Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A deranged media mogul is staging international incidents to pit the world's superpowers against each other. Now James Bond must take on this evil mastermind in an adrenaline-charged battle to end his reign of terror and prevent global pandemonium.
Tomorrow Never Dies is a serviceable but formulaic Bond entry. The media mogul villain concept (Elliot Carver) had topical resonance but is underdeveloped and cartoonish. Brosnan is charming, Jonathan Pryce camps it up adequately, and Michelle Yeoh is a highlight as Wai Lin, elevating the film whenever she appears. Cinematography is competent blockbuster work — nothing visually distinctive. The plot recycles Bond conventions without freshness, and the villain's scheme feels contrived. The climax aboard the stealth ship is loud and generic, lacking the memorable set-piece payoff the best Bond films deliver. Novelty is low — despite the media-manipulation premise feeling prescient, the execution is thoroughly by-the-numbers for the franchise.