Die Another Day

As of 2002, Die Another Day was the most bombastic, most spectacular and most elaborate and flashiest Bond flick yet. It’s also the goofiest and most entertaining. Within the franchise, it’s a similar turning point as Lethal Weapon 4 was in that franchise. Bond chases two Batman-esque villains in an invisible car and when he eliminates them, the head of the American National Security Agency, Michael Madsen, contentedly lights a cigarette, referencing his Vic Vega character from Reservoir Dogs. Halle Berry gets special recognition for attractiveness, as she beautifully combines feminine fragility with the diligence and aggressiveness of an agent. Conversely, the casting of Madonna was a mistake here. For me, the only thing that keeps this exciting movie (though it is a bit drawn out in the last third) from getting the highest rating is its slightly over-the-top silliness. By the final scene, I had started seeing both of the bad guys as Power Rangers action figures. (12/12/2002)

A fast-paced Bond film that does not disgrace its predecessors, on the contrary, it surpasses some of them by a head. If you survive the awkward opening half hour from North Korea, you will have a very good time. (02/15/2003)

A very effective Bond film. It's got action, humour and pizzazz. Only the theme tune was, to put it politely, bad. (01/02/2003)

Bond's 40th birthday party was a success, though I don't hide fact that to have the fullest enjoyment from it, you need to know the old Bond movies, noting the pleasant details that go back to the days of Dr. No, From Russia with Love or Thunderball. Brosnan's interpretation of Bond is his own - manly, charismatic, action-packed... Brosnan as 007 does not focus on being funny, but rather on movement and action (I consider the absence of really good catchphrases a big minus for the film), which sometimes exceeds the measure of good taste, but is nevertheless fun and well filmed. But I could do without the overdone finish that's as artificial as Pamela Anderson's silicones. The story of Bond number 20 isn’t amazing (satellite, diamonds, a villain with a changeable face, it's all been done before), but it's steered into an engaging stream of action that is also spiced up by Bond's humanization through suffering and the ensuing "rising from the ashes". The serious and dark tone of the film's introduction is great... The following things bother me – Halle Berry is too good an actress to play a simple Bond girl, Toby Stevens as the central villain does not have the right flair, and Lee Tamahori completely unnecessarily smuggles into the decent direction modern camera stop time and other clips that are self-serving and spoil the impression of the film... Die Another Day is a good old Bond film dressed in a modern robe, but with a heart that is pretty old-fashioned, slightly naïve but sincere. And I also have to like it... with some noticeable “buts". Edit 2012: As the years go by. First of all, the dead end in the film literally screams and is confirmed by the accompanying material from the Blu Ray. Brosnan's Bond can't be improved upon, only his surroundings can be redone into an absurd fantasy. With hindsight, this film really seems like a cry of absolute nostalgia mixed with a delayed desire to make Bond into a competitive commodity at a time of growing CGI spectacles. The film completely misses the mark, especially in the second half, whose terrible digital effects get worse as the years go by. Otherwise, as a collection of fetishes and references, I enjoy it, but Tamahori couldn't incorporate them other than as random "nostalgic objects", and that says something. But the pre-Iceland part is still more than tolerable. (11/09/2004)

An incredibly overstuffed CGI-packed B-movie of the guilty-pleasure rank. In itself, that’s not bad, but it’s very unfitting for a Bond movie. (02/15/2004)

Typical modern Bond film loaded with technologies, digital tricks, and dynamic action. Similar matters are difficult for me to assess as I am not a fan of the genre. On one hand, it is a high-budget film with a number of visually appealing scenes, and both the direction and acting are decently done. There are charming moments in the movie, such as the verbal shootout between Brosnan and Cleese, but on the other hand, the same applies to this film as to most Bond films. From a script perspective, it is ridiculous nonsense, although fortunately it does not pretend to be serious at all. I cannot give it four stars, it doesn't deserve less than three. By the way, those are decent three stars. Overall impression: 65%. (12/29/2006)

After Casino Royale it’s hard just to sit down and rate previous Bond movies. Not that it was so much better. It’s more like it’s completely different. The main plus of Die Another Day is that it’s entertaining, humorous and peppered with allusions to the preceding 20 years of Bond history. But not just that. Lots of excellent sequences appear in this movie, including the captivating chase on the ice that made me drool with bliss (I always loved the gadgets in the Bond cars). The Bond girls are also great and the villain suitably repulsive. The stumbling block though are the special effects. The horribly over-CGI-ed shots spoil any joy about Bond’s escapes and about the invisible Aston Martin. Such a shame. Nonetheless, this is a dignified farewell to Pierce Brosnan will two zeros and a seven for luck. Because Die Another Day is his best Bond movie after Golden Eye. (12/23/2006)

Visually the most robust and opulent Bond film in a very long time, considering that today's trend is economical, raw, and down-to-earth filmmaking. The hazy digital effects can be survived, there aren't so many of them, but overall, it's occasionally too over the top. Pierce Brosnan delivers his lines decently and the Bond girls are a good. A number exotic locations, great action, and a loaded technical side, but it lacks charm, tension and atmosphere. A wild ride and a culmination of one decade of filmmaking. (05/07/2005)

The weakest Brosnan Bond... Still, four stars, because I was entertained from the blindfolded, almost realistic beginning to the mega-overwrought ending. It's a Bond birthday present, so it will be especially enjoyed by Bond fans, who will recognize one quote after another and feel like they're in spy-action heaven. Madonna's song, however, is awful. The music (except for "Cuban rhythms") as well... Where did the good old times of Barry go? (01/17/2010)

James Bond in "How do you do, fellow kids?" mode, which also serves as a reminder of the terrible formal procedures typical of MTV videos of the era, which are somewhat of a rarity, given that they were hip for only about two years. (11/18/2019)

The only Bond film with Pierce Brosnan that I have no major issue with. His Bond had class this time, and the main villain was oozing charisma. (08/05/2016)

Brosnan's run didn't really sit well with me in the Bond films in general, but what the creators showed in the movie "Die Another Day" is truly terrible. Digitally, it is absolutely dreadful. Under the assumption that the tricks would bring it back to life, another sci-fi Bond was created, but it is completely unrecognizable compared to the great "Moonraker." "Moonraker" is excellent, even in terms of special effects, but in this case, it serves as an example of how special effects can look bad. Unnecessarily exaggerated in terms of acting and uninteresting in terms of the screenplay. Never again. For me, the weakest Bond of them all. (03/15/2014)