Reviewing 'Tomorrow Never Dies' - The Countdown to Bond 25
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2020
- CINEMATIC 007 -- "There's no news, like bad news." The Countdown to 'No Time To Die' continues with a review of 'Tomorrow Never Dies.'
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The suggestion of Monica Bellucci being cast as Paris Carver when this came out instead of Teri Hatcher is one I wholeheartedly agree with.
It might be fun if they did a video where they suggested alternative casting for Bond Girls, Villains, henchmen, and others who didn't quite work.
They should have cast someone who could act.
As if Bond would leave a Prime Bellucci...come on, even he knows when he's on top of the everest
@@ghenulo Bond Girls are known for being attractive, not for winning Academy Awards, lol
But the Role of Paris Carver come way to short in the Movie. She dies in the first Third of the movie
I’m sorry Scott is wrong on this one lol.
It’s a fun Bond movie with tons of action, one of the best openings, great music, cool locations, great cast, excellent title song, loads of 007 tropes, great villain IMO, one of the best Bond allies who you believe can kick ass, awesome Q moment, evil henchman (and creepy “torture doctor”), high stakes (WW3), etc.
the one thing I will say is the end theme is one of the best Bond songs that wasn't a title theme.
Robert Carson 👍 "Surrender" should've been the title theme, and Moby's Bond theme remix should've been the end theme.
It IS the greatest Bond theme song never used.
I think they should do that more - use dicarded theme songs as end titles if they´re good enough. Hell I think we´d all like it better if Ace Of Base came on at the end of GoldenEye instead of The Experience Of Love.
I like both songs a lot, the Sheryl Crow one as well as the K D Lang one. I understand that many would have preferred Surrender as the title song, but in my opinion, with the way it is, they found a good solution to utilize both of them. The Sheryl Crow song has more changes in dynamic, it starts off slow and understated, but then it builds up so much dramatic tension towards the chorus, which is then beautifully released through the "tomorrow never dies" line. I find it very intriguing. And that's what you want at the beginning of a movie. It wouldn't work in the closing titles. You've just witnessed the resolution of the plot, the world is saved, you don't want to go through all those dynamic changes again. You want something more upbeat, something bombastic and epic, that ends it all on a high note. And that's exactly what you get with Surrender. Don't get me wrong, it would have worked just fine as the title song as well. But that would have meant dropping Sheryl Crow's song altogether. I'm glad they kept both.
And this way, K D Lang at least gives us a good reason to sit through the closing credits.
@@niels25chr1 though I am also fond of If there was a man. I mean it is The Pretenders.
@@robertcarson2365 that song was very good
It's incredible how Scott gives Tommorrow Never Dies a 3 while he gives Diamonds Are Forever a 7. Explain yourself Scott!
Because he didn’t grow up with this one
People are different.
I am a big fan of diamonds
@@Oakwoodstudiosmoviesandtvshows sigh 😤
As a kid/teenager I always believed this was my favorite and best of the Brosnan era. Now through the years and a couple more viewings I'm now in the GoldenEye camp. However, Tomorrow Never Dies is still a solid, very fun, and very entertaining Bond film. I love the Elliot Carver as the villain along with the two minor villains Stamper and Mr. Gupta. I like the female leads, the score is excellent, and the action scenes are fantastic. It's also a very contemporary Bond movie that holds up in today's day and age of constant news. The editing never occurred to me as an area of criticism, I just took it for what it was. I enjoy Tomorrow Never Dies as fun action entertainment.
About the lack of mystery. Scott, you're right, there are no surprises. But here's the thing: Mystery doesn't age well upon repeated viewings. The Elektra King twist doesn't grab me any more when I'm watching TWINE for the 5th time. When I'm watching Skyfall for the 10th time, all that surprises me is some new details regarding continuity and logic I notice that further destroy my suspension of disbelief about Silva's escape. It's all great for a good first time viewing experience, but not for rewatching.
Tomorrow Never Dies, however, stays exactly the same, no matter how often I watch it. I can put it on for the 100th time and I know I'm gonna have a good time. And that is a quality in itself that can and should be appreciated.
It is not an obvious quality, I'll admit that. I only noticed it while doing a full Bond marathon within a couple of weeks last year. Watching it on the back of all those 70s and 80s Bond movies that mostly did not nearly age as well really put things into perspective for me.
Good to see more love for TND. I feel it follows FRWL and TB in that it outlays the villain's scheme from the outset and the fun comes from Bond navigating his way through it all.
As for TWINE... the remarkable thing from that film is that I always instantly fall in love with Elektra, and find myself hoping she won't become the villain. As if I'm watching an alternate version. Such a great performance from Marceau.
@@curiouscase0075 That is a very good point, although I'll admit I'm not a fan of Thunderball. Being aware of what's going on on the villain's side is one thing, but being guided extensively through every detail of the plan and its execution is quite another. Anyway, Scott didn't seem to have much of an issue with that back then.
Skyfall is certainly the most overrated of all Craig films. Of course, it is still is second best but there is not much competetion.
Great job as always guys. Superb first 007 score by David Arnold with, for me, 'Backseat Driver' being a definite highlight. Also, as I am sure most of us agree, the marvellous song 'Surrender' was sadly played at the wrong end of the film!
This is like the same formula of You Only Live Twice and The Spy Who Loved Me, but with the more brutal Michael Bay type action
Exactly!
But to me it still works!
@Tim Hands Exactly. Maybe more The Spy Who Loved Me. The ending on the ship is basically the same - just without the submarines.
They made bond into rambo in this movie and i love it.
@@thedarkknightman6150 I don´t think its Rambo. Even Rambo isn´t as lighthearted as this movie. There is no plot, there is no substance, there is just a bunch of action scenes.
I don't see how The Spy Who Loved Me is anywhere similar to this. YOLT and this dealt with instigation of a war between superpowers, where TSWLM and its slightly less cheesy followup, Moonraker, dealt with global annihilation. It's a big difference.
