25 years on, how does the seconds Brosnan Bond hold up? Support the channel: / calvindyson Also follow me on other social media: / calvin_dyson / calvinmdyson / calvindyson
I don't agree with some people's criticism that Jonathan Pryce is over acting too much. Some narcissistic billionaires in real life aren't exactly subtle and unassuming.
Given Brosnan has been quite critical about the production of this film ['like pulling teeth'] it's to his credit it doesn't bleed into his performance.
Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough are always my go to Brosnan films on a rainy day. GoldenEye is fantastic too but there's just something magical and fun about those two.
Agree with this 100% My father was taken into hospital very suddenly and unexpectedly a few months ago (he's fine now). I'd already had a difficult day when I got the call. I couldn't visit him or do anything about it and TND was the movie I chose to hide behind and try to lift my spirits for a couple of hours.
I also prefer the Crow theme to Lang's. The verses are much more interesting, and I like Crow scraping the top of her range. The long version is also much better than the one in the film.
I've often described TND as taking the best of the Connery era, the Moore era, and GoldenEye and sticking them in a blender. The result is, for me, the best Bond film ever made and I'm thrilled to see it get such love here!
This one is a classic. The best of the Brosnan era. I thought Golden Eye was weak, so was the other Brosnan Bonds. Saying that Brosnan was great in the role, and the action scenes were terrific. And of course, hot women as usual.
Random factoid - the design of the stealth ship was clearly based on the Lockheed Sea Shadow, an experimental stealth ship that was secretly constructed inside (!) of the Hughes Mining Barge during the 1980s to keep it away from any prying eyes. Incidentally, the barge itself had previously played a pivotal role in a hugely risky top-secret CIA plot called Project Azorian to covertly salvage the wreckage of a sunken Soviet submarine - an absolutely fascinating story that is like something out of a Bond movie itself! Sadly the Sea Shadow ended up being scrapped in 2012 as no museums expressed an interest in taking it on…they should have called David!
If Charles Helfenstein ever writes another one of his brilliant "Making Of" books then I hope it's about this movie. I think I might make it my Bank Holiday Bond film this weekend! Thanks for the video, chaps.
Rewatched all the Craig’s in the run up to NTTD (and was writing up a retrospective of my worst Bond films of which NTTD is very much on that list) As for Helfenstein… would love to see a book on Goldeneye, as well as TND
There actually is a making of book out there for this film! Goldeneye too- (I have them both somewhere in my house lol) Not sure who wrote it though - but it’s out there Look for it on eBay!
@@spaceodds1985Far rather watch NTTD [especially as part 5 of the Craig movies] than most of Brosnan's run bar maybe Goldeneye but your entitled to your opinion.
Tomorrow Never Dies has a special spot in my heart. I remember when the PS1 game came out, I was a kid but the game was what made me interested in watching the movie. I know this is not everyone's favorite but the movie has great action sequences. I also love the song by Sheryl Crow, to me is one of the best bond songs.
That second skiing level was so hard in that game! Also the Wai Lin level directly afterwards in Saigon. It took me ages to find out where to find the rocket launcher.
TND is the first Bond I saw in the cinema soon after I became a Bond fan after watching them all on TV. TND has a huge amount of nostalgic and sentimental value for me. I love it and it's great fun too.
I love this film so much. Definitely one of the most underrated Bond films there is. Brosnan is great, Wei Lin is an excellent Bond girl and Jonathan Pryce is clearly having an absolute blast as Carver. The action sequences are excellent too.
I saw this film with my parents in the cinema when it came out... I was 3 (look my parents were big Bond films and they didn't want to leave me at home!). I had a really great time, or so I was told when I saw it again 4 or 5 years later. I've always agreed with you, Calvin, when you've said on this channel that TND is the perfect "let's just watch a Bond film" Bond film.
7:22 the pre-title sequence is one of the best in the series. It really throws you into that bombastic energy of Brosnan's Bond world and takes you for a ride.
I never understood why so many people think Surrender would have been better in the titles. I find it a bit of a weird song and Sheryl Crow's title song has much more dynamic flair that suits the opening titles much better. Surrender works well as a closing song, but as the main title track it would have sounded a bit flat and weak - weirdly cheerful sounding despite the lyrics and not very dynamic, just all bombastic and pretty cheesy, bouncy composition. Crow's song had far more subtlety and mystery to it, yet then belted it up more dynamically too.
