Matt
IKYN Guy Groupie
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2000
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I rewatched Goldeneye last night, and I have come to the conclussion that it is easily the best James Bond movie. Better than On Her Majesty's Secret Service, better than Goldfinger, better than From Russia With Love, better than The Spy Who Loved Me, better than even Casino Royale.
This movie is everything a Bond movie should be. It is in my opinion the first modern Bond movie. It embraces some of the more silly cliches of James Bond mythos while adapting them into a modern society. It doesn't feel the need to turn away from what makes the Bond franchise unique but instead plays them up in a more realistic, post Cold War setting.
Many credit Craig for turning Bond into a more human character, but I gotta say, Brosnan did it first. Die Another Day is really the only Bond movie where Brosnan is a caricature. Prior to Brosnan, you had no middle ground. It was either a rigid, cold, humorless, Bond (Dalton, and to an extent Connery) or an over the top, childish Bond (like Roger Moore). Brosnan gave Bond a soul. He played him as a vulnerable person (his scenes with Natasha in Goldeneye, Alec's first "death," and his guilt over it, etc) while at the same time he is a cold, detatched, efficient killer ("For England, James?" "For me, Alec."). There are layers to Bond in this movie. Plus he does not neglect the wit or charm of James Bond (as I feel to this point, to an extent, though not entirely, Craig has. Though I blame the scripts, not Craig).
Furthermore, you have two very complete Bond girls. Natasha, while essentially a damsel-in-distress provides much more. She allows the audience to get insight into Bond's world view and brings out a more vulnerable side to him. Meanwhile, Xenia Onnatopp is more your classic Bond girl-villain. Plus Janssen has so much fun with the role and plays it so perfectly, you can't help but rank her as one of the top Bond girls.
The supporting cast is great as well. Lleweyln is brilliant as Q, of course. Plus this is Samantha Bond's best outting as Moneypenny and actually my favorite portrayl of Moneypenny. Instead of a silly school girl with a crush, she actually comes off as James' equal to an extent (which may explain why he has never bedded her). "Some day you'll have to make good on your inneuendos." Brilliant line.
But the real star of the supporting cast is Judi Dench as M. Her first outting is in my opinion the best. I love the dynamic introduced between her and Bond. Bond sees her as an accountant who was wrongfully promoted and she sees him as an outdated relic from the Cold War. I really wish they continued this dynamic down the line.
The action sequences are top notch. Some are elaborate, mindless fun (the tank through Moscow, the plane escape)...others are brutal, gritty and personal (the final showdown with Bond and 006). It is a perfect balance.
And the villain, what else can you say about Trevelyan other than he is the best Bond villain to date. He is the anti-Bond. He has Bond's training. He knows Bond. He thinks like Bond and anticipates his every move and due to his training is quite possibly the greatest physical threat to Bond ever portrayed as well as the greatest mental threat.
I think this is the one Bond movie that is a 10/10. It is the perfect James Bond movie.
What are your thoughts?
This movie is everything a Bond movie should be. It is in my opinion the first modern Bond movie. It embraces some of the more silly cliches of James Bond mythos while adapting them into a modern society. It doesn't feel the need to turn away from what makes the Bond franchise unique but instead plays them up in a more realistic, post Cold War setting.
Many credit Craig for turning Bond into a more human character, but I gotta say, Brosnan did it first. Die Another Day is really the only Bond movie where Brosnan is a caricature. Prior to Brosnan, you had no middle ground. It was either a rigid, cold, humorless, Bond (Dalton, and to an extent Connery) or an over the top, childish Bond (like Roger Moore). Brosnan gave Bond a soul. He played him as a vulnerable person (his scenes with Natasha in Goldeneye, Alec's first "death," and his guilt over it, etc) while at the same time he is a cold, detatched, efficient killer ("For England, James?" "For me, Alec."). There are layers to Bond in this movie. Plus he does not neglect the wit or charm of James Bond (as I feel to this point, to an extent, though not entirely, Craig has. Though I blame the scripts, not Craig).
Furthermore, you have two very complete Bond girls. Natasha, while essentially a damsel-in-distress provides much more. She allows the audience to get insight into Bond's world view and brings out a more vulnerable side to him. Meanwhile, Xenia Onnatopp is more your classic Bond girl-villain. Plus Janssen has so much fun with the role and plays it so perfectly, you can't help but rank her as one of the top Bond girls.
The supporting cast is great as well. Lleweyln is brilliant as Q, of course. Plus this is Samantha Bond's best outting as Moneypenny and actually my favorite portrayl of Moneypenny. Instead of a silly school girl with a crush, she actually comes off as James' equal to an extent (which may explain why he has never bedded her). "Some day you'll have to make good on your inneuendos." Brilliant line.
But the real star of the supporting cast is Judi Dench as M. Her first outting is in my opinion the best. I love the dynamic introduced between her and Bond. Bond sees her as an accountant who was wrongfully promoted and she sees him as an outdated relic from the Cold War. I really wish they continued this dynamic down the line.
The action sequences are top notch. Some are elaborate, mindless fun (the tank through Moscow, the plane escape)...others are brutal, gritty and personal (the final showdown with Bond and 006). It is a perfect balance.
And the villain, what else can you say about Trevelyan other than he is the best Bond villain to date. He is the anti-Bond. He has Bond's training. He knows Bond. He thinks like Bond and anticipates his every move and due to his training is quite possibly the greatest physical threat to Bond ever portrayed as well as the greatest mental threat.
I think this is the one Bond movie that is a 10/10. It is the perfect James Bond movie.
What are your thoughts?
I get You Only Live Twice, but A View to Kill shocks me. And don't get me wrong, I LOVE A View to Kill, but most would claim it their guilty pleasure Bond movie, not a favorite.
Amen.
