I must say, GoldenEye has the some of the best casting ever for a Bond film. And it’s so rich with interesting characters and an awesome villain. It’s the closest to perfection as a Bond film.
I saw Goldeneye on the day I passed my driving test. I celebrated by taking myself off to see the film. I then spent the entire film worrying that I'd left my car's headlights on. And that was my experience of Goldeneye.
That shows how great this movie is. You were that worried but still you couldn't bring yourself to just run out and check your car in case you missed a few minutes of the greatest Bond movie ever made.
Pierce Brosnan was the perfect mix of Connery and Moore. He could be intense, charming, a little glib at times. I wish we got one more movie out of him before Casino Royale
@carlosborrasetaylor7630 Like Brosnan, Craig's best movie was his first, unlike Craig though Goldeneye was good because of Brosnan whereas Casino Royale was good inspite of Craig. At least that's my view
Watching the movie again, I felt like Leo Decaprio in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", snapping my fingers and pointing at things I see in the movie that were also put into the game.
@@averageant7173 the frigate never even left the dock in the film, right? The only characters that infiltrated were Xenia and her accomplice. And no "tracking bug" was placed on the helicopter. Was still an awesome mission to play though, so definitely got points for that.
GoldenEye still is the "coolest" Bond film for me, it has that mid- 90s edgy tone, grit and seriousness that makes it seem like something completely different from what came before. In terms of reviving and bringing a new tone to Bond, it truly showed that he isn't just a sexist, misogynist relic of the cold war, but a character that can blend perfectly into any era if done right. Great video as always :D
Yeah, and they dealt with the whole sexism and female M stuff etc properly, tastefully and not making a big circus out of it. They also didn't throw the baby out with the bathwater as they seem to be trying to do lately for some weird reason. They seem convinced these days that to revive a film series they have to somehow completely deconstruct it, ruin and destroy it then try to reinvent the wheel for no reason.
Fun Facts: • The blonde lady with the gold & black dress, next to Xenia, was a contest winner during *"Licence to Kill"* and Eon promised her an appearance in the next Bond film. Even after six years, Eon kept their promise and put her in *"GoldenEye".* • In the film's novelization written by John Gardner (his final one), Xenia's Ferrari was yellow instead of red. • Producer Michael G. Wilson not only has his traditional cameo in Defense Minister Mishkin's meeting room, but it is his hand (posing as General Ouromov's) that picked Admiral Russell's ID from his suit. • Caroline Bliss (former Moneypenny) & Samantha Bond (her replacement) were childhood friends and Caroline had no ill feelings with Samantha, stating that she's glad that the role went into someone she loved.
Holy smokes your about the lady in the gold dress!!!! well said man. I know the 'masters of the universe' movie had something similar with a kid in it haha. yeah good point about caroline and samantha there man :)
22:50 ish, I LOOOVE Brosnans face when he walks away from moneypenny. I always read it as 'all right, chit chats over, time to work'. Not him being pissed off with her. I think one of the reasons i love Brosnan as Bond so much, are these choices he makes with his face and body movements. Like the way he tosses an empty gun, or how he pours the vodka in TND, his scared face when alec dies in the opening. Or the face he makes when he walks away from her in that scene 😍
All I can say about "GoldenEye" is to echo your statement that it's an absolutely beautiful, almost perfect film. Brosnan knocked it out of the park with his debut. Bean is the best "dark side of Bond" villain". The entire supporting cast of henchmen are so good they almost overshadow Trevelyan...and well...Xenia Onatopp...If had to choose how I go out of this world, I'm getting the Canadian Admiral treatment. No question! Given that "No Time To Die" has severely affected my opinion of the Craig era as a whole and even Craig himself...I MAY have to dethrone "Casino Royale" and put "GoldenEye" back as my personal #1 Bond film.
Y'know, I'm kind of similar but with Skyfall. I still really love the film but I think Craig fatigue has set in and I just don't have the desire to watch it anymore where it used to be one I could stick on and enjoy any time. I think some distance from the Craig era will do me some good for a little while!
@@bonghunezhou5051 haha , naah infact james bond jr is better ;) interesting on thunderball. i do love it alot my self. though i would give the 'libary congress of the preservation of film' to goldfinger though. but still thunderbaal is wonderful, though Goldeneye like 'TSWLM' did for the 70's, GE did for the 90's :)
Glad to see Natalya getting praise! She's one of my favorite underrated Bond girls. The fact that we meet her long before she meets Bond gives us a chance to get to know her, and her grief over the senseless murder of her friends and co-workers gives her more depth and gives us a real feel for the tragedy...these people aren't just collateral damage to be forgotten about; they're real people who someone cared about. (They did touch on that kind of thing in A View To A Kill when Zorin murdered his workers, but it was kind of swallowed up in all the general ridiculousness.) I love that without being an over-the-top ass-kicker, she DOES kick ass...she's smart, capable, and quick-thinking. I could imagine Bond being happy with her if he'd decided to settle down with her...there is something very Tracy-like about her.
I'm from Saint-Petersburg myself, walk around these streets very often. The blending between SPB and Leavesden is done very nicely. A lot of this chase was filmed right next to the residence of Anatoly Sobchak, then Mayor of the city. But originally much more action planned to film on location. In the midst of the production the Saint-Petersburg officials restricted further shooting as the multi-tonn tank could damage the city's sewer system. Holding a soft-spot for GoldenEye myself. That's the first ever Bond film to be released in Russia OFFICIALLY. You're doing a great work, Calvin. Keep it up!
Nice info! My Dad worked in Saint- Petersberg during the early 90's and he always complained about the Tank chase. The bit where he takes the Tank through that tight alley and crashes out by the river, he'd always go "You can't get to there from there by going through there!" 🤣
I always thought Onatopp’s accomplice in Monaco was Ourumov in disguise - considering we see two people get in in Monaco and two people get out in Severnaya I guess I assumed they were the same two people. I suppose it makes more sense for it not to be Ourumov (he looks nothing like Admiral Chuck, and having a Russian general that someone might recognise could jeopardise the mission) but, as you say, the plot’s already a bit contrived so I guess I just rolled with it. Yeah, Ourumov was in Monaco and stole a helicopter, I mean why not? We’ve all done it.
I always thought that too but always found it weired why they didnt atleast give Orumov beard or something in that scene. Now Actually I kinda feel like now that maybe if it was just another guy, the best moment he could have come back in the movie would be in the henchman in the suana scene with Bond and Xenia
Yeah I've gone through phases of thinking it was Ourumov and even Alec to be honest and they certainly filmed it (or perhaps edited it) to obscure much of the guys face in those scenes so it at least leads you to think there must be some kind of reveal... I guess it could be either of those guys in a disguise but it's weird that it's never really addressed.
I never noticed it until watching this video. I completely forget about the quick scene where Onatopp and her accomplice have to show their credentials to the NATO commander. In my mind, Bond finds Farrel dead on the yacht, cut to Onatopp and Ourumov getting into the helicopter from a distance, and then Bond tries stop them but gets apprehended by the NATO guards. So I never even noticed that the guy with Onatopp looked a lot like Farrel. Not so much a plot hole but definitely an unanswered question. If they ever cover GoldenEye on The Rewatchables, that should be number one in the Probably Unanswerable Questions segment haha.
I think it is actually Alec. He's wearing the same watch as he does later on. She smiles at him the same as she does with Alec. And the guy always looked like Sean Bean to me
@@aaronkalms1674 MIND TOTALY BLOWN!!!!! i think your absolutely right there come to think of it. the watch and smile are great hints, well spotted man :) that must mean also that he knew Bond had been in contact with Xenia aswell maybe, though i think she thought he was someone at not someone from MI6 at first.cheers for sharing
Calvin, I hope its OK for me to say that not only is this THE review we've all been waiting for, I like to think its something you've been looking forward to do as well :) Well done for your dedication and passion for doing all this work over the last 10 plus years, on behalf of all 90's kids and Brosnan fans..... THANK YOU! :) "BUT...... Calvin Dyson will return in.....Night Fire" ;)
Thank you so much, Dafydd! You're always very kind and I hope you enjoyed the video :D Thank YOU for watching and always bringing great points and conversation to these comment sections. You often point out things I never even noticed or considered before so I always look forward to seeing what you have to add! Thanks very much again :)
@@calvindyson cheers man, looking forward to night fire review :) !!!! I thought actually you were gona do a joke about the way Pierce says "Muffy" with his slight american accents coming in there haha
Best ever review of Goldeneye. Keep the Brosnan love going. Im a 70s Bond fan but love Brosnan just as much as I loved Roger. He was perfect in the role and Goldeneye is a masterpiece!!
Escapism, yes, so doesn't need to fit the logic of our reality. But the internal logic of the film has to be relatively sound, or this distracts from the fun (please see my comment above/below).
but this film does follow its own consistent logic. "Contrivance" is a thing that happens in rea life all the time; as long as cause and effect follows from it, then it works, which it does in GoldenEye
I love Gottfried John as Ourumov in this film. Such a great, slimy villain & his facial reaction to Xenia’s orgasm as she massacres the Severnaya employees kills me everytime 😂 - I just wish he had a better send-off on the train, but I suppose he had served his purpose at that point.
@@androidemulator6952 yup. His reaction to Xenia enjoying herself a bit too much and him casually drinking out of a pocket bottle during the tank chase were great additions to an already well-written character.
ปีที่แล้ว +1
@@spencerkindra8822 Yes, he isn't a nameless henchman in that we know his name…
GoldenEye was my first Bond film and might be my favorite. If there’s one thing I’d call it, it’s the “baseline” Bond-film. It’s so close perfecting EVERYTHING when it comes to the Bond formula, such as Bond’s characterization, the supporting cast, action scenes, Q Branch and M scenes. It just nails everything, in a movie that perfectly balances the tone from light hearted adventure to dark and dramatic. It’s a true masterpiece.
The Bond of a generation is apt. I can still remember being 12 in 1997 and my Mum canvassing for Christmas present ideas for me. I asked for Goldeneye on the N64 and then after she asked “anything else?” I asked for the movie too. Even though it had probably been released on VHS a year prior-I still recollect it still feeling new and fresh as a home video release. Either way-the rest is history. The memories this gave me and my circle of friends are timeless. The day a few years ago when I finally had to concede Casino Royale has usurped Goldeneye as my number 1 Bond felt slightly sad to me.
@@chrisderidder4087 I'd say its not a better Bond movie but it is a marginally better spy movie. They are very different in a good way, and I love both movies. The Pierce Brosnan sequels are, generally speaking, better then the Daniel Craig sequels (with Die Another Day being the weakest for Brosnan and Quantum of Solice being maybe the dullest Bond film out of the entire franchise).
@@andromidius yeah depends how you look at it.. Goldeneye is classic bond perfected.. The Craig era is not my personal favorite but they are good action/spy movies.. I just don't think they are great bond movies
Cause they absolutely were still fresh back in the day. You saw it in the movie once, then you had to buy it on VHS. If I’m remembering correctly, it would take 3+ years or more for blockbuster movies to finally get cable TV releases.
I always took the evaluation Bond was undergoing was because of the new M, most of the agents and Mi6 personnel probably underwent some form of evaluation. As for the contrivance about Bond finding Xenia; I've always assumed that Bond had been assigned Janus. He was probably running down leads about an operative, even if he didn't know exactly who he was looking for.
