The film which made Moonraker look like a documentary.

For me everything up until Iceland is just about serviceable but after that the movie turns into a complete mess. Misplaced humour, cartoonish action and truly terrible cgi. The weakest of the Brosnan films and bottom five overall. David Arnold delivers a mostly good score and the pre title sequence is fun but pales in comparison to others. Such a shame this was Brosnan's last. He deserved better! Love these reviews guys 👍👍

I love how the movie recap gets really random at one point...😂but it’s accurate...

I love how you gradually get more and more disinterested the more you talk about the plot. 😂

I also think Lee Tamahori is a top 3 bond villain. He's like the Joel Schumacher of Bond lol. At least this movie was so awful that they course corrected with Casino royale.

I need to watch this again, not seen this since my Dad first brought home the DVD and I was like; “Invisible cars now Dad? Really?”. It deserves another viewing, the Brosnan DVD’s in my boxset don’t see daylight very often, if at all 😳

P&W take a lot of heat for this film, but Tamahori was behind the worst offenses. Neal recently said in a lecture that Tamahori insisted on the para surfing, whereas they had an alternative escape for Bond that was more realistic. A lot of fandom knew this was going to be rough ride before cameras rolled when Tamahori told the press conference "these kind of films direct themselves." If only that were true, we would have had a half-decent film.

Something was off about the tone of this entire movie and I think that has to do with the directing. Bond getting captured for 14 MONTHS could have been incredibly dark and set the tone for the entire movie with him readjusting to his life while trying to handle a dangerous mission but really, they don't do anything to sell his pain to us. His wig looks ridiculous, he physically looks pretty much the exact same (feeding him pretty well for a captive they are torturing), and he gets over it immediately after he reaches the hotel. The fencing scene is WAY too aggressive considering it's their first interaction with one another and the performances/shooting of the sets (not the sets themselves) are too light and cartoonish. There is a good movie trying to get out of Die Another Day and I think in another director's hands, it could have at least been on par with the other Brosnan movies

Ahh Die Another Day....the Batman & Robin of the Bond franchise.

I actually like Die Another Day. It falls into the "so bad it's good" category and I find it very entertaining. A guilty pleasure. And it's loads better than AVTAK.

You two must continue this review concept together in some form. I love these! Very interesting and enjoyable :) keep it up!

And they didnt even mention Graves' robocop suit that shoots sith lightning!!!!😅😅 Yeh, this and Diamonds are also my bottom two easily. No question.

If the movie was set to please teenagers, they got that right. My 13 year old self, got very excited with every scene, renewed my excitement, and finished the job of making me a fan for life... Today, I can see clearly it's the worse bond movie until now. Hello from Brazil, great reviews, keep up the good work !

Love these videos, we appreciate all the time and effort you put into these reviews. Keep up the great work and can't wait for No Time to Die.

This movie is very good and engaging. A throwback to the more Spy thriller Bonds. Its way more realistic than the movies that followed it. The invisible car is a reality too. Transparent vehicles have been around since the 90's you just don't see em out on the streets. Its marketed as anti theft device. (A vehicle can't be stolen if no one can see it). Theres the added benefit too of the vehicle can't be ticketed...😉

That synopsis was hilarious 😂😂. I hate that I am just as entertained by you trashing this movie as I am when you are gushing. This was great! Saw this in the theater and never saw it again

I picked up the original DVD of this in the bric-a-brac shop at the local rubbish tip for 30 pence,... specifically for the making-of documentary in the extras

Come home from work to see this in my subscriptions. Brilliant. Best Bond reviewers hands down. Cheers guys 👌

The whole Gustav Graves/Tan-Son Moon plot was bonkers from the start. Ian Fleming on a drunken binge couldn't have created a more preposterous villain.

Another great review with some interesting points raised. Given your varied opinions of Toby Stephens, I wondered if you’ve listened to the BBC radio dramas based on the Bond books where he plays Bond himself. Maybe another review topic for future podcasts.

