James Bond. Agent 007. That is a name that almost the entire world can easily recognize. He’s suave, sophisticated, and just such a cool character. Who do you picture when you hear someone introduce themselves as Bond…James Bond? Can you remember the first Bond movie you ever watched? GoldenEye (the 17th Bond film) happened to be my introduction to the world of James Bond and I can remember being very excited to rent it from the Blockbuster near my dad’s house. There was a rather large gap between Bond films as this premiered in 1995 and the previous entry “License to Kill” was 1989, so there were some definite expectations. But even with that extra added pressure Pierce Brosnan is forever emblazoned as Mr. Bond in my brain and this movie is the reason why.
First and foremost when discussing one of the legendary Bond films, you have to look at the man playing Mr. Bond. Pierce Brosnan is now the face that goes with the name James Bond. He was smooth and confident and at times also very funny. The story is entertaining even though it may not be the most ground breaking. Agent 007 has to save the world from some bad guys with a plan to hijack a military satellite and do a lot of damage. I really enjoyed the action sequences and there are several large set pieces where the tension is cranked up to 11 and keeps you locked in. Almost all the characters are fairly interesting and the actors came through for pretty strong performances. Two actors that really shine here (besides Pierce Brosnan) are Sean Bean as Agent 006 and Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp. They both really owned their roles and seemed to fully embrace their characters. Even the minor characters made big time impacts with limited screen time. A lot of things to like in this one and I could probably ramble for awhile.
While this movie is very enjoyable and memorable it is not without its minor faults. It feels a bit long in a few sections on its way to a 130 minute run time. Only one character sort of let me down, Natalya, a Russian programmer. She spends equal parts being helpful and otherwise making shrill noises. There is also quite a bit of campy/cheesy humor along the way which is part of the James Bond experience but I understand how it can rub some people the wrong way. Even for me there is some over the top cheesiness, some extra cheese if you will.
Goldeneye holds a special place in my heart (and movie collection) since it introduced me to the super cool, super suave world of James Bond. It is a movie that I will watch every time it is on, even with commercials, and even though I own it. (full disclosure, may have a problem :P) I love the action and the witty one-liners from 007. Even on rewatches the movie still holds up after over 20 years of viewing. James Bond charms his way to a stellar 1 Apology rating and has started off the Pierce Brosnan era with a bang.