THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999) *1/2

Reviewed 11/20/99

I could make this a one word review and just call the latest Bond film perfunctory, but I feel I owe it a little more abuse after what I had to sit through. The usual opening action sequence actually gets divided into two sequences, the latter of which is an endless boat chase. Afterwards, you have to wonder, why didn't Bond just fire those torpedoes right from the beginning. The answer is that then we wouldn't get to see all the gratuitous carnage 007 gets to render.

Then the film sets up the villain, Renard (Robert Carlyle), who is supposed to be so horrible that one would rather commit suicide than disappoint him. Except he later turns out to be the meekest of all Bond film villains. Having had a bullet lodged into his brain, Renard is unable to feel pain, but the most creative thing the writers could think of after giving him this trait is to have him handle hot coal with his bare hands. The talented Carlyle is totally wasted.

Then the "Bond girl", Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards), doesn't show up until nearly the half-way point. After that, all she is good for is getting rescued or getting wet. Sophie Marceau fares a little better playing the unsubtly named Elektra King, a woman who was once kidnapped by Renard. Her character turns out to be more of a plot contrivance than anything even remotely believable.

Let's face it, the James Bond of the movies is a male fantasy constructed at a specific time and place, and Bond hasn't aged too well. Yet the self-consciousness over Bond's misogyny didn’t work too well in Goldeneye. It only diluted Bond. So World embraces Bond fully for what he is without apologies. This doesn't work too well either, and Bond's seduction of Jones at the end, particularly given their total lack of chemistry, should be insulting to all women. The best thing about The World Is Not Enough is that the franchise finally admits to just what a cold-hearted bastard James Bond really is, and I do mean that as a compliment.