These Countdown Reviews have been enormously helpful. I'm doing my own selective countdown with my 11-year old son who will be seeing his first Bond film in the cinema in April. So far we have done TSWLM, MR, OP (after watching your review), TB and was planning to go on to Dalton era but have decided to insert FYEO after watching your review. Lots to cover before April 10th! Thanks for your help :-)

Rupert Graves is a very good British actor - I assume you were thinking of him! I wonder how many people realize / remember this fact: the CGI surfing sequence was even worse in the cinematic version. For the DVD release in 2003 they actually IMPROVED the effects thereby making it only utter shit, as opposed to complete and utter shit.

Thanks for these videos Joseph. They are the highlight of my day :) Plus, helps me immensely from getting bored on my treadmill, great motivation for my getting healthy :)

With all the weird little references to the previous films in the franchise I think it would have been appropriate to play California Girls during the surfing scene in the opening.

The titles are what drew me to James Bond books/films. They have an apocalyptic, alchemical feel to them. Die Another Day is a great title!

How could you guys discuss Pike’s character without mentioning her amazing eyes? Sigh. 🥰

After Goldeneye, I started rooting for the villain because I was never a fan of Brosnan, who may have had the "Bond look" but had no connection to Fleming or decent characterization. He became what Roger Moore did - a cartoon character. I'm not 8 years old anymore. I don't do cartoons.

I think this is my favorite review. Thank you for the laughs!

Here comes the burial!!

I have very minimal interest in James Bond, but I’m really enjoying listening to your reviews of the films. Both of you guys have very interesting insight

this was the Batman and Robin of the 007 series which led to a big reboot, we got Batman Begins and Casino Royale out of it

Its funny how the film tries to modernize the novel Moonraker plot of a rogue general in disguise- and fails miserably, but its almost a learned lesson when the modernize Casino Royale four years later, and actually add content that makes that film better!

Die Another Day is great Bond film in my opinion. It's a retooled Diamonds are forever with Pierce Brosnan but I love Diamonds so I guess that's why i enjoy DAD. The wind surfing scene is unforgivable and the invisible is probably too much all though I don't mind the car. Harry Potter had in invisible and flying car that same year and no one minded. I love the silly campy Bonds since a View to a Kill was my first bond movie. To me this a classic style Bond movie that honored the 40th anniversary at the time of its release.

Ok ...obviously-this one has the worst dialogue-the worst double entendres-and some of the absolute stupidest moments of the entire series. But I don’t care-I like it! This ones my guilty pleasure Bond. It has a big story....great score...great pace and action...larger than life spectacle...and I even love the stupid invisible car! I am a comic book fan so the comic style of it doesn’t bother me and truthfully in these days of action films like the over the top Fast and Furious/Hobbs and Shaw movies...Die Another Day doesn’t seem quite as crazy as it once did! Great in depth review as always guys-you are doing a fantastic job!

Lol, you guys kill me! Your review makes me like DAD more, which I don't think you were going for! If you just have a couple cocktails, look for the Easter eggs and pretend its a Bond video game not a movie, this one is a lot of fun! I'm going to be sad when these are all done, maybe Bond book reviews next?? Keep up the great work you two!!!

For me the 007 video game Everything or Nothing was Brosnan's last Bond film. It featured Pierce Brosnan voicing Bond on top of providing his likeness with the same for Judi Dench as M and John Cleese as Q. They even got an actor that makes a quintessential Bond villain with Willem Dafoe! Even the Bond girls were voiced by proper movie actresses like Heidi Klum and Shannon Elizabeth. The song by Mya was pretty good too.

Great review guys. So on point. I agreed with absolutely everything said on this one. I actually shouted a huge YEEEEEEESSS!!! At the screen when Joe only gave the film a 1. I didn't like that para-surfing scene even back in the day when I watched this in a theatre with an audience. It looked bad even back then. I found it interesting what Scott said about Tamahori's take on how to direct a Bond movie for a modern audience. A Bond movie should not feel like a pop video. Distracting editing can take you completely out of the film, particularly when it's Bond. Scott told me on my last comment for Tomorrow Never Dies that I can be very fair-minded but I just can't bring myself to find good things to say about Die Another Day...I just can't. Awesome review guys. Looking forward to the Daniel Craig ones.

