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There’s definitely something strangely appealing about James Bond. He’s smooth and handsome and witty. He can get himself out of the tightest jams. He has really cool gadgets. And he’s a total womanizer (what girl doesn’t love that?). No matter how many Bond movies come out, many of us just keep going back for a little more unrealistic action and adventure -- and we love every minute of it.
But I found Die Another Day to be a bit painful. The story was pretty standard for a Bond film. Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is sent to save the world from an evil villain (this time a North Korean militant who’s been genetically transformed after he fakes his death and comes back as a suave diamond miner) who is out to take over the planet (using a giant, complicated Earth-orbiting thingamajig). And there are, of course, women. There are always beautiful women. Halle Berry plays Jinx -- a mysterious woman who seems to be searching for the same information as Bond. And Rosamund Pike plays Miranda Frost, a cold-hearted fellow agent who’s been working undercover as the evil genius’ assistant.
The story wasn’t all that bad. Unrealistic, of course, but that’s what makes Bond Bond. But the writing was somewhat painful. You see, back in Bond’s glory days, he was known for his smooth, dry, witty one-liners. But Die Another Day seemed to become a big string of one relatively pointless one-liner after another. They crossed the line from witty to cheesy and overdone. And Halle Berry’s performance didn’t help. Gorgeous, yes -- but Halle just couldn't make the bad one-liners any less cheesy. By the end, my eyes hurt because I’d been rolling them so much.
If you’re a Bond fan, well, Bond is Bond. If you haven’t seen Die Another Day yet, I’m sure you will no matter what I think. But if you’re a casual Bond viewer, stick with the classic Bond instead.
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