James Bond - Tomorrow Never Dies (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) [DVD]

 

 

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If there is an example of star charisma pulling a movie through, then it is here, in Brosnan's second Bond outing where he appears effortlessly cool and comfortable in the role. Every time he is on screen, the film works. The director (Roger Spottiswoode) is new to Bond movies, and yet he manages to pull off something that looks just like a Bond movie should - harking back to the Moore era, with quips and the odd comedy moment to add levity to the proceedings.
After a standout opening sequence where Bond infiltrates an arms bazaar on a mountain top before reducing most of the materials on display to scrap, the plot revolves around a media baron out to achieve global media domination. It's a neat updated twist on the megalomaniac idea. To do this, he is engineering a war between Britain and China in order to breach the Chinese media market - this means Bond has to work with a Chinese agent (who coincidentally happens to be a beautiful woman..) to stop the madman before WW III erupts. You know, business as usual for a Bond movie.
One of the standout elements of the movie, is David Arnold's terrific score (with the exception of the main theme tune) - finally, someone has taken on John Barry's mantle, and taken the Bond themes and not just run with them but given them new life, livening them up for a new generation - fantastic stuff. Other ingredients which hit exactly the right note are Judi Dench as M, Teri Hatcher as the (rather short-lived) Bond girl, Michelle Yeoh's spunky Chinese agent and the remote control car chase.
There are however some real problems with the movie. One or two of the action scenes are a little too orchestrated... the helicopter trying to slice up Bond with its blades must have looked great on paper, but fails to convince. And then the old Bond movie dilemma - when the bad guy is not good, the movie falls flat. Jonathan Pryce is never really menacing - He doesn't even look as menacing as the real Rupert Murdoch! He just looks like an actor spouting menacing lines.. and speaking of lines, the script veers from some real witty quips (Admiral Roebuck: `With all due respect, M, I think you don't have the balls for this job.' M: `Maybe. But the advantage is, I don't have to think with them all the time.'), to some real clunkers that fall flat on delivery (`There's no news like bad news ` - how long did it take to come up with that classic??).
The great thing about Bond movies is how they walk the tightrope of cliché to deliver the same old Bond film ingredients, but with inventiveness. With the Bike chase, the car chase, the quirky and interesting secondary characters, that is exactly what this movie does - for the first half. Then, the second half falls into the trap of just being Bond running about killing people, waving a machine gun around instead of killing carefully and with precision the way he ought to, trying hard to kill a guy with grey hair and glasses. It's as much action as we have seen in a Bond finale in a long time, but it does not really thrill.
That aside, if you can try and ignore the ubiquitous product placement, then the cocktail of Brosnan excelling in a role he seems destined to play, David Arnold's exciting score, and Michelle Yeoh matching Bond bullet for bullet and kick for kick rather than be the dull women on the sideline, makes this worth a watch.

As per the other Brosnan releases, there is a gaping hole in the extras where we might expect a retrospective documentary, however that quibble aside there are plenty of other extras, with two commentaries, storyboards, deleted scenes ( none of which are memorable) and a couple of fluff pieces about `the making of' that offer no insight into the genesis of story or movie in general. Good, but not quite `ultimate'. Picture and sound are perfect, as we have come to expect in this remastered series.

There are a host of reviews about this film so will focus on the digital mastering. I found the DTS sound to be a worthwhile edition. It brings alive the feature better than the 'special edition' however I was not as impressed with the picture quality. Some mosaic was often present and the colours were not as sharp as could have been. This film isn't old therefore I would have expected the picture to be a lot crisper if it actually had been digitally remastered, I really couldn't tell the difference between the 'special edition' one and this. I presume for instance Dr. No will look cleaner?

The film itself is very good and features the best Bond car chase. The title pages are rather long winded though and you'd just wish the film would get going.

For his eighteenth big screen adventure, superspy James Bond is pitted against a very modern type of villain in Jonathan Pryce's media mogul. It is a film that nicely reflects the modern age, and will probably not feel too dated for some time to come.

The film rehashes the old plot of evil megalomaniac trying to start World War Three, as used so often in the Connery and Moore years, but this time there is a twist - the megalomaniac just wants the war to boost the ratings for his newspapers and TV news channels! Jonathan Pryce provides us with a villain that bears a strange resemblance to a certain Australian media baron. He overacts hugely, and is very entertaining.

Bond has to team up with the delightful Chinese agent Michelle Yeoh, and there is a clear chemistry between Brosnan and Yeoh that really lifts the film.

There is a crackling script, full of energy and pace. With some funny one liners there is a fair bit of humour, but it never seems out of place or overdone. The stunts are seriously impressive, and well filmed, making this an enjoyable ride. Added into which is a decent strong plot with a few twists and turns. It does just what it sets out to do and delivers 2hours of sheer entertainment.

The picture has been restored and it looks superb. The sound has been similarly treated and there is an option to listen to it in 5.1 DTS surround, which is truly exceptional.

As well as the superb presentation of the film, there is also a host of extras, original trailers, informative audio commentaries and the such. These are exhaustive and some of them quite interesting. But these really a garnish for the main course, which is the film itself.

This is an excellent release, and does the film justice. This series of `Ultimate editions' really sets the standard for film releases. It really does not get any better.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Tomorrow Never Dies...And Neither Does The Bond Franchise
I love watching a Bond movie from time to time, and I'm particularly interested in the Pierce Brosnan era. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Matthew Stoneman

4.0 out of 5 stars tommorow never dies
pearce brosnan steps back into the role of 007 like he sleeps in the tux.jonathan price is ott as the villian but thats part of the fun of watching bond films.great action. Read more

Published 10 months ago by stargatesg1

3.0 out of 5 stars Bond Meets The Media
Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth film in the James Bond saga, and is the second film where Pierce Brosnan stars as the famous spy for MI6. Read more

Published on 8 April 2009 by Andrew Kerr

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Brosnan in exciting but not best Bond
James Bond (Brosnan) investigates a TV media man who is linked to a possible war brewing in the Chinese sea between the Chinese and British. Read more

Published on 29 Oct 2008 by Stampy

3.0 out of 5 stars "Let the mayhem begin!"
"Let the mayhem begin." So says Elliot Carver, world media baron with an eye for not just writing headlines, but for creating them for his newspaper `Tomorrow'. Read more

Published on 5 Oct 2008 by Nicholas Casley

4.0 out of 5 stars Brosnan's best Bond adventure
I was never very keen on Brosnan as James Bond. He always seemed like he was trying to be a smart-ass instead of a hard-ass. Read more

Published on 1 July 2008 by Inspector Gadget

4.0 out of 5 stars Brosnan's best Bond outing
Brosnan's hugely successful debut as James Bond, 'Goldeneye', ensured that audiences were left with little doubt that Bond could still hack it amid a seemingly endless slew of... Read more

Published on 7 Jan 2008 by James the King

2.0 out of 5 stars Brosnan's worst Bond
The history of the latter Bond films is one of false dawns, with sporadic good or near-great Bond films promptly followed by horribly disappointing ones. Read more

Published on 8 Dec 2007 by Trevor Willsmer

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Bond
Traumatised by my ghastly experience of watching 'Casino 'Royale', I decided to cheeer myself up by watching a really good Bond movie. Read more

Published on 10 July 2007 by L O'connor

5.0 out of 5 stars This is our moment!
Tomorrow Never Dies is possibly the perfect Bond film, next to GoldenEye. Pierce Brosnan is my favourite actor as Bond, and I have to say I really enjoyed this movie. Read more

Published on 27 May 2007 by kingboy

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