Ooooooh this is gonna be fun to hear you guys rip this apart!!!!!

I’ll compromise with both of you on jinx and graves: they’re both terrible!! This movie has some great moments in the first half that were very appropriate for where the series was at this point, ie the surfing, hovercrafts and the interactions with M. I think Raul could’ve been a fantastic character to have supported bond throughout the movie as I thought he was so insightful and charming. Personally I think the truly excruciating scene in this film is the ending on the plane: absolute abomination. Thank god for casino royale... great review as always!

Oh boy, the boys in damning form, love it. Normally I’d be like ‘come on, someone will like this film’ but DAD is tough to defend. The cheese flows from the start with that quip when he’s hanging on the end of the bell. In fact, this is the bell-end of the Bond franchise 😄

There are only two types of Bond film: The ones' that are excellent and the ones' that may have so called flaws but in reality are still excellent at being totally entertaining.

Been waiting for this one !!

I just finished rewatching the whole series. The Brosnan era has fallen alot for me. I prefer both the dalton and Craig eras over brosnan.

"your mumma" 🤦🤦🤦🤦 Absolutely shockingly embarrassing dialogue!

Pierce Brosnan may leave out with a bad movie but at least he didn't leave out with the bad in the video game department, he came in with a great video game and he came out with a great video game from GoldenEye Nintendo 64 to everything or nothing for PS2 and Xbox and I love all the Pierce Brosnan movies including this one.

You guys have the best conversations! Great videos and reviews! You two are perfect!

It's so shocking that N. Purvis and R Wade wrote this movie, then turned around and wrote the Best Bond Ever, Casino Royale (edit: along w/ Paul Haggis).

There are few nuggets of gold worth mentioning in this film: 1. Bond's relationship with M: For once, Pierce Brosnan was actually allowed to exhibit some emotion. That initial confrontation with M was the best moment of Brosnan's Bond tenure. He was burned, he was pissed, and he was hungry for revenge. That moment should have dictated the tone of the entire film but alas, it was not to be. 2. Judi Dench as M: Arguably her best performance. Dench was cold and unforgiving in this movie and that's precisely how M should be portrayed. She burned Bond and then restored him to his former position without remorse. Fuckin' A. 3. The premise: Yeah, it was bungled but to date this is the only Bond film that has given Bond a proper reason to go rogue. Sorry Licence To Kill fanboys, a embarking on a petty vendetta to avenge a character nobody cared about is not a proper reason for Bond to resign from HMSS.

Love these videos, looking forward to Spectre!

