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| 5/5 Stars |
One day at the video store, my Dad wanted to rent a movie that I had never even heard of before. More importantly, I didn’t even know that it was part of a long-running film franchise known the world over. The movie was “GoldenEye” and it served as my introduction into the world of Bond… James Bond.
In the movie, Pierce Brosnan debuted as Bond and he must uncover the terrorist group behind the hijacking of an experimental helicopter. He must also discover their intentions after they steal the key to a satellite known as GoldenEye.
If used, the satellite sends out an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that can wipe out all of the electronic equipment anywhere it targets. In addition to all of that, Bond must also come face-to-face with a former friend turned enemy and deal with a villain that knows all of his own moves and what motivates Bond in the first place.
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| Pierce Brosnan made his debut as Bond in 1995's 'GoldenEye'! |
After I watched the movie, I told my dad how much I loved it and that was when he revealed to me the history of the franchise. We went out later and found the other Bond films here and there and I became a massive Bond fan. So, for me, this movie holds a special place in my heart even if it isn’t my favorite film now as it rests comfortably in third place behind 2006’s “Casino Royale” and 1964’s “Goldfinger”.
One thing I enjoy about this movie is Brosnan as James Bond. For me, he brought back a balance to the role not seen since Sean Connery. While I would eventually enjoy both Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton, they were admittedly too humorous or too serious, respectfully.
Brosnan could expertly handle the film’s extensive action sequences but he could also deliver a humorous one-liner flawlessly. I’ve seen a lot of backlash within the fandom about Brosnan’s time in the role, but I find those criticisms to be unfounded and really enjoy Brosnan’s Bond even to this day.
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| Sean Bean plays the main Bond villain Alec Trevelyan in 'GoldenEye'! |
The villain of the movie is Sean Bean as former Agent 006, Alec Trevelyan. He is probably one of the best villains Bond has ever had. Part of this is because Bond actually has a personal connection to the character and that makes Alec more of a threat and gives their conflict an emotional center. Another reason Alec works is due to the fact that Bean is always a dependable villain when you need him to be.
The one thing that I will admit is a little weird is the industrial score from Eric Serra. It does feel out of place as a Bond score. I’ll admit that my nostalgia for the score allows me to enjoy it, but it is objectively one of the stranger Bond scores.
Finally, there is the action in the movie and this one is phenomenal when it comes to that department. Whether it is the thrilling bungee jump off the dam at the beginning of the movie or a chase through St. Petersburg in a tank, the action sequences are some of the best ever featured in the Bond series.
At the end of the day, this was a thrilling debut for Brosnan’s Bond era. He would go on to make three more films and while I hated his last one, “Die Another Day”, I loved both “Tomorrow Never Dies” and “The World Is Not Enough”. Yet, despite my love for those movies, they never quite reached the heights of Brosnan’s debut Bond movie.
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