12/29/2002 Entry: ""
Posted by Maynard @ 10:11 PM MST
Movie Mania 3: Die Another Day
The latest James Bond movie has all the elements of all the others: girls, guns, wit, and action. It satisfies on an action level, but has too much blatant sex for me. The lines are great, but the tech fiction that forms a basic plot thread is lame.
The basis of the story is the survival of a North Korean Army Colonel who is is charge of several private weapons research projects, all with the end goal of the invasion of the South, the removal of the U.S. from the Korean Peninsula, and the overrun of Japan.
Before you read any more, don't worry: this was not ripped from today's headlines.
The opening scene pits Bond against Colonel Moon, who ends up going over a waterfall, but like in Monty Python's Holy Grail, he's not dead yet. Bond is captured and spends 14 months in a NK prison, being tortured. Somehow, the NKs get the name of an American agent in North Korea who is shot, so an exchange is set up because everyone blames Bond for the leak. His 00 status is revoked (again), but he escapes from the hospital ship and manages to make his way to Cuba. There he hooks up with Jinx Jordan (Halle Berry), who is also on the trail of another NK Army officer, Zao. Together they track their quarry to England and Iceland (which is conveniently all ice for this movie, instead of it's normal green). There they see the demonstration of Icarus, a satellite that can put the power of the Sun on any spot on Earth. It's supposed to be used to end World hunger.
Yeah, right. Like we're ever supposed to believe that line in a James Bond movie.
John Cleese fills the role of Q perfectly. The scenes with him are absolutely great, with above average wit and excellent subtle humor. He is the best choice for Desmond Llewelyn's replacement, and does the role justice.
Go see this if you are into James Bond or like action movies. Avoid it if you don't like movies that use technical advances like a crutch.
Romance: 1/10 (typical Bond lines and moves, but more blatant sexual scenes than previous movies)
Action: 9/10 (James' car on an ice lake rocks, and there's more than just that)
Drama: 6/10 (decent plot, but not something to write home about: a typical Bond flick)
Music: 7/10 (I liked David Arnold's work, but Madonna should not have done the title song)
Overall: 7.5/10
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