Great Bond film. Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration. Transfer Quality Video The video quality is disappointing considering the excellent reviews given to previous versions. The feature is presented in a 2. The Lowry restoration process has certainly resulted in a very clean and clear image throughout. The sharpness, however, was somewhat variable with the occasional scene such as the one around featuring M and Bond having an argument being a little soft and showing some grain and even mild macro-blocking in backgrounds.
Generally, however, the transfer was very sharp. The shadow detail was excellent. It should be noted that despite having the same aspect ratio, the pictures are quite differently cropped between this and the SE version, with less picture being shown in this version. The main problem I have with this transfer is the introduction of quite noticeable aliasing and jagged edges which occur regularly. Most occurrences are mild, however considering that this was not present on previous versions of this film based on the previous reviews this is quite disappointing.
Examples can be seen on the Aston Martin grille at , and , buildings at , a roof at , buildings at , a grille at , a computer at and a plane at Additionally, the dam in the opening sequence has quite a few jagged edges and shimmering. This list is not exhaustive but indicates a level of aliasing and shimmering which is not acceptable when this is marketed as an Ultimate Edition.
If this was just a normal release of a 10 year old film, I would not make such a big deal out of this problem, but considering this was not a problem on the other film in this new edition which I have reviewed, Octopussy , and was not a problem on previous releases of this film, I think my disappointment is justified. The English subtitles were clear and easy to read but a little summarised.
Two of the other streams are commentary subtitles. The layer change occurs at and was not noticeable during playback.
There is also a commentary encoded in Dolby Digital 2. There is excellent stereo separation with many right to left effects in addition to the excellent surround usage see below. Dialogue was clear and easy to understand at all times and there was no problem with audio sync. The score of this film is by Eric Serra who as discussed above was the subject of some disappointment by long term Bond fans who felt the score was too modern and different from other Bond scores.
This score can stand on its own merits however and adds significantly to the film, especially the action scenes.
The surround speakers are put to excellent use throughout this film providing aggressive surround effects during action scenes and immersive atmosphere otherwise. Standout sequences included the helicopter scene at and the tank scene at The subwoofer was also well used adding significant bass to the many explosions, train crashes, tank squashes and of course to the music. Subtitles are available for nearly all the extras.
The menu was very nicely designed, reminiscent of the Bond movie opening credits style. I did find them slightly non-obvious in terms of finding all the extras especially the four pages of extras under Declassified MI6 vault. This commentary appeared on the previous versions of the disc and I found it quite enjoyable compared to other more recent commentaries I have heard.
Four cut scenes are included in this section, all of which are non-essential but some are good for a laugh. The scenes are. Short featurette about the opening car chase between Bond and Onatopp featuring interview footage with the stunt co-ordinator for the chase. Interesting featurette hosted by the director and featuring footage of the stunt being filmed on their studio lot and interview footage with the second unit director.
A featurette made before production started to raise media interest in the project. Includes footage of the announcement of the new James Bond and details of the new studio built especially for the project. A worthwhile and reasonably interesting making of featurette which covers the new studio, Pierce Brosnan, budgets, effects, miniatures, props, locations and how specific scenes were put together. Includes interviews with important cast and crew members.
Featurette focusing on the supporting cast showing behind the scenes footage and interviews. Another interesting extra which consists of film taken by production designer Peter Lamont as he scouts locations all over the world. It is accompanied by his commentary. Probably not. Nonetheless, Brosnan manages an appropriate level of substance without seeming stuffy or overly serious; he keeps the film moving at a snappy pace. The supporting cast also seems quite good.
Izabella Scorupco and Famke Janssen provide fine turns as the good Bond girl and the villainess, respectively. Janssen seems especially effective as one of the more amusingly sadistic baddies to hit the screen.
Judi Dench is strong as the new "M", but Samantha Bond seems too cutesy and lacks substance as Moneypenny. GoldenEye doesn't quite equal the heights of the Connery years, but it makes for a thoroughly entertaining entry into the Bond archives.
Happily, it brought Bond back to prominence and helped make the franchise viable and productive again. After a somewhat rocky start, the picture improved and ended up as satisfying.
Sharpness created the majority of those early problems. Most of the shots looked reasonably concise, but more than a few slightly soft ones appeared as well. These concerns declined as the movie progressed, though, and most of the flick offered solid clarity. At least the flick came free from source defects, as it showed no specks, marks or other distractions. Colors worked well. A couple of shots demonstrated a little messiness, but most seemed lively and dynamic. Occasionally the hues really excelled, and they were more than satisfactory the vast majority of the time.
Blacks were deep and dense, while shadows appeared acceptably clear and concise. Overall, this was an erratic transfer but it usually lived up to expectations. It looked to slightly zoom in the image throughout the film. This cropped all four sides in a minor manner. Whether the framing is a fatal flaw will be up to each individual viewer, but I wanted to mention it.
When I examined the audio of GoldenEye , I found other ups and downs. Both seemed virtually identical to me. On the positive side, the two mixes provided a good surround environment that immersed the viewer. The forward soundstage seemed well-defined, with accurately placed audio that meshed together neatly. The rear channels added a great deal to the impact of the mix, with nicely-integrated sound that seemed realistic and made the appropriately thunderous impact.
This was a terrific soundfield that used all the channels to solid effect. Quality seemed erratic. While much of the dialogue was dubbed, it sounded clear and fairly natural and always was easily intelligible. Music seemed fine, though highs were a little flat at times. Effects usually appeared realistic and clean, though some distortion occasionally crept into the mix. These also sounded somewhat harsh at times, especially during explosions, gunfire or plane fly-bys.
Low-end was loud but could be loose. Really, it tended to overwhelm the action, a fact that occasionally made it something of a distraction. Even with the issues I noticed, it looked crisper and livelier. Only the altered framing stood as a concern in comparison with the disc. The UE offers all the same extras as the prior release along with some new ones.
I've heard a lot of commentaries attached to Bond films, and many of them seem somewhat dry at times. In contrast, this is probably the best of the bunch.
Wilson and Campbell seem to have a good rapport and they offer a wide variety of interesting details and anecdotes in a very engaging manner.
I've listened to this track a few times over the years and I continue to find it very enjoyable. All come with intros from director Martin Campbell. Virtually all function as minor pieces of filler, and virtually none of them would add anything to the movie. As Campbell explains, he cut them for pacing, and he was right to do so. This gives us three pieces. The shots from the set offer a seemingly unending succession of bleeped profanity from the director, and he certainly comes across as rather rough on the set.
Of course, the piece tempers this with some of the standard piffle, but the harsh edges make this surprisingly fun. A pre-production featurette comes next. He explains that it was created to pump up distributors for the first Bond flick of the Nineties. I especially like being able to check out the production in its very early stages. In an interesting move, it spends most of its first half backstage, as we see the actors and Campbell as they prep to meet the press.
Campbell tells us a little about the stunt coordinator, and Julienne also chats about his work.
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