This review refers to the MGM Special Edition DVD of "GOLDENEYE".....007 is Back! In 1995 the long awaited 17th in the James Bond series was here. The world had been through some changes, and so had Bond. He is now being played by the irresistible Pierce Brosnan. He was the Goldenboy who is remarkably suited to play the dapper, sophistacated, handsome, suave, witty,adventurous,(should I go on, I think you know the rest)007 in "GOLDENEYE".
So even though the world had been through all kinds of changes, there were still evil villans out there who nedeed to be stopped.
James daringly breaks and enters(by way of a super bungi jump) into a Russian Major Weapons facility. Along with 006(not for too long though), he fights off the blazing guns of the soldiers, sets an expolsive, fights some more, goes flying through the air, catches an out of control small plane,
stops it from crashing into a mountainside, and escapes in the nick of time as the massive explosion goes off. And YIKES..that's all in the first ten minutes even before the opening credits begin to roll! We haven't even gotten
to the state of the art gadgetry, the great car or the devastatingly beautiful women yet.
But have no fear Bond fans it's all here.Lots more action. adventure,humor, hi tech gizmos and yes don't forget the car and the girl! In this one(does it really matter what it's about?), our hero must rescue the world once more when a Satelitte System with amazing capabilites, falls into the hands of the bad guys and will be used as a powerful weapon against mankind.I don't want to give away too much for those that haven't seen it but suffice it to say you are in for some great action and some terrific storyline surprises as well, and yeah the romance too.
"Goldeneye" still under the supervision of the Broccoli's is directed by Martin Campbell. It also stars, Sean Bean, Joe Don Baker, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, as "Natalya Onatopp"(what a great name),Samantha Bond as "Miss Moneypenny". Desmond Llewelyn as "Q" and of course Judi Dench as "M".
It's got great cinematopgraphy and as always fabulous Bond Music.
You'll love this DVD. It's got everything you could want. Top quality picture and sound. The widescreen theatrical release format. A beautiful crystal clear transfer. Bold and vivid colors. Dol Dig Surround(5.1) that is tremenndous. If you love extra's, you'll have a field day( or week) with this one. There's commentary, a making of featurette, an eye catching Video with Tina Turner and much more(see the tech info for
complete list). It may be viewed in French(stereo)and has subtitles in English and French if needed. It also comes with a booklet with lots of facts and info.
Oh and Bond still takes his martinis "shaken, not stirred".
So "activate your navigation system now" and..
Have fun with this one.....Laurie
A lot people would claim that the Daniel Craig era Bond movies are the most hyped, especially Casino Royale and Skyfall, but back in November 1995, as a 15-year-old, I felt more hype and anticipation building around the release of Goldeneye. It was the first Bond movie in 6 years, the longest gap in the series, after audiences were turned off by the dark, angry License to Kill (still my favorite Bond movie). The old crew was gone, and a new star, M, Moneypenny, headquarters, and director were brought on board.
While many of the people in the cinema that Saturday evening were thrilled by GoldenEye, I wasn't so smitten. After a summer of Die Hard 3, Waterworld, and Under Siege 2 the poor effects and model-work of this Bond movie failed to impress. But not only that, the script is poor, the villain is weak, and there are grating contrivances. 17 years on, the mid-90s tech on show and exposition that a 5-year-old could now follow date the film badly.
It begins in 1986 with 007 and 006 (an unconvincing Sean Bean, then 35, playing a 50-year-old for the most part) infiltrating a Russian base. Mr. Bean doesn't make it. Nine years later Bond is on leave, with a psychiatrist evaluating if he's still fit for the job. Meanwhile the Ruskie General he crossed years earlier is now in cahoots with Mr. Bean (you didn't really think they'd hire an actor of that caliber to be killed in the first scene did you?) and plans to rob the Bank of England and reset the balance with the help of a special satellite. You see 006 is actually a Cossack descended from blah...blah...blah. Yeah, that's the villain's motivation.
The harsh, realistic tone of LTK is gone. The annoying fantasy of Moore-era 007 is back. Why the producers thought this was the way to go is beyond me. Thankfully, Tomorrow Never Dies was better. But Goldeneye is quite overrated and I can't find any justification for its popularity.
The Blu-ray is a travesty. When the Special Edition DVD came out in 2006 it was in the wrong aspect ratio, with picture cut off at the sides. Fans were not pleased. So when it was time to produce a Blu-ray, instead of doing a Lowry restoration like they did for EVERY other Bond movie released on the format they decided to go back to the high-def master used for the 1997 DVD (HD masters did exist back then, but only for studio use), in fact I wouldn't be surprised if this is even the same master used for the 1996 Laserdisc. But to make it look more modern they have applied a criminal amount of digital noise reduction, turning the movie into a waxy mess. Shots that scream out for fine detail come across as a 90s CD-ROM cut-scene. Make no mistake, this is a DVD in Blu-ray clothing. It's ghastly! The sound fares better in DTS HD-MA, and there are plenty of extras, but the video quality kills it.
