What was wrong with Die Another Day?

Surrie

It was the weakest Bond film but I did enjoy it.

I hear many people say that it was the weakest which I agree with. But I would like to hear why people think this...

Hardyboy

Well, why don't you say why you think it's the weakest? It's odd that you find it weak and want to know why others think this--but you don't say anything about it!

A7ce

Halle Berry - she more ludicrous than the invisible car

AngryPolarBear

The whole Island-sequence was horrible. The first two acts were okay, but forgettable. Plus, Hale Berry was a huge disappointment as a Bond-chick and the action scenes was poorly made. But don't you wanna share your own opinions with us Surrie?

Napoleon Plural

Words seem to be the hardest, Surrie...

I'll get my coat...

Surrie

I will willing share my opinions and views but I was just giving you all a chance to express yourselves.

Why I thought it was the weakest.

1. Brosnan had lost whatever he possesed in the 1st place. It seemed as if he knew his time was up so he didnt try as hard to please, as he did in GE. He didnt throw himself into the acting.

2. Halle Berry - She didnt seem real to me. She was too animated. Not mcuh show of emotion and was easily won over by Bond.

3. The whole betrayal plot. It made Bond look awefully stupid and we all know he's not.

4. The stunts they did in this film where entertaining but it seemed like they cared more about the stunts than the actual story line.

5. Gustav Graves was a poor villian. The only characteristic he showed was that of a spoilt child. Yes he was mad and yes he asked for a lot but in the end it all boiled down to him wanting to show off to his father, who he eventually killed anyway.

Now discuss???

Dan Same

Surrie wrote:

1. Brosnan had lost whatever he possesed in the 1st place. It seemed as if he knew his time was up so he didnt try as hard to please, as he did in GE. He didnt throw himself into the acting.

This is the one thing I disagree with you on. I thought that Brosnan was very good, particularly considering the screenplay he had to deal with.

Now you ask 'what was wrong with Die Another Day?' I would say almost everything. DAD is my third least-favourite Bond film, and with the exception of Brosnan's performance, the 'say goodbye to him for us' line and the fencing fight, there was nothing in this film that I liked.

I loathed Graves. IMO he was the worst villain of all time. I hated Jinx; I though she was incredibly unattractive, extremely annoying and I wanted her to die a painful death. I really hated her which says alot since I love Halle Berry. IMO she's one of the world's 5 most beautiful women, however in DAD, rather than want to marry her, I wanted to kill her. X-(

What else? Let's see. I couldn't stand the invisible car (this is Bond, not a sci-fi film ), I hated the dialogue ("that's a name to die for" should have ensured the writer lifetime unemployment), I didn't like the direction at all (Michael Apted should have been brought back), I hated the title (one of the two worst Bond titles of all time IMO along with TND), I didn't like the theme song (along with CR one of the two worst theme songs of the past decade and a half IMO) and I didn't like in the slightest that Bond was not only captured but failed to escape. I also really hated the second half, and I hated the first half as well.

I really hated DAD. But I do own it on DVD and I can think of at least half a dozen non-Bond films which I dislike much more, and unlike DAD, I would never own the DVD of.

Surrie

Much agreed there! {[]

darenhat

I love the part where Jinx is trapped in the 'ice room' and the walls melt and fill the room up with water...yet magically, the walls never actually melt, keeping Jinx sealed inside! Diabolical!

00-Agent

For me DAD had several horrible elements which added together ruined the film:
1. The horrible dialog with Jinx and Bond that ruined the scene with her coming out of the water.
2. The invisible car.
3. The awful surfing scene towards the end when the glacier breaks.
This was all the harder to take because it started out so promising. Had the film just had one of these elements it would rate much higher for me, but it was just the confluence of events that ruined the film. I liked TWINE in spite of Christmas Jones, TB even though I have always thought the jet pack scene was a bit much, and still like MR in spite of the in space laser beam fight. I still enjoyed the movie, and it had a lot of great moments too but rates low for me because of these three things I just find it hard to get past.

actonsteve

Life is too short to list of horrors of Die Another Day. I suspect its grisliness will never go away..

