Chugging along, like the little engine that could!
GoldenEye: Pierce Brosnan takes over the role from Dalton, and in this one, he goes after a rogue 00-Agent who steals a Soviet EMP satellite. It’s the first post-Cold War Bond film, and they make sure you know that. It’s actually a pretty good film, but it’s dragged down by an absolutely terrible music score by Eric Serra (though he has a nice love theme). I like the moment where Bond and Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco) are talking on the beach, and he explains to her that he keeps distant from people because “it keeps me alive.” Her response, “No, it keeps you alone” seemed to resonate with the way Casino Royale ended, at least character-wise. It’s also amusing that Joe Don Baker – who we last saw as a bad guy in The Living Daylights now shows up as a CIA contact.
Tomorrow Never Dies: Bond takes on Broadway superstar Jonathan Pryce, to stop him from starting a war between the British and the Chinese. While many parts of it are retreading plot elements from The Spy Who Loved Me, and there are some painfully cheesy moments, this is still one of the most fun Brosnan Bond films. The pre-title sequence, the backseat driver sequence in the parking garage, and the motorcycle chase are standouts. Also, David Arnold’s score is kickass, and the song by k.d. lang (which should have been in the opening titles) is stunning. Unfortunately the films don’t get better from here on out – in fact, they get worse, and I’ll slog through them tomorrow!