I am certain that in the great screening room in the sky, Bond series patriarch Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli is grinning from ear to ear.

If anyone doubted the theory that the "third time's the charm" for the actor portraying 007, "The World is Not Enough" will surely make believers out of them. It worked for Sean Connery ("Goldfinger"), for Roger Moore ("The Spy Who Loved Me"), and now it has kicked in-in spades-for Pierce Brosnan.

The film starts off with a longer than usual pre-credits sequence, but it's packed with action and plot information. In my opinion it ranks with the three or four very best in the series, and is immediately followed by Daniel Kleinman's arresting main title montage. He's gone back to the style that served him so excellently in "GoldenEye", and it's once again a visual feast.

With this film, the reinvention of 007 for the new millennium is indisputably achieved. Pierce Brosnan cements his hold on the character of James Bond, the man, and long may he reign! He's obviously far more comfortable in the role this time, and inhabits it like a second skin.

Consciously or unconsciously, he's combined some of the best aspects of his three major predecessors with his own charismatic persona to forge a Bond portrayal for the ages. Take a liberal splash of Sean Connery's cold-blooded machismo, a dash of Roger Moore's self-deprecating humor and a just a tot of Tim Dalton's combination of professionalism, sensitivity and vulnerability. Shake, don't stir (naturally) in the more than capable directorial hands of Michael Apted ("Gorillas In The Mist", "Nell", "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "Extreme Measures"). The result? Easily Pierce's best outing as Bond, probably the best performance of his entire career, and arguably one of the three or four best performances by a leading man in the 38-year history of this series. I can't say enough about it.

Of course, it helps that the story put together by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein is first-rate this time, and Apted manages the whole thing wonderfully. The plot twists, while elementary for some films, are a breath of fresh air in a Bond film. Here's something to illustrate-Bond is actually injured early in the film, and amazingly, the injury figures prominently in the plot! Although the villain's scheme predictably involves some form of mass destruction, I won't spoil it by dropping any hints, except that it becomes even more intensely personal for Bond than "GoldenEye" or even "Licence To Kill". There are enough twists to keep you guessing for a while, and it's a real treat. I fervently hope that Apted, Purvis, and Wade will return for at least one more.

The stunts and action sequences are spectacular and beautifully executed as always, but you know what the best part about them is? Well, Cubby Broccoli always called them "bumps", and in many of the Bond films they've been just that, shoehorned into the plot whether they fit comfortably or not. In the context of this script, they don't feel like "bumps". The story actually flows logically.

Wondrous to relate, Apted actually spends significant time on genuine character development (the lack of which was a major defect in "Tomorrow Never Dies"), and it shows! The entire supporting cast is outstanding. Sophie Marceau ("Braveheart") is perfect as Elektra King, and it's a treat to watch a genuinely good actress revealing all the layers in the most complex, fleshed-out female role in possibly any Bond film, and certainly since Diana Rigg's Tracy in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

Robert Carlyle ("The Full Monty") is just right as the impervious-to-pain terrorist Renard. He neither underplays nor overplays (always a danger when you're playing a Bond baddie-see Pryce, Jonathan) the role. He's genuinely sinister, spooky and believably cold-blooded.

Even Denise Richards, improbably cast as the even more improbably named nuclear weapons expert Dr. Christmas Jones, acquits herself fairly well.

Judi Dench as M and Robbie Coltrane as Valentin Zukovsky are integral parts of the plot this time, having far more to do than pass on scraps of information to Bond. Both are terrific in their respective returns, but special praise must go to Dame Judi, who plays M's too-personal involvement in this whole intrigue with her customary brilliance. You feel M's distress at the web she's caught in. Coltrane plays the former KGB agent-turned-mobster-turned-shady businessman with a deft but thankfully not overdone comic touch.

Desmond Llewelyn is once again "Old Reliable" as Q, who to Bond's apparent (and my definite) chagrin hints at retirement. But he's got himself a new prot g -played by John Cleese with his usual acerbic wit and brilliant comic timing. When it's necessary to replace an irreplaceable person, you have to find an absolutely perfect, flawless replacement, and based on his all-too-brief performance in "The World is Not Enough", Cleese should be that man. I hope he'll be around for many more Bond films, with or without Desmond; but let's face it, Desmond will be pushing 90 when the time comes to start shooting "Bond 20".

Michael Kitchen (Tanner of "GoldenEye") and Colin Salmon (Charles Robinson of "Tomorrow Never Dies") also make welcome returns and are given a bit more to do. I'm finally comfortable, too, with Samantha Bond in her third outing as Miss Moneypenny, M's erstwhile secretary. She and Brosnan are developing something resembling the chemistry Lois Maxwell had with Connery (and now that M's had her time in the spotlight, maybe something similar could be done with the Moneypenny character?...but I digress).

The cinematography, production design and sets are everything you'd expect from a Bond film. Since absorbing UA, MGM has opened up the purse strings for the cash cow that Bond films have become, and every penny is on the screen just as we've come to expect from EON Productions. I especially liked the fine miniature work by John Richardson, who carries on in the best tradition of the late Derek Meddings-you can't tell when it's a miniature. Jim Clark's deft editing keeps the film moving and, just as importantly, blurs the line between Brosnan and stuntman, helping our suspension of disbelief.

As for the score by David Arnold, my initial reception to the CD was rather lukewarm. However, every note seems to work perfectly in the context of the film itself. The Arnold/Black-composed title song is a fine entry, capably performed by Garbage and Shirley Manson; and although I know it borders on blasphemy, this is the first time I actually did not notice the lack of a John Barry score in a Bond film. Arnold seems to have mastered the art of the lush landscape orchestration that Barry often used to accompany a change of location. "Welcome to Baku", for example, is a worthy competitor to such Barry classics as "Mountains and Sunsets" from "You Only Live Twice" or "Journey To Blofeld's Hideaway" from "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

The bottom line for me? Well, let's put it this way...

Seduced by its slick production values and unrelenting tempo, I was initially far too enthusiastic in my praise of "Tomorrow Never Dies", and have since come to regard it as one of the weaker entries. I therefore resolved not to be taken in this way by "The World is Not Enough". I even felt that if "The World is Not Enough" turned out to be "Tomorrow Never Dies Redux", it would go a long way towards sending me into a cave with my collection of Fleming novels and videos of only the first six films, snarling like a wounded animal whenever Brosnan's name was mentioned.

No fear of that.

For the first time in over 25 years, I was strongly tempted to go back to the box office and purchase another ticket for the second showing! Instead, I think I'll just bask in the afterglow of my first viewing of what is certainly the best all-around James Bond film since "The Living Daylights", and very possibly since "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", secure in the knowledge that second, third, and possibly fourth viewings are very likely in the cards. As for the videos, when this one comes out I'll probably buy two. It's entirely possible I'll wear the first one out.

The world is truly not enough. For me, it's running time of 2:08 wasn't enough, either.

I give "The World is Not Enough" a solid four stars out of five.

Copyright ©1999 by Mike Vincitore