*** Official "DIE ANOTHER DAY" Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Tom Ryan]

I thought so to and fully expected the gun to be lifted of it's ammo. The way the script turned heavily on her suddenly screamed of traitor, especially after the whole traitor in the ranks angle had been so firmly established in the beginning of the film

I forgave the film it's clumsiness there however.

I wasn't sure how stupid the film was...thought possibly it may have had no problem establishing Frost being set against sleeping with Bond and then throwing that out the window. I did figure Frost had to be the traitor, which was confirmed when she steps in to "help" Bond and trains her gun on Graves. Rule #1 of movie shootouts is that you only need one gun per bad guy. Having Frost assist Bond was just a device for revealing her true nature.

 

[EricW]

has there ever been a study in Bond movies where they count how many times Bond himself has been captured and ~not~ shot by the bad guy when he/she has the chance? i'm sure it happens multiple times in most movies.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

It has happened in every movie. Just like in every Star Trek episode, Scottie against all odds fixes the damn engines just in time. Seriously, how long would these movies be if the villians subscribed to the Tuco philosophy of "If you are going to shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

 

[Dharmesh C]

The film was awful, instead of breaking new ground and keeping the Bond feel, they go and pander to the triple x crowd. Absolutely disgusted with this Hollywood garabge. Bring back the British Bond please
Since the death of Albert, Bond has been in nosedive, this is even worse than Moonraker.

 

[Walt Riarson]

This play on 007's libido from within the ranks was out of the ordinary for him (unless my memory fails me).

Although not part of MI-6, Felix Lieter made a remark saying something to the effect of "knowing him, it's either a drink or a woman" when following Bond's tracking device in Goldfinger. That's the only one I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Lee L]

Well, I too liked it, but definitely felt there were problems. I guess I just did not expect that much and sat back and watched stuff blow up very loudly and in the most over the top way possible.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that didn't think Halle Berry's performance was all that. How can anyone possibly think about giving Jinx her own movie series?

I also agree about Ms. Frost, WOW, Halle who? I thought the whole plot of Bond getting the ice queen named Ms Frost to sleep with him right away was a satire of all the Bond movies.

I also liked the two henchmen arguing about killing Jinx.

Henchman 1 : "Shoot her!"
Henchman 2 : "No, I wanna use the laserrr."

Another backhanded slap at the whole premise of every Bond movie so far.

This movie had so much satirical dialog, are we sure Mike Myers didn't write some of it?

 

[Nelson Au]

I'll throw in my two cents on the film. I enjoyed it and it was over the top. I think with the exception of the last fight scene in the sub on TWINE, TWINE was much better then this film in terms of reality and story.

I did like the exchange of dialog with Judy Dench as M with Bond. She says the world has changed while he was gone. I thought that was a great statement aimed at the critics that say Bond is a cold war era hero that is out of place today. His response, "Not for me" was their wink at us in the audience. She also said that the world is not black and white anymore, it's full of grey situations. But not to Bond.

DAD was fun and I had fun looking for all the references to past films. There is one scene that I thought was a subtle reference to From Russia With Love, where Bond is in his hotel room in Hong Kong. He tosses an ash tray at the mirror to find a camera crew behind it trying to film him and the girl. That was right out of FRWL.

And the thrilling sword fight was the best fight since the train fight in FRWL. Brosnan was really good in that, quite Connery like in his ruthlessness.

I think DAD is so over the top, it's sort of like Moore's Moonraker, but better. Which means the producers will follow with a film that is back down to Earth and hopefully back to basics, like "For Your Eyes Only" was.

Nelson

 

[Sam Davatchi]

The thing that bothers me and quite frankly I think it’s unnecessary is that they consider the character James Bond to be one person.
What I prefer is that James Bond be more like a fake, cover name. It’s a code name given to the 007 agent. I consider that there have been 5 different persons in the stories.
I honestly think it’s quite ridiculous that they consider it one person. How on earth is that possible? Is Bond a Terminator, Bionic Man or an android!? I say this because the reference of time is in the movies.
How could Bond be nostalgic about his old stuff in the Q lab from 40 years ago and still be a middle aged man? How could he still talk about his dead wife? So as you see they do consider him one man and on the same time they do consider the passage of time! Everyone in MI-6 is dying but him!

