Director: Michael Apted
Year of Release: 1999
Should you watch it? Ehhhh probably no.
Why?
The third Brosnan Bond entry is just way too mid to care about all that much. The only real good idea they had for this film (besides casting Sophie Marceau) was making M a part of the action. The villain wanting to get revenge on M is something Skyfall cribbed to great success and acclaim. In fact, the old MI spy intent on revenge that was the villain in Goldeneye was basically combined with this film’s villain’s motivation. Really, instead of watching Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough, you should just watch Skyfall twice.
How is the Bond?
After nailing the Pierce Brosnan version of Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies, they tried to recreate the success of that but also at times went right back to making him a Connery knockoff here. He was being mildly sex-pesty at the start of the film, but they pivoted quickly thankfully to him falling impossibly quickly for Sophie Marceau (whom amongst us, etc. etc.). While that is dissolving due to her being evil, Brosnan starts a similarly platonic co-worker relationship he had with Michelle Yeoh but this time with Denise Richards. Two big problems. In Tomorrow Never Dies, Brosnan is brokenhearted by a woman from his past where we must imagine what their relationship was like. This allows us to suspend our disbelief that Bond truly had a deep connection with her and is in true pain. In this film, he knows Marceau for like a day. And two, Denise Richards is no Michelle Yeoh.
How is the Bond Woman?
Denise Richards is a rather infamously mocked Bond Woman. She became an easy punchline because her character is a nuclear physicist. While the perception of Denise Richards as a performer made that an odd choice of casting, there is no doubt that she did not display the necessary chops to pull off this half-baked role.
How is the Bond Villain?
Sophie Marceau was a solid choice for this insane femme fatale character who assassinated her own father, slept with James Bond, and is trying to get revenge on M on her way to making too much money. The movie itself just is missing that magic that makes a good Bond movie pop, but Marceau is not really the issue.
Does the film irresponsibly present the West as the hero of the world and thus promote imperialism and colonialism as inherently positive?
Yes.
The Reel World 