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"No limits, no fears, no substitutes?": Let's discuss... GoldenEye (1995)/ Poll
St_George
Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
<img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh215/george-in-the-smoke/ge_banner.jpg">;
Right, it's that time again, peeps... yes, time for another thread dedicated to discussing the pros and cons, the ins and outs, the best and the worst of one particular Bond film. And stepping up to the plate is that transatlantic titan of '90s smooth, the Brozzer, in his first outing in the 007 tux, GoldenEye.
I'll kick things off by admitting that GE has always - and surely will always - hold a very fond and firm place in my heart. Released as it was at the start of my late teens (and arriving after a six-year cinematic hiatus for our favourite hero), it was something of a cool, colourful, somewhat laid-back and somewhat retro godsend. It harked back to the greatness of the screen 007 of old (the glamour, the sexy girls with silly names, the DB5, the belting title song, the villain's lair going kaboom), while also making Bond cool overnight again - that last point is one forgotten quite easily in the wake of Brosnan's tenure and CR, methinks. I like GE a lot and, although it has its faults, it still stands up today as a solid, good and enjoyable romp of a Bond action-adventure-cum-thriller for me...
![http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh215/george-in-the-smoke/ge_banner.jpg">](http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh215/george-in-the-smoke/ge_banner.jpg">){kind=link}
Right, it's that time again, peeps... yes, time for another thread dedicated to discussing the pros and cons, the ins and outs, the best and the worst of one particular Bond film. And stepping up to the plate is that transatlantic titan of '90s smooth, the Brozzer, in his first outing in the 007 tux, GoldenEye.
I'll kick things off by admitting that GE has always - and surely will always - hold a very fond and firm place in my heart. Released as it was at the start of my late teens (and arriving after a six-year cinematic hiatus for our favourite hero), it was something of a cool, colourful, somewhat laid-back and somewhat retro godsend. It harked back to the greatness of the screen 007 of old (the glamour, the sexy girls with silly names, the DB5, the belting title song, the villain's lair going kaboom), while also making Bond cool overnight again - that last point is one forgotten quite easily in the wake of Brosnan's tenure and CR, methinks. I like GE a lot and, although it has its faults, it still stands up today as a solid, good and enjoyable romp of a Bond action-adventure-cum-thriller for me...
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Firstly, we have Pierce Brosnan who brings a sense of much-needed fun back into the franchise after the exciting but admittingly dour LTK (sorry Dalton fans). When we first see him driving the Aston Martin DB5 it's clear he is a character who loves life and all it's luxurious pleasures. He has a playful, almost schoolboy quality that makes him entertaining and appealing to watch. Yet he is also physical enough to be believed as a gentleman spy (something good ol' Sir Rog lacked).
Secondly we have Izabella Scorupco as Natalya, clearly an independent sassy Bond girl for the 90s. She has a fiestiness and sexuality that really gets me hot under the collar and proves an equal match for Bond. When she says "I'm fine thank you very much" for the second time, it almost sounds erotic.
Thirdly we have Samantha Bond, who like Izabella has a playful, cheeky side to her. One can tell that she relishes the lines she delivers, and actually acts like a flirtatious secretary rather than a smitten school-girl (Caroline Bliss).
Fourth, we have the compelling story itself. Bond being relevant in a post-cold war age is something that frankly could not be ignored. Similarly, the idea of Bond facing an old adversary is something not covered in the Bond series up to this point and certainly makes for a gripping plot twist. Good ol' James is quite literally facing his equal. This brings me onto Sean Bean as Alec Trevelyan, who is superb! Bean has the physical presence to match that of Bond and delivers all of his monologues perfectly.
Fifth there is Xenya Onatopp, a gloriously OTT henchwoman. In many ways she harks back to the flamboyant, politically incorrect style of the Fleming era. Beautiful, sexy yet deadly at the same time.
Fifth, General Oromov who is somewhat forgotten nowadays. Godfrey John has the screen presence and authority that suits his character perfectly.
