GoldenEye (1995) directed by Martin Campbell
Pierce Brosnan begins his James Bond career with this exciting, over-the-top story of Bond foiling a plan by the Russians. The Cold War is long over but they make such fine bad guys that I guess the producers couldn't resist. The Russian military is in cahoots with a corrupt Russian business that's planning to use an electro-magnetic pulse devise (codenamed "Goldeneye') to cause havoc. The plan's details are not revealed right away. The company even destroys the secret base where Goldeneye is run. Luckily, the Russians built two devices. What will the bad guys do with the second weapon? And what about the cute Russian programmer (Izabella Scorupco) who managed to escape?
Judi Dench also debuts as M, the head of Bond's secret service division. She's just as tough as her predecessor and rightly accuses Bond of being an "aging, misogynistic dinosaur." Bond takes the criticism like any other--it barely has any effect. He and this film keep to the same tactics: spectacular stunts and actions sequences (the chase in St. Petersburg where Bond is driving a tank and the bad guys have a car stretches credibility quite far), exotic locales, beautiful women with whom Bond fools around, tech gadgets from Q branch that would never work in real life (maybe the exploding pen, but definitely not the watch with a laser cutter), and a fabulous theme song (thanks, Tina Turner) over an aging, misogynistic opening credits sequence.
The movie is typical of most of the Bond films. It's entertaining escapist fun, making it easier to overlook Bond's amoral behavior and the semi-cartoonish tone (though it's not as frivolous as the Roger Moore films, which are enjoyable in their own way).
Mildly recommended--quintessential mindless popcorn fun that so much of the Bond franchise delivers.
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