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The World is Not Enough

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The World is Not Enough 1999 poster 7

The World Is Not Enough is a 1999 spy film, the nineteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Michael Apted, from an original story and screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The title is the translation of the motto on the Bond family coat of arms, seen first in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

The film's plot revolves around the assassination of billionaire Sir Robert King by the terrorist Renard, and Bond's subsequent assignment to protect King's daughter Elektra, who was previously held for ransom by Renard. During his assignment, Bond unravels a scheme to increase petroleum prices by triggering a nuclear meltdown in the waters of Istanbul.

Filming locations included Spain, France, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and the UK, with interiors shot at Pinewood Studios. The film received mixed reviews, with the plot and Denise Richards' casting frequently targeted for criticism; it also received praise for the performances of Brosnan and Sophie Marceau, and for its emotional weight and focus on characters in comparison to previous entries. The World Is Not Enough earned $361.8 million worldwide. It was also the first Eon-produced Bond film officially released under the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer label instead of United Artists, the franchise's original owner and distributor.


Storyline[]

Plot[]

Bond (Pierce Brosnan) must race to defuse an international power struggle with the world's oil supply hanging in the balance. Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), is the daughter of a murdered oil tycoon whom Bond is assigned to protect. The villain is Renard (Robert Carlyle), who has a bullet lodged in his brain rendering him unable to feel pain. Also featuring nuclear weapons expert Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards).

Genres[]

  • Action
  • Spy
  • Action/Adventure
  • Adventure
  • Thriller
  • Crime film
  • Mystery

Motion Picture Rating[]

  • 13 (Argentina)
  • M (Australia)
  • B (Bulgaria)
  • 14A (Canada) (Alberta)
  • PG (Canada) (British Columbia)
  • PA (Canada) (Manitoba)
  • 14 (Canada) (Nova Scotia)
  • AA (Canada) (Ontario)
  • 13+ (Canada) (original rating, Quebec)
  • G (Canada) (re-rating, Quebec)
  • 15 (Denmark) (DVD and Blu-ray rating)
  • K-15/13 (Finland)
  • K-16/13 (Finland)
  • K-14 (Finland) (1999)
  • Tous publics (France)
  • 12 (Germany) (w)
  • IIB (Hong Kong)
  • 12 (Iceland)
  • UA (India) (re-rating)
  • A (India) (1999, cinema rating)
  • 12 (Ireland)
  • T (Italy)
  • G (Japan) (2015)
  • P13 (Malaysia)
  • B (Mexico)
  • 12 (Netherlands)
  • PG (New Zealand)
  • PG (Nigeria)
  • 15 (Norway) (cinema rating)
  • 14 (Peru)
  • PG-13 (Philippines)
  • 16 (Poland) (self-applied)
  • M/12 (Portugal)
  • 12+ (Russia)
  • PG (Saudi Arabia)
  • PG (Singapore)
  • PG13 (Singapore) (re-rating)
  • 13 (South Africa)
  • 12 (South Korea)
  • 13 (Spain)
  • 11 (Sweden)
  • 12 (Switzerland) (canton of Geneva)
  • 12 (Switzerland) (canton of Vaud)
  • 15 (Thailand)
  • 13A (Turkey) (self-applied)
  • 12 (UK)
  • PG-13 (USA)
  • C13 (Vietnam)

Images[]

Cast and Crew[]

Director[]

  • Michael Apted

Writing Credits[]

  • Neal Purvis (story) &
  • Robert Wade (story)
  • Neal Purvis (screenplay) &
  • Robert Wade (screenplay) and
  • Bruce Feirstein (screenplay)

Cast[]

