Review of GoldenEye (1995) by Stefan G — 09 May 2014

After the typically stale Licence to Kill, it was clear that Bond needed much more than a change of actor. GoldenEye was the movie that tried to change Bond's outdated image and make something new.

The end result is the first good Bond film since For Your Eyes Only, which says a lot about how quickly the Bond formula got tired. Somehow, GoldenEye also serves as a reflection on how outdated the old Bond formula had gotten, which certainly fits the film's more action-oriented direction which would inspire later films.

I think that with this film, they finally did everything right, but in a new way. The characters are enjoyable, and sometimes, there's a bit of humour that can actually enjoyed without it detracting from the entire film.

The story plays out well, and the action is explosive. However, my main problem with this film is that it still seems to fight its own modernization of the Bond series in much of the basic levels. The title still follows the same formula, and all the familiar Bond jingles are still there.

Other than that, GoldenEye paved the way for a new way of approaching the Bond franchise. Unfortunately, this approach would also get tired, and ultimately become part of the mainstream.