A rather static, nostalgic adventure for 007, which frequently calls back to scenes and settings from the character's previous outings. An alpine ski pursuit, for example, not unlike the one Roger Moore undertook during _The Spy Who Loved Me_. A high-speed boat chase, memorably portrayed in _Live and Let Die_ and _Moonraker_... and three or four others, actually. Even the criminals' evil scheme, a convoluted plot to monopolize precious resources, recalls the machinations of Auric Goldfinger (he sought gold, of course, while the modern baddies are more concerned with crude oil). The memory-tickling action throwbacks are an improvement, at least; appropriately thrilling, inventive and faintly comical, with explosions galore and a dynamic knack for one-upping themselves. Bond emcees a swinging good time during the early going, before the plot ramps up and the pace slows down. Once that page turns, though, the film quickly grows messy and overwhelming. The excess of overwrought side characters, each with a little twist or swerve up their sleeve, creates a tangle of confusing, unnecessary secondary arcs. Bond himself seems nearly as lost as the audience: hurriedly dashing from one swanky locale to the next, accidentally stumbling across information and ad-libbing his way out of a jam. He becomes someone we watch momentous things happen to, not the clever instigator of such organized chaos. Maybe a good supporting cast would help to patch over such problems, but _The World is Not Enough_ has nothing to offer in that respect. Naughty bad guy Renard, who feels no physical pain, is stoic and boring, his quirky power scarcely explored for more than a few cheap tricks. Christmas Jones, played by a doe-eyed Denise Richards, is laughably implausible as a bombastic nuclear physicist. Not even John Cleese, forced into a suitable role as Q's timely replacement, seems like a good fit. The superficial bits are fun and effective, but the story-driven later acts are all tired and tedious. Call it middle-of-the-road.

The opening scene with the Boat Chase was incredible! Overall nice Bond movie but not the best of the Brosnan films.

One of the worst James Bond intros ever (I think those psychedelic colors should symbolize the colors of the oil but it looks just crappy)! The story isn't great either although the idea behind it ("Oil is the elixir of life for the West") isn't that bad... All in all a mediocre Bond movie and Brosnan's / Bond's invincibility is so annoying, again!

Stylish 90s tailspin, visually rich with thematic promise, but still too surface-level.

A solid Bond movie with Pierce Brosnan. As always with Brosnan, there is a bunch of advertising all trough the movie, but here there are also two lovely Bond girls with Sophie Marceau and Denise Richards. Good entertainment.