I also assumed the evaluation was because of the new M because when Caroline orders him to stop the car Bond says something like "I have no problem with female authority"
@@francispetercanavan6386 I find it hard to connect this to LTK as it must be set many years later [due to the collapse of the soviet union and LTK tied into 80's drug issues] and this is such a 'fresh start' but I suppose the Bond timeline was never linear in fairness.
No Bond film really hit me and made me so excited and energetic watching it for the first time than Goldeneye. One of the best films in the franchise , even as a Brosnan hater, this is such a great Bond film and hits the marks in almost every area. Wish the rest of Brosnan’s tenure lived up to this first outing. Still easily a top five Bond film for me, just above No Time to Die. Well done Calvin.
I also really like the score. I like how Serra incorporates the Bond themes and motifs. I was actually disappointed how the subsequent movies returned to the same old same old. The different music makes Goldeneye unique in the whole series. It creates a different feel.
Serra also scored The Fifth Element released three years later. "Little Light of Love" played over the credits and now sounds to me like a far better, evolved version of Experience of Love having rewatched GoldenEye
One of the best Q scenes? I think it's THE best, personally. It brings with it a sense of continuity and evolution--their exchange after testing the exploding pen suggests that Q has grown used-to and even enjoys Bond's witticisms. To think that these two seemingly used to hate each other in the early days and now they genuinely enjoy each others' company.
I genuinely laughed when Bond curiously picks up Q's sandwich and Q snatches it out of his hand and says "Don't touch that! That's my lunch!". Bond feels like a toddler in that scene
I would give it my vote for the best Q scene. Brosnan and Llewelyn have amazing chemistry, and there’s a good mix of Bond receiving crucial gadgets and humorous side gags. Not to mention the great dialogue “You have a license to kill, not to break traffic laws” and “Don’t touch that! That’s my lunch”.
Back in that era, the console players were having the time of their lives with Goldeneye. And the PC players were having the time of their life with Quake. What a time to be alive it was.
I believe Eric Serra's song The Experience of Love was originally going to be used over the end credits of Luc Besson's 1994 film - Leon: The Professional with Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. However, Sting's Shape of My Heart was chosen instead so Serra held onto it and then used it in GoldenEye.
I dunno why people give the score a bad rap. I absolutely loved it. I didn’t see the professional until a couple of years later and instantly recognized it.
I was lucky enough to watch GoldenEye in the theaters, during Thanksgiving 1995 in Eugene, Oregon. It was my introduction to the Bond movies, and was a small, but essential piece of my childhood. It doesn't feel that long ago...
My intro to the character as a kid. Pierce had and still has that swagger. The colorful villains, the classic big 90s action, it really delivered. There are three bond films that hit on everything so well that i always come back to them most frequently. From russia with love, casino royale, and goldeneye
Completely agreed. It's not possible to separate your childhood introduction to a Bond actor and your "objective" evaluations of their performances compared others, but even when I try my hardest to do so, I don't know how Brosnan doesn't always come out on top for everyone (Except for Xenia, who is always Onatopp). I'll at least note that in the majority of fans' Bond rankings, where Brosnan isn't #1, he's almost always #2, which tells me that if you could strip away that "imprinting" effect that one's childhood introduction to Bond has from the actor they first saw, Brosnan would almost always be #1 ;) Even if we could somehow strip away Brosnan's performances entirely from his first three films, you still have some of the most well-written, interesting stories and characters/actors of just about any other Bond films. You also still have David Arnold who absolutely nailed John Barry without doing him a hint of disservice and still somehow added 200% more as he modernized it, so people new to Bond when seeing Brosnan films were getting the full John Barry, multi-dimensional, rich, suave brass experience from the scores but also modernized with some electronic undertones so they didn't notice the time differences as they would when starting with an older Barry-scored film, and that to me makes the Brosnan films objectively among the best overall Bond films. Every movie had amazing gadgets, compelling, relevant villains, and apart from "The World is Not Enough" (which ended on a submarine), awesome end-movie villain lair sets (so again, ticks the boxes for the best of Bond films too). Inversely, if we stripped away everything from the Brosnan movies except for Brosnan himself, we all know they'd still be the best haha. Just Pierce standing there against a white backdrop in a tux, Walther PPK or PPQ in-hand, looking slightly to the side with a smile hidden behind his cool, calm, expression of seriousness on his face, ready to crack a pun amidst a dangerous situation, or man an aircraft and singlehandedly to destroy an entire air base full of terrorists and armaments and escape with naught but a face of focused determination, without so much as a single glance of wide-eyed fear. Not that anyone asked or cares, but in my top 5 Bond film rankings, I've never been able to exclude any of Brosnan's first 3 films (and I honestly don't feel like I can consistently rank those three films alone without changing my mind every second because they're all so close), so it's a pretty boring list to most, though I'm still someone who ADORES the older films and watches them all over and over again. Brosnan just does it for me, every time, no matter the mood, and no, I'm not gay, but if I ever had such thing as a heterosexual man-crush, Pierce Brosnan would probably be it. 1) Tomorrow Never Dies 2) Goldeneye 3) The World is Not Enough 4) From Russia With Love 5) Casino Royale (Daniel Craig) 5) For Your Eyes Only 6) Thunderball 7) The Spy Who Loved Me 8) The Living Daylights 9) Goldfinger 10) Octopussy
My favorite line delivery in the movie happens on the train when Natalia asks Bond "what else do you call your bottom?" and Bond's response is "What?!". The way Brosnan says that always makes me laugh. They're in this life or death situation and Natalia is asking him about synonyms for ass haha. Even funnier when it turns out Boris was talking about a chair. Great review! GoldenEye is definitely one of the best Bond films. It's truly the only Bond film of it's kind. It set a somewhat dark yet witty tone for where we thought the franchise would go in the 90s but then the movies reverted to the lighthearted fun action of the Roger Moore era. Tomorrow Never Dies is the Octopussy to GoldenEye's For Your Eyes Only. I think they tried to make The World Is Not Enough more serious but that movie too kept it pretty light. Sean Bean did an excellent job in being the first MI6 agent turned villain which unless I'm forgetting someone hadn't happened in the movies yet. The way Bond kills him might be my favorite villain death in all 25 movies, it's just so fucking awesome. And of course Pierce Brosnan is outstanding in this movie. I've said this before but he had the most responsibility of all six actors who've played James Bond even more so than Sean Connery. Had Connery been bad in Dr. No and that movie failed and they never made a sequel it of course would've royally sucked and been a huge bummer for us fans but he wouldn't have been ruining an already beloved movie franchise that had been around for decades. And while George Lazenby certainly had big shoes to fill when he replaced Connery, YOLT had been a massive hit and had only come out two years prior to OHMSS. Brosnan inherited the character after the six year hiatus and after LTK hadn't been received well and underperformed at the box office. In addition to all that you also had the fact that GoldenEye was the first Bond movie released since the end of the Cold War and many critics thought the character of James Bond is intrinsically a Cold War character. M calling Bond a relic of the Cold War is a meta moment for how critics viewed James Bond in the early 90s. Had Brosnan fallen short in GoldenEye, this beloved stalwart franchise would've ended in failure, he would have become a poisoned actor, the fans would utterly hate him, and his career would've been over. Luckily for all of us he delivered a legendary performance and ensured that James Bond would continue to appear on screen for decades. In that way, GoldenEye is the second most important Bond movie after Dr. No, even more so than The Spy Who Loved Me and Casino Royale. And I agree about Natalia, she's a really good and unfairly forgotten Bond girl. She's one of the most proactive ones in all the movies which is especially impressive considering the most recent Bond girl, Pam Bouvier, was a kick ass CIA agent. My favorite Brosnan Bond movie is Tomorrow Never Dies but that's more about nostalgia since it was the first Bond movie I saw in theaters and possibly the first one I saw period. There's no question that GoldenEye was his best movie.
2 facts I find interesting about GoldenEye. When Bond and Xenia are in the Casino he holds on 7, she has 6. This is the film where Bond kills the most people, thanks largely to all those scenes of him machine gunning Russian soldiers.
@@thebadfella5296 I didn't crunch the numbers myself but I did find a kill count in the 007 museum website. It has 47 kills for GoldenEye compared to 15 for Octopussy.
The Experience of Love was originally meant to be played over the credits of Eric Serra's previous film, Leon the Professional. Instead Shape of My Heart by Sting was used. For Goldeneye, Serra agreed to compose the soundtrack on the condition that his song Experience of Love be used somewhere in the film. Also, in Leon the Professional, you can hear parts of this song played during the last few scenes.
I never even noticed that aspect of Xenia getting onto the helicopter using a lookalike of the admiral. For some reason I just assumed it was Ourumov with her. But seeing as how the pilot getting the plastic surgery was one of the many plot threads of Thunderball that dragged that movie down for me, I'm glad that it was glossed over here.
This movie is the reason I’m a diehard bond fan, the reason Pierce Brosnan is my favorite actor, it is the reason for so much of who I am today including the reason I gained an interest in film making. This movie represents so many of the things I love about bond and the nostalgia I feel of watching this movie for the first time with my grandparents will continue to bring me back time and time again for the rest of my life❤😊
Goldeneye is easily in my top 5 James bond films for so many reasons. For one, the casting is spot on and some of the best in the series. Also, Sean bean is amazing as Alec and plays him so well. Finally the set pieces throughout are topnotch.
Goldeneye to me is the perfect starter bond film. It was for me, it was my first bond film. If you know someone that hasn’t seen a bond film and wouldnt know where to start this is the right film to start.
@@ricardocantoral7672 Here is why Casino Royale is a better film to introduce people that have never watched a James Bond film before. Especally if they are 23 and younger. Basically, it's a 007 origin story and believe me, Gen Z love origin stories and because Casino Royale came out in 2006 they can just enjoy the film and wont have to struggle with an older film or put themselves in a different time frame. That's another thing, Gen Z would rarely watch anything older than them. Also Casino Royale is a better film Goldeneye. I will also say this, if you show someone Casino Royale and he or she still don't like it, then don't waste your time showing that person anymore Bond films.
@@greatwuta You still didn't disprove what I stated. Casino Royale is only a reflection of the Craig era Bond films and nothing else before it. If someone didn't like it then maybe they should watch the older Bond films. Lastly, I don't give a flying f*** about Gen Z idiots who struggle who don't identify with films that are older than they are. Anyone who can't appreciate old films is a moron in my eyes.
Bless you Calvin for your admiration for Natalya. Honestly, my favourite leading lady of the series to date. Also Scorupco is very much someone who shys away from the limelight, she could have been a trendsetter in Hollywood, but decided to as you say march to the beat of her own drum. Martin Campbell clearly liked her as he worked with her once more. Shame she doesn’t do more Hollywood films.
It's a meassure of how 'out of sight' she has been than I've seen lists of 'Bond Girls' with Xenia filling the Goldeneye slot! But it's nice Scorupco did what she wanted with her career.
My all time favourite Bond film and Brosnan's best film. Rest in peace Robbie Coultrane as well, excellent as Valentin and the PERFECT Hagrid in Harry Potter.
