2 replies to this topic

[Harmsway]

Let me start off by saying, Die Another Day is an okay Bond film. It's exciting, got excellent action, and an okay storyline. I don't hate the movie, but I don't love it either.

Bond is back and better than ever for the first half of this film. He's clever, he's serious, and he's still got a bit of that Connery mentality left in him. Brosnan is perfect, and he fulfills the role here. The supporting cast is also good, with the exception of Michael Madsen, who isn't all he's cracked up to be. Luckily his scenes are blissfully short.

The action is terrific. With the exception of the para-surfing scene and the film's over the top finale, it's the tops for a Bond movie. They've spared no expense on this film, and it shows.

The film falters in its writing and direction, which isn't nessecarily Purvis and Wade's fault. The screenplay has just been chopped up a bit that it gets confusing at points and the characters aren't as good as they should be. Jinx isn't a great character, in fact, she never says any dialogue that's not a joke, wisecrack, or sarcastic. Luckily, she's aptly played by Berry. The villain's are assorted and memorable, but they fall in the shadow of their predecessors. Frost is beaten by Elektra, and Graves by Trevelyan. Frost needed more fleshing out and more emphasis on her betrayal of Bond, and Graves needed more menace. He comes across too foppish when compared to the menacing Trevelyan. Fortunately for us, the film moves fast enough that we don't really care, but it's still a fault.

The plot falls apart as soon as the ice palace is reached. Too much action drowns out some potentially great confrontations, but it isn't so blatant it ruins the film.

The worst part of the film is the 10 minutes or so where the airplane finale is just too much. Graves becomes a buffoon in what will go down as one of the worst Bond/villain fights of all time (at least in my book) Graves is given one heck of a death, though. Jinx and Frost's catfight fails in the rivalry not being built on through the course of the film, thus losing any dramatic impulse. Perhaps the worst part of the film is the closing dialogue between Berry and Bond at the end.

HIGHLIGHTS: Pretty much anything in the first half, Moneypenny scene, car chase
LOWS: Ending Berry dialogue, shallow characters, poor plotting, overuse of action, airplane finale.

OVERALL: B-

[Tanger]

I loved the movie and how it updated Bond and made him seem cooler, in the first half particularly. To me though, it seems more like 'James Bond in an action movie' rather than 'a James Bond movie' but that's partly the reason why I enjoyed it so much.

[5 BONDS]

And thats why it is awful. Bond films should be Bond not some **** action movie.