Tomorrow Never Dies: Does it Hit the "Sophomore" Slump?
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Does the SECOND Bond movie of each actor hit a "sophomore slump?" David Zaritsky from 'The Bond Experience' joins 'Being James Bond' as we explore this theory and evaluate whether 'Tomorrow Never Dies' suffers from a few growing pains!
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I have to say out of all the Brosnan bond films I would say this one is the most rewatchable, I think it holds up exceptionally well
@@verona8144 what?
It's my 3rd favourite Brosnan Bond but I do love it. It aged well.
Yea
Always loved how Brosnan used machine guns tbh, especially in GoldenEye whenever he pulls that face when he fires the gun, classic.
I love Brosnan's reaction when he re-inflates his tires. Great video, Joe and David!
I know you've already examined the third movies and how that's when the actor "finds his stride", but I think another possible trend you could investigate is how the third film tends to be the big crowdpleaser. The one that the general audience really embraces. Goldfinger, TSWLM, Skyfall? I think there's a case to be made. The only one that doesn't really fit is TWINE.
This film obviously was a hard slog to make. Rushed,constant re-writes,casting drop outs and its still quite decent but far too much padding.
I saw Goldeneye at advance screening in '95 and Tomorrow Never Dies at advance screening in '97. TND was the film I enjoyed most on first viewing.
I for one would have preferred the (HK) handover storyline, which might have been edgy and would have been at least somewhat topical (not to mention original). The finished film is actually a remake, of sorts, of You Only Live Twice, as in pitting two powerful nation-states against one another by sowing conflict by way of misunderstanding. Though this is the second entry of Pierce Brosnan, it is the very first film without any input or involvement whatsoever from "Cubby", which may have resulted in this film resorting to familiar stuff used earlier in the series.
While this late 1990s entry does vastly improve on the musical score compared to its immediate predecessor and even serves as a satirical commentary on the ubiquitous and arguably destructive role of global advocacy media (e.g. RTV and Fox cable channels), the film on the whole feels unabashedly generic if not nondescript. So, yeah, SLUMP from Brosnan's first entry it does.
It's one of my least favourite Bond scores and hugely inferior to Goldeneye IMO. Arnold's reaction to the sparing, and original, use of the Bond theme in the previous film is to shove it in with no taste or subtlety every chance he gets. Bond just walking across a room is enough for him to start laying it on thick at times. The whole score is sub-Barry pastiche. Action scenes just blare on relentlessly and obnoxiously over ill-fitting beats with no deftness of touch to compliment the action. Arnold got better as time went on (though some beats in TWINE and DAD are even worse) but he's still vastly overrated as a Bond composer to me. Much prefer the scores that bring some originality and personality to the series and aren't so ham-fisted.
Agree that the TND in general feels generic though (I'd say the score is part of that of course!) It's also quite poorly shot and constructed, especially compared to Goldeneye. A lot of it looks like TV more than film.
TND(1997) is a good fun movie! Still, it has one major problem: a very boring climax. As soon as Bond and Wai Lin board Carver's Stealth Ship... It is almost unwatchable! So boring! Terrible camera work too. So foggy! And boring action! Until the end of the movie! By the way, same problem with TWINE(1999) and DAD(2002). In TWINE, when Bond dives and boards the submarine. In DAD, when Bond and Jynx are back in North Korea and they board the Antonov 225 plane... Terrible climax! Sadly, Brosnan had only one an almost perfect movie: GoldenEye(1995)...
Can't say I'd agree that the Goldeneye Bond and TWINE Bond share the same attributes. GE Bond was very stiff and nowhere near as mellowed and rounded as TWINE counterpart.
This series is a great way to review the Bond films, very different to the conventional one movie at a time in chronological order. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you only have Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only & Octopussy left to complete the whole set. You're gonna have to think of a new theory that covers those 5!
I agree that TND is more fun than goldeneye, but definitely flawed and rushed. Goldeneye was supposed to have a car chase with the z3 and gadgets, but it was cut. This movie definitely makes up for that, and I agree the score improves too.
I also don't view the clear 90s setting as a negative, I dig the vibes. The depreciating humor directed at Bond is a very good observation, something I never really paid attention to.
