GoldenEye Movie Review

More than thirty years since the release of Doctor No, 1995 sees the release of the 18th installment in Ian Fleming's long standing James Bond series. GoldenEye, directed by Martin Campbell, features Pierce Brosnan as James Bond for the first time. In this film Bond is pitted against the Janus Syndicate, a group of high powered, low profile arms dealers, who steal the access codes for a powerful Russian space weapons satellite. This Satellite, aptly titled "GoldenEye", was developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War and is capable of firing a devastating electromagnetic pulse straight toward earth. GoldenEye is an intelligent thrill ride that catapulted Bond into the Nineties and made me proud to be a fan of the series.

The movie begins with 007 infiltrating a chemical weapons facility hidden deep within the Soviet Union. Inside he meets up with his partner Alec Trevelyn, played by Sean Bean. The two proceed with their mission until an alarm sounds and 006 is taken captive and held at gunpoint by General Arkady Ourumov. Unable to rescue his partner, Bond is forced to finish the mission alone. Nine years later Bond crosses paths with the only known member of the Janus Syndicate, Xenia Onatopp, played by Famke Janssen. The next day a Tiger Helicopter is hijacked, and used to gain control of the GoldenEye satellite. M then assigns Bond to a new mission. That mission is to find out who has control of the powerful satellite, and what exactly it is they plan on doing with it.

The action sequences in this film are a lot like the character of Bond: larger than life, but seemingly realistic. The movie kicks off with Bond diving off the side of the Byelomorye Dam to gain entry to a secret Soviet Union chemical weapons facility. Once inside he makes his way to where the deadly gasses are being stored and, in typical Bond fashion, blows the roof off the place. After making such an impressive entrance, 007 outdoes himself by riding a motorcycle off a cliff to catch a plane mid-flight for an even more impressive exit. Another more remarkable scene comes later in the film. After escaping detainment from the Russian Military Police, Bond pursues Natalya and her kidnappers by commandeering a tank through the streets of St. Petersburg while destroying everything in his path. Not only are these scenes breathtaking, they are a joy to watch.

The characters in this film represent everything you have come to expect in a Bond film, and a whole lot more. The role of "good" Bond girl has been giving to Izabella Scorupco, who plays Natalya Simonova. She is a Russian programmer who worked in the facility that controlled the GoldenEye satellite. Natalya is not merely a hood ornament on Bond's Astin Martin; she plays an integral part in the story. Perhaps an even more important character in the film is "M", the head of MI6. Now played by Judi Dench, this re-invented character helps to refresh the series. Pierce Brosnan does an excellent job in portraying Bond. The script calls for Bond to be less like Superman, and more like Mr. Rogers in the sense that he is more vulnerable than ever. Brosnan is able to pull this off and make it look good. I could not ask for better actors in an action film.

Unlike action films with a script based around big stunts and explosions, the script is the backbone of this film. To keep the film from getting too serious, there are many clever jokes thrown in along the way. An example of this is when "Q", the gadget guy, is equipping Bond with the necessary spy gadgets. After explaining to James how to detonate an exploding pen, Bond sees a large sub sandwich and proceeds to pick it up thinking it is a well-disguised tool. Before he does, however, Q stops him and exclaims, "Don't touch that, that's my lunch!" Another element that makes the script so great is the carefully written characters with emotions. The characters seem less superficial and therefore they are easier to believe. They also help to reveal a darker, more personal side of Bond. The biggest reason why I thought this movie had such a great script is because it helped Bond to evolve into a spy in the Nineties. It recognized that the cold war was over and built a script around that very fact. The well-written script helped this film to rise above the average action flick.

There are many reasons why I believe this is one of the best films in its genre. It delivered unforgettable action sequences, realistic characters who showed emotion, and a meaningful script. Each year there loads of movies released by Hollywood directors only to be forgotten and pushed aside. Many action movies, such as the Vin Diesel film xXx, rely too heavily on over-the-top action and leave much to be desired in the acting department. GoldenEye combines all the elements of a great action film and puts them all together for you in one of the best action films of all time.