THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Some movies shoot for the moon. Others wallow in the dirt. Bond films,
on the other hand, have modest, simple aspirations. They are happy just
to provide solid entertainment value. And by that metric, THE WORLD IS
NOT ENOUGH, directed by 42 UP's Michael Apted, does exactly what it sets
out to do. Pierce Brosnan in his best film yet as James Bond, proves
once again that he's the best Bond since Sean Connery.
The most important costars in the Bond movies are the spy's toys. These
films usually have the audience applauding for the stunts, and this
episode of the superspy saga is no different.
The best of the bunch in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH is a sleek, one-man,
black boat complete with jet afterburners, which looks like something
custom-made for Batman. The vehicle even has the ability to dive
underwater briefly while the driver holds his breath. It can turn into
a car as well, all the better to engage in a typical Bond demolition
derby.
The plot, not that it's important, involves competing oil pipelines and
stolen plutonium. "If there's the slightest chance, Bond will succeed,"
his boss, M (Judi Dench), reassures us. The outcome of a Bond movie is
never in question, but who cares? That's not why we're here. We come
to have fun and enjoy the action, like the helicopter with a supersized
chainsaw attached, which cuts through cars and buildings.
Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) is a recently kidnapped daughter of a
wealthy oil magnate who's building a large oil pipeline in competition
with 3 other Russian ones. Sophie Marceau, who possesses the eternal
beauty of a lush oil painting, has a knack, as she showed in FIRELIGHT,
for appearing hopelessly vulnerable while being anything but. Bond
films always feature beautiful women, and the two this time are among
the best of the Bond babes.
Besides Marceau, the sexually charged Denise Richards (WILD THINGS)
plays Dr. Christmas Jones, a nuclear physicist with explosive good
looks. First seen in a tight fitting tank top and brief shorts, she
makes science look pretty exciting. Under Apted's direction, both of
the women hold their own against the world's best spy. King is
deceptively alluring, and Jones is young and cocky. "You want to put
that into English for those of us who don't speak spy?" Jones mocks Bond
at one point.
After an injury, Bond seduces M5's female doctor in order to be declared
fit for service. "He has remarkable stamina," her report concludes.
The movie is rife with such double-entendres, which delight the older
members of the audience while going right over the heads of the younger.
In a cameo John Cleese plays R, the replacement that Q's been training.
R goes over all of the bells, whistles and guns in Bond's latest
spymobile. This one, R tells him, even has 6 cup holders.
The funny script by Bruce Feirstein, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade is
filled with puns and clever little jokes. "I see you put your money
where your mouth is," Bond ridicules a slimy, hired gunman with a mouth
full of shiny, gold teeth.
Bond movies don't really have messages. They're happy just to amuse us,
which this one does in spades with its great stunts, funny dialog and
crisp acting. On the other hand, if we want to go looking for a
message, Bond himself says it best. Stunningly handsome, lying in bed
next to the equally beautiful King, he tells her, "I take pleasure in
great beauty." Now that's something with which viewers of either sex
can identify.
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH runs 2:08. It is rated PG-13 for intense
sequences of action violence, some sexuality and innuendo and would be
acceptable for kids around 10 or 11 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 10, who has seen all but 2 of the Bond films, loved
this one, giving it ****. He especially liked the battles and the
boat/sub/car. His friends, ages 10 and 11, with him mentioned the same
things, and had similar ratings -- Steven ****, Nickolas ****, John ***
1/2 and Alan ***. Alan and John complained that there was too much
sleeping around. (There is no sex or nudity in the film, and the women
are strategically covered by the bedcovers.)
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com
Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Have I seen this movie: No
Will I see It: Yes
