James Bond Ultimate Edition V3
By: Walter Ball |
Monday January 29, 2007 |
| Bond, James Bond Ultimates. |
| During my little hiatus, I'm sure that everyone has been wondering of my whereabouts. Actually, uhm...I'm sure nobody cared. But if you wish to know, on December 20th, two little additions entered my life, Atticus James and Mariska Lorien. With all the late-night feedings, poopie diapers and complete overall chaos, I have to say that watching and reviewing films is tough! However, it is a mountain that can be climbed and I'm going back up this mountain the hard way with the James Bond Ultimate Edition Volume 3 boxed set!
This review will have a format that differs from my standard work. We will look at each of the five films critically and look at the standard DVD components, such as audio/visual qualities and special features as a whole. The features on each film possess different content but all follow the same standards. Thus, if we were to pick apart everything piece by piece, we would be here all day (and I got kids to feed dammit!). So without further interruption, let's get moving! From Russia With Love Directed by Terence Young Starring Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Lotte Lenya and Robert Shaw Hailed by many as the ideal Bond Movie, From Russia With Love not only set a standard for the franchise but for the overall spy genre. In the second installment in the series, Bond is recruited to acquire a LEKTOR, a Russian deciphering machine that is held by a defected Russian agent. Well, it turns out that the Russians have no knowledge of this mission, as it is unveiled to be a setup from Bond's newfound nemeses, the villains of Spectre. Now 007 must deal with the beautiful and mysterious Russian agent Tatiana Romanov, the calculative and devious Rosa Klebb and the dangerous killing machine that is Red Grant. What makes From Russia With Love stand out from other Bond movies is that it focuses less on the gadgetry and quirkiness that most of the films are known for, allowing a bigger emphasis on story and character development. Also, the action is much more direct and realistic. The train fight between Bond and Grant is gritty, realistic and more violent than most of the other fights in the Bond series. Speaking of Bond, Connery delivers perhaps his most solid and suave performance. Its too bad that they didn't continue to follow the From Russia With Love format, as the series would become overwhelmed with absurd spy gadgets, underground lairs, and bald headed men who incessantly stroke their kitty cats. Not knocking the other films but when it comes to a good espionage story, From Russia With Love is Tops. On Her Majesty's Secret Service Directed by Peter R. Hunt Starring George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas and Gabriele Ferzetti Other than the John Stamos family classic Never Too Young To Die, George Lazenby is known as the only guy to don the Bond tuxedo only once. After five successful films, Sean Connery decided that he wanted to play Robin Hood and wrestle with Raymond Barone's father atop a space station. Thus, the search for a new Bond began. After inquiring with many potential candidates (including future Bonds Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore), the Powers That Be chose the little known Australian actor. Despite the public's skepticism, On Her Majesty's Secret Service went to become the second-highest grossing film of 1969! Unfortunately, things would not work out in Lazenby's favor. Feeling that the character and the series was becoming a bit outdated and out of touch with the sexually liberated 1970s, Lazenby stepped down, breaching the seven-film contract he was offered and fading into obscurity. Although his acting career died out like a fart in the wind, Lazenby would find success in real estate. Good for him. One film or not, Lazenby actually delivered a credible performance. Unlike Moore, Dalton and Brosnan, he was able to emulate the ruggedness and charm of Connery's Bond. Also, much like From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a departure from standard Bond elements. Most noteworthy is the tragic and ultimately dramatic ending. Throw in some action packed scenes and a brilliant performance by Telly Savalas as super villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld and you have another flawless film. Live and Let Die Directed by Guy Hamilton Starring Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour Clifton James and Julius Harris My wife's personal favorite. Live and Let Die is the first Bond film to star Roger Moore, who was sought out before. Unlike Connery and Lazenby, Moore brings forth a Bond of a different nature. While the previous two were a blend of rugged good lucks and tough guy san aux faire, Moore presented a more suave, witty and debonair incarnation of 007. With the change in Bond's demeanor came the change in the overall tone of the franchise. The films possessed more tongue-in-cheek humor, underground lairs and more high tech spy stuff than you can imagine and Live and Let Die showcases all of these changes. Bond is sent to New York City to investigate in the deaths of three undercover British agents. The murders are all linked to a Harlem crime boss, Mr. Big and his international diplomat, Kananga. What follows is an