Sixth, there is Judy Dench as the new M who also has the authority and wordly-wise quality to be believed as Bond's boss. When we first see her we don't feel threatened by the fact that she is a woman, she is just accepted in the role. Dench's stature and almost masculine stirness mean that she is brilliantly cast in the part and, at this point, doesn't have to play the surrogate "mom". She may be bruitally honest with Bond yet she respects him and trusts him to do the job at hand ("Bond? Come back alive!")
Finally we have the fantastic song by Tina Turner, a woman with vocal talents which surely match that of the almighty Shirley Basset. A song which just oozes glamour, romanticism and danger.
I'll shut up now but GE will always be fondly remembered in my book :)
GE is fun, has some great actions scenes, they are really well done, the tank scene in particular is fantastic. Martin Campell is very capable as director but the film suffers from what later would plague the Brosnan era all the way through. The box ticking Bond cliches, the gadgets. I mean, Brosnan gets out of almost every single problem b/c of a gadget, all the fricking time.
It starts here with GE and it is hard for me to seperate GE from the next three films, all watchable but all disappointing. And I hate Xena Onatopp. Horrible, horrible character. It can't even watch her scenes anymore. She sounds like she is orgasming when she fights. Squeezing people with her legs? So stupid and lame it makes me sick. For real, she almost ruins the entire film for me. Juvenile to the extreme.
But still, Robbie Coltran is a great character and sometimes helper for Bond. Brosnan never had a Felix Leiter so it is nice to see something different for a change. Judi makes a great first appearance as M and their initial meeting is a strong scene. So there are some good things here.
-Using the squeeky fuel trolly as a shield
-jamming the mechanism on the antenna at the end
Then I saw the movie.
I did not think it was bad, in fact I liked the movie, but it certainly did fall below my expectations. Worst of all, Brosnan fell below my expectations as James Bond. I just felt like he was a kid putting on his dad's tux playing James Bond. He lacked the confidence and commanding presence needed for Bond(even Laz and Moore were more commanding). Fortunately Brosnan got better as Bond but his films got worse. I think GE is probably the best made film of Brosnan's 4, but his performance and the music score keep it from being my favorite film of his.
In fact I'm going to make a bold statement:
I HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF THE BROSNAN ERA
Very subtle there ;)
@BAIN123 Got to agree with you on Natalya, she's definitely onw of my favourite aspects of GE. Smart, sassy, self-reliant, modern and sexy as hell, she's not just the best Brosnan-era Bond Girl, but for me surely the best of both the '90s and the '80s. Which, yes, makes her one of the best ever for me. The perfect female foil for the pre-millennial 007.
@The_Reaper I appreciate where you're coming from in how what followed GE mires it somewhat for you, but really I don't say I see it that way at all myself. GE surely is The Brozzer's best outing as Bond (although, as @jaguar007 points out, he'd arguably get better himself as his films got worse) and thus it's a little disappointing that ultimately his best was his first. Yet, GE for me is such a solid, enjoyable outing that none of that matters. TND, TWINE and DAD are underwhelming efforts for their own reasons, not because of GE.
And, must admit, I've always found it intriguing that Xenia isn't popular around here. She may not be the best villain - or hench(wo)man - of the series, but she was a very interesting addition, methinks, and was very well received at the time from what I recall. I've nothing against her, must admit. And, I mean, Famke Janssen? Mmm, yes please... =P~
But still its one of good james bond movies . 7/10 from me
Saw this review recently from a fellow enthusiast. Sums it up quite nicely.
I'm going to go out on a limb, and say that a Daltonised GoldenEye (with some minor recasting; M Natalya & Trevelyan), could've been the best Dalton film. Sadly, we'll never know for certain. The line about all the martini's silencing the screams of the men Bond has killed just screams Dalton's Bond to me. It sounds off kilter aimed at Brosnan, his Bond was not a conflicted inner demon ridden Bond. Not to mention all that 'sexist mysogynist dinosaur' drek that spills from M's mouth. With that line, the castration of Bond had began. It may have been a bit hit, but GoldenEye was the beginning of the most creativly barren era of the series. With all honesty, GoldenEye is one of the Bonds where I could easily go years without watching again. Unless i'm having a Bondathon, in which case, it's not a Bond I look forward to.