The film Text copyright (c) Filmverdict 2006-present. Any film titles and artwork used are copyright of their respective owners.
Six years without a Bond film had led many people to think, reasonably, that, after saving the world sixteen times, maybe we had seen the last of agent 007. But it was not to be. The wait - which was mainly due to complex rights issues - finally ended in 1995 with the release of GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan's first instalment. The first film in the series after the end of the Cold War, GoldenEye chose to face the new status of Russia head-on. The resulting adventure was certainly a distinctive entry in the canon, mixing the down-to-earth realism of the Dalton films with the "world in peril" plots of earlier efforts. Key to its success was the casting of the right lead actor, and Brosnan proved to be an absolute natural (indeed, so obvious was he for the role that had contractual obligations not precluded it he would have played Bond in The Living Daylights). Possessing the charm of Roger Moore and the physicality of Connery, he seems right at home from the start.
However, the dwindling fortunes of the franchise in the 1980s and the following six-year hiatus meant that the demand for the superspy to return was unclear, so the film is a notably restrained outing in some respects. Although the story spans several exotic locales, from Monte Carlo to Cuba, there is a general shortage of the sort of scenic beauty that has come to define the series, and some of the action scenes lack a certain sense of exuberance (the famous St. Petersburg tank chase being the film-dominating exception). The decision to recruit Luc Besson's regular composer Eric Serra for scoring duties was also a mistake, as the synth-heavy score is dated and lacks impact. Nonetheless, the producers' budgetary caution proved to be unfounded, as the film went on to gross more money worldwide than any previous film in the series.
A fundamental reason that it works so well, aside from the assured leading man, is that the story is an interesting, relatively believable one, and the extended gestation period allowed the writers to concoct some great dialogue exchanges. In particular the role of the new female M (Judi Dench) is very well written, as she directs some pointed barbs in 007's direction. The humour all comes from genuine wit rather than Moore-era slapstick, aside from a delightful scene in Q's lab, filled with Airplane!-esque background pratfalls. Basically, then, the only real disappointments with GoldenEye stem from a lack of real spectacle and some potential which is not capitalised upon (for example, Bond never makes much use of his shiny new BMW, despite Q's boasting of missiles housed behind its headlights). It's still an extremely enjoyable, and often funny, thrill ride, which meant that everybody was pleased to see Bond back in action.
The extras
The commentary, a collaborative affair between director Martin Campbell and producer Michael G. Wilson, is a good one. Disc 2, however, actually offers quite a disappointing selection of extras. There's a lot to wade through, including four (extremely brief) deleted scenes, and numerous featurettes. The problem is that they are all from the time of the film's release and are heavily promotional in nature, failing to really offer any depth. The biggest disappointment is that there's no dedicated Making Of documentary; the main feature is a fluffy TV special looking over Bond's history, hosted by Liz Hurley. The pick of the featurettes is one looking at the working methods of Martin Campbell, which is noteworthy because it's not the usual love-in, featuring some behind the scenes footage of him amusingly losing his rag.
The summary
GoldenEye presented an accomplished and welcome return to cinema screens for everyone's favourite secret agent, and Pierce Brosnan was born for the part.
Agree? Disagree? Say so in the Guestbook!