Honestly, Tomorrow Never Dies has always been one of my favorite Bond films. Always loved the score, action scenes, and character deliveries. Only thing I was never huge on was how the car, this time, was a plain looking BMW sedan, but I do agree that it makes perfect sense for a banker's car.
I'm always a bit nervous that each of these Calvin / David debates may be the last one. It's always a real pleasure to see that there's a new one available. 'T.N.D' is a lot of fun, despite being a bit loosely put together. No one can say that they didn't get their money's worth, but I can understand if people find it either underwhelming or moving into a more generic action formula blockbuster. Personally, I enjoyed it in the cinema and appreciated that it just kept moving along without any serious lags and it had a basic confidence and sufficient competence to do what it had to do. Not a great Bond movie in terms of quality, but one of the most entertaining all the same.
This is my favorite Brosnan but I also think it's one of the most baffling missed opportunities in all of Bond - casting Ricky Jay as a henchman and then not having him use playing cards as weapons. That's the absolutely perfect Bond henchman gimmick and Jay literally wrote a book on cards as weapons. How did this not happen?
Ricky Jay I was familiar with from the bit parts he had in some other excellent movies, including the two Paul Thomas Anderson films Boogie Nights and Magnolia and Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, but I had no idea he was a famous magician until I stumbled across videos of his stage shows by chance, it was cool they shot some scenes for this where his showing off his card-throwing skills but some people said with the cuts and edits the magic tricks wouldn’t be as convincing as actually seeing it live in person, and probably why those scenes were cut.
TND was the first ever Bond movie I watched as a child. I remember seeing Brosnan control the BMW with his phone and thinking this is literally the end game of cool gadgets. Watching this now as an adult I have to say I love the villain's idea of using media and news to mould to the world to his liking, it's a very creative idea.
Actually had a moment when you were talking about the Devonshire when I was thinking how much I love the choral bit in the score when the captain says "Abandon ship," and then you mentioned it! There is so much to love here, though. Tonally, I think this is exactly what I want from Bond 26.
Goldeneye was a bit underwhelming for me on my 1st viewing and I felt that it drags a lot once Natalya meets up with Bond. Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough were vastly more enjoyable in really every way for me
I've always felt the TND gets lost in the Brosnan era. Everyone loves Goldeneye (which is the superior film, and Bond film IMHO), people gravitate to TWINE, and people talk about DAD due to how bad it is, but this one gets lost in the conversation. I've always loved it for what it is, and I agree with David that it's a lot of fun and it does have a lot of "Bond moments" - him in the hotel room is reminiscent of Dalton in the deleted scene from LTK - just badass and Brosnan is my fav Bond and he's unfairly judged. To me, he's got the best mix of all previous Bonds and adds something to it himself. The best cinematic version of Bond. Shame the material he was given never really matched his portrayal.
Concur; this is the Brosnan entry that is most routinely overlooked, and more generally Brosnan was never given the scripts that matched up to his persona (and was arguably scapegoated for the critical browbeating that DAD took).
These videos are the best Bond content to ever exist (apart from the actual movies and books, of course) and I await each one with baited breath. It'll be a sad day when the time comes that you don't have any more movies to discuss.
14:10 I am not mad at that from David. Because I think the Sheryl Crow song is excellent. It really is. Its just that K.D. Lang's Surrrender is also excellent and the themes was used by David Arnold in the score. Espcially at the end when she goes to the crescendo of Tomorrow Never Dies and the instrumental, fantastic. But to me this movie has the best collection of Bond songs.
It’s one of those Bond films that’s so easy to watch. But for me it’s still a generic 90s action movie. I love Jonathan Pryce. But after the high of Goldeneye, this just feels like a massive step down. I get why someone would put this in their top ten easy. For me, probably between 15 to20 in my personal rankings. I love these Bond debates cause their god forbid normal
Agreed. It very much just becomes a 'meat and potatoes' action film, especially once Bond reaches Vietnam and a lot of the scenes [such as the bike chase] are a little too long. It's about half way up in my rankings, partly as I'm not a big fan of the next two Brosnan films.
To be honest, that’s why I like it. I do appreciate the emotional stakes of a film like Goldeneye, but I think I only just prefer this one because it’s more watchable to really any mood I’m in. With a film like Goldeneye, I have to be in a specific mood to watch it, but Tomorrow Never Dies is just a film that I never really tire of.
