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After a six-year Bond film drought, the release of "GoldenEye" was less a continuation of the series than a complete re-launch of the franchise. Not only did the audience have to accept a new 007 actor (Pierce Brosnan), but also a bold attempt to reinvent the character itself, one that tied in with the post-cold war era.
In terms of formula, "GoldenEye" is exactly as you would expect. Some ruthless villains make off with a state-of-the-art weapon of mass destruction (a satellite which wipes out entire cities with an electromagnetic pulse) and hold the world to ransom. In a series of globe-hopping locations and extraordinarily dangerous stunts, 007 must foil them.
From Tina Turner's belter of an opening tune to the final showdown, "GoldenEye" is an artful pastiche, simultaneously acknowledging what audiences love and redressing that which we readily mock. Whilst critics bemoan the loss of yesteryear's thick-skinned superspy, Brosnan's Bond is winning over a modern audience unimpressed by the dismal Dalton era.
"GoldenEye" is memorable for its female characters, offering Poland's Izabella Scorupco on the side of good (pandering to our new, sensitive 007) and delightfully naughty Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp catering for the wicked old ways. Judi Dench's 'M' is a masterstroke of 90s reinvention, subtler than the sassy new Moneypenny, who, albeit flirtatiously, appears to spurn our Jimmy.
One of the greatest joys of storytelling is how the tale is reinvented to suit the time and place. "GoldenEye" does exactly that, and allowing a few films for them to get over the awkward reflective stuff, Brosnan shows potential to be second only to the mighty Connery.
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