654 replies to this topic

[Panavision]

I hated it, this was my inital reaction to the film, I wrote this review after seeing it in a theatre back in November:

A total disgrace, James Bond has been murdered, and unfortunately, I witnessed it on the big screen. I simply cannot believe what I watched unfold before me. To say I'm disgusted is an understatement; I'm livid that the producers, Barbara and Michael, let this offensive film ever be shot. As a Bond fan, I was expecting Michael's experience to bring Bond back to earth and give Pierce a spy adventure, instead we get a boring Triple X-esque movie, which panders to the lowest common denominator AKA MTV crowd. Bond has always been a unique franchise, you can always distinguish a Bond picture from the rest, but today, that's not true - Bond has become generic, an action hero, lacking a style.

There are 10 fundamental problems with Die Another Day:
1. Invisible car - Bond has had some outrageous gadgets, but this one is FAR OUT and does not belong in the film.
2. Christian Wagner's MTV pretentious editing calling attention to its self - "hey look at me, I'm MTV" AWFUL.
3. Some terrible blue screen work - Bond surfing on ice water? pleeeeasssseeeee!
4. Plot is boring once we reach the ice palace.
5. Villains are boring.
6. Jinx has little to do unlike Wai Lin from Tomorrow Never Dies
7. Bad writing, scenes lack cohesive binding
8. David Arnold's score (please bring back John Barry) is totally drowned out by foley work.
9. Madonna's song is awful, the worst of the 20. Why did the producers let her? Because she sells records? The marriage of the song and score are no longer part of the Bond tradition since Goldeneye.
10. M doing the same thing again!!! YAWN!!!!! Give her a bigger part

There are some bits in the film, some okay, some brilliant:

The pre-credit sequence is exciting. Bond getting captured - finally they made it happened, but spoilt by getting it out of the way too early. Bond looks healthy, I mean 14 months didn't take much out of him? John Cleese as Q, he makes the role his own. Difficult act to follow, but he manages it. Thank the lord that he doesn't act like a buffoon! Brosnan is comfortable. Pike is a terrific catch, beautiful Bond girl. A lot of the minature work is perfect. David Tattersall's photography is good, as you would expect from a BSC member!!! Moneypenny gets a funny sequence...but out of place, totally detatched from the film. Nice homages to previous films, it's unfortunate that those scenes were some of the best in the entire picture.

As I said, Bond has lost the identity, arguably Britain's favourite son has been sold out to the teen audience. Where's the class? Bond should appeal to all ages, it's that reason why the franchise has been so successful. I'm all for Bond going into new directions, but certain elements can't change, but there is plenty of scope to explore. Licence to Kill is the perfect example of exploring Bond and keeping it in line with the series. Goldeneye was the last decent Bond film. Pierce Brosnan deserves a better script. I believe it's time to bring in new writers and ask John Glen to return, he made 4 decent Bond films, lets bring back experience!!! Oh, bring back the character down to earth as well. Bond is human, not a Superman!!!

I'm really disappointed in Tamahori, I still think he's a good director, but maybe he has been found out on the biggest stage?

So, Die Another Day is a colossal disappointment, can it get any worse? Yes, it can, if the producers decide the fate of Bond is now in the hands of MTV!!!

[DLibrasnow]

The last decent Bond movie was "Goldeneye"....IMHO

[Doubleshot]

IMO it's the first great Bond film since.. oh, The World is Not Enough.

[DLibrasnow]

Gag.....well that's not saying much since TWINE was the worst movie of the series

[ray t]

Originally posted by Panavision


There are 10 fundamental problems with Die Another Day:
1. Invisible car - Bond has had some outrageous gadgets, but this one is FAR OUT and does not belong in the film.
2. Christian Wagner's MTV pretentious editing calling attention to its self - "hey look at me, I'm MTV" AWFUL.
3. Some terrible blue screen work - Bond surfing on ice water? pleeeeasssseeeee!
4. Plot is boring once we reach the ice palace.
5. Villains are boring.
6. Jinx has little to do unlike Wai Lin from Tomorrow Never Dies
7. Bad writing, scenes lack cohesive binding
8. David Arnold's score (please bring back John Barry) is totally drowned out by foley work.
9. Madonna's song is awful, the worst of the 20. Why did the producers let her? Because she sells records? The marriage of the song and score are no longer part of the Bond tradition since Goldeneye.
10. M doing the same thing again!!! YAWN!!!!! Give her a bigger part

Licence to Kill is the perfect example of exploring Bond and keeping it in line with the series. Goldeneye was the last decent Bond film. Pierce Brosnan deserves a better script. I believe it's time to bring in new writers and ask John Glen to return, he made 4 decent Bond films, lets bring back experience!!! Oh, bring back the character down to earth as well. Bond is human, not a Superman!!!

