GoldenEye (1995)

Welcome back to my James Bond marathon!  We've finally reached the Pierce Brosnan era, with the 17th official film, GoldenEye (1995).

SYNOPSIS:
A top secret Russian satellite system known as GoldenEye is designed to fire an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) at a specified location, frying all electronics within a 30-mile radius.  When Russian General Ourumov (Gottfried John) and his deadly assistant, Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen) steal the GoldenEye program and launch keys, James Bond, Agent 007 (Pierce Brosnan) is sent to investigate.  He discovers the mastermind behind the theft is Alec Trevelyan, former Agent 006 (Sean Bean), long thought dead.  Alec holds a grudge against England, and James Bond for scarring his face the last time they met.  Can Bond stop his former friend before GoldenEye is used to destroy England?

REVIEW:
This is sort of a soft reboot of the James Bond series.  Albert R. Broccoli, the remaining producer who had originally bought the film rights from author Ian Fleming, was suffering from poor health and would pass away shortly after this film released.  He helped produce this film, but leaned heavily on his daughter, Barbara Broccoli, to help reinvigorate the franchise for a new generation.  Poor reviews and low ticket sales for the previous film, License to Kill (1989) meant that the franchise could be on its last legs without some changes.  Barbara Broccoli had been helping produce the franchise since Octopussy (1983), but this was her first time reinventing the series, bringing the franchise into the modern era.  The changes she brought helped to create a new successful era for James Bond through the '90s.

The GoldenEye program and keys

Desmond Llewelyn is the only returning actor, continuing his famous role as Q.  He provides Bond with a few new gadgets to play with: An exploding pen, which sets a four-second trigger when you click it three times.  A leather belt with a built-in tensile wire that can support one person's weight.  And finally, Bond's new car, a BMW Z3.  Bond also makes use of an Omega watch with a built-in laser.

Q explaining the many features of Bond's new ride

M has been replaced with a woman, played by Judi Dench.  She tells Bond that he's a "sexist, misogynistic dinosaur; a relic of the Cold War."  She doesn't approve of his womanizing ways and lets him know that despite her being viewed by her people as more of an accountant type, she knows what the job entails and has no qualms with potentially sending agents to their deaths.  This new, tough M will continue to challenge Bond through the Brosnan era, keeping him in line when he strays.

Judi Dench with her cold, judging stare.

There's a new actress playing Moneypenny too: Samantha Bond.  Rather than fawn over James Bond like previous Moneypenny roles, this Moneypenny straight up accuses him of sexual harassment in their first scene, only expressing the slightest bit of interest in him by admitting he needs to follow through on his innuendos one of these days.  "Playful banter" in the '90s comes with a harassment warning, apparently.

Moneypenny laying down the law!

It was a new era, and the age of the James Bond who could get away with forcing himself on women was over.  This first revitalized Bond film needed to set that standard.  Although Bond still gets a little forceful a couple times in this film, he also meets his match with the tenacious Xenia Onatopp, who derives sexual pleasure from killing.  Her preferred method of assassination? Crushed between her thighs during sex.  She corners Bond at a bathhouse, where even the infamously promiscuous Bond needs to tell her that no means no.  Is it female empowerment when the genders are swapped?

When even James Bond has to tell you no, you know you've gone too far

We're also introduced to Jack Wade (Joe Don Baker), Bond's new CIA counterpart.  If this is truly a continuation of the old Bond films, then you may recall that Felix Leiter, Bond's friend and CIA buddy, got maimed by a shark in the previous film, losing a leg.  It's assumed that Leiter is now out of commission and retired, so Bond gets a new CIA contact when dealing with US territories.

Jack Wade, CIA - taking over for Felix Leiter for the Brosnan era

One thing to note is that this is the first James Bond film to use dynamic lighting in the famous opening gun barrel scene.  Up until this point, every opening had a static image of the inside of a gun barrel while following James Bond.  In GoldenEye (1995), they made it look like an actual gun barrel, with light reflecting in real time inside the barrel while it traced Bond across the white room.  You can view it here:

This film is another original story, not having any ties to the old James Bond novels.  It was named after Ian Fleming's own private Jamaican villa, Goldeneye, where he wrote all the original James Bond novels.  You may remember my Casino Royale (1954) review all the way back at the start of this movie marathon, where I talk a bit about Ian Fleming and his Goldeneye villa, and where he originally came up with that name.

GoldenEye (1995) was the very first James Bond film I ever saw.  Back then, I didn't realize it was an entire franchise.  I thought it was just a regular stand-alone '90s action film.  When I was around 12 years old, my close friends and I really got into spy films and I discovered a James Bond VHS collection at Best Buy with the first 16 films.  It was my first true introduction to the franchise, and I've been a huge fan ever since.

My first taste of the spy franchise was through this VHS collection

My interest in the franchise was only encouraged through the wildly popular GoldenEye 007, which released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997.  It became the most popular first-person shooter of its time, inspiring the world of multiplayer gaming.  Having re-watched this film makes me want to pull out my old N64 and play some GoldenEye 007 levels again.

Look at those cutting-edge graphics!  ...For the '90s, anyway

You may be interested to hear that GoldenEye 007 has had a high-definition fan remake in the works for years now.  It will be called GoldenEye 25, due to the fact that it's scheduled to release in 2022, the 25th anniversary of GoldenEye 007.  Check out some sweet gameplay here:

Finally, if you miss the days of GoldenEye 007 multiplayer, there's a fan-made multiplayer-only game built off the Half-Life 2 engine called GoldenEye: Source.  It's a free project - install that game on your computer and jump into an online multiplayer match in your favorite GoldenEye 007 levels, re-made with high-quality graphics.  Their website is here.

That GoldenEye Bunker level looks amazing in high-def!

The self-titled opening song of GoldenEye (1995) is performed by Tina Turner, and for a while, was one of my favorite Bond themes.  The music in general was really good throughout this film; although hearing the soundtrack now, I realize it had heavy undertones of the '90s era embedded in its style.  You can listen to/watch it here:

RECOMMENDATION:
This is the classic that got me into the James Bond franchise in the first place, as well as refreshing the character and story for a new generation.  If you watch only one James Bond film, you should seriously consider this one!