Jonathan Price's acting is absolutely spot on in this movie, he is perfectly eccentric as a powerful media tycoon/Bond villain; He plays into the fun aspect of the film, and doesn't need to be a good fighter, (is Goldfinger a good fighter?) that's what his henchmen are for. ALSO, Rickey Jay is horrendously underutilized in this movie, I can't believe they cut his card throwing scenes.
i dont think anything will knock this out of my Top5. TND and GE is Brosnan's one-two punch. TND moves everything forward from where we left it in GE: Moneypenny-Bond goes from just flirting in GE to seeing they also confide in eachother and she is his wingwoman; with Bond and M, he goes from questioning her in GE to mutual trust, and we see her deal with questioning this time from the Minister/Admiral; and the GE scene on the beach with "i stay alone to stay alive" ethos is only paid off in TND with the Paris storyline. The motorcycle chase is a good counterpoint to the tank chase, and the villain's persona has aged horrifically well with the role of media today. TND is excellent, especially given rewrites, the short production time (filmed in April, premiered in November) and that it went up against Titanic at the box-office.
No idea what a sophomore is, other than something to do with American universities
That's the second year of high school and college (university) -- Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior.
@@Beingjamesbond I've heard the term before many times, but not really our university culture here.
Saw this in a discount $1 theatre in ‘97. I liked it then overall, but in hindsight it was bad, and Brosnan to me has just been eye candy for the ladies. He never struck me as a believable spy. He looked like the Finger Poke of Doom would have knocked him out. Just a cartoon character come to life like Roger Moore, but at least I bought Moore as a classy guy. The only remotely believable Bonds have been Connery, Craig and Dalton. Lazenby wasn’t terrible, but he was really wooden and coming off a very animated Connery who could at least make a bad Bond film interesting, it was never going to work. If you’re doing Bond, stick to the original source material. Bond is a troubled alcoholic and drug addict with serious PTSD, a chauvinistic, politically incorrect attitude and borderline sociopathic. He’s not much different from the villains he’s up against and that’s what makes him interesting. Someone needs to write a scene in these movies where Bond is seeing a psychiatrist (under duress) and we get a few flashbacks. Skyfall went there a little bit, but didn’t go far enough. It doesn’t have to be sappy, just honest.
Nash approves...😉
I love TND but you are right about Brosnsan. He really is Moore redux, a real wimp.
@@ricardocantoral7672 I didn’t have a problem with TND in terms of script or the movie as much as the Bond actor. You’ve got a bad ass side kick who looks like she could destroy Bond in a fight. And Brosnan would never be mistaken for a human Bond. He’s a cartoon character with catch phrases.
@@christhornycroft3686 I enjoyed Wai Lin. Rumor has it that she was going to return in Die Another Day.
@@ricardocantoral7672 Except Moore was able to carry off bad jokes far better and was pretty classy in some ways. Goldeneye was good though.
I've always strongly disliked TND, and despite various efforts to give it another chance, I've never warmed up to it. It's the only Bond film that I'd ever accuse of being boring, and in a way, that's worse than all the slide whistles in the world.
Even over Quantum of Solace? That's the most boring Bond film to my mind.
@@thursoberwick1948 QoS is mercifully shorter, though the two films are comparable in my mind.
Great review good to see you back Joe! Hope you’re having a fun summer! Incidentally this is one of my least favorite Bond movies! I actually found it quite boring!
So did Scott in the review.
The follow-up to TND puts me to sleep.
Hell no
What’s the link to the John Barry Goldeneye version Jo talked about?
Guys good point about the producers making Brosnan more "Connery like" in TND, to wit they made him gain 15 pounds, his being portrayed as the brutish, old-fashioned spy who is the butt of jokes, and finally the mission briefing, bomber jacket opening, and dress uniform scenes.
Tomorrow Never Dies is easily the most underrated Bond film. Yes, it suffers a bit from Michael Bay syndrome but the satirical nature of the film makes it one of the more intelligent Bond adventures.
Its plot has aged like fine wine. Price was a fantastic pick for the bad guy and Michelle is my personal favorite Bond Girl.
@@dereklewis4321 I love that moment when Pryce is sitting alone, contemplating the shameful deed of ordering the death of his own wife.
@@verona8144 ?
This and The World is Not Enough and both Dalton films are underrated.
@@crobeastness I think TWINE was highly convoluted even for a Bond film. I find it practically impossible to follow. As for Dalton's movies, I don't think either of his films were very good. He deserved better scripts.
