Goldeneye [WS]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Pierce Brosnan made his first appearance as James Bond in this action thriller, the 17th in the series (excluding the 1967 Casino Royale and the 1983 Never Say Never Again) featuring the suave British super-agent. As the story begins, Agent 007 and his partner, Agent 006 (Sean Bean), pull a daring raid on a chemical weapons plant in the Soviet Union; however, they are captured by Russian troops, and while Bond is able to escape, 006 is not so lucky. Several years later, the Soviet Union and the Cold War are a thing of the past, but Bond is still at work ferreting out evildoers everywhere. Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), a beautiful but vicious villain working with the Russian Mafia, spearheads the theft of the controls to GoldenEye, a high-tech satellite weapons system, and with her gunmen, she kills most of the soldiers and guards at a top-secret military facility in the process. Bond joins forces with Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco), one of the base's few survivors, to help track down Onatopp's minions and the controls to GoldenEye, which can destroy all electronic circuits in a given area in a matter of seconds; however, in time, Bond discovers the true identity of the criminal mastermind who is behind this bid for unholy power and world domination -- none other than Alec Trevelyan, the man Bond once knew as 006. In addition to Brosnan, GoldenEye also marked another significant cast change for the Bond series -- Judi Dench made her debut as M, Bond's superior. Minnie Driver also has a cameo as a nightclub singer. Sadly, this was the last film in the Bond series for special-effects supervisor Derek Meddings, who died in the midst of production; the film was dedicated to him. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV, Color
• Subtitle: Thai, Spanish, French, English, Korean, Mandarin
• Features:
  • Feature film with frame-by-frame digital restoration and DTS 5.1 audio
  • Audio commentary featuring Martin Campbell and Michael G. Wilson

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Martin Campbell

• Producer:

  Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli

• Screenwriter:

  Kevin Wade

• Screen Story:

  Michael France

• Screenwriter:

  Jeffrey Caine, Bruce Feirstein

• Cinematographer:

  Harvey Harrison, Phil Meheux, Arthur Wooster

• Songwriter:

  Bono, The Edge

• Composer (Music Score):

  Eric Serra

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Nellee Hooper, John Altman

• Editor:

  Terry Rawlings

• Production Designer:

  Peter Lamont

• Art Director:

  Kathrin Brunner, Neil Lamont, Andrew Ackland-Snow, Chares Lee

• Associate Producer:

  Anthony Waye

• Executive Producer:

  Tom Pevsner

• Set Designer:

  Michael Ford

• Costume Designer:

  Lindy Hemming

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  David John

• Makeup:

  Linda de Vetta

• Special Effects:

  Chris Corbould

• First Assistant Director:

  Ian Sharp, Arthur Wooster, Gerry Gavigan

• Singer:

  Tina Turner

• Stunts:

  Simon Crane

• Casting:

  Debbie McWilliams

• Musical Performer:

  Don Lusher

REVIEW:

• The debut of Pierce Brosnan in the role of Agent 007 and of director Martin Campbell behind the camera provide a much-needed injection of freshness into the stale James Bond franchise with this, the 18th in the series of spy thrillers. Since Bond tales are best reviewed not in relation to other films but in relation to themselves, here's what works: Brosnan infuses his Bond with the best of both worlds, mixing the suave, winking charm of Roger Moore with the more arch, lethal detachment of Sean Connery. Campbell, for his part, brings pace and visual flair to the proceedings, never losing sight of the class fans have come to expect, while eschewing many of the ludicrous stunts and gizmos for more believable real-world action. A team of screenwriters also wisely updates Bond for the politically correct '90s by transforming the character of M into a woman (portrayed with delightful sobriety by the great Judi Dench). And supporting players Alan Cumming and Famke Janssen are standouts in a series that prides itself on memorable villains. What doesn't work: Sean Bean as an antagonist who comes across as too dim to carry out his complex scheme, Izabella Scorupco, lifeless and boring in place of the expected exciting and sexy, and the basic plot, which bows to the graying maxims that Bond must never grow or develop and that Russians make the best villains. GoldenEye is a mixed bag, but a promising start for a star and director who could do better with improved material. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi