The World Is Not Enough

With a slightly typical but nonetheless immensely entertaining opening sequence, The World Is Not Enough promises to adhere to Bond formula from the very start. And adhere to formula it does. However, it does manage to stay entertaining enough, and just barely unique enough that it holds your attention.

As the film goes on, it seems to become more and more unremarkable. Brosnan’s Bond films were never known for their originality, and this one is certainly no exception. The plot is typical, the villain is rather typical, and the quips and puns follow in regular fashion. Ultimately, it just feels like everything we’ve seen before. So am I saying I hated it? No, surprisingly enough. (Spoilers will follow, for those of you who haven’t seen the movie.)

The film manages to stay afloat, largely due to the charisma of Brosnan in the starring role. Additionally, Elektra being a villain was something rather new, especially to the Bond franchise. The main villain’s motivations were a bit more grounded this time around, even if he himself was rather cliché. The action is very well done, and still holds up, even by today’s standards. And now we come to the performances. Pierce Brosnan, as always, plays Bond to perfection. Sophie Marceau does a perfectly acceptable job of playing Elektra. And while Denise Richards certainly doesn’t give an Oscar-worthy performance as Christmas Jones, I didn’t find myself regularly cringing whenever she was on screen. I seem to be the only person who wasn’t, however, so perhaps I just missed something. The score, composed by David Arnold, is good, but certainly not his best.

So, what’s the final consensus? To me, the film was simply unremarkable, and I think that’s mostly how it’s remembered. While it’s not an absolute train wreck of a movie, it feels like the writers phoned this one in. Nearly everything in it is something we’ve seen before, and the unique parts about it seem to get lost in all of the clichés. It’s nearly 100% formula, pure and simple. If that’s what you want from a Bond film, then this is the one for you. If you want originality, that’s here in small quantities, and may ultimately make the movie worth watching for you. So, do I recommend it? Sure. It’s not the best Bond movie, or even remotely close to being such, or even one of the better action movies in (somewhat) recent memory. But if you’re in the mood for a formulaic Bond movie, or just want to have a fun time, give it a shot. You might like it. I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

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