I've never been a big fan of this one. It is very entertaining and Pierce is very good. It really comes down to one thing and this could be controversial: I hate the car park scene. First, it follows the great killing of Kaufman. And the ending where Bond drives the car off the roof is absurd. I know that many fans love this scene but I truly hate it. It's too juvenile to follow up the Kaufman. The film does not give any breathing room. The rest of the film is good.
TND is the go to for the action, it's very breezy and tight. Yeoh is the ultimate badass Bond WOMAN. The bad guys are okay. Love the bit part of the late veteran Vincent Schiavelli. The music is awesome, especially when Yeoh and Brosnan kiss under water. And the end credits song Surrender is imo better than the Crow one.
One of the best pre-credits sequences imho
I love all the Brosnan films! As a teen this one was a bit lower than Goldeneye.. but in some ways I enjoy it even more than Goldeneye! Super rewatchable, great music, funny villain and good plot. Never forget Rule #1 "give the people what they want Elliot!"
I prefer this movie over Goldeneye, even if the story is less personal for Bond.
The pre-title sequence is better, Brosnan is more comfortable in the role and is less skinny, the photography is more polished, the villain's concept was ahead of his time, the fight choreography is faster and Bond has a cool tricked-out car, something which he didn't have since The Living Daylights!
the best easy brosnan movie. but on my list it's not in the top 10
Tomorrow Never Dies is just average. It has good action scenes , an improved score and a good cast but it’s a little too by the numbers and on the whole it’s not too memorable. The action scenes weren’t as good as they were in Goldeneye. Pierce Brosnan was a little less good in this movie than he was in Goldeneye but it’s mostly because of the script and how it mostly had him going through the motions. The World Is Not Enough was somewhat of an improvement but it still wasn’t anywhere near as good as Goldeneye.
Tomorrow Never Dies is Brosnan Best in my opinion. Another great debate but I have to go with David on this one.
Another great video gents! For years I was between The World Is Not Enough and Tomorrow Never Dies as my fave of the Brosnan Bond films. This one is the most fun for me and Michelle Yeoh is truly wonderful!
If there hadn't been serious script/deadline issues then we would be in a better position to objectively assess 'TND'. To an extent the film gets a pass considering its preproduction. I have a number of issues with 'Goldeneye' (budget, music, the really unsubtle 'deconstructing Bond' dialog and the lack of a clear sense of time period, etc.) I still think it's one of the top 10 Bond films. 'TND' does the single most important thing for a film series that was this long established: it keeps moving forward in terms of energetic momentum. Yes, it's superficial, which is understandable given the rapid script revision and re-writes. It shows a confidence in its budget (with the corporate sponsorship helping). Brosnan is now relaxed in the role. The action set pieces are impressive. The music has been seriously upgraded and is a major asset. If a film doesn't have an optimum production, then the best that can be hoped for is that it is at least enjoyable. So, I give 'TND' the benefit of the doubt, because it is an enjoyable two hours.
Great video, guys - looking forward to hearing what you have to say about Quantum!
Have till waiting till Friday :(
This is a great film The plots explain very well Andy action is spectacular and fun I think your missing the point here Guys This is just a really fun action film And spectacular to watch Not every film needs to be From Russia with love or casino royale or something like that And why should it be Come on stop spoiling everybody's fun this is a great movie And think it should be reviewed on what it is instead of Being compared to other bond movies that are different in tone
HOWARD WEBER says > Tomorrow Never Dies has always been my favorite Brosnan Bond film but when Pierce said the words - " Filthy Habit " ( referring to cigarettes ) during the pre-credit sequence, I knew the Bond films were about to change.
TND and quantum suffer from the same issue: trying to get satirical and it just doesn’t work that well in Bond films imho. This one was the Murdoch trying to take over China with satellite TV until he started to try and throw his weight around and quantum was the corporations buying the water utilities in Bolivia (etc.) (the drops of water in the town water tank is legally the amount of free water companies are required to give away).
Glad to see the boys back together again, kick ass Joe!
Looking forward to this!
I’ve always had a soft spot for this film. It was the first James Bond film we had on vhs in my house, I was 8 years old when I saw it. I still think it’s a great film to watch again. Goldeneye was no 1 for Brosnan and this film no2. I didn’t particularly like die another day, the world is not enough is decent too
Great discussion guys I think the mention at the end was the edit I did if you need the link again for David please let me know
Delicious!!!!
