James Bond is back, and with some really fancy computer-generated special effects, he's bigger than ever.
Remember that phrase from back in the day (minus the middle part, of course)? United Artists used to tout more elaborate plots, bigger celebrities and cooler gadgets. The latest entry into the 007 series, "Die Another Day," isn't too heavy on the plot, but it's certainly the most explosive Bond we've ever seen.
For the 20th film in the series, Pierce Brosnan returns as the ageless super spy, killing bad guys, blowing stuff up and saving the world with reckless abandon. He teams up with occasional Milwaukee resident Halle Berry as his American counterpart, Jinx, in what's becoming a Bond trend to empower women as 007 sidekicks.
As usual, the plot twists and turns, and it's important not to give away too many secrets in a review. Basically, it's about an ego-maniacal diamond industrialist named Gustav Graves, played by Toby Stephens, with a hidden agenda. He's got a thing for satellites, insomnia, fencing, lasers and ice, and is just slightly less unusual than previous villains.
What's different from some other Bond films is its dark beginning, in which Bond doesn't actually make a majestic escape during the teaser. Instead, the scary opening credits show Bond being tortured in a North Korean prison. He spends much of the movie seeking personal revenge for the traitor who turned him in, and his recon mission for MI6 is almost of secondary importance.
The other Bond girl is Miranda Frost, played by a somewhat plain Rosamund Pike, though anyone is a little plain compared to the stunning and sassy Berry.
The movie, of course, is filled with product placement, though 007 films practically invented that phrase in the '60s, and it's not too distracting. For all the talk about the Limited Edition Ford Thunderbird, it appears in only one scene for about 10 seconds.
The magnitude of violence and special effects is a departure from earlier efforts, too. There's more fighting, including a really lame fencing duel, and a whole lot of car chases. One sequence, between the scary, genetically-altered henchman Zao in his new Jaguar, and Bond, in his Aston Martin Vantage, is especially spectacular. The chase on hovercrafts in the teaser again demonstrates the creativity in the world of James Bond. Other over-the-top scenes and gadgets show how the series has embraced computer generated effects, like the Star Trek-inspired cloaking device on Bond's car.
Of course, other gadgets are cool even without the special effects, and Q, played by John Cleese, provides comic relief, picking up seamlessly for the late Desmond Llewelyn. In his second film, Cleese is one of the only funny parts of the movie, as the rest of the humor consists of lame puns, as Bronsan tries to do his best Sean Connery impression. Astute fans will notice Bond's cover when he meets Jinx: a bird watcher -- Ian Flemming named his character after the author of a bird-watching book on his coffee table. Kinda funny; fairly clever.
As usual, exotic locations, like Cuba and Iceland round out this adventure. Cubby Broccoli figured out a recipe for success with "Dr. No" 30 years ago; it's refreshing to see that, in so many ways, James Bond has stayed exactly the same.
All told, Bond aficionados won't leave the theater disappointed. "Die Another Day," weak Madonna song and all, is one of the series' better recent efforts. It adapts nicely to the post Cold War threat to the West, and while its villain seems less devious than others, the movie makes up for any plot shortcomings with plenty of thrilling action throughout.
"Die Another Day" opens everywhere Friday, Nov. 22.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