Wow I’m surprised by the hate this one gets. I love this film! The opening scene is amazing. It’s pure Brosnan all the way.
I wasn’t a fan of the P99 switch but in reality that gun holds 16 rounds and is way more logical for Bond to use than a max 8 round PPK... but for the sake of the character I’d stick with the PPK.
I love Wai Lin, she was right on par with Bond. Badass, smart, beautiful... she’s just as good as Bond and kind of a first of her kind. Pierce is on point and more badass in this one to me. Yes the villain isn’t as good, he’s a bit silly but for 97 he was kind of way ahead of his time! I could see that villain being a real thing now a days.
I can understand the flaws and it’s a bit action heavy but I think for the time period and to follow something as great as Goldeneye it did pretty good.
And yes Surrender is by far the better song.
Brosnan was written so badly, or he was just a wimp, that he was often outdone by his leading lady. He was the least tough Bond of the series. At least Moore had a presence. He had a big, commanding figure. Brosnan was model/13 year old boy with juvenile one liners, constantly mugging for the camera that he always took me out of the movie. Talk about 4th wall breaking. Wai Lin, hell, Jinx outdid him. She was tougher than he was and she was a cartoon character.
I actually really like this movie 😬
Cade Pickron your not alone
@@jlazor1 Not alone by a long shot! I think most fans enjoy this one.
I don't care what people say, TND is my #1 bond movie of all time and yes i seen all the bond movies to sean to Daniel and i still love this movie than all the bond movies and pierce brosnan is my #1 bond because without him and the game call goldeneye i would not got into this franchise.
@@Beingjamesbond you have to understand that at the Time of the Film Lois and Clark The Adventures of Superman was a Very Popular Series at the Time and Teri Hatcher was a Huge TV Star. It's Understandable that she got the Part of Paris but Monica Belluci could've done the Part too!!!
@@thedarkknightman6150 TND is #5 to me but still.....I love this movie. I have a hard time figuring out which is better Goldeneye or Tommorrow Never Dies
27:41 Watching the backseat-driver sequence again, I wondered: where did that sense of joy go?
Pierce Brosnan looked like he was having more fun in that sequence than Daniel Craig did in his entire time as Bond - and Craig looks just as miserable in the trailers for No Time To Die. Hopefully the next James Bond will actually have fun again.
A heterosexual white male is definitely not allowed to have fun in 2020.
Absolutely ! I've never bought Craig as Bond. And I was actually saying last night that Brosnan, despite the films he was in and whatever you may think of them (DAD not the greatest etc) that he actually always respected the part, enjoyed the history of it and wanted to be there. At NO point would i ever say that about Craig. The brick-with-eyes has never given off any clue that he actually likes being Bond or wants to be there !!
liquidgeorge That wraps it up so well😂
@Tim Hands most people would say Dalton is the Bond of the books - and if that's the case he emoted through his 2 films. Craig just doesn't. No change in expression in 5 films for the most part. Dalton, and Connery would show a whole range of emotions depending on what the scenes would be requiring of.
this is just my opinion
@Tim Hands absolutely !
i loved this film. wow, i find it very interesting to here from other 007 fans. brosnan era was ace apart from die another day. im so much of a fan i love them all. watched the brosnan films more than any other
Amen, have you even play the videogame call goldeneye on nintendo 64? Great game.
Tomorrow Never Dies is a great Bond movie. I don't like the remaining two Brosnan movies, however.
@@hyldenchampchamp498 yep 1 and 2 were good 3 and 4 crap!
16:00 holy shit the train jump in Skyfall is like a shot for shot remake of that! Also can we talk about how the DoP for this is the guy who did most of PTAs movies?
There is some beautiful photography in the movie; Carver typing his headline in the dark and the final confrontation with Stamper were scenes that were particularly impressive. Unfortunately, a majority of the film looks rather banal. I guess the blame can be attributed to the rushed production schedule.
Robert Elswit is his name, his work on PT Anderson’s films particularly on his early films and There Will Be Blood which he won an Oscar for really makes them stand out, I was rewatching Boogie Nights recently which is one of my favourite films and I was struck at how great the cinematography was with the stock and lenses along with the colour palette, which gave the film a classic 70’s look which enhanced the time period accuracy of the film’s late 70’s/early 80’s time period setting.
Sadly Elswit and PTA had a falling out after Inherent Vice and will not be working again, Phantom Thread PTA actually served as the cinematographer himself.
The music in this movie is so good, David Arnold nailed it.
These reviews have been a highlight for me over the last few months. Keep up the phenomenal work. While I know it wouldn't be on the same level, I wouldnt mind hearing your opinions and reviews of the Ian Fleming books. I'd even goes as far as saying I wouldnt mind your opinion on the John Gardner and Raymond Benson books.
Great idea, Derek. Haven't read all of the Benson books but Never Dream of Dying was fantastic stuff. I'm currently reading Anthony Horowitz's Forever And a Day and it's real old school Fleming cool. Highly recommended 👍 👍
@@jamielynch9807 Yeah, I really enjoyed the two Anthony Horowitz Bond books.
The book Bond has always been my favorite Bond. I'll even goes as far as liking the somewhat rebooted book Bond in Carte Blanche and wish that would have continued concurrently to the original timeline books. I got into Bond and the books in early junior high and I'm now 35 years old. The Bond books have such an interesting arc for me as, of course, I love the orginal fleming books and the Raymond Benson books when I was younger, but the Gardner books I really had to slog through at my younger age. Gardner was too political and realistic for my young mind to completely get lost in them then. Now though, I love the Gardner Books because of their realism. As a gun aficionado, I also love that Bonds carry gun for most of the Gardner books was the ASP 9mm. That gun epitomizes Bond if Bond was a real character and Agent. Didn't care for him replace Q with Q'ute though. Didnt like the idea of Bond bedding the armorer.
