All the way to 1997, GoldenEye was
just the success that EON was hoping for. The film had shattered box office
records, word of mouth was strong, the video game was doing gangbusters at the
stores, and it had sent Pierce Brosnan’s career soaring. Brosnan had been
contracted to do three more films after GoldenEye, and one of the movies that
came afterward was Tomorrow Never Dies. This became the very first film in
which original 007 pioneer Albert Broccoli did not work on, having passed away
over a year and a half before the film’s release, and his friend and partner
Harry Saltzman had died almost two years earlier. In the case of Tomorrow Never
Dies… It was something of a mixed result. Opinions were split down the middle,
and everyone agreed that it just wasn’t GoldenEye good. While I certainly can
say it’s not as good as GoldenEye, what’s good in this movie is still REALLY
good.
Bond’s newest mission takes place
with him investigating the case of Elliot Carver, a media mogul who is seeking
to finish his empire by gaining broadcasting rights in China. To do this,
Carver plans to cause confusion and conflict between the UK and Chinese
governments, which could start World War III in the process. Along the way,
Bond will meet up with two important people; A spy from the Chinese government
who serves as an actual match for Bond, and his former lover, who is now
married to Carver.
Presentation-wise, Tomorrow Never
Dies almost matches its predecessor. It goes darker, it ups the ante, and it
gives itself some more ambition. The thing that really kills it, for me, is
that in trying to go so big, it sometimes backfires. There’s a thought
provoking analysis of how the media saturates the mindset of the public, a very
meaningful topic ahead of its time, but I don’t think it’s quite to
satisfaction.
Again, what is good in this movie
is really, really good. It has some memorable gadgets, including Bond’s
freaking awesome new BMW which fills in for his signature Aston Martin. It has
some of the best action, and while the ones that mostly use CGi are kinda
tacky, the sequences which use more practical on set effects are infinitely
better, including a motorcycle chase worthy of Spielberg. The title song
performed by Sheryl Crow is not very good, but the orchestral score is the best
since The Spy Who Loved Me. David Arnold was a well known action composer from
films such as Independence Day, and he came to the series as a recommendation
from Bond music alum John Barry. What he did with this score not only paid the right
homage to Barry’s old trademarks, he brought it fully into the nineties with
style, flair, and original themes that rivaled some of the best themes in the
Bond saga. Naturally, the studio was pleased with his work, and asked him to
come back for the next four Bond films, which we’ll get to later.
Brosnan, again, gets to have a lot
of fun with Bond. He had this presence in GoldenEye that hinted at the
intensity of Dalton’s Bond, and this movie confirmed it, with some genuine
emotional insight. Michelle Yeoh is the definition of what a great Bond girl
should be. She’s not just a damsel in distress, but instead, is entirely
capable of handling herself, and those martial arts sequences are just radical.
Jonathan Pryce plays the villain, delightfully so, as he provides the energy
and slight satirical bite to make this villain work.
When the studio released Tomorrow
Never Dies, it didn’t recreate the same success that GoldenEye had done. Aside
from the mixed reviews, it just didn’t make as big an impact in ticket sales.
It was still successful, but it was eclipsed in popularity due to having opened
the same exact day as James Cameron’s Titanic, becoming Brosnan’s only Bond
film not to open at number one. Popularity aside, Tomorrow Never Dies still had
enough to set itself apart and make it worth a watch.
**** / *****
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