Die Another Day opens with an unprecedented jolt, placing James Bond in a North Korean prison camp and, for once, genuinely out of his element. It’s a unique Bond movie premise that is unfortunately squandered when the movie quickly pivots to more extravagant territory.

A tighter, North Korea-focused narrative could have elevated the entire story. I’d rather have witnessed Bond engineer his own escape from North Korea only to choose to return to save fellow British POWs. Instead, the movie trades a compelling setup for the spectacle that includes an adaptive camouflage car and an Ice Palace. Bummer!