Brosnan is still not my favorite James Bond, but like Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough proves much better then I remember. I only ever saw it once (on DVD back in 2001) and I honestly didn't remember much about it, so seeing again gave me a fresh perspective.
TWINE continues the trend of strong, capable women which seems to typify the Brosnan era. The teaser gives us a ravishing female assassin who leads Bond on a spectacular boat chase through the Thames (though one not without a few silly, Moore-esque moments). The "strong woman" motif also results in a very distinctive twist for a Bond film -- this time the evil maniac bent on destroying the world is not a corpulent middle-aged man but a young woman, Sophie Marceau's Elektra King. Marceau is superb in the role -- an antagonist with a sadistic streak as long as any male villain Bond has come up against. She is matched by Robert Carlisle's fatalistic and equally twisted Renard, who rates as one of the best villains of the Brosnan era.
I also like that M is given a larger role this time, and like Bond she is hoodwinked by Elektra's "damsel in distress" act (though it's a bit implausible that the Minister of Intelligence would travel abroad without a far-larger retinue, and thus be so easily ensnared).
I even like Denise Richards, who, although obviously cast for her looks, delivers a performance that is certainly more than serviceable. I think she was criticized more for her appearance in Wind Things and other schlocky movies rather than her the actual substance of her work here. Robbie Coltrane (a favorite actor of mine) is also entertaining in his second appearance as Zukovsky (a very good character I wish they hadn't killed-off).
Another nice touch to the film is the way it temporarily transfers MI6 to its "Scottish headquarters", with it's large, rustic medieval sets (though I can't see how MI6 could remain under cover very long operating out of Eilean Donan Castle -- one of the most popular tourist destinations in Scotland!)
The introduction of John Cleese as the new "Q" was a great idea, and promised years more of amusing contention between 007 and the head of Quartermaster (so why did they get rid of him?
).David Arnold tops his work on Tomorrow Never Dies, starting with a first-rate title song in the classic Bond tradition (with lyrics by Don Black no less), which also makes for a strong main theme which informs much of the score. Arnold's music is an incalculable asset to the picture, and this time he is more able flex his muscles and yield a more foreground score that provides much of the atmosphere and sense of danger -- and also lends enormous gravity to Brosnan's performance.
Although I've compared Brosnan to Moore, I appreciate Brosnan's willingness to show 007 as somewhat less than superhuman, and capable of being hurt. Bond's shoulder injury (incurred in the teaser) isn't something that just goes away when he straightens his tie, and serves as a kind of "Achilles heel" (as it were) throughout the film (and one plausibly exploited by his adversaries).
But please, enough with the BMWs already. Bond belongs behind the (right hand) wheel of an Aston Martin or Jaguar, not a car for "people who are psychologically unfit to drive anything more sophisticated than an electric razor" as Jeremy Clarkson so scathingly put it.
In all, I have to say that as much as I enjoyed Tomorrow Never Dies, I found The World Is Not Enough more entertaining, and an improvement on its predecessor in every area. Not a classic Bond adventure, but a very enjoyable movie and worthy entry in the series.
No wonder Doug Walker was inspired to bring his "Nostalgia Critic" character out of retirement just to review this movie. I can't wait to see him tear it to pieces. 