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 VideoBond meets Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane) in a casino  real 28k  |
Bond 19: More than enough
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By BBC News Online's Gareth Herincx
Producing the latest in the longest-running, most successful franchise in cinema history is no easy task - expectations are high and the stakes are even higher.
The World Is Not Enough - Pierce Brosnan's third outing as super spy James Bond - is a worthy successor.
Bond falls for Elektra |
However, despite the fact that able first-time 007 director Michael Apted said he "didn't want to repeat what others had done", it doesn't stray from the successful Bond formula - spectacular stunt sequences linked with sex, elaborate plots, throwaway lines and thick accents.
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The plot is the usual world domination tosh - this time round there's an international power struggle with the world's oil supply hanging in the balance.
The evil Renard has it in for 007 |
Renard is not "the full monty". He has a bullet lodged in his brain which makes him impervious to physical pain. His evil plan involves nuclear weapons and a stolen Russian submarine.
There's also a double love interest for Bond. French actress Sophie Marceau plays Elektra King, the daughter of a murdered oil tycoon, whom Bond is sent to protect.
Desmond Llewelyn returns as Q with his box of tricks |
And following Michelle Yeoh's ball-breaking Wai Lin in Tomorow Never Dies - Marceau and Richards are firmly in the "girl power" league of Bond women.
Apart from a reasonable twist in the plot, The World Is Not Enough will probably be best remembered for its stunning chase sequences - one up the Thames to the Millennium Dome - plus a battle at a caviar factory.
There are a fun few gadgets too, including a pair of X-ray glasses - great for checking out girls in the casino scene and a self-inflating ski jacket.
Bond's ally Dr Christmas Jones gets out of her depth |
Veteran actor Desmond Llewellyn, now 85, returns for his 17th Bond film as gadget man Q. This time round Q is breaking in his assistant R, played by ex-Python John Cleese.
Kristin Scott Thomas's little sister, Serena, follows in the long tradition of bizarrely-named Bond girls. She plays Dr Holly Warmflash. Not quite in the Pussy Galore/Mary Goodnight league, but worth a chuckle.
Bond and Christmas keep their cool in adversity |
Perhaps the biggest revelation is the discovery of cracks in M's ice-cool exterior.
The Bond franchise has made nearly $3bn during its 37-year run with the best film of the Brosnan era, Tomorrow Never Dies, pulling in around $350m worldwide.
The World Is Not Enough is likely to be an even bigger money-spinner, but its 128-minute running time is quite enough - even for Bond buffs.
The World Is Not Enough opens in the US on 19 November and the UK on 26 November.
Pictures courtesy of MGM
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