Tomorrow Never Dies

Tomorrow Never Dies boasts what may be the most absurd plot of any Bond film. The head of a media outlet tries to start wars in order to have a monopoly on the media coverage of them. If you can’t comprehend the absurdity of that, let me try to give another example. CNN starts World War 3 and has journalists in place to report these events before anyone else can, and no one on the face of the earth thinks that’s shady in any way, shape, or form except for MI6. The question we should all be asking ourselves is how the heck this movie managed to actually be kind of good with a plot like this.

The opening sequence is not quite as exhilarating as we’ve come to expect from Brosnan Bond movies, but it’s competent enough. From there, we’re plunged directly into the story. The first act takes its time, explaining delicately in a detailed manner exactly what the media mogul’s plan is, and how he’s going to carry it out. His plot may be absolute garbage, but the film is helped by the fact that it never feels rushed. Bond is inevitably sent to investigate the odd string of events, and prevent World War 3. Pretty much a classic Bond story.

One of the main things the film has going for it is the fact that it hardly ever loses momentum. It moves forward constantly, stopping only for brief periods of time to delve into character a bit. These character moments (by this I mean Bond movie character moments, not necessarily the real thing) help to lift the movie up a bit, and give it a sobering edge by killing off a supporting character. The plot moves quickly and in a formulaic manner, with Bond getting captured and escaping before initiating an explosive finale. One unique detail of the film is Bond teaming up with a Chinese agent. It gives it a nice, fresh feel. However, it also introduces some problems.

The main problem with Tomorrow Never Dies is its excessive detours into formula and its apparent identity crisis. The film doesn’t seem exactly sure of what it wants to be, transitioning through tones abruptly. It tries to be dark in places and then undercuts the tension with a quick one-liner. Additionally, it lacks a bit of setup when it comes to Bond’s partner. We see a few quick clips of her before the inevitable team-up, but her sudden introduction as a supporting character feels a bit jarring. The film is also a bit too long. It drags the resolution out too much, sprinkling in pointless and weightless chase scenes when it could be wrapping everything up.

That said, the film does mostly succeed in being entertaining. It’s confident, energetic, and you almost get the feeling that the people behind it were genuinely excited about it. Brosnan again does a fine job playing Bond, achieving a perfect balance between the light and dark constantly battling in the character. Michelle Yeoh does a perfectly capable job as his counterpart, and Jonathan Pryce plays the heck out of the villain, Elliot Carver. Even Teri Hatcher does a competent job, shockingly.

Overall, Tomorrow Never Dies is one of the better formulaic Bond flicks. It has a few qualities which elevate it above standard (at least at the time) Bond fare, and it’s worth checking out if you just want to be entertained for a couple hours. I’m giving it 3.2/5 stars.