  • Pierce Brosnan - James Bond
  • Sophie Marceau - Elektra King
  • Robert Carlyle - Renard
  • Denise Richards - Dr. Christmas Jones
  • Robbie Coltrane - Valentin Zukovsky
  • Judi Dench - M
  • Desmond Llewelyn - Q
  • John Cleese - R
  • Maria Grazia Cucinotta - Cigar Girl
  • Samantha Bond - Moneypenny
  • Michael Kitchen - Tanner
  • Colin Salmon - Robinson
  • Goldie - Bull
  • David Calder - Sir Robert King
  • Serena Scott Thomas - Dr. Molly Warmflash
  • Ulrich Thomsen - Davidov
  • John Seru - Gabor
  • Claude-Oliver Rudolph - Colonel Akakievich
  • Patrick Malahide - Lachaise
  • Omid Djalili - Foreman
  • Jeff Nuttall - Dr. Arkov
  • Diran Meghreblian - Coptic Priest
  • John Albasiny - Helicopter Pilot
  • Patrick Romer - Pilot
  • Jimmy Roussounis - Pipeline Technician
  • Justus von Dohnányi - Captain Nikoli (as Justus Von Dohnanyi)
  • Hassani Shapi - Doctor
  • Carl McCrystal - Trukhin
  • Martyn Lewis - Newscaster
  • Kourosh Asad - Russian Radio Operator (as Kouroush Asad)
  • Daisy Beaumont - Nina
  • Nina Muschallik - Verushka
  • Daz Crawford - Casino Thug
  • Peter Mehtab - Casino Dealer

Other Cast (in alphabetical order)[]

  • Farid Fatmi
  • Christine Adams - Girl in Casino (uncredited)
  • Roy Alon - Man in Restaurant (uncredited)
  • Paul Bannon - MI6 - Scottish Hideaway (uncredited)
  • David J. Bremner - Bull (uncredited)
  • Ray Brown - Wheel-Clamping Policeman (uncredited)
  • Marc Cass - Submarine Crewman (uncredited)
  • Sean Cronin - Renard's Henchman (uncredited)
  • Wade Eastwood - Bodyguard in Bank (uncredited)
  • Jamie Edgell - Renard's Man (uncredited)
  • Paul Heasman - Renard's Man (uncredited)
  • Mark Henson - Renard's Man (uncredited)
  • Lea Jerova - Girl in Casino (uncredited)
  • Kinue Kato - Tourist (uncredited)
  • Derek Lea - Renard's Submarine Henchman (uncredited)
  • Talal Malik - Playboy (uncredited)
  • Trevor Payne - Agent - Q's Lab (uncredited)
  • Gary Powell - Submarine Crewman (uncredited)
  • Greg Powell - Man in Restaurant (uncredited)
  • Paul Sacks - Market Customer Boat Chase (uncredited)
  • Judith Shekoni - Girl in Casino (uncredited)
  • Lee Sheward - Submarine Crewman (uncredited)
  • Tom Struthers - Submarine Crewman (uncredited)
  • Rocky Taylor - Man in Restaurant (uncredited)
  • Marolyn Turk - MI5 Agent (uncredited)
  • Caria Watt - Casino Woman (uncredited)
  • Michael G. Wilson - Man in Casino (uncredited)
  • Vincent Wong - Casino Patron (uncredited)

Producers[]

  • Barbara Broccoli (producer)
  • Nigel Goldsack (associate producer)
  • Anthony Waye (line producer)
  • Michael G. Wilson (produced by)

Details[]

Countries[]

  • USA
  • UK

Language[]

  • English

Release Dates[]

