Review of GoldenEye (1995) by Kai82 — 02 Jan 2021

The seventeenth James Bond movie and strong debut of Pierce Brosnan. In hindsight it was also his best James Bond movie. Many see it as relaunch or restart of the franchise because the previous movie License to Kill was too different from the established formula (But is still a really good movie and for some the best entry in the franchise).

Because of legal arguments the movie was delayed and at the end Timothy Dalton did not reappear as James Bond. Pierce Brosnan who was a candidate before but could not take the role because of his contract for Remington Steele was available and chosen.

The intro flashback shows a mission were James Bond and fellow 006 agent Alec Trevelyan infiltrate a chemical weapons facility of the Soviets. Not all goes according to plans. A few years later James Bond is on a new mission were he has to prevent the stealing of a new type of helicopter which is immune to electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) which is just the first step in a far bigger plan.

From here on the story takes momentum. It has a surprisingly well thought out story and great twists. A fine combination of plausibility and fiction that makes it enjoyable. In combination with the great cast we get a remarkable experience and highlight of the franchise.

Lets start with Pierce Brosnan. He gives a great first performance and I say while he is not my favorite Bond he makes the best debut until Daniel Craig surpassed him (Sean Connery and Roger more started weaker and improved to their cult status with the later performances;-).

There is Sean Bean as Alec Trevelyan aka 006. He is excellent and easily a highlight of the movie. Might be even considered a spoiler that I name him here as Sean Bean is by many called “Spoiler on two legs” as his roles are famous for one thing;-).

Then we have a strong cast of women with Famke Janssen as Xenis Onatopp who is a force to be recognized and Izabella Scorupco as Natalya Scorupco who while having no fighting capabilities is not a damsel in distress and can fend for herself with her smart thinking.

Also I really enjoyed Gottfried John as Colonel Ourumov and Judi Dench as M. She is a no nonsense leader and terrifying but also someone you want to have on your side as she is capable, smart and has true leadership abilities.

Then the humor returned to the Franchise. The Timothy Dalton movies turned down the humor and here they added more (Not on Roger Moore era level). It works well and is fitting. The sets are again amazing as are the gadgets.

From Q played by Desmond Llewelyn we got a cool **** and an amazing wheelchair to name a few new toys. The soundtrack has one of my favorite title songs with Goldeneye by Tina Turner. Still high up in the list of best songs in the franchise.

Overall this was a refreshing movie and I consider it one of the top movies in the franchise. An easy must see recommendation.