Metascore
56 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 21
  2. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. Reviewed by: Andrew Collins
    80
    Fast, funny, very British and less militaristic than, say, The Peacemaker. On this evidence, we may be forced to say, Carry on, Bond.
  2. Tomorrow Never Dies isn't one of the great Bonds, by any means. But it's familiar, flashy and enjoyable in all the right places.
  3. 75
    There's a high gloss and some nice payoffs, but not quite as much humor as usual; Bond seems to be straying from his tongue-in-cheek origins into the realm of conventional techno-thrillers.
  4. If the formula seems a little tired, it still has more sophistication and pizzazz than most action films.
  5. 75
    Tomorrow Never Dies is a better film than Goldeneye. In fact, it's the best Bond film in many years.
  6. 70
    The hardware explodes just fine, all the right people die, and Pierce Brosnan, suave and likable as ever but no Sean Connery, not in a million years, gets the job done.
  7. Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    70
    There is plenty of bang-bang but very little kiss-kiss in Tomorrow Never Dies, a solid but somewhat by-the-numbers entry in the James Bond cycle.
  8. It's far from unenjoyable, but the dank shroud of the overfamiliar lies heavy over all, kind of like watching an Elvis concert circa 1976.
  9. 60
    The second Pierce Brosnan-fronted James Bond movie settles into the groove of unspectacular convention-adhering that has marked the series for the last couple of decades.
  10. Veteran director Roger Spottiswoode has tried to pep the old warhorse up, but the combined inertia of all those pictures over 35 years proves hard to budge.
  11. Despite Mr. Brosnan's best efforts to be lethally debonair, the Bond franchise has sacrificed most of what made this character unique in the first place, turning the world's suavest spy into one more pitchman and fashion plate. This latest film is such a generic action event that it could be any old summer blockbuster, except that its hero is chronically overdressed.
  12. 60
    Tomorrow is propelled by relentless action. Chase scenes are interrupted not by witty conversation or sexy conquests but by the rattle of machine gun fire.
  13. The film forgets that Bond's most dangerous actions have always been his quietest ones, in which he uses his charisma to turn his enemies against themselves.
  14. Pierce Brosnan wisecracks his way through the starring role with more aplomb than credibility.
  15. What's pleasing about this movie is its enduring adherence to the Bondian ideal.
  16. 50
    Ultimately, though, the film is forgettable even by the standards of prefabricated pop ephemera.
  17. 50
    The movie is efficient but scores zero in suspense, wit or class.
  18. Reviewed by: David Denby
    50
    If more can't be found in Bond than this, I wouldn't object, in principle, to that tuxedo's being hung up in the closet for good.
  19. 50
    Brosnan proved his worth last time around; but, sad to say, the rest of Tomorrow Never Dies lacks the wit and inventiveness of GoldenEye, let alone of Goldfinger.
  20. Apart from the welcome grace and pluck of Asian action star Michelle Yeoh--who all but steals the movie away from Pierce Brosnan's Bond and single-handedly makes this a better wedding of Hong Kong and Hollywood than either Rumble in the Bronx or Face/Off--this film has no personality whatsoever.
  21. Reviewed by: Tom Meek
    20
    Tomorrow Never Dies, like the commercial marketing assault the Bond cast has been involved in, is a hollow experience that's egregiously trumped up by its high energy glitz and gimmickry. Somewhere, in their rush to amaze and thrill, the filmmakers forgot about Bond, the man.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. The eighteenth James Bond film, and second for Pierce Brosnan as 007. This is also the only Bond film directed by Roger Spottiswoode. When worldwide media magnate Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) instigates international catastrophes across the world, so that his new media company will be the first to report the news, including the sinking of a British navel frigate in Vietnamese territorial waters, supposedly by the Chinese, but instead by his stealth ship, bringing the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear war. 007 must race against time to find out what Carver knows and is planning, before World War III breaks out. Along with Chinese agent Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), Bond must follow Carver to his headquarters in Vietnam in order to thwart his plan to monopolize the worldwide news market. Brosnan is perfect as usual as 007, and Michelle Yeoh is very good as his Chinese counterpart. Teri Hatcher is very sexy and displays a lot of chemistry with Brosnan as Carver's wife Paris, a former lover of Bond's, that got too close to him in the past, before he broke her heart. Jonathan Pryce is a strong main villain along with his henchman, Stamper (Gotz Otto, who is very much a throwback to Robert Shaw's Grant in "From Russia With Love"). All the regular supporting cast is back, Dame Judi Dench's "M", Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny, and Joe Don Baker reprising his role as amusing CIA agent Jack Wade. This film also includes a very amusing and memorable villain in Dr. Kaufman (Vincent Schiavelli), a world famous assassin that kills Paris Carver and brags to Bond about his prowess as a murderer and his hobby as a torturer. Overall, this is a very good follow-up to "GoldedEye", with exciting action sequences, and great characters. Full Review »
  2. [Anonymous]
    9
    While Die another Day (I gave it an 8) has the latest in tech and the most sophisticated action scenes, Tomorrow Never Dies is more original and satisfying, feeling more like vintage Bond. There's no shortage of great action, though, and paired with some good one-liners, this one's superior to Die Another Day. Full Review »