The World is Not Enough

(MGM)

James Bond, who remains his old globe-trotting, gadget-using, babe-shagging self, matches wits with terrorist Renard (the ubiquitous Robert Carlyle) in a story about an Azerbaijani oil pipeline and a pilfered Russian warhead -- the latter to be deployed to protect the interests of the former. Joining 007 for the ride are Elektra King (radiant Sophie Marceau) and a nuclear physicist named Christmas Jones (a voluptuous but underwhelming Denise Richards); supporting alphabet includes an underused Judi Dench as M and, of course, still-spry Desmond Llewelyn (Bond film veteran since '63) as Q. Director Michael Apted packs enough flash into the film to excite even the most jaded critic, Pierce Brosnan supplies 007's requisite unmussed smoothness, and the nifty action and effects fulfill the promotional promise that "there is still one number you can always count on."