Die Another Day (DVD 2003)

Die Another Day is a classic example of what happens when a movie script is created by committee rather than taking a single idea and developing it. The plot is so disjointed that it's easy to imagine different members of the production team coming up with different ideas and set pieces with the poor writers then having to try to somehow glue them all together - "I know, let's have a Cuba sequence!" In short, Die Another Day is a mess.
Which is a great pity, as the previous two Bond movies were first-rate and gave Pierce Brosnan an opportunity to really put his mark on the series. I still maintain that Brosnan, with the right combination of looks and talent, was the perfect Bond, but that he was often let down by those around him. The fact that Brosnan was ousted from the role following the Die Another Day debacle while the men responsible for the dire script - Neal Purvis and Robert Wade - have been handed writing duties for the forthcoming Casino Royale is an absolute disgrace.

Not only is the plot and dialogue dismal, but the acting isn't that great either. Brosnan does his best, but Toby Stephens (who is a very fine actor) is laughable as Gustav Graves - about as threatening as a Tory toff threatening to force the world to eat cucumber sandwiches and replace football with polo as the national sport. Halle Berry is also awful, although the supporting cast makes a better impression - Rosamund Pike is delectable as Mirando Frost, Rick Yune makes up for Stephens' drippiness as Graves' sinister sidekick, while Judi Dench and John Cleese are once again superb as M and Q (with Cleese getting the best line in the movie - "Ah yes, the legendary 007 wit. Or at least, half of it").

The movie also suffers from some truly awful CGI effects that have been rightful compared by other critics as being about as realistic as a PlayStation game. Even the chases and shoot-outs aren't terribly exciting.