Unlike the other two scores in the opening trilogy of Arnold's work for the franchise, The World is Not Enough seems to have fewer clever references to other Bond scores on the whole, though the victorious brass heralding the opening of "Sub Get It" resurrects Barry's wholesome moments of triumph. But the score does contain a few rhythmic motifs that drive individual concepts within its confines, led by a stylish descending action phrase in "Come in 007, Your Time is Up" and "Ice Bandits." An ascending bass string rhythm occupies the later action scenes, taking center stage in "Submarine #1." The remaining major cues in the score vary in purpose between outrageous action, mundane conversational underscore, and a handful of ethnic accents. Arnold doesn't let the conversational cues run long without some reference to one of the score's themes, though few of them are memorable. The ethnic material exists in token pieces throughout the score, including the opening of "Caviar Factory," though it really shines in "Welcome to Baku." While "Welcome to Baku" runs under two minutes, it's definitely a highlight of the work. For the setting change in the plot (and once again another overhead shot), this cue is a brilliant layering of both the traditional Bond rhythmic progression and the main theme of the film, rendered with a stunning blend of percussion, the usual brass, and Natascha Atlas' always-alluring voice. For a reason still unknown, the cue was stripped of Atlas' vocals when it appeared in the film, a definite blow to the sense of awe that the transition on screen attempts to stir. Likewise, the mix of the percussion and electronics in the action cues sometimes varies between film and album. As mentioned before, Arnold's emphasis on the techno elements in his action music for The World is Not Enough is really the score's downfall. One of the great appeals of Tomorrow Never Dies was the fact that Arnold only used his native electronica accents sparingly, leaving many of the early cues truly symphonic and, when the film really heats up, using the drum loops and slapping electronic percussion as an aid to the cue rather than its driving force. For The World is Not Enough, that equation is flipped, with the same drum loops and an even harsher collection of metallic percussion samples (or perhaps they're real; it's hard to tell) mixed at the forefront and drowning out the orchestra's already hyperactive level of activity. The orchestrations and pacing of many of these cues are so frantic that the potentially intriguing intelligence of the ensemble's melodic references are lost in the "wall of sound" approach with which Arnold mixed the final product.

There has long been a desire to hear several of the better action cues in The World is Not Enough, such as "Come in 007, Your Time is Up," without most of the electronic accents, and that sentiment applies to an even greater degree with Die Another Day, by which point the post-production manipulation of the recordings became ridiculous. In some cases, this excessive mix of slapping sounds is uniquely appropriate. In the previous film, the "Bike Chase" cue showed a chopping helicopter blade as a lethal weapon, and here, the "Caviar Factory" cue takes that menacing chopper mentality to another level. In this cue, Arnold's blatant slashing sound effects are understandable. In other cases, such as "Pipeline" and the end credits' "Orbis Non Sufficit," the tone of the music is overwhelmed by its abrasive rhythmic pounding and obnoxious loops. There are exceptions, of course. The "I Never Miss" cue is one such curious note; not only are the electronics absent from the cue, making it a close cousin to the first two cues from Tomorrow Never Dies, but its recording quality seems to offer the ensemble in a wetter, livelier mix as well, the flutes especially pronounced. Also in need of discussion is the aforementioned lengthy cue that accompanies the boat chase through London at the start of the film. Heard in "Come in 007, Your Time is Up," this cue is inspiring but frustrating, because if not for the ridiculously distracting synthetic loops and sound effects, it would easily rank among the best of Arnold's production for the franchise. From about 1:55 onward, this cue is a powerhouse combination of both the Monty Norman theme, the primary theme for the film, and a notable new action submotif. Even with its excessive percussion, it's still a largely enjoyable piece, though the equivalent of the gun barrel statement at the start is a bit heavy on the electronics and Arnold's use of an echoing "wop-wop-wop" sound effect (most prominent at 3:15 in the cue) is annoying. The original 1999 album compounded dissatisfaction with the score by omitting some of its most memorable moments, including the opening "Gun Barrel/Bond Has Left the Building," "Balloon," "Snow Business," and "Welcome to Kazakhstan." A 2018 limited and expanded 2-CD offering of the score by La-La Land Records rectified this situation and even provided a separation of the symphonic and electronic and percussive overlays for the opening "Gun Barrel" sequence. Unfortunately, no presentation of just the orchestra and organic percussion mix alone is afforded for any of the other cues. The 1999 album had truncated or combined some cues, and the 2018 album restores the recordings to their original form.

Aside from its lack of additional cues from The World is Not Enough with the electronic overlays removed, the 2018 album is an outstanding product and elevates the score's appeal. It even includes the two songs in the right narrative locations. The newly released "Gun Barrel/Bond Has Left the Building" closes with a nice rendering on electric guitar for the Monty Norman theme, and "Show Me the Money" does the same. A ballsy brass motif in "Balloon," foreshadowing a tribute to Barry equal to the later submarine sinking moments, loses the synthetic elements much like "I Never Miss," utilizing a snare drum instead. The love theme variant of the main theme lightly occupies "Dr. Warmflash," foreshadowing the vital "Snow Business" cue for the skiing scene; both these cues are strictly organic, and the chimes in the latter are a nice acknowledgement of the wintry setting. The album presents two versions of this cue, the alternate on the second CD offering mainly a longer resolution at the end. Introducing Elektra's theme with seductive lament is the duo of "Out of the Snow/Stay With Me Please," the latter including an elegant roll of the piano. The two newly released casino cues aren't notable, the former a source piece and the latter rather stale suspense. Equally non-descript is "Devil's Breath." Enthusiasts of the Norman theme will enjoy "Welcome to Kazakhstan," a more subdued cousin to "Welcome to Baku" that includes the score's three main themes in a nice transition piece, highlighted by an enhanced baseline for the Norman rhythm. Expanded versions of "Going Down - The Bunker," "Caviar Factory," and "Remember Pleasure" aren't significantly improved. Both "Bond's Bedroom Bombshell" and "Elektra Turns/Renard's Plutonium Gift" are underplayed conversational cues, though there's much narrative development to like in "Submarine Surfaces/Renard Greets Nik/M Clocks Locator," and "Bomb" once again largely drops the annoying synthetic layers in its action and closes with some nicely nuanced twists on the main theme. The brief "Sub Gets It" is a heroic addition, but the album closes the film presentation with the horrific "Orbis Non Sufficit" credits recording. The 2018 album's second CD features a variety of alternate arrangements and the two song demos performed by Arnold himself. Overall, The World is Not Enough could easily have been an unequivocal four-star score if Arnold hadn't tried so hard to beef up the electronica elements to distractingly obnoxious levels. In its full presentation, the music only barely achieves that rating. There is a happy balance of techno edginess and retro tradition to be sculpted, and Arnold struggled with that equation here before losing that balance completely in Die Another Day.
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