After two gritty films from Timothy Dalton as 007, Pierce Brosnan resurrects the series from a 6-year sleep with 1995's GoldenEye. I liked the film, and I felt it was tightly produced. Read on for more.

GoldenEye

The opening of GoldenEye sets a rather thrilling tone for the rest of the movie, and it continues the trend of incorporating mind-boggling stunts at the outset of each Bond film. The leap off the edge of the dam is exhilarating, and Bond's subsequent break-in to the weapons facility is convincingly executed. Now that we're officially in the mid-90s, the production quality is top notch and, unlike many of the previous entries, holds up relatively well compared to the action we see today.

Pierce Brosnan exudes the same kind of charisma that Roger Moore did, except that Brosnan is a little smoother and a little less stiff. All traces of the Dalton Bond seem to have disappeared here, and the first quarter of GoldenEye definitely felt like a return to the old Bond formulas. In fact, in the traditional chase scene wherein Bond meets Famke Janssen's Xenia Onatopp, we see him driving his classic Aston Martin DB5. And with Onatopp, we also have a return to the suggestive female names.

Later on, we're introduced to the new M, played by Judi Dench. Allusions to her "predecessor" are made in passing, and the villain, Janus (Sean Bean), a former MI6 agent himself, mentions the fact that the "new M" is a woman. I think this was an effective transition from one M to another (even though I noticed the original M had been missing, apparently due to his death), and since Judi Dench is so good in the role, it didn't bother me at all.

In fact, the acting all around is pretty solid in GoldenEye. Onatopp is a little excessive at times, and Alan Cumming as a super hacker was strangely unconvincing (you'd think he'd fit perfectly in a role like that), but I really felt everyone else delivered. Even Izabella Scorupco, who plays Natalya Simonova, eventually proved herself, after the first half of the movie had me thinking she'd be another one of those disposable Bond girls we hardly remember. There's also another new Moneypenny, and while she's fine in her 5 minutes on screen, the attempts to recreate the sexual tension that existed between Lois Maxwell and Sean Connery or Roger Moore fell far short. They weren't clever or witty so much as cold and even a little acerbic.

The sinister plot at the heart of the story is somewhat unimportant, but Sean Bean and Famke Janssen make a mean pair. Onatopp's rather unique "skill" was humorous to me; I pictured her threatening to squeeze the life out of Professor X and screaming, "Call me... the Thighmaster!" And Sean Bean, well, he's yet another one of those guys who just looks like a "bad guy;" I think it's his beady, scheming eyes. When he got shot in the opening scenes, and then his name was the first (aside from Pierce Brosnan's) to pop up in the opening credits, I knew right away that he would be the central villain. But he was convincing enough to make his ridiculous motives sound genuine, unlike, say, Drax, who just looked like he spent a lot of time reading Marie Claire and snacking on popcorn chicken.

In general, the action was put together very well, I thought. There were moments of utter chaos that harkened back to the recklessness of Roger Moore's Bond, particularly in the tank chase, but for some reason, I reveled in the mass destruction. The set pieces were highly impressive, and the fistfights were choreographed well, especially when compared to the early 007 films. I think these were elements that really blossomed with the Dalton films, but here it's quite apparent that a lot more money was being spent on hardware (tanks, choppers, etc.) and special effects.

Overall, I thought GoldenEye was a tightly crafted Bond movie. I've obviously learned by now to suspend my disbelief to enjoy these movies, so I had few qualms with continuity or logic here. The story, while not the most creative, was pushed along at a pretty even pace, which kept me engaged for the most part. And seeing Brosnan operate as Bond really shed light on precisely how grim Dalton was in the role, which is not to say that was a bad thing at all. I think it's fascinating to see what each actor brings to 007, and I look forward to what else Brosnan can offer.

My favorite line: "No, you're supposed to die for me." -- Perhaps Janus had some encounters with Goldfinger during his MI6 days.

My favorite moment: Bond and Simonova are trapped inside a stolen chopper as missiles are about to destroy them. In a desperate effort to escape, Bond starts swinging his head furiously, attempting to press buttons with his forehead. Eventually he finds the Eject button, but I found the imagery hilarious.

Other Articles:

• Day 1: Dr. No (1962)
• Day 2: From Russia With Love (1963)
• Day 3: Goldfinger (1964)
• Day 4: Thunderball (1965)
• Day 5: Casino Royale (1967)
• Day 6: You Only Live Twice (1967)
• Day 7: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
• Day 8: Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
• Day 9: Live and Let Die (1973)
• Day 10: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
• Day 11: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
• Day 12: Moonraker (1979)
• Day 13: For Your Eyes Only (1981)
• Day 14: Octopussy (1983)
• Day 15: Never Say Never Again (1983)
• Day 16: A View to a Kill (1985)
• Day 17: The Living Daylights (1987)
• Day 18: Licence to Kill (1989)
• Day 19: GoldenEye (1995)
• Day 20: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
• Day 21: The World Is Not Enough (1999)
• Day 22: Die Another Day (2002)
• Day 23: Casino Royale (2006)
• Day 24: Quantum of Solace (2008)