Also if your a fan of the orginal Fleming novels I highly recommend the Dynamite Entertainment graphic novels of Casino Royale and Live and Let Die. I really hope they are able to do all the Fleming novels into graphic novels.
That was very entertaining guys! Well i agree with Scott. - I recall Joe/Scott said when they went from the Moore-Dalton era to Brosnan, That; "we lost a little something". For me that was the british style. There was something about that i loved. Now its just any other action film. - Anyway... Great review, looking forward to the next one ; - )
Thank you! Great insight on losing the British style! I think you hit the nail on the head!
Monica Bellucci. “The fools said no”
Monica Bellucci dis a screen test for this movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins was cast to play Elliot Carver, but the whole production was such a mess, didn't get along with some of the cast, and in the end got a better offer from the director of Goldeneye Martin Campbell to play Zorro. The original screenplay was about the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, but the producers changed their minds at the very last moment. Love your reviews, thank you for your dedication.
I'm glad Jonathan Pryce got the role. Hopkins was surely too associated with Hannibal Lector.
Hopkins. Didn't know that. But Zorro was perfect for him.
Hopkins would have been a great villain
This is actually one of favorites... But agree that the score is fantastic!
This is my #1
KD Lang should have been performing the opening theme instead - "Surrender" is a far stronger composition - not Sheryl Crow's : sorry!.
A 3!?? What the!? TND has so many great moments and lines. (I might be slightly paraphrasing here) British Admiral: What is Bond doing?" M: "His job!" Dr Kaufmann: "I'm just a professional doing my job" Bond: "So am I" Bond to Wai Lin "Were did you learn to fight like that ? Wai Lin:" That comes from growing up on the streets of Beijing, where did you learn to ride like that?" Bond: "That comes from never growing up at all" Bloody love this film, the arms bizarre opening is amazing, the score is fantastic, Brosnan really owns the role, he's at his toughest and most brooding, the tone throughout is hard edged and Michelle Yeoh is a great Bond girl too.
RighteousBrother What I love about the clashes between M (Judi Dench) and Rear Admiral Roebuck (Geoffrey Palmer) is that they starred as a reunited couple in the TV series "As Time Goes By."
"With all due respect, M, sometimes I don't think you have the balls for this job."
"Perhaps. The advantage is, I don't have to think with them all the time."😆
The one thing this movie got right was that if your going to modernize Bond you absolutely need to modernize his firearm. The Walther P99 wasn't the best choice for an upgrade but it did stay true to Bond being a Walther fan, which I can definitely get behind. I wish they would have kept going and ended up with a Walther PPS or even a PPQ but I think too many people complained and they eventually regressed back to the PPK. Which if you know, is a terrible modern choice for a carry gun.
They probably should update his gun of choice.
I agree wholeheartedly. Bond's style should reflect the mid 20th century but not his tools. Bond should not be being carry a Walther PPK in 2020.
Bond should still be distinguishable from Rambo.
Also, they jumped the shark with that whole Walther PPK thing early one. In Dr No, Bond has to be forced to take a Walther PPK because it never jams and all the CIA use it. And only a few films later, Bond is supposedly the only guy in the world to use that gun.
Some good points made. I just find this a very fun film to watch. It's not too deep and dreary. And I love Jonathan Pryce in this. Fantastic film second to Goldeneye. As far as the Brosnan era is concerned.
Hey, guys! You just MUST do "Reviewing "Never Say Never Again"" too! Altough not the smartest Bond movie, it is certainly not that bad as people say! And as time goes by and old rivals Saltzman/Broccoli vs. Mc Clory are dead, I think that we just have to take this film into Bond family! But of course not that "Casino Royale" 1967 crap!!!
Great movie IMHO. I used to watch it with a Barry score playing in the background!
Just discovered your channel and I really enjoy and respect both your options on the Bond Legacy. I am also rewatching and reviewing all the Bond Films leading up to No Time To Die. Keep up the great work and working together!
7:34 love the way the lips are synched here hahahaha... like always, great attention to detail! ❤
Ahhh, the "At Least It's Not Die Another Day" movie.
DAD is definitely my least favorite Brosnan Bond and it goes on for far too long, but I suppose it's watchable.
@@ghenulo It's actually my least favorite Bond film. I was 18 in 2002, stationed at the submarine base in CT ... closest theater was miles away so I took a cab there and back. I actually felt embarrassed for seeing it while in the theater - I think the invisible Aston Martin was the breaking point, although Madonna may have also been the tipping point - I can't remember. Ugh.
All Bond movies up until Licence to Kill had been events which set new standards and upped the ante as regards the bounds of cinema. CGI changed all that, acting as a leveller which helped other movie makers compete. By the time the Bond franchise was reborn with Brosnan, True Lies had set new heights and made recent Bond efforts appear already dated. Later on, the Bourne trilogy "out-Bonded" Bond and it wasn't until the Craig era that the Bond franchise was able to once again be relevant in setting new levels of expectation. You fellas have touched on pacing and I think that's largely where the issue lies with Brosnan's four efforts. All four Brosnan outings are solid efforts. As Scott suggested, Brosnan was a great Bond in search of a great script. Despite that, TND is better than I recall, has a great villain and has aged well. It's a stylish and polished movie like all four of the Brosnan offerings with a sharp script which seems prescient today. The Saigon action chase was pretty original if far fetched. Unfortunately originality on its own was no longer good enough when competing with the more realistic action sequences then beginning to be offered by the Bourne movies. The ending on the stealth ship is a let down (though no more than the mass shootouts that have blighted the ending of many a Bond movie before and since). TND gets a 7 from me.
I have a newly found appreciation for this film since I watched all of them in short succession last year. It may not be exactly original or innovative, there's no surprise twist, but it's just so much fun. It ticks all the boxes and has everything I want in a Bond movie, which I can't say for most of the films from the 70s and 80s. In fact, I believe the absence of a plot twist or novelty story elements is what makes it so timeless and rewatchable. They didn't tamper with the established formula and instead focussed on the execution.
