Die Another Day

Review by Jason Donner

Like a voracious case of herpes, James Bond is back for more intrigue, more suspense, more gadgets, and more of that spy stuff. This time, Bond's been betrayed and set up and has to go rogue to track down a dangerous Korean terrorist and unravel the mystery of rich diamond miner. Along for the ride - safely in the passenger seat - is Hale Berry as the latest Bond bade, Jinx.

The 1990's weren't a good time for Bond, were they? When Timothy Dalton was kicked out of the role and Pierce Brosnan was dropped in all seemed well. Goldeneye was a great kick off to the new decade, but it was followed by the tedious Tomorrow Never Dies and then the worst Bond movie ever, The World is Not Enough.

We had a great Bond in not-so-great movies.

Well, the nineties are over and done with and so to, it would seem, are the tedious "been there, done that" Bond adventures. Pierce Brosnan's fourth time at the plate seems to be the charm as Die Another Day is finally the James Bond movie we've been waiting almost a decade for.

The ingredients are all there... fast cars, faster women, the self-depreciating humor, the outlandish stunts and explosions... but also along for the ride is a sense that this is a sharper and more focused Bond. The result is a movie that both thrills and entertains. If I had only seen this one movie, I would have never guessed in a million years that there have been twenty movies before this one across forty years. The whole thing just seems so fresh and alive again... even having the gall to break from the tried and true (and tired) James Bond formula to try something new and unique.

I loved this movie! Sure, you can feel the stink of extreme sports influence on many of the stunts (xXx, anyone?), but unlike xXx, it's all done with a smirk and a great deal of something that Vin Diesel has yet to exude... CLASS!!!

Die Another Day is not without its problems. Many of the action sequences are so outrageous and over the top that they stretch suspension of belief to the breaking point and has our logic sensors crying for their mommies. The fiery finale comes screaming to mind.

But you know, by that point in the movie... who cares? James Bond has been doing silly stunts and getting in and out of impossible situations for 40 years! Why bring up logic and sensibility now?

Die Another Day is fun... and fun is what has been lacking from this franchise since the Dalton years.

Pierce Brosnan has really made the role his own and is even getting to the point where I might actually put him on par with the old Scotsman (One of these days).

It's big, it's loud, it's silly, it's exciting, and it's overblown and over the top. It's Bond... James Bond and he's looking better than we've seen him look in a decade. My chief complaint is that the movie is overlong and draggy, but that's mostly forgivable.

What isn't forgivable? That horrible opening theme by Madonna. I honestly thought that there was a problem with the sound system when that rancid piece of "music" began to play.