All The James Bond Conceits In One Place: The World Is Not Enough Is Unfortunately Unremarkable

The Good: Characterization of Elektra King, Performances are good
The Bad: Formulaic plot, Dull, repetitive chase scenes
The Basics: By the time The World Is Not Enough pops up in the James Bond chronology, the conceits are overplayed and there is little to recommend the film.


It seems that I’ll manage to finish watching and reviewing all of the films in the James Bond franchise before the release of SPECTRE later this year. That’s exciting for me, though the truth is, I’ve been finding myself far less excited about the films themselves. Today, I finally took in The World Is Not Enough and, despite the intriguing start, soon found it to be plagued by all the most familiar aspects of the franchise with little that is truly original or even intriguing.

So there are chase sequences and The World Is Not Enough seems to have more than the usual two (in this case, speedboat, skiing, a scene formulated like a chase sequence in which the villain removes a nuclear weapon from an underground facility, ). There are the gadgets. There are the Bond girls. There is a megalomaniacal villain (who is essentially a super villain more like a Marvel adversary than a Bond villain). And there are the puns. Oh, so many puns. There is little compelling or even stunning in The World Is Not Enough, which is pretty much the death knell of an action adventure movie.

Opening in Bilbao, Spain, Bond recovers money belonging to Sir Robert King, who has illegally bought MI-6 reports (Bond is trying to determine how). While Bond escapes and is able to bring King’s money back to M (where King is very much alive), it turns out to be a trap that results in an explosion of the MI-6 headquarters to which the money is brought. After a high speed chase, Bond’s quarry kills herself rather than allow herself to be captured. With their only lead gone, Bond realizes that the murder of King is related to the prior kidnapping of his daughter, Elektra, who is now inheriting King’s construction business. M and Bond reason that the kidnapper, Renard, is going to come after Elektra and Bond is sent to Azerbaijan to protect her.

After Bond encounters Renard along King’s pipeline in Kazakhstan where his team is removing nuclear materials, M comes into the field. Alerted by Bond’s suspicions, M manages to survive being captured by Elektra King. Bond and the nuclear physicist Christmas Jones have to recover the plutonium stolen by Renard and King before they can kill M and hold the world hostage with their weapons!

The World Is Not Enough is notable for being the final appearance of Desmond Llewelyn, who has appeared in the Bond franchise as Q (albeit by a different name) since From Russia With Love (reviewed here!). Llewelyn was given a fine exit, which was emotional (if subtle) for fans of the franchise. He is one of the few classic Bond actors who was given a proper send-off (others simply disappeared or the actors died between films).

The other notable aspect of The World Is Not Enough is the character of Elektra King. King is initially characterized as a victim who is fighting to be strong. She is entirely convincing, as an early scene has her and Bond getting trapped in a small area and she freaks out, as one would expect from someone who was captured and confined in a small space. It is rare in the Bond franchise for characters to suffer realistic consequences for their experiences. King starts intriguing and, despite her goals, is one of the more realistic Bond villains, at least as far as her motivations go.

Renard is an adversary who seems initially like a Bond villain before being exposed as an exceptional villain’s lackey. He might not have the name recognition of Odd Job, but he is basically an enforcer like he was. He also has a bullet in his head from 009 which is slowly killing him.

The World Is Not Enough is the Bond film that features Denise Richards and her performance is one of the least-convincing of the entire film. Robbie Coltrane keeps a consistent Russian accent and Judi Dench adapts very well to having M in a more physical role, but Richards is terrible and there are a disturbing number of times when Pierce Brosnan does not get eyelines or emotions quite right. Instead, there are moments Bond is in pain or exertion that Brosnan seems to phone in and that is disappointing (I’ve always felt bad that Brosnan was unceremoniously dropped as Bond and thought he did well in Die Another Day, reviewed here!).

But the mixed performances are not enough to sink the film. The World Is Not Enough is unfortunately formulaic and familiar; the puns fall short, the chases have the tension choreographed out of them and the reversals are unsurprising. Anyone who loves James Bond might enjoy the scope and moments of character in The World Is Not Enough, but the film is entirely unremarkable.