I think the problem with TND and a lot of the Brosnan films after Goldeneye is that they play it way too safe and focus more on action rather than substance. Whereas Goldeneye took risks more I felt. Just like the Dalton films before it.
@@Paul91- Agreed. TWINE felt like they were trying to do something new but got cold feet and tried to make it fit the Bond formula with the more campy elements which was disappointing as it rendered the tone a complete mess [go from stockholme syndrome to 'let's skirt the issue']. Better to try new things than do the same old stuff as there are plenty of films that do that to watch if it's not your cup of tea.
@@jamesatkinsonja If anything I felt that No Time to Die was a much better modern remake of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service than The World is Not Enough was. The tone for that film was all over the place and weirdly enough, Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist was actually the least of its problems.
There is a bit of a myth that Paris Carver was supposed to be an existing character returning. Apparently the character was a simple 'sacrificial lamb' and Pierce Brosnan suggested making her an ex of Bond's to beef the character up. Having an old character [like Sylvia Trench] return with a different actress would fall flat, nor would Natayla [the only previous Bronsnan Bond girl] fit in this scenario so I think it works well. Like Gemma Arterton, I do wonder if some of the backlash to Teri Hatcher is because she's been quite critical of being in the film rather than her performance.
Paris's background as Bond's ex was too much. Her being this Tracy-esque figure like she's this love of his life even though she was invented solely for TND felt very unearned. Especially since once she dies, she's pretty much forgotten about. Plus Bond discovering her dead body is immediately followed by a comedic scene with Vincent Schiavelli as Dr. Kaufman.
I think Tomorrow Never Dies was actually released as a 12; it was only made 15 later (same with GoldenEye). I remember owning the VHS tapes and the only 15 was Licence to Kill.
Added to that it was a virtually uncut 12 certificate at the cinema, then a cut 12 on dvd/vhs, before being re-released as an uncut 15 certificate on dvd/blu ray.
@@Raybond007 If I remember correctly, the one difference between my old VHS copy (12) and my DVD copy (15) was the bit where Wai-Lin killed a guy with a shuriken to the throat. That is where the line was, apparently.
Love it! Thank you David and Calvin. I think this really did sum it up well. I grew up with Brosnan and this movie was always a favorite growing up. The best way I can summarise it now, is that Goldeneye is the better movie, but for me, Tomorrow Never Dies is more of a favorite. It's just a blast. The one scene I REALLY think you guys missed, and should have given some love for, is the Hamburg break in scene. I think that entire sequence of Brosnan sneaking into the secret room at the newspaper factory, using the phone to electrocute the lock, the way he searches the room and smiles when he notices the painting/picture behind which the safe is, and the way the sexy, sleek music swells.. Ugh. It's just SO good. And to me, its peak Brosnan and peak Bond. The little triumphant smile when he successfully uses the fingerprint scanner, and the businesslike nod he gives when he finds the encoder. Its all so good. Brosnan really smashed it out of the park, its all body language. And the action sequence getting out of the factory is almost as good as the car scene to me. The fact that that scene leads into the hotel room scene with Kauffman and the car is just *chef's kiss*. That entire Hamburg sequence is what makes this movie such a stand out to me.
I like the car Bond drives in this one. To me it seems like the kind of car agents probably would get issued, you know, reasonably priced and not suuuper conspicuous. Something suitable for say covert missions where you want to be able to blend in.
One of my favorite Bond movies - certainly my favorite Brosnan Bond! Great timing on this discussion with the recent release of "Everything Everywhere All At Once"! Elliot Carver is just as relevant today if not more so - and Jonathan Pryce is perfection. And somebody needs to do a discussion on the portrayal of China in the Bond series! Great opening! The subplot with Bond and Paris is terrific. The stealth ship is ingenious. Love Michelle Yeoh! And OH THAT BMW!!!!!!!!!! Why doesn't every car come with a remote control?
Say what you want about this movie (yes, it's very much a 90s film) but the dialogue between Paris and Bond in the hotel room is like something from a film noir, so well done and impactful. Brosnan's performance is suitably understated in it too, Wish we'd see more like this in a modern Bond film. I enjoy TND a lot, not in my top ten Bond films per say but always a joy to go back to. Congrats on 50k subscribers Calvin.