Thanks for the focus on Famke Janssen, i had forgotten how unbelievably attractive she is in this movie! She already steals every scene she's in as Onatopp, she didn't even need to be so mesmerisingly beautiful. As for the movie - its easily a top 5 Bond and no exaggeration to say Brosnan saved the franchise with his performance
I've always considered myself a Bond fan but really, as time has gone on I've realised I'm really more of a GoldenEye fan. I like others in the series a lot, but this is just the perfect action film for me; it has everything I'm looking for entertainment wise. How it's paced, edited and shot so beautifully. The casting is perfect. You e summed up most of the things I love about it, including the casting which is just so spot on. My absolute favourite film of all time.
I saw it when I was 8, you guys are hardcore. Certainly my first Bond in theater but can’t remember if it was my first ever. Either way, once I saw Goldeneye, it was my favorite and still is. Amazing how a movie I loved when I was 8 is still a favorite. Puts it in a rarefied air with Star Wars etc.
I’ve always considered GoldenEye as part of my very DNA, of sorts. It just meant so much to me growing up. When most kids my age were raised by Disney animated films, I was raised by Pierce Brosnan rolling down the streets of St. Petersburg. I wore out the VHS tape. I played the game so much, I played multiplayer alone, well after my friends had left, to perfect my skills. I can quote the film line-by-line. I do enjoy the score (Experience of Love included). I don’t really know why, but needless to say, GoldenEye is MY Bond film. A part of who I am.
53:50 Izabella Scorupco is wonderful in this movie. Natalya is not a Tracy nor a Vesper but there is feisty resilience to her character, but there is warmth and charm to her as well
Goldeneye was my first bond film. I'm one of the many who watched the movie after playing the n64 game. For me, Bronson is the quintessential depiction. Definitely my generation's bond
Loved the Laurel and Hardy "sons of the desert" clip. I NEVER noticed that Alec was holding his arm at the end of the fight with Bond. I always assumed he was just pointing it at him one-handed. Great review, Calvin!
Goldeneye is still my number 1 favorite Bond film and Pierce is still my Bond but Casino Royale is like 1B to Goldeneye’s 1A for me. God I love both of these films. And both happened to be directed by Martin Campbell. Gotta love that.
The best reviews I enjoy are the ones were hours feel like minutes and I am just so invested into it. Your reviews always totally fall into that category! I know what time and energy goes into producing these videos and I can only respect the effort and passion that evidently goes into your content, But also. As a fellow 1990s kid I find myself agreeing with so much of your love for this film! It truly is the Goldfinger of our generation. 🍸 Thank you Calvin! Hope to speak more!
This Bond film really has it all IMO. Grand scale, Bond in a casino, a great villain and henchmen (or henchwoman in this case), a great title sequence, and awesome stunts. This and The Spy Who Loved Me are my go to Bond movies when I just want to jump back into the Bond universe. I’d also add that this might be the best first Bond film for any of the actors who played him, which is impressive considering how great Casino Royale and Live and let Die are.
I've been waiting for this one. I swear, Goldeneye has to be one of the best films, let alone bond films. Just an incredible feat of action, romance and comedy. Yeah it has it's obvious flaws but in my mind it's vlassic espionage. Plus some of the best post Ken Adam sets to date in the series. Definitely in my top 5 bond films
Calvin. The cutaways and the comic timing are now pretty much sitcom worthy now. And the fact yer reviewing the best Bond film ever makes this a great evening for me. All the best big man, love the channel 🖤
Actually, I quite like the end-credits song. It really is quite relaxing, and I argue that it actually suits the end credits excellently. It's a very satisfying ending, considering the fact the emotions Bond and Natalya walk away with at the end of the film; Bond having just killed a friend. It suits these emotions well. Plus, the instrumental is really quite beautiful. It reminds me a little of Peter Gabriel. I will very strongly argue this, having been a classical musician my whole life, I think this score gets treated undeservedly badly!
I probably didn't comment when this review came out, but I love Goldeneye. It was the first I saw in full and it gripped me in all the rights ways. If it wasn't for Goldeneye being so great I wouldn't be a Bond fan. Everything about it is great: Bond is great, the villain is great, the Bond girls are good, the stunts are great, the music is decent, the song is great, the new/returning MI6 cast are great, and Boris is one of the best comical characters in the series.
You mentioned that Bond stumbles into the theft of the Tiger helicopter by accident but I thought it was made clear in the MI6 conversations between Bond, Tanner and M that 007 was going to Monte Carlo because he had a suspicion that the Tiger might be targeted. M was unconvinced about Bond's concern and wouldn't authorize a full investigation. "Too bad the evil Queen of Numbers wouldn't let you play your hunch."
I have always thought this was a piece of creative storytelling which leaves the audience in the dark for dramatic purposes, but Bond knows what he’s doing there. Why else would he be there?
also, explaining some more of the things that calvin thinks are plot holes: - Shooting Trevelyan: it's perfectly possible that the first round fed from the magazine/chambered into his gun was a blank, and all the rest were real; nothing says that a magazine has to contain all the same type of bullet, after all. - How did Trevelyan afford the antenna base: He probably largely /didn't/; this film is based in huge part on the massive shitshow that was Soviet disarmament and reclaiming of now Russian military property, and that era was infamous for the MASSIVE amount of black market sales, embezzlement, and outright theft occurring among the soon-to-be unemployed Soviet commanders in military bases all over the now defunct USSR. We know from the intro that A: Ourumov was aware of/in charge of Goldeneye, and B: that Goldeneye was HIGHLY classified, so it could very well be the case that the USSR built the Goldeneye control center in Cuba, and once the USSR fell apart, Ourumov was in perfect position to claim ownership of the now forgotten secret military base on behalf of Janus. Keep in mind that Janus STOLE Goldeneye, all of the shit that he used to take control of it was NOT actually built by him or his organization. - How did Trevelyan hire all of the staff: Almost none of the staff probably know who they're actually working for; after all, besides the EMP superweapon bit, Goldeneye is still technically just a normal satellite, and the vast majority of the staff are just going to be doing normal things related to satellite maintenance, with parts related to the actual weapon being kept secret to Boris and the higher-ups. Also, it's very possible that some part of the Cuban government is aware of and in cahoots with Janus, so they could be feeding him civilian contractors under guise of military contract work. - Why did they make it so hard for Bond to escape: If only Ourumov and Trevelyan were involved in the plot, then that would mean he would have a VERY difficult time setting things up so that Bond could escape without tipping off his superiors or fellow officers, and as such, telling his guys to hold their fire when they had a clear shot inside the warehouse, and then when Bond was racing away on the motorcycle, were probably all he /could/ do to help Bond get out without raising suspicions. It's also probably the case that the goal of letting Bond escape was merely an optional goal that they would like to complete, rather than an absolute necessity; the ultimate goal is to make MI6 think that Trevelyan is actually dead, and while letting Bond get away as a witness to that fact would help, it probably wouldn't be difficult to sell based on the facility explosion and 006 not returning alone.
Opening night in a packed cinema, it was such a crowd pleaser. Everyone was on board from the moment in the opening when he falls next to the plane. It was exactly the right tone and hilarious
GoldenEye 64 was my introduction to James Bond. My dad bought me my first Nintendo 64 for my 8th birthday two months after I was diagnosed with leukemia. For my birthday the doctors allowed me to leave the hospital and go home for the first time in two months for just one hour. When I got home and walked into the living room, the Nintendo was already set up and in it was GoldenEye 64. That became my favorite game. Not long afterwards my dad showed me the movie. Before we started, I inserted the game cartridge into the console and plugged in the controller and held onto that controller and pretended I was playing the game as we watched the movie. I remember being blown away at seeing the familiar levels of the game, the dam, the facility, the archives, the tank chase, the train, the cradle, it was so cool! Two months later my dad took me to see Tomorrow Never Dies in theaters. That was probably one of the best movie theater experiences of my life and to this day Tomorrow Never Dies is still my personal favorite. However I hold a special place in my heart for GoldenEye. It truly is THE Bond film of a generation.
This is the first movie from here on in by Barbera and Michael, and rather than just following Bond formula, by the numbers and just getting directors for hire, I feel Strongly that they really allowed Martin and directors and writers to follow to really be creative and bring in new ideas for the series, that had criticisms for being just same old same old and became a stigma. The whole opening and all Monti Carlo scenes for me are trying to also show a reintroduction to Bond in the 90's with the Tux, casino and DB5 in order to show that Bond is still cool and hip for the new MTV generation. But I also feel like and with the rest of the movie that it was deliberately trying to be a VERY Anti 'Licence to Kill/ Dalton' movie because of that, especially with having Bond in Bed finally for the first time in 10 years. In following on what you said about that ITV best of moments in 2002, none of Daltons movies made it in to the list :(. No Disrespect to Dalton fans by the way. Oh and Calvin, did you ever notice Sean Bean mouthing the numbers " 3...2" beefore Orumov shoots him? Nice little detail on Beans behalf. What are your thoughts on the Rabbit Punch by the way and its edit????? Oh and Also Bond and Alecs with their sh**t supply of ammo with their AK47s in the climax haha WTF
I'd never noticed that about Alec mouthing the numbers along with Ourumov! That's really cool. The Rabbit Punch was also something slightly edited in the 12 rated UK version! It's a clunky edit in that version. Similar to how Bond stamping on a guys head in TND was edited in the UK and always created a bit of a weird jump cut moment!
Goldeneye is my favorite James Bond movie. It has the perfect mix of great Bond, great villain, great Bond girl, great villain henchmen, great villain plan, great action set prices and locations, great supporting cast, stylish and beautiful camera work and direction, great soundtrack, and a lot of great and memorable quotes. It’s just so perfect it almost hurts lol
the direction team actually dubbed the voice of shaun bean non dubbed: DO IT FOR YORKSHIRE!!!!!!!!!! this cracked me up keep doing the great videos. are you going to do any video game reviews?
A while ago, I posted on Reddit about how it was that Trevelyan managed to fund such a massive base and hide it from everyone as, like you, it seemed too farfetched. The answer I received makes so much more sense: basically the base in Cuba was a former Soviet satellite base, perhaps used to control the Goldeneye or other weapons. When the USSR collapsed, the base went forgotten and General Orumov gains access to it on behalf of Trevelyan.
I attended the NYC premiere of Goldeneye at Radio City. Desmond Llewelyn MC’d the pre-screening festivities. Amazing experience. A highlight of my college years, for sure! All the Bond women from the movie attended, and their outfits were over-the-top fabulous. I’m no fashion connoisseur, but it left an impression.
Goldeneye is one of those special Bond films that stands out very well on it's own. It has a unique tone and dark atmosphere and one could say it's one of the iconic films of 90s cinema.
I really love how you spend so much time chatting with such clarity and detail about the performances in these films. I think it's something that's often overlooked by reviewers especially in the action genre. Nobody really discusses anything beyond whether a portrayal was "good" or "bad". Ive always loved the supporting cast in Bond films and how they flesh out the bombastic, eccentric world which surrounds the man. As an actor myself it's a dream I've had forever to play a character part in one of these films.
