine Connery running down a gantry with an automatic machine gun in each hand blowing people away left, right and centre, as he does in "Tomorrow Never Dies", but who cares? Brosnan makes the role his own, and I, for one, enjoy his performances immensely. Desmond Llewelyn makes his last appearance as Q, and it's very touching indeed. I shall sorely miss him saying "Pay attention, 007", in his own inimitable style, knowing that what will follow is the coolest selection of gadgets that will fuel kids' imaginations the world over. Let's face it, we all want the car, don't we? It would certainly make getting into London a hell of a lot easier, wouldn't it?
John Cleese is good as R, Q's replacement, and Marceau plays an interesting character very well. Denise Richards isn't really as bad as everybody else makes out (although she's certainly weaker than some of the other performances), but hey - what does she bring to the role? Pneumatic breasts that will stand her in good stead should she ever be in a potentially dangerous drowning situation. This may sound harsh - sorry, Denise, if you are reading this (as if), but you must have understood this when you took on the role. Michael Apted directs competetantly, although it doesn't have the same narrative strength as his "Gorillas in the Mist" or "P'Tang Yang Kipperbang", both previous sterling efforts.
In summary, then, this is not the best Bond movie by a long shot. It's not even the best Brosnan has done. He is, in this author's humble opinion, the best Bond there has been (controversial, but hey - I like him). "T.W.I.N.E." is good fun, executed fairly well. The narrative may lose you at times, but it's one set-piece after another. You don't come out disappointed.
There are sterling performances from Dame Judi Dench as M, and from Robert Carlyle as Renard. Unfortunately, Carlyle is chronically underused: we only get a brief indication of the emotional pain the character goes through. Renard does what he does for a completely different reason to any other BondBaddie (TM), but this is only lightly touched upon. After all, isn't a great idea for a character? A man who feels no pain, who will get stronger and stronger until the day he inevitably dies? He is, after all, the perfect victim AND the perfect villain: a man with nothing left to lose.
I've always had a soft spot for M ever since Dench stepped into the role. She may be MI6's "evil queen of numbers", but the bean-counter from Oxford has depth, heart and commitment. "T.W.I.N.E." expands her role greatly; we get to see a lot more of her ability to care. There's a slightly implausible bit when we are asked to believe that the head of MI6 cannot escape from a cell with a tiny wee padlock on it, but the rest of it is a tough acting role, and Dench plays it superbly.
As for Brosnan, well, he plays Bond very well indeed. It's hard to imagine Connery running down a gantry with an automatic machine gun in each hand blowing people away left, right and centre, as he does in "Tomorrow Never Dies", but who cares? Brosnan makes the role his own, and I, for one, enjoy his performances immensely. Desmond Llewelyn makes his last appearance as Q, and it's very touching indeed. I shall sorely miss him saying "Pay attention, 007", in his own inimitable style, knowing that what will follow is the coolest selection of gadgets that will fuel kids' imaginations the world over. Let's face it, we all want the car, don't we? It would certainly make getting into London a hell of a lot easier, wouldn't it?
John Cleese is good as R, Q's replacement, and Marceau plays an interesting character very well. Denise Richards isn't really as bad as everybody else makes out (although she's certainly weaker than some of the other performances), but hey - what does she bring to the role? Pneumatic breasts that will stand her in good stead should she ever be in a potentially dangerous drowning situation. This may sound harsh - sorry, Denise, if you are reading this (as if), but you must have understood this when you took on the role. Michael Apted directs competetantly, although it doesn't have the same narrative strength as his "Gorillas in the Mist" or "P'Tang Yang Kipperbang", both previous sterling efforts.
In summary, then, this is not the best Bond movie by a long shot. It's not even the best Brosnan has done. He is, in this author's humble opinion, the best Bond there has been (controversial, but hey - I like him). "T.W.I.N.E." is good fun, executed fairly well. The narrative may lose you at times, but it's one set-piece after another. You don't come out disappointed.