As always, excellent conversation. I feel TND is very underrated. Brosnan is very good, action pieces are excellent, and I love the scenes with Paris and Bond, I felt a connection between the two. Fun film. Cannot recall the soundtrack, so will listen to it now.
You forgot to mention GERARD BUTLER!!!! he's the best part of the movie guys!!! his acting, his scottish accent and his 90's curtain hair style.......how can you forget THAT??!!! :)
Those ships are full of future film and TV stars! Pip Torrens, Jason Watkins, Michael Byrne... Every now and then I'll be watching a series and one of them will randomly pop up! Bth Torrens and Watkins had recurring roles in The Crown. It's like a blessing for a good future career being on one of those British ships in this film!
Just watched a 4k copy of Tomorrow Never Dies. I've always appreciated it as it was my first Bond in cinema, but having watched it again I think it surely has to be in the the Top 5. Its amazing!! So nicely shot too, like Skyfall almost.
Fun fact, the cinematography was done by Robert Elswit who did cinematography for a lot of Paul Thomas Anderson films such as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood! His collaborations with PTA are well known for his use of anamorphic lenses and rich colour palettes giving them a classic look (particularly Boogie Nights which for a 90’s film set in the 70’s looks like it was filmed in that time period and Magnolia which had whip-pans and a lot of zooms). Sadly he had a falling out with PTA so their partnership is no more.
@@andrewburgemeister6684 Yes absolutely in fact Phantom Thread is one of my favourite little movies in terms of photography, outstanding but yes his involvement not clear by then!
@@harryherman5371 I have to watch Phantom Thread, I think PTA did the cinematography himself although it’s a shame that Elswit is no longer working with him.
I love TND - the action, David Arnold's stupendous score. What stands out for me is that it was the first Bond film that I learned about on the Internet while it was under production, and followed the news about it, so I was really pumped when it came out.
Being a 90s kid myself I have always been tremendously fond of Tomorrow Never Dies. I think it is better than the « action fest » epithet that is too often attributed to it, but also not as good as several other entries in the series. It suffers from the same issues as all other Brosnan 007 films save Goldeneye, i.e. starting with a more original, character-based concept before abandoning it midway (in the case of TWINE, a bit later than midway, admittedly). Perhaps combining the characters of Paris Carver and Wai Lin might have prevented that… as it stands, TND does indeed give the impression that it is rushing to an exciting climax once Bond leaves Germany, and while the non-stop action from that point onwards is a lot of fun, it is also devoid of the emotional drama found in the likes of LTK, GE, CR, SF and NTTD. Still, it is one of my most-watched Bond films, it is my personal favorite performance by Brosnan and the Kaufman scene as well as the car chase in Hamburg are absolute highlights of the whole series as far as I’m concerned :)
Great to see you and David back in action!! This is My favorite Brosnan for sure. Besides just being super cool and everything we want James Bond to be - he really felt in this one like a perfect combination of Connery and Moore - which was absolutely what we wanted to see from the character at this time - much more polished than he even was in Goldeneye. The score was also incredibly important- easily one of the best in the entire series. (If I had one great wish for Bond 26 it would be to bring back David Arnold!!) The scores have just NOT been the same since he left. But the entire feel of the film - the spectacle, the action, the great gadgets, the girls, the larger than life villain with saving the world at stake - It is all just classic James Bond for me. And as much as I’ve loved the Craig era - watching this really makes me miss those days where a James Bond movie was just great escapist fun!! And where there was no real worry about them Blowing him up in that ship at the end!
The last two JB films I watched were Spectre and No Time to Die, both of which I enjoyed. But then today I re-watched Tomorrow Never Dies for the first time since I saw it in the theater and I was like, "Oh right! THIS is what a Bond film is supposed to be!" In the years since Craig took over, I had completely forgotten about the comically over-the-top mega-villains, Bond's devil-may-care attitude and constant quipping, the ludicrously loyal henchmen that always inexplicably go down with the ship instead of just hitting the road when things take a bad turn, the unbelievably convenient and very mission-specific gadgets - especially the ones on the completely unreal yet enviably awesome cars, the richness and power of the classic music and cues, the apologetically gratuitous sex and violence, it was all there - and I loved it. There's a line at the end of the film when Carver is about to die and Bond says, "give the people what they want" before gruesomely murdering him in cold blood. And they did - the producers gave us exactly what we wanted in a Bond film. It's such a very meta line, especially considering the film's focus on mass-media and how it influences the world. Needless to say, I had a huge, stupid smile plastered on my face the whole way through and I loved every minute of it. Frankly, I hope the next film series just picks up where Die Another Day left off with its (loose) continuity and goes back to that classic style. I really enjoyed Craig, but his Bond was an anti-hero and there's already enough of that in literature and film. I'll take "Bond the hero" over dark and brooding any day.