  • November 18, 1999 (Malaysia)
  • November 18, 1999 (Singapore)
  • November 19, 1999 (Canada)
  • November 19, 1999 (USA)
  • November 25, 1999 (Australia)
  • November 25, 1999 (Hungary)
  • November 25, 1999 (Israel)
  • November 26, 1999 (UK)
  • November 26, 1999 (Ireland)
  • November 26, 1999 (Iceland)
  • November 26, 1999 (South Africa)
  • December 1999 (Indonesia)
  • December 1, 1999 (Belgium)
  • December 1, 1999 (Switzerland) (French speaking region)
  • December 1, 1999 (France)
  • December 2, 1999 (Switzerland) (German speaking region)
  • December 2, 1999 (Lebanon)
  • December 2, 1999 (Netherlands)
  • December 3, 1999 (Spain)
  • December 3, 1999 (Finland)
  • December 3, 1999 (Norway)
  • December 3, 1999 (Portugal)
  • December 3, 1999 (Thailand)
  • December 8, 1999 (Malta)
  • December 8, 1999 (Sweden)
  • December 9, 1999 (Germany)
  • December 10, 1999 (Austria)
  • December 10, 1999 (Cameroon)
  • December 10, 1999 (Denmark)
  • December 15, 1999 (Venezuela)
  • December 16, 1999 (Hong Kong)
  • December 16, 1999 (Croatia)
  • December 17, 1999 (Estonia)
  • December 18, 1999 (South Korea)
  • December 23, 1999 (Argentina)
  • December 23, 1999 (Chile)
  • December 24, 1999 (Brazil)
  • December 24, 1999 (Cyprus)
  • December 24, 1999 (Ecuador)
  • December 24, 1999 (Lithuania)
  • December 24, 1999 (Mexico)
  • December 24, 1999 (Peru)
  • December 24, 1999 (Trinidad & Tobago)
  • December 25, 1999 (Bulgaria)
  • December 25, 1999 (Colombia)
  • December 25, 1999 (Panama)
  • December 25, 1999 (Uruguay)
  • December 26, 1999 (New Zealand)
  • January 1, 2000 (Taiwan)
  • January 4, 2000 (Philippines)
  • January 7, 2000 (Greece)
  • January 7, 2000 (Poland)
  • January 9, 2000 (Egypt)
  • January 13, 2000 (Czechia)
  • January 13, 2000 (Slovakia)
  • January 14, 2000 (Italy)
  • January 14, 2000 (Turkey)
  • January 20, 2000 (Slovenia)
  • January 22, 2000 (Kuwait)
  • January 28, 2000 (Romania)
  • February 5, 2000 (Japan)
  • June 1, 2009 (India) (Blu-ray premiere)
  • July 14, 2019 (United Arab Emirates) (TV premiere)
  • April 23, 2021 (Russia) (Moscow International Film Festival)

Also Known As[]

  • The World Is Not Enough (original title)
  • 007, el mundo no basta (Argentina)
  • 007: The World Is Not Enough (Australia) (alternative title)
  • The World Is Not Enough (Australia)
  • 007 - O Mundo Não é o Bastante (Brazil)
  • The World Is Not Enough (Canada) (English title)
  • 007 - Il mondo non basta (Italy) (alternative title)
  • Il mondo non basta (Italy)
  • Bond 2000 (UK) (working title)
  • T.W.I.N.E. (UK) (promotional abbreviation)
  • Bond 19 (UK) (working title)
  • The World Is Not Enough (UK)
  • Bond 19 (USA) (working title)
  • Bond 2000 (USA) (working title)

Production[]

Development[]

In November 1997, a month prior to the release of Tomorrow Never Dies, Barbara Broccoli watched a news report on Nightline detailing how the world's major oil companies were vying for control of the untapped oil reserves in the Caspian Sea in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse, and suggested that controlling the only pipeline from the Caspian to the West would be an appropriate motivation for a potential Bond villain. She and Michael G. Wilson hired screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to work on the film following their work on Plunkett & Macleane; Purvis and Wade would eventually write or co-write all of the following Bond films up to No Time to Die. Broccoli was especially impressed by the writers' suggestion of a female main villain, stating that "With Elektra, Bond thinks he has found Tracy, but he's really found Blofeld".

Joe Dante, and later Peter Jackson, were initially offered the opportunity to direct the film. Barbara Broccoli enjoyed Jackson's Heavenly Creatures, and a screening of The Frighteners was arranged for her. She disliked the latter film, however, and showed no further interest in Jackson. Jackson, a lifelong Bond fan, remarked that as Eon tended to go for less famous directors, he would likely not get another chance to direct a Bond film after The Lord of the Rings. Barbara Broccoli also was in talks with Alfonso Cuarón to direct, who nearly accepted. Hoping to find a director capable of eliciting strong performances from women, the producers eventually hired Michael Apted, as his work with Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner's Daughter, Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas in the Mist and Jodie Foster in Nell has earned all three actresses Oscar nominations (with Spacek winning). Apted's then-wife Dana Stevens did an uncredited rewrite, primarily to strengthen the female characters' roles, before Bruce Feirstein, who had worked in the previous two films, was hired to work on Bond's role.

