Warning, this review may contain spoilers for this and other Bond films.
In the world of James Bond movies, certain films could easily have a subtitle to them: MOONRAKER("The Outer-Space Bond"), THUNDERBALL("The Underwater Bond"), YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE("The Japan Bond"), LICENCE TO KILL ("The Edgy, Dark, Realistic Bond"), ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE("The 007 Gets Married Bond"), DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER("The Las Vegas Bond"). If TOMORROW NEVER DIES had a subtitle it would be "The Non-Stop Action, Cuts, Explosions Bond." Essentially scriptwriter Bruce Feirstein took the stories of 2 previous Bonds(YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE and THE SPY WHO LOVED ME)fused them together, streamlined them for a late 1990s movie audience that likes the aforementioned non-stop action, cuts, and explosions ladled out with the subtlety of a sledgehammer and cares little for characterization, suspense, or dramatic tension.
Not to say TOMORROW is a bad film. On the contrary, of all 3 of the 1990s 007 flicks, TND is the one I enjoyed the most on my initial viewing of it in the cinema. My immediate response after seeing it the first time was to give it ***1/2 out of ****. When I saw it a 2nd time, my initial enthusiasm for it tempered somewhat. Nonetheless, after even multiple viewings, I still give it a solid *** "good" rating.
TND contains many positive ingredients. Although Pierce Brosnan's debut Bond GOLDENEYE featured a stronger story and a more alluring heroine, TND still improves over its predecessor in many ways. For one thing, Roger Spottiswoode's direction has a fluidity that Martin Campbell's lacked in the previous film. Also the editing of scenes together is smoother and less abrupt than in the previous entry. Perhaps the most obvious improvement of all, was the replacing of Eric Serra with David Arnold, the best Bond composer since John Barry. Arnold's work incorporates the classic "James Bond theme" over and over that was so conspicuously absent in GOLDENEYE as well as nicely scoring both the action sequences (especially the pre-title sequence) and the love scenes between Brosnan and Teri Hatcher. Arnold's end title song "Surrender" is a real show-stopper with a classy "Diamonds Are Forever"-type feel to it(very interesting that Don Black provided the lyrics for both tunes).
Brosnan gives a much more self-assured and confident performance as Bond(Of course, having just come off a $350 million plus megahit should bolster the confidence of anyone.) He seems to grow more comfortable with the role each time he plays it. As for the new "regulars"(Judi Dench as M and Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny) both actresses seem more comfortable in their roles this time around as well. The same sadly can't be said for Joe Don Baker as CIA man Jack Wade. Although Baker was reasonably amusing as Wade in GOLDENEYE (as well as having portrayed a villain in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS), in TND he comes off as more obnoxious than J.W. Pepper. Thankfully, his screen time is short and he did not return in the next Bond epic THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. Hopefully, we have seen the last of Wade and the Bond producers will bring the real CIA agent/Bond ally Felix Leiter back instead.
Jonathan Pryce plays Elliot Carver in the mode of Charles Gray's Blofeld from DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. Like Gray, Pryce(BRAZIL) is a fine actor and amusing to watch but doesn't provide 007 with any real physical threat(like Robert Shaw in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE) or provide the kind of intellectual duel Bond had with villainous greats Goldfinger, Scaramanga, or Sanchez.
Michelle Yeoh portrays the athletic heroine competently but her Wai Lin character too obviously replicates THE SPY WHO LOVED ME's Triple X (female superspy from a Communist superpower who initially rivals then allies with 007).The Bond/Wai Lin relationship never gets to develop in an interesting way as the Bond/Triple X one did in the earlier film thanks to TND's over dependence on action at the expense of the storyline. To Feirstein's credit, Wai Lin doesn't make the mistake that her 2 immediate predecessors(Natalya in GOLDENEYE, Pam in LICENCE TO KILL) did by falling for Bond after a quick introduction and one action sequence. Instead, Miss Yeoh(in the tradition of Ursula Andress, Honor Blackman, Jane Seymour, Jill St. John, Barbara Bach, Lois Chiles and others) makes Bond work his charm on her first before succumbing to the obligatory clinch. In fact, the Bond/Wai Lin relationship is the most platonic one Bond has had with a woman since his relationship with Melina/Carole Bouquet in 1981's FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. Like Melina, Wai Lin doesn't even let Bond kiss her till the end(and in TND its to save her life from drowning).