Watched The World is Not Enough today and then came online to see you talk about another Brosnan classic!! To be honest I feel that all of Brosnan's film's are perfect apart from the last one...also Moby's remix of the Bond theme that he made for this film is PERFECTION!!!!
This one aged pretty well, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s also still relevant, someone powerful enough spreading misinformation can be a very dangerous situation.
It's happening now, the only difference is it's 4-5 people and a conglomerate of media organizations all putting out the same misinformation simultaneously. So it's actually worse.
Can't wait to dive into this gentlemen!! Really funny actually, I literally watched Your Bond ranking video, then David's right after (love your reactions to David ranking Moonraker & Octopussy so low 😂) wondering wnen you two were going to do your next video together, then this pops up an hour later!! I've seen both rankings multiple times and revisit once in a while.
Had to chuckle At David’s comment about the effects being a bit Thunderbirdy especially in Goldeneye.Think he’s referring to the planes flying into the Severnaya dish.Given they were done by Derek Meddings in his last Bond work before his passing it’s not surprising as he did all the Gerry Anderson puppet shows including Thunderbirds.
@@DafyddBrooks Not a fan of TWINE. Love CR and Skyfall, (more than TND) but they are not your typical James Bond adventures. In TND Bond is cool, immaculate and fun.
@@spaceodds1985 As far as I am concerned, this series is DOA. Unless I hear that the powers that be finally pull their heads out of their asses and finally give us the Bond film that actually respects what made this series great, then don't expect me in the theater.
Tomorrow Never Dies is a solid mid-pack Bond movie that could have been really great with a couple of rewrites But watching it after Goldeneye does feel like a bit of a let down
I watched all the Brosnan films in about a week or so recently and I agree. The first half feels like it's going somewhere interesting but once Paris is killed it becomes a more standard action film and a big step down from Goldeneye.
I was going to write almost the same and then I saw this comment. I would focus the rewrite on the end part, particularly the role Wai Lin has. Improve the classic "damsel in distress" Bond girl part to fit better with the character of Wai Lin and give her the "Camille Montes" treatment. I don't buy the love end (for many reasons mentioned in this video). Almost all the characters in Goldeneye are so much better than in TND, with the exception of Bond himself. Main villain and main henchman will always be in favour of Goldeneye but a "better" end would bring Wai Lin at least a lot closer to Natalya Simonova.
@@RoseSolane Agreed. I get the feeling the Brosnan era wanted to mix things up but always felt the need to follow the formula [also see having to add Christmas Jones into TWINE to give Bond a love scene at the end]. Wai Lin and Bond always felt like friends/ Colleges rather than lover interests [so glad they didn't force a romance with Bond and Camille].
I always loved this movie and Elliot Carver is one of my favourite Villains. He is campy but can so easily switch to unsettling and even down right upsetting. It’s the quiet moments where you realise he really doesn’t care about anyone or anything except for power. No other Bond villain has banners of themselves.