Hi, Calvin! Fantastic review as always! I must say though, being able to track M’s character journey is actually one of my favorite aspects of the Brosnan era. The idea of acting analytically vs instinctually, as set up in GoldenEye, tracks pretty consistently (in my opinion anyway), through the Brosnan films, at least the first three. Tomorrow Never Dies extends upon GoldenEye by holding M to her analytical standards of refusing to act on a “whim,” in the face of Admiral Roebuck, choosing to instead investigate and gather further information. It’s in these scenes where she again associates impulsivity with maleness and more specifically, “having the balls” to act. Having these standards strictly established in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies, to me is what makes her character journey in The World is Not Enough so believable and impactful. When she does for the first time decide to stop thinking analytically and instead act on instinct/emotion by going out to meet Elektra herself, it is because of the guilt felt from choosing to be her typically cold self in the original way she handled the kidnapping, choosing to again slow down and investigate instead of stepping in or negotiating with Renard. When she finally abandons her strict value set to act on emotion, Tanner and Bond are understandably taken aback, and she is ultimately punished for it, reaffirming the merit of these original values. If you can’t already tell, I’m so excited to see you to cover the rest of Brosnan’s films!
This is a really impressive video. The editing, commentary and comedy sketches must've taken ages to pull together but it's so worth it. Keep up the great work Calvin.
This is the movie that introduced me to James Bond. I saw it when I was only seven years old a mere two years after it came out. Still my favorite Bond movie and Brosnan is still my favorite Bond.
I love it too, and I think a lot goes back to an observation from that Bond Experience review of this which you made with David. Namely, it's packed with vivid characters. We get only a glimpse of Moneypenny, but the new M lays down the law, Q is in great form, Trevelyan makes a great Bond Gone Bad, I love Natalya, Wade, Zukovsky, and Boris are all fun (each in their way), and Xenia is just ... wow. (I even like the silly monster movie Deep Rising largely because Janssen gets to play the world's most glamorous pickpocket.) I'm a little disappointed with Ourumov, he's played nicely enough but for me he just doesn't live up to that "next iron man of Russia" which M promised. (Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has "Bond villain" written all over him.) In fact, I feel a bit bad for Tcheky Karyo, who played Mishkin. Karyo's best role of all time was probably way back in the French movie La Femme Nikita, which I highly, highly, highly recommend as spy adventure. (I prefer subtitles to dubbing.) Absolutely nothing against Connery, Dalton, or the others, but this is my go-to Bond. Thanks!
Tcheky Karyo is one of my favourite character-actors in France ; I would go as far as to say that he still has no equivalent in French cinema as far as being able to bring elegance and sensitivity to imposing, tough figures on screen (A Long Sunday Engagement springs to mind, he stands out amidst a bloated cast in what is a very underrated WWI film). Maybe someone like fellow Bond-alum Dali Benssalah will be able to capture that kind of magic? Time will tell. Anyway, nice to see someone recognizing Tcheky's quality :)
So this film takes place nine years after pre title sequence, which would put that in the year 1986. I don't think that's coincidence since that's the year when Brosnan became Bond for the first time. Between Moore and Dalton.
17:40 I actually assumed that was meant to be Ourumov with a fake beard, as he's the one who gets out of the helicopter later. PS: I NEVER noticed this! When she puts in the password, "Knockers", the right 'knocker' on the cartoon Natalia swells! Am I the only one who never caught this before??
For a very long time I thought Goldeneye was the first Bond-Movie I've ever seen. Later I figured out I DID see several of the older ones before, and promptly forgot them. Goldeneye turned out to be one of the best ones in the entire series, and the first that actually got stuck in my mind :D
Great video as always Calvin :) This is also my favourite Bond film! This film is perfect! 10/10 GoldenEye have great and memorable characters, not one useless one, amazing pre title sequences, all of that soviet theme stuff in the beginning, 007 Vs 006, great action (iconic tank sequence, escape from prison). Did I mention the Great Tank Scene? Amazing work blending the real city with the fake one they built! Pierce Brosnan is great in all the Bond films and plays Bond perfectly. I agree with you 100% on the music at the end, very bad. And weird (bad) music during the db5 and Ferrari car case. Watching this is always fun. I hope EON returns to making FUN Bond films again. Casino Royale is great but prefer the fun of the Broshan era.
Beautifully said man :) Say what you want about the music, I do really REALLY like the 'tiger helicopter escape' piece. It shouldn't work, but those saxophone moments give me shivers down my spine. Shame and weird its never been officially released :(
Exactly - Bond is supposed to be FUN! Daniel Craig does a good job, but his films are so dreary and grim, I can't see myself ever wanting to rewatch them. Except possibly Casino Royale, which had a few fun moments.
There is so much I could say & riff on but will limit it to a few things. 1. This is the best of the Brosnan films in so many ways. No film is ever completely perfect. But this is as close as possible to that. 2. Of all the Brosnan/Craig era theme songs, GoldenEye is the best & harkens back to the best of the 60s era theme songs. & as pointed out, the soundtrack music (excluding The Experience of Love) works almost perfectly as well. 3. Xenia Onatopp is one of the best villianesses in the Eon series. & yes, she is their version of Fatima Blush from Never Say Never Again. They are equally sadistic, egotistic & fun to watch. 4. Finally, Boris Grishenko is probably my favorite secondary villian in any Bond movie. His death in the movie is an example of someone getting the karma payback he so richly deserves.
Goldeneye was first Bond film I saw in a cinema and it was a magical experience. I still cannot get over with the visuals of the Daniel Kleinman credits on a big screen.
Billy J. Mitchell played the Canadian admiral whose body was found with a smile on his face. He also played Val Kilmer's agent in "Top Secret!" where we learn he's died with the following quote: "Apparently, he didn’t realize that in Germany, we use 220-volt currents. It took us 30 minutes just to get the smile off of his face."
Calvin., i always thought that the man who stole the Admiral's ID card was Colonel Ourumov as he exits the helicopter with Xenia at Sevenaya. P.S. you know how much i love GoldenEye amd this re-review is outstanding.
See that’s funny becuase was convinced it was Trevelyn. The watch on the man’s wrist (who takes the ID card) looks almost the same his watch at the end of the film. And I just assumed that he used facial make up to make him look like the Admiral
We do need a henchman Hotline video from you. Every time you make this bit I'm on the floor. 😂 Thank you for your great work and enthusiasm. Always a pleasure to watch your videos.
Don't know why this was recommended to me this week, but I am a big Goldeneye fan, and outside of a Karl Jobst video, I've had no Goldeneye videos in my history in the last many years, but glad I sat through all 69 minutes of the video. You have yourself a subscription, sir. And yes, Famke Janssen as Xenia... my god, a teenage wet dream for myself as a teenage boy.
10:55 Just a little note about the 'smoking, two-headed woman'. It could be a reference to the mythological Roman god Janus, who is usually depicted with having two faces. Janus, of course, being Alec Trevelyans bad guy name.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
I must say, GoldenEye has the some of the best casting ever for a Bond film. And it’s so rich with interesting characters and an awesome villain. It’s the closest to perfection as a Bond film.
For me its the second best Bond my Favourite is Goldfinger it gave us Pussy Galore 😂
Famke jansen provides a top drawer performance.
It is a testament to the movie that one of the best villains in the franchise is upstaged by the henchmen being even more memorable.
I would say it's more of a good, greatest hits package of a Bond film. Goldeneye doesn't approach the genius of the 60's classics.
Great Moneypenny too
I saw Goldeneye on the day I passed my driving test. I celebrated by taking myself off to see the film. I then spent the entire film worrying that I'd left my car's headlights on. And that was my experience of Goldeneye.
So... did you leave your car's headlights on?
@@LicencetoWho I didn't. But knowing me like I do, there was a high probability.
Passing your test and seeing Goldeneye on the same day is a massive win. If only all days could be like this!
I would be compelled to go check. I admire your resolve.
That shows how great this movie is. You were that worried but still you couldn't bring yourself to just run out and check your car in case you missed a few minutes of the greatest Bond movie ever made.
Pierce Brosnan was the perfect mix of Connery and Moore. He could be intense, charming, a little glib at times. I wish we got one more movie out of him before Casino Royale
Absolutely; the perfect 007.
Craig was a shame.
We did. It's called Everything or Nothing.
@carlosborrasetaylor7630 Like Brosnan, Craig's best movie was his first, unlike Craig though Goldeneye was good because of Brosnan whereas Casino Royale was good inspite of Craig. At least that's my view
Tarantino said if he got the gig to direct Casino Royale he'd have kept Pierce Brosnan.
As a kid playing the N64 Goldeneye and comparing it with the movie was the coolest mind blowing shit I've ever experienced.
Same it was great. Very well done for it’s time.
Watching the movie again, I felt like Leo Decaprio in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", snapping my fingers and pointing at things I see in the movie that were also put into the game.
I remember showing the movie to my younger brother after he witnessed the game for so long. He was amazed lol
Frigate was the only level that added too much that was barely in the movie lol
@@averageant7173 the frigate never even left the dock in the film, right?
The only characters that infiltrated were Xenia and her accomplice.
And no "tracking bug" was placed on the helicopter.
Was still an awesome mission to play though, so definitely got points for that.
The casting is so spot on. Prime Brosnan. The theme song. Historical setting. Action scenes. To me this is the ultimate Bond.
It's definitely the peak of classic bond... It's my personal favorite
Well said.. that's why he's my favorite Bond ..
GoldenEye still is the "coolest" Bond film for me, it has that mid- 90s edgy tone, grit and seriousness that makes it seem like something completely different from what came before. In terms of reviving and bringing a new tone to Bond, it truly showed that he isn't just a sexist, misogynist relic of the cold war, but a character that can blend perfectly into any era if done right. Great video as always :D
Well said man we’ll said
Yeah, and they dealt with the whole sexism and female M stuff etc properly, tastefully and not making a big circus out of it. They also didn't throw the baby out with the bathwater as they seem to be trying to do lately for some weird reason. They seem convinced these days that to revive a film series they have to somehow completely deconstruct it, ruin and destroy it then try to reinvent the wheel for no reason.
Whose boyish charms,..was wasted on M but obliviously appeal to that young woman she sent to evaluate him..
Fun Facts:
• The blonde lady with the gold & black dress, next to Xenia, was a contest winner during *"Licence to Kill"* and
Eon promised her an appearance in
the next Bond film. Even after six years, Eon kept their promise and put her in *"GoldenEye".*
• In the film's novelization written by John Gardner (his final one), Xenia's Ferrari was yellow instead of red.
• Producer Michael G. Wilson not
only has his traditional cameo in Defense Minister Mishkin's meeting room, but it is his hand (posing as General Ouromov's) that picked
Admiral Russell's ID from his suit.
• Caroline Bliss (former Moneypenny)
& Samantha Bond (her replacement) were childhood friends and Caroline had no ill feelings with Samantha, stating that she's glad that the role went into someone she loved.
Holy smokes your about the lady in the gold dress!!!! well said man. I know the 'masters of the universe' movie had something similar with a kid in it haha.
yeah good point about caroline and samantha there man :)
that blonde lady could have been a contender for a Bond girl herself, she’s really hot
@@tlshortyshorty5810 good point :)
That is very in-teresting! Th-ank you for sh-aring that inf-ormation.
@@DeadPixel1105 dont be rude please!
22:50 ish, I LOOOVE Brosnans face when he walks away from moneypenny. I always read it as 'all right, chit chats over, time to work'. Not him being pissed off with her.
