MI6 can bring you the first review of "Die Another Day" based on several accounts of attendees from the press screening held in London...

First "Die Another Day" Review
10th November 2002

"Die Another Day" was shown to members of the press and media at the Empire Leicester Square on Friday 8th November 2002 at 6:30pm. MI6 had three sources inside the screening, and the following review is based upon their views and comments. Thanks to Gez, MJ and Dody for their comprehensive reports.

The film has been hyped as one of the biggest Bond's ever, Brosnan's best, and the toughest ride the character has ever been on. With this level and expectation, can the film live up to the hype?

THE VIEWS CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF mi6-hq.com

Teaser Sequence
The film opens with one of the smallest changes to the formula, but one which will prove to be the most controversial amongst fans. The famous gunbarrel has been given an additional CGI bullet which whizzes towards the viewer before the blood drips down the screen. The teaser sequence itself is well directed and crammed with high-quality expensive action, although it does feel a little short. The only element that spoils what could be one of the best teaser sequences in the series' history is the model work at the hovercraft chase climax. The Aldershot (UK) location doubles well for Korea, and Vic Armstrong once again proves he is the best action director in the world.

Titles
Ever since the Madonna song was leaked, Bond fans and music fans alike have been concerned as to how it will fit with the series. In a bold break from tradition, the Danny Kleinman title sequence melds from the torture chamber and into a mix between classic Binder style titles and the ongoing story of Bond being tortured. The music is the radio-edit version of Madonna's theme, and works surprisingly well.

Hong Kong & Cuba
Bond's journey at the start of the movie is somewhat contrived. The Hong Kong location is seemingly a dead end, but a miraculous and very unlikely "magic step" in the plot leads him to Cuba. Although the scenes in Hong Kong are perhaps some of the best in the film, the way in which the story develops seems like an afterthought. Spain doubles terrifically for Cuba, maybe too well as the location looks more beautiful and Bond-like, and features a brutal fight-sequence that is only second to Bond versus Red Grant in "From Russia With Love". The introduction of Jinx is again maybe too coincidental, even for a Bond film, and not helped by Berry's flat performance.

London
The film steps up a gear when Bond returns to London and we are introduced to the main villains. Stephens excels in the role of Graves, and flips between the debonair entrepreneur and the evil megalomaniac magnificently. Blades Club is a highlight of the film, although Madonna fans should look away as her cameo is as wooden as the set. MI6 HQ features some nice surprises, such as the well executed VR sequence and John Cleese's excellent performance as Q. Dame Judi Dench maintains her terrific portrayal of M, although it is sadly under-used in the film. The film's dialogue is at it's best between Bond and M, but is sadly disjointing elsewhere - lacking the punch and realism of "The World Is Not Enough".

Iceland
The largest part of the film is based here between the Ice Palace and the biodomes. We leave the more down-to-earth feeling of London and enter a realm of fantasy and over-the-top action. Jinx fails to live up to expectation and Berry's talk of her being on of the best Bond girls in the series, but the film makes up for that in spades with Pike's performance as Frost. Stealing every scene she is in, Frost is the ultimate cold and devious femme fatale.

Icarus appears as a just-in-time plot device, a far cry from GoldenEye, and the dream machines are unconvincing. The Vanquish's adaptive camouflage is maybe too far outside the "two minutes into the future" mantra the series usually adheres to, and is overused as an easy plot-device whenever Bond needs it.

The much talked about action sequences in Iceland and pulled off in true Bond style - very explosive and very expensive. The car chase is perhaps the highlight of the impersonal action in the film, although the climax is ruined by the editing and use of Matrix-style time effects. Tamahori has stamped his style very well on this film, but unfortunately it is a style that does not gel well with Bond.

Climax
Omitted from all the trailers posters and promotion, Michael Madsen steals the show in his scenes with excellent lines revealing a wittier and more relaxed character than his hard-edged introduction earlier in the film. The finale action onboard the Antonov envelopes the complete spectrum of Die Another Day: from the tightly directed and enthralling to the fantastic, over-the-to-top and misplaced. Bond's showdown with the villain is overshadowed by the confrontation between Jinx and Frost that occurs simultaneously, as the action switches between the two scenes. The writing has obviously suffered due to the climax of the film being changed late into production. However, all of those negative points considered, the end of the film still works quiet well and is a refreshing change to the tick-tock countdown that plagues many of the films in the series.

Writing
The script is sadly lacking the polish of "The World Is Not Enough" and the one-liners that made "Tomorrow Never Dies". The previous Brosnan films took advantage of multiple inputs to the writing process, and although this was stretched for TND, it worked brilliantly with TWINE - where the character development and relationships were built well in amongst the action sequences. Purvis & Wade have done a good job with Die Another Day, although the film would have greatly benefited additional work from others.

Style
The science fiction elements of the film, which were heavily favoured by Tamahori, could quite easily disappear from the film without much effect. Producer Michael G. Wilson quoted the style of the film to be similar to Moonraker, and although the majority of Bond fans refused to believe this at the time, his statement is quite accurate. The film does include a lot of humour, out-of-this-world action, far sighted technology, although it fortunately avoids the lampoonery and cringeful moments that plagued Moore's fourth outing. Although Brosnan has brought more depth to the Bond character as he has always wished to, the other elements of the film remove the feeling of a thriller.

Conclusion
Brosnan has often quoted "Die Another Day" as 'one and a half Bond films in one', and this is a very accurate observation. However, Tamahori's claim that this film is more of a thriller than previous films is quite misplaced, as it it quite obviously a straight out all-action-adventure.

Based on the first viewing alone, the film does not quite live up to the impact GoldenEye had. What could have been Brosnan's best Bond yet is sadly let down by Halle Berry's performance as Jinx, and the often ill-placed editing style. Tamahori has made his impact on the Bond series, and this film is likely to be seen in the future as a unique entry in the series much like OHMSS. All of the hard work "The World Is Not Enough" did to bring Bond closer to reality and a grittier story has been undone as "Die Another Day" surprisingly pushes Bond back to towards the fantastic style of "Moonraker".

The film takes it's base from the relentless action style of "Tomorrow Never Dies", and improves the set-pieces with bigger, bolder and more fantastic sequences. Fans of GoldenEye, and to a lesser extent The World Is Not Enough, may be disappointed by the poor character development. However, the film more than makes up from these slight disappointments with great villains and the amazing teaser sequence.

"Die Another Day" is a sure fire box-office smash, and due to the increased publicity over previous Brosnan outings, it is likely to break series records.

Rating
Although other sites and reviews are rushing to assign DAD a number or grade, MI6 only rates films after several viewings.