Anthony's Film Review - Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

An action-packed extravaganza with a creative premise and a memorable villain...

Goldeneye did a decent job in bringing back James Bond for the 1990s, and two years later, Tomorrow Never Dies made sure Bond is here to stay. For me, this was the film where I became much more used to Pierce Brosnan as 007. In fact, I remember rewatching all of the Bond films before this one came out, so naturally, I was excited to see this new Bond movie as its release was approaching. I really loved it when I saw it in the theater. I thought just about everything worked.

There are plenty of gadgets to see here, and they're just right without really being overdone. Bond mainly has a cell phone with multiple modifications by Q, including a fingerprint scanner and an electric zapper. The phone is also a second means for Bond to drive his BMW, which has missiles and bulletproof windshield. That was what I was hoping to see. The BMW in Goldeneye was not involved in any action, but this BMW is. All of the action scenes are great, from the parking garage to the motorcycle chase in Vietnam.

Teri Hatcher has a brief role as an old flame of Bond who is now married to the villain. She, of course, has an untimely end, but it has happened with plenty of Bond girls over the years. Michelle Yeoh, as Wai Lin, steals the show just as much as Pierce Brosnan, and the two are a wonderful team. She is probably one of the best Bond girls to have appeared in the series, because she is both gorgeous and deadly. She deserves extra credit for doing many of her own stunts in this film, considering her experience with other films.

But the one character that makes this film one of Brosnan's best Bond films is Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver, the evil media mogul who would not only cover the biggest news, but also create them himself. Here is a villain who is not the run-of-the-mill evil people who just want to take over the world. Like Goldfinger and Fort Knox, Carver has his obsession that he likes to feed, and James Bond enters the picture just as the villain conjures the biggest plan yet to satisfy his thirst for power. It's the perfect idea for our modern era in which media and communications have an impact on everyone's lives.

I was overjoyed to have seen the film after the credits rolled. It was sad to see the tribute to the late Albert Broccoli, but I'm sure he would be very pleased with this film. It is one that is fun to watch over and over. I consider it one of the best Bond films ever made, and again, it's more than good enough to propel the Bond series into the 1990s. Every Bond film mentions that "James Bond will return," and with Tomorrow Never Dies, it proves that the series never breaks that promise.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Tomorrow Never Dies, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my reviews of the following:

Official James Bond Films

Unofficial James Bond Films

Casino Royale (1967)
Never Say Never Again