The 007 Project: Die Another Day

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

Bond is captured on a mission to assassinate a young North Korean colonel. The colonel, presumed dead, ends up transforming into a wealthy British businessman who hopes to reunify Korea using his powerful satellite. 

Memorable Quote:
Plenty of time to sleep when you're dead.  ~Graves

Highlight:

Fantastic opening, right from the jump with the big-wave surfing. The North Korean sinister landscape is perfect for a Bond movie, and the whole lead-up where Bond meets Moon and Zao followed by the action sequence is outstanding, with great music to boot. We're now 4 for 4 in great openings to the Brosnan movies. 

Lowlight:

As great as the opening surfing scene is, the scene where Bond windsurfs using a makeshift parachute has some of the worst CGI that I've ever seen in a movie. It doesn't really make sense that it could be that bad, like I don't understand what they were thinking in leaving that scene in the movie as it was. 

Most interesting piece of IMDB trivia:

While filming their love scene in Cuba, Halle Berry choked on a fig, requiring Pierce Brosnan to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• Not only are we 4 for 4 in great openings in the Brosnan era, but we're also 4 for in great title songs too. I'm actually putting this song as number one on the list for now, but it's very close to Tomorrow Never Dies (#2) and Goldeneye (#3).  
• Remember in my Tomorrow Never Dies review that I said I loved how Bond was unstoppable in that movie? Well, Bond being captured and tortured for 14 months is on the other end of the spectrum to that, and I remember seeing this movie in the theater and being stunned and appalled at the time, like it really bothered me. Now, it doesn't bother me, though I still think that 14 months is too long, like they could have just said 3 months.  
• 23:03 mark -- M says, "If I had my way, you'd still be in North Korea." Jesus, M, show Bond a little goddamn respect.  
• 23:28 -- Bond says, "I never asked to be traded. I'd rather die in prison than let him [Zao] loose." Jesus, Bond, show yourself some goddamn respect -- you're like 100 times more valuable to the world than Zao is dangerous.
• 24:54 -- M says,"You're no use to anyone now." STFU, M. 
• 25:30 -- Bond escapes by stopping his heart and inducing cardiac arrest, but is able to regain his pulse when he chooses to. I don't think that's possible. 
• 27:33 -- I love when he enters the hotel confidently and like a boss despite being soaking wet, half dressed, and unshaven. And then a great line from Bond: 
• Been busy have we, Mr. Bond?  ~Chang
• Just surviving Mr. Chang, just surviving.  ~Bond
• 33:57 -- Bond picks up the Field Guide to birds in the West Indies book which was written by an ornithologist named James Bond, and it's the book by which Ian Fleming got the idea for the character's name. 
• The entire Havana clinic scene is great -- I love the setup of the jerk guy and how Bond punches him and then shoves his wheelchair into a crowd as a distraction (and then sneaks a grape from a patients room).
• Halle Berry is not a great actress in this movie, though compared to Denise Richards, she is Meryl Streep. 
• Rosamund Pike (Miranda Frost) is stunningly beautiful. 
• Tremendous fencing scene between Graves and Bond -- I was very close to making it my highlight over the opening. 
• 58:52 -- Miranda breaks up the fight, saying "That is enough!" Wasn't it "enough" five minutes ago when they were destroying the club?
• 1:05:39 -- When Q gives Bond his watch, he said it's his 20th (since it's the 20th Bond movie). Just before that, we see Bond looking at a shoe with a blade like in From Russia With Love. It is too bad John Cleese wasn't in more movies, he's good. 
• I like Zao's look with the diamonds in the face -- distinctive.
• It's hard to believe the North Korean dude from the beginning (Moon) would be able to pull off being a charming English gentleman, but it's a movie.
• The ice palace set is impressive.
• The morning after Bond and Miranda spend the night, Bond leaves the room to snoop around. Wouldn't Graves have someone watching the room and following Bond?
• I'm not a fan of the fight scene between Bond and Mr. Kil with all the lasers spinning around them -- just seems too unrealistic that they could be fighting and perfectly avoiding the randomly spinning lasers. And yes, I realize I'm complaining about a Bond scene being unrealistic. 
• Kind of a brutal death scene with Graves getting sucked into the propeller -- too much for me, honestly, I don't care for that. 
• The Moneypenny virtual reality scene is quite clever. 

Final Analysis:

I hadn't seen this movie in a while, and while I've always liked it, it actually was a bit better than I remembered. The first half in particular is outstanding -- it's the second half where the wheels fall off a bit with really bad CGI and an over-the-top storyline. If it was just the first half, I'd rank it 2, but instead I'll rank it 5 out of 20. 

And so that's the end of the Pierce Brosnan era. I talked about him in the Goldeneye post, but in short, he's my favorite Bond, and overall his movies represent my favorite Bond era.