action packed chase with snakes, voodoo and alligator hopscotch! Yes! Its as silly as it sounds but I'll be damned if this is not good fun! The voodoo element, the Harlem and Caribbean locales and the large number of African American characters indicates that the filmmakers wanted to dash in bits of the blaxploitation genre, making this more unique in style than any other film in the series up till then. Of course, there is the fabulous Oscar nominated title track by Paul McCartney to boot! For Your Eyes Only Directed by John Glenn Starring Roger Moore, Julian Glover, Carole Bouquet, Chaim Topol and Holly Lynn Johnson You know how I said Moore's arrival led to a more well...uhm...lighthearted Bond that didn't take himself so seriously. Well, by the time For Your Eyes Only rolled around (1981), the lightheartedness went to downright silly with the previous installment, Moonraker. In turn, it was time to bring Bond back to normalcy. The opening sequence, in which Bond finally finishes off Blofeld (in rather humorous fashion mind you, "NOOO!!! MR. BOND!!!"), is an indication that EON productions have much regrets for the silliness that endured over the past 10 years. And yes, this film brings about a more down-to-Earth atmosphere, where the bad guys don't have lairs on the moon, there is no 7' henchman with electric grills and James Bond isn't exactly a master of the Martial Arts. While it succeeds in this task, there is only thing about this film (and the following two Bond films, Octopussy and A View To A Kill) that gives me the giggles: the fact that Roger Moore was pushing 60 and performing love scenes with girls young enough to be his granddaughters (for crying out loud he had the Ice Castles girl wanting to jump him!) Don't get me wrong; For Your Eyes Only is extremely entertaining, filled with great action, beautiful women and beautiful Mediterranean scenery (shot in select areas of Greece and Italy). It just is the film that begins to make us realize that it was time Roger to hang it up. Goldeneye Directed by Martin Campbell Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Isabella Scorupco and Famke Janssen Like Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan took the offer to play James Bond after initially turning it down. Actually, he was unable to take the roll due to contractual obligations to the TV show "Remington Steele." Opportunity would come knocking again for the Irish actor as he was finally given the nod in 1995. Many fans and the general public believed that Pierce was the "man of the moment", the actor with the enough acting chops and charismatic flair to handle such a role. Of course many of these people appreciate the music of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton while chugging gallons of Drain-O...and liking it. I'm sorry but there is just something about Pierce Brosnan that does not allow me to see him as a convincing Bond. Sure, he's a fine actor and he looks great in a tux but he comes off with a…dare I say it…vibe of fruitiness that makes even Roger Moore look tough! Thankfully, Goldeneye, his first effort as Bond, was backed up by a good story with some intense action, huge explosions and a few memorable villains. Mind you, this is the first Bond film after the fall of the Soviet Union. The political overtones of this event are heavily exemplified in this film. Sean Bean begins his foray as "movie villain staple" as a defective agent who knows Bonds every move. As for Famke Janssen, I just think of those python-like thighs and I'm unsure of whether to be aroused or be afraid. Sadly, Goldeneye is the only strong effort in the Brosnan line of Bond films. An overabundance of CGI, repetition, Denise Richards and Madonna forced the series to become rather stale. Thankfully, the freshness has been revived with this year's Casino Royale. The Discs Ever since the release of The World Is Not Enough, MGM has felt it to be imperative to release all the other Bond films on DVD in conjunction with the theatrical release of the most recent film. With the uprising of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, I don't see this trend halting. However, this recent reissue, while rehashing most of the extras found in the previous releases, is by far the most impressive. The audio/video cleanups give the films a clear presentation. This is very much noticeable in the older films such as From Russia With Love and Goldfinger, which I reviewed previously. I'm not going to go into much detail with the extras. First off, there is too much stuff to go over that those with short-attention spans and most of it is rehashings from the previous Bond boxed sets. Which poses a decision for owners of these sets on whether or not the improved audio and video is worth the purchase of these new Ultimate Editions. For those who have yet to own a Bond set, the extras, which include everything from commentaries, in-depth documentaries, galleries, trailers etc definitely up the replay value. The third volume of the James Bond Ultimate Editions is more or less a "best of" collection. We have the best Connery film (perhaps the best of the entire series), the best Moore film, the best Lazenby film (well...the only Lazenby film) and the best Brosnan film. If there is only one volume you can choose from, this is the ideal selection! |
