Duke Nukem
06-29-2004, 10:35 PM
I've noticed this Bond film get a lot flack on these boards. That it along with "The World is Not Enough" were weaker Pierce Brosnan Bond films that just didn't do it. And, that "Goldeneye" is his best one.
I beg to differ. I saw "Goldeneye" recently. I never really realized how slow paced it was until now. Other than the obligatory opening action sequence, it's not until 1 hour 20 minutes into the movie before we see James Bond get into some action in the main plot.
Granted, 35 minutes in, we see the villians hijack the Goldeneye and kill of the scientist in the laboratory and prepare their plan to take over the world...but that didn't cut it. There is too much set up in the "Goldeneye" and not enough consistant Bond action. When "M" was going over the plot situation and set up with Bond within the 50 minute point, it felt forever, I was cringing. It's not a bad Bond movie, and Pierce Brosnan is not a bad JB, it's just not as entertaining. **1/2 / ****
Now, back to "Tomorrow Never Dies." I also saw this recently...and it blew me away! Now, here is an entertaining Bond film! We have a new original villian (a media baron), good plot set up, consistent action all over the movie, and good Bond girls.
There's even an extra element in this one. In this film, James Bond encounters an old flame of his, an element that adds to the movie.
And, to add to that, we get an Asian chick (Michelle Yeoh) as the main Bond girl. Now, that's a new element that might have been a bit risky to this formula, yet it worked out just fine. Yeoh sat well with Brosnan just fine.
And, the villian. The villian is Johnathon Pryce, a media baron bent becoming a world leader in the media. Now, that's an original villian and plan for a Bond film. And, he has a great name too for a villian too.
The action. This movie had great action set up all over the movie. Unlike "Goldeneye," it was very consistent and far from "blah." We get the obligatory opening sequence, we get the exciting car chase in the parking lot, we get the motor cycle chase in the city with the helicopter, great acton in the finale, and more bits of other action mixed in this bag too. There's plenty of action to boot!
I like "Tomorrow Never Dies" a lot. I even got to see it in theaters back in 1997. Not until now did I realize how awesome it is...and how underrated and bashed it seems to get around her on the boards. Not "Moonraker," bad, but "blah" bad. I don't think it deserves it. "Tomorrow Never Dies" is an outstanding and worthy James Bond film, and it shows some of the best of Pierce Brosnan's turn as him.
The only bad thing I can say is the cover art they use for the vhs and DVD. BLEAH!! Let's see, Bond's bloated head (and naturally holding a gun) to the left, the Bond girls to the right, and a firey back drop with an attack jet...COME ON!! They could have tried better than that.
The poster art for its theatrical release was much better: A security TV room much like Johnathon's Pryce's media place, James Bond in the center holding the gun (same pose, not horribly bloated), one Bond girl to the left in the distance by the TV sets and the other Bond girl to the right also in the distance by the TV sets. That was so much better, but nooooo, they just to go the teeny-bopper/generic way about it!
It's still a good James Bond film though, I enjoy it quite a bit.
*** / ****
Are there other schmoes that agree?
I beg to differ. I saw "Goldeneye" recently. I never really realized how slow paced it was until now. Other than the obligatory opening action sequence, it's not until 1 hour 20 minutes into the movie before we see James Bond get into some action in the main plot.
Granted, 35 minutes in, we see the villians hijack the Goldeneye and kill of the scientist in the laboratory and prepare their plan to take over the world...but that didn't cut it. There is too much set up in the "Goldeneye" and not enough consistant Bond action. When "M" was going over the plot situation and set up with Bond within the 50 minute point, it felt forever, I was cringing. It's not a bad Bond movie, and Pierce Brosnan is not a bad JB, it's just not as entertaining. **1/2 / ****
Now, back to "Tomorrow Never Dies." I also saw this recently...and it blew me away! Now, here is an entertaining Bond film! We have a new original villian (a media baron), good plot set up, consistent action all over the movie, and good Bond girls.
There's even an extra element in this one. In this film, James Bond encounters an old flame of his, an element that adds to the movie.
And, to add to that, we get an Asian chick (Michelle Yeoh) as the main Bond girl. Now, that's a new element that might have been a bit risky to this formula, yet it worked out just fine. Yeoh sat well with Brosnan just fine.
And, the villian. The villian is Johnathon Pryce, a media baron bent becoming a world leader in the media. Now, that's an original villian and plan for a Bond film. And, he has a great name too for a villian too.
The action. This movie had great action set up all over the movie. Unlike "Goldeneye," it was very consistent and far from "blah." We get the obligatory opening sequence, we get the exciting car chase in the parking lot, we get the motor cycle chase in the city with the helicopter, great acton in the finale, and more bits of other action mixed in this bag too. There's plenty of action to boot!
I like "Tomorrow Never Dies" a lot. I even got to see it in theaters back in 1997. Not until now did I realize how awesome it is...and how underrated and bashed it seems to get around her on the boards. Not "Moonraker," bad, but "blah" bad. I don't think it deserves it. "Tomorrow Never Dies" is an outstanding and worthy James Bond film, and it shows some of the best of Pierce Brosnan's turn as him.
The only bad thing I can say is the cover art they use for the vhs and DVD. BLEAH!! Let's see, Bond's bloated head (and naturally holding a gun) to the left, the Bond girls to the right, and a firey back drop with an attack jet...COME ON!! They could have tried better than that.
The poster art for its theatrical release was much better: A security TV room much like Johnathon's Pryce's media place, James Bond in the center holding the gun (same pose, not horribly bloated), one Bond girl to the left in the distance by the TV sets and the other Bond girl to the right also in the distance by the TV sets. That was so much better, but nooooo, they just to go the teeny-bopper/generic way about it!
It's still a good James Bond film though, I enjoy it quite a bit.
*** / ****
Are there other schmoes that agree?