It just so happens to be overshadowed by its predecessor GoldenEye, and in my opinion that's why many tend to underrate it. But if you look at what came after it: Tomorrow Never Dies is in fact the last time we see Bond do his bloody job instead of going rogue, faking death, going into temporary retirement or doing his own thing behind M's back. And it is quite frankly the last time MI6 have their sh*t together and aren't either infiltrated or completely outsmarted by the enemy. After 6 installments of Wade & Purvis trying to be clever over the last 23 years, I find it actually quite refreshing to put Tomorrow Never Dies on, a movie that simply follows the classic Bond formula while providing great action setpieces and an epic score.
Fantastic David Arnold score. Great review guys. Thanks
Not one of the better Bond films, but I still enjoy it.
i think this is it at th end
Despite its faults I do prefer TND to the other Brosnan movies. Ironically the story and villain seem more relevant in to days world of fake news, social media, etc. than it did in 1997 when it seemed a bit odd.
I don't know about that. Elliot Carver was based on real newspaper magnates.
I didn't think it odd back in the day.
The difference is that in 1997 can could think this is one "Rupert Murdoch gone crazy" - and now it is whole networks who would actually do this.
It just wasn't as obvious as it is now.
Great review guys! But no mention of the horrible sounding punching sound effects!
Great review guys! I do prefer this to Goldeneye...😁
Same!!!!!
Best Brosnan film for sure. Such an underrated bond flick.
Mee tooo. Best of all bond movies. My #1
Teri Hatcher is surprisingly good in the TV show MacGyver from the 80s, but here... It's well known that Brosnan and Teri didn't get along on set and the acting shows.
I really liked her in MacGyver
Probably my favorite James Bond movie.
The opening gunbarrel is perfect and objectively the best in the series, It has great and consistent action throughout, the locales flow nicely into one another, the character of Carver and the overall plot is believable and genuinely interesting, the movie doesn't overstay its welcome and the whole cast does a stellar job and seems to have fun with their respective characters.
Made my day! Love these reviews! A friend of mine dislikes this one and calls it the 'Terminator Bond.' I see his point but for me the action is solid with some fantastic stunts, an amazing score and Brosnan even more comfortable in the role. Carver is a weaker villain after 006 but still has some great moustache twirling moments. This is my afternoon sorted. Keep up the great reviews guys and thanks from Ireland 👍👍
Yep I can see why he call it the Terminator Bond - its very blue also, and looks like T2. Right - got my evening sorted, just need to finish work (in 30 mins)
1:42 Rupert Murdoch meeting Wendi Deng?🤔
RedLightMax surprises me that hardly anyone gets the Murdoch thing.
@@theplasticdesert2408 It's because that Murdoch thing has passed. It's 24 years later and he still hasn't taken over the universe. The real media villains are more collective, less charismatic but very real. They might not have stealth boats and take down submarines but they are more than willing to play politics themselves, even if a country goes up in flames for it.
With respect to the Head of Section, I'm with Scott on most things as far as this series of reviews is concerned (including his ratings of the movies), and this is no exception. I'd love to meet you guys one day! Love your work, guys.
Hitchcock often said that the key to suspense is to show the audience exactly where the bomb (or whatever) is and then the suspense
comes from the audience anticipating what will happen. Will our heroes make it and how?
Of course, he didn't fill his films with endless action scenes, so there is that...
But perhaps Tomorrow Never Dies is a Hitchcockian James Bond film?
Nice!
teppolundgren Here's Hitchcock talking about his "suspenseful bomb" theory: th-cam.com/video/DPFsuc_M_3E/w-d-xo.html
There is a terrific Hitchcockian scene in GoldenEye, where we know that Bond's pen will explode four seconds after it's clicked three times: th-cam.com/video/nOGrIcYCu_I/w-d-xo.html
When Hitch talks of suspense in this context, he refers to the immediate danger nearby. That's something far more reserved and calculated. Tomorrow Never Dies is more of a blunt tool that is stuffed with explosions and too much is revealed at the beginning. Hitch's thrillers, or any competent thriller, carefully doles out the information because you want to keep them stimulated and curious.
@@ricardocantoral7672 Not always, though. In "Rope", the murder happens very early in the film, and then the entire premise is about anticipating or even fearing the discovery of the body.
Hitchcock gives us everything we need to know right from the start.....and it still works.
@@SpaceCattttt Rope is an intimate story. A thriller is on a larger scale so doling out the information slowly is the ideal way to keep the audience interested throughout the picture.
Only a 2 year wait. Rather than a 5 year wait for 'No Time to Die'. Doubt that NTTD will be much better.
My favorite Brosnan Bond. Wai Lin and Carver are my favorite Bond girl and villain of the Brosnan era.
40:39. Thank you for mentioning this moment! Very underrapreciated, with incredible music by David Arnold.
Love how you guys disagree with each other so good naturedly.
Great video a huge fan of your channel and these videos keep up the awesome work!!
Thank you so very much!
I wouldn’t say the Dr Kaufman scene was played for laughs?? It’s brilliant done and his death is ironic
Vincent Schiavelli
is always a great actor, but jeah, the Scene was a little played for laughs i think
@@DasKame I was played for laughs, ja, but not purely. There is also a very real threat in that scene.
And Kaufmann doesn't fail for any fault of his own but because Stamper's men have to call and ask about the car.
