The World Is Not Enough (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)

PopEntertainment
Nov 8, 1999
2 min read

Updated: Jun 16

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999)

Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewellyn, John Cleese, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Samantha Bond, Michael Kitchen, Colin Salmon, Goldie, David Calder, Serena Scott Thomas and Ulrich Thomsen.

Screenplay by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein.

Directed by Michael Apted.

Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. 128 minutes. Rated PG-13.

The James Bond franchise has gotten pretty long-in-the-tooth in the nineties. The cold war is over, and the idea of suave, debonair superspy was already creaking long before Austin Powers.

Which makes it interesting that The World Is Not Enough is the best (and certainly the most realistic) of the Pierce Brosnan Bond films. Brosnan has always had the character down cold, but finally the Bond people realized they couldn’t compete with the Schwarzenegger/Stallone/Van Damme films, and it really shouldn’t have ever slummed by trying.

The best part of this new film is the obvious talent of the cast and crew, starting with director Michael Apted (42 Up), arguably the most gifted person to ever helm a Bond film. There is a scary and megalomaniacal Bond villain in Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty.)

Sophie Marceau is also surprisingly effective as one of the Bond girls (particularly after the lack of promise in her last film work in Lost & Found.) Denise Richards fares less well as the other eye candy, she is fine but given little to do but scream, run, and swim.

Much better are Robbie Coltrane as a Russian smuggler and Dame Judi Dench as Q. There is even a clever tease of a role for John Cleese, promising a lot more fun in future movies.

The Bond franchise has finally found the trail. I hope that the rumors that this will be Pierce Brosnan’s last go-round in the role aren’t true, so they don’t have to start all over again. (11/99)

Sabrina Stevens