 

[EricW]

What I prefer is that James Bond be more like a fake, cover name. It?s a code name given to the 007 agent. I consider that there have been 5 different persons in the stories.

like the Dread Pirate Roberts?

 

[Dome Vongvises]

like the Dread Pirate Roberts?

Seriously though, the CGI stunts in Bond are getting a little too over-the-top. My dad is a huge Bond fan, and he's starting to not like the CGI. You still can't top the rocket pack from Thunderball.
The title song is catchy in its own merits, but then again, it's horrible for a Bond film.
If there's anything to rank in the upper echelons of Bondom, it's up there for most attractive females next to The World Is Not Enough.

 

[Kajs]

Any movie with a mirror in outer space to reflect the sun somewhere on the earth sucks, see Batman and Robin.
I "would" have liked this movie if it didnt have such horrible CGI. I still think nothing can top Goldeneye, the movie or the videogame...

 

[Declan]

OK, tried to go to Die Another Day tonight. But ended up seeing a sci-fi movie about some big mirror that can make a giant deadly gun from the suns ray which is controlled by some Robocop suited guy in a big ice Hotel in Iceland doing a (very bad) snarling Englishman impression (kinda like an evil Roger Moore Bond) with raised eyebrows and all and was trying to blow up China( I think, cant remember as i just wanted to go home by this point). For some reason Perice Brosnan was in this science fiction (the word "fiction" being the opprative word) film as well. You'd think that he would'nt have that much time on his hands at the min, he's meant to be in a new James Bond movie so where did he find time to film thisss.....ss..s.......


wait........


a....



sec.........





THIS IS BOND..............Holy f**kIN SHIT, Cubby Broccolli must be turning in his grave.

God this really was not what i was expecting. After a great (dark) first hour (he did'nt waste time getting to know Haley berry ) plus a great swordfight the moment this gets to iceland (about halfway into the film) it goes waaaaaaay down hill, even (i could'nt belive this was possible) futher downhill than XXX ever did. When i seen the car chase clips on TV I was really excited, especially with the aston Martin on its roof and Bond hits the ejector seat to get it back on it's wheels. When I saw this in the film itself i never passed any remarks. The way they edited it as well, speeding up the camera moves and such through editing really gave it this MTV style that did'nt fit with Bond at all.
Before the car chase i also noticed that they included (what must have been) clips from the forth coming Bond PS2 game where he surfboards with a metal pannel and a parachute.
The less said about the big showdown the better.

The only saving grace was that when Haley Berry was on the screen I forgot how bad everything in the 2nd half of the film was, but only when she was on screen.

Plus Michael (Mr. Blonde) Madsen must be the most under used supporting actor in history.

You can forgive a film if it has a bad beginning, as long as the end makes up for it, well this went in the oppossite direction.

Hope Michael G Wilson (the producer) remembers this in a years time when they start shooting the next one.

First half- Very good
Second half- Moonraker 2 (says it all)

 

[LennyP]

Yes, me and many others in the audience when saw Michael Madsen meet Pierce Brosnan on screen thought, holy shit, Mr. Blonde is gona break out the guns and whack Bond any minute now!
I loved the opening, really great dark, tortured, pissed off Bond going on revenge, escaping his own people as well, and a sword fight that Highlander would envy, excellent. This is a 4th Bond movie for me and they're getting better and better. The more sci-fi elements the more I enjoy any movie, so no complaints for the second part here :b

 

[Dan Brecher]

this is even worse than Moonraker.

