The World Is Not Enough (1999)

51% of critics liked it
(113 reviews)
58% of users liked it
(189,619 ratings)

James Bond, the world's greatest secret agent, is sent once more into the breach in the name of Queen, Country, and a dry martini. In the 19th Bond adventure, 007 (Pierce Brosnan) must resolve a potentially deadly power struggle between two unstable nations, with control of the world's oil supply as… More James Bond, the world's greatest secret agent, is sent once more into the breach in the name of Queen, Country, and a dry martini. In the 19th Bond adventure, 007 (Pierce Brosnan) must resolve a potentially deadly power struggle between two unstable nations, with control of the world's oil supply as the ultimate prize. Bond is assigned as bodyguard to Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of a petroleum magnate who was brutally murdered, and is trying to foil the fiendish plot of Renard (Robert Carlyle), a villain who was shot in the head with an unusual result: he cannot feel physical pain, an apparent failing that proves to be a considerable asset. Denise Richards appears as Dr. Christmas Jones, an expert on nuclear weapons, alongside Desmond Llewelyn as Q, Judi Dench as M, Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny, and John Cleese as R. Alternative rock band Garbage performs the theme song. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 2 hr. 5 min.
Directed By: Michael Apted
Written By: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Bruce Feirstein
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Nov 19, 1999 Wide
On DVD: May 16, 2000
Studio: United Artists

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy, Variety
Sees 007 undone by villainous scripting and misguided casting and acting in a couple of key secondary roles.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
A thoroughly satisfying, completely entertaining film that's also, rather surprisingly, an emotionally full experience.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Familiar and competent, the last Bond film of the millennium adheres to the formula and mostly succeeds in meeting the ritualistic demands of the series.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Brosnan's repertoire of eyebrow arching while ogling and jaw clenching while escaping is by now entirely without flavor.
Susan Stark, Detroit News
Action-packed!
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
The only bright spot is John Cleese's brief appearance as Q's associate, R. Could we pretty please have Cleese play Bond in the next one?
Rob Nelson, City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Jiggled, not stirred.
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
Though in story The World Is Not Enough is not one of the best Bonds, pound for pound it delivers as much thrilling action as any of them. [Blu-ray]
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The theme song is performed by Garbage, as the band's name perhaps tells you all you want to know about this thriller.
Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter
The film tries very hard, and sometimes the effort pays off, but overall this is a compromised effort that recalls LICENCE TO KILL in the wrong way: it wants to be different but lapses back into the same old, obligatory set pieces.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...ultimately comes off as a superior James Bond adventure...
, Film4
Brosnan and Carlyle breeze through an upper mid-league Bond that doesn't attempt to fix what isn't broken.
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
a good flick
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Easily the most boring of the Brosnan adventures.
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
Pierce Brosnan has finally settled into the role of James Bond.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
I liked it better than GoldenEye, but not as much as Tomorrow Never Dies.
Derek Adams, Time Out
Apted ensures it all passes by efficiently enough. And his extraordinarily well staged opening salvo is one of the most impressive Bond sequences yet.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
In his first action flick in a long career, Apted succeeds in both the character stuff and the action scenes. Something had to give, and it's the plot.
Rumsey Taylor, Not Coming to a Theater Near You
Even with [its] lame dialogue, the film would potentially have been redeemed had Denise Richards not been cast as arguably the worst Bond girl in the entire franchise.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Might be good film, but only for those who haven't seen many Bond films.

Read all 23 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Eric A

This one was better than what the ratings suggest. Check it out and you'll see for yourself.
Alexander D

Pierce's penultimate picture is really nothing all that special, but it's still pretty enjoyable because there are a lot of great action sequences, amid the bad acting.
moon r

Bond parlez-vous Russian, baby, as yet another terrorist (distinguishable only by their quirks after a minute) gets his grubby world dominating claws on yet another nuclear missile (this one left forgotten in a Wal-Mart parking lot). International travel, international thugs,… More
Bond parlez-vous Russian, baby, as yet another terrorist (distinguishable only by their quirks after a minute) gets his grubby world dominating claws on yet another nuclear missile (this one left forgotten in a Wal-Mart parking lot). International travel, international thugs, international babes, and the U.S. military waiting helpless in the wings as the smug Brit superstar of the male super-ego dreamtime shows us how it's properly done. The bad guys almost always hang out at the local casino! Wouldn't you?
Jeff "

A much better film than Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough is an awesome thrill a minute action film. Despite the fact that this film has one of the worst Bond girls ever in the franchise, it also has one of the best villains. This film delivers on over the top action,… More
A much better film than Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough is an awesome thrill a minute action film. Despite the fact that this film has one of the worst Bond girls ever in the franchise, it also has one of the best villains. This film delivers on over the top action, something that Tomorrow never dies lacked a bit. A solid entry in the series, The World is Not Enough is the second best Bond film of Brosnan's stint as James Bond.
Tim S