Whenever you get a Bond film that makes a huge impact and reinvigorates the franchise like Goldeneye the follow up will always struggle to reach the same heights. I don't hate this film. It's not Die Another Day, which is a good thing but it just feels weak in so many areas, the plot, the chief villain. Brosnan's fight scenes seem clunky in comparison to the previous film and in comparison to Michelle Yeoh's fight scenes, which are far more fluid, dynamic and better choreographed. In fact Michelle Yeoh completely steals this film from Brosnan and you end up wishing that she had more scenes than she was given. There are things to like here, however, the pre-title sequence, the car chase in the car park, the motor cycle chase, Michelle Yeoh's fight scenes, David Arnold's first score for the franchise and Brosnan gives a more assured and confident performance. I have to say though, my whole enjoyment of the movie does centre around Michelle Yoeh's presence as I have been such a fan of hers since the 80's but as you said she is totally under used as is Terri Hatcher, which is a great shame. Overall, the film is a watchable entry in the series but not really up there with the best of them. It's a bit lacking and not quite fully engaging. Not bad...just okay.
Very true! You can feel that 'sophomore' struggle.
You've listed quite a lot of stuff you like in the film!
@@RighteousBrother I also liked the HALO jump sequence but the things I mentioned were just disjointed elements that for me did not add up to a satisfying whole. I found the pacing of the film to be inconsistent and the villains to be a bunch of like-minded, incompetent sadists playing at being bad with wealth and resources at their disposal rather than seasoned professionals. You can see that by how easily Bond dispatches most of them. The overall plot is silly and less interesting than the plot of Goldeneye or indeed the plot of the film that followed this one, 'The World is Not Enough,' which had a much more interesting story and more strongly defined characters. I think this film was more of a cash in on the success of Goldeneye, attempting to recreate the spectacle of that film and not quite managing to hit the same high notes. Which is probably why they adopted a totally different approach with the next one.
Your even handed opinion is probably closer to the truth than my feeling on the movie. Kudos!
@@TheYojimbo6 Thank you. I've been a Bond fan since the age of 6. Started reading the Fleming novels from age 9, inspired to by my love of the movies. But as I've become older, like you, I've tended to be more critical of the ones that don't work for me and don't quite hit that level of sublime Bond perfection. Of course that line is different for everyone. I love Licence to Kill, that one doesn't work for some and that's okay. Some people actually love Die Another Day (No comment there, biting my tongue right now). I think the very first time I realised the Bond team don't always hit that sweet spot was with Moonraker but to their credit for a franchise that's been running since 1962 and has clocked up 25 films in the series they've hit that sweet spot far more times than they missed it.
I love your channel. I look forward to receiving notifications of new videos and I'm really enjoying your retrospectives. Can't wait to hear your views on The World is Not Enough. Good luck with that and great job all round. Kudos to you too pal. Much deserved.
I do not agree with Scott. Because movies are not meant to be watched many times, movies are meant to be watched one time. And the first time you watch Tomorrow never dies, you do not know if there will be a bigger surprice later, and you do not need mystery in a film where the action-sequences are magnificent.
Oh Scott, you need to take Zaritsky's Tomorrow Never Dies appreciation course. But you are right that the last quarter is the weakest part.
Hearing all the hate for this film pushed me to the comments section, and I wasn’t disappointed. 😁 The Brosnan era deserves more love!
Yes it does. And its my #1 bond movie ever.
Was waiting for you to mention Dr. Kaufmann. To me, he is one of the few lights in the dark here. Carver, Stamper, the Yeoh character - just hitting every note from boring to annoying.
You need to watch this film with me Scott. The sardonic undercurrent and geopolitical/social commentary I feel is lost on you. And that briefing scene with M is such an excellent shake up on the scene, lending a sense of urgency to the plot - something we hadn't quite had since perhaps Thunderball, when all 00s are brought back to London for SPECTRE's bomb threat... But I'll keep watching... this is going to be a hard 50 minutes.
Haha Joe just nailed it - the sense of urgency.
Sylvia and Paris seem very similar in that they're socialites. I could totally see Sylvia with Elliot Carver so maybe that's Bond's almost type. After all, he leaves both of them.
Me thinks you might be adding the geopolitical/social commentary on your own. I would love, love, love if that was the case...but I'm not buying it. It's just not there and the screenplay is not that smart..IMHO..but thanks for watching!
@@TheYojimbo6 Not at all. The entire premise is how much power the media has and how that interacts with MoD. Then you have that awesome TV report underscoring Paris' death/the Kaufman scene, which shows another way the media can manipulate: announcing the death of an unidentified man beautifully shows the extent in which Carver will cover all bases: Bond may just get out of it so he doesn't name him in the report. And also, reversing the use of media manipulation by reporting Carver's death as a suicide is a nice touch.
Plus it strangely captures a modern Britain, particularly with pitting Bond up against the Chinese as it becomes a global power and military threat, which is all the more relevant now, particularly potent considering the Hong Kong handover, too, as if Britain is pandering to the Chinese, but they won't. They'll still stand their ground. And it's something Fleming commented on his books - the position of Britain in the world and it's gradual decline in the post-war years.
The beautiful thing about TND is that Carver achieves much of his goal straight off the bat (in the sinking of the Devonshire scene that you despise so much haha) which mirrors the speediness of journalistic reporting and how quickly things can escalate in the modern world. And like in FRWL, when audiences know what the game is right off the bat, Bond is tasked with recovering the GPS encoder, working out how it was used to manipulate satellite positioning and not relying just on the mysterious signal that implicates Carver, work out the motive (also to recover the missiles from the Devonshire to direct into Beijing) and understand Carver's means - the stealth ship, with Chinese stealth material, again playing into the Chinese as an adversity to the declining British Empire.
This is part of the subtext of the film, hence why some might not see it, and part of the reason why it resonates with me so much. It captures so much of what makes Bond what it is-- like a Fleming novel for cinema screens in the 90s. Plus I also think it's the most quotable screenplay since perhaps Thunderball, so I strongly disagree it's 'not that smart'.
As for Paris (this is for Joe), Bond never did love Paris as he did Tracy or Vesper (though the 2006 Vesper, I'm still yet to buy their relationship as convincing, so I'm referring to the Vesper of the books). He didn't love her enough to retire from service, or to marry her, so it's not someone I think really did get under Bond's skin. I'd say it's probably more like Tiffany Case (of the books) who moved in with Bond, but it didn't work out.