I'm really disappointed in Tamahori, I still think he's a good director, but maybe he has been found out on the biggest stage?

So, Die Another Day is a colossal disappointment, can it get any worse? Yes, it can, if the producers decide the fate of Bond is now in the hands of MTV!!!

a lot of stuff there...

yea...dont invite wagner back...tamahori only if he takes a pay cut...otherwise i think DAD is an epic. the titles - song combo is TOP 5 in my opinion.

madonna's involvement in DAD is fine in my view

DAD does'nt just cater to MTV generation...i was 37 at release and i saw it 6 times

LTK is, actually, not fully in line with the series...in fact the contrary...its not in my top 10 but still theres lots in it to like...

finally DAD is the best james bond movie since, er, Tomorrow Never Dies.

[Panavision]

LTK is, actually, not fully in line with the series...in fact the contrary...its not in my top 10 but still theres lots in it to like...

I think it is; It features all the elements of a Bond film, but explores a little more than the previous films.

[Tarl_Cabot]

"There are 10 fundamental problems with Die Another Day:
1. Invisible car - Bond has had some outrageous gadgets, but this one is FAR OUT and does not belong in the film.
2. Christian Wagner's MTV pretentious editing calling attention to its self - "hey look at me, I'm MTV" AWFUL.
3. Some terrible blue screen work - Bond surfing on ice water? pleeeeasssseeeee!
4. Plot is boring once we reach the ice palace.
5. Villains are boring.
6. Jinx has little to do unlike Wai Lin from Tomorrow Never Dies
7. Bad writing, scenes lack cohesive binding
8. David Arnold's score (please bring back John Barry) is totally drowned out by foley work.
9. Madonna's song is awful, the worst of the 20. Why did the producers let her? Because she sells records? The marriage of the song and score are no longer part of the Bond tradition since Goldeneye.
10. M doing the same thing again!!! YAWN!!!!! Give her a bigger part"


I agree but I can find 10 more flaws:

11.Halle Berry's dive. Looks like a cartoon. Oh it is a cartoon? nevermind.
12.Brosnan looks pretty healthy for a guy tortured for 14 months.I expected the film to explore his psychological scars at least. They blew it.This could have been a great dramatic Bond film, like LTK.
13. Bond doesn't escape. So, without gadgets, he is just a regular guy. Like Popeye without his spinach...such a letdown.
14.Bond is traded for Zao who is supposed to be a terrorist. Apparently Zao commits an act of terrorism but After 9-11, the script was changed b/c the producers felt it was inappropriate.So,we don't really have any reason to loathe this character. He was doing his duty in the pretitle by alerting his superior that Bond was an imposter.This character wasn't developed at all.
15.The Robocop suit: When he was shocking Bond it looked just like the Emperor's bolts in Return of the Jedi. Impossibly stupid!
16.Miranda Frost: She's a villian. What a shock! Oh not really. That was a cheap attempt at a twist. John Gardner abused the good girl gone bad device in his books. This wasn't even remotely believable. Didn't the *last* Bond movie do that? How about some fresh ideas to compliment a potentially great first 45 minutes?
17.The genetic transformation. The single most ridiculous thing ever in a Bond movie. Makes the decadence of Moonraker look acceptable.
18.The virtual reality gag/Moneypenny: Terrible.Not funny...I was embarrased for Moneypenny(who looks like hell in DAD I may add;Lois Maxwell was a beautiful woman!).
19.The car chase:too long, loud and boring.Just tedious...
20.DAF satilite. Been there, done that before folks.yawn.

[Tarl_Cabot]

21.Those body size plane thingys Jinx and Bond use to get into North Korea.WTF? Why not just do a halo jump? That was more cartoon BS we didn't need. DAD disrespected 40 years of tradition by replacing stuntmen with pixels.That movie sucks so hard! Arrrrggg!!!!!

