The World is Not Enough

	Publisher: MGM	Running Time: 2 Hours 8 Minutes
	Release Date: November 19, 1999	Format: DVD

With a six year gap between License to Kill and GoldenEye, MGM decided to kick things into gear in the late 90s. They packed three Bond films in the period from 1995 to 1999. It wasn't unprecedented, especially when you consider that the early Bond films were often released within a year of each other, but it did pump out a new Bond flick every couple years. At best they sacrificed quality and at worst they tried to cash-in on the success of GoldenEye.

The World is Not Enough is the last of the 90s Bond films. It stars Pierce Brosnan in his third outing as 007. Aside from being the last of the 90s, indeed of the 20th century, The World is Not Enough also stands out as the highest grossing Bond film up to that time. It is also the final film in which Desmond Llewelyn is featured, better known as Q whose department makes all of Bond's gadgets. He passed away shortly after the film was released.

As far as the story is concerned, the screenwriters managed to create a more relevant storyline than one might have imagined in 1999 when oil prices were safely around $1 a gallon. An oil pipeline is being built which promises to “fuel the West” for a century to come. The owner of the pipeline, Sir Robert King, is assassinated shortly after his daughter Elektra is held ransom by a terrorist named Renard. Now the entire pipeline is under threat as well as King's daughter Elektra. Bond gets dispatched to protect her, but quickly becomes suspicious that it was an inside job.

While the story stands up well to scrutiny, the acting in The World is Not Enough does not. Just as poor casting plagued Tomorrow Never Dies, the choice of Bond girl Denise Richards as the unfortunately named Christmas Jones was a mistake that was compounded by some pathetic dialogue and a lack of chemistry between her and Brosnan. At one point in the film Christmas actually says “I have to get it back or someone's going to have my butt,” referring to missing weapons grade plutonium. You don't say! She comes across as a bumbling idiot who is playing the role of a nuclear physicist. The bad lines aren't relegated to her alone, though. Bond and Renard have plenty of their own.

I have to say that they chose some good locations to film. From the Thames in London, to a ski chase in Azerbaijan and the ending in Istanbul, Turkey, the scenery could not be better. They really did a good job with the action sequences as well. The opening sequence, a boat chase on the Thames, the ski chase and an attack on Valentin's (now legitimate) business all will keep you interested between the uninteresting dialogue. The World is Not Enough had the necessary elements for a good Bond film. It just didn't have the cast or the script to pull it off.

Final:	6.5
Written by Kyle	Review Guide

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