24:32 they actually had a deleted scene from Licence to Kill where when Dalton's Bond comes to Sanches' Hotel at first, there was a scene where he was getting dressed and he smoking cigarettes, drinking and loading up his gun and watching the TV and monitoring Sanchez. Shame they left out a similar scene which was so Flemingesque
The film that made me a Bond fan and currently ranked as my No. 2. Adore it from start to finish.
Goldeneye for me but in a video game.
@@thedarkknightman6150 I will say GoldenEye was my first 007 movie, and video game also and it's still my favorite. Of course Tomorrow Never Dies is a phenomenal 007 movie and I always enjoy it when I watch it but I honestly didn't enjoy the PS1 game for it though at all lol💯
Watching AVTAK twice at the cinema. You must be the only one.
This is actually one of my favorite 007-movies.
"Bronson"? Oops. BTW this movie had more script problems than any other movie in the series. The script was changed daily, which led Anthony Hopkins to drop out. Brosnan butted heads with the producers and there was a spin put on him that he was being difficult. He just wanted decent material. He was quoted after he was let go from the series that he never felt like the role was his own. This movie exemplifies why.
Couldn’t disagree with Scott more. The plot is not about sinking boats, it’s about “how do we prove to the UK/China that the threat is manufactured by Michael Bloomberg…sorry Elliot Carver…before WWIII starts” There isn’t suspense because we already have a ticking clock. It’s literally why Michelle Yeoh is there. Also, the assassins in Hong Kong that Michelle fights are working with the Chinese General that Elliot was meeting with… did you watch the movie??
I have to agree with Scott on this one; it doesn't do it for me. It may be for different reasons, but I rank it lower. It's basically an action film with Bondian moments. And I don't particularly care for some of the action. The pre-credits, minus the ejector seat, is quite good. The drilling of the ship is only okay. I can't stand the remote control car scene. Why would Bond purposely drive the car off the roof? He already got away from the bad guys. It's just dumb. And it nearly ruins what is a pretty effective dramatic scene which happened just before, when Bond finds Paris dead and he shoots Kaufman. The motorcycle Chase is great though. The battle at the end is okay, but far from great. Carver is an interesting villain and topical today, but Pryce just hams it up. Stamper is boring. Kaufman and Ricky Jay's characters are more interesting. Teri Hatcher is awful. Because we've never seen this character before the whole backstory doesn't work. If it was Kara from Daylights it may have worked better. Michelle Yeoh kicks ass but her character is underdeveloped. It's a fun film in many ways, but falls short.
This movie never got me. I mean the pre title action looks okay, the score sounds like a modern version of Barry and the actors do okay, but all in all this movie has nothing new to offer. The plot is paperthin, the villain is kinda silly, the women don´t have enough to do, the music truly lacks variety (It´s the Bond theme and Surrender instrumentals on end), the theme song is kinda borring (God why didn´t they use Surrender?), the landscapes and locations aren´t astonishing - Germany in overcast weather...? Come on.
This is one of those flicks that are neither good or bad. It´s unoriginal and predictable. A major step down from the three movies that came before it. I even think I like A View To A Kill better - mainly due to the music and the villain.
I like it (though IMHO "GoldenEye" and "The World Is Not Enough" are both better), but I'll agree with you (for the most part) about its deficiencies. It has the weakest villain since "The Living Daylights". Even still, Pierce Brosnan is still incredibly handsome in it, and Michelle Yeoh has some Kung Fu moves.
Your criticisms can easily be applied to Goldeneye. There was little or nothing that made it stand out from the rest of the series because it's filled with wall to wall Bond cliches stuffed into a 90's action package. Tomorrow Never Dies is also formulaic but at least it goes for a satire targeting the crooked, corporate media that still seems fresh today unlike Goldeneye.
wow was that negative. it got over reliant on acton, but it wasn't that bad. Scott really jumped the shark picking Spectre over this. any film that turns Blofeld into Bond's brother, of sorts, is way out there.
Oh no...I nuked the fridge! Lol!
@@TheYojimbo6 LOL
Completely agree re Spectre. A complete horror show for that reason alone!
The glaring flaws ruin this for me.
1. The unbelievable motivation of the bad guy.
2. No actual car driving.
3. The unrealistic shared motorcycle handlebar, and stunts generally with the m/c.
4. The fragmented part-written characters. So much wasted potential.
5. A total lack of back story, making me not really care about the "ghosts from the past".
It's such a shame because the opening scene is fantastic.
4:48 I had no idea that a cover of "Surrender" was made by Meat Loaf.🥁
[crickets]
Is this thing on?
This is one of my most favorite Bond films after Goldeneye. I really don't understand the hate it gets. For years after it came out, I did not realize there was a group that hated it. I thought the hate did not start until Die Another Day. To me, this Bond film is fun and entertaining. It is crammed pack with some of the best action sequences in the entire franchise. The Acting from Jonathan Price is superb and over the top. I like the story because it ties in well with all the fake news of today. It gives insight on how news is manipulated to get people and especially countries to react according to the narrative. The only complaint I have with this film is the straightforward fight sequences they had Pierce do. If it only had the gritty looking fight sequences of Goldeneye, I might pick this movie as my favorite. Because that fight in Goldeneye with Pierce and Sean Bean is realistic and gritty. We would not see this again until Daniel Craig in Casino Royal and other movies like the Bourne series and Taken. Think about it Goldeneye was 1995, that type of fighting on screen was way ahead of its time. It is a shame that they did not do it again with the Pierce Bond movies.
If Carver succeeded, his plan would have been upended a few years later. BY THE INTERNET!
But I don't hate this one. I saw Michelle Yeoh in Police Story 3 when I was very little, and thought she was awesome, so going to the cinema as a young teen and seeing her being treated as a big deal in a mainstream film made me very happy.
I prefer this movie over Goldeneye, even if the story is less personal for Bond.
