DIE ANOTHER DAY [2002] Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry ; Rated 12A

After the less than thrilling 'The World is Not Enough' I personally started to worry about whether the Bond franchise was starting to run out of steam, but thankfully Mr Bond's latest venture to the big screen has quashed those fears by producing a welcomed return to form. 'Die Another Day' showcases a more rugged 007 that has rarely been seen over the last 19 films, there are definite parallels with the 1989 Timothy Datlon Bond 'Licence to Kill' where essentially 007 gets a bit annoyed and goes on the rampage. Halle Berry plays it well as the FSA agent Jinx and certainly puts a more modern spin on the whole bond girl label and her characters entrance I'm sure won't disappoint the male audience. All obvious observations aside though, 'Die Another Day' is a worthy addition to the franchise and I think it probably brings something new to the now 40 year old success story. Keeping Bond up with the times has always been a hard task, I mean look at 'Moonraker', this latest bond strikes the right balance between originality and familiarity. It contains some very imaginative sets, some very stylish action sequences and some excellent pacing, but even with those assets and Halle Berry's behind the movie it still does suffer in some places. A handful of effects shots are very poor indeed and sometimes in an attempt by the director to keep the movie on the edge, the movie loses out in coherence. Those nit-picks to one side though, 'Die Another Day' is a great film and lives up to the hype which surrounds it. If you like James Bond movies then go and see this and if you don't like James Bond movies, go and see this, you will after.

4/5