Although Miss Yeoh survives to the end, the "real love interest" for Bond this time is Teri Hatcher as Paris Carver, the villain's wife and the woman who got "too close" to 007. The chemistry between Miss Hatcher and Brosnan is incredible starting with their witty repartee ("How about the words I'll be right back") at Carver's party. Their sparks intensify with their love scene which is the most intensely romantic one Bond has had with a woman since Kara in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS. Later, when Bond discovers her murderedbody in his bed, Brosnan shows a genuine sadness reminiscent of the final scene in OHMSS where Bond's wife is killed. It's sad that Miss Hatcher(who would make a worthy Bond heroine as her work on TV's LOIS & CLARK proved, is given so little screen time as her Paris character gives TND the film's best non-action moments such as the one where Bond sits alone in his hotel room with his drink and his gun waiting for Paris to come to him. The idea of Bond running across a former lover and her having to chose between him and the villain is a good one and I hope reappears (better developed and with more screentime of course) in a future film.
Spottiswoode stages the action sequences spectacularly. The standouts in this area include the pre-title teaser sequence involving a terrorist bazaar with MI6 personnel watching Bond's adventures on a large video screen and a delightfully over the top motorcycle/helicopter chase across Saigon with Bond and Miss Lin handcuffed to each other (Hitchcock fans will easily see how TND stole this idea from the classic THE 39 STEPS).
Despite its many entertaining aspects, TND is not without blemishes. The credits loudly proclaim Pierce Brosnan as "Ian Fleming's James Bond", but with the exception of the scenes with Mrs. Carver and her murderer Dr. Kauffman there's little of Ian Fleming's creation to be found(such as Brosnan saying such PC statements as "Never argue with a woman. They're always right" or referring to smoking as a "Filthy habit." The real Bond would never say those things). Also, there is something fundamentally disturbing about a film's politics that lets Communist China(one of the most oppressive dictatorships on the face of the earth)off the hook yet vilifies Rupert Murdoch(in the guise of Carver) who provides one of the fairest and most informative news networks in the world. While the action is all spectacularly staged, the gunfire, cuts and explosions go into overkill after a while. If FOR YOUR EYES ONLY had the most underwhelming final conflict to a Bond flick, then TND wins the opposite award for the most overdone as "Ian Fleming's Bond" turns into Pierce Brosnan's version of Bruce Willis in DIE HARD. While this "cuts/explosions approach" is done to attract younger viewers weaned on MTV, its sad that so many new Bond fans will watch TND and then complain how true Bond classics that more accurately reflect Fleming's works and characters(such as Terence Young's FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and THUNDERBALL) are "boring" by comparison because they were made in a era when scriptwriting, wit and style were more important than explosions and cuts.
Complaints aside, TOMORROW NEVER DIES makes for 2 hours of mostly satisfying action entertainment though I'm glad its sequel THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH put greater emphasis on Bond's humanity and brought back some traditional "Flemingesque" elements.
In the world of James Bond movies, certain films could easily have a subtitle to them: MOONRAKER("The Outer-Space Bond"), THUNDERBALL("The Underwater Bond"), YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE("The Japan Bond"), LICENCE TO KILL ("The Edgy, Dark, Realistic Bond"), ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE("The 007 Gets Married Bond"), DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER("The Las Vegas Bond"). If TOMORROW NEVER DIES had a subtitle it would be "The Non-Stop Action, Cuts, Explosions Bond." Essentially scriptwriter Bruce Feirstein took the stories of 2 previous Bonds(YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE and THE SPY WHO LOVED ME)fused them together, streamlined them for a late 1990s movie audience that likes the aforementioned non-stop action, cuts, and explosions ladled out with the subtlety of a sledgehammer and cares little for characterization, suspense, or dramatic tension.
Not to say TOMORROW is a bad film. On the contrary, of all 3 of the 1990s 007 flicks, TND is the one I enjoyed the most on my initial viewing of it in the cinema. My immediate response after seeing it the first time was to give it ***1/2 out of ****. When I saw it a 2nd time, my initial enthusiasm for it tempered somewhat. Nonetheless, after even multiple viewings, I still give it a solid *** "good" rating.
TND contains many positive ingredients. Although Pierce Brosnan's debut Bond GOLDENEYE featured a stronger story and a more alluring heroine, TND still improves over its predecessor in many ways. For one thing, Roger Spottiswoode's direction has a fluidity that Martin Campbell's lacked in the previous film. Also the editing of scenes together is smoother and less abrupt than in the previous entry. Perhaps the most obvious improvement of all, was the replacing of Eric Serra with David Arnold, the best Bond composer since John Barry. Arnold's work incorporates the classic "James Bond theme" over and over that was so conspicuously absent in GOLDENEYE as well as nicely scoring both the action sequences (especially the pre-title sequence) and the love scenes between Brosnan and Teri Hatcher. Arnold's end title song "Surrender" is a real show-stopper with a classy "Diamonds Are Forever"-type feel to it(very interesting that Don Black provided the lyrics for both tunes).