MGM should initiate a replacement disc policy. GoldenEye needs to be remastered properly and given away free to people who were suckered into buying this frisbee. Make no mistake, it's one of the worst Blu-rays I've seen.In "Goldeneye", James Bond, played for the first time by Pierce Brosnan, must prevent an ex-MI6 agent, Alec Trevelyan, from detonating a powerful electromatic pulse, via satellite, over London. The pulse would render all electronics in London totally useless, and Trevelyan would seize that opportunity to electronically rob the Bank Of London. Along the way, Bond is assisted by computer programmer Natalya Simonova, who has extensive knowledge of the goldeneye satellite. Bond's other enemies throughout the movie include Trevelyan's sidekick, Russian General Ouromov (who has betrayed his government); Boris, a computer programmer who was once a comrade of Natalya, but betrayed her; and Zenia Onatopp, a dark, sexually charged woman who takes pleasure in making love, and killing. She especially enjoys killing WHILE making love ;)
The feel of "Goldeneye" is rather dark and serious, although there are comical moments strewn throughout the movie (so it's not quite as stiff as either of Dalton's Bond movies). There are a wide array of characters featured in the movie, all of whom are thoroughly enjoyable, and well written. The actors playing them are especially entertaining to watch. Kudos to Izabella Scorupco, who is not only gorgeous, but plays the part of Natalya very memorably. Famke Janssen is also magnificent as Onatopp, and there has not been any Bond villian quite as quirky or devilish as Onatopp since (what Bond villainess has ever licked Bond's face, and then beaten him up? Just Onatopp!). Pierce Brosnan, of course, fits right in as James Bond, and manages to combine elements of a dark edge with a touch of a light side.
"Goldeneye" works very well as a Bond movie. The plot is intruiging, and moves along at a perfect pace, keeping the viewer interested. The action sequences in the movie are very well done, immensely enjoyable to watch. Eric Serra's music fits the movie PERFECTLY, and in my opinion, the producers should have invited him back for more films. His score adds a dark undertone to the movie, something which all of Brosnan's Bond movies afterwards would painfully lack.
Characterization is also important in the movie. One of the most memorable scenes has Bond sitting on a Caribbean beach at sunset, staring out at the ocean, and thinking about his inevitable confrontation with Trevelyan, who used to be an old friend. Natalya walks over to Bond, and questions how he can be so cold, so dark. "It's what keeps me alive," Bond replies, before the two of them go off to make love. It's a shame Brosnan was not given more scenes such as this one in future Bond films... it certainly makes "Goldeneye" unique, and deep.
Read Best Reviews of GoldenEye (2013) Here
It is difficult to recreate in words the sheer visceral thrill of seeing this film for the first time in a proper movie theater...but I will indeed try. Each time I see this film, I'm reminded of just how great a turnaround this movie made for the Bond series. Some of you may not remember that there was a six-year period where the future of James Bond was indeed in question, thanks to the commercial failure of "Licence to Kill". This movie singlehandedly put Bond back on the cinematic map with a vengeance. And justifiably so, for it is perhaps the best-constructed post-On Her Majesty's Secret Service Bond film. All of the classic Bond elements are well-utilized, be they the gadgets, the lethal enemy, the beautiful ally, the bombastic theme song, or the one-liners which Timothy Dalton never really looked comfortable saying. Pierce Brosnan, despite some stiffness, is indeed suited for the part and we instantly can accept him as Bond. A more psychologically complex and to some extent more vulnerable Bond he is, which makes his portrayal all the more interesting.And, perhaps most importantly, the film itself LOOKS good. Martin Campbell deserves much credit for his directorial effort; the film is visually a world apart from predecessor John Glen's rather tepid later efforts.
It's difficult to call this film a classic, at least at the present time (it's still a relatively new film, after all) -but my guess is that this Bond entry will stand up well to the test of time...The Man With The Golden Gun, it ain't!
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It is diffcult to argue with success and Pierce Brosnan'sdebut as James Bond, after the character's 6 year absence from the screen, made more money than any of the previous Bonds (although perhaps not in 60s dollars).Every Bond actor seems to bring something to the role. Connery, of course, was the epitome of 60s cool. Dalton had Connery's determination, Moore his sense of comic delivery even Lazenby brought a physicality to the role. Brosnan moves extremely well, too, and I suppose is the cloest thing to the well-rounded Connery interpretation, although I am not a great Brosnan fan.
My big problem with this film (besides the music) is the screenplay. So many of what are supposed to be witty remarks make no sense as replies to Bond (Example Bond: What would I do without you, Moneypenny? Moneypenny: As far as I can remember, you've never had me. This seems a ridiculous thing to say when someone is complimenting you.) And I don't like how the "9 years later" legend on the screen seems to invalidate the Dalton films. And that opening stunts. Other Bond stunts may be implausible, but skydiving after a plane that's jist gone off a cliff??
While I am happy the filmmakers try to tell us something new about Bond (that reference to Bond's parents is a first for the series and right out of Fleming), this idea of 006 being Bond's best friend, No, no the 00s never work together. Never. MI6 could not afford to lose 2 high caliber agents at the same time. It is good to see the character of Chief of Staff Bill Tanner (previously in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN and FOR YOUR EYES ONLY) included.
This special DVD is really the same as the previous laserdisc release, but since it is supposed to be "special" it would have been nice if photos of Brosnan being on the set of FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (his wife was in that film) had been included. It also would have been nice if Brosnan's Diet Coke commercials, obviously Bond themed and airing when he lost the role in 1986 to Timothy Dalton, could have been included.
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