I think one of the reasons i love Brosnan as Bond so much, are these choices he makes with his face and body movements. Like the way he tosses an empty gun, or how he pours the vodka in TND, his scared face when alec dies in the opening. Or the face he makes when he walks away from her in that scene 😍
All I can say about "GoldenEye" is to echo your statement that it's an absolutely beautiful, almost perfect film. Brosnan knocked it out of the park with his debut. Bean is the best "dark side of Bond" villain". The entire supporting cast of henchmen are so good they almost overshadow Trevelyan...and well...Xenia Onatopp...If had to choose how I go out of this world, I'm getting the Canadian Admiral treatment. No question!
Given that "No Time To Die" has severely affected my opinion of the Craig era as a whole and even Craig himself...I MAY have to dethrone "Casino Royale" and put "GoldenEye" back as my personal #1 Bond film.
Y'know, I'm kind of similar but with Skyfall. I still really love the film but I think Craig fatigue has set in and I just don't have the desire to watch it anymore where it used to be one I could stick on and enjoy any time. I think some distance from the Craig era will do me some good for a little while!
I think Never say Never again is my number 1 Bond movie :)
@@DafyddBrooks To each her/his own! 😉
(My #1: Thunderball)
@@bonghunezhou5051 haha , naah infact james bond jr is better ;)
interesting on thunderball. i do love it alot my self. though i would give the 'libary congress of the preservation of film' to goldfinger though. but still thunderbaal is wonderful, though Goldeneye like 'TSWLM' did for the 70's, GE did for the 90's :)
No time to die is a victim of this woke generation, a disaster! Goldeneye has all the ingredients to remain a great classic of the saga.
Great movie, great video. Well done as always Calvin.
Thanks very much! Happy to hear you enjoyed it and much appreciate the comment 😁😁
I can’t believe _the_ Vincent Vinesauce is here. GoldenEye was truly the film of a generation.
Glad to see Natalya getting praise! She's one of my favorite underrated Bond girls. The fact that we meet her long before she meets Bond gives us a chance to get to know her, and her grief over the senseless murder of her friends and co-workers gives her more depth and gives us a real feel for the tragedy...these people aren't just collateral damage to be forgotten about; they're real people who someone cared about. (They did touch on that kind of thing in A View To A Kill when Zorin murdered his workers, but it was kind of swallowed up in all the general ridiculousness.) I love that without being an over-the-top ass-kicker, she DOES kick ass...she's smart, capable, and quick-thinking. I could imagine Bond being happy with her if he'd decided to settle down with her...there is something very Tracy-like about her.
I agree but I do have to offer some criticism: she has the survival skills of a dodo in the game. Unforgivable.
@mutestingray yeah but that's just old ai plus she is actually able to fight back in the jungle level
I'm from Saint-Petersburg myself, walk around these streets very often. The blending between SPB and Leavesden is done very nicely. A lot of this chase was filmed right next to the residence of Anatoly Sobchak, then Mayor of the city.
But originally much more action planned to film on location. In the midst of the production the Saint-Petersburg officials restricted further shooting as the multi-tonn tank could damage the city's sewer system.
Holding a soft-spot for GoldenEye myself. That's the first ever Bond film to be released in Russia OFFICIALLY.
You're doing a great work, Calvin. Keep it up!
During the cold War the CCCP derided Bond as a 'capitalist hyena'!
🇷🇺👍
Nice info!
My Dad worked in Saint- Petersberg during the early 90's and he always complained about the Tank chase.
The bit where he takes the Tank through that tight alley and crashes out by the river, he'd always go "You can't get to there from there by going through there!" 🤣
I'm surprised that Russia would allow a movie of Bond destroying a soviet facility, killing a bunch of Russian soldiers, and destroying st Petersburg.
I bet the officials were holding out for a bribe
@@Alex38369 Russia was actually super liberal between 1989-2000.
I always thought Onatopp’s accomplice in Monaco was Ourumov in disguise - considering we see two people get in in Monaco and two people get out in Severnaya I guess I assumed they were the same two people. I suppose it makes more sense for it not to be Ourumov (he looks nothing like Admiral Chuck, and having a Russian general that someone might recognise could jeopardise the mission) but, as you say, the plot’s already a bit contrived so I guess I just rolled with it. Yeah, Ourumov was in Monaco and stole a helicopter, I mean why not? We’ve all done it.
I always thought that too but always found it weired why they didnt atleast give Orumov beard or something in that scene. Now Actually I kinda feel like now that maybe if it was just another guy, the best moment he could have come back in the movie would be in the henchman in the suana scene with Bond and Xenia
Yeah I've gone through phases of thinking it was Ourumov and even Alec to be honest and they certainly filmed it (or perhaps edited it) to obscure much of the guys face in those scenes so it at least leads you to think there must be some kind of reveal... I guess it could be either of those guys in a disguise but it's weird that it's never really addressed.
I never noticed it until watching this video. I completely forget about the quick scene where Onatopp and her accomplice have to show their credentials to the NATO commander. In my mind, Bond finds Farrel dead on the yacht, cut to Onatopp and Ourumov getting into the helicopter from a distance, and then Bond tries stop them but gets apprehended by the NATO guards. So I never even noticed that the guy with Onatopp looked a lot like Farrel. Not so much a plot hole but definitely an unanswered question. If they ever cover GoldenEye on The Rewatchables, that should be number one in the Probably Unanswerable Questions segment haha.
I think it is actually Alec. He's wearing the same watch as he does later on. She smiles at him the same as she does with Alec. And the guy always looked like Sean Bean to me
@@aaronkalms1674 MIND TOTALY BLOWN!!!!! i think your absolutely right there come to think of it. the watch and smile are great hints, well spotted man :) that must mean also that he knew Bond had been in contact with Xenia aswell maybe, though i think she thought he was someone at not someone from MI6 at first.cheers for sharing
Calvin, I hope its OK for me to say that not only is this THE review we've all been waiting for, I like to think its something you've been looking forward to do as well :)
Well done for your dedication and passion for doing all this work over the last 10 plus years, on behalf of all 90's kids and Brosnan fans..... THANK YOU! :) "BUT...... Calvin Dyson will return in.....Night Fire" ;)
Thank you so much, Dafydd! You're always very kind and I hope you enjoyed the video :D Thank YOU for watching and always bringing great points and conversation to these comment sections. You often point out things I never even noticed or considered before so I always look forward to seeing what you have to add! Thanks very much again :)
@@calvindyson cheers man, looking forward to night fire review :) !!!!
I thought actually you were gona do a joke about the way Pierce says "Muffy" with his slight american accents coming in there haha
Best ever review of Goldeneye. Keep the Brosnan love going. Im a 70s Bond fan but love Brosnan just as much as I loved Roger. He was perfect in the role and Goldeneye is a masterpiece!!
@@paulandrew6457 This!!!
“Whether you enjoy a film or not is not an exercise in logic” is one of my favorite phrases I’ve heard from this channel.
Escapism, yes, so doesn't need to fit the logic of our reality. But the internal logic of the film has to be relatively sound, or this distracts from the fun (please see my comment above/below).
but this film does follow its own consistent logic. "Contrivance" is a thing that happens in rea life all the time; as long as cause and effect follows from it, then it works, which it does in GoldenEye
I love Gottfried John as Ourumov in this film. Such a great, slimy villain & his facial reaction to Xenia’s orgasm as she massacres the Severnaya employees kills me everytime 😂 - I just wish he had a better send-off on the train, but I suppose he had served his purpose at that point.
Agreed, for how big of a character he is, he gets a very unceremonious death. Bond kills him the same way he'd kill a nameless henchman.
yes , his expression says , "crikey i know i'm evil,, but Xenia's really gone over the top this time.."
@@androidemulator6952 yup. His reaction to Xenia enjoying herself a bit too much and him casually drinking out of a pocket bottle during the tank chase were great additions to an already well-written character.
@@spencerkindra8822 Yes, he isn't a nameless henchman in that we know his name…
@ No I'm saying he gets killed the same way a nameless henchman would. Not like Oddjob but Russian soldier #4.
GoldenEye was my first Bond film and might be my favorite. If there’s one thing I’d call it, it’s the “baseline” Bond-film. It’s so close perfecting EVERYTHING when it comes to the Bond formula, such as Bond’s characterization, the supporting cast, action scenes, Q Branch and M scenes. It just nails everything, in a movie that perfectly balances the tone from light hearted adventure to dark and dramatic. It’s a true masterpiece.
Well said. The movie oscillates from ridiculous jokes to pathos. It is NOT easy to do.
The only problem is the soundtrack of this bond film which ruin everything for me.
@@senecastoictruths sure, but the soundtrack is very “of its time” and the 1990s was a strange time for music.
I find the perfect Q is when he's excited about his gadgets but annoyed becuase he knows bond is gonna destroy them.. Like in this movie
@@senecastoictruths not once sinbe i saw the movie in cinema on release have i noticed the music as bad.. It's just goldeneye soundtrack to me
59:27 Cue Timothy Dalton on the coke conveyor in Licence to Kill:
“What about the Stingers?!!”
"What do you know about Stingers?"
@@DafyddBrooksIs what the filmmakers said to the audience to try making them forget about them.
The Bond of a generation is apt. I can still remember being 12 in 1997 and my Mum canvassing for Christmas present ideas for me. I asked for Goldeneye on the N64 and then after she asked “anything else?” I asked for the movie too. Even though it had probably been released on VHS a year prior-I still recollect it still feeling new and fresh as a home video release. Either way-the rest is history. The memories this gave me and my circle of friends are timeless. The day a few years ago when I finally had to concede Casino Royale has usurped Goldeneye as my number 1 Bond felt slightly sad to me.
I was 6 years old and my dad got me GoldenEye and Perfect Dark
Casino royal is not better then goldeneye my friend
@@chrisderidder4087 I'd say its not a better Bond movie but it is a marginally better spy movie. They are very different in a good way, and I love both movies.
The Pierce Brosnan sequels are, generally speaking, better then the Daniel Craig sequels (with Die Another Day being the weakest for Brosnan and Quantum of Solice being maybe the dullest Bond film out of the entire franchise).
@@andromidius yeah depends how you look at it.. Goldeneye is classic bond perfected.. The Craig era is not my personal favorite but they are good action/spy movies.. I just don't think they are great bond movies
Cause they absolutely were still fresh back in the day. You saw it in the movie once, then you had to buy it on VHS. If I’m remembering correctly, it would take 3+ years or more for blockbuster movies to finally get cable TV releases.
I always took the evaluation Bond was undergoing was because of the new M, most of the agents and Mi6 personnel probably underwent some form of evaluation.
As for the contrivance about Bond finding Xenia; I've always assumed that Bond had been assigned Janus. He was probably running down leads about an operative, even if he didn't know exactly who he was looking for.
I also assumed the evaluation was because of the new M because when Caroline orders him to stop the car Bond says something like "I have no problem with female authority"
@@francispetercanavan6386 I find it hard to connect this to LTK as it must be set many years later [due to the collapse of the soviet union and LTK tied into 80's drug issues] and this is such a 'fresh start' but I suppose the Bond timeline was never linear in fairness.
