James Bond - The World Is Not Enough

4 April 2015

The World is not Enough 1999

• Director:  Michael Apted
• Based on the novels  by Ian Fleming
• Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Judie Dench, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, Samantha Bond, Desmond Llewellyn, John Cleese
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Pierce Brosnan   – the other Bond films, The World’s End, The Ghost Writer, Mamma Mia, Seraphim Falls, Dante’s Peak, Mars Attacks!
• Sophie Marceau – Les femmes de l’ombre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Braveheart
• Judi Dench –the other Bond films, Hotel Marigold, My Week with Marilyn, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jane Eyre, Cranford, Nine, Notes on a Scandal, Mrs Henderson Presents, Ladies in Lavender, The Shipping News, Chocolat, Tea with Mussolini, Shakespeare in Love, Mrs Brown, Hamlet, Henry V, A Handful of Dust, 84 Charing Cross Road, A Room with a View, Macbeth
• Robert Carlyle – Stone of Destiny, 28 Weeks Later, Hitler the Rise of Evil, Black and White, Beach, The Full Monty, Carla’s Song, Trainspotting, Go Now, Riff-Raff
• Robbie Coltrane – Harry Potter 1-8, From Hell, Henry V, Black Adder, Tutti Frutti, Absolute Beginners
• John Cleese – The Day the Earth Stood Still, Harry Potter, Frankenstein, A Fish Called Wanda, Silverado, The Meaning of Life, The Taming of the Shrew, Fawlty Towers, The Life of Brian, Monty Python
• Samantha Bond  – Downton Abbey and other series
• Why? Curious. Hal and I saw several Bond films in a Bond festival in the early 70’s and enjoyed them. Sean Connery is the only Bond we have ever seen.  Friends have said later actors have been good too. And with Judi Dench they can’t be all bad.  So we bought the box...
• Seen:  March 20, 2015   

A boat race on the Thames! I hope we don’t run into anything like that when we’re in London at the end of April but it’s fun to watch on TV.

I don’t really know what’s going on but it’s exciting.

Ah, skiing. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

If the oil pipeline is supposed to be a good thing, though, then I’m not going to like this film much. Oil pipelines are really bad and I don’t like oil magnates. The world can’t afford them.  They’re villains, even the ones James Bond is in love with. This doesn’t have a good feeling.

It gets better though.  The beautiful oil magnate – um. Seems James isn’t in love with her after all. Seems she’s the bad guy. OK.

It’s not a flop but this film doesn’t have the sharpness of the previous two.  Brosnan seems tired and Judi Dench deserves a better role. Robert Carlyle is always good. John Cleese is a welcome addition but I’ll miss M.  Desmond Llewelyn died at the age of 85 after this film was made.

2 ½ * of 5