The World is Not Enough – Never quite got all the hate

There’s been good Bond films and bad Bond films, but, in the long run, they’re all pretty similar and you should – by now – know what you’re getting with Bond, whether you’re watching the new ‘grizzled’ Daniel Craig era, or anything before that which is distinctly ‘lighter’ in tone.  I’m not going to say that ‘The World is Not Enough’ is ‘classic’ and will be remembered for being one of the seminal films of the franchise, but I was always surprised about the amount of hate it generated. 

Most people agree that the previous film ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ was Pierce Brosnan’s highpoint as the super-spy and the following two films were a slow decent into the reboot which came afterwards.  I always thought that Brosnan had really settled into the role by now and was clearly having fun with it.  As usual, he’s got to save the world again and, besides the excellent action (highlight being the boat chase down the Thames) and naturally exotic locations, this one gave us quite a few new elements to the traditional mix. 

First of all we see more of MI6.  I know it’s a small thing, but I felt we got to see a lot more of what goes on behind the scenes of Bond’s world.  Plus Judi Dench was given a bigger role than any previous ‘M’ has ever been afforded.  The villains (and, yes, there are two – just in case you don’t know I won’t spoil one of them).  However, Robert Carlyle seems to be enjoying playing the bad guy who’s impervious to pain due to a bullet being lodged in his brain, slowly cutting of the sensations one by one.  Robbie Coltrane returns as his Russian gangster, which is a nice touch as it brings the ‘Brosnan era’ films together as one and – as a fan of John Cleese – was delighted to see that he was being lined up as Q’s replacement (sadly the last time we got to see Desmond Llewelyn on screen).

So, all in all, I thought it was a good time if you’re looking for a decent enough Bond film that will kill a couple of hours.  I guess most people’s criticisms were levelled at Bond-girl, Dr Christmas Jones (played by Denise Richards at the height of her fame).  Yes, I know it’s a stretch to see her as a ‘nuclear scientist’ but – hey – this is James Bond, after all!  Okay, so she’s hardly going to win any Oscars for dressing like Lara Croft, but – again – she’s hardly a reason to completely hate this film.

If you’re a fan of Bond then you should know what you’re getting and this one should tick all the boxes you require to sit back with a vodka martini or two and have a good time.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that