For other works with Robbie Coltrane, please check out my reviews of:
Brave
The Harry Potter Saga
Van Helsing
Blackadder’s Christmas Carol

4/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Film Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Attempting To Sell The Mundane As Extraordinary, Chasing Mavericks Absolutely Flops!

The Good: Decent enough acting
The Bad: Very obvious plot structure, Very predictable character arcs, Overbearing soundtrack
The Basics: Chasing Mavericks is an obvious sports movie that is bloated with ridiculously predictable character arcs that leaves viewers completely disappointed.


Sports movies are tough to make interesting or even feel original. Sure, there are ways to make the formula seem audacious or fresher than the formula actually is. Chasing Mavericks does not even make the attempt. In fact, the formula seems to be so rigidly executed that the subject of it makes the film seem anticlimactic. After all, at least a typical fight movie or sports movie has a prolonged game to play or more than one round of a fight to make it through. Chasing Mavericks is a long-feeling build-up to a short resolution that makes one feel like they have wasted their time.

Chasing Mavericks only has one real thing going for it and that is the strength of the performances in it. For a change, Gerard Butler does not appear as a character who is a sexist pig. He does, however, play yet another disillusioned character whose character arc is an obvious one that involves him reclaiming his past glory to become less of a curmudgeon. While Chasing Mavericks is based upon a true story, but I know nothing about that, so how it portrays the actual people involved is something I cannot comment upon at all. Instead, this is a pretty pure review of the film, Chasing Mavericks.

Years ago, Frosty Hesson surfed a massive wave that he survived and the act of which made him a local celebrity. Now, he is essentially the surrogate father to the neighbor next door, Jay. Frosty and Brenda do what they can to protect Jay, who at an early age shows an eagerness to learn to surf. When rumors of the return of Mavericks (25 – 80 ft waves) nearby surface, Jay makes it clear that he is going to try to surf them. Seeing his determination is likely to get him killed, Frosty reluctantly begins training Jay and, in the process, he begins to appreciate life again.

Jay, on the other hand, struggles to get into the physical shape he needs to survive. While he works out, he wrestles with helping his best friend (who is into drugs), while winning over the girl of his dreams. As Jay prepares for the chance to catch a Maverick and gain some celebrity himself, he and Frosty bond.

Chasing Mavericks is bad. On the surface, its problem is in how formulaic it is, but it does not take much digging to see that the fundamental problem is that it is filling a weak concept (young man trains to surf) out to be a feature-length movie. This would be a basic cable Movie Of The Week were it not for the presence of Gerard Butler and Elisabeth Shue in the cast. In fact, one has to imagine that the commercial breaks are all that might get it in a M.O.T.W. format up to the two hour minimum for a M.O.T.W. Chasing Mavericks is not so fortunate, so the writers filled with every cliché in the Disappointing Hack’s Playbook. We have the friend in trouble, obvious romantic subplot, mother who is disappointed with the direction the kid is going (until she sees just how incredible the one thing he is working for actually is), out-of-touch mentor figure who uses training the next generation to reinvigorate his own life and relationship, and the Basic Sports Story.

In fact, Chasing Mavericks left me utterly unwilling to waste my time with more throrough analysis; there is none to give. Chasing Mavericks is an obvious film that viewers of any two sports movies has seen before. It includes the pounding, youth-oriented soundtrack, young, good-looking actors, and utterly no surprises.

As for the performances, Gerard Butler is fine in Chasing Mavericks. He does not seem like the usual jerk he plays in so many of his films, nor as the powerful leader (a la 300, reviewed here!) type. Instead, he seems pretty much like an average guy who got lucky in Chasing Mavericks and he makes that work for the character of Frosty. Jonny Weston is fine as Jay, but given how close in ages the character is to the actor, it seems like very little of a stretch for a young actor to play a young (I use the term loosely) athlete.

Easy to pass by – because it’s about three months away from a $5 DVD bin ($1 Black Friday specials next year) - Chasing Mavericks is an utterly horrible, formulaic sports movie without a single hook to sustain a full feature film.

