Note to self, Charlize Theron said after winning an Oscar for Monster. Do not become Halle Berry. You can see what motivated her comment Gothika, Catwoman and X-Men: The Last Stand are not the kinds of pictures an Oscar winner should be making. Then theres Die Another Day, where all Halle's character has to do is model a bikini and get rescued a lot. When we first meet Jinx, shes an enigma wrapped up in a puzzle inside a mystery, a seemingly cold-hearted killer capable of carrying out an assassination and evading capture, but as soon as she meets Bond, she becomes a shrieking damsel in distress who cant go 5 minutes without getting herself kidnapped. In the movies second half, Bond has to perform no less than 3 dashing rescues, saving her from a rogue laser, a collapsing ice fortress and Gustav Gravess getaway plane. (Note to NSA agents do not become Jinx Johnson). Even though the movie was a huge hit, a proposed standalone movie featuring the character was later axed.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