The pre-title sequence is better, Brosnan is more comfortable in the role and is less skinny, the photography is more polished, the villain's concept was ahead of his time, the fight choreography is faster and Bond has a cool tricked-out car, something which he didn't have since The Living Daylights!
Agreed. And yes, better than Goldeneye
The great things: great David Arnold's score, great energy, well made action scenes, Michelle Yeoh and the car chase of course! Probably the best in franchise!!!
To me this is my most watchable bond movie. It's not my favorite, by far. But i can turn my brain off and enjoy it
Although I may be biased as this is the first one I watched but I think this one is seriously underrated, the score was brilliant and I think brosnan although maybe on a plateau after goldeneye still maintained a brilliant job, the plot was a lot more realistic and modern without losing that bond style. Not sure why people hate on this film too much
Great review, guys. You didn't really mention the pre-titles, which are one of my favourite such sequences of any bond movie.
I was 15 when this came out and it hit a lot of spots for me back then. It seemed really cool at the time and I even had the 'limited' VHS box set when it came out on home release. It was even a big deal for me that Teri Hatcher was in it, although I don't like anything about her actual performance! These days, the film is just so boring to me, once the titles are over.
My fave Brosnan movie, Was really surprised you gave only a 3. Opening really great,Bike chase excellent, remote control BMW and chase.Q, Michelle, Teri, Pryce, etc all great. and the music makes this movie great!! I like the story even more as its gotten better with age and became relevant.
Hey Scott.... Don’t apologize!
52:35 YES!!! THANK YOU!
I was almost getting frustrated while watching this episode, because Scott kept interrupting whenever you were about to talk about the great little Bond moments here. And this one is my favourite, too. It is the first time since Dr. No that Bond's drinking habits are portrayed as seriously unhealthy as opposed to merely quirky. It is a dark, flawed side to Bond's character that was pervasive in Dr. No but had been downplayed ever since, especially in the Moore era.
Other great moments: The Monty Norman theme plays while Bond does mundane stuff like driving to work in his DB5 or travelling to the location of his assignment. These kind of scenes were a signature feature of the first two Bond movies, but apparently came out of fashion after that. Then there's the ending scene with Bond and the girl floating on the ocean, putting off being rescued for some quality time. That's another callback to the 60s. They don't really go for these kind of ending scenes anymore these days. There's also that classic Golfingeresque scene where Bond meets the villain undercover in a social environment and provokes him by dropping some more or less subtle hints that he knows what he's up to. Also, Bond does have a few good one-liners here.
By the way, I wouldn't change anything about Dr. Kaufmann. I'm German, and I find him and his accent hilarious and awesome. The Stuttgart line is great, but what's even better is how he gets so embarrassed by having to ask Bond how to open the car, like that's so beneath him. That scene wouldn't work if he or some other actor played the role straight.
I liked this 007 Adventure !!!!!! The Elliot Carver heavy is extra realistic compared with today’s sinister media moguls !!!!!!!!
jeah, but he give evil speeches and his acting is a LITTLE bit TOO goofy i thought. This is a memorable, but NEVER a menacing villain
I have to say this is one of my favorite Bond movies, Great action sequences, Great locations, I think they’ve tried to mix some classic things with modern staff and it works really good to me, Great score and Brosnan looks great compared with Goldeneye, respect your opinion but this is a very entertaining film to me!! Cheers✌🏻
Btw I recall an old MacGyver episode with Terri Hatcher and that Dr Kaufman guy, lol
It felt like they had a hard time finding anyone who could measure up to Martin Campbell in the Brosnan era. The closest they got was almost picking Peter Jackson to direct The World is Not Enough, but sadly when Barbara Broccoli saw The Frighteners he was no longer considered afterwards.
Barbara Broccoli made a lot of bad calls IMO.
A big fan of these reviews, guys but think Scott is well wide of the mark with this one. Sure, this isn’t amongst the best in the series but great locations, solid action set-pieces, enough “colour” scenes and good pacing make this an enjoyable watch and definitely not amongst the weakest in the series. There is a zip, charm and panache to the Brosnan films which is identifiably Bondian and which unfortunately has been lost in the Craig era (save for Casino). No emotional trauma, no family issues - just Bond on a mission saving the day with style and a fair amount of humour. Sure, the execution could be better and it has its weaknesses but this is the type of Bond film which hits the spot for me. Keep up the great work and thanks for all that you do!
YESSS!!! I've been looking forward to this. the best of the Brosnan Bond's imho.
It's so much fun. Such an easy watch every time. That helicopter stunt is insanity! Dr. Kaufmann and Stamper are two of my favourites. They're just so ridiculous it's great 😂
From Russia with Love laid out the whole premise of the movie in the beginning, and it was fine. It's such a nitpick that that would ruin the movie.
Thunderball does the same thing , however it is boring unlike FRWL
FRWL gave us enough to tease us. The thrills were yet to come.
4:90 no question Surrender by KD Lang is personally one of my favorite Bond songs and the horrible thing about it is that in the score you can even hear hints of it especially in the action scenes
Never loved and hated a bond movie so much at the same time
Certainly didn't spend the whole film cringing. Unlike when watching AVTAK.
This is a great Bond film!
I agree with everything you both said. I would give this a 7 too because I like the pre-title sequence, Vincent Schiavelli's assassin, the remote control BMW, the sneaking around the office leading to the fight scene with the security guards and the security guards beating up Bond in the sound proof room. It had more moments that I liked than disliked. I prefer this movie to The World is not enough and Die Another day. Pacing was fast for this film which I liked because it was very different from anything we've seen in a Bond film before. The World is not enough tried to change this which resulted in the pacing being too slow for me which is why I didn't like that film along with the pointless ski chase scene in it. Good review from both of you.
My favorite movie from James Bond collection.
A big problem for me with this film (other than Hatcher) is they were trying to hard to be relevant by being satirical; the villain is obviously based on Rupert Murdoch who had tried to do a huge satellite deal in China but was ultimately booted out for trying to exert to much influence and get his own way.