Brosnan gives a much more self-assured and confident performance as Bond(Of course, having just come off a $350 million plus megahit should bolster the confidence of anyone.) He seems to grow more comfortable with the role each time he plays it. As for the new "regulars"(Judi Dench as M and Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny) both actresses seem more comfortable in their roles this time around as well. The same sadly can't be said for Joe Don Baker as CIA man Jack Wade. Although Baker was reasonably amusing as Wade in GOLDENEYE (as well as having portrayed a villain in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS), in TND he comes off as more obnoxious than J.W. Pepper. Thankfully, his screen time is short and he did not return in the next Bond epic THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. Hopefully, we have seen the last of Wade and the Bond producers will bring the real CIA agent/Bond ally Felix Leiter back instead.
Jonathan Pryce plays Elliot Carver in the mode of Charles Gray's Blofeld from DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. Like Gray, Pryce(BRAZIL) is a fine actor and amusing to watch but doesn't provide 007 with any real physical threat(like Robert Shaw in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE) or provide the kind of intellectual duel Bond had with villainous greats Goldfinger, Scaramanga, or Sanchez.
Michelle Yeoh portrays the athletic heroine competently but her Wai Lin character too obviously replicates THE SPY WHO LOVED ME's Triple X (female superspy from a Communist superpower who initially rivals then allies with 007).The Bond/Wai Lin relationship never gets to develop in an interesting way as the Bond/Triple X one did in the earlier film thanks to TND's over dependence on action at the expense of the storyline. To Feirstein's credit, Wai Lin doesn't make the mistake that her 2 immediate predecessors(Natalya in GOLDENEYE, Pam in LICENCE TO KILL) did by falling for Bond after a quick introduction and one action sequence. Instead, Miss Yeoh(in the tradition of Ursula Andress, Honor Blackman, Jane Seymour, Jill St. John, Barbara Bach, Lois Chiles and others) makes Bond work his charm on her first before succumbing to the obligatory clinch. In fact, the Bond/Wai Lin relationship is the most platonic one Bond has had with a woman since his relationship with Melina/Carole Bouquet in 1981's FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. Like Melina, Wai Lin doesn't even let Bond kiss her till the end(and in TND its to save her life from drowning).
Although Miss Yeoh survives to the end, the "real love interest" for Bond this time is Teri Hatcher as Paris Carver, the villain's wife and the woman who got "too close" to 007. The chemistry between Miss Hatcher and Brosnan is incredible starting with their witty repartee ("How about the words I'll be right back") at Carver's party. Their sparks intensify with their love scene which is the most intensely romantic one Bond has had with a woman since Kara in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS. Later, when Bond discovers her murderedbody in his bed, Brosnan shows a genuine sadness reminiscent of the final scene in OHMSS where Bond's wife is killed. It's sad that Miss Hatcher(who would make a worthy Bond heroine as her work on TV's LOIS & CLARK proved, is given so little screen time as her Paris character gives TND the film's best non-action moments such as the one where Bond sits alone in his hotel room with his drink and his gun waiting for Paris to come to him. The idea of Bond running across a former lover and her having to chose between him and the villain is a good one and I hope reappears (better developed and with more screentime of course) in a future film.
Spottiswoode stages the action sequences spectacularly. The standouts in this area include the pre-title teaser sequence involving a terrorist bazaar with MI6 personnel watching Bond's adventures on a large video screen and a delightfully over the top motorcycle/helicopter chase across Saigon with Bond and Miss Lin handcuffed to each other (Hitchcock fans will easily see how TND stole this idea from the classic THE 39 STEPS).
Despite its many entertaining aspects, TND is not without blemishes. The credits loudly proclaim Pierce Brosnan as "Ian Fleming's James Bond", but with the exception of the scenes with Mrs. Carver and her murderer Dr. Kauffman there's little of Ian Fleming's creation to be found(such as Brosnan saying such PC statements as "Never argue with a woman. They're always right" or referring to smoking as a "Filthy habit." The real Bond would never say those things). Also, there is something fundamentally disturbing about a film's politics that lets Communist China(one of the most oppressive dictatorships on the face of the earth)off the hook yet vilifies Rupert Murdoch(in the guise of Carver) who provides one of the fairest and most informative news networks in the world. While the action is all spectacularly staged, the gunfire, cuts and explosions go into overkill after a while. If FOR YOUR EYES ONLY had the most underwhelming final conflict to a Bond flick, then TND wins the opposite award for the most overdone as "Ian Fleming's Bond" turns into Pierce Brosnan's version of Bruce Willis in DIE HARD. While this "cuts/explosions approach" is done to attract younger viewers weaned on MTV, its sad that so many new Bond fans will watch TND and then complain how true Bond classics that more accurately reflect Fleming's works and characters(such as Terence Young's FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and THUNDERBALL) are "boring" by comparison because they were made in a era when scriptwriting, wit and style were more important than explosions and cuts.
Complaints aside, TOMORROW NEVER DIES makes for 2 hours of mostly satisfying action entertainment though I'm glad its sequel THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH put greater emphasis on Bond's humanity and brought back some traditional "Flemingesque" elements.