Whoaaaaaa there, steady on. Let's not say things we can't take back. The sad truth is, Bond will never return to its spy action/thriller routes.... Each Brosnan outing gets progressively bigger and louder than the last because indeed MGM are too gutless to provide anything other than all action blowout outings that appeal to so many.
The sadest thing is it's makers will claim that really they have no choice, that this is the way of things now in order for them to compete. Lee Tamahori blurted out this poor excuse recently himself.
In reality, there is nothing stopping them returning to the spy thriller genre, but MGM are in dire need of help and it's clear they will go the length of delivering the rather bland action fest the public want if it's going to make them a lot of money. Given each Bond film since Goldeneye has made more money than the last, we've not seen the end of this approach to Bond.
For me Die Another Day was both steps forward and steps back. Good fun up until the larking about in the ice where the laser, invisible car and mech-suit thing just smashed through the barrier of utter insanity resulting in a rubbish ending.
Dan

 

[Declan]

to anybody who works on the UK's Total film magazine (and to the reviewer of Die Another day on that mag), WTF, you must have been watching a different film from me, this pissed all over the pervious Bond films in every way and it in reality was really directed by Vic Armstrong (who can do a great stunt sequence) and not Lee Tamahori. Tamahori must have given up on the film half way through and handed the rest over to Armstrong for the last hour of the film. Come on the name of the last person to use a "giant laser" was Dr. Evil.
The only thing good to come out of it at all will be the film based on Jinx, but it will most likely end up being the female version of xXx.

Could'nt beleive how pissed off I was leaving the cinema last night, even more pissed off than when I left Batman and robin cause the first hour of DAD was great....then they just f*/ked it up completely. Wosrt use of a CGI plane since Air Force One crashed into the ocean.

 

[Ning Wong]

the 2nd surfing scene was SUCK

 

[Norm]

I learned my lesson last Bond movie, no more Bond movies for me!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Just saw this today.

I have to say I liked the credits sequence with the music that was used. Strange and unlike the Bond series, but interesting nonetheless.

The fencing scene was just really cool. They need more hand-to-hand combat like that.

The big mirror was cheesy, and the CGI in the second surfing scene sucked, but most of the other stuff in the film was entertaining enough to put this film on my positive side.

I would prefer it if the next film brought back the class of the old Bond films by mixing action, chivalry, and style together instead of ripped clothing, sweating, and explosions (unless Halle Berry is involved, then all 6 aspects should be mixed).

 

[Lewis Besze]

I think times make past memories more fun,or only remembering the good?
I just watched DR NO[not the first time],and even though it was made in the 60's some of the "stunts" looked liked from the 40's.Thunderball's last fight scene on the Disco Valenti was flat out laughable.The director called this a new and exiting editing job. Aha!
To me many of the early Bond movies aren't aged well like a good wine[though the current ones I don't think will do much better as well],and the plots though were simple,nothing to write home about either,and those helpless Bond chicks,who's only contribution to the dialog is "Oh James"!?Oh sure I liked their looks,but the current action hero types are more "refreshing" IMO.
The Bond franchise is "evolving" it is trying to stay with current movie goers,hence the more CGI and loud shoot'em up mix,but in many ways retains it's "polished English" look and feel,the current villain was certainly like that don't you think?
I too thought that Jinx's character was under developed,at least from all the hype we got before the film opened,one would have thought she "stole" the movie.Not even!
The one criticism that most of the shot was on sound stage is a valid one,and agree that shot "on location" was one of the reason why previous Bond movies had some attraction to them.Also why every Brosnan Bond was directed by someone else?
Anyhow I thought that this Bond movie was better then TWINE,but not as good as Goldeneye,and Eric Serra's score was better the any of the Arnold ones IMO.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I also didn't think that Halle Berry was a convincing NSA agent. She, like some other females in spy movies (this isn't sexist, it's just been that way), came off like she was small and weak. The way she ran, the way she held the gun, and the fact that she just didn't act like a serious agent made it feel weird. She did a fine job as a Bond girl, but I dunno about a secret agent.