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134 out of 214 people found the following comment useful :-
What on earth have they done to James Bond?, 15 January 2004

Author: bahgdadc from San Francisco, CA

Come back George, all is forgiven: At lease "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was recognizable as a Bond film. The latest installment in the franchise, the 20th installment in fact, should have been a cause for celebration. Instead, I have to rate it a solid 1, and that only because the system won't let me rate it lower. When did James Bond morph with Rambo? What happened to the wit and charm that was evident in the best of the series, films like 'Goldfinger" and "The Spy Who Loved Me"?

There is nothing in this film that feels original or fresh. And the John Woo influenced cinematics have no place in a Bond film. And what's with the use of CGI in place of real stuntmen doing the impossible, as they did in every other film? Sure, it may look "super cool" in concept, but in fact it looks fake and out of place. They didn't use CGI to make trucks act like race cars in "License To Kill".

I'm afraid that on his 40th anniversary, the cinematic James Bond is looking every bit his age, dressed up like a 70 year old hustler trying to pick up teenagers. Forget the snazzy trappings and the flashy action scenes and get back to the basics.

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110 out of 173 people found the following comment useful :-
The Batman and Robin of the James Bond series, 9 November 2004

Author: David_Frames from On deck aboard the Juicy Bastard

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Pis*-poor, Ill-conceived, soulless, mindless, horrifying - and thats just the title track in this 40th Anniversary defunctular - proof positive that the series is in terrible terrible trouble. In fact, based on the this exercise in self-parody (even the title sounds like a parody), devoid of any new or exciting elements, it might be worth pondering whether its time for the super-spy to take a sabbatical while all concerned contemplate a wholesale reinvention of the Francaise; a full-scale rebuilding from the ground up with absolutely no return to the cut and paste methodology that rots this one from the inside out. It isn't even worth discussing the story to this anniversary entry because there isn't one but it might be worth pointing out the contrast between this and the last anniversary story The Living Daylights (1987) for therein lies the clues to what's gone wrong with 007's exploits. Whereas Dalton's film used the anniversary as a sort of reaffirmation of principles and a throw back to the series dramatic and literary roots, a new dawn if you like (and frankly even if you don't), Die Another Dies goes the other way and represents the zenith of the Pervis/Wade era of Brosnan Bonds that has seen the action and budgets scale upward while the substance has conversely dipped and with the arrival of an invisible car, evaporated. This is about a trillion miles away from the 25th anniversary Bond in which familiar elements made the odd cameo appearance - the Astin Martin for example. Here the familiar is everything - in fact its the building blocks of the story (such as it is) and the characters and, well everything really. The tone is pure fantasy - deadly lasers in space, an evil ice palace lair for the villain, Madonna etc... Characters with silly names trade puns and insipid dialogue while Brosnan goes through the motions. If it was the intention of all concerned to make a companion piece for Austin Powers then they should consider DAD a roaring success. For those of us expecting a serious Bond movie however, its a minor travesty - Bonds have been lazy before (Moonraker, naturally) but this one completes the post-Goldeneye trajectory toward total self-parody and in doing so arguably takes its place along other genre greats such as Rocky 4, Star Trek: Nemesis and Batman and Robin in the 'film that crashed the series' category. Bond films have also been looking down the business end of oblivion before but 'tis no exaggeration to say that this time the martini loving super-spy is fighting for his life. Bond is a great character but unless the powers that be start to take him seriously again and refrain from this derivative fluff, they might as well call it a day.

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68 out of 99 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun but tries too hard to it's detriment, 5 December 2002
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

On a mission in Korea, James Bond is captured and tortured for 18 months. He is swapped with Korean agent Zao for his freedom. However M has swapped him not to save him, but because she believes Bond has cracked and is giving away information. However Bond knows there is another mole in the area and escapes to uncover what Zao is up to and to uncover his Western ally.

