SummaryIn this 20th installment of the James Bond franchise, 007 circles the world in his quest to unmask a traitor and prevent a war of catastrophic proportions.
SummaryIn this 20th installment of the James Bond franchise, 007 circles the world in his quest to unmask a traitor and prevent a war of catastrophic proportions.
The result is the niftiest Bond movie in years -- fresh, funny, and jammed to the rafters with demented stunts, Boys'-Own gadgetry and brazen promiscuity.
Maybe I've seen too many James Bond movies by now, or maybe the trouble with this 20th installment is that the filmmakers are trying too hard to top the excesses of the predecessors.
This series is in its fortieth year; it might be nice to see Bond battle a readily identifiable, real-world villain for a change. There's certainly no shortage.
Pierce Brosnan has mastered every smidgen of 007 schtick, making the role more thoroughly his own than any actor since Sean Connery -- still the best of the batch -- decided to call it quits.
I am going to start with the strengths of this Bond entry. It is for me one of the better-looking Bonds, both the cinematography and locations are truly inspired, and I loved the Icelandic snow palace. The pacing is relentless and the direction is done with fluid style, while the incidental music is good enough. The script has some nice moments too apart from some cringe-worthy one liners, while the action is very intense. In terms of acting, Pierce Brosnan is on fine form as the betrayed and vengeful secret agent. Bond is still charming and witty in some ways, but also tough and angry, Brosnan portrays this excellently. Halle Berry is a nice addition, and Judi Dench and John Cleese are solid too as is Toby Stephens as villainous Graves and especially beautiful Rosamund Pike as chillingly frosty Miranda Frost. However, the plot is quite familiar and quite preposterous in a sense in the second half, and there is an overload of CGI and sadly it's awful. My two main problems though are both to do with Madonna. One is that her theme song is truly grating and one of the more forgettable theme songs. The other is that her cameo as a fencing instructor is truly dire. In conclusion, a mostly solid if slightly disappointing entry in the series. 7/10 Bethany Cox
As 007, Brosnan has unquestionably found his job, and Judi Dench has never played M with more sass. Halle Berry appears lost as Jinx; her one-liners are NOT humorous and seem entirely misplaced. Rosamund Pike also does a fantastic job. As the diamond-faced henchman Zao, Rick Yune is a walking caricature, and Toby Stephens makes for a dull primary antagonist. Desmond Llewellyn's replacement, John Cleese, is a terrible choice since, despite his best efforts and gritted teeth, he is still John Cleese and not Q. Last but not least, including an invisible car is extremely insulting, and by doing so, they returned to the Roger Moore cartoon style.
Even though this Pierce Brosnan Bond film is action, it is ultimately too goofy and gadget-wridden for its own good. Also, the performances and the villain are alright.
I dont see anything good in this movie. Yes, the beginning was not bad and brutal with torture in North Korea. But other than that?
The biggest problem of the movie is the ridiculous and unrealistic action, it is even worse than in some of the worst James Bond movies. And in addition some of them dont even look well, because there are so many bad CGI scenes. The plot is also ridiculous as some of the characters: Gustav Graves is annoying, Zao is as ridiculous as a comic villain. Halle Berry as Jinx didnt fit also, because this 50 kg girl surely has no chance in any fights. Judi Dench as M is ugly as always, Samantha Bond as Moneypenny looks ugly also.
So in the end this movie is just "entertainment" for the brainless masses.