For other sports films, please check out my reviews of:
Rocky
The Blind Side
Chariots Of Fire

2.5/10

Check out how this film stacks up against others I have reviewed by visiting my Movie Review Index Page where movies are organized from best to worse!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Best Of The Chronicles So Far, The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader Still Gets Bogged Down!

The Good: Special effects, Metaphor level, Moments of character growth
The Bad: Moment metaphor is browbeaten, Eustace as narrator, Moments of pacing
The Basics: Despite a rougher start and an exceptionally unlikable narrator, The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader is ultimately satisfying and worth the investment!


Because I haven't had the chance to transfer both of them yet, it is worth noting up front that the cinematic renditions of The Chronicles Of Narnia have not fared well under my pen. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (reviewed here!) was frequently clunky and was competing with fresh memories of The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (reviewed here!). I was utterly unimpressed by Prince Caspian, which I went into without any prior knowledge of the story of and when my wife volunteered to take me to the movies yesterday, I felt a little bad about asking to go see The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader. I felt bad because I didn't expect to enjoy it and having seen so many previews for the film where my wife said, "I can't believe they are showing that!" I was prepared for some of the "surprises."

Seriously, I'm a pacifist and whomever did the previews for The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader should be put to death. I mean that literally. I'm so sick of movie previews where elements from the last ten minutes are in the preview and I recall that being a problem for Prince Caspian. Walden Media, Disney, someone needs to get fired before you make the next one! It is worth noting, like always under such circumstances, that I have not read the book upon which The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader is based. As a result, this is a remarkably pure review of just the film as it stands on its own and in comparison to the prior two The Chronicles Of Narnia films. For a comparison to the book, you'll have to look elsewhere. But for those looking for what they might expect at the theater this weekend, read on!

With Peter and Susan safely stowed at relatives in the United States, World War II progresses in Britain with Lucy and Edmund being forced to stay with their uncle and bratty cousin Eustace. While Eustace berates the pair, a painting on the wall of the house erupts to life and begins filling the room with water, allowing the trio to pass into the magical world of Narnia. There, they are rescued by the massive ship, the Dawn Treader and while Eustace freaks out and refuses to believe in the reality of the world in which they find themselves, Lucy and Edmund quickly take to reacquainting themselves with Caspian and Reepicheep, as well as getting to know the crew of the Dawn Treader. Lucy, Edmund and Caspian are confused as to why Lucy and Edmund have come to Narnia, as the Narnians are not at war and the world is not in peril. In fact, in the three years since Caspian took the throne, Narnia has been at peace.

But a visit to a nearby island soon explains everything. Evil is growing near the Lone Islands and while Eustace makes a nuisance of himself, Lucy, Edmund and Caspian learn of an evil mist which is taking away citizens as a sacrifice to the growing evil. Through a visit to a powerful magician, the crew learns of the location of the darkness that is spreading into Narnia once more and how to stop it. The crew must recover seven magical swords, lay them at the table of Aslan and evil will be defeated. But the way is fraught with temptation and the forces of evil set out to thwart the visitors and crew. It isn't long before Eustace's greed gets the better of him and he is transformed, while Edmund wrestles with his ambition and jealousy, Lucy is overcome by vanity and Caspian is plagued by self-doubt. As the Dawn Treader sails into danger, the crew tries desperately to find the swords and not fall into the traps that befell the former bearers before them!

First off, I should say that I ultimately enjoyed The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, though the movie was plagued right off the bat with two very serious problems. The first issue is the pacing. The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader is a quest movie that spends an inordinate amount of time getting to the point. There is simple enjoyment from the spectacle (or there would be if were not for Eustace) of being in Narnia, but the viewer is stuck waiting for the movie to take on a purpose. And when it comes, it is all from exposition, rather than an organic development or series of understandings the protagonists come to. Instead, the Dawn Treader wanders, the crew visits an island, protagonists are captured, sold into slavery and then suddenly, Edmund and Caspian are given a quest by a cellmate. The crew isn't even looking for adventure so much as they happen to be out in the water when Lucy and Edmund are rescued. So, the film starts as a weird combination of boring and annoying - and keep in mind I was sitting next to someone who was exceptionally eager to see the movie.

