46 replies to this topic

[mattbowyer]

I have never loved Bond more than when The World Is Not Enough ended and I realised it had exceeded all my expectations. I still love it to this day, wonderful action, wonderful story, wonderful girls. Villain could be a bit stronger and yesss the caviar scene is irrelevent but still its a solid 9/10 Bond film.

Why does everyone around here seem to hate it, and is anyonee else with me?!

[Double-0 Six]

I like it!!

The action is good throughout and the plot is intelligent and a bit different. There's some good dialogue too*, and you get a proper insight into Bond's character without having it rammed down your throat.

It's not perfect, though: The ending is a bit weak and not very exciting, Denise Richards can't act (and in my opinion she's not particularly attractive either), and there are some slow moments in between the shooty-bits.

But, I think it's one of the better Bond films. I'd give it 7.5/10.


*Not counting Christmas Jones' line about terrorists running around with nuclear material being a bad thing - D'uh!

[Jamie007]

I like it much better then TND, but it has a few problems. Denise Richards is the worst Bond girl ever (after Grace Knight anyway). Some of the dialogue is a bit dodgy too. And theres some really corny "emotional" bits. Also some of the one liners are unbelievably bad.
But it also had a great villain, a good bond girl (Sophie Marceau) good action and some wit. A great and fitting final Q scene.
Jim

[homerjbond]

I, too, thought TWINE is one of Brosnan's best. The torture scene was classic and Sophie Marceau was a sexy villainess.

It also features a rare Bond rage: "CALL HIM OFF!"

[[dark]]

The World is not Enough is definitely in my top 3, most likely top 2.

Brosnan gives arguably his best performance [all the actors bar Denise Richards give all-star performances], the action is fantastic and the story is pretty darn Fleming-esque, in my opinion.

It's only marred by a weakish ending [though not as weak as Tomorrow Never Dies], in my opinion.

[Vodka Martino]

Guys, I hate to say it, but the more I watch DAD, the more I prefer TWINE.
TWINE had a great pre-credit sequence, a wonderful soundtrack, some neat little insights into Bond's character ( "I never miss..."), and most notably, Desmond Llewellyn's last appearance as Q.
Yes, Denise Richards wasn't a credible Bond Girl and Robert Carlyle was wasted as Renard and the film's ending seemed a little weak and rushed.
However, the more I view DAD, the more I see so many wasted opportunities.
I pretty much rank Brosnan's Bond films in the order that they were made; Goldeneye, TND, TWINE and then DAD.

Vodka Martino

P.S.- I hope I don't get flamed for this.

[flares]

Why does everyone around here seem to hate it, and is anyonee else with me?!

All are weak since Goldeneye, but TWINE is the worst. Badly filmed, terrible bad guy, rubbish ending. Worst is the appalling cinematography - no style whatsoever.

my twopenneth - sorry

[bribond]

My first thought when walking out of DAD was that it was not as good as TWINE. I personally love TWINE. It's not for everyone since it's much more dramatic, though. DAD is, for it's second half more of a light Bond film whereas TWINE is much more serious throughout. The drama between Bond and Elektra, the moody score, the use of the Middle East, pre-credit sequence, Brosnan's performance, the use of the Scottish castle for MI6 headquarters (with Bernard Lee's painting discretely in the background), and the final two scenes between Bond and Elektra really make it a terrific film.

I'd rank Brosnan's Bonds as TWINE, TND, DAD, Goldeneye. TND and DAD are very close though with strong beginnings and weak endings though for me TND is less offensive in the second half than DAD though the first half of DAD is terrific. I think if DAD had stuck with the course it was on in the first half then I might be ranking it first.

[zencat]

I like TWINE. I love the locations, Sophie is great, I love all the action in Maidens Tower, and the whole oil theme... Of all the Brosnan films it feels the most authentically spy-like. Very From Russia With Love. I have no problems with TWINE.

[ChandlerBing]

TWINE was the Bond I saw the most times in the theater. I think I saw it 5 x altogether. I remember first seeing the trailer that fall and nearly pissing my pants. It came out 4 months after I lost my significant other and after I moved. A good film at just the right time!

