The World Is Not Enough (1999)

Sadly Over-hyped

Absolutely Fantastic

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

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.

The World Is Not Enough is a decent movie with a flawed plot and a mediocre cast. It certainly has some terrific action sequences throughout that make it worthwhile, including some stellar high budget fight scenes, explosions and special effects better than any 007 film prior to it. Judi Dench also shines in this film as M, always a pleasure to see her in this role, she embodies the character to full effect. The chemistry between Pierce Brosnan and his love interests in this film is weak, this is such an important element to any Bond film that not having it work out leaves a gaping hole in the movie overall. Brosnan himself is not in great form in the role, he seems somewhat tired of it all, as if the novelty had worn off for his fourth movie. The plot is also very uneven, it simple goes through the motions, nothing is ever effective. There are no big twist or turns throughout, each scene merely follows the other without anything overwhelming ever happening.It still has fun, enjoyable action that passes as what we have come to expect from a James Bond movie, but the plot and performances stumble. The World Is Not Enough is certainly flawed, worth a watch if you are a fan of the franchise but do not expect perfection. Bond must defuse am international power struggle as the world's oil supply hangs in the balance. Best Performance: Judi Dench / Worst Performance: Denise Richards

It's fast! It has a lot of explosions! It has many big big flames and running around and shooting. It starts with a terrific water and land chase around London mostly on the Thames. It even has a torture scene if that's "your thing." BUT !!! It has so many of these action devises that the story and the who is who and why are they chasing each other get rather lost.Pierce Brosnan is pretending to be Bond in this one but he really IS Remington Steele so it doesn't quite work. Judi Densch as M and Desmond Llewelyn as Q are their usual excellent selves.Outstanding character was Robbie Coltrane as a rather Sidney Greenstreet like semi-villain. Odd to see Hagred in a Bond film. If you want to see all of the Bonds you may like this one. As a stand alone watch only if you like explosions and hard to follow story.

I'm happy that The World Is Not Enough decided to tweak the Bond formula rather than go with the tried and true. I like how the story is complex, with thriller elements, and with twists. I appreciate that it has a different kind of villain.There's a conflict of tone. Brosnan goes for a dark intimidating performance while writers went for a goofy script. And there's Denise Richards (ugh...). It's over the top, filled with chainsaws, heavy machinery and bullets. It has kind of an industrial feel to it. It could've used a different director but when all's said and done, the good outweighs the bad.