Initially the film was to be released in 2000, rumoured to be titled Bond 2000. Other rumoured titles included Death Waits for No Man, Fire and Ice, Pressure Point and Dangerously Yours. The eventual title The World Is Not Enough is an English translation of the Latin phrase Orbis non sufficit, the motto of Bond's supposed real-world ancestor Sir Thomas Bond. In the novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service and its film adaptation, it is first claimed to be James Bond's family motto as well.

The phrase Orbis non sufficit is thought to originate from the Pharsalia by Lucan. It appears twice, both with uncomplimentary associations: the first reference is to a group of villainous mutineers, and the second is to the ambitious Julius Caesar. It was then applied to Alexander the Great by Juvenal in his collection of satirical poems, the Satires: "The world was not big enough for Alexander the Great, but a coffin was". Phrased as Non sufficit orbis, it became the motto of the Spanish king Philip II after ascending the Portuguese throne in 1580.

Filming[]

The pre-title sequence begins in Bilbao, Spain, featuring the Guggenheim Museum. After the opening scene, the film moves to London, showcasing the SIS Building and the Millennium Dome on the Thames. The sequence lasts for about 14 minutes, making it the longest pre-title sequence in the series until No Time to Die in 2021. Originally, the pre-credits sequence was to have ended with Bond's leap from the window and descent to the ground, finishing as Bond rushes away from the area as police cars approach. Then, after the credits the sequence in MI6 headquarters would have been next, with the boat scenes the next major action sequence. However, the pre-credits scenes were viewed as lacklustre when compared to ones from previous 007 films, so the credits were pushed back to appear after the boat sequence. The Daily Telegraph claimed that the British Government prevented some filming in front of the actual MI6 Headquarters at Vauxhall Cross, citing a security risk. However, a Foreign Office spokesperson rejected the claims and expressed displeasure with the article. Following the title sequence, Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland is used by MI6 as a location headquarters. Other locations include Baku, Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Oil Rocks and Istanbul, Turkey, where Maiden's Tower and Küçüksu Palace are shown.

Principal photography began on 17 January 1999, and lasted until June of that year. The studio work for the film was shot as usual in Pinewood Studios, including Albert R. Broccoli's 007 Stage. Bilbao, Spain was used briefly for the exterior of the Swiss bank and flyover-bridge adjacent to the Guggenheim Museum. In London outdoor footage was shot of the SIS Building and Vauxhall Cross with several weeks filming the boat chase on the River Thames eastwards towards the Millennium Dome, Greenwich. The canal footage of the chase where Bond soaks the parking wardens was filmed at Wapping and the boat stunts in Millwall Dock and under Glengall Bridge were filmed at the Isle of Dogs. Chatham Dockyard was also used for part of the boat chase. Stowe School, Buckinghamshire, was used as the site of the King family estate on the banks of Loch Lomond. Filming continued in Scotland at Eilean Donan Castle which was used to depict the exterior of MI6 temporary operations centre "Castle Thane". The skiing chase sequence in the Caucasus was shot on the slopes of Chamonix, France. Filming of the scene was delayed by an avalanche; the crew helped in the rescue operation.

The interior (and single exterior shot) of L'Or Noir casino in Baku, Azerbaijan, was shot at Halton House, the officers' mess of RAF Halton. RAF Northolt was used to depict the airfield runway in Azerbaijan. Zukovsky's quayside caviar factory was shot entirely at the outdoor water tank at Pinewood. The exterior of Kazakhstan nuclear facility was shot at the Bardenas Reales, in Navarre, Spain, and the exterior of the oil refinery control centre at the Motorola building in Groundwell, Swindon. The exterior of the oil pipeline was filmed in Cwm Dyli, Snowdonia, Wales, while the production teams shot the oil pipeline explosion on Hankley Common, Elstead, Surrey. Istanbul, Turkey, was used in the film, also using the famous Maiden's Tower which was used as Renard's hideout in Turkey. Exteriors for Elektra King's Baku villa were shot at Küçüksu Pavilion in Istanbul, and interiors were shot at Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire, England. The underwater submarine scenes were filmed in the Bahamas.

