Tomorrow Never Dies Review
by E. Benjamin Kelsey (LooseSkrue AT aol DOT com)December 24th, 1997
TOMORROW NEVER DIES
(PG-13)
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Running Time: 119 minutes
Originally Released: December 19, 1997
Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey
* * ½ (out of four)
If TOMORROW NEVER DIES, then how long will it take before James Bond is eliminated? Obviously a bloody long time. Even though the first James Bond film, DR. NO, was released 35 years ago, he's still going strong. Hell, James Bond should be retiring by now. He *should* be well over 60, but luckily, due to casting changes over the years, Bond is still young and fit as a fiddle, and I don't see him taking his prune juice shaken and not stirred anytime soon.
In this installment of the long-running super spy films, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is up against a Ted Turner wannabe named Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce). Carver owns a communications company that oversees a growing newspaper called "Tomorrow", and is now branching out into television with aspirations of even more. Carver's elaborate schemes will enable him to one day rule over the media, including exclusive control in China. Not only that, but just to piss people off, he's going to colorize all the classic movies. Ok, I lied about that, but this guy is still devious.
This whole scandal is first suspected when a military fowl up results in the deaths of several Navy officers off the coast of China. It seems the Chinese told the H.M.S. Devonshire to turn back when it entered Chinese waters, but the technology inside the British vessel was saying otherwise. Convinced they were in international waters, the British stood there ground, and eventually, a group of terrorists killed both the British soldiers and a couple of Chinese fighter pilots as well. The Chinese think the British attacked. The British think the Chinese attacked. Only we know that Carver was behind it all, setting up the entire escapade for the sake of getting "good news".
So why does anybody suspect fowl play? Good question. The answer lies in Carver's satellites, which were broadcasting on the same frequency as the ship. Could Carver have intentionally messed with the signal? And, as Carver himself admits, the more important question is "why?".
Naturally Bond sets out to figure it out and put a stop to it all, sleeping with beautiful women, driving fast cars, and using whatzit gizmos created by Q (Desmond Llewelyn) until in the end, he saves the day while never messing up his hair. That's right - it's typical Bond. Wildly outrageous, totally implausible, and two hours of brainless action. That's all we expect, and that's all we want. Bond is merely a testosterone ridden Richie Rich for adults, and TOMORROW NEVER DIES fits in just fine. But it's also nothing new whatsoever, and there's only so much of the same stuff we can see.
What makes this one a little more fun and unique is that Bond actually teams up with someone, and the two are nearly equal in their performances and "hero" factor. Michelle Yeoh makes her English speaking debut here as Wai Lin, a Chinese special agent who finds herself on the same trail as Bond. When they continuously run into each other, convenience has them forming a team to combat against Carver and his thugs. Yeoh is impressive and a delight to watch, adding a spark to the film. In fact, if this had been more of a Bond solo film again, we might actually realize enough is enough. Not with Yeoh. She keeps things fresh, alive, and (thank heavens) new.
Teri Hatcher also has a small role as Carver's wife, Paris. Hatcher, who became known for her sexy TV interpretation of Lois Lane, doesn't stand out in anyway, but doesn't do too bad of a job with her role either. Her lack of screen pizzaz could be attributed to the little screen time she receives. She's in this a lot less than you might expect, especially after being used as a hook in television commercials and movie trailers. In other words, if you're out to see this film just to drool over her, you'll be spending five bucks for about fifteen minutes of screen time. That's expensive oogling.
Also known as "Bond 18" for being the 18th "official" entry in the series, TOMORROW NEVER DIES is the second Bond film to star Brosnan, who rose to fame as TV's Remington Steele. How good of a job he does at portraying 007 is something that was likely discussed heavily in reviews of GOLDENEYE, which was, of course, his first outing as the British secret agent. Seeing as how I didn't write a review of that film, I'm going to use this opportunity to give my two cents - Connery will always be the best and truest Bond there was, but Brosnan comes in a definite second. The thing that Brosnan lacks is *true* charm. Yes, he's debonair, subtle, sophisticated, seductive, and even articulate, but unlike Connery, he doesn't have that twinkle in his eye. You can envision Connery bursting into a hearty laugh. Brosnan, on the other hand, seems a bit *too* polished and serious.
Bond enthusiasts will, of course, find it crucial to see this film, and they're not going to be disappointed. If you're not overly fond of 007, or if you actually haven't seen him before, this is not the one to convert you to Bondism. It goes way overboard, as any good Bond film does, yet still manages to leave you passive to the events unfolding on screen. I guess the main problem is that it's just getting a bit old. I actually found myself bored as the film was wrapping up. My mind was wandering, and I was trying to see my watch in the dark to see how much longer it could possibly go. It's not awful - it's just beginning to feel like we *have* been watching Bond for 35 years after all.
December 23, 1995
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