I looked forward to this film because I like Bond and easily get caught up in the hype. I think it is just down to the success of the formula and the fact that it feels comfortable to know you're getting a slightly different version of reliable product. For me, familiarity has yet to breed contempt in this series. I wanted to like this film more, although I did enjoy the vast majority of it. It's biggest problem is simply that it tries too hard and wants to do too much. The plot is OK and is a brave start showing our hero broken and in prison, but from there it does try and do way too much. It was good to relate the pre-credits scene to the rest of the film but the film seems restless unless it is having a major bit of plot happening - too many little twists or new bits of plot that stopped the film flowing. The plot is OK at heart but the little additions of diamonds, ice palace, weapons in space, DNA alteration, electrical suits all gets a bit much.

The film's direction is also a bit frantic. A little bit of Matrix creeping in and sudden rushing cameras etc. It isn't needed, indeed they make the cake feel over egged, like the director didn't trust himself enough to a good job and needed gimmicks etc. On top of this there are three or so cgi shots that are really poor (and I mean Mummy Returns poor). It doesn't help that the theme song is one of the worst ever but I could get past that as the action under the credits helped distract from it. The action is all good on the whole but there didn't seem enough room for them and all that plot - also everything was overdone. We don't need matrix type effects in Bond - all we need is a certain amount of flair and well designed shots etc. I sound negative but I still enjoyed this despite the weaknesses cause at the end of the day the formula still works even with the monkeying around.

One of the main reasons is Brosnan himself. he is getting better every film. He does some bad puns but never to the mocking extent of Moore and he also does the dangerous element of Connery. Even when the film starts to get silly he remains strong in the lead. Berry is wasted and is a distraction more than a good addition. From the cringe worthy first scene with Bond (trading smutty one liners) onwards she has no character worth speaking of. Her dialogue is innuendo and not lines, her acting is all in the twitch of her lips as she flirts and that's it. To look at, she does the job, but i thought we'd gotten past Bond girls that are eye-candy and nothing more. Pike is given a more frosty role and does pretty well despite being very cold when viewed beside the flirtatious Berry. Stephens hams it up as Graves. He starts well but the plot spin on his character (esp. the electric suit stuff) takes away from his credibility as a bad guy and he ends up as a cartoon type rather than a real threat. Yune on the other hand is a real good villain - a gimmick (his face) but also presence and real menace without hamming it up. I had hoped he would be the focus but alas no. Dench is good and Madsen is an interesting addition - but perhaps he wasn't the best choice for the head of NSA given the type of roles he is best known for - how many other people could only see Mr Blonde? Cleese does well as the new Q and brings his comedy into the role well, making it similar to the spirit of Q without being a copy. Madonna's cameo is as bad and as pointless as her theme song.

Overall let me stress I enjoyed this film but couldn't help but see the many flaws. It simply tries too hard in almost every area - plot, writing, action, direction. The formula is all there but it feels like they want to up the ante in every way, only at the basic level does the film feel comfortable in it's own skin and relaxes, for most of the time you'd think this was a new film desperately trying to start a franchise as opposed to a long running series.

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31 out of 49 people found the following comment useful :-
Better Than I Expected, 28 October 2004

Author: Theo Robertson from Isle Of Bute , Scotland

DIE ANOTHER DAY is a unique Bond film for me because I had seen the other entries in the franchise before I discovered the IMDb . In other words my only knowledge of its reputation is down to the comments I have read on these pages and because many commentators are so loud in their condemnation ( Bad CGI , awful title track etc ) I was expecting a really bad movie never mind a really bad Bond movie , but DIE ANOTHER DAY wasn't as bad as I was expecting

It's interesting to note that the Bond series never really concerned itself with painting communists as bad guys . OCTOPUSSY ties in with the cold war very much as does THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS to a lesser degree but in no way can the series be criticised as being right wing or reactionary with GOLDENEYE wearing its heart on it's sleeve that Russian gangsterism is more of a worry than Russian communism so it's something of a shock seeing Bond battle Stalinist commies in North Korea . That is in no way a criticism either .