This is one which will never be reappraised well. It will be a stinker for decades..

Honey Rider

I didn't much like DAD at all. In fact I almost considered walking out. I decided not to as I don't like leaving films before the ed, but I may as well have, as the film got worse as it went on. There is only one thing which prevents DAD from being my least-favourite Bond film, and that's Brosnan. As always, I think he was great. {[] (If only he had better material. )

Georgiboy

I absolutely positively HATE X-( DAD. It sucks.

1. Halle Berry was horrible.

2. Graves was a joke. Not menacing at all.

3. Helle Berry was horrible.

4. The surfing scene at the beginning, it was useless and it seemed like it went on FOREVER!

5. Halle Berry was horrible.

6. The scene with Moneypenny at the end with the projector game thing .

7. Oh, and Halle Berry was horrible.

On the other hand, I thought Brosnan was pretty good. But just like others said, he didn't have anything good to work with.

Mr Martini

Before this gets to ugly, may I direct your attention to this thread:

http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=21461

I think this thread may satisfy Surrie.

taity

Its curious, but while no body has cited Rosamund Pike's performance as weak, no one has said it was strong.

DAD felt as if it could have been good, I really liked the entire first half. However it changes gears in Iceland, and goes down hill. It feels a little bipolar if anything.

I also think that if Jinx had been completely rewritten in Iceland, she would not have been so annoying. Her scenes in Cuba were okay, and if maybe they had reworked that stupid bird metaphor, they're hook up would have been better.

Whilst many slam the director, I have to say there are a few things I love that he did. I think the entire return to London was very well done, with Bond reading Graves' interview and then spying on the him at Buck Palace. The inclusion of a gentleman's club at London seemed very Fleming, and I like how it was done. I also loved the character of Raoul, and of the FRWL mirror reference in Hong Kong

jl151080

The main thing that stood out for me was the invisible car.

Ian Fleming said that "Bond goes wildly beyond the probable, but not beyond the possible".

An invisible car was taking things too far.

walther p99

the only part of DAD i really enjoyed was the whole PTS and when Bond was in the hong kong hotel room, the rest of the film had its moments but to me just pushed the dcheesy envelope a bit too much then i liked, and an Aston Martin is too beautiful a car too be invisable most of the film, it was just way too silly by the end, virtual reality,another death ray that was done 7 years prior,gustav graves was just terrible as a spoiled kid, grow up man, and that wave surfing scene is so ultra lame....

youknowmyname

haha, so right about the whole death ray satellite thing. the other night my wife and I were trying to decide which Bond film to watch (she hasn't seen the lot yet) and she was trying to decide between GE and DAD. She asked me the basic plot of GE and I said "Someone has a satellite that can destroy things and Bond goes to stop them." Then she asked the basic plot of DAD and I said, "Someone has a satellite that can destroy things and Bond goes to stop them." haha )

I will watch DAD, but really it is overdone. Some parts are great: the Hong Kong hotel room, the underground collection of Bond gadgets etc., the sword fight, and Bond with a beard but other than that the CG was ridiculous and it was largely over the top. Like I said, I like watching DAD and it is still a Bond movie, but for me it isn't a classic.

walther p99

"Someone has a satellite that can destroy things and Bond goes to stop them." Then she asked the basic plot of DAD and I said, "Someone has a satellite that can destroy things and Bond goes to stop them." rofl, well put YKMN )

dougie007

The Good...........

The pre title sequence with the twist - Bond doesn't escape.

I think I might be the only one who thinks Madonna's theme tune was any good - loved the opening titles.

The first half of the film.

The Bad...........

The second half of the film

The CGI bit with the dodgy sea - looked more like a 1960's rear projection job. Cubby would not have been impressed - a real low for the series.