Pierce Brosnan adds another good turn as 007. If you are into Bond, you will find everything you look for in such films-chase scenes, gadgetry, action scenes, gorgeous girls, villains, and even a plot! My favorite scenes were the parking garage and motorcycle chase scenes. This time, 007 battles a media magnate who is after world dominance. There are lots of good lines too. (like the "cunning linguist" line) This movie is good for Bond films as this does not let up. If you like Brosnan as Bond, check this one out.*** out of ****

It was pretty much the general consensus that Pierce Brosnan's first outing as Bond ('Goldeneye') was actually a vast improvement on the brief 'Dalton era' (sorry Tim!). So, there was some speculation as to whether 'Goldeneye' was a fluke or not when it came to the next film in the franchise 'Tomorrow Never Dies.' I think I was as pleased as any Bond fan when I say that I was pleasantly surprised. I could almost say that – overall – 'Tomorrow Never Dies' is actually the highlight of the Brosnan reign.The film does its best to steer clear of the slightly more fanciful notion of a supervillain trying to take over the world, instead choosing for almost satirising one of today's real life media moguls (Rupert Murdoch anyone?) in their attempts to gain global positioning as the one and only source of news for the entire planet. And, in typical Bond style, this isn't done in the boardroom, but by starting a war between the UK and China, then filming the carnage that ensues. But, whatever carnage the villain can create, Bond does his best to match. And he does it very well. If you've seen one Bond film (especially one of the more modern ones with the higher budget) you should know what to expect. You get the fights, the chases and the exotic locations. It's all here for your enjoyment. I'm not dwelling on the details because it's all pretty standard when it comes to Bond films (please don't take that as a put-down of the film – it's actually the opposite!). This could almost be the 'perfect' Bond. That doesn't mean that it's the best of all that have ever been made. It has a formula like the rest and crosses all boxes, it just does it really well and, despite not giving anything that original, still is totally enjoyable – maybe even for people who aren't fans of the series.There are a few things that are 'extra' good about the film, such as the satirical take on the media (obviously filmed before the internet took off and you could probably take over the world or start a war via Twitter). Bond's boss, 'M,' gets more screen time (and with Judi Dench playing the role, then that's no bad thing), plus Michelle Yeoh is possibly the most capable and coolest Bond girl so far. The gadgets and Q are back, even if Desmond Llewelyn is looking more and more frail by now.I didn't see much in the way of negative points, however, if I'm going by other people's opinions of the film, I would mention that some felt than Jonathan Pryce was a little 'weak' as the villain/media mogul 'Elliot Carver.' Personally, I thought he was great, but many disagreed. I always thought that if you wanted to see a truly wooden Bond villain then try 'Moonraker' or 'The Spy Who Loved Me!' Overall, 'Tomorrow Never Dies' is a very solid Bond movie with a breath-taking chase through the streets of China between a motorbike and a helicopter. Brosnan has really hit his stride with this one – just do try not to be too upset by Bond driving a BMW!

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997): Dir: Roger Spottiswoode / Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Pryce, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay: Exciting 007 outing with explosive action and wit. Title regards the promise of a secure future with James Bond investigating a sunken ship that was attacked on International waters. Jonathan Pryce plays the villain who creates havoc to boost his news coverage. Teamed with Michelle Yeoh and aided with gadgets including a car controlled by pad. Interesting setup descends into high powered action handled effectively by director Roger Spottiswoode. This is a vast improvement after having directed the embarrassing Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Pierce Brosnan brings charm and charisma to Bond while Michelle Yeoh is excellent as the lady agent. Both find themselves within compromising situations where luck plays a factor. Jonathan Pryce portrays a delightful villain in that he has Bond's obituary written before he has the opportunity to kill him. Teri Hatcher is a memorable Bond villainess. She is the trophy wife of the Pryce character but she also use to be involved with Bond. It is through this where he seduces her thus leading to fatal consequences. Ricky Jay plays a techno terrorist who makes an escape early on with an encoder needed by Pryce. Entertaining installment paving the way for the 007 flicks of tomorrow. Score: 9 / 10

