The World Is Not Enough [DVD] [1999]

TWINE has a typically thin plot involving the destruction of oil-lines that feed the West. There are the usual ingredients one would expect from Bond: a criminal mastermind (Robert Carlyle), beautiful girls (Sophie Marceau, Denise Richards), comedy cameos (Goldie, Robbie Coltrane), a few twists along the way involving themes of loyalty and revenge, and some wonderful stunt sequences. These are very good, especially the pre-credits river chase and the motorcycle leap over a helicopter. Although there are times when you think you've seen it before-the ski chase for example-on the whole these scenes are new and interesting.

Regarding the acting, Brosnan seems very comfortable in his role, which is more than can be said for some of the supporting cast. While Sophie Marceau and Judi Dench have rounded roles and play them to perfection, others fare less well. Robbie Coltrane returns from Goldeneye, ridiculous accent intact, and Denise Richards is simply eye candy as the improbable nuclear scientist. She appears uncomfortable if she has to do anything other than smile. One might argue that this is all a Bond girl is for; nevertheless, she's out of place. Robert Carlyle hams it up as the villain, Renard. We're supposed to find him threatening, dark and unpredictable, but instead he is wooden and dull. I find my mother's cooking more of a threat.

The film flows reasonably well, and is fairly fast paced. However, in some scenes the editing leaves a lot to be desired: chase sequences should have appeared more threatening, and the sequence when Robbie Coltrane releases Bond from his shackles is paced very strangely-it's neither tense nor thrilling. My main gripe is with the final sequence, because (without giving too much away) it negates Bond's previous emotional involvement with Sophie Marceau's character. On the whole it's a fun, entertaining Bond film, with Brosnan on top form, and is even better than the current comic cinema release "Die Another Day". Even the pickiest of Bond fans should find something to enjoy here.

The Special Edition DVD is packed with extras. There are two commentaries to choose from: The first is from director Michael Apted and is very informative, although not very entertaining, while the second is a 'medley' presented by Vic Armstrong, Peter Lamont and composer David Arnold.

There are also three documentaries: 'The Making Of TWINE', 'Bond Cocktail' and 'Bond down the River'. The 'Making Of' is OK, but it duplicates some material from the other features, and is presented by a very annoying woman. Bond Cocktail comprises very brief interviews from key actors and production staff, interspersed with clips from TWINE and previous Bond films. The best documentary is 'Bond down the River' which shows how the pre-credits river sequence was conceived, shot and produced. This really brought back memories, as I was working in London at the time and had watched them filming some of the sequence at the MI6 building.

There's also 'Secrets of 007'. Upon selection from the menu, you're presented with a sub menu where you can select about 10 'how do they do that' vignettes. These are short clips that mix storyboards with footage, pre-production shots and the final sequence so that you see how it's all put together. There's no voice-over on these clips which is actually a good thing-it's not needed. The only gripe I have here is that after watching each one, you're returned to option one of the menu-it should really auto-forward.

There is also a short video showing a montage of clips of Desmond Llewellyn (Q) at work in many of the Bond films. This pays tribute to Desmond as he died shortly after the film was released. I had met him at a book signing the week before he died, and although there is no commentary on the video, I found it very poignant. Additionally, there's the disposable video for the single by Garbage.

The sound quality on the film is top-notch, and the visual quality of the film is also excellent. However, the extras don't fare so well and to a greater or lesser degree, they all display compression artefacts. This is especially noticeable on fast shots and fades.

My final score: 4 stars. This might have made five if it wasn't for the less than stellar visual quality of the extras and some wooden performances in the main film.

Note: Layer switch: Start of chapter 10, the ski chase