No Bond film really hit me and made me so excited and energetic watching it for the first time than Goldeneye. One of the best films in the franchise , even as a Brosnan hater, this is such a great Bond film and hits the marks in almost every area. Wish the rest of Brosnan’s tenure lived up to this first outing. Still easily a top five Bond film for me, just above No Time to Die. Well done Calvin.
aw thats cool to hear man, especially since you dont seem keen on Brosnan. well heres to hoping you'll like TND and TWINE more in the future :)
I honestly love the score of this film. It's so different and for the first Bond of the 90s, I think it works quite well
I also really like the score. I like how Serra incorporates the Bond themes and motifs. I was actually disappointed how the subsequent movies returned to the same old same old. The different music makes Goldeneye unique in the whole series. It creates a different feel.
Serra also scored The Fifth Element released three years later. "Little Light of Love" played over the credits and now sounds to me like a far better, evolved version of Experience of Love having rewatched GoldenEye
One of the best Q scenes? I think it's THE best, personally. It brings with it a sense of continuity and evolution--their exchange after testing the exploding pen suggests that Q has grown used-to and even enjoys Bond's witticisms. To think that these two seemingly used to hate each other in the early days and now they genuinely enjoy each others' company.
I genuinely laughed when Bond curiously picks up Q's sandwich and Q snatches it out of his hand and says "Don't touch that! That's my lunch!". Bond feels like a toddler in that scene
Oh hands down the best Q scene. I laugh every time.
I would give it my vote for the best Q scene. Brosnan and Llewelyn have amazing chemistry, and there’s a good mix of Bond receiving crucial gadgets and humorous side gags. Not to mention the great dialogue “You have a license to kill, not to break traffic laws” and “Don’t touch that! That’s my lunch”.
I can't describe the experience of the N64 game. You lived it or you didn't. The video game that made a generation
Back in that era, the console players were having the time of their lives with Goldeneye. And the PC players were having the time of their life with Quake. What a time to be alive it was.
Slaps only and OddJob is banned
@@SportyMabamba I love the entire world had this rule without internet telling us😂 btw goldeneye gets re released on switch and Xbox on Friday
@@mullaoslo Thanks for the heads-up I’ll buy it on Switch for that sweet couch co-op action
@@SportyMabamba oh its on the switch online n64 app so just make sure you have a subscription to the top tier and you will have access to it..
I believe Eric Serra's song The Experience of Love was originally going to be used over the end credits of Luc Besson's 1994 film - Leon: The Professional with Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. However, Sting's Shape of My Heart was chosen instead so Serra held onto it and then used it in GoldenEye.
I dunno why people give the score a bad rap. I absolutely loved it. I didn’t see the professional until a couple of years later and instantly recognized it.
I was lucky enough to watch GoldenEye in the theaters, during Thanksgiving 1995 in Eugene, Oregon. It was my introduction to the Bond movies, and was a small, but essential piece of my childhood. It doesn't feel that long ago...
My intro to the character as a kid. Pierce had and still has that swagger. The colorful villains, the classic big 90s action, it really delivered. There are three bond films that hit on everything so well that i always come back to them most frequently. From russia with love, casino royale, and goldeneye
Yes. Same. I would add Goldfinger, TND and Skyfall as well.
Completely agreed. It's not possible to separate your childhood introduction to a Bond actor and your "objective" evaluations of their performances compared others, but even when I try my hardest to do so, I don't know how Brosnan doesn't always come out on top for everyone (Except for Xenia, who is always Onatopp).
I'll at least note that in the majority of fans' Bond rankings, where Brosnan isn't #1, he's almost always #2, which tells me that if you could strip away that "imprinting" effect that one's childhood introduction to Bond has from the actor they first saw, Brosnan would almost always be #1 ;)
Even if we could somehow strip away Brosnan's performances entirely from his first three films, you still have some of the most well-written, interesting stories and characters/actors of just about any other Bond films. You also still have David Arnold who absolutely nailed John Barry without doing him a hint of disservice and still somehow added 200% more as he modernized it, so people new to Bond when seeing Brosnan films were getting the full John Barry, multi-dimensional, rich, suave brass experience from the scores but also modernized with some electronic undertones so they didn't notice the time differences as they would when starting with an older Barry-scored film, and that to me makes the Brosnan films objectively among the best overall Bond films. Every movie had amazing gadgets, compelling, relevant villains, and apart from "The World is Not Enough" (which ended on a submarine), awesome end-movie villain lair sets (so again, ticks the boxes for the best of Bond films too).
Inversely, if we stripped away everything from the Brosnan movies except for Brosnan himself, we all know they'd still be the best haha. Just Pierce standing there against a white backdrop in a tux, Walther PPK or PPQ in-hand, looking slightly to the side with a smile hidden behind his cool, calm, expression of seriousness on his face, ready to crack a pun amidst a dangerous situation, or man an aircraft and singlehandedly to destroy an entire air base full of terrorists and armaments and escape with naught but a face of focused determination, without so much as a single glance of wide-eyed fear.
Not that anyone asked or cares, but in my top 5 Bond film rankings, I've never been able to exclude any of Brosnan's first 3 films (and I honestly don't feel like I can consistently rank those three films alone without changing my mind every second because they're all so close), so it's a pretty boring list to most, though I'm still someone who ADORES the older films and watches them all over and over again. Brosnan just does it for me, every time, no matter the mood, and no, I'm not gay, but if I ever had such thing as a heterosexual man-crush, Pierce Brosnan would probably be it.
1) Tomorrow Never Dies
2) Goldeneye
3) The World is Not Enough
4) From Russia With Love
5) Casino Royale (Daniel Craig)
5) For Your Eyes Only
6) Thunderball
7) The Spy Who Loved Me
8) The Living Daylights
9) Goldfinger
10) Octopussy
My favorite line delivery in the movie happens on the train when Natalia asks Bond "what else do you call your bottom?" and Bond's response is "What?!". The way Brosnan says that always makes me laugh. They're in this life or death situation and Natalia is asking him about synonyms for ass haha. Even funnier when it turns out Boris was talking about a chair. Great review! GoldenEye is definitely one of the best Bond films. It's truly the only Bond film of it's kind. It set a somewhat dark yet witty tone for where we thought the franchise would go in the 90s but then the movies reverted to the lighthearted fun action of the Roger Moore era. Tomorrow Never Dies is the Octopussy to GoldenEye's For Your Eyes Only. I think they tried to make The World Is Not Enough more serious but that movie too kept it pretty light. Sean Bean did an excellent job in being the first MI6 agent turned villain which unless I'm forgetting someone hadn't happened in the movies yet. The way Bond kills him might be my favorite villain death in all 25 movies, it's just so fucking awesome. And of course Pierce Brosnan is outstanding in this movie. I've said this before but he had the most responsibility of all six actors who've played James Bond even more so than Sean Connery. Had Connery been bad in Dr. No and that movie failed and they never made a sequel it of course would've royally sucked and been a huge bummer for us fans but he wouldn't have been ruining an already beloved movie franchise that had been around for decades. And while George Lazenby certainly had big shoes to fill when he replaced Connery, YOLT had been a massive hit and had only come out two years prior to OHMSS. Brosnan inherited the character after the six year hiatus and after LTK hadn't been received well and underperformed at the box office. In addition to all that you also had the fact that GoldenEye was the first Bond movie released since the end of the Cold War and many critics thought the character of James Bond is intrinsically a Cold War character. M calling Bond a relic of the Cold War is a meta moment for how critics viewed James Bond in the early 90s. Had Brosnan fallen short in GoldenEye, this beloved stalwart franchise would've ended in failure, he would have become a poisoned actor, the fans would utterly hate him, and his career would've been over. Luckily for all of us he delivered a legendary performance and ensured that James Bond would continue to appear on screen for decades. In that way, GoldenEye is the second most important Bond movie after Dr. No, even more so than The Spy Who Loved Me and Casino Royale. And I agree about Natalia, she's a really good and unfairly forgotten Bond girl. She's one of the most proactive ones in all the movies which is especially impressive considering the most recent Bond girl, Pam Bouvier, was a kick ass CIA agent. My favorite Brosnan Bond movie is Tomorrow Never Dies but that's more about nostalgia since it was the first Bond movie I saw in theaters and possibly the first one I saw period. There's no question that GoldenEye was his best movie.
2 facts I find interesting about GoldenEye.
When Bond and Xenia are in the Casino he holds on 7, she has 6.
This is the film where Bond kills the most people, thanks largely to all those scenes of him machine gunning Russian soldiers.
Like the game, he just mowed down soviet soldiers down for an hour and a half hahaha
He probably killed the most people in Octopussy, in the pre-title sequence
@@thebadfella5296 I didn't crunch the numbers myself but I did find a kill count in the 007 museum website. It has 47 kills for GoldenEye compared to 15 for Octopussy.
The Experience of Love was originally meant to be played over the credits of Eric Serra's previous film, Leon the Professional. Instead Shape of My Heart by Sting was used. For Goldeneye, Serra agreed to compose the soundtrack on the condition that his song Experience of Love be used somewhere in the film.
Also, in Leon the Professional, you can hear parts of this song played during the last few scenes.
I never even noticed that aspect of Xenia getting onto the helicopter using a lookalike of the admiral. For some reason I just assumed it was Ourumov with her. But seeing as how the pilot getting the plastic surgery was one of the many plot threads of Thunderball that dragged that movie down for me, I'm glad that it was glossed over here.
Season of the Witch reference!!! 🫑💀🎃
I was hoping you’d watch and appreciate that little clip 😂
This movie is the reason I’m a diehard bond fan, the reason Pierce Brosnan is my favorite actor, it is the reason for so much of who I am today including the reason I gained an interest in film making. This movie represents so many of the things I love about bond and the nostalgia I feel of watching this movie for the first time with my grandparents will continue to bring me back time and time again for the rest of my life❤😊
Goldeneye is easily in my top 5 James bond films for so many reasons. For one, the casting is spot on and some of the best in the series. Also, Sean bean is amazing as Alec and plays him so well. Finally the set pieces throughout are topnotch.
Solid review as always and I REALLY loved the skits you did in this one. Laugh out loud funny!
Comedy gold!
Hmmm, I'd never made the Onatop/Fatima Blush connection before, but Fatima to me was the one redeeming element of NSNA , so . . . good steal, EON.
Goldeneye to me is the perfect starter bond film. It was for me, it was my first bond film. If you know someone that hasn’t seen a bond film and wouldnt know where to start this is the right film to start.
I disagree, Casino Royale is the best film to introduce new comers to James Bond. Especally, those people that are 25 years old or younger
@@greatwuta Casino Royale really only reflects Daniel Craig's Bond. Goldeneye is a better introduction to the the series as a whole.
Yes, a starter Bond film. A gateway to the better films in the series.
@@ricardocantoral7672 Here is why Casino Royale is a better film to introduce people that have never watched a James Bond film before. Especally if they are 23 and younger. Basically, it's a 007 origin story and believe me, Gen Z love origin stories and because Casino Royale came out in 2006 they can just enjoy the film and wont have to struggle with an older film or put themselves in a different time frame. That's another thing, Gen Z would rarely watch anything older than them. Also Casino Royale is a better film Goldeneye. I will also say this, if you show someone Casino Royale and he or she still don't like it, then don't waste your time showing that person anymore Bond films.