We're then treated to a bizarre title sequence composed of a torture montage with quite simply the worst theme tune ever devised for a Bond movie . I don't know what is about the Pierce Brosnan Bonds but they all have very poor title songs despite having all round superb production values and DIE ANOTHER DAY continues the high production values , a lot of people complain about the CGI and I must admit the cartoonish jet at the end does look like a cartoon but compare this sequence to all the action scenes in the 1980s which were composed of Roger Moore standing in front of some back projection and no matter how much you don't want to say it you must confess we've come a long way since then

Some people have also let rip that the film is ruined by post modernist self reference but I disagree . Come on chaps when you've seen one Bond movie since the late 1960s you've seen most of them . Plot wise DIE ANOTHER DAY is very , very similar to GOLDENEYE with a " British " villain in charge of a death ray in outer space with a fair amount of LICENSED TO KILL thrown in . It should be remembered both YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE and THE SPY WHO LOVED ME had the same identical plot with serious hardware being stolen from the USSR and America in order to start a nuclear holocaust . There is a ridiculous amount of humour though involving John Cleese as Q . I know you shouldn't take James Bond movies seriously but did we need an invisible car ?

The other thing I disliked was Jinx . Think about it , she's tough and kills without hesitation so how come she needs rescuing from Bond ? She's just a cypher there to create a love interest and it's amazing that the producers seriously considered starting a spin off series with Jinx as the heroine . It would have been as successful as CATWOMEN . There is a problem with a plot twist involving both Gustav Graves and Miranda Frost , the twist is good but unfortunately the surprise only works once which means on second viewing the shock value of the plot revelation is gone therefore DIE ANOTHER DAY doesn't have the same enjoyment second , third or fourth viewing unlike classic Bond movies

I'm not a big Bond fan but have been fairly impressed with the standards of the franchise from GOLDENEYE to DIE ANOTHER DAY , they've really come leaps and bounds from the Roger Moore debacles like MOONRAKER and VIEW TO A KILL . One aspect that is over looked in the series is the character interaction between Bond and M ( Convincingly played by Judi Dench ) and I hope to see this abrasive relationship continue when the series returns with a new actor in the lead role

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29 out of 47 people found the following comment useful :-
James Bond?, 16 December 2002

Author: cookscourt from USA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

For those who haven't seen it yet, ***SPOILERS*** follow.

For me, and for many others, James Bond is a unique character who was established for decades by Sean Connery and Roger Moore. The producers quickly learned with the first few movies starring Sean Connery that the hard core Bond of the Flemming novels needed some adaptation to survive and they did a superlative job of doing so for quite some time.

As such, there is, (or I should say, WAS), a certain surrealistic magic about the James Bond character which allowed us movie goers to transcend reality and truly escape the headlines we all read daily regarding the heroes who die too young. During this period, if you wanted all out action and violence in a movie, you went to a Schwartznegger, Stalone, etc flick.

Certain rules, which have applied to James Bond for a long time, have been stripped away by most of the so called "Bond" films since Roger Moore's era and were ably and completely done away with in this film, such as:

1) Bond NEVER gets caught. Well, OK. He can get caught by the bad guy, threatened, bragged at by the Bad guy, then escape in just the nick of time and foil his plan. Truth be known, he could have escaped whenever he wanted to, but allowed himself to be held for a day or two just to learn more from the "inside."

2) Bond NEVER gets tortured endlessly. Maybe roughed up, but not tortured for over a year. His quick wit and matchless skills simply won't allow it.

3) Bond is NEVER in a situation from which his unmatched genius, talent, and cool can't save him.

4) Bond NEVER gets abandoned by his country or told by his superior that if it were up to her, he would still be rotting in prison. He might get a disapproving sneer from a stuffed shirt government rep, but deep down he's appreciated and respected for his talents and bravery.

Yet in "Die Another Day", we are presented with a James Bond who gets captured for 14 months, ruthlessly tortured by near drowning and scorpion stings, with anti venom used to bring him back from the brink of death time and time again. There was no doubt that he was captured, was to remain so, was completely at his captors mercy, and there was no way he could figure a way to escape.

At the end of the 14 months, when Bond thought he was going to be executed, he started walking that "last mile" out of the prison camp clearly in a hopeless situation in which he was going to be unceremoniously shot in the back with no way out. You could even see the look of broken despair and hopelessness on Brosnan's face as he walked bravely forward. One is reminded of Roger Moore in "Live and Let Die", when he is being quite literally walked out to a back alley by multiple thugs, spots an opportunity and takes out the gun men handily. A good job of acting out the role of helplessness, exhaustion, and nearly mental collapse by Brosnan, but simply not a fit for James Bond.

