Die Another Day
Dir: Lee Tamahori
2002
*
Die Another Day is the twentieth Bond film and marked the 40th anniversary of the character in film. It was to be the biggest Bond yet and a tribute to the nineteen films that preceded it. It was the first Bond film of the new millennium and the last time Pierce Brosnan would play 007. It is also the worst film of the franchise so far - by a mile and looks like it will probably remain as such. The producers had learned nothing from any of their previous mistakes, the film was a commercial hit but was panned by the critics with only people under the age of 24 giving it any credit in a nationwide poll. The film starts referencing the nineteen Bond films that preceded it fairly early on, with most references being a joke or a poor imitation/recreation rather than fitting tribute. Most of these references are made by John Cleese's character R (who took over from Q as head of Q Branch), none are particularly funny and all seem rather forced. This is one of the moments that annoyed me the most in the film, as R and Bond smirk and mock the gadgets used by both Connery and Moore that were loved by the fans, only to then introduce the most ridiculous and laughable gadget of the entire series; the invisible car. Even Moore criticised the invisible car, stating that "..it went too far, and that's coming from me, the first Bond in space!". Then add what has to be some of the worst CGI committed to film into the mix and you have the most over the top and stupid Bond adventure yet, without any of the charm that Moore's had. Moore's film were also over the top but they were fun, we were never really asked to take it all seriously like we were here. First rule of Bond films is you never mix your Bond films. The story had interesting elements to it but overall it was uninteresting and falls flat, the altered identity plot feeling like a convoluted step too far, even for a 007 film. Hallie Berry had had a very successful run before Bond 20 but thanks to her performance here her career went south. I believe she was supposed to be a feisty female version of Bond but with the beauty of...whichever Bond girl you find most attractive, but however beautiful she is, her character had some of the worst lines ever written and she had to be saved quite a few times. It's staggering that the producers had planned a spin-off series of films for her character (an idea they also had for Michelle Yeoh's Colonel Wai Lin from Tomorrow Never Dies) that would alternate its release with the Bond films, acting like 'A Winter Olympics' as it were. MGM apparently dropped the idea soon after the films release, much to the outrage of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Die Another Day was also the debut film for Rosamund Pike. She has since expressed some regret with her role, stating that she wasn't really ready for it. I will be polite and state that I agree with that statement. A lot. Gustav Graves/Colonel Moon is a forgettable Bond villain and the poorest of choices for what was supposed to be a huge celebration of the franchise. I'm really struggling to find anything I like about the film, it was nice to see Colin Salmon return and nice to see Michael Madsen make an appearance but I'm afraid overall the weak story, terrible CGI, awful Ice-palace scene, boring theme tune, embarrassing Madonna cameo, endless marketing tie-ins (20 in total including Barbie dolls, the media naming it 'Buy Another Day') and mindless action made it almost unwatchable for me. The title is a weak attempt at trying to emulate the essence of Ian Flemming's Bond and the film is a tired looking mindless action film. This 'celebration of Bond' is a sad party indeed, one that would force a complete reboot of the character and franchise, something they should have got right back in 1995.