GoldenEye is one of the best runs in the infamous James Bond franchise for many reasons. To start off, this is one of the few 007 adventures combining camp, humor, and gritty realism all in one while still providing the amazing set-pieces you would have come to expect from the original Bond films. This is a new flavor for James Bond, yet has enough home touches that it feels right at home in the series.
Being the 17th entry in the never-ending series revolving around the British super agent this film had a lot of history to live up to, but under the direction of Martin Campbell (who would later comeback to direct the superb Bond film Casino Royale) this is one of the most fun and thrilling entries in the entire series. There is homage to the original Bond films, but this film also takes full liberties to make itself an entirely new, refreshing entry in the franchise.
Tina Turner provides the vocals for a very classy opening song (with lyrics and music written by Bono and The Edge). As far as "Classic Bond Songs" go I can say that over the last fifteen years this is by far the most classic Bond song ('You Know My Name' from Casino Royale is my favorite, but it lacks the characteristics of a "classic Bond" song). The opening montage that goes to the song is also on of the most intricate, visually fascinating ones I have seen in ANY Bond film and really gets the audience pulled in.
Okay, now that the little aspects of this film are out of the way Let's take a look at the things that really make this a special entry in the 007 Franchise. This is the film also brought in a new Bond in the form of Pierce Brosnan, who plays the part exceptionally well. Brosnan brings wit and charm to the role like a mixture of Connery and Moore with his own twist added in. This Bond is cool-headed, but when confronted with the thoughts his own actions it becomes apparent that Brosnan's Bond is a man who hides lots of feelings under his cool façade.
The villain of this film is something you'd think the Bond franchise would have done before and that is the concept of a MI6 agent who is a friend of Bond going rogue. Alec Trevelyan (006) is played by actor Sean Bean and makes for a particularly cold, and coolheaded villain who being someone who knows Bond close gives dialogue that you have never heard before in any other Bond film.
"I might as well ask if all those vodka martinis silence the screams of all the men you've killed...or if you've found forgiveness in the arms of all those willing women, for all the dead ones you failed to protect." That is what Trevelyan says in this film that you have probably have never thought of before when watching James Bond. This is one of the defining aspects of GoldenEye because it is one of the few Bond films that effectively asks the question "Who is James Bond, and why does he do what he does? How does he live with himself? Of course the villains aren't the only ones confronting Bond with this question. Even Bond's girl of the movie turns against his charm to question his attitude and his actions. Natalya (Izabella Scorupco) goes so far as to ask Bond why he's so cold, to which Bond replies with an emotionless stare: "It's what keeps me alive." In the days of Connery he'd never be asked that, and he would never reply in such a manner, which shows a more human aspect of Bond's humanity. It is modern and somewhat shocking to see Bond, one of the greatest icons on cinema be asked these questions and it allows the audience to actually sympathize with the lovable character who has always manages to spend time in casinos, shoot bad guys, escape from exotic traps, and make it out safe and with the girl.
GoldenEye is one of the best entries in the James Bond franchise, and Peirce Brosnan makes for one of the best Bonds I have ever seen and it is really a shame that in his later films he wasn't provided the proper scripts that would have allowed him to truly leave his mark on the franchise. It is a shame that Campbell didn't do any more of the entries with Brosnan, but he did bring us the brilliant Casino Royale.
Being the 17th entry in the never-ending series revolving around the British super agent this film had a lot of history to live up to, but under the direction of Martin Campbell (who would later comeback to direct the superb Bond film Casino Royale) this is one of the most fun and thrilling entries in the entire series. There is homage to the original Bond films, but this film also takes full liberties to make itself an entirely new, refreshing entry in the franchise.
Tina Turner provides the vocals for a very classy opening song (with lyrics and music written by Bono and The Edge). As far as "Classic Bond Songs" go I can say that over the last fifteen years this is by far the most classic Bond song ('You Know My Name' from Casino Royale is my favorite, but it lacks the characteristics of a "classic Bond" song). The opening montage that goes to the song is also on of the most intricate, visually fascinating ones I have seen in ANY Bond film and really gets the audience pulled in.
Okay, now that the little aspects of this film are out of the way Let's take a look at the things that really make this a special entry in the 007 Franchise. This is the film also brought in a new Bond in the form of Pierce Brosnan, who plays the part exceptionally well. Brosnan brings wit and charm to the role like a mixture of Connery and Moore with his own twist added in. This Bond is cool-headed, but when confronted with the thoughts his own actions it becomes apparent that Brosnan's Bond is a man who hides lots of feelings under his cool façade.
The villain of this film is something you'd think the Bond franchise would have done before and that is the concept of a MI6 agent who is a friend of Bond going rogue. Alec Trevelyan (006) is played by actor Sean Bean and makes for a particularly cold, and coolheaded villain who being someone who knows Bond close gives dialogue that you have never heard before in any other Bond film.
"I might as well ask if all those vodka martinis silence the screams of all the men you've killed...or if you've found forgiveness in the arms of all those willing women, for all the dead ones you failed to protect." That is what Trevelyan says in this film that you have probably have never thought of before when watching James Bond. This is one of the defining aspects of GoldenEye because it is one of the few Bond films that effectively asks the question "Who is James Bond, and why does he do what he does? How does he live with himself? Of course the villains aren't the only ones confronting Bond with this question. Even Bond's girl of the movie turns against his charm to question his attitude and his actions. Natalya (Izabella Scorupco) goes so far as to ask Bond why he's so cold, to which Bond replies with an emotionless stare: "It's what keeps me alive." In the days of Connery he'd never be asked that, and he would never reply in such a manner, which shows a more human aspect of Bond's humanity. It is modern and somewhat shocking to see Bond, one of the greatest icons on cinema be asked these questions and it allows the audience to actually sympathize with the lovable character who has always manages to spend time in casinos, shoot bad guys, escape from exotic traps, and make it out safe and with the girl.
GoldenEye is one of the best entries in the James Bond franchise, and Peirce Brosnan makes for one of the best Bonds I have ever seen and it is really a shame that in his later films he wasn't provided the proper scripts that would have allowed him to truly leave his mark on the franchise. It is a shame that Campbell didn't do any more of the entries with Brosnan, but he did bring us the brilliant Casino Royale.