“
GoldenEye”
This was the first James Bond film I ever viewed, and it’s the one that got me interested in the series in the first place. Following “License to Kill,” the Bond series suffered its longest gap between films, as issues with screenwriters, available actors, and questionable return profit rendered everything stagnant.
But in the mid-90s, “GoldenEye” exploded forth with an all-new Bond in an all-new world, and the results are thrilling! The action scenes are among some of the best, as Bond bungee jumps off a dam, free-falls to catch a crashing plane, and drives a freaking tank through St Petersburg! Even the usual shootouts and fistfights are ramped up.
In between the exciting scenes, the film maintains a quick pace, a fine sense of wit, and contains enough interesting scenes overall to keep it interesting. Compared to earlier Bond films, it’s easily the most entertaining of the lot. Martin Campbell sure knows how to make a big exciting action picture (well, “Edge of Darkness” notwithstanding
).
I also think Campbell knows Bond the best. As if his future endeavors in “Casino Royale” aren’t proof of that, “GoldenEye” focuses on some very intriguing issues regarding the Bond character. After all, the Cold War has ended, and Bond has no more enemies. M even flat out calls him “a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War.” But in the wake of the Soviet Union’s downfall, Bond still serves his purpose as he wades through a dark, mysterious, uncertain place and time in Russian history. A good time for another megalomaniac bad guy to pop up and plan to take over the world!
These issues comprise the core of the story, as well as the direction of the new Bond franchise, and is accentuated with new technology, social attitude changes, and a changing political climate. Although “GoldenEye” is starting to show its age, back in ’95 it was very modern, and pretty darn cool.
It’s ultimately a solid turnaround for the franchise, and a good platform to tell this decent story. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before how I admire stories where old friends become rivalries, and “GoldenEye” is probably the first such story that really intrigued me. The interplay between agents 006 and 007 is pretty decent, and the two make for good foil characters. The plot is quite intriguing, it has a good pace, and it reaches a good climax. I wouldn’t say it’s 100% deep, but with the above considerations it is slightly more worthwhile than the average Bond flick.
The film has good photography; there are a few good angles and some scenes with interesting lighting. Acting is good: I like Pierce Brosnan, and in this film he shows some subtle intensity. I like Sean Bean as the villain. Izabella Scorupco and Famke Janssen are hot and awesome, and Joe Don Baker is amusing. Production value is pretty good; there are plenty of quality sets, props, and costumes. Special effects are a little dated, but still quite cool. Music is very different, but I love it!
4.5/5 (entertainment: 5/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4/5) Used to be my top favorite Bond film, after reconsidering “The World is Not Enough” but before seeing “Casino Royale.” Would still be my favorite among the original 20 films.
Recommendation:
Yep!