One of the few Bond films I've seen. It was ok.
Lewis C

The World is Not Enough is a decent Bond movie, but it has a few too many flaws to be one of the most memorable movies in the series. On the positivie side, the ambitious action sequences and globe trotting shootouts are well represented throughout. Sophie Marceau is as beautiful as… More
The World is Not Enough is a decent Bond movie, but it has a few too many flaws to be one of the most memorable movies in the series. On the positivie side, the ambitious action sequences and globe trotting shootouts are well represented throughout. Sophie Marceau is as beautiful as any woman that Bond has been paired with, and Brosnan carries on as one of the better actors to tackle the iconic role. On the other hand, there are so many events packed into such a small period of time within the film, that it all seems a bit rushed and hurried. The main relationship between Bond and his female foil doesn't seem the least bit authentic, due to the fact that the characters meet only a day or two before the resolution of the movie. Even worse, Denise Richards and her huge breasts have to be the least necessary character(s) in the history of the franchise. Nuclear Weapons Scientist? Ooooooooook. Half the time she's on-screen, she's doing absolutely nothing. At least a good actress wasn't wasted in that throwaway role. I'd put The World is Not Enough somewhere slightly past the middle of pack of Bond movies, in terms of quality. The villian and his rather unique condition are basically wasted, and there are a few too many characters thrown into the mix, but it's still a fun and occasionally thrilling movie.
Anthony L

I would say this is my favourite of the Brosnan Bonds! I did like Desmond Llewelyn poignant exit from the franchise
Jon L

It's Bond! Not one of his best, but it's Bond!
Dean !

In my top 3 Bond films. Has some great scenes in it, plenty of action and a strong cast.
Thomas B

finally, a villain worthy of Bond's spy prowess, a man who can't feel pain. there are moments when this movie seems promising, but overall, the movie is yet another let down, just not as bad others. although, looking through daniel craig coloured glasses doesn't help… More
finally, a villain worthy of Bond's spy prowess, a man who can't feel pain. there are moments when this movie seems promising, but overall, the movie is yet another let down, just not as bad others. although, looking through daniel craig coloured glasses doesn't help its chances in the way of favourable reviews. denise richards is extremely hot, just by the way.
Coxxie M

and neither is this movie, thank you
Chris G

The World is Not Enough represents Pierce Brosnan's third appearance as James Bond and finds 007 assigned to protect oil heir Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) from the freelance terrorist Renard (Robert Carlysle) who was her abductor at one time and seems to be hatching another plot… More
The World is Not Enough represents Pierce Brosnan's third appearance as James Bond and finds 007 assigned to protect oil heir Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) from the freelance terrorist Renard (Robert Carlysle) who was her abductor at one time and seems to be hatching another plot against the King empire. This is a blah Bond film. Brosnan continues to shine in the role he was born to play and Marceau gives a good performance. The problem is the villain Renard seems so low rent that he should be a henchman for another bigger villain. He's almost like the white trash Blofeld. And Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones. We may have been able to buy Holly Goodhead, but Christmas Jones is a tough pill to swallow. The World is Not Enough is a good action film. If you're looking for more than you've come to the wrong place. The action pieces are worth the price of admission, even though how many explosions can you have in a small area which seems to be this film's signature.
Lorenzo v

"As the countdown begins for the new millienum there is still one number you can always count on." James Bond, the world's greatest secret agent, is sent once more into the breach in the name of Queen, Country, and a dry martini. In the 19th Bond… More
"As the countdown begins for the new millienum there is still one number you can always count on." James Bond, the world's greatest secret agent, is sent once more into the breach in the name of Queen, Country, and a dry martini. In the 19th Bond adventure, 007 (Pierce Brosnan) must resolve a potentially deadly power struggle between two unstable nations, with control of the world's oil supply as the ultimate prize. Bond is assigned as bodyguard to Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of a petroleum magnate who was brutally murdered, and is trying to foil the fiendish plot of Renard (Robert Carlyle), a villain who was shot in the head with an unusual result: he cannot feel physical pain, an apparent failing that proves to be a considerable asset. Review This movie had great potential. The first action sequence of the movie was unbelievable. It captured me into the film. However, as the movie continued on, I began to lose interest. The characters were very one-dimensional. The submarine scene had so much potential, but it wasn't all there. Something was missing.
Cassandra M

TWINE is without doubt the 007 adventure of the 90's. I would consider it to be one of the best Bond movies ever, but for sure the best of the Brosnan era so far, because it perfectly combines Bond's universe with the real world. The movie has a terrific look, crystal clear… More
TWINE is without doubt the 007 adventure of the 90's. I would consider it to be one of the best Bond movies ever, but for sure the best of the Brosnan era so far, because it perfectly combines Bond's universe with the real world. The movie has a terrific look, crystal clear colours and benefits from the great craft of Clark and Biddle who both did a fantastic job. In addition Pierce Brosnan gives one of the best performances in years, taking his character both seriously and on the other hand not too seriously. Sophie Marceau offers a fantastic villainess and puts herself in one line with Chris Walken, Robert Davi and Klaus Maria Brandauer. The writers Michael France, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Dana Stevens and Bruce Feirstein have outdone themselves by creating some of the best characters in the series and by far the best punchlines and dialogues in years. Every dialogue contains funny and suggestive lines and this really makes fun to sit there and enjoy two hours of perfect entertainment.
Tsubaki S

Fapable girls, can't remember anything else from the movie.
Lenny M

Good Villain, boring movie though except Bond is hooking up with Denise Richards.
Chris W

Not bad, but could have been better. Carlyle was a badass though, so that helps.
Matthew C

Probably one of the "not-as-good" Bond movies, but I'm still a sentimentalist.
Film C

i am a true james bond fan i love james bond and love pierce brosnan he is gawjus and i reallly enjoyed this film
Curtis L

So glad they stopped the Pierce Brosnan line.