2002. I was at Uni in another part of London. No cinemas anywhere near me but was spending most weekends with my parents so caught this on opening weekend with my Dad. The early 00s very much saw Bond at a crossroads. 1. Brosnan was going to pull out of this one...the names people had in mind to replace him were Gerard Butler(who should need no introduction) and Colin Wells(who I knew from a late 90s UK action show called CI5 The New Professionals). AS it was, Brosnan signed up for another run but it's probably the big reason why there was a three year gap between this and the last film rather than two. 9/11 may have also been a factor. Also the year in captivity may be a reference to that. 2. In '02, Bond had to deal with some serious competition in the name of Jason Bourne and Xander Cage. Their respective films also looked very cool. People were saying that Bond should be "put out to grass" and that Cage and Bourne were the future of the espionage genre. So... ...my '02 self wanted Bond to step up his game after a relatively dissapointing TWINE....and...BOOM! Loved the soundtrack(only Bond soundtrack I ever got on CD), great theme tune. Loved the visuals. High energy, fast pace...couldn't have asked for more. My '02 rating was 10/10, I have to say. ...and then I notice it getting more heat than an Icarus target, so WTF? Rewatched it at least once in the 00s, still loved it. Seeing it through 2020 eyes was quite a gamble...but it still works. OK, the visuals have lost a bit of edge, maybe the FX have dated a bit. Plot wise...nothing really wrong there, they went a bit LTK to start with and Bond working with Chinese intelligence of all people to start with is interesting. Don't think they really wanted to copy LTK though, hence bringing him back into the fold early but being brought back in still made sense within the story, the trail Bond was on led to someone who was already under MI6 investigation. The energy of the action sequences is still there, the score gives you an adrenaline rush that you just ignore the flaws in the FX and the parasurfing was blatently an attempt to try and have Bond beat Xander Cage at his own game and/or an attempt to top the tank chase from Goldeneye. Again, doesn't look quite as good now but I can still roll with it. Halle Berry, I've never had a major issue with....Gustav Graves...point taken that there should have been a more obvious tie between him and his original self but if I understood the gene therapy thing right...that sort of tell would be written out of him possibly...the futuristic tech generally...again, Bond wanted to distinguish itself from the new competition. That's the route they went, I loved it then and it still works now. Still giving it a 9 at least. I'll take a mark off as a concession that the gene therapy thing probably doesn't belong in Bond though it looked very cool at the time.

I will always hold a nostalgic connection to this film because it was the third 007 film I saw on DVD/VHS. is the best? NO! is it the worst? I think that honour belongs to Never Say Never Again.

This is secretly Joe's favourite Bond film.

Thank you very much! - The Halle Barry Bash Wagon

Hi Guys, great reviews. A Bond fan since Moore-Dalton in my pre-teens. GoldenEye my first cinematic Bond Experience. Been following Calvin Dyson's channel for many years (since Skyfall) and came across your channel towards the end of last year. I read an article (possibly Dark Horizons in early 2000's) that Brosnan and Madsen lived in the same area or were neighbours and their kids went to the same school and asked if he would be interested in playing a role. Was seen as a real coup at the time from Michael G Wilson. Looking forward to Casino Royale review. Once NTTD is released, would you do reviews of "Is their 3rd Movie the best?" Possibly a 3 or 4 person panel with Scott, Calvin and David? I'd imagine it would be difficult. Does Scott have his own channel? Looking forward to Casino Royale review.

The first half is okay but it falls apart at the end. The big problem is the inconsistent tone; it's like taking the first half of Licence to Kill and then combining it with the second half of Moonraker. It tries to do too much and sinks under its own weight.

I was really looking forward to this review. The pre titles in this film were terrific. It really details when Graves shows up. I really can't watch this film anymore. It's pretty brutal. Lol You both did this review justice.

I just finished watching this again, and yes it absolutely is not a top Bond. But this is the last movie where we have a villain doing a big whacky plan to achieve their goal. I kind of miss that. Maybe a topic for a video but: is the era of big super villain crazy contraptions over? Like Moonraker. The big plan on Spectre was....to watch our social media and like....do things with it? Is James Bond too serious now???

lol I'll watch this one tomorrow... should be interesting!

This movie has so many problems but I can't help but love it. Apart from the CGI surfing and endless quips anyway.

This one actually seems to follow another lesser known trend. The fourth movie trend. It hasn’t happened often because only 4 Bond actors have ever had 4 movies but except Connery, every actor has had the first movie be their best, the second one be a rushed mess, the third one being big improvement and be their definitive movie(Connery included here this time) and the fourth movie be a huge step down from the third one and if they got a 5th movie the 5th one is perhaps their second best and anything after being most certainly diminishing returns. With Brosnan, he seemed to hit not only the 4th movie being a stinker after third improves where the second went awry, he hit the 6th and 7th being diminishing returns one as well being he didn’t get a 5th movie to absolve the 4th pile of doody he got. Brosnan didn’t get a third definitive movie either unfortunately although it was performance overall than his first 2.