The BMW Z8 driven by Bond in the film was the final part of a three-film product placement deal with BMW (which began with the Z3 in GoldenEye and continued with the 750iL in Tomorrow Never Dies) but, due to filming preceding release of the Z8 by a few months, several working mock-ups and models were manufactured for filming purposes.

Release and reception[]

The World Is Not Enough premiered on 19 November 1999 in the United States and on 26 November 1999 in the United Kingdom. Its world premiere was 8 November 1999 at the Fox Bruin Theater, Los Angeles, USA. At that time MGM signed a marketing partnership with MTV, primarily for American youths, who were assumed to have considered Bond as "an old-fashioned secret service agent". As a result, MTV broadcast more than 100 hours of Bond-related programmes immediately after the film was released, most being presented by Denise Richards.

Box office[]

The film opened at the top of the North American box office with $35.5 million earned during its opening weekend. For five days, it remained in that spot until it was handed to Toy Story 2. Its final worldwide gross was $361.8 million worldwide, with $126 million in the United States alone. It became the highest grossing James Bond film of all time until the release of Die Another Day. The film was also selected for the first round of nominations for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and it was failing to get nominated. The film was nominated for a Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film Saturn Award, Pierce Brosnan won both the Empire Award and the Blockbuster Entertainment Award as Best Actor, and David Arnold won a BMI Film Music Award for his score. The film became the first in the Bond series to win a Golden Raspberry when Denise Richards was chosen as "Worst Supporting Actress" at the 1999 Razzie Awards. Richards and Brosnan were also nominated for "Worst Screen Couple" (lost to Will Smith and Kevin Kline for Wild Wild West). The initial release of the DVD includes the featurette "Secrets of 007", which cuts into "making of" material during the film; the documentary "The Making of The World Is Not Enough"; two commentary tracks—one by director Michael Apted, and the other by production designer Peter Lamont, second unit director Vic Armstrong, and composer David Arnold; a trailer for the PlayStation video game, and the Garbage music video. The Ultimate Edition released in 2006 had as additional extras a 2000 documentary named "Bond Cocktail", a featurette on shooting the Q Boat scenes, Pierce Brosnan in a press conference in Hong Kong, deleted scenes, and a tribute to Desmond Llewelyn.

Critical reception[]

Reception was mixed. Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert said the film was a "splendid comic thriller, exciting and graceful, endlessly inventive", and gave it three-and-a-half stars out of four. On the other hand, Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution disliked the film, calling it "dated and confused". Rotten Tomatoes gave The World Is Not Enough a 52% rating, the lowest of the Brosnan Bond films. The site's consensus states: "Plagued by mediocre writing, uneven acting, and a fairly by-the-numbers plot, The World Is Not Enough is partially saved by some entertaining and truly Bond-worthy action sequences." Metacritic gives the film a score of 59 out of 100. Nathan Rabin from The A.V. Club opined that "enough fun moments are scattered throughout to make it a decent Bond entry. But the series still needs a massive shot of fresh ideas if it wishes to become anything more than a nostalgia-fueled commercial sure thing". Antonia Quirke from The Independent said that the film "is certainly less definitively feeble than other recent Bond offerings, with an at least two-dimensional female character in the bold and oval Marceau. But my reaction is much the same as to a new Rolling Stones album: I'm just grateful that it's not embarrassing". Negative criticism was focused on the execution of the plot, and the action scenes were considered excessive.

Richards was widely criticized for not being credible in the role of a nuclear scientist, with Variety calling her "the least plausible nuclear physicist in the history of movies, who makes even the electrochemist Elisabeth Shue played in 1997's The Saint sound like a Nobel laureate"; Nathan Rabin panned her performance and called it "so laughably awful that the film comes to a dead stop whenever she's on screen". She was ranked as one of the worst Bond girls of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 2008.

In contrast, Sophie Marceau was praised for her role as Elektra, with most critics agreeing that she was a better Bond Girl than Denise Richards' Christmas Jones and a better Bond villain than Robert Carlyle's Renard. Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian called her "terrific: sexy, stylish, with a really beautiful face entirely innocent of the cosmetic surgeon's art". The film's plot twist received praise as well, making Elektra the first main female Bond Villain of the series.

