Amazon.com video review:
The 18th James Bond adventure was a runaway box-office success
when released in 1995, thanks to the arrival of Pierce
Brosnan as the fifth actor (following the departure of Timothy
Dalton) to play the suave, danger-loving Agent 007. This James Bond is
a bit more vulnerable and psychologically complex--and just a shade
more politically correct--but he's still a formally attired playboy at
heart, with a lovely Russian beauty (Izabella Scorupco) as his sexy
ally against a cadre of renegade Russians bent on--what else?--global
domination. There's also a seductive villainous with the suggestive
name of Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), and the great actress Judi
Dench makes her first appearance as Bond's superior, M, who wisecracks
about 007's "dinosaur" status as a globetrotting sexist. All
in all, this action-packed Bond adventure provided a much-needed boost
the long-running movie series, revitalizing the 007 franchise for the
turn of the millennium. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com video review:
Seven films. Four Bonds. One set. This sprawling collection surveys
over 30 years of James Bond skullduggery, from the cold war tensions of
the 1960s to the international free-for-all of the present. Sean Connery
remains the coolest of the Bonds, a ruthless agent with dry martini wit and
a way with the women, and in Goldfinger his steely presence helped
forge the Bond formula of tongue-in-cheek wit, wondrous secret agent toys
created by Q, and megalomaniac supervillains bent on world destruction.
Thunderball upped the Bond ante with the most ambitious
adventure--and
budget--to date. Roger Moore brought an altogether lighter tone to 007 with
Live and Let Die, softening Connery's rough edges with a more
romantic persona as the films became even more exotic. After a brief
digression into outer space, For Your Eyes Only returned Bond to
globetrotting high adventure and teamed him with his most endearing ally
(Topol as a gregarious smuggler). Timothy Dalton made his second and final
appearance as Bond in Licence to Kill, the toughest of the Bond
films
since Connery's early efforts. Though not a fan favorite, it's a sleek,
solid adventure with an edge missing from the Moore pictures. Pierce
Brosnan
is the latest to take on 007's licence to kill, combining the best of
Connery's cool and Moore's humor. GoldenEye is the best Bond film in
years, a grand globetrotting adventure with lovely Bond girls and a tough
new M (Judy Dench). Tomorrow Never Dies doesn't recapture that magic
mix of action, gadgetry, and romance, but does feature the first Bond girl
to match 007 blow for blow: Hong Kong action superstar Michelle Yeoh. Taken
together, this set is a veritable cross-section of the many faces of James
Bond. All that's missing is George Lazenby. Do I hear a nomination for
set 2? --Sean Axmaker
Amazon.com video review:
Pierce Brosnan assumed the role of James Bond for the first
time in this 17th entry in the series. Brosnan looks a little light
on the big screen under any circumstances, and he does take some
getting used to as 007. But this busy film keeps him hopping as
freelance terrorists from the former Soviet Union get their hands on
super-high-tech weapons. The film's challenge is to bring
free-spirited Bond up to date in the age of AIDS and in the aftermath
of the cold war, and on both counts director Martin Campbell (The
Mask of Zorro) succeeds with a cheeky hint of irony. The best
moment in the film is a chase scene that finds Bond tearing up the
streets of Moscow in a tank. But Brosnan's most interesting
contributions are reminiscent of the dark streak that occasionally
showed up in Sean Connery's Bond. The DVD release has optional
full-screen and widescreen presentations, optional French and Spanish
soundtracks, theatrical trailer, Dolby sound. --Tom Keogh
