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GoldenEye (1995) More at IMDb Pro »

GoldenEye (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: The 18th James Bond adventure was a runaway box-office success when released in 1995, thanks to the arrival of Pierce Brosnan as the fifth actor (following the departure of Timothy Dalton) to play the suave, danger-loving Agent 007. This James Bond is a bit more vulnerable and psychologically complex--and just a shade more politically correct--but he's still a formally attired playboy at heart, with a lovely Russian beauty (Izabella Scorupco) as his sexy ally against a cadre of renegade Russians bent on--what else?--global domination. There's also a seductive villainous with the suggestive name of Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), and the great actress Judi Dench makes her first appearance as Bond's superior, M, who wisecracks about 007's "dinosaur" status as a globetrotting sexist. All in all, this action-packed Bond adventure provided a much-needed boost the long-running movie series, revitalizing the 007 franchise for the turn of the millennium. --Jeff Shannon

The James Bond Collection (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Seven films. Four Bonds. One set. This sprawling collection surveys over 30 years of James Bond skullduggery, from the cold war tensions of the 1960s to the international free-for-all of the present. Sean Connery remains the coolest of the Bonds, a ruthless agent with dry martini wit and a way with the women, and in Goldfinger his steely presence helped forge the Bond formula of tongue-in-cheek wit, wondrous secret agent toys created by Q, and megalomaniac supervillains bent on world destruction. Thunderball upped the Bond ante with the most ambitious adventure--and budget--to date. Roger Moore brought an altogether lighter tone to 007 with Live and Let Die, softening Connery's rough edges with a more romantic persona as the films became even more exotic. After a brief digression into outer space, For Your Eyes Only returned Bond to globetrotting high adventure and teamed him with his most endearing ally (Topol as a gregarious smuggler). Timothy Dalton made his second and final appearance as Bond in Licence to Kill, the toughest of the Bond films since Connery's early efforts. Though not a fan favorite, it's a sleek, solid adventure with an edge missing from the Moore pictures. Pierce Brosnan is the latest to take on 007's licence to kill, combining the best of Connery's cool and Moore's humor. GoldenEye is the best Bond film in years, a grand globetrotting adventure with lovely Bond girls and a tough new M (Judy Dench). Tomorrow Never Dies doesn't recapture that magic mix of action, gadgetry, and romance, but does feature the first Bond girl to match 007 blow for blow: Hong Kong action superstar Michelle Yeoh. Taken together, this set is a veritable cross-section of the many faces of James Bond. All that's missing is George Lazenby. Do I hear a nomination for set 2? --Sean Axmaker

Bond: Goldeneye (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Pierce Brosnan assumed the role of James Bond for the first time in this 17th entry in the series. Brosnan looks a little light on the big screen under any circumstances, and he does take some getting used to as 007. But this busy film keeps him hopping as freelance terrorists from the former Soviet Union get their hands on super-high-tech weapons. The film's challenge is to bring free-spirited Bond up to date in the age of AIDS and in the aftermath of the cold war, and on both counts director Martin Campbell (The Mask of Zorro) succeeds with a cheeky hint of irony. The best moment in the film is a chase scene that finds Bond tearing up the streets of Moscow in a tank. But Brosnan's most interesting contributions are reminiscent of the dark streak that occasionally showed up in Sean Connery's Bond. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, optional French and Spanish soundtracks, theatrical trailer, Dolby sound. --Tom Keogh