Sorry Scott but i love this one. 90s kid 🤷🏻♂️
I thought this was an ok Bond movie, the score by David Arnold made it much better than what it was. My younger self loved it for all the high pace action, I agree now though that the pace is too fast and too much commando crap.
It's an 8/10 for me.
How did Carver pull Paris? Money.
To Head of Section: I don’t think Carver sent in the kung fu fighters. I think General Chang sent them to fight Wei Lin. Joe, I love your videos!! Well done!!
Wow,first time I have disagreed with Scott!
I really like this one!I think it has great energy,lots of very good action sequences,plenty of cool 007 moments and one of the absolute best scores in the series.
In fact,the music is so good it probably elevates the entire film!
Brosnan is also smoother and more polished here than he was in Goldeneye.
I do agree that some of the camera setups seem a bit strange sometimes and the finale on the Stealth ship was sort of standard action stuff that we’ve seen too many times before so it sort of ends too abruptly.
But overall, as someone else mentioned, this seemed like very similar to You Only Live Twice and The Spy who loved me and I enjoy those movies so this one works for me also!
I find TND very middle of the road. It's main problem is that feels more like a generic action movie rather than a Bond movie. My highlights are the pre-title sequence and David Arnold's killer score. Least favourite, backseat driver and Bond being like Rambo for the climax. 6/10
PS. I will easily watch TND over Spectre, which is worst crime, it's boring.
Been waiting for a TWINE review for months. That is my favorite because of the acting. This is my favorite for action.
I love the "old world" set design of the film. After the abundance of military and computer facilities, The World is Not Enough was a refreshing change.
I wonder if the Bond producers, directors, etc watch this and other Bond youtube channels and take note on what is being said and read the fans comments. They could learn alot about what the fans like and what doesn't work in the franchise and for the Bond character itself.
For me I love this 007 Movie.
Scott loses all credibility here :) He likes Diamonds are Forever and A View to a Kill but doesn't like this. Hmmm. Valid points are made for sure. Still really enjoy these reviews and eagerly look forward to them being released - keep up the great work.
Yeah I do enjoy Diamonds are Forever more. I'd rather watch lesser Connery than the underwritten and overbaked TND. But I did beat up on A View to a Kill pretty hard in our review. I never knew I even had credibility! )
Scott Of Being James Bond
You have plenty of credibility!
Especially since you’ve mentioned your love of Michele Yeoh and 90s Hong Kong films!
Loved those movies!
I remember when they first cast her as a new Bond girl I was so excited-thought we’d get her doing all that crazy action like she did in Police Story 3... but nope!
(I agree they definitely did not use her the way they could have)
Shes gone on to have a great career since then though!
I would take Diamonds over any Brosnan Bond.
Xmas '97: Me and my best mate are a couple of years older, I'd seen a few more of the older Bonds as well as rewatching Goldeneye on VHS...then...well...another Brosnan Bond...here we go...
Soundtrack/score is a grade up on Goldeneye...everything else though...is a grade down. At some point in the 00s I rewatched this with my older neice and nephew...it was their first Bond film. I'm not sure if either have become particularly big Bond fans since, even as someone who saw Brosnan as Bond, I'd have rather started them on Goldfinger and followed up with Goldeneye...but the TV schedules couldn't be helped.
Rewatching this from a 2020 perspective...the only extra nitpick I can throw in is...mobile phones in '97 were like CD-Roms in 1989. I see a CD Rom in License to Kill, I raise my eyebrows. I see mobiles in '97...well I guess I was only 15 at the time and only got my first mobile phone as an 18th birthday present...but someone like James Bond...would have had a mobile back in '97 so...
Other than that...well if Scott's going to machine gun what I still think is a rock solid film then I do need to say some things in its defence.
1. Carver is presented as a Rupert Murdoch-type figure. If we had no idea what he was up to in the early stages of the film then Bond investigating him with little-to-no evidence would look very strange. As M says "if the Prime Minister knew we were investigating him, he'd have my head". They took what was a very far-fetched sounding conspiracy theory back then and turned it into a Bond film. A Western government of the time would not realistically consider taking on the likes of Carver. The fact that we already know Carver is evil helps justify the investigation into him in the audience's eyes.
2. Teri Hatcher as Paris...solid actress for the era but I don't think she was the production's Plan A. Heard something about them initially planning to bring back Isabella Scorupco as Natasha from Goldeneye for this role.
3. Michelle Yeoh...I hadn't heard of her prior to this but I thought she worked pretty well, none of the action scenes came close to the tank scene in Goldeneye but there was talk of a spin off series featuring Wei Lin which didn't happen.
4. And hell...I grew up on 90s action and scifi films...visually...the stealth ship scene very much works for me.
My review back in '97 would have been "if you liked Goldeneye, you'll like this, but it's not quite as good" and I can't argue with my '97 self so 8/10 is what this gets.
Incredible how Scott gives this a 3 because primarily the mystery is over with the underwater drill and Bond is catching up to the audience, even though later more is revealed about the stealth technology and Carver’s main plot, but Thunderball he gives a very high score (9?) and there the whole Spectre plot is revealed from the start and Bond is catching up to the audience… Scott? Care to elaborate?
I think concept-wise, this is the best Brosnan film and superior most Craig films - it's just not executed that well. Still, it's a good film.
And of course it suffers from the fault of any Brosnan film: too many stupid machine-gun toting action scenes.
Brosnan film basically have two concepts: villain wants a monopoly in a certain film (this one and The World Is Not Enough) or villain has a grudge and a super weapon (Goldeneye and Die Another Day - copying the original Moonraker story) - obviously the former group's concepts are superior. Goldeneye manages to make up for that rather dense scheme with other elements (former 00 agent, after the Cold War, characters like Xenia and Boris) whereas Die Another Day compley rides the tsunami of absurdity.