Retrospective[]

Pete Debruge of Variety wrote in 2012 that "[The World Is Not Enough] presents a conflicted persona torn between the corny antics of the Roger Moore era and the grim seriousness of where things would eventually go under Daniel Craig’s tenure. It also contains a dose of Timothy Dalton-esque toughness [...] Much of what made Brosnan such a great Bond is thrust into the backseat by lame jokes and a premature attempt to mix up the formula", concluding that it was "nothing but a reversion to the franchise's most adolescent tendencies". Entertainment Weekly picked it as the worst Bond film of all time in 2006, saying it had a plot "so convoluted even Pierce Brosnan has admitted to being mystified". Norman Wilner of MSN chose it as the third worst film, above A View to a Kill and Licence to Kill, while IGN chose it as the fifth worst, both in 2007.

Company Credits[]

Production Companies[]

Distributors[]

Special Effects[]

  • Cinesite
  • Moving Picture Company (MPC)
  • Smoke and Mirrors (main title digital effects)
  • Snow Business International (snow effects)
  • The Magic Camera Company
  • The Visual Effects Company (motion control) (as The Mill)

Technical Specs[]

Runtime[]

  • 128 mins
  • 160 mins (Press screenings) (UK)

Color[]

  • Color

Sound Mix[]

  • Dolby Digital EX
  • SDDS
  • DTS-ES
  • Dolby Digital
  • DTS

Aspect Ratio[]

  • 2.39:1
  • 1.78:1 (16:9 Widescreen prints)
  • 1.33:1 (4:3 fullscreen prints, along with the film itself in open matte)

Trivia[]

