<p> After the delightful return to form that was GoldenEye, Brosnan's second Bond plunged the franchise back into mediocrity. While the movie makes an admirable attempt to have a sly dig at media moguls like Rupert Murdock, via villain Elliot Carver, the rest of the film feels strangely meandering as it blunders through several unsuccessful attempts to deviate from the tried-and-tested Bond formula. The romance between Bond and the female leads is more complex than wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, but it's very unsatisfying - both Teri Hatcher and Michelle Yeoh have weak roles, and the latter is actually called Wei Lin. Really. Carver himself isn't your typical villain, and it feels like the producers got nervous and insisted on the addition of both brainless muscle (Stamper) and comedy evil (Dr Kaufman), leading to an unsatisfying mix of baddos. The plot is fine until the silly climax in the South China Sea, and while killing off Paris Carver half way through is bold, it can't save an otherwise forgettable Bond outing. </p> <p> <strong>Bond:</strong> Pierce Brosnan<br> <strong>Theme tune:</strong> Tomorrow Never Dies by Cheryl Crow </p>
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