At 8 years old I had watched and recorded You Only Live Twice on video (the good old days and best way to build a film collection), borrowed Goldeneye from a friend and made a copy for myself and realised this character was the same guy (I went on to become obsessed with the game as well of course), then I'd been discovering the others which was tricky at that age without the Internet or other friends who had any idea what Bond even was. Anyway, I was on a 3 day mini cruise with my mum and in my boredom after exhausting what little money I had in the arcade I went to see what films were on at the onboard cinema (the idea of seeing a film on a boat had me extra pumped as it was) and saw that TND was one of only 2 films they were showing and it was rated PG for some reason (I knew it was meant to be a 12 and wondered whether it was a territorial thing or just someones fantastic mistake and wasn't going to mention this to my mother and blow it). Mum was poorly and couldn't see it with me but let me watch it while she chilled and explained the craic to the man on the door to not let me wander off, like that was gonna happen during Bond haha I was the ONLY person in the screen, sat smack in the middle at the front, absolutely glued, mind blown, in complete awe, all the synonyms you can muster. What's more, the boat was headed to Hamburg so watching this film set there knowing where I was going I just couldn't believe it and was past myself with fanfare appreciation. I made it my business to find the hotel used as the location for where Bond stayed. Went on to watch it again on the journey back, buy the video at Christmas when it was released (along with a Guinness book of records which had some stuff in about Mario 64 haha) as that's all I could afford. I still vividly remember the shop I was in, the video costing £11.99 and my mum giving me the difference to afford that and the book since it was Christmas. Fond memories of this film, loved and appreciated the relevance of the plot at the time with the whole media thing and still love it for its time in cultural history now and always will. The opening song I also liked cause it sounded modern and cool which is how I perceived the film to be. The bombastic song at the end just made it end on an even better and more badass high for me. I could talk at length about this film myself and its impact on me and the series as a whole, it holds a solid place in my heart. As if I was on a boat too haha the coincidences of this... Great chat, guys! Until next time 🍸
I honestly think this was James Bond being a parody of James Bond. Kind of like The Spy Who Loved Me. Hit all the right notes, didn't stand out by any means but still a solid entry. Used to always be on re-runs on Showtime at the final scenes.
Brosnan was such a great Bond. I'm so nostalgic for his era (apart from Die Another Day) compared to the Craig era. Casino Royale was a great film and a good corrective to the excesses of Die Another Day but in general I think the Craig era went much too far in the other direction and lost all the fun and joy that first made me fall in love with Bond
Each to there own. I find the Craig era far more enjoyable than Brosnan's in general [apart from Goldeneye]. I'm a 90's child but they don't hold up for me generally while I find the 5 part saga of Craig's much more engaging. But the great thing about Bond is that every Bond is at least one person's favorite and there is variety.
I would say that the first half of TND from the gunbarrel to the end of the BMW chase scene is right up there with the best of anything the franchise has to offer, even if the second half can't quite sustain the same high level.
"Tomorrow Never Dies" is my favourite of the Brosnan movies, actually. And I'm glad two hear so much imo deserved praise for it. Inspired by your short discussion about ratings: Calvin, is there any chance that you might do a video about interesting Bond ratings trivia? Like, which movies are in your opionion insanely high (or low) rated in other countries? Which movies did get a re-rating? Are there films you would give a different age rating than the BBFC? Would love to hear your thoughts about this topic (and maybe learn some trivia about ratings all over the world).
Tomorrow Never Dies has been the one Bond film for me that I have had a bit of a journey with. When it first came out, it was shortly after getting into Bond and I actually didn't really like it it at all. Goldeneye was the first Bond film I watched and thought that one really got the world of Bond down to a tee. TND seemed TOO advanced in a way, I can't quite explain it but it felt like it detoured way too much away from being a Bond movie and was more in the vein of the typical late 90s action schlock. I honestly believe that TWINE managed to take what worked in Goldeneye, the modernization of what was in TND and combine those elements pretty well together. However, over time, I've grown to REALLY love TND and adore it. It has one of the smarter, and ahead of it time, Bond plots, unassuming but great villain with Carver and while I wouldn't rank it high, its teetering just outside Top 10 for me... and quite often I will find myself quoting Carver by just saying "Delicious"
As a Vietnam expat for years, I am disappointed that they didn't film in actual Saigon. Its such a great city that it deserves a blockbuster for the modern era. They cut out all of Saigon in the recent Artemis Fowl, but it may be a blessing in disguise given how that film turned out. Maybe they will go to other Vietnamese cities like Da Nang, Hanoi or Similar in future instalments. I doubt they would do Manila in the Philippines given the Bourne series already went there.
I must be in an alternate universe because I agree with EVERYTHING Calvin Dyson has said about this film. He's totally on point with every aspect. And yes this ranks higher than Goldeneye for me for every reason that David said.
This and Skyfall are the two films that never get boring for me no matter how often I see them. Same with Elliot Carver. I find him to be an entirely believable megalomaniac. He’s a newspaper mogul for crying out loud. Of course he’s bombastic. And I love it! (So does my mum for that matter, and she is a hard audience to convince)
I honestly would take Tomorrow Never Dies over a Craig film not because I think it’s better (well it is) it’s because Craig films feel a bit too somber and moody. To where this film gives you all the flare, and style a Bond film asks for. Really depends on the mood. Great film
With the exception of Casino Royale I agree completely but then again the only Daniel Craig Bond film I dont like is Spectre. TND is my 4th best Bond film
I know my 90s child nostalgia plays a part but I am so glad to watch a video where I agree with pretty much everything and feel validated in my love of these films. While I do love craig, it didn’t start that way purely because Brosnan was always Bond to me originally. Even if he was Irish.
