Die Another Day 2002

Critics score:
58 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News: A meandering, over-inflated, everything -but-the -kitchen-sink attempt to one-up and wear down. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: As professionally mediocre as its predecessors. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: If I can't return to the past, I'll happily follow a Bond this reenergized into the future. Read more

Howard Cohen, Miami Herald: Die Another Day is stylish and state of the art, and Bond aficionados will love the anniversary homages to previous films. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: I expect more from Bond, so thumbs down. Read more

Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune: You leave feeling like you've endured a long workout without your pulse ever racing. Read more

Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times: Die Another Day is only intermittently entertaining but it's hard not to be a sucker for its charms, or perhaps it's just impossible not to feel nostalgia for movies you grew up with. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: The latest and least of the Pierce Brosnan Bonds. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Prefab and formulaic all the way. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Die Another Day never quite finds real excitement or genuine wit. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: The most satisfying Bond movie since The Spy Who Loved Me. Read more

Peter Rainer, New York Magazine/Vulture: It's the same old Bond. Read more

Megan Turner, New York Post: The first installment of the new millennium, maintains the franchise's standing as the ultimate cinematic guilty pleasure. Read more

Rex Reed, New York Observer: The most thrilling, lavishly designed and imaginative Bond picture in years. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: The problem for me is that the story is so entirely at the service of the special effects. Read more

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 007 shows he still has the double-O goods in Die Another Day. Read more

Keith Phipps, AV Club: By the end of Die Another Day, the character's potential to wind up beaten and broken has vanished amid the pixels and laser beams. Read more

Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: If you watch movies chiefly for stunts and special effects, this Bond is for you. If you watch to see a beloved formula regurgitated, make tracks. Read more

Paul Clinton (CNN.com), CNN.com: There's a heavy stench of 'been there, done that' hanging over the film. It's everything you'd expect -- but nothing more. Read more

John Moore, Denver Post: 'Die Another Day's' special effects will make your eyes open so wide your contacts might fall out, but the spy caper is double-crossed by a stupid script littered with one-liners so dumb that 007 actually makes XXX (Vin Diesel) sound like he's clever. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The first Bond movie in ages that isn't fake fun. Read more

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News: Despite an overabundance of obvious computer-generated effects, Die Another Day shines as the best of the Brosnan Bonds. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Perhaps it's time to say goodbye to Mr. Bond. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: A lot smarter than your average Bond. Read more

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: A vigorous 20th installment that is as strong on action as it is weak on the interpersonal stuff. Read more

John Patterson, L.A. Weekly: The niftiest Bond movie in years -- fresh, funny, and jammed to the rafters with demented stunts, Boys'-Own gadgetry and brazen promiscuity. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: This is a train wreck of an action film -- a stupefying attempt by the filmmakers to force-feed James Bond into the mindless XXX mold and throw 40 years of cinematic history down the toilet in favor of bright flashes and loud bangs. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: This movie has the usual impossible stunts ... But it has just as many scenes that are lean and tough enough to fit in any modern action movie. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Brosnan, in his fourth time up at the Bond bat, hits this one out of the park. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: It's flawed, but it's the best 007 flick in 20 years. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: The new movie lacks something, a special something. Read more

David Edelstein, Slate: That this Bond will be smarter is clear from its title sequence, which leaves you both shaken and stirred. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: In a movie that's distinguished by some higher heights than most recent Bonds, and some new lows, Die Another Day also sees Bond do battle with obviously artificial digitally created backgrounds and effects. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: A bit like watching a champion fighter win a title bout on points rather than a satisfying knockout. Read more

John O'Connell, Time Out: What makes this the best Bond in years is the surefootedness of Brosnan's performance, as well as Tamahori's fanboy insistence on covering all bases. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: The film is so fraught with explosions and chases that the action eventually feels numbing. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: A midrange series entry that sports some tasty scenes, mostly in the first half, but also pushes 007 into CGI-driven, quasi-sci-fi territory that feels like a betrayal of what the franchise has always been about. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: Dissing a Bond movie is quite like calling a dog stupid, but when it has the temerity to run over two hours, you feel like winding up with a kick. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: There's only so much ridiculousness the human mind can take, and director Lee Tamahori crosses that line by a good 20 minutes. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: James Bond gets bad news in Die Another Day: They've rescinded his license to kill. The news is worse for us. They've given him license to bore. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Surely it will not be giving things away to tell you there's absolutely nothing new about the latest episode. Read more