Review of GoldenEye (1995) by Chris R — 25 Feb 2013

'GoldenEye' is a good Bond film and the best one to feature Pierce Brosnan. Now that that is out of the way, I have to say that while I enjoyed the film and still do on occasion it hasn't exactly aged very well since 1995.

The first thing that bothers me is that none of the computer generated effects are very convincing and while it was only 1995 only two years earlier 'Jurassic Park' came out and it still impresses.

The stunts that are actually done practically are top notch and the action in general is overall fun and packed with plenty of machine gun fire and 'splosions. However, this becomes what will define the Brosnan age and lower the standards of Bond until 2006's 'Casino Royale'.

The action is given more time than the story which may have been for the better since the story is not as interesting as some earlier 007 adventures. The characters are the main reason to watch the film since they do carry quite a bit of weight to such a simple story and the performances of Izabella Scorupco and Famke Janssen as the two leading ladies are excellent.

The villain could've been better. Sean Bean is a good actor, but he's given a very inconsistant and unbalanced character to play. At first, his plan seems to be revenge however he then changes his plan to being super rich.

It's confusing at best and his role as a smart villain is thrown out the window at the climax. 'GoldenEye' does have some messy areas, however it's not a bad film in any way (trust me, I've seen plenty worse Bond films and action films in general) but time has not worked in its favor too much.

Still a great addition to your 007 collection and good for action junkies.