I'd say this is the 2nd best post Fleming title....Never Say Never Again is the best.

I liked the first half of the film with Bond captured and tortured then traded for a criminal as MI6 dont trust him escapes and again goes rouge . The fence scene was quite well done and the cars on ice .

I feel you can enjoy this movie in the same silly, over the top vain of YOLT, DAF, TSWLM, and Moonraker. Its certainly not a great movie by any means, but I find it to be an entertaining viewing. I used to hate it, but I enjoy it for what it is, ridiculous entertainment.

Harsh on gustav grimes! Overly lenient on madonna Otherwise I agree with everything

I've watched it 3 times this week and the movie completely loses my attention half way through the ice palace every time. It is so over the top action schlock that it makes me face palm. It's a shame because this was my first bond movie. I would give this a 3. Some good parts but mostly trash. Plus the slow motion is awful.

A lot of people owe A View to A Kill an engraved apology.

They needed an actor with more gravitas to play the head of the CIA--someone Judi Dench could really go head to head with with in their scenes together. I totally agree that Madsen could have been a great Felix Leiter. For the head of the CIA we needed someone more like Chris Cooper.

I saw this in the cinema on release and I honestly thought there was a glitch on the soundtrack when the Madonna's song started...

I think this film is fun, and I always love the first hour or so. A few small tweaks/better editing/less frantic would've saved the rest. Brosnan is great in this. The pts, credits sequence/capture etc is excellent (Madonna song being the exception). I love the sword fight, it's really hard hitting and shows how 'crazy' Graves is.

Don't forget about the Diamonds in zaos face! 🤣

Not gonna lie, I like this film a lot. Its bad, but a good bad. Its fun to watch. The film also starts off very strong. One of my favorite pre title sequences.

Damn, Scott really did TND dirty. Still can’t believe it 😂

This might've been the first film in any established franchise that left me cold on the first viewing. Hate this one.

Another favorite of Scott’s?

DAD is top 10 Bond movie. Seriously. People used to think Licence to Kill was rubbish too. Stop getting caught up in the current fads. How about this? 10: Die Another Day 9: Octopussy 7: Casino Royale 6: The World Is Not Enough 5: Goldeneye 4: Tomorrow Never Dies 3: From Russian With Love 2: Thunderball 1: The Living Daylights

People give that sword fight sequence way too much credit IMO; sure the action is directed well, but for the love of god HOW is that acceptable on any level in an English gentleman’s fencing club? They were clearly trying to murder one another and destroyed a buildings worth of antique decor. I know Bond films require a level of suspension of disbelief, but you save the insane public violence for when the gloves finally come off and not when the villain and hero are still “feeling each other out” during their initial encounter. Can you imagine Bond and Goldfinger clashing their golf clubs and trying to beat the ever loving shit out of each other in Goldfinger? Or Bond and Largo flipping the craps table and trying to slash each other’s throats in Thunderball? It’s utterly ridiculous.

Am I the only one who hated the PTS and preferred the rest of the film? Don't get me wrong the critical comments are spot on here but its still a fun if flawed movie. Better than DAF!

The Murdoch family lawyers are preparing the writ right now 😁😁😁

*Sigmund Freud!*

I honestly forgot about Michael Madson in this movie!

have you listened too the bbc radio dramas where toby stephens plays james bond ?

Been a Bond fan since I was a kid in the 80s, love all the films, collected all the memorabilia for years...... but this film is the only one I genuinely hate, it sucks so much I went cold on the franchise until Casino Royale came out.

DAD starts out great...if not for Madonna's "vocals" and appearance (never give her dialogue to read!!!), the movie would be perfect up until they go to Ireland. The swodfight was fantastic, and I think one of the best action scenes since the tanker truck chase at the end of Licence to Kill. Toby Stephens was good...no Goldfinger but way better than Dominic Greene in QoS. Rosamund Pike was totally hot, and Zao was memorable (though one could ask while he didn't get those diamonds pulled out of his face since he was going through so much trouble to change his appearance). And how come everytime I see a black woman in a film, the writers make her say "yo mama"? Halle Berry is capable of so much more than that. I'm watching a Bond film, not one of Tyler Perry's Medea films...