@@greatwuta You still didn't disprove what I stated. Casino Royale is only a reflection of the Craig era Bond films and nothing else before it. If someone didn't like it then maybe they should watch the older Bond films. Lastly, I don't give a flying f*** about Gen Z idiots who struggle who don't identify with films that are older than they are. Anyone who can't appreciate old films is a moron in my eyes.
Bless you Calvin for your admiration for Natalya. Honestly, my favourite leading lady of the series to date. Also Scorupco is very much someone who shys away from the limelight, she could have been a trendsetter in Hollywood, but decided to as you say march to the beat of her own drum. Martin Campbell clearly liked her as he worked with her once more. Shame she doesn’t do more Hollywood films.
It's a meassure of how 'out of sight' she has been than I've seen lists of 'Bond Girls' with Xenia filling the Goldeneye slot! But it's nice Scorupco did what she wanted with her career.
When Xenia kills everyone is Severnaya, I love the cut to Ourumov looking at her like: “Jeez, lady.”
I’ve legitimately been waiting years for this review
i think we all have man :)
My all time favourite Bond film and Brosnan's best film. Rest in peace Robbie Coultrane as well, excellent as Valentin and the PERFECT Hagrid in Harry Potter.
27 years later and it's STILL the blueprint of a great Bond film. Just perfect.
The experience of love. It was in Serra's contract. He insisted being able to sing the end credit song. Such a curious thing, arrogance...
I have never laughed so hard a perfect edit of “DO IT FOR YORKSHIRE” - literally on floor
It's very clever you're reviewing each scene with the appropriate N64 game level music in the background! :P
Ah, Goldeneye. One of my persnal favorite Bond films. Shares the number 1 spot with License to kill for me.
Thanks for the focus on Famke Janssen, i had forgotten how unbelievably attractive she is in this movie! She already steals every scene she's in as Onatopp, she didn't even need to be so mesmerisingly beautiful.
As for the movie - its easily a top 5 Bond and no exaggeration to say Brosnan saved the franchise with his performance
I've always considered myself a Bond fan but really, as time has gone on I've realised I'm really more of a GoldenEye fan. I like others in the series a lot, but this is just the perfect action film for me; it has everything I'm looking for entertainment wise. How it's paced, edited and shot so beautifully. The casting is perfect. You e summed up most of the things I love about it, including the casting which is just so spot on. My absolute favourite film of all time.
GoldenEye was my first ever Bond film at the age of 6, and it's always been my #1. I just think it's the perfect, definitive Bond movie.
I saw it at age 6 as well. My dad also got me GoldenEye and Perfect Dark as well
I saw it when I was 8, you guys are hardcore.
Certainly my first Bond in theater but can’t remember if it was my first ever. Either way, once I saw Goldeneye, it was my favorite and still is. Amazing how a movie I loved when I was 8 is still a favorite. Puts it in a rarefied air with Star Wars etc.
I’ve always considered GoldenEye as part of my very DNA, of sorts. It just meant so much to me growing up. When most kids my age were raised by Disney animated films, I was raised by Pierce Brosnan rolling down the streets of St. Petersburg.
I wore out the VHS tape.
I played the game so much, I played multiplayer alone, well after my friends had left, to perfect my skills.
I can quote the film line-by-line.
I do enjoy the score (Experience of Love included).
I don’t really know why, but needless to say, GoldenEye is MY Bond film.
A part of who I am.
7:32 really got me lol!
“James? DO IT FOR YORKSHIRE!!!”
“….for England, Alec”.
Great video as always, Calvin!
53:50 Izabella Scorupco is wonderful in this movie. Natalya is not a Tracy nor a Vesper but there is feisty resilience to her character, but there is warmth and charm to her as well
Man this is so great! I really enjoyed your commentary and shot breakdowns of one of my favorite movies.
Goldeneye was my first bond film. I'm one of the many who watched the movie after playing the n64 game. For me, Bronson is the quintessential depiction. Definitely my generation's bond
35:32 - the first bullet in the chamber could have been a blank, while the others were real, wouldn't surprise me if such a thing was planned.
Loved the Laurel and Hardy "sons of the desert" clip.
I NEVER noticed that Alec was holding his arm at the end of the fight with Bond. I always assumed he was just pointing it at him one-handed.
Great review, Calvin!
Goldeneye is still my number 1 favorite Bond film and Pierce is still my Bond but Casino Royale is like 1B to Goldeneye’s 1A for me. God I love both of these films. And both happened to be directed by Martin Campbell. Gotta love that.
The best reviews I enjoy are the ones were hours feel like minutes and I am just so invested into it. Your reviews always totally fall into that category! I know what time and energy goes into producing these videos and I can only respect the effort and passion that evidently goes into your content, But also. As a fellow 1990s kid I find myself agreeing with so much of your love for this film! It truly is the Goldfinger of our generation. 🍸 Thank you Calvin! Hope to speak more!
This Bond film really has it all IMO. Grand scale, Bond in a casino, a great villain and henchmen (or henchwoman in this case), a great title sequence, and awesome stunts. This and The Spy Who Loved Me are my go to Bond movies when I just want to jump back into the Bond universe. I’d also add that this might be the best first Bond film for any of the actors who played him, which is impressive considering how great Casino Royale and Live and let Die are.
I've been waiting for this one. I swear, Goldeneye has to be one of the best films, let alone bond films. Just an incredible feat of action, romance and comedy. Yeah it has it's obvious flaws but in my mind it's vlassic espionage. Plus some of the best post Ken Adam sets to date in the series. Definitely in my top 5 bond films
Calvin. The cutaways and the comic timing are now pretty much sitcom worthy now. And the fact yer reviewing the best Bond film ever makes this a great evening for me.
All the best big man, love the channel 🖤
Perfect video! I could watch you talk about Goldeneye for hours lol. Well done dude!!!!
Thank you so much! Very happy you enjoyed it :D
Me too :)
This was the first Bond film I saw in theaters and it was my favorite growing up. It’s still on my top five and it’s a perfect debut for Brosnan.
Actually, I quite like the end-credits song. It really is quite relaxing, and I argue that it actually suits the end credits excellently. It's a very satisfying ending, considering the fact the emotions Bond and Natalya walk away with at the end of the film; Bond having just killed a friend. It suits these emotions well. Plus, the instrumental is really quite beautiful. It reminds me a little of Peter Gabriel. I will very strongly argue this, having been a classical musician my whole life, I think this score gets treated undeservedly badly!
I probably didn't comment when this review came out, but I love Goldeneye. It was the first I saw in full and it gripped me in all the rights ways. If it wasn't for Goldeneye being so great I wouldn't be a Bond fan. Everything about it is great: Bond is great, the villain is great, the Bond girls are good, the stunts are great, the music is decent, the song is great, the new/returning MI6 cast are great, and Boris is one of the best comical characters in the series.
“Ebenezer Ratbag” made me laugh so hard.
You mentioned that Bond stumbles into the theft of the Tiger helicopter by accident but I thought it was made clear in the MI6 conversations between Bond, Tanner and M that 007 was going to Monte Carlo because he had a suspicion that the Tiger might be targeted. M was unconvinced about Bond's concern and wouldn't authorize a full investigation. "Too bad the evil Queen of Numbers wouldn't let you play your hunch."
I have always thought this was a piece of creative storytelling which leaves the audience in the dark for dramatic purposes, but Bond knows what he’s doing there. Why else would he be there?
also, explaining some more of the things that calvin thinks are plot holes:
- Shooting Trevelyan: it's perfectly possible that the first round fed from the magazine/chambered into his gun was a blank, and all the rest were real; nothing says that a magazine has to contain all the same type of bullet, after all.
- How did Trevelyan afford the antenna base: He probably largely /didn't/; this film is based in huge part on the massive shitshow that was Soviet disarmament and reclaiming of now Russian military property, and that era was infamous for the MASSIVE amount of black market sales, embezzlement, and outright theft occurring among the soon-to-be unemployed Soviet commanders in military bases all over the now defunct USSR. We know from the intro that A: Ourumov was aware of/in charge of Goldeneye, and B: that Goldeneye was HIGHLY classified, so it could very well be the case that the USSR built the Goldeneye control center in Cuba, and once the USSR fell apart, Ourumov was in perfect position to claim ownership of the now forgotten secret military base on behalf of Janus. Keep in mind that Janus STOLE Goldeneye, all of the shit that he used to take control of it was NOT actually built by him or his organization.
- How did Trevelyan hire all of the staff: Almost none of the staff probably know who they're actually working for; after all, besides the EMP superweapon bit, Goldeneye is still technically just a normal satellite, and the vast majority of the staff are just going to be doing normal things related to satellite maintenance, with parts related to the actual weapon being kept secret to Boris and the higher-ups. Also, it's very possible that some part of the Cuban government is aware of and in cahoots with Janus, so they could be feeding him civilian contractors under guise of military contract work.
- Why did they make it so hard for Bond to escape: If only Ourumov and Trevelyan were involved in the plot, then that would mean he would have a VERY difficult time setting things up so that Bond could escape without tipping off his superiors or fellow officers, and as such, telling his guys to hold their fire when they had a clear shot inside the warehouse, and then when Bond was racing away on the motorcycle, were probably all he /could/ do to help Bond get out without raising suspicions. It's also probably the case that the goal of letting Bond escape was merely an optional goal that they would like to complete, rather than an absolute necessity; the ultimate goal is to make MI6 think that Trevelyan is actually dead, and while letting Bond get away as a witness to that fact would help, it probably wouldn't be difficult to sell based on the facility explosion and 006 not returning alone.
Opening night in a packed cinema, it was such a crowd pleaser. Everyone was on board from the moment in the opening when he falls next to the plane. It was exactly the right tone and hilarious
GoldenEye 64 was my introduction to James Bond. My dad bought me my first Nintendo 64 for my 8th birthday two months after I was diagnosed with leukemia. For my birthday the doctors allowed me to leave the hospital and go home for the first time in two months for just one hour. When I got home and walked into the living room, the Nintendo was already set up and in it was GoldenEye 64. That became my favorite game. Not long afterwards my dad showed me the movie. Before we started, I inserted the game cartridge into the console and plugged in the controller and held onto that controller and pretended I was playing the game as we watched the movie. I remember being blown away at seeing the familiar levels of the game, the dam, the facility, the archives, the tank chase, the train, the cradle, it was so cool! Two months later my dad took me to see Tomorrow Never Dies in theaters. That was probably one of the best movie theater experiences of my life and to this day Tomorrow Never Dies is still my personal favorite. However I hold a special place in my heart for GoldenEye. It truly is THE Bond film of a generation.
This is the first movie from here on in by Barbera and Michael, and rather than just following Bond formula, by the numbers and just getting directors for hire, I feel Strongly that they really allowed Martin and directors and writers to follow to really be creative and bring in new ideas for the series, that had criticisms for being just same old same old and became a stigma.
The whole opening and all Monti Carlo scenes for me are trying to also show a reintroduction to Bond in the 90's with the Tux, casino and DB5 in order to show that Bond is still cool and hip for the new MTV generation. But I also feel like and with the rest of the movie that it was deliberately trying to be a VERY Anti 'Licence to Kill/ Dalton' movie because of that, especially with having Bond in Bed finally for the first time in 10 years. In following on what you said about that ITV best of moments in 2002, none of Daltons movies made it in to the list :(. No Disrespect to Dalton fans by the way.
