Rating: 15/20
Plot: James Bond tries to save the world from bad people.
This is one I wanted to watch for the score after reading about how Eric Serra, the guy who gave The Fifth Element its cool score, provided a score for the movie that was much maligned. I liked it, especially when it was at its most minimalist, but might agree that it's the type of thing that would probably make most Bond fans uncomfortable. I did like the sneaky touches of the Bond theme used throughout. I also liked the theme song sung by Tina Turner and written by people in U2, those terrorists who put songs on my phone. I've never been sure how I feel about Pierce Brosnan as Bond. He's cool enough, but there's something a little too pretty-boyish about him. The humorous touches in this, for whatever reason, seem a little more natural with him though. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me who plays Bond anyway. The character's got this ability to stay the same regardless who's running around on these convoluted globetrotting missions, sleeping with anything that moves and escaping from situations preposterously. He globetrots in this a bit, and he gets to have fun in a variety of vehicles. We start off with a ridiculous action sequence featuring a motorcycle and a plane. No, actually we start off with a really cool bungee-jumping scene that features this ridiculously awesome overhead shot. Then, it's the scene where 007 and 006 are trying to blow up some Russian shit, a mission which climaxes with the aforementioned motorcycle/plane shenanigans. The best thing about that early scene? A squeaky wheel, a great sound effect in a sequence that is otherwise silent. So good. Anyway, I was talking about vehicles. Brosnan shows off in a car, uses a tank in a chase scene with expected destructive results, and has a little bit of fun on a train. There's also some nutty gadgets showcased in an extended scene with Q, and although some people think those are a little goofy, I always like them, probably because I'm a little goofy. Bond movies are only as strong as their movies, and the collection of baddies in this is solid. The main bad guy, who I won't tell you is 006 because I wouldn't want to spoil anything, adds a little more depth to the conflict. Gottfried John classes things up a bit as platypus-nosed Ourumov. But the real star of the show is Famke Janssen as the fetching Xenia Onatopp, a yummy but ruthless gal seemingly with a violence fetish. Her over-the-top moaning when she's up to no good? Her preferred method of assassination? Let's just say I wouldn't mind being killed by her. There's one scene where she says, "He's going to derail us," and I'm not sure how the line was written, but her delivery and sly little smile, almost like she's aroused by the idea, is just great. It's characters like Onatopp that make you stop worrying about the somewhat-confusing scheme involving the titular weapon. Oh, and the results of one of her jobs--the expression of a deceased Captain Farrell--made me chuckle. Joe Don Baker also pops in to Joe Don Baker things up. All in all, Goldeneye is another solid Bond movie with that color in the title.
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