[brendan007]

I have no problems with TWINE either, but not all 20 films can be my faviorite, so this film is probably in the lower half of my faviorite list, mostly due to the fact that i feel the action isnt up to the series usual standard (except for the excellent boat chase which i think is one of the series finest). I also feel that the type of action scenes dont really fit with the serious type of story being told.
Its for these small reasons that keep this great Bond movie from becoming an excellent Bond movie imo.

[JmesBond2001]

TWINE was alright, I do tend to bash it now and again. Between TND and TWINE, Pierce seems to grasp the style of Bond, which is a real plus. Richards is a poor actress, so that takes away from it too. If you look beyond all those points though, the story is rather undeveloped and is scracty at best. I tend to like my stories to be somewhat complete and tied together (GE with TND in a close second I'll give credit to for having a complete story line). TWINE jumps around a lot and leaves some holes in the plot. It isn't a bad movie, and I wouldn't say that I hate it by far. Just the more I watched it over time, the more I realized after loving it more than TND, that I was mistaken since it could have used some improvements.

[License To Kill]

TWINE was awesome. It's hard to see how Renard, the man who could feel no pain, be a horrible villain. I thought the idea was cool. I prefer TWINE over DAD.

[SeanValen00V]

The ending ruins alot of what some liked earlier in the film, kinda like DAD, TND does that a bit too, only Goldeneye had a perfect balance throughout, but the story and concepts of TND/TWINE/DAD could all of been improved by thinking up a better 3rd act, that's been the problem with Brosnan's last 3 films, where by I enjoy all of them, they could of been better also.

[JmesBond2001]

Originally posted by License To Kill
TWINE was awesome. It's hard to see how Renard, the man who could feel no pain, be a horrible villain. I thought the idea was cool. I prefer TWINE over DAD.

The concept = good, character developement = bad. They should have gotten deeper into his thoughts and character.

Overall, the makers of TWINE failed to define a central theme; this is due to the attempt of a complex plot, trying to center more film time and information on the women, the action, etc etc. That's my beef with the film.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

i love this movie as it is my second fav bond film behind avtak, i thought brosnan did great in it and denise richards was so great in this film. an all together nice bond movie

denise is the one best bond girls...just thought all you haters would like to know that:p

[DLibrasnow]

TWINE is the worst movie of the entire series and only a little bit better than "Casino Royale" (1967). It is weak and blah in almost every department.

[JimmyBond]

I dont hate the film, but it is pretty bland, the cinematrography is horrible, everything looks so dull and ugly. The acting is top notch though, but one gets the sense that Brosnan is "trying to hard" during all his emotional scenes. He gives a much more relaxed performance in DAD.

Plus, the action scenes stop the movie dead cold. The moive has no flow to it, its like this: Action...dialogue scene....action...dialogue scene...etc.

[brendan007]

I wish to take back everything i said in my earlier post. Ive just finished watching TWINE for the first time in a long while, and ive fallen in love with it all over again.
It is an excellent Bond movie, with a interesting storyline and well thought out characters.
Elektra is a real interesting villian, completley unlike all villians before her. She makes a nice change of pace, and her relationship with Bond is believable and different from most films.
Renard is a great if slighly underused henchman. He resurrects the henchman from the past, ones with unusual qualities.
Christmas Jones is a great Bond girl, and i dont understand the amount of criticism she recieves. She's just an average woman who has been caught up in Bond's world, and not the stupid bimbo many percieve her as. Sure her character isnt as developed as the rest, but there just isnt room in the film for another complex character.
As for the action scenes, this time watching it i only found the ski chase slightly disapointing, probably because its the first to come after the truly excellent boat chase.
TWINE is now definetly in my top five of faviorite Bond films. I wouldnt like every film like this, but it works as a nice change of pace.

[Jamie007]

Originally posted by Vodka Martino
[B]neat little insights into Bond's character ( "I never miss...")"

I totally agree here. There are some fantastic moments give Bond some emotion, cold blooded though it could be, witout losing any of Bond's cool, masculine appeal.
My favorites include that psycho glare thing that Pierce does so well, most evident here after shooting someone during the first couple of minutes. The "I never miss" line is one of the best lines in the whole series. It seems so cold blooded, but the delivery seems almost remorseful.
My other favorite line from this movie is:

Renard: "Im already dead"
Bond: "Not dead enough for me"

Now thats cold, Connery cold.