Last, but not least, when he realizes he is being traded and gets met by the "good guys", he is injected with a sedative and wakes up in a high tech "prison" of sorts where M tells him that if it were up to her, he would still be rotting in prison, that his freedom was bought at too high a price, that they suspect he was broken and gave away priceless secrets, and that he was to remain in their custody until she deemed it fit to release him.

I could go on, but the movie does so, (unfortunately), illustrating my point, so why bother?

In the real world, an agent with a license to kill and put on assignments like James Bond would probably not last very long. There are undoubtedly such heroes giving their lives daily in the protection of freedom and human rights which we will never hear about, as well as others who we do hear about. But the true Bond character is not real world. Rather, he stands unique. He allows us to escaped the carnage of real life and believe for a few fleeting moments, that the good guy really can survive AND save the day, and do it with suave and cool. What a shame they have ruined the franchise that was so ably established for decades.

Perhaps M's words to Bond summarized things best: Bond is not England's celebrated, priceless treasure anymore, not the man who stands head and shoulders above the rest. He does not walk coolly and calmly down the path to certain death, only to cheat death yet again simply because he is, well, "BOND, JAMES BOND!" In fact, at this point, he can be captured without displaying the wits necessary to escape, tortured endlessly, and taken out to the back ally and shot, in just the same manner as with any other John Doe in the real world. In fact, he is not even to be trusted and has been locked away indefinitely.

For my part, I've given the industry moguls many years to clean up the mess they've made of this franchise, and they will not get another dime of mine to see this (not even) poor excuse for James Bond they have been portraying recently in any future movies.

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18 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
Fourth Brosnan 'Bond' Starts Promisingly, but Falters..., 8 May 2004

Author: Ben Burgraff (cariart) from Las Vegas, Nevada

Creating new, exciting adventures for 007 after 20 feature films in forty years is a difficult task at best, particularly as public tastes change, and the character of James Bond has to maintain at least a degree of the 'persona' created by Ian Fleming. While the heirs of Albert Broccoli, his daughter Barbara and son-in-law Michael G. Wilson, have done a remarkable job in keeping the series 'fresh', if DIE ANOTHER DAY is any indication, the creative forces surrounding them seem to be losing 'touch' with James Bond, and his world.

After an astonishing pre-title sequence, climaxing with Bond being captured by the North Koreans, the film offers a horrendous montage of torture, with Bond only surviving due to a timely prisoner exchange (with an unsympathetic M remarking, "If it had been up to me, you'd have stayed in North Korea...", obviously forgetting that 007 had saved her life in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH). Pierce Brosnan, at fifty, is superb in this sequence, vulnerable yet defiant, and to this point, DIE ANOTHER DAY has all the makings of a first-class Bond entry.

Then Bond jaunts off to find the agent who betrayed him, becoming involved in an investigation involving diamonds, solar power, and a 'too-good-to-be-true' industrialist (smarmy Toby Stephens), and all of the creativity of the opening is lost, with the film becoming an uneasy mix of references to past films and silly, unbelievable situations, sets and gadgets (culminating with an 'Ice Palace' and an 'invisible' Aston Martin).

As she had won an Oscar prior to filming DIE ANOTHER DAY, sexy Halle Berry, 36, was publicized extensively as Bond's latest leading lady, CIA agent 'Jinx'. Unfortunately, after a spectacular 'rising from the waves' introduction (borrowed from Ursula Andress, in DR. NO), and a few nicely choreographed fights, she spoke...and lost all of her credibility in the role. While much of the problem was certainly in the script, she was never believable as Bond's 'counterpart' in the American intelligence community. On the other hand, Rosamund Pike, 23, was both sexy and duplicitous as British double agent Miranda Frost, as chilly as her name, but capable of igniting under 007's gaze. In a part equally poorly written, she made far more of her scenes than the writers gave her.

The most interesting character in the film was certainly Rick Yune, as Graves' 'enforcer', Zao. Charismatic, ruthless, and nearly unstoppable, Zao was nearly a primal force, far more menacing than Graves at his worst.