"Ladies First" is a jam.
I agree with everything you said, but i would take this over spectre or quanutm of solace, i feel solace has more of a better fight with the villian than this one, this one felt like they didnt know how to end it, but i would like little cultures in bond, i like parts of spectre and this film i guess, i dont love it as a whole, i guess maybe spectre and TND would be close for me, but there is alot, what i mean by culture, is when brosnan took a shower outside, it reminded me of the time i spent in india where we had to shower outside, and i look at that and feel like i never watched that in a film, and thats the culture that i lived, so i like those cultural aspects, and that felt really bond to me, the locations and the newsprint fight was great, and sure the last line was camp, but it worked when brosnan said it, but i dont know if any other bond like a dalton or craig would have made a good quip there, the villian i liked, but then again, it was weak at times, the moment of the skyscrapper yet again felt like spectre of craig getting out of the base easily, just to easy of a situation to get out of, the mission impossible jumo of an airplane moment, felt to americanized to me but i enjoyed it, and the sea was great, and i really miss and we dont get alot of this, but harkum back to the 60s, where bond has a girl by his side, while someone saves him, brosnan had to endings where hes with a girl having a romantic moment, i loved TWINE as brosnan second outing, cause GE and TWINE felt like CR and QOS, in that it could take place right away, RIP Ricky Jay but i loved the le chiffre orsan welles, of him being a type of magician where, he can throw spikey cards at bond, i actually liked that idea, or throw flaming poker cards, or just a magician, that can trick bond, like if ricky jay meet him at scaramnga funhouse, that would have been king of fun, but he wasnt that developed, the party scene felt 90s, but it worked, and great introduction, i liked that scene where they take him down in the torture room, i liked that alot, and then kills off the news feed, that was great, and i got to say, brosnan grew the handsomest out of all the bonds, i feel like, like give me another 5 movies with him, cause he ages like fine wine, the girl i liked and is strong in her own right, and loved the remington steele or thomas crown affair of stealing stuff in the case, he was thinking about how to do it so that was great, i should say the lupin the third anime type of theif in that moment, the motorcycle chase i liked alot, i know it feels to hollywood, but i dont know i liked, it, and handcuffed was a great way to show it, stomper was a great henchman, but there are some wrongs, and editing is bad at parts but not as much as QOS.
This is still my favorite of Brosnan's Bond Films
Man, you guys are nitpicky! Yes, TND is a dated film (all the super-secret GPS stuff), but I thought the plot was ingenious. It's basically Bond vs Rupert Murdoch, and it's interesting they did this the year after Fox News launched. The movie has too many highlights to list here, but like you I thought the score was a vast improvement over GoldenEye (how could you not??), I loved the parking garage car chase (Bond driving on his phone from the back seat was great...even Brosnan is visibly laughing during it), and Stamper was a great henchman. Very smart, funny script. The biggest weakness? The title song by Sheryl Crow. I thought she could sing...this movie proved me wrong. Out of 10, this gets a 9 from me.
Contrary to popular belief, Carver was not based on Rupert Murdoch. He was based on Sir Robert Maxwell.
The plot has aged like fine wine. A media mogul using his influence to create disinformation. My god it feels more relevant now than 97
If the return of Bond in "GoldenEye" was a bungee leap into the unknown for EON Productions, then in "Tomorow Never Dies" he bursted onto the cinema screens dual-wielding machine guns amid cannonade of numerous explosions.
The film's pacing is very good. BUT at the same time, it seems that in the pursuit of hurricane-like pacing the filmmakers did not work enough with the characters.
Oh Man....this is going live at 1am GMT !
I changed it to 7:00PM ET just for you! :)
@@Beingjamesbond Hi...I appreciate the amendment to the start time. Sincere thanks👍
oh hell no! TND was the first one I saw in the cinema. I have a soft spot for it
It was my first too. So major soft spot. I also think it's the most fun of Brosnan's.
