Review of GoldenEye (1995) by Chardr69 — 20 May 2011

This is the seventeenth James Bond film, and first of four starring Pierce Brosnan as 007. It is also the first of two directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale).

After a mission to destroy a nerve gas factory in the Soviet Union goes bad, 007's friend and fellow MI6 agent 006, Alex Trevelyan (Sean Bean) is executed by Soviet General Ourumov. Nine years later, after the Cold War is over, a secret Soviet weapon called GoldenEye is stolen by Ourumov and a sexy former Soviet fighter pilot, Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), who kills her prey by squeezing them to death with her thighs! Now with the GoldenEye in the hands of the mysterious, unseen crime-lord Janus, Bond must travel to Russia to track down the weapon before it is used on the world. While in Russia, 007 learns that Janus is really Trevelyan, and he plans to use GoldenEye to launch a deadly electromagnetic pulse from a commandeered Russian space satellite, disabling the entire electrical and computer grid in Great Britain, throwing their financial status into chaos, as revenge for his parents death. With the help of a beautiful Russian computer programmer, Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco), Bond must race against time to reach Cuba and find Trevelyan's secret headquarters before he succeeds with his sinister plot of revenge.

It had been six years since the last 007 film (License to Kill), and Pierce Brosnan had finally brought back the style and charm that Sean Connery had originally brought to Bond in the 60's, mixed with the sly humor that Roger Moore instilled into the character during the 70's and 80's.

Along with a new Bond, 007 also has a new boss, Dame Judi Dench as "M". She is perfect in her no nonsense approach, and has become a staple of Bond films since. Also, new to the series is Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny, in which her playful banter back and forth with 007 is reminiscent of the early Connery/Lois Maxwell days of the 60's. Sean Bean makes a really good nemesis to Bond, even though he really isn't in the movie all that much. Famke Janseen's incredibly sexual Onatopp is a throwback to the villainesses of old, and the gorgeous Izabella Scorupco is the best Bond girl in a long while. The impressive supporting cast also includes Joe Don Baker, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming and a funny little cameo by Minnie Driver.

This is a really entertaining movie and the best Bond since 1983's "Octopussy".