  • While the film was in production, several noted gossip columnists reported that the producers planned to include cameos by virtually every surviving former Bond girl from Ursula Andress to Michelle Yeoh. Although this rumour turned out to be false, a young woman in the casino scene was played by the daughter of Eunice Gayson who had played the very first Bond girl, Sylvia Trench, in Dr. No and From Russia with Love.
  • During filming of the opening boat chase, web cams were set up overlooking the Thames River and Internet users could watch the filming from around the world.
  • This was the first official James Bond film not to have the United Artists logo at the start or at the end. All James Bond films starting with this film have the standard Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo.
  • This film is notable as being one of the few Bond movies in which James himself kills a leading female character. In the scene, Bond points a gun at her and threatens to shoot her if she contacts the enemy on her two-way radio. She replies that he can't kill her, because "You would miss me," possibly referring to their romantic involvement. He says nothing, and in the crucial moment, she defies him, alerting the enemy, and he promptly shoots her. Standing over her body, he says, tersely: "I never miss." An early version of the script has Bond shoot her in cold blood before she actually attempts to contact Renard. A longstanding stereotype regarding James Bond is that 007 routinely kills women he beds; in truth, the death of Elektra is the only occasion in the EON Bond film series in which this undeniably occurs (It is debatable whether Bond actually kills Fiona in Thunderball or if she is a victim of her men's poor shooting skills; he does, however, directly kill the version of the character that appears in the non-EON film, Never Say Never Again).
  • Although the producers have not acknowledged it, M's kidnapping is perhaps borrowed from the Kingsley Amis James Bond novel, Colonel Sun. One of the film's settings, Baku in Azerbaijan, is also one of the settings of the 1991 John Gardner Bond novel, The Man from Barbarossa.
  • The fictional news report which Bond views from the MI6 Archive was provided by BBC News. This was out of date by the time the film was released (November 1999) as the BBC relaunched their news output in May and Martyn Lewis (the newsreader) left the corporation at the same time.
  • The pipeline featured in the film is a thinly disguised fictional version of the real Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which runs from the Caspian to the Mediterranean via the Caucasus. Unlike the film's "King pipeline", however, the BTC pipeline is almost entirely underground. As in the film, it is the only land route by which oil can be transported from the Caucasus to the Mediterranean.
  • Elektra's father is named Robert King. This is also the name of the co-writer of Your Deal, Mr. Bond, a collection of bridge-related short stories that included an unauthorised James Bond story.
  • The film ends with a joking reference to the Millennium Bug. More commonly referred to as Y2K, this was based on a well-publicised prediction that the rollover from 1999 to 2000 might cause widespread computer failures. This is one of the few moments in the Bond film series that directly ties it to a specific point in time.
  • When Sean Connery received the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award, Pierce Brosnan, in his tribute, revealed that Connery visited the set and watched Brosnan film one of the movie's action sequences. Afterwards, Brosnan joked, Connery asked Brosnan if they were paying him enough money.
  • This was the last Bond movie to be released in the 20th century and before the September the Eleventh attacks in New York.
  • Desmond Llewelyn (Q) died in an car accident soon after this movie was released. Llewellyn said just before his death that he was planning to appear in the next Bond movie. The video release was dedicated to Llewelyn, and featured a tribute montage of his appearances in seventeen Bond movies over thirty-six years. Not only was this his final Bond movie, it was the last James Bond movie of the second millennium.
  • The highest grossing of all of the James Bond movies released in the twentieth century.
  • The boat chase took seven weeks to shoot, as the river Thames' nine-mile-per-hour boat speed limit had to be factored in. The filming of the boat chase sequence was broadcast live over the Internet, via webcams set up at specific points over the Thames. The scene was not originally intended to be part of the opening sequence, until test audiences said that the jump-from-the-window opener was anti-climactic. As such, it was brought forward, and had to be shortened. As it is now, this fourteen to fifteen minute opener, is one of the longest pre-credits sequence in a James Bond movie. After being the longest for about twenty-two years, it now places second to the pre-titles sequence in No Time to Die (2021), which runs for about twenty minutes.
  • Much of Robbie Coltrane's lines were derived from cut scenes from the GoldenEye (1995) script.
  • The writers modelled Q's goodbye scene on Merlin's farewell to King Arthur.
  • The opening pre-title sequence is so long that, in theaters, the titles and opening song didn't occur until one minute into reel two.
  • This was the first movie to feature the newly constructed Millennium Dome, built for London's New Year's celebration of 1999/2000 (even though the new millennium didn't begin until January 1, 2001). Supposedly, the original script contained a line for M (Dame Judi Dench) at the end of the opening sequence which read, "Well, at least the Millennium Dome has some use." That line was cut.
  • The first James Bond movie to be shot in Pinewood Studios since The Living Daylights (1987).
  • In For Your Eyes Only (1981), Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) explains to Bond that "Greek women, like Elektra, always avenge their loved ones." Elektra King also has a line in this movie about James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) losing loved ones, which the writers intended as a reference to Paris Carver's (Teri Hatcher's) death in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
  • The title song, "The World is Not Enough", sung by Garbage did not chart in the U.S., while in the U.K., it peaked at the number eleven spot on the charts. The soundtrack album went to the number one hundred six spot on the U.K. charts. There are two versions of the soundtrack, the second one differs in that it includes a twentieth track, titled "Sweetest Coma Again", sung by Luna Sea with DJ Krush. This track is only included on the Japanese album release, as this song played during the closing credits of the Japanese release of the movie.
  • This movie and Sleepy Hollow (1999) are the only two movies in U.S. history to open on the same day and each gross $30 million their opening weekends.
  • This was the first Bond movie with a ski sequence for Pierce Brosnan, and the first Bond movie to have a scene in the snow since The Living Daylights (1987). Brosnan did not know how to ski, so he mimicked his ski scenes with short poles while riding on the back of a moving Ski-doo snowmobile.
  • Robbie Coltrane's appearance as Russian mobster Zukovsky marks him as one of the few supporting characters to appear in more than one movie. (He previously appeared in GoldenEye (1995).) Other characters to have been in a Bond movie more than once are Clifton James' Sheriff J.W. Pepper, who was in Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), and "Jaws", played by Richard Kiel, who appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979). Also, Sylvia Trench, played by Eunice Gayson, who appeared in Dr. No (1962) and From Russia with Love (1963).
  • Until the release of Die Another Day (2002), this was the highest grossing James Bond movie of all time.
  • Second James Bond movie to use Turkey as a location; From Russia with Love (1963) was the first. A big car chase through the old town of Istanbul was ultimately eliminated, but the idea was reused for the opening scene in Skyfall (2012).
  • First time Bond has shot the main villain dead since The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), as well as Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). Although Bond shot Drax in Moonraker (1979) with a dart, Drax died from being blown out into space.
  • The ski-parahawk attack scene was inspired by the ski chase in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). Filmmakers wanted to connect this movie with that one, from which its title is derived.
  • This is Don Black's fifth Bond theme song after Thunderball (1965), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
  • The first James Bond movie that was not released or co-produced by United Artists. Instead, United Artists' parent company MGM released and co-produced the movie.
  • Fifth movie in which James Bond drives his Aston Martin DB5. The eight movies are: Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), this movie (appears in a deleted scene, and visible on the thermal camera near the end of this movie), Casino Royale (2006), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015). The DB5 has appeared with three different licence plates; BMT 216A (Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015)), BMT 214A (GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and The World is Not Enough (1999)), and 56526 (Casino Royale (2006)), which was the unique DB5, for being the only left-hand drive DB5 Bond drives. Therefore, with eight movies, the DB5 has appeared in more Bond movies than any actor who has played Bond.
  • The final James Bond movie of the twentieth century.
  • This was the first James Bond movie not released under the United Artists banner, instead, it was solely distributed by the parent company MGM.
  • First James Bond movie in Dolby Digital EX 6.1 sound.
  • This is the first James Bond movie since On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) to not end with a reprise of the opening theme or, as with the previous four movies, a new song, but rather with a version of the James Bond theme.
  • Christine Adams' debut.
  • Judith Shekoni's debut.

