Goldeneye
Goldeneye (1995)
Writers: Ian Flemming (characters), Michael France (story), Jeffrey Caine (screenplay)
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench, Robbie Coltrane, Tchéky Karyo, Gottfried John, Alan Cumming, Desmond Llewelyn, Samantha Bond
Synopsis:
When a Russian satellite weapon is stolen from a secret facility in a daring attack, MI:6 sends James Bond (Brosnan) to retrieve it. Bond heads to Russia to investigate the mysterious Janus Syndicate and determine who is behind the theft of the Goldeneye weapon. Little does Bond know that the mastermind is someone from his past who can predict every move he's making with a grudge against England. So bond teams up with computer programmer Natalya Simonova (Scorupco), a survivor of the Goldeneye attack, to locate Janus' whereabouts and retrieve or destroy the weapon before it can be used against London and the rest of the world.
First Impressions:
I caught this one in theaters when I was 19 years old. By then, I was already a Bond fan, and I had waited patiently for 6 years for a new release in the series. Goldeneye represented a lot of changes in the franchise after a half-decade hiatus. There was a new Bond, a new M, and it was the first movie in the series to be made outside the backdrop of the Cold War. My initial response to the film was lukewarm. I enjoyed many action sequences, and I thought Brosnan did an excellent job with the character, but something didn't quite sit right with me after that first viewing that I couldn't put my finger on. My opinion on the film has softened somewhat in the intervening years, but it's still not a flick I return to often when I need a Bond fix. It's been a good while since I last watched this, so let's jump right in.
Story/Direction:
"For England, James."
The stories in most James Bond films, particularly in the pre-Craig era, are pretty interchangeable. Bond must stop a megalomaniacal villain from destroying the world (or a small part of it) with an elaborate scheme or ridiculous superweapon. That's the formula, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. However, the previous two Dalton films eschewed the over-the-top storytelling for more of an edge. The poor critical reception of the License to Kill and the extended break due to legal issues allowed the filmmakers to change up the series a bit, sensing that audiences weren't quite ready for a grittier James Bond (not yet anyway). For Goldeneye, they toned down the darkness of the Dalton era and added a more standard Bondian plot but still kept the stakes a bit more personal like the previous two films. The result works, I think for the most part, and it finds a pretty good balance between the edginess of the Dalton films and the lightheartedness of the Moore era.
All the hallmarks of a Bond film are there, though. There are many exotic locations, cool gadgets (though not as many as in other films) and henchmen with ridiculous names. One of the significant changes in this film was the attempt to give Bond a personal connection to the main villain, something that really hadn't been done in the series up till that point. In fact, audiences at that time really didn't consider Bond's personal life all that much, with only License to Kill and maybe On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the only other movies in the series that spend any significant time with the super-spy outside of his job. Of course, since this film was released, the series has repeatedly turned back to that particular well (perhaps a little too often for my taste), but it was pretty unusual at the time. Overall, I found the story enjoyable with enough edge to make it cool but light enough to be immediately identified as a "90s movie."
Acting/Characters:
When I review a Bond film, I break down this section into three parts: The Bond, The Bond Girl and The Bond Villain.
The Bond: Pierce Brosnan is a lot of people's favorite Bond, and this movie is one of the main reasons. Brosnan manages to combine many elements from other actors in the series. He has Moore's charm, Dalton's intensity and Connery's physicality. It's a shame he wasn't given better movies to act in because he really was the whole package. He fits seamlessly into the role, and while I don't care for most of his Bond films, I can't lay that blame on him.
The Bond Girl: Izabella Scorupco plays Natalya Simonova, a computer programmer who gets swept up in the film's chaos. As a Bond Girl, I think she's a bit of a step back, especially compared to Carey Lowell's fantastic outing as Pam Bouvier in License to Kill. There really isn't that much reason for Bond to keep Simonova around, and her only real purpose in the film is to have someone to rescue during the climax. Shame really.
The Bond Villain: To avoid spoilers, I won't discuss the film's big bad and instead talk about his primary henchman Xenia Onatopp (groan), played by Famke Janssen. The character is interesting in that, for the time, there weren't a lot of female henchmen (henchwomen?) in the series. However, the film slightly undermines the progressive step of having a female-heavy by completely oversexualizing her, and I mean completely. Everything from her name to the fact that her primary method of killing is squeezing people between her legs to seemingly having an orgasm every time she kills people. It's unfortunate because Janssen is a pretty good actress, and it sucks that she was boiled down to not much more than a sexpot.
Visuals/Action:
I'm combining these categories because they tend to go hand in hand with Bond films. No matter how good or bad any given Bond film may be, audiences can always count on some pretty good action scenes. Goldeneye is no different as the pre-credit scene gives us a thrilling escape from a Soviet installation, including Bond chasing a plane over a cliff with a motorbike. There's also a fun sequence with a tank chase through the streets of St. Petersburg. The final fight scene atop a giant radio antenna is also pretty cool. The Bond team nails the action, as usual.
From an effects perspective, it's pretty standard. Lots of explosions and gunfire and not much more than that. Visually, the film looks decent and contrasts in color nicely between the grim background of Russia with the brightness of the Caribbean.
Music:
As with my other Bond reviews, I will focus primarily on the title song. In this case, Goldeneye was performed by Tina Turner and written by U2's Bono and The Edge. I like this song because it harkens back to old-school Bond themes sung by Shirley Bassey. It's got that mellowly cool 60s vibe but with a 90s beat. I really dig it, and it's been running through my head all week. Definitely one of the better Bond themes.
Final Verdict:
This remains my favorite film in the Brosnan era. It's not perfect by any means, but it's a solid mid-range outing in the series. If you're a Bond fan, I'm assuming you've already seen it, but for those looking to jump into the series, it might be a good starting point as it's pretty modern in presentation and lacks some of the more cringey elements of decades past.
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