[Scottlee]

I agree with Zen about pretty much everything but the quality of the ending. I thought the climax on the plane was ripped off about 200 other films, and wasn't exciting or gripping in the least. They would have been much better off pushing harder for that indoor beach idea.

[DLibrasnow]

Originally posted by Tarl_Cabot
"There are 10 fundamental problems with Die Another Day:  
1. Invisible car - Bond has had some outrageous gadgets, but this one is FAR OUT and does not belong in the film.

But, this technology exists so how can you say it's "far out" when it exists???

Do you know they can now also teleport objects from one end of a table to another (not people yet because the person who would appear on the other end would have no memory etc).
Also, are you aware that totally blind people are now able to drive using some of the technology described in "Star Trek". The device (which transmits the camera signal to the brain) was unveiled last year.

Both of these, which were science fiction just a couple of years ago are now science fact, but I am betting you would be poo-pooing the idea if they show up in the next Bond movie....
The invisible technology used in DAD also exists and has been covered extensively in the press. I'm frankly amazed some people still don't get it!!

[Tarl_Cabot]

Originally posted by Tarl_Cabot
"There are 10 fundamental problems with Die Another Day:
1. Invisible car - Bond has had some outrageous gadgets, but this one is FAR OUT and does not belong in the film.

I didn't originally post that Dsnow, Panavision did. I just expanded his list of things that suck about DAD.I've heard the tech exist 'so I'm wrong to think it's impossible' but the effect was achieved via CGI and therefore not believable anyway.

[Truman-Lodge]

Originally posted by DLibrasnow
But, this technology exists so how can you say it's "far out" when it exists???

Do you know they can now also teleport objects from one end of a table to another (not people yet because the person who would appear on the other end would have no memory etc).  
Also, are you aware that totally blind people are now able to drive using some of the technology described in "Star Trek". The device (which transmits the camera signal to the brain) was unveiled last year.

Both of these, which were science fiction just a couple of years ago are now science fact, but I am betting you would be poo-pooing the idea if they show up in the next Bond movie....
The invisible technology used in DAD also exists and has been covered extensively in the press. I'm frankly amazed some people still don't get it!!

I'm frankly amazed at your gullibility. Yeah, we all saw the movie clip of that Japanese man with the so-called "invisible" jacket. The only problem was that we could still see the jacket. Oh, and the technology currently needs surrounding cameras for it to function properly. This is nowhere near what they showed in DAD.

But why let facts get in the way of a good (?) story.

[Kristian]

[quote]Originally posted by zencat
I know we

[zencat]

Ouch.

Are you female, Kristian? Because if you are, I think I'm in love.

[Tarl_Cabot]

So Am I.

[Kristian]

Originally posted by zencat
Ouch.

Are you female, Kristian? Because if you are, I think I'm in love.

Thanks, Z. But don't waste your love on me. I'd only betray you like Elektra or Miranda.

(Then again, some bimbo like Christmas or Jinx would come along to console you.)

For the record, DAD was good film. So you're not wrong there. Perhaps you and our beloved Jim should co-write a Bond film together. It would be interesting to see how your sensibilities would play off each other. I would definitely pay $8.50 to see the result.

[Icephoenix]

Originally posted by Truman-Lodge


I'm frankly amazed at your gullibility.  Yeah, we all saw the movie clip of that Japanese man with the so-called "invisible" jacket.  The only problem was that we could still see the jacket.  Oh, and the technology currently needs surrounding cameras for it to function properly.  This is nowhere near what they showed in DAD.

But why let facts get in the way of a good (?) story.

A little harsh there Truman :eek:
The Bond films have always had gadgets ahead of there time, such as the car phone in FRWL. And the 'invisible' jacket was only a prototype, so of course it wouldn't go completely invisible, and if you thought it could you'd have to be some kind of idiot. And don't forget that the Americans have a Tank using the same technology, but it also is just a prototype. Keep in mind - the Bond films are always one step ahead. And - Do the improbable, but not the impossible!

