Tomorrow Never Dies

Watched this gem on cable tonight. I wasn't expecting to watch more than first 10 minutes, but it just drew me in. I had forgotten how good, and classic Bond, it is. With brilliant yet cheesy one-liners peppered throughout, like "They'll print anything these days" referring to a dead guy smearing blood on the newspaper press and "Let's take the highway" when Bond drives the motorcycle up on some trucks. It taps into satellite and media mogul anxiety in typical Bond critique of technology, but perhaps the most interesting was Michelle Yeoh in the most un-Bond Girl like role yet. She kicks major ass in the latter part of the film. Proving to be just as competent with guns weaponry, and technology as Bond and, in addition, boosts her famous martial arts skills. She is beautiful, but not in the same way other Bond girls are and I would say that her body was not shamelessly exploited for sex appeal like all the others either. There were no gratuitous naked or swimsuit shots of her. Teri Hatcher fulfills the femme fatale role, sex-bomb role leaving Yeoh free to kick ass, be intelligent, equal Bond and even get him in the end. It seems like the Halle Berry Bond trash stole all the makings of a good Bond flick but ultimately fell flat. What was the difference? Halle Berry was kick ass, but definitely exploited for her looks, and her performance, if I remember, was just lackluster. The fear of technology was linked to genetics, appropriate for the time, but everything about it was so ludicrous. Changing faces, ice castles and I can only assume that amidst all this over-the-top schlock, the charming yet cheesy one-liners became dry and cliche. That is a dichotomy of the Bond films though, always using the neatest gadgets to destroy an enemy that is fixing to use science's next invention to take over the world.

What is interesting to note when looking at the re-envisioned Bond films, Casino Royale being the first, is that they are not Bond-stylized with the expected charm in Tomorrow Never Dies. It also focuses on "going back to realism." Like Batman Begins did for Batman. The Dark Knight's success will definitely fuel this re-envisioning of old series to tap back into reality, trying to keep plots and gadgets firmly with what is feasible today. I have been talking about making action films more real for a while in my blog, but real on the level of human emotion. Casino Royal and Dark Knight definitely start down that path, but still have the hero be impenetrable in the face adversity and fear. They are more realistic in terms of style and technology, but they are ultimately still action movies with hard as ice heroes, that are unequivocally good. And where are the women? They have been sidekicks and motives for males' revenge all summer long. Are we going back in time?