Oh, grow up, 007...

"The name's Bond - James Bond." The immortal line uttered, in this instance, by Pierce Brosnan for the last time. Die Another Day was the twentieth film in the official Eon Productions James Bond series and Brosnan's fourth and final. Looking back now, it seems it was the perfect time for Brosnan to bow out and to take the series' ever-growing silliness with him. Whilst Die Another Day is still largely an enjoyable film, it was edging dangerously on the ridiculous. The film contained several outlandish sci-fi elements that, although would have been welcome in a film that had placed itself firmly in the sci-fi genre, seem painfully out of place here in Bond - particularly when comparing D.A.D to the origins of the series in both Fleming's novels and Connery's early films. Dr No and From Russia With Love were films set solidly in the real world of espionage. Even when the plots became more fantastical in Goldfinger and Thunderball, the technology used (yes, even the giant laser!) was real. So it is no wonder that many a Bond fan has cringed at the sight (or lack of it, perhaps) of the invisible Aston Martin that features in Die Another Day.

"Aston Martin called it the Vanquish, we call it the Vanish" explains Q. If only the filmmakers could go back and make that car vanish completely. But the invisible Vanquish was by no means the most ridiculous part of this film and so I find it odd that it's the one that is most scrutinised by the fans. The idea of using tiny cameras to create the illusion of invisibility was almost (though not quite) believable -unlike the electrocuting robo-suit worn by the film's villain, Graves. There is a place in cinema for cyborg-style armour, and James Bond is not it. This wasn't helped by the fact that the suit seemed to have little purpose in the plot, other than controlling Graves's satellite - something that could perhaps more easily and more believably been done by a computer.

But other than seeing 007 vs the Metal Man and not seeing 007's car for half the time it was in use, the film remains thoroughly entertaining. The infamous one-liners of the series are here in force, as we see Bond reacting to a pursuer knocked out by a clock tower bell with "Saved by the bell". Later, when meeting Mr Kil, Bond tells him he has "a name to die for". Fans of Fleming's novels will enjoy Bond adopting cover as an ornithologist - Fleming took the name James Bond from a real life ornithologist. And for the first time we see Q not played by Desmond Llewelyn (who had played the role since 1963's From Russia With Love), but by the incredible talent that is former Monty Python member John Cleese. Though Cleese had made his debut in The World Is Not Enough (the last Bond flick before D.A.D) as Q's assistant, this was his first time going solo in the role. And it is truly a disappointment not to see him returning for next month's Skyfall, even if his Q wouldn't have been the best match for Daniel Craig's more serious Bond. Cleese's Q is sharp-witted, irritable and immensely entertaining. Bond's line to him about "a flesh wound" is almost certainly a reference to Cleese's famous performance as the Black Knight in his Python film, The Holy Grail and one that's as sure to put a smile on fans' faces as Q's retort - "There's always an excuse, isn't there, Double-O-Zero!"

So all in all Die Another Day is a fun Bond film and probably one of Brosnan's best, if you can overlook some of its more ridiculous features. The move to the more serious tone that came with 2006's Casino Royale was perfectly timed, seeing Brosnan out on a high before the film's increasingly unbelievable sci-fi elements could take over the franchise. Madonna's awful attempt at a theme tune and almost equally awful attempt at acting also took the shine off a bit, but for some stunning action sequences and Brosnan's fantastic final performance, I would give this film a 007/10.

Dismissed, Mr Brosnan.