Overall Rating
 Awesome: 33.75%
Worth A Look: 43.75%
Average: 13.75%
Pretty Bad: 6.25%
Total Crap: 2.5%
3 reviews, 62 user ratings
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| GoldenEye |
by Kevin Thomas
"Lessons 1-10 in 'How to get Bond Right'"
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The changing of the Bonds. It has to happen sometime, doesn’t it? Ever since Sean Connery threw his hat into Moneypenny’s office for the (seemingly) last time, we’ve had to readjust our expectation of Fleming’s character to suit different actors. We had Moore’s hyper-camp niceness, Dalton’s gritty refusal to be suave and, well, George Lazenby. Then, with 1995’s reawakening of the franchise, we were blessed with the second best Bond ever (second only to Connery); Pierce Brosnan.His mission, should he choose to accept it (…damn, wrong franchise), is to investigate the re-activation of an old soviet space weapon, the titular ‘Goldeneye’. But little does he know that there is far more to this mission than meets the eye, and he will be forced to face his past when it comes back to haunt him. And shoot at him.
After the obligatory spectacular opening sequence (the insane culmination of which would be stupid in a lesser movie, but with it being Bond, seems only fitting), you’re given a little time to gather your breath before being assaulted by set piece after set piece after set piece. The plot itself is great, as it nostalgically harks back to an era of enemies who used ridiculous plots to take over the world from their ludicrously located bases, rather than the surge of boring eighties drug lords. The bond babe is a sadly under-glamorised model Izabella Scorupco, and one of the lesser enemies is the wonderful anti-bond character ‘Xenia Onatopp’ (snigger), played by Famke Jannsen who can crush men between her thighs. Even if she succeeded in getting rid of Bond, it would be the only method of dispatch that would do the great man justice, don’t you think?
This is proper James Bond, in all its predictable, formulaic glory. This instalment glorifies everything that always made the Bond series so enjoyable, but as a result, could also act as a cynical checklist for Bond clichés. Ironic deaths, hopelessly obvious innuendo, absurd gadgets (that all somehow come in handy at some point) and guards who redefine inaccuracy all make this exactly the same as all other Bond movies, but in the best possible way. It takes all the standard Bond film constituents, but pulls them together in a way that just seems to fit wonderfully, rather than be a boring waste of time.If you have ever seen a Bond movie before, then you will know exactly what to expect. But if you’re watching a Bond film for originality, your actions are misguided at best. Bond movies are all about mindless, loud fun, and Goldeneye certainly manages to deliver on that front. If you don’t like most Bond movies, you’ll hate this, but if you like them, you’ll love it.
 del.icio.us 
link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=1218&reviewer=368
originally posted: 05/18/04 00:06:33
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USA
17-Nov-1995 (PG-13)
UK
N/A
Australia
21-Dec-1995 (PG)
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