The World Is Not Enough is a small step backward for the Bond series, after the wonderful Tomorrow Never Dies. Although it's a notch above Goldeneye, I had many of the same complaints: the action scenes (well done, at least, if sometimes too over the top) are spliced into the plot, called for or not, just because it's time for some action.

Nonetheless, there is a lot to like here. The opening sequence is one of the most exciting in the series, and throughout the film, even when it falters, it continues to show us that new things can still be worked within the old formula. The characters, with the exception of Christmas Jones (who thought Denise Richards could play a convincing nuclear physicist?), are more complex than usual. Sophie Marceau is outstanding here, and her relationship with Bond is refreshingly personal. I also particularly enjoyed the character of Valentin Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane), returning from Goldeneye, who inhabits that uncertain area between the goodguys and badguys.

Though not without flaws, The World Is Not Enough is a fine entry in the Bond series, aptly demonstrating why Bond can endure film after film and decade after decade without wearing out.