While a sword-fight sequence between Bond and Graves provided a rare film highlight, and certainly ranks as one of the film series' more memorable sequences, much of the rest of the production was silly, with the story set at a break-neck pace to 'hide' the absurdities. The climax, as a solar 'ray' destroyed the minefield between North and South Korea, allowing an 'invasion' to occur, as 007 and Jinx attempted to commandeer the aircraft controlling the 'ray', stands as one of the most ludicrous finales to a Bond film since MOONRAKER.

Although DIE ANOTHER DAY would become Pierce Brosnan's highest-grossing Bond, to date, the film, despite heavily promoting Halle Berry's presence, failed to crack the 'Top Ten' box office attractions in the U.S., and disappointed many fans, worldwide.

With the purchase of MGM by Sony, which has wanted to produce a Bond film for years (the studios were entangled in a legal suit that ended just as DIE began production), surprising changes were in store...CASINO ROYALE, the only Fleming title NOT owned by Eon Productions was named as the next 007 adventure...and Pierce Brosnan was FIRED (a sad finish for an actor who'd worked so hard to make 007 viable in the new millennium!) While Broccoli and Wilson are still 'in charge' of Bond productions, they have to answer to new bosses, with definite opinions of their own on where the franchise should go...Can 007 survive THIS?

We can only wait and see!

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18 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-
Brosnan departs on a series high note, 2 April 2007

Author: mnpollio from United States

Although it has now become the "in" thing to deride Pierce Brosnan's swan song as James Bond as being too unbelievable and gadget-oriented, it was well-reviewed and the most successful Bond film at the time of release.

Bond: Brosnan was still fully invested in the role at the time of his departure. Unlike Sean Connery, whose boredom with the role was starting to show, Brosnan went out with class. In each film, he was looser and more comfortable with the part than its predecessor.

The women: Halle Berry makes a breath-takingly sexy entrance a la Ursula Andress rising from the sea. Unlike Andress, she actually has some role to play in the subsequent action. Her banter with Brosnan seems a bit forced to me and the comic timing slightly off with the double entendres. Also, for an experienced secret agent the writers make her awfully easy to capture, but even with all of that she still ranks as one of the more memorable of the Bond women. Rosamund Pike is also effective as the aptly named Miranda Frost, whose aloofness allows her to resist Bond for much of the film, while she is on her own apparent mission.

The villain: I must admit that I quite enjoyed the villains in this piece. Toby Stephens, sneer almost surgically in place, is terrific as an arrogant showboater who taunts Bond at every opportunity and is one of the rare main villains to be physically young and robust enough to give Brosnan a run for his money. His back story is unlikely, but fairly interesting for a Bond villain. Rick Yune is also effective and striking as a co-hort with diamonds embedded in his face due to an accident earlier in the film.

Some of the visual effects in the film are easy to tell that they are matte screens, but the film moves like lightning and manages to remain consistently inventive throughout. Additions like the invisible car and assorted gadgets seem far less improbable during the course of the film than they do in retrospect, but add to the overall sense of fun. The plot is fairly straight-forward and coherent, although the identity of a mole is obvious enough that one wonders why neither Bond or M figure it out before they do. Intense action scenes, jaw-dropping gadgets, a fine cast and exotic locales all add to the successful concoction. The only drawback: the bizarre title song by Madonna does not really fit the crummy mold of "wailing diva" numbers that the series had sunk to, but instead defines an entirely new level of crap.

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9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
The End of an Era., 16 October 2007