The second serious detraction is Eustace and, unfortunately, he nearly sinks the movie and puts the entire franchise in jeopardy. Eustace is utterly annoying. He is a brat, spoiled and mean and when he is dragged into Narnia, he is irritable and irritating. The fundamental problem is that his character makes some sense - in that he is overwhelmed by and disbelieving of Narnia - but that he doesn't reach the audience. By the third The Chronicles Of Narnia film, viewers are pretty invested in the magical land. The audience is a group of people who accept or outright believe in talking animals, magical beings and fantasy quests. So having a character who expresses disbelief is something that the audience no longer needs. Yes, we've journeyed here before, yes, we accept the premises, yes, we can understand a newbie might not, BUT Eustace expresses it all in the most upsetting and annoying ways possible. The first hour of The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader is stifling because Eustace is the narrator and the effect is about as annoying as one might guess The Phantom Menace would be if it had been narrated by Jar Jar Binks. Director Michael Apted and screenwriters Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely and Michael Petroni nearly commit cinematic suicide by preserving Eustace voiceovers for his journal entries.

The only other real gripe I had at the outset was that Caspian, played by Ben Barnes, was made up to look more like a Spaniard or Middle Eastern in Prince Caspian. In The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, he looks more Anglo-Saxon and this is somewhat baffling as men working the high seas tend to be more tanned, not less. So, Caspian did not look or feel quite like viewers might recall him from the last volume.

That said, I ended up being much happier that I stuck with The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader than I had been with any of the previous installments. First, and it might seem odd because I was so annoyed at the film's climax when it was made annoyingly explicit, I enjoyed the metaphoric level The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader was working on. Sure, Aslan has always been a metaphor for Jesus Christ, but in The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, there are more complex metaphoric interactions going in. A wizard (a pagan character) illustrates great compassion and higher reasoning in protecting the people on his island and Aslan's pacifism is trumped at a few key moments when violent overthrow is all that stops people from being subjugated on another island. The temptations of Lucy, Caspian, Eustace and Edmund are essentially explorations of Deadly Sins, but they work and are solidly entertaining. Edmund's lust and ambition take the form of the White Witch for a cameo that was pretty much revealed in the trailer to the film. But Eustace's actually leads to real and genuine character growth and it almost redeems the annoying, orange-stealing kid we're stuck with the first half of the film.

The problem for me is that when Aslan does make his appearance, the metaphor becomes both annoyingly blatant for the Christ metaphor and makes an argument that most Christians flocking to the film are likely to neglect. The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader makes a beautiful argument in favor of assisted suicide and the right to die (cannot discuss that more now as that would be spoiling). So, all the Terry Shaivo protecting Paulists who will no doubt make the movie a hit this weekend are missing something if they don't consider that. This is more a problem with the audience than the film and I actually enjoy the idea that a movie that will no-doubt be hailed by the Paulists actually makes a pro-choice argument! But in that same scene, Aslan almost explicitly states he is Christ and that is off-putting to those of us who love magical fantasy.

The other aspect of The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader that works beautifully is the special effects. Unlike the clunky effects of the earlier volumes, by this film, Walden Media has it down pat. The dragon is amazing and sets the bar high for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and is visually extraordinary on the big screen.

As well, the acting is great in The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, except by Gary Sweet, who plays Captain Drinian. I know captains are supposed to be professional, but Sweet is too-often stiff as Drinian. The others, though, do great jobs an Skandar Keynes shows some real emotional range as Edmund. For as annoying as Will Poulter's Eustace is, the young man gets eyelines right while playing off virtual characters and that is wonderful for a young actor. Georgie Henley plays Lucy well with no more uncertainty or little girlish qualities that made her earlier performances problematic. Ben Barnes is fine - make-up aside - as Caspian.

Ultimately, The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader takes a while to get going and become interesting, but those who stick it out will be glad they did.

For other fantasy films, please check out my reviews of:
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
Tangled
The Lord Of The Rings (1978 animated)

5.5/10

For other film reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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