Goldeneye restarted Bond in the 90s

Goldeneye was the Bond franchise’s do or die moment. Six years had passed since the last film, the longest gap in the long running series history. Timothy Dalton’s License to Kill ended his run the British super spy, and people doubted whether Bond made sense in post-cold war 1995. People genuinely believed the franchise was dead. Goldeneye proved the naysayers wrong and resurrected the franchise with a $355 million box office.

Goldeneye is the first Bond film I remember watching, but those memories blur with the classic Nintendo 64 game. Thinking back on it, I spent much more time in 4-player death matches and campaign mode than I ever did watching the film. In some cases, it was strange watching scenes play out from a third person perspective. I was used to being James Bond as he drops in on the soldier using the toilet, not seeing the gag played for the camera.

Pushing aside the game, let’s dive into the film. Yes, the pun is intentional. The cold opening for Goldeneye begins with Bond diving off the side of a massive dam. Stuntman Wayne Michaels made the leap, and achieved the farthest filmed freefall at the time. It’s an impressive bungie jump, but the way it is filmed lacks the dynamic camera work you’d see in a modern Mission Impossible film. In 1995, cameras were big and difficult to move, so you’re further way from the action. The jump is still cool, but lacks a visceral thrill.

Narratively the bungie jump remains as impressive. A single action encapsulates Bond’s character. He doesn’t hesitate; he jumps from the highest ledge and calmly executes a safe landing. This man calmly defies death. The camera work may be dated, but that doesn’t rob the scene of its story power.

Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond is effortlessly cool, completely charming, and a deadly secret agent. He has no major flaws, and always comes out on top. It’s a very different take on the character from the grim and gritty Daniel Craig of the 21^st century. Brosnan’s Bond isn’t invincible, but he’s not entirely human. He’s a superhero in a well-manicured suit. Which Bond you prefer is a matter of personal taste, but I have to give it to Brosnan. He’s my first and still favorite Bond. I’ll take fun superhero antics over the gritty doldrums of modern Bond.

Bond can’t carry a film alone; he needs excellent supporting characters to play off. We know Bond won’t die and he won’t change during a film, so that narrative weight moves to the secondary characters.  Goldeneye doesn’t disappoint. Xenia and Trvelyn are excellent foils for Bond to play off, and Natalya gets a complete character arc in a rare move for a Bond girl.

Xenia Onnatop is my favorite villain in Goldeneye. Famke Janssen plays the sexually charged killer with manic energy. She strangles her victims with her thighs, clearly getting off as she ends them. Each time she enters a scene you know the movie is about to get good. I wanted to see more of her, despite knowing she was used the perfect amount. Too much more and she might have worn out her welcome, but like any great villain, you want that extra time the film wisely withholds. At least she gets a spectacular death, strangled by a helicopter.

Opposite Xenia is Izabella Scorupco’s Natalya as the good Bond girl. Despite being setup as the damsel in distress, she quickly proves her strength by escaping Xenia’s massacre at the military base. Natalya is intelligent and resourceful. She’s a computer programmer working on top-secret satellite navigation systems. Throughout the film, she finds herself captured multiple times, but always puts up a fight. Her lack of success comes from being a regular person up against trained soldiers. She never feels weak because the story demands it, which is surprising considering the franchise. By the end of the film she’s proven essential to the mission’s success and her character transforms from quiet office worker to badass action hero.

Another strong female presence is Judi Dench’s M. Having gone on to become a staple of the franchise, Judi Dench is hardly in Goldeneye. However, she steals any scene she’s in as the authoritative director of MI6. In a room full of trained secret agents, M commands respect and authority. She also gets the best line in the entire film.

“I think you’re a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the cold war…” She continues talking, revealing to Bond she has no problem sending him on a suicide mission, and not to question her conviction, but she won’t toss life away needlessly. If he’s to die, she’ll make it’s a useful death. Scene-stealer.

Sean Bean’s Trevelyan is a good villain, but can’t measure up to the fun of Xenia Onnatop. He’s the straight man to wild murderous antics, and would have been dull if not for his connection to Bond. They were partners and Trevelyan betrayed him. You’ve seen that conflict in countless movies, but that doesn’t matter, because Goldeneye mines the trope for all its worth. Their relationship plays into every scene together, right up until Trevelyan’s death.