The cheesy bullet effect during the gunbarrel sequence makes the film feel dated and even worse.

If the main part of the movie takes place in nov 2002 14 months prior would be right before 9/11 so that also could be a reason it’s 14 months maybe I’m looking too deep into it

Watching your synopsis, I realise that everything up to the invisible car was fantastic. Everything after that was a CGI nonsense fest.

5:24 14 Months Later surprised me too.

A film of two halves. The first half (up to the scene with Q) is pretty good. The second half is pretty ridiculous. I was (for a while) able to suspend disbelief and accept the stealth car idea (this is no worse than the Tarzan yell and "Sit!" in Octopussy - you can't have it both ways Joe!). However the parasurfing scene goes beyond the pale. As well as the unfortunate presence of CGI, I really did not like the slow motion effects used throughout the movie, repeating the mistakes seen previously in The World is Not Enough. On the plus side, I liked that the story managed to be contemporary in some way taking the action to the DMZ and tensions with the DPRK. And I disagree with you fellas about Toby Stephens who I found to be a credible villain who reminded me a little of Max Zorin. I also spotted the potential for Michael Madsen to make a good Felix Leiter. The theme song by Madonna is arguably the worst in the entire Bond franchise whilst the Arnold score is as ordinary as every other score he has brought to the table (sorry guys I know you disagree). Despite its faults, if comparing it with Brosnan's other Bond outings balance, I'd prefer to watch DAD over TWINE. And if nothing else positive can be said, DAD was at least the straw that broke the camel's back and convinced the filmmakers to finally leave the comic conveyor belt first embarked on Diamonds are Forever and with the advent of the Craig era, return to the true spirit of the Fleming novels. 6 out of 10.

Fuck, I was 16 when it was released and even though I was target audience according to Lee Tamahori, I immediately ranked it as the worst in the series, by far, and one of the worst movies I had ever watched. It was so painful. I also don't get how this is the same pair of people wrote Casino Royale and even The World is not Enough

Maybe, the car removed the shadows with light sources mounted underneath the car? If top gear can make a box truck do a halfway cool disappearing car, I can suspend my belief to allow Q the capability to do it even better.

Yo mama!!

This is one hot mess of a film. The Brosnan Era really is one of missed opportunities. The PTS sets up something that could have been a great story and then it just goes bat shit crazy. Jinx is a terrible character. Colonel Moon should have remained the real villain; the actor was better. Probably because I could never get into this film I didn't think about the Cuban contact character being expanded. That would have been good. Also, I like the idea of Madsen being Felix. Another missed Brosnan opportunity. There's really not much good to say about this one. It ranks at the bottom of my list.

Toby Stephens son of Dame Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens (The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes)

33:00 How does a seasoned field agent not tell that his sidearm is unloaded? The very telling weight difference would be a dead giveaway... Also after being betrayed by Electra in the last film, you think he would have his guard up more...

Hi guys-not even sure if you’ll read these comments, or not… One thing I want to point out with your critique is that while you both remark about the film being aimed at young teenagers…perhaps too much??Conversely, you both have also complained that the series doesn’t do enough to pull kids in these days. So, while I agree this movie is not one of the best Bond adventures, it DID bring a lot of kids into the Bond fold; my little brother being one of them-I took him to see this when he was in the 8th grade, and he absolutely loved it! Just saying, sometimes we gotta take the good with the bad…lol.

Stephens is Maggie Smith's son, form her marriage to Robert Stephens (The Private LIfe of Sherlock Holmes) That's his dad.

Agent XXX could be called a Triple Agent

Surfing and martinis do not mix. I'm surprised they didn't introduce Gustav Graves as Bond's long lost brother who had a Korean father so he was a bastard.

Are you not gonna review Never say never again?

The countdown continues