Every decade, the world's least secret secret agent strives to reinvent himself to square off with the changing times. GoldenEye got the '90s ball rolling, boldly reasserting Bond's relevance and appeal in a more action-oriented, post-cold war setting, but it's Tomorrow Never Dies that charts his most topical, inevitable evolution: Bond as a video game character. But if the prospect of 007 swapping his Walther PPK in favour of dual-wielding submachine guns a-la first person shooter is enough to make you want to swig enough martinis to take you back to the '60s, take heart: this Bond may be a livelier, non-smoking, and more raucous edition, but he's still replete with more than enough charm, poise, and oddly topical sociopolitical satire to make Tomorrow Never Dies a somewhat puzzlingly rocky but reliably fun 007 escapade.With video game tie-ins on the brain, it's rather appropriate that Tomorrow Never Dies targets mass media broadcasting by way of central conceit (the opening credits, accompanied by Sheryl Crowe's silky, albeit forgettable, title ballad, drives the critique home, transforming Bond's customary slinking women into cybernetic nightmares). It's an unexpected reconciliation to have one of the most trigger-happy Bond films play as a strangely appropriate companion piece to Wag the Dog of all things, but the premise of machinating a world war for news coverage strikes the perfect balance between ludicrous and credible to play as far less fantastic, and far more ominously prophetic, than was likely initially intended. This paradoxical inconsistency proves pervasive, though. In contrast to the razor-sharp satire at its core, the film's script eschews all of GoldenEye's slick deftness in favour of a campier, flamboyant levity more befitting the Roger Moore era. This is no fault of Brosnan's, who glides across screen with a suave nonchalance. He aces Bond's more cold-blooded moments while still committing to some of the more groan- worthy one-liners of the post-Roger era ("we seem to have developed a certain attachment…"), while grounding the more bombastic shootouts by never skimping on the chance to straighten his tie after a kill shot. It's his least showy rendition of the role, but his consummate smoothness is a perfect fit for the breezier tone of the film. Regardless, this can take some acclimatizing to, particularly thanks to nemesis Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce, delivering a deliciously hammy Rupert Murdoch caricature), who pontificates enough to make Auric Goldfinger roll his eyes. Nonetheless, in the wake of the grimmer, more personal Bonds to follow, it's hard to begrudge Pryce for taking so much evident joy in chomping through his monstrous monologues (his self-satisfied giddiness when proclaiming "we're on a STEALTH BOAT" is palpably infectious), and thereby reminding the film around him to share in the fun.But don't be distressed: director Roger Spottiswoode is more than happy to compensate for the film's talkier political subterfuge with enough explosions to retain the interest of all the mass media drones Carver salaciously preys on. For the purists, Spottiswood sprinkles in some vintage 007 globetrotting stuntwork (a halo jump skydive turned scuba dive; a breathtaking motorcycle/helicopter chase through the streets of Vietnam) amidst the more contemporary shoot-'em-ups. Bond even gets in on the video gaming fun, with Brosnan visibly cackling with meta glee as he drags his finger across a cell phone track pad, orchestrating his own car chase remotely from the back seat of his car. It's a thrilling sequence that toes the line of being too audacious even for Bond, but is curiously restricted to the confines of an interior parking lot – a setting almost as underwhelming as Bond's boxy new BMW, comedic relief German GPS and all. Grow up, 007. Thankfully, sh*t hits the fan with the introduction of Michelle Yeoh's Wai Lin (literally, in the case of her Chinese Q-branch gadgetry, yielding the film's best pun) – arguably the first 'Bond girl' to be such a match for Bond that, rather than being subject to his customary sexist condescension, he almost pleads for her partnership. Yeoh is easily the most fun addition to the film, spicing up action sequences with her martial arts prowess, and balancing it with a perfectly acidic dry wit and oddly chipper approach to conflict resolution. She and Brosnan share a wonderfully curt but sparkling chemistry, trading barbs while shooting over each other's shoulders, that the franchise has never quite replicated since. By way of supporting cast, Teri Hatcher introduces the intriguingly dark subtext of infidelity into Bond's womanizing, even if Hatcher's affections may be a bit too glib to properly embody her character's world-weary heartbreak. Again mirroring the Moore days, Götz Otto, Ricky Jay, and the wonderful Vincent Schiavelli have fun as a pantheon of goofy yet sinister henchmen. Finally, Judi Dench's frosty M maintains an exquisite twinkle in her eye throughout, whether airly prompting Bond to "pump Carver's wife (for information)" or derisively barking at her As Time Goes By co-star Geoffrey Palmer, here fretting as an oafish Naval commander, while Desmond Llewellyn's Q saves a superfluous "insurance waiver" aside ("will you need collision coverage…?") thanks to his peerless cantankerous charisma.Imbalanced oddity that it is, Tomorrow Never Dies clips along at a tidy pace (one of the few Bond films not to breach two hours) – a clumsy but energetically competent return to the frivolity of the Moore era. Bolstered by the clever timeliness of its conflict and the winning chemistry between Brosnan and Yeoh, Tomorrow Never Dies makes for lighter and more action-heavy Bond fare, but exemplifies the escapist charm of the series without drenching it in the CGI excesses to follow. As Bond would retort, there's nothing wrong with "giving the people what they want."-7/10