Review of The World Is Not Enough (1999) by Filipeneto — 19 Feb 2018

Directed by Michael Apted and produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, it has script by Bruce Feirstein and Robert Wade and is the nineteenth film in the franchise. In this film, Pierce Brosnan plays 007 alongside Sophie Marceau, in the role of Electra King, Denise Richards, in the role of Christmas Jones, Robbie Coltrane, in the role of Valentin Zukovsky and Robert Carlyle, in the role of Renard. In this film, Desmond Llewelyn made one of his last appearances as Q, alongside his replacement, John Cleese, in the role of R, his assistant.

In this film, James Bond will protect the life of Elektra, the young and seductive daughter of an oil tycoon, murdered by the construction of a pipeline in the Caspian Sea. Despite the orders received, Bond will discover that the girl keeps dark secrets from her past, and isn't as angelic and helpless as she seems.

Its not the first time that James Bond gives attention to problems related to oil or energy, we already saw something similar in "The Man With the Golden Gun". However, its this film that focuses more directly on issues related to oil industry and the control of oil production, either by countries or by certain firms. Sophie Marceau deserves congratulations for her excellent interpretation in this film, where she had a deeply complex character. Indeed, Brosnan's time's movies, despite its serious flaws, gave some of the most remarkable and memorable villains of the franchise. As for Brosnan himself, he continued to make his role unconvincingly or unsurprisingly, warm as a bread without salt. The film is full of errors, paradoxes, continuity failures impossible to disguise and blatant advertising of various sponsors. The machines are also worth mentioning in this film, in particular the helicopter with saws which, in the most striking sequence of the film, chases Bond cutting a BMW and a caviar warehouse as if they were butter. The opening theme of this film is the longest in franchise so far. Sung by Garbage is excellent although its too long.