Author: namideo from United States

It's the 20th Bond film and premiered on the 40th anniversary of the series, and, in many ways, it is really a tribute to the entire series itself. This film's strength and its weakness both lie in the fact that it is a blend of the classic Connery films, the outlandish Moore films, and the grittiness of the Dalton films. It's rolling the entire series into a single two hour adventure and the result is actually pretty entertaining. The first half is definitely stronger than the second; a more serious adventure with a classic feel to it, before taking a nose dive down into utter camp territory. I didn't mind the idea of making some scenes a little over-the-top, but I think they went overboard at times. Throughout the movie, the filmmakers toss in little references to previous Bond films. I suppose it's a fun idea to stop and consider how far these films have come over the last 40-something years, and a long time Bond fan can find amusement in finding these subtle, but long remembered treasures that poke their head in this film for one last time. As for the technical aspects of the film: The special effects are a little too ambitious and don't always come across convincing. The dialogue goes back and forth from excellent to atrocious. The ensemble of actors is pretty strong, except for Halle Berry, who in my opinion was completely wrong for a Bond movie. The villains are a little more dynamic. The action sequences are an improvement, in my mind. Granted, there are some instances where the filmmakers push the envelope a little too far, as mentioned above. However, they also show a certain amount of creativity that seemed to be lacking in the previous two films. Overall, this film is really a mixed bag. At moments there is potential for one of the greatest Bond adventures. At other moments you're thinking, "What the heck am I watching." Personally, I feel the positives balance out the negatives, but if anything, this film is a good popcorn movie. All in all, it wasn't a bad way to close out the series before rebooting it again with Casino Royale.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Moneypenny finally gets her first hot kiss after exactly 40 years!, 4 November 2007

Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico

After being captured, imprisoned and tortured in North Korea for 14 months, Bond (Pierce Brosnon) is released in exchange for a recently captured Zao… Unfortunately, MI6 and the American NSA believe the mission was compromised… They think their super agent has cracked under torture… So Bond's license to kill is rescinded along with his freedom by M (Judi Dench) and is ordered to be send to an evaluation center in the Falklands…

Determined to clear his name and find out who really betrayed him in North Korea, Bond soon escapes and tracks Zao to Cuba, who was undergoing a 'D.N.A. transplant,' in a strange clinic, to heal his ravaged face… There, he finds someone else after the Korean, a capable secret agent, called Jinx...

After having proved himself to MI6 and to the NSA, Bond returns to London and has a spirited fencing match with Graves at the Blades Club… There he meets his publicist the gorgeous Miranda Frost…

In "Die Another Day," Brosnon is wild, and ready to light the fuse on any explosive situation… His methods are to provoke and confront… His Aston Martin is loaded with high tech gadgetry that renders his vehicle invisible to Zao's sporty Jaguar… There's an amazing chase between the two across the frozen waters of Iceland… There's also an interesting battle inside Graves' treacherous fortress; and two battles to the death aboard Graves' airplane …

Halle Berry is one of the Bond girls who looks so stunning especially when she emerged from the Cuban waters in her bright orange bikini… This Oscar-winning beauty matches 007 in intelligence, sophistication and toughness, leaving Bond in the island in an explosive situation…

Toby Stephens as the psycho billionaire Gustav Graves appears determined to use his unique satellite the Icarus using its power to 'bring light and warmth to the darkest parts of the world… or to clear the minefield creating a highway for his North Korean's troops… Rosamund Pile plays the fencing master with breathless beauty Miranda Frost…

Rick Yune plays Zao, the dangerous Korean arms dealer and sports-car aficionado who works for Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee), the renegade North Korean army officer who was determined to invade the south…

Michael Madsen plays Damian Falco, NSA spy master and Jinx's boss who's tough on Bond…

The comical British character actor John Cleese takes over the role of Q...

Madonna was hired to record the title tune and appeared in a cameo role as a fencing instructor…

"Die Another Day" is the 20th in the series, and is arguably a fun movie to watch delivering a great sword fight… so don't miss it!

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8 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
"You know, I've missed your sparkling personality.", 23 July 2004
Author: fdpedro from Miami, Florida

James Bond only quit the MI6 twice before DIE ANOTHER DIE. The first time was in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, which I consider to be the best Bond film of all time. The second time was in the underrated LICENSE TO KILL, where Timothy Dalton showed us all Bond's darker side. Now it happens once again in the first Bond film of the millennium. And as a Bond fan, I had high expectations for this after putting THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH an official ranking in my 'Bottom Bond' list.

The opening of DIE ANOTHER DAY might be considered one of the strongest of the entire series: James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is captured while working undercover in a North Korean military base and is about to be executed. But thanks to those wonderful gadgets of Q-branch, he escapes in what must be considered the coolest hover-chase ever. During the process, he ends up executing Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee) and is captured and tortured for about a year while Madonna's much-hated title theme plays along the opening credits.

