Product Details

• Actors: Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane Pierce Brosnan
• Directors: Michael Apted
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English, Russian
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: May 16, 2000
• Run Time: 128 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (457 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305784906
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,249 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In his 19th screen outing, Ian Fleming's superspy is once again caught in the crosshairs of a self-created dilemma: as the longest-running feature-film franchise, James Bond is an annuity his producers want to protect, yet the series' consciously formulaic approach frustrates any real element of surprise beyond the rote application of plot twists or jump cuts to shake up the audience. This time out, credit 007's caretakers for making some visible attempts to invest their principal characters with darker motives--and blame them for squandering The World Is Not Enough's initial promise by the final reel.

By now, Bond pictures are as elegantly formal as a Bach chorale, and this one opens on an unusually powerful note. A stunning pre-title sequence reaches beyond mere pyrotechnics to introduce key plot elements as the action leaps from Bilbao to London. Bond 5.0, Pierce Brosnan, undercuts his usually suave persona with a darker, more brutal edge largely absent since Sean Connery departed. Equally tantalizing are our initial glimpses of Bond's nemesis du jour, Renard (Robert Carlyle), and imminent love interest, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), both atypically complex characters cast with seemingly shrewd choices, and directed by the capable Michael Apted. The story's focus on post-Soviet geopolitics likewise starts off on a savvy note, before being overtaken by increasingly Byzantine plot twists, hidden motives, and reversals of loyalty superheated by relentless (if intermittently perfunctory) action sequences.

Indeed, the procession of perils plays like a greatest hits medley, save for a nifty sequence involving airborne buzz saws that's as enjoyable as it is preposterous. Bond's grimmer demeanor, while preferable to the smirk that eventually swallowed Roger Moore whole, proves wearying, unrelieved by any true wit. The underlying psychoses that propel Renard and Elektra eventually unravel into unconvincing melodrama, while Bond is supplied with a secondary love object, Denise Richards, who's even more improbable as a nuclear physicist. Ultimately, this World is not enough despite its better intentions. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God Bless This Movie, April 29, 2000

By	Dave (Bethel Park, Pa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World Is Not Enough (DVD)

"Goldeneye" was great. "Tomorrow Never Dies" was good. "The World Is Not Enough" was excellent. Pierce Brosnan, no matter what cranky critics say, is a fantastic Bond, who is sort of like a melting pot of the past actor's best attributes. Connery's vicious edge, Moore's amusing wit, and Dalton's brutality. Another thing that makes Brosnan a keeper is that, like Connery and Moore, he has fun with Bond. Dalton and Lazenby made the mistake of taking this as a serious acting job. It isn't. TWINE does have a great script which is understandable (I guess a lot of people who complained just weren't attentive, since very few modern movies require that.) Renard may have been a lame bad guy, but Carlisle did play him well and believably - isn't that all that counts? Denise Richards, however laughable she was as Christmas Jones, did well with her material. And, the way I look at it, she wasn't evne the main Bond woman this time around. Sophie Marceau is perhaps one of the sexiest Bond women ever to grace the silver screen. There was no doubt that she was the perfect choice for Elektra King, playing the good-girl gone bad to a tee. I hope she is more visible in future years.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Middle ground Bond, November 21, 2000

By	"adncjs3" (Fresno, CA. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World Is Not Enough (DVD)

Pierce Brosnan's third 007 outing, "The World Is Not Enough" has all the ingrediants die hard fans of the series love, explosions, cool action, gorgeous women and of course Bond himself played by Brosnan, but somehow the film skips a beat. First off, this 19th Bond epic begins with a bang. Before the title sequence even starts, Bond has escaped capture from crooked bankers, survived a massive explosion which guts out MI6 headquarters and pursues a really attractive female assasin in what must be the most suped up jet boat in cinema history. It's just a shame that the rest of the film can't top the exciting first ten or twelve minutes.

The plot is Bond appropriate, Agent 007 is sent to protect a heiress to an oil industry who has been targeted by a super terrorist who is impervious to pain, he has a bullet lodged in his brain. Before long, Bond embroiled in a complicated (and hard to follow) plot to rule the oil industry and then the world. What is disappointing about this installment is the films sometimes slow pace and final battle scene.

The climax of the film takes place on a submarine and is too reminiscent of the end of "Tomorrow Never Dies". However, the strengths of the film are in the suprisingly strong performances (excluding Denise Richards). M has a more prominant role in this round which makes sense because she's played again by Oscar winner Judi Dench. Her M character is for more empathetic this time and you can tell that she is concerned about Bond's safety. This is a welcome plot development and I hope that Brosnan and Dench have more dramatic scenes with each other in future Bond films.

While just a tad disappointing, "The World Is Not Enough" is entertaining enough.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank God, it has a plot!, April 3, 2000

By	"emeraldavatar" (Jersey City, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

I think right now, the 007 dynasty is damned-if-they-do and damned-if-they-don't. It seems every time they try to do something a little bit edgy or different from the usual formula, they get castigated by millions of viewers crying, "This is not we expected!", while the more formulaic films get lambasted for containing "all the usual lame gadgets and contrived stunts". Personally, I love it when the creators try to depart from the norm, and TWINE is one of the best examples of this. To begin with, it actually has a plot! I agree, it's not the best plot I've ever seen, but in Bond films the plot does not have to be airtight, and at least there is more to this one than the stupid action-driven premise of TND. Brosnan is seriously trying to portray 007 as a real person, rather than the suave superhero parody that Moore was trying to be. Carlyle is great as the new millenium's Jaws, although he is seriously underused. The action is not non-stop, but when it comes it is breathtakingly done. Come on, admit it - you never expected that second parafoil to open up, did you? Overall, I'd say this is the fifth best James Bond ever, much better than TND and leagues ahead of anything Moore or Dalton ever did. Just for comparison, my all-time favourite is Goldfinger, followed by FRWL, OHMSS, and Goldeneye.