Jim

[Righty007]

'The World is Not Enough' is one of the best Bond films, yet. I love this movie so much! Here is the top four films on my all-time favorite Bond movie list:

1. Live and Let Die
2. Goldfinger
3. The World is Not Enough
4. Licence To Kill

[Vodka Martino]

You're right, Jim. I loved the scene where Bond has his gun to Renard's head in the mine shaft. As he screws a silencer on to the barrel, he makes that comment about cold-blooded murder being a terrible business ( I can't remember the words exactly). It was such a telling line. We don't often get a glimpse into what makes 007 tick, or what his views or thoughts are about certain things. He's been around for 40 years (in the movies) , but we barely know him.
The only real problem I ever had with the film is actually to do with Purvis' and Wade's script. I recall reading an interview with them where they stated that in order to bring 007 into the 21st Century, they were going to give him a weakness ("an Achilles heel" , in their words). They felt he had become too indestructable in TND.
So when I saw the film, I was disappointed that this Achilles heel turned out to be a dislocated shoulder. A DISLOCATED SHOULDER!!??
I remember thinking to myself; 'That's not a weakness, that's a cricket injury!'


VM

[Jim]

Don't worry fans - 'tis other Jim that has praised this godawful film.

Although the achilles heel thing is interesting - the shoulder is only a physical disability; I think what was intended (and doesn't come across due to a lack of chemistry between Mr Brosnan and Ms Marceau) is that Bond's capacity to fall for the wrong woman is his true achilles heel - metaphoric rather than literal.

But I really don't want to think any more about it. Some half-decent ideas shot to buggery by misconceived action sequences and performances which defy any sort of polite description.

[rafterman]

I love TWINE.

[Sanchez]

Why does everyone around here seem to hate it, and is anyone else with me?!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't hate it, I think it's quite a creditable addition to the series. I think the Thames boat chase is of vintage quality, and (amongst many, many other scenes) the introduction of (then) "R" is a total hoot, personally, I wouldn't even want to begin trying to find fault with the movie, it has way too much of a "Feel good" factor.

[Kristian]

Originally posted by License To Kill
TWINE was awesome. It's hard to see how Renard, the man who could feel no pain, be a horrible villain. I thought the idea was cool. I prefer TWINE over DAD.

Truth is,TWINE's villain was Elektra, not Renard. He was just a henchman. The film was atypical in many ways, not least of which is defying expectations as to who the main villain is and who is the flunkie.

[Vodka Martino]

Originally posted by Jim
Don't worry fans - 'tis other Jim that has praised this godawful film.

Although the achilles heel thing is interesting - the shoulder is only a physical disability; I think what was intended (and doesn't come across due to a lack of chemistry between Mr Brosnan and Ms Marceau) is that Bond's capacity to fall for the wrong woman is his true achilles heel - metaphoric rather than literal.

Jim, I agree with you there. It's just that the metaphor was lost due to 'misconceived ideas shot to buggery'. I couldn't phrase it better.
And yep, there was no real chemistry between Bond and Elektra and as a result, their relationship didn't come across as grand enough. Similar to Bond and Paris Carver in TND, but then a lot of Teri Hatcher's work wound up on the cutting-room floor from what I understand. Not 100% sure of that. Correct me if I'm wrong.

VM

[Simon]

Originally posted by Jim
Don't worry fans - 'tis other Jim that has praised this godawful film.

I had to look twice to see if there was a typo - but glad to see you're still on the side of the angels on this one.

[DLibrasnow]

The real problem with TWINE though is the action set pieces.

After a promising boat chase on the Thames we have to endure some of the worst executed action sequences ever in a Bond picture.
The parahawks sequence lacks any of the suspense and sheer fun value that similar battles in the snow setpieces had in OHMSS, FYEO and even the brief precredits of TSWLM.
All the action sequences are bland, blah, boring and void.

[Simon]

Originally posted by DLibrasnow

All the action sequences are bland, blah, boring and void.

At the risk of becoming bland, blah, boring and void myself, I agree.