Die Another Day (Lee Tamahori, 2002)

Finally got around to watching this latest Bond film - the twentieth - the other night. It's a typical (yawn!) Bond film that delivers what you expect from a Bond film. I find the formula very tired and with the obvious use of computer graphics, it's lost it's wow factor compared to the early films.

Why would secret agents surf to an enemy beach? Looks good but makes no sense. But Bond films don't really have to make sense do they? My hopes got quite high after they tortured Bond for fourteen months and he started to work outside of MI6. That's different and new. But my hopes for a complex plot and deeper character building were soon dashed. It got back to the formula, shoddy dialogue and cardboard characters pretty quickly.

I'd like to see deeper twisty plots. Like Mission Impossible. Make it darker and build some anticipation and suspense. Grow the characters and have more complex relationships. Cut back on the special effects but keep them genuine. But keep the Bond women of course. Don't lose them! Does the 21st James Bond film really have to be the same old formula? Try something new!