DVD Talk review of 'Die Another Day' (Blu-ray)
11-03-08, 11:39 AM
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DVD Talk review of 'Die Another Day' (Blu-ray)
I read Stuart Galbraith IV's DVD review of Die Another Day at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=35289 and I'd like to know if you could expand on this part of the review:
"but in both The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, Brosnan's real potential as James Bond finally bubbled to the surface. Though neither film was perfect (the misbegotten casting of Denise Richards in the former overshadowed that film's many qualities), each pushed the envelope a little further, with The World is Not Enough practically a dry-run for everything that is good about the 2006 Casino Royale. In short, the Craig Bonds wouldn't exist as they do were it not for the foundation laid by Brosnan in the decade before."
I'm not sure what you see in those films that laid the foundation for Casino Royale. I guess I can see a parallel between Elektra from TWINE and Vesper, but that's about it. Very curious to hear more of your thoughts on this.
"but in both The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, Brosnan's real potential as James Bond finally bubbled to the surface. Though neither film was perfect (the misbegotten casting of Denise Richards in the former overshadowed that film's many qualities), each pushed the envelope a little further, with The World is Not Enough practically a dry-run for everything that is good about the 2006 Casino Royale. In short, the Craig Bonds wouldn't exist as they do were it not for the foundation laid by Brosnan in the decade before."
I'm not sure what you see in those films that laid the foundation for Casino Royale. I guess I can see a parallel between Elektra from TWINE and Vesper, but that's about it. Very curious to hear more of your thoughts on this.
11-03-08, 09:32 PM
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That's my main point, yes. Everyone remembers (and justly knocks) Denise Richards' casting and performance in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, but she was really a supporting character, the girl in Bond's arms for the fade out only by default.
Sophie Marceau's complex character was the real focus of that picture, by far the psychologically darkest of the Bond series, more so for instance than Tracy in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (a personal favorite), who was suicidal but vaguely defined. I do see some parallels not so much in terms of story but in the relationship and its complexities between Bond and Elektra and Bond and Vesper. I think fans of CASINO ROYALE, even those that disliked THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, will be pleasantly surprised when they get around to seeing that film again. I didn't much care for it the first time, but my opinion changed seeing it on DVD.
I think Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson have generally tried to steer the series back toward Fleming while also adhering to Cubby's mantra of not "screwing it up" in terms of what's been popular. For many Sean Connery will always be the one and only "true" Bond (that's certainly the case with me, though I've liked all the actors, to a greater or lesser degree) -- but I also think Timothy Dalton and Brosnan aren't getting the credit they deserve for moving it away from the goofiness of the Roger Moores.
I like CASINO ROYALE and, so far, Daniel Craig, but it's not as if we went from A VIEW TO A KILL directly to that film. It's been a gradual shift, and his predecessors played a not insignificant role.
Sophie Marceau's complex character was the real focus of that picture, by far the psychologically darkest of the Bond series, more so for instance than Tracy in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (a personal favorite), who was suicidal but vaguely defined. I do see some parallels not so much in terms of story but in the relationship and its complexities between Bond and Elektra and Bond and Vesper. I think fans of CASINO ROYALE, even those that disliked THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, will be pleasantly surprised when they get around to seeing that film again. I didn't much care for it the first time, but my opinion changed seeing it on DVD.
I think Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson have generally tried to steer the series back toward Fleming while also adhering to Cubby's mantra of not "screwing it up" in terms of what's been popular. For many Sean Connery will always be the one and only "true" Bond (that's certainly the case with me, though I've liked all the actors, to a greater or lesser degree) -- but I also think Timothy Dalton and Brosnan aren't getting the credit they deserve for moving it away from the goofiness of the Roger Moores.
I like CASINO ROYALE and, so far, Daniel Craig, but it's not as if we went from A VIEW TO A KILL directly to that film. It's been a gradual shift, and his predecessors played a not insignificant role.
11-04-08, 02:29 PM
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Thank you for your reply. I too have found The World Is Not Enough to be better than when I first saw it in the theater. There are some things I don't like about, but there is a lot good too. I guess I think there was more of a jump to Casino Royale than you do because I like A View To A Kill a lot more than Die Another Day, which is in my bottom 2. Again, I appreciate you expanding on your thoughts like you did.