“For England, James?” Trevelyan asks while he dangled from Bond’s hand fifty feet above ground. “For me,” Bond replies as he lets the man who betrayed him fall from the bottom of the massive satellite. His body crumples against the hard cement below while explosions begin rocking the satellite. Bond escapes by helicopter, just as the structure collapses. We last see Trevelyan screaming while flaming wreckage rains down upon him. 

Even Boris, the evil Russian computer programmer, gets a fun death scene. Narrowly escaping certain doom multiple times, he declares, “I am invincible” in his terrible Russian accent. Raising his hands in triumph, a tanker explodes behind him. A flood of liquid nitrogen freezes him solid. It’s ridiculous and perfect. I love Alan Cummings.

Robbie Coltrane, Hagrid from Harry Potter, has a great little role a Russian gangster. A gangster whose mistress is Minne Driver singing a terrible rendition of ‘Stand by your Man.” Bond crippled the gangster in their previous encounter, but with enough charm and wit, he’s able to win the gangster over and gain his assistance. Bond doesn’t just seduce women. Everybody loves him. Even his old enemies.

The whole film balances ridiculousness and fun. We get a car chase that ends with Bond seducing a woman sent to evaluate his mental fitness as a secret agent. It’s over the top, but saved by two components. It’s a well-shot and exciting action scene, so visually it works. It also reveals Bond as a lady’s man, which is essential to his character and necessary information for new comers to the franchise.

The car chase is fun, but the amazing tank chase easily bests it. Seeing Bond crash its way through the city in a massive tank is thrilling. They use every opportunity available to smash through obstacles and buildings, utilizing the ridiculous scenario for all its worth. The best part is when general Ourumov orders his driver through a small alleyway, and since their little car barely fits through the narrow corridor, he assumes they’ve escaped. With perfect comedic timing, Bond’s tank crashes through brick and mortar, sending debris flying in all directions. Over the top in the best way, the scene is pure fun.

The Goldeneye theme sung by Tina Turner is perfectly fits the film’s tone. It’s operatic, larger than life and brimming with attitude. The montage, done in classic Bond style, packs a wonderful visual punch. Cigars become guns, while both standing in for something else entirely. Beautiful women hammer at symbols of the fallen USSR. A massive heel crashes down through the screen. Guns, sex and politics sums up the series well.

Goldeneye’s opening bungie jump isn’t the only flawed aspect of the film. It’s a fun ride, but it’s not perfect. Some of the special effects are especially bad. Model jets crashing into Natalya’s computer lab lack any sense of weight. I won’t say they look like marionette’s from the old 60s thunderbirds show, but they’re not far off. I know these aren’t cheap effects, but they look terrible now.

The goldeneye satellite itself looks incredibly fake too.  I’m not sure if the satellite is bad CGI or terrible compositing, but it has a South Park construction paper cutout feel. Seeing it hover over a blurry blue orb that’s supposed to be earth doesn’t help sell the effect. It’s cartoonish in the wrong way, while the tank plowing through the alley way was the good kind of cartoonish. These moments don’t ruin the film, but do make their scenes difficult to take seriously.

The opening car chase, which I mentioned is fun, could be shorter. It tries too hard to throw things in the dueling cars’ path, and crosses into bad cartoon territory. The cyclists are the problem here, especially once the cars fly past and they tumble over. It’s a cheap gag and doesn’t draw a laugh. I can’t imagine anybody actually laughing. Better to go right back to Bond in the car.

The helicopter escape where Bond meets Natalya is a stronger example of the bad cartoon. It starts well enough, with a reasonably terrified Natalya screaming for Bond to wake up. The helicopter is about to fire its own missiles back at them, and there’s a lengthy count down in stereotypical Bond villain fashion. The problem with the scene is the massive red ejector button next to Bond’s head, which he fails to see right away despite being glaringly obvious to the audience. Worse, the villain left him next to the big red escape button. None of the people who strapped Bond in could have missed it. It’s too stupid to ignore. Worst scene in the film.

Goldeneye saved the Bond franchise in the 90s thanks to Pierce Brosnan’s effortless charm and cool. The move is a fun piece of popcorn entertainment. It’s what audiences wanted from a Bond film. There’s nothing especially deep or moving happening. It’s predictable, and follows the tropes of the series, but it does so in a creative and fun way. Go back and watch Goldeneye. It’s not a masterpiece, and some aspects have aged very poorly, but overall it’s a fun time.