Tomorrow Never Dies definitely is a sophomore slump. Tomorrow Never Dies turns James Bond into a generic 90s action movie. Michelle Yeoh feels like she belongs in another movie. Yeoh and Brosnan don't have much chemistry together (she's a weak Bond girl). "Goldeneye" was a bright new direction, but Tomorrow pales in comparison to that bold reboot. Tomorrow Never Dies soured me on the Pierce Brosnan era and I never really looked back. The locales in Tomorrow are dull and uninspiring. The villains are weak in this movie and Terry Hatcher is forgettable. Tomorrow doesn't suck, but I feel it is Brosnan's worst movie and is a real bummer. The only real plus here is hiring David Arnold to score the Bond films. I actually prefer Die Another Day because at least it's bold and it tries, whereas everything about Tomorrow feels lazy to me.
I know this is a unpopular opinion but I'd rank 'The World is Not Enough' easily above 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. 'The World is Not Enough' is a film with a few flaws but it is a much more ambitious film than 'Tomorrow Never Dies', has a far more interesting villain in Elektra with her shades of Tracy and the tragedy of 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (I still love Brosnan's melancholy delivery of "this is not a game I can afford to play" which is an obvious nod to another young woman Bond once saw lose a fortune with a shrug...) and is just more visually pleasing with its mountains, Thames chase and Istanbul.
'Tomorrow Never Dies' feels very safe, has a miscasting of it's own with Teri Hatcher and is often visually very boring - far too many scenes take place in anonymous industrial looking rooms in buildings or ships.
Media barons gaming democracy, this film holds up better than ever today.
Should have been called Tomorrow Never Lies tho
I agree with David, the film really for me defines the mid-late 90’s. The second half of the film does not really stand out for me and I sometimes switch off at the action sequences. Prob a bit better than The World is Not Enough tho
no sophmore slump . a little too much action in the second half of the film. I think this series has shown there isn't a rule that follows on which is the worst or best.
It was never about "rules"... We're discussing film, which is all art and not a science, so this was never about rules. Rather, finding and exploring interesting patterns which may or may not hold up, and why or why not. Just an excuse for interesting chatter.
@@Beingjamesbond i agree, i enjoy the discussions
TND wasn't as good as Goldeneye but I think it was decent. It had good action scenes but I found the villain to be one of the weakest in the entire franchise.
Herr Stamper with the one thumbs down so far.
Well I certainly have no aspirations to be a young executive BUT I absolutely relate to David’s remarks that TND struck a chord with me at the right time. It’s the film that made me a Bond fan because it was the best of both worlds - a take on all those high octane Jerry Bruckheimer action films I’d fallen in love with yet with a male fantasy protagonist from my own country that I actually wanted to be.
I think Tomorrow Never Dies is a solid Bond movie. It's a lot of fun and leans into the traditional aspects of the franchise. I love the badguys' in this movie because they are satirical. Also, the action scenes are great. My only complaint is that it could have used a bit more character and plot development, perhaps 10-15 minutes to flesh those aspects out. Overall, I really enjoy this movie and the fun level of it is quite high.
Awesome video thank you Joseph and David for your channels
I blood well love Tomorrow Never Dies, by far my favourite Brosnan Bond.
Great video guys, thoroughly enjoyed it. 🍸
He was very good in this movie
Joe, what happened to Reviews Without Remorse? I've been looking around everywhere trying to find where you guys went!
We're kind of on an unofficial hiatus. Both of us have just been swamped the last few months. New jobs, etc. We really should have done an episode to announce a little break. Hard to say if and when we'll get back to it. Thanks for asking about it!
@@Beingjamesbond that's too bad. I've listened to every episode (minus the ones to movies I haven't seen). I'm gonna miss it. You guys were one of my top podcasts. And to be honest, I'm kinda fanboying out that you answered me. Lol
@@wesweldon378 Aw shucks!! :)
Good job guys.
Two words: Paris Carver
The villains are weak (henchmen and main), the plot is terrible (cable rights in China for the next 100 yrs 🙄), the theme song is bad…….but, Bronson is better polished & Michele Yeoh is a good Bond girl. Verdict: Goldeneye is better.
Not "cable rights in China". Carver basically wanted to be the Goebbels of China and I think that's far more inventive than yet another silly space weapon.
BTW, *Brosnan.
Carver is great. Stamper is great. Cheryl Crow is great.
No, it’s a great movie, my favourite Bronsan Bond.
It has a cool title, fun intro scene, excellent song, maybe the best spy sidekick/partner, sexy Bond girl, neat gadgets, slick car, half realistic villain but still evil who eats up scenery, fantastic locations, super stunts, hilarious interactions with Q.
No. Better than overrated Goldeneye