Review of The World Is Not Enough (1999) by Sgt. C — 01 Jun 2014

Contrary to the generally negative reviews, The World Is Not Enough is a pretty decently made Bond film and one of the better entries in the series. If fact, it easily out-does its predecessor Tomorrow Never Dies and its successor Die Another Day, both of which are lower points in the series.

That being said though, it doesn't even come close to the far superior Goldeneye and is not without its flaws. The World Is Not Enough is a film that I like to call a perfect example of wasted potential.

It had the perfect premise and characters to build off of, but unfortunately just strives to be a passable Bond film like most in the Brosnan era. That premise, whether it's having the main villain be a man who cannot feel pain, or anything else for that matter (Robert Carlyle as Renard).

Or the true villain of the film being a cold-blooded and manipulative women (Sophie Marceau as Elektra King), Bond's only weakness. One who hides behind an innocent false persona, uses her seductive control over men to gets what she wants, and keeps her real intentions at bay for most of the film, until the surprise twist, that is; leaving the all-powerful and seemingly invincible villain just a glorified servant hopeless for the affection of the women he loves and unquestionably serves.

Sounds all a bit too familiar, does it? That's because these key plot points also play a key part in The Dark Knight Rises, further establishing the many similarities between the Bond and Batman franchises, but that's a topic for another day.

Now, back to the matter at hand. These intriguing elements are never really explored to their full potential and lack in detail. It's all just a bit too rushed and overlooked, focusing more on action and set pieces.

Speaking of the action, it's really the only other big thing I can complement about this film. While all Bond films feature good action, this one delivers some of the best action sequences in the series; all of which are truly Bond-worthy (like the chase with Q's fishing boat and the sequence with the helicopter saws).

Now, let's talk about the cast. Brosnan once again delivers a good, if slightly restrained performance as Bond and looks more comfortable playing the character than ever. Denise Richards isn't very good as a Bond girl, mainly because she's not very credible whatsoever as a nuclear physicist, but I don't think she's quite worthy of being deemed the worst Bond girl in the series as she often is by many.

Seeing Robbie Coltrane return as the over the top yet hilariously entertaining Russian mobster Zukovsky was great because he got more screen time and was essential to the plot, as well as a nice homage to Goldeneye.

It was sad to see Desmond Llewelyn finally retire from his iconic role as Q after so many years and so many films as the character, but at least he gets a nice sendoff. Judi Dench's M has a slightly larger role but her efforts are quite forgettable when her slightly larger role is meaningless to the plot and was only there just so Bond could save her.

Overall, it's an enjoyable time and a slightly underrated film in the series but unfortunately remains a pure example of wasted potential in what could've been a spectacular Bond film.