The first act of DIE ANOTHER DAY actually had me thinking I was about to watch the best Bond adventure ever since GOLDENEYE. How wrong was I? After being rescued, Bond is accused by M (Judy Dench) of being a mole. We all know 007 loves to prove his innocence, so he escapes (in a scene so absurd only a Bond film could pull off) and goes looking for Moon's henchman Zao (Rick Yune) in Cuba. The "gringo-scope" vision of Havana where everyone laughs and dances salsa all day long is the usual exotic location that Bond films give us. In the middle of a tropical paradise he meets Jinx (Halle Berry), a mysterious American adventurer who might have a dark secret to hide. We all know from the previews that she is a CIA agent, but Bond doesn't. After finding Zao, we learn his face was deformed ever since Bond blew up a can of diamonds into his face. He looks… cool like a Bond villain should be.

Warning: The second act of DIE ANOTHER DAY is where things start to go bump. Bond actually returns to the MI6 and is sent to investigate Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), a multi-millionaire who might be hiding something from the British government. How original! Bond and Graves meet and immediately engage in a fencing match. You should enjoy it as much as you can because it is the last good action sequence the movie has to offer. We finally learn two things about the film: One is that Gustav Graves is not only the youngest, but also one of the worst and most forgettable Bond villain of all time. The second is that Bond jumps the shark when Q (John Cleese) presents us with this film's gadgets: One is a ring that is also a vibrator (it might come in handy in some usual Bond occasions…), the other is a car that… get ready for this… turns invisible. We might just call it the Batmobile.

When Bond arrives in Iceland, we drop our jaws with the amazing ice palace Pinewood constructed. It is the best villain hide-out ever since Stromsberg's "sealab" in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. Too bad there isn't enough intrigue going on: Bond keeps seducing the second bond girl Miranda Frost (Rosemund Pike) who is a less-annoying version of the previous film's Elektra King. Gustav Graves' plan is to build a (oh dear…) a satellite made out of diamonds that is also a powerful laser beam! How do the writers come up with such innovations? *cough* DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER *cough* Plot twists start twisting, punch lines keep getting worse (most of them are contributions of Jinx) and the action sequences keep getting lamer and lamer.

Who is to blame for all of this?

My pick is: Christian Wagner. Who is he? He is the editor of DIE ANOTHER DAY, who also worked on some of John Woo's American productions. In the DVD featurette, Wagner confessed he was the first American editor to work in the Bond series and that he felt he needed to bring the fast-paced style of THE MATRIX and Michael Bay to the Bond franchise. Well, thank you Mr. Wagenr for ruining one of my favorite aspects of Bond: The fact that his films didn't look like your average Hollywood blockbuster.

But there are many other people to blame for this mess. I also blame the writers for starting out the film as an entertaining spy thriller and turning it into a video-game by the second act. I blame the writers once again for caring more to homage the previous Bond films rather than making something fresh or interesting out of this series. I blame the special-effects crew for creating some of the most fake-looking CGI of all time. Just look at the plane destruction near the end. There were moments where I was expecting to hold-on to a joystick and begin playing the latest James Bond PS2 shooter. And what was that surfing sequence all about? It was truly one of the worst moments in the Bond franchise… ever.

Halle Berry is indeed a pretty lady and a convincing actress, but she is cursed by the fact that all American bond girls (Tanya Roberts, Jill St. John, Denise Richards) range from mediocre to terrible. She pretends (both actress and character) that she is the female equal to Bond even knowing she keeps getting captured and yelling out punch lines so bad that they turn Bond's into pure comedy gold. Rosamund Pike ends up being the more interesting of the two, but her character is only put in the film because we always need a sexy female villain.

Music-wise, David Arnold's score is charming as he keeps walking on his quest to ever match John Berry. Madonna's main theme is a quite fun techno-beat tune, and by no means as bad as some people make it out to be. Have any of these Madonna-haters ever listened to Lulu's THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN? Or Gladys Knight's LICENSE TO KILL?

DIE ANOTHER DAY is more like your usual summer-blockbuster than a Bond film. >From the CGI bullet newly inserted in the gun-barrel sequence, I knew there was something wrong. I will admit that the film isn't one bit boring, it's well photographed, fast-paced, and for a limited while entertaining. But I'd much rather watch MOONRAKER. At least that one didn't try to be good.

(2/5)

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