Tomorrow Never Dies Review

by David Wilcock (david DOT wilcock AT btinternet DOT com)
December 26th, 1997
TOMORROW NEVER DIES

Stars Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Teri Hatcher and Michelle Yeoh.
Directed By Roger Spottiswoode

So we come to Bonds 18th Adventure, the rather stupidly titled ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ Sadly, the plot of the film is as stupid as the title, involving a media tycoon and China.

Pryce plays the tycoon, who plans to start a war between China and Britain so he can have broadcast rights in China (The plot is explained better in the film.) As you can, it’s a terrible idea for a story. Maybe it’s the scriptwriter, who was fired from the production and then brought back again, exacting his revenge.

Anyway, James Bond (Brosnan) is called in to stop the tycoon, and a few explosions occur, Bond sleeps around with two women (Pryce’s wife, played by Hatcher, and some language instructor at the start) and the tycoons plan is thwarted, and the tycoon got rid of. There is also the usual one liners, to make all the
deaths seem funny. It’s just a typical action film, but with Bond instead of Stallone, or Bruce Willis. Andthat’s the problem with the film. It’s all been seen before. Like Con Air, everything in the film is just rehashed from a million other action films and Bond films. There’s the usual helicopter chase, loads of car
chases, but nothing really different. After a while, it just gets tedious. In it’s defence, some of the action scenes are mildly exciting, but nothing majorly different occurs. This isn’t a major flaw really, but it just makes the film a bit boring.

Add the lack of originality and some silly continuity errors, plus a rather weak performance from Pryce,and this is a disappointing Bond adventure. After the entertaining and silly Goldeneye, Brosnan second film is silly…. and that’s all. Overall, then, this film is disappointing. If Bond films are going to carry on
like this, perhaps the Bond franchise should be laid to rest.

Overall= ** out of *****

Review By David Wilcock

   

   

   

DAVID WILCOCK
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Visit the Wilcock Movie Page!
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