Review of The World Is Not Enough (1999) by David B — 17 Jan 2010

The World is Not Enough is a decent Bond movie, but it has a few too many flaws to be one of the most memorable movies in the series. On the positivie side, the ambitious action sequences and globe trotting shootouts are well represented throughout. Sophie Marceau is as beautiful as any woman that Bond has been paired with, and Brosnan carries on as one of the better actors to tackle the iconic role.

On the other hand, there are so many events packed into such a small period of time within the film, that it all seems a bit rushed and hurried. The main relationship between Bond and his female foil doesn't seem the least bit authentic, due to the fact that the characters meet only a day or two before the resolution of the movie. Even worse, Denise Richards and her huge breasts have to be the least necessary character(s) in the history of the franchise. Nuclear Weapons Scientist? Ooooooooook. Half the time she's on-screen, she's doing absolutely nothing. At least a good actress wasn't wasted in that throwaway role.

I'd put The World is Not Enough somewhere slightly past the middle of pack of Bond movies, in terms of quality. The villian and his rather unique condition are basically wasted, and there are a few too many characters thrown into the mix, but it's still a fun and occasionally thrilling movie.