Movie Review # 383: Goldeneye (1995)

Good morning everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your Labor weekend thus far, whether you are on vacation, or not. Anyway, today, for the 007 marathon, we are entering into the 1990s, when special effects seemed to improve greatly at this point, the musical scores would improve, and things like that. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Pierce Brosnan is the actor playing James Bond at this point? So how about that? Anyway, let’s dive into the very first PG-13 rated 007 film. The one and only 1995’s Goldeneye!

Plot: When it is discovered that an organization by the name of Goldeneye has missiles scattered throughout Earth’s orbit that can be powerful enough to destroy nations, can Bond (Pierce Brosnan) stop Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), the leader of Goldeneye, and his lackeys from carrying out their mission and/or creating war on the world?

Okay, once again, we have yet one of the better folks in this series. Apparently so much so that a 007 video was spawned, if not more than one. First off, Pierce Brosnan does a really great job with playing James Bond. Okay, Brosnan may not be Sean Connery by any means. However, he does have his own unique sense of humor that seemed to be more absent when Bond was played by Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton. Seeing as that was the case, people can appreciate that aspect, seeing as Bond’s sense of humor had, to a degree, decreased for a while after Sean Connery finished up his time as James Bond. There are also some fantastic lines in the script. In fact, even Bond himself knows how to deliver some of those really good lines? Could he keep this up in the remaining few films that he starred in for this film series? We shall soon see. Speaking of brilliant scripts, and humor, Agent Q is back once again. Much like with any of the other James Bond movies that he’s been in, he knows how to bring in the light-hearted side to this film. Most of the other main characters stand out as well, from Natalia Simonova, Alec Trevelyan, Xenia Onatopp, and others as well. Let’s also talk about how this is the very first film to be rated PG-13. Yeah, with the direction that this film went, 007: Goldeneye most definitely was appropriately rated this time around. The reason being is because this this film seemed to be more violent than the other 007 prior to this one. Okay, that’s not to say that the previous James Bond films weren’t also violent to one degree, or another as well. However, when it comes to 007: Goldeneye, there were some scenes that were much more violent than other scenes in the other films before. Because of this, one can easily understand why the other 007 films before this were only rated PG. Plus, there was more sensuality in this film than some of the implied sensuality that was in the other films before. Honestly, part of me was curious to see if it would have been okay for 7 year-old me to see this film, like how I saw the PG-13 rated First Knight earlier that year. While First Knight might have been an okay one even for young kids to see, I’m not so sure that the same can also be said about a film like 007: Goldeneye as well. In addition to these positives, 007: Goldeneye teaches a couple very valuable lessons. First off, there’s the lesson about how we should not always trust everyone that we come in contact with, or develop a close relationship with. Seeing as many of us have a tendency to do that even when we shouldn’t trust certain people, it is a very good lesson to be reminded of. Additionally, the movie also teaches a great lesson about not being arrogant, or cocky enough to think how we invincible, and or exempt from death. Man, talk about how pride comes before fall.

But is this an A+ 007 film? Definitely not! As a matter of fact, there are a couple areas where this film falls short. First of all, there were points in the beginning, where the film seemed to drag a little too much. Yes, some of the beginning was cool to watch. However, if you shortened certain parts of the beginning, or cut them out, it would have made the movie a little better. Also, there’s the deal with Sean Bean being cast as the villain. Now, allow me to explain! Sean Bean did a great job playing the villain, Alec Trevelyan. However, it seemed as if this was the beginning of Sean Bean playing villains in almost every action movie that he was in. Come on! Why not mix it up, and have Sean Bean play the hero half, of not three quarters of the time, and have him play the villain around a quarter to half the time, you know? I wouldn’t be surprised if Bean himself felt the same way somewhere along the way, along with some of the audience as well, you know?

And that’s my review for 007: Goldeneye. For being Pierce Brosnan’s first debut as James Bond, this film is very impressive. It has great action, some really well-thought our characters, and an overall good story. It was also best that this film was rated PG-13 for there being more violence, and more sensuality this time around. If you’re old enough to see this film, definitely do so, and see what you think!

Final Grade: A-