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References[]

  • On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - The Bond family motto "Orbis non sufficit", translation "The world is not enough" is from this movie.
  • Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - When Bond is about to enter the underground silo, he is once again asked where his radiation shield is, in the same way that the real Dr. Hergersheimer asks Bond where his radiation shield is in Diamonds Are Forever.
  • The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - Submarine pen; the Q-Boat is jettisoned from Mi6 HQ like the speedboats from Atlantis; storyline involving atomic/nuclear submarines.
  • Moonraker (1979) - James Bond falls from sky to land on the Millenium Dome in silhouette with a segue to the opening titles just as Jaws did falling to the large circus tent with a segue to the opening titles; James Bond is seen during actual love-making with a Bond Woman via heat signal technology just like the outer space video link in 'Moonraker' with both featuring a '007!' comment by the M character and the technological connection being then cut off by the Q/R character.
  • Octopussy (1983) - The helicopter saw is a vertically downwards motioning weapon like the yo-yo saw in this James Bond movie. Both are flying buzz-saws.
  • GoldenEye (1995) - Much of Valentin's dialogue is the same, regarding "extending the same courtesy" and ranting about the free market economy.

Referenced in[]

  • Double Tap (2000) - During the climactic gun battle sequence taking place in a cinema, the film is shown on the screen. Posters of the film can also be seen throughout the building
  • Rush Hour 2 (2001) - When Lee confronts Ricky Tan, Tan says, "I'm already dead," which is what Renard tells James Bond in The World Is Not Enough.
  • Die Another Day (2002) - Bond dives over Graves as they fence to do a forward roll as he lands, in a manner similar to the shoot-out between Renard's men and him, where he dives through a closing door and rolls to the other side. As Bond dives to safety from Colonel Moon's flamethrower on the hovercraft, the shot of his dive from in front, is almost identical to another scene where Bond is diving from an exploding bomb with Christmas. The use of a geodesic dome.
  • Agent Cody Banks (2003)
  • Cars 2 (2011) - Finn McMissile has features from the BMW Z8
  • Skyfall (2012) - MI6 is attacked and Bond's cuff-links translate to "The World Is Not Enough."
  • Spectre (2015) - Boat chase down the Thames River
  • No Time to Die (2021) - A portrait of the former M played by Judi Dench hangs in the MI6 office just as a portrait of the former M played by Bernard Lee hung in the MI6 castle in this Bond movie.

Spoofed in[]

  • Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
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