Die Another Day’s atrocious tsunami surfing sequence proved to everybody that James Bond badly needed a makeover. The Pierce Brosnan Bond movies have been rightly credited with saving the series, following a long hiatus between his debut, GoldenEye, and Timothy Dalton’s final outing, Licence to Kill.
In between entries, the Berlin Wall came down and the Cold War was declared finished, so there was genuine concern about whether audiences would still go see a new James Bond movie. Brosnan’s era leaned on his charm and their elaborate setpieces, proving the superspy could be reinvented.
However, by 2002, there were already rivals snapping at Bond’s feet. Shows like 24 and movies such as The Bourne Idenтιтy took a grittier, more real-world approach that connected with viewers and critics in a post 9/11 world. It didn’t help that Brosnan’s fourth and final entry, Die Another Day was such a turkey.
Die Another Day’s Tsunami Surfing Sequence Is The Worst Five Minutes Of The James Bond Saga
The film is a tacky, witless adventure plagued by some of the worst CGI that’s ever graced a major release. Die Another Day’s tsunami surf setpiece is the nadir of the Bond saga, which sees 007 trying to outrun the Icarus satellite in a dragster.
He avoids the satellite’s heat beam, only to find himself stranded on a cliff face as the satellite slices off the entire cliff. The quick-thinking 007 retrieves the parachute from the dragster and proceeds to ride the resulting tsunami to safety.
From the sheer goofiness of the concept to the appalling visual effects used to pull it off, Die Another Day’s tsunami scene is an embarrᴀssment. It’s hard to credit that the filmmakers saw the completed tsunami scene and decided to leave it in, since none of it works.
From the moment 007 hops in the dragster to the point Bond’s CGI double parachutes to safety on the other side, all this sequence does is elicit groans. I even remember seeing it in the cinema back in 2002, and experiencing the ripple of laughter that ran through the crowd as 007 rode over the tsunami.
Die Another Day’s Tsunami Scene Could Have Been Cut Entirely
Perhaps the most galling thing about Die Another Day’s tsunami scene is that with some light edits, it could have been lifted out completely. The first issue is the logic of the scene, where Bond runs away from the facility while being pursued by henchmen.
After escaping the facility, what he should have done was retrieve his gadget-laden Aston Martin Vanquish and get back to work; instead, he hops in the dragster. This takes him far away from Graves’ (Toby Stephens) headquarters – and further away again when he rides the tsunami.
Despite this, all he has to do is steal a snowmobile, and he’s magically back at Grave’s base within minutes. The producers behind Die Another Day should have chopped out the chase completely, as aside from showing Icarus’ power, it has no real function to serve.
The Response To Die Another Day’s Surfing Scene Made It Clear The Bond Series Needed A Creative Overhaul
Die Another Day received surprisingly solid reviews, with many seeing it as an OTT celebration of the James Bond franchise. Retrospective takes are far bleaker, and it’s now considered one of – if not the worst – instalments in the series.
There’s plenty wrong with the movie, from Madonna’s dreadful Die Another Day theme song to the awful humor. Still, if there’s one issue cited more than any other, it’s that cursed tsunami moment. The quality of the visual effects were mocked even back in 2002, and they’ve only gotten worse with age.
With The Bourne Idenтιтy becoming the new face of espionage cinema and Die Another Day looking severely out of date, the Bond franchise’s producers knew a clean slate was in order. The Brosnan run always had something of an idenтιтy crisis too, being stuck between the Sean Connery and Roger Moore eras tonally.
The franchise needed to get in touch with its roots, and the timing worked out that the producers got the rights back to Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale. The 2006 adaptation recast Brosnan with Daniel Craig, with the film being arguably the most acclaimed in the franchise and the palate cleanser that was necessary after Die Another Day.
Another Movie Like Die Another Day Could Have Killed Bond For Good
It should be noted that Die Another Day was a huge hit too, and it very much seemed that Brosnan would be back for one more. Despite every previous Brosnan film coming together quickly, speculation on the fifth film soon went quiet. That’s when it was announced that Casino Royale would be a soft reboot of the whole enterprise.
Pierce Brosnan played 007 one last time after Die Another Day, with the star providing his voice for the 2004 video game, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.
The really disappointing thing about this is that Brosnan didn’t get a chance to redeem Die Another Day. He had long wanted to make a darker 007 adventure, but the movies themselves were often mishmashes of bombastic action and comedy with sprinkles of grittier moments.
Still, given the success of Die Another Day, there’s a chance his fifth outing would have been in a similar vein. Had that been the case, maybe the James Bond series would have folded entirely. While it’s survived for over 60 years and counting, the loyalty of audiences should never be taken for granted – especially after Die Another Day.