[zencat]

Originally posted by Icephoenix
A little harsh there Truman :eek:
The Bond films have always had gadgets ahead of there time, such as the car phone in FRWL. And the 'invisible' jacket was only a prototype, so of course it wouldn't go completely invisible, and if you thought it could you'd have to be some kind of idiot. And don't forget that the Americans have a Tank using the same technology, but it also is just a prototype. Keep in mind - the Bond films are always one step ahead. And - Do the improbable, but not the impossible!

Yes, well said Icephoenix. I have no problem with the invisible car.

Originally posted by Kristian
Thanks, Z.  But don't waste your love on me.  I'd only betray you like Elektra or Miranda.

But perhaps I would turn you like Tatiana or Pussy Galore?

[DanMan]

How come no one complains about the car in TSWLM. A Car/Submarine still hasn't been invented!

[zencat]

Originally posted by DanMan
How come no one complains about the car in TSWLM. A Car/Submarine still hasn't been invented!

Good point, DanMan. Or what about that reversible landing rocket in YOLT?

Or that crazy car phone in FRWL! But, seriously, I'm sure some Fleming purist went ballistic over that in '63. Me...I don't mind them pushing the envelope. If I wanted reality, I wouldn't be going to a James Bond movie. Bond films are fantasy. Someone up above said "Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story." Not sure if they were joking, but that is how I feel. As long as it is rooted in some reality (which the invisible car is)...let the imagination fly!

[Truman-Lodge]

What on earth are you talking about, Icephoenix?

A car phone was technically feasible at the time. So was the jetpack. And Aquacars have been built since the 60s.

You're right about the reversible rocket, though. It was impossible. And stupid. Junk like that ruined YOLT. Too many gimmicks, not enough characterization. Hell, they didn't even name the Bond girl!

But the point still stands: adaptive camouflage AS IT IS SHOWN IN DAD is not currently in existence. It is NOT possible to make a car like that at the moment. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?

[zencat]

Actually, Icephoniex didn't make that crack about the car phone. I did. I was just making a joke about how I'm sure there was some audience member in

[zencat]

Oh, and one more thing... From my understanding of the technology, the car isn't invisible. It uses cameras to capture the surroundings and then projects a holographic cloak of those image over the car (that

[Truman-Lodge]

[quote]Originally posted by zencat
Actually, Icephoniex didn't make that crack about the car phone. I did. I was just making a joke about how I'm sure there was some audience member in

[zencat]

True.

[bryonalston]

DAD was one of the WORST Bond films. All of the ingredients of the previous successful films like Goldfinger, FYEO, TSWLM, TLD, GE, and TWINE were played poorly. It seemed like the production focused on CGI and special effects more than the larger than life stunts that have made the series so popular. The storyline was also EXTREMELY uneven. They just put in too many extra stuff, which caused clutter, like that electric suit Graves had, which he hardly used! The Bond girl was played poorly by Halle Berry, who acted like she read a book "Bond Girl for Dummies," the Villian, Graves, was portrayed as a cliche villain, trying to be evil, trying to be crazy.

DAD had too many characters, where as TWINE focused all of its attention on picking out great actors, and focusing on the main characters. DAD seems like they chose the actors from reputation, like Halle Berry, who is otherwise a great actress, but plays Jinx, who is a poorly written character, with a cliche.

The Bond curse has caught up with Brosnan, who is getting a little old for the role, and gave a tired performance, just as Connery in DAF and Moore in AVTAK. It's time for a younger actor, who is in their early forties maybe, to play the role. I live in San Francisco, and I am a die-hard Bond fan. All of the people I know loved the movie, because it's the first one they've seen probably, so I can't blame them, but DAD does not stand out as a classic Bond film at all, in fact it is one of the worst in my opinion, and in the opinion of many others. I am only fourteen years old, and even I am smart enough to see that DAD pretty much... well... sucks.

[Truman-Lodge]

Originally posted by bryonalston
I am only fourteen years old, and even I am smart enough to see that DAD pretty much... well... sucks.

Where'd I put my popcorn?

[zencat]

Welcome to CBn, bryonalston. I think.

[Blofeld's Cat]

LOL

Welcome to CBn bryonalston.

Your views are most welcomed into the melting pot that is the CBn forums.

Psstt! zencat really liked Die Another Day.

PS: So did I.

[Doubleshot]

Die Another Day is the best Bond film in 20 years.