By far the biggest problem with the plot the impossibility of the British deploying what is called "the entire British fleet" to the far east in 48 hours.
In fact, I was rewatching Boogie Nights a couple of weeks ago (one of my favourite films btw) and I absolutely fell in love with the cinematography by Elswit in a way that I hadn’t had in the previous 100+ viewings of that film despite really appreciating it! There Will Be Blood which he won an Oscar on is also amazing with the shots and the lighting!
This one didn't do much for me at the time. It felt like a best of Bond, rather than something fresh like Goldeneye felt for me in 95. I really loved the plot too with a media mogul being the villain, but just felt they really didn't do as much with it as they could have.
I’ll never accuse a Bond villain of overacting, but Pryce was just miscast. Carver had to be a hugely charismatic, charming hedonist that you’d believe is the life and soul of a party, someone people would expect to have their face on a skyscraper. Whereas Pryce seems more like a Truman Lodge character. Anthony Hopkins or Gene Hackman would’ve been stupendous.
The Q scene in this film is one of my fave Q/Bond interactions. Desmond's delivery of the line: 'It's the insurance damage waiver for your BEAUTIFUL NEW CAR' is delivered is so much comedic venom its Oscar worthy. Then there's David Arnold's music whams ala 60s Batman which make it even funnier. "Will you need collision coverage?" "Yes." Wham! "Fire?" "Probably..." "Property Destruction?" "Yes!" Wham! 🤣
One I have a huge soft spot for, I can remember being obsessed with it as a kid and mithering my parents to tape it for me when it was shown on ITV in the early 2000's...
ITV showed Tomorrow Never Dies all the time in the early 2000's, partly as Teri Hatcher was in Desperate Housewives at the time and ITV wanted a piece of that [despite Housewives being shown on Channel 4].
TND is such a good counter point to Goldeneye, and moves the character and his relationships along so seamlessly that it makes for an incredibly satisfying rewatch. Coming from a tank chase (pursuing the villain in the most indestructible vehicle) to purposefully placing Bond on a motorcycle - the most vulnerable vehicle possible - and have him be chased by the villain instead.; The M-Bond relationship that had been shown as standoffish has clearly grown to mutual respect with her sticking up for him towards the admiral ("he's doing his job!") and Bond being reverent, handing her the newspaper in a room with the minister of defense and the navy admiral. The Bond-Moneypenny relationship which had only been established as reciprocal flirty office banter is now shown to actually be not only friendship outside work (where he's confided in her with personal history) but she is also, in classic Maxwell fashion, his best wing-woman, by covering for him with M and calling him back from Oxford. The emotional GE beach scene, establishing the character's ethos of "stay alone to stay alive" is not truly paid off until we meet Paris in TND and really understand the reasoning behind why Bond is not in a position to have loved ones. And those are just the points where TND complements GE, before we even gush about the car chace, the Q scene, Wai-Lin as a whole, the Paris hotel scene or the Kaufman scene. TND will forever be in my Top5.
I watched this one today. This film is awesome, and I’m starting to think I need to have a day where I watch all 4 of Brosnan’s back to back to actually see which one I get more out of, coz I really really enjoyed this today
You’ve talked of Bond movies being time capsules of the era they’re set in and Bond is no exception. This movie so SO 90’s. By far one of my favorite Bond movies.
When I was a child, this was one of my favourite bond films ever; the two chases, especially the first one in Hamburg, were S-Tier for me. I'd need to rewatch TND to say if this is for me still one of the best 007 movies; surely the villain is great (maybe much more current and realistic today than in 1997), the 007 theme performed by Moby makes me drool for pleasure and the cinematography is better than Goldeneye's one. Probabily I'd put TWINE higher than TND in my ranking, as I like Michelle Yeoh's toughness but the third 007 Brosnan film is better when it comes to Bond Girls. Goldeneye is probabily my favourite bond movie ever so it doesn't count 😅