Oh and Calvin, did you ever notice Sean Bean mouthing the numbers " 3...2" beefore Orumov shoots him? Nice little detail on Beans behalf. What are your thoughts on the Rabbit Punch by the way and its edit????? Oh and Also Bond and Alecs with their sh**t supply of ammo with their AK47s in the climax haha WTF
I'd never noticed that about Alec mouthing the numbers along with Ourumov! That's really cool. The Rabbit Punch was also something slightly edited in the 12 rated UK version! It's a clunky edit in that version. Similar to how Bond stamping on a guys head in TND was edited in the UK and always created a bit of a weird jump cut moment!
Nah that's Tomorrow Never Dies. Goldeneye was the last film by Cubby.
@@calvindyson absoluley man. even though i wont rate either GE or TND rate it is interesting what the bbfc will rate both back then and now
Mind BLOWN! Would never have spotted that myself in a million years - hats off to you.
@@rachelstechman5959 oh no, my odd job hats off to you ;) but yeah it great that details like that are in the movie
I just recently found this channel and I am completely obsessed with it.
Goldeneye is my favorite James Bond movie. It has the perfect mix of great Bond, great villain, great Bond girl, great villain henchmen, great villain plan, great action set prices and locations, great supporting cast, stylish and beautiful camera work and direction, great soundtrack, and a lot of great and memorable quotes. It’s just so perfect it almost hurts lol
the direction team actually dubbed the voice of shaun bean
non dubbed: DO IT FOR YORKSHIRE!!!!!!!!!!
this cracked me up
keep doing the great videos. are you going to do any video game reviews?
A while ago, I posted on Reddit about how it was that Trevelyan managed to fund such a massive base and hide it from everyone as, like you, it seemed too farfetched.
The answer I received makes so much more sense: basically the base in Cuba was a former Soviet satellite base, perhaps used to control the Goldeneye or other weapons. When the USSR collapsed, the base went forgotten and General Orumov gains access to it on behalf of Trevelyan.
I attended the NYC premiere of Goldeneye at Radio City. Desmond Llewelyn MC’d the pre-screening festivities. Amazing experience. A highlight of my college years, for sure! All the Bond women from the movie attended, and their outfits were over-the-top fabulous. I’m no fashion connoisseur, but it left an impression.
Goldeneye is one of those special Bond films that stands out very well on it's own. It has a unique tone and dark atmosphere and one could say it's one of the iconic films of 90s cinema.
I really love how you spend so much time chatting with such clarity and detail about the performances in these films. I think it's something that's often overlooked by reviewers especially in the action genre. Nobody really discusses anything beyond whether a portrayal was "good" or "bad". Ive always loved the supporting cast in Bond films and how they flesh out the bombastic, eccentric world which surrounds the man. As an actor myself it's a dream I've had forever to play a character part in one of these films.
Hi, Calvin! Fantastic review as always! I must say though, being able to track M’s character journey is actually one of my favorite aspects of the Brosnan era.
The idea of acting analytically vs instinctually, as set up in GoldenEye, tracks pretty consistently (in my opinion anyway), through the Brosnan films, at least the first three. Tomorrow Never Dies extends upon GoldenEye by holding M to her analytical standards of refusing to act on a “whim,” in the face of Admiral Roebuck, choosing to instead investigate and gather further information. It’s in these scenes where she again associates impulsivity with maleness and more specifically, “having the balls” to act. Having these standards strictly established in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies, to me is what makes her character journey in The World is Not Enough so believable and impactful. When she does for the first time decide to stop thinking analytically and instead act on instinct/emotion by going out to meet Elektra herself, it is because of the guilt felt from choosing to be her typically cold self in the original way she handled the kidnapping, choosing to again slow down and investigate instead of stepping in or negotiating with Renard. When she finally abandons her strict value set to act on emotion, Tanner and Bond are understandably taken aback, and she is ultimately punished for it, reaffirming the merit of these original values.
If you can’t already tell, I’m so excited to see you to cover the rest of Brosnan’s films!
Wow, you're right - I have never noticed this, but it totally tracks.
My thoughts exactly
Just watched Goldeneye a few days ago and was gutted that you hadn't done a recent in depth review...until now!!
Im about to cry man I waited so long for this video 😭
This is a really impressive video. The editing, commentary and comedy sketches must've taken ages to pull together but it's so worth it. Keep up the great work Calvin.
This is the movie that introduced me to James Bond. I saw it when I was only seven years old a mere two years after it came out. Still my favorite Bond movie and Brosnan is still my favorite Bond.
I love it too, and I think a lot goes back to an observation from that Bond Experience review of this which you made with David. Namely, it's packed with vivid characters. We get only a glimpse of Moneypenny, but the new M lays down the law, Q is in great form, Trevelyan makes a great Bond Gone Bad, I love Natalya, Wade, Zukovsky, and Boris are all fun (each in their way), and Xenia is just ... wow. (I even like the silly monster movie Deep Rising largely because Janssen gets to play the world's most glamorous pickpocket.) I'm a little disappointed with Ourumov, he's played nicely enough but for me he just doesn't live up to that "next iron man of Russia" which M promised. (Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has "Bond villain" written all over him.) In fact, I feel a bit bad for Tcheky Karyo, who played Mishkin. Karyo's best role of all time was probably way back in the French movie La Femme Nikita, which I highly, highly, highly recommend as spy adventure. (I prefer subtitles to dubbing.) Absolutely nothing against Connery, Dalton, or the others, but this is my go-to Bond. Thanks!
Tcheky Karyo is one of my favourite character-actors in France ; I would go as far as to say that he still has no equivalent in French cinema as far as being able to bring elegance and sensitivity to imposing, tough figures on screen (A Long Sunday Engagement springs to mind, he stands out amidst a bloated cast in what is a very underrated WWI film). Maybe someone like fellow Bond-alum Dali Benssalah will be able to capture that kind of magic? Time will tell. Anyway, nice to see someone recognizing Tcheky's quality :)
So this film takes place nine years after pre title sequence, which would put that in the year 1986. I don't think that's coincidence since that's the year when Brosnan became Bond for the first time. Between Moore and Dalton.
Just wanted to give a shout out for including a clip from Laurel and Hardy. They shall not be forgotten.
17:40 I actually assumed that was meant to be Ourumov with a fake beard, as he's the one who gets out of the helicopter later. PS: I NEVER noticed this! When she puts in the password, "Knockers", the right 'knocker' on the cartoon Natalia swells! Am I the only one who never caught this before??
that is so funny you say that because i noticed that for the first time too
For a very long time I thought Goldeneye was the first Bond-Movie I've ever seen. Later I figured out I DID see several of the older ones before, and promptly forgot them. Goldeneye turned out to be one of the best ones in the entire series, and the first that actually got stuck in my mind :D
Great review, and loved the fact you matched each of the music tracks from the game's levels to the corresponding film scene.
I really enjoyed Goldeneye Brosnan was brilliant, keep up with what your doing Calvin you really deserve so much more subscribers
Great video as always Calvin :)
This is also my favourite Bond film! This film is perfect! 10/10 GoldenEye have great and memorable characters, not one useless one, amazing pre title sequences, all of that soviet theme stuff in the beginning, 007 Vs 006, great action (iconic tank sequence, escape from prison).
Did I mention the Great Tank Scene? Amazing work blending the real city with the fake one they built! Pierce Brosnan is great in all the Bond films and plays Bond perfectly.
I agree with you 100% on the music at the end, very bad. And weird (bad) music during the db5 and Ferrari car case.
Watching this is always fun. I hope EON returns to making FUN Bond films again. Casino Royale is great but prefer the fun of the Broshan era.
Beautifully said man :)
Say what you want about the music, I do really REALLY like the 'tiger helicopter escape' piece. It shouldn't work, but those saxophone moments give me shivers down my spine. Shame and weird its never been officially released :(
Thanks very much, Morten! We're in agreement on hoping EON returns more to this kind of fun Bond adventure!
Exactly - Bond is supposed to be FUN! Daniel Craig does a good job, but his films are so dreary and grim, I can't see myself ever wanting to rewatch them. Except possibly Casino Royale, which had a few fun moments.
@@rachelstechman5959 i woulndt go that far though. theres a good reason Daniels movies have been succesful remember
There is so much I could say & riff on but will limit it to a few things.
1. This is the best of the Brosnan films in so many ways. No film is ever completely perfect. But this is as close as possible to that.
2. Of all the Brosnan/Craig era theme songs, GoldenEye is the best & harkens back to the best of the 60s era theme songs. & as pointed out, the soundtrack music (excluding The Experience of Love) works almost perfectly as well.
3. Xenia Onatopp is one of the best villianesses in the Eon series. & yes, she is their version of Fatima Blush from Never Say Never Again. They are equally sadistic, egotistic & fun to watch.
4. Finally, Boris Grishenko is probably my favorite secondary villian in any Bond movie. His death in the movie is an example of someone getting the karma payback he so richly deserves.
Goldeneye was first Bond film I saw in a cinema and it was a magical experience. I still cannot get over with the visuals of the Daniel Kleinman credits on a big screen.
Billy J. Mitchell played the Canadian admiral whose body was found with a smile on his face. He also played Val Kilmer's agent in "Top Secret!" where we learn he's died with the following quote:
"Apparently, he didn’t realize that in Germany, we use 220-volt currents. It took us 30 minutes just to get the smile off of his face."
That guy had some oddly specific typecasting going on, and it is amazing.
Calvin., i always thought that the man who stole the Admiral's ID card was Colonel Ourumov as he exits the helicopter with Xenia at Sevenaya. P.S. you know how much i love GoldenEye amd this re-review is outstanding.
See that’s funny becuase was convinced it was Trevelyn. The watch on the man’s wrist (who takes the ID card) looks almost the same his watch at the end of the film. And I just assumed that he used facial make up to make him look like the Admiral
@@Max-wl7jn it actually could be either of them. i don't think we'll ever know.
We do need a henchman Hotline video from you. Every time you make this bit I'm on the floor. 😂 Thank you for your great work and enthusiasm. Always a pleasure to watch your videos.
Don't know why this was recommended to me this week, but I am a big Goldeneye fan, and outside of a Karl Jobst video, I've had no Goldeneye videos in my history in the last many years, but glad I sat through all 69 minutes of the video. You have yourself a subscription, sir. And yes, Famke Janssen as Xenia... my god, a teenage wet dream for myself as a teenage boy.
For spy they built a soundstage then for goldeneye they built a studio , Robert Bathurst of cold feet fame audition for James Bind
Read about that. Bathurst said once in an interview they got him in for an audition just to egg Dalton onto signing on for the role.
10:55
Just a little note about the 'smoking, two-headed woman'. It could be a reference to the mythological Roman god Janus, who is usually depicted with having two faces. Janus, of course, being Alec Trevelyans bad guy name.
Yeah, it's the best bond film, but does it have Sharky coming back as a ghost? No? Shaking my head Martin.
Nice bit of cheering up this evening
Hope you enjoy it, Shameer!
Just a day ago i scanned your channel for Goldeneye review and wondered where it was. And here it is! Cheers!