Rating: Summary: What's with the trailers? Review: Being a huge Bond fan, there was never any doubt that I would buy the new special edition re-release of the movies. What sold me on the DVD version was the prospect of all the extras such as interviews and theatrical trailers that were reported to be included. I purchased the Tomorrow Never Dies special edition when it first came out and was quite impressed with its array of extras. Expecting the same, I ordered the new 7 DVD set. When it arrived this afternoon, I quickly popped in Licence To Kill to check out the extras and was shocked to find that the audio and video didn't match up! I promptyly tried the other discs and all of their trailers and such were out of sync as well. The movies themselves play perfectly so I don't know what the problem is. I'm curious to know if anyone else who bought the DVD version of the gift set had the same problem. Other than this unfortunate occurance, the rest of each disc is suberb. Liner notes and on-screen presentation are excellent. Because of the extremely dissappointing trailer and interview debacle though, I can only give the set 4 stars.
Rating: Summary: A pretty nice set Review: This collection has some of the greatest Bond movies. It starts out great with Connery's two best and most popular films - (with the exception of "From Russia With Love") "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball". Next we have Roger Moore's debut as bond in "Live and Let Die." This movie isn't that good, so consider it as an added bonus to "Thunderball," Goldinger," and the rest. Next is "For Your Eyes Only", a solid Bond flick which deserves a good 4 out of 5 stars. Good acting by Roger Moore. After that is Timothy Dalton is "License to Kill." Personally this is one of my least favorite Bond films because of the bad acting by Felix and the bond girl and some of the violence. (Which I don't mind, but it's too strong for a Bond film.) "The Living Daylights" would've been a nice, light-heatred approach, but the gritty and dark "License To Kill" adds some guilty pleasures. Finally, we have Goldeneye, with the great Pierce Brosnan. This movie gets a huge, well deserved facelift from "License To Kill." There's a new M, Moneypenny, Bond, and there's great villains. The action is superb, the acting is great, the the movie keeps you hooked from beginning to end. (You also see a rare occasion where 007 actually works together with a fellow agent, 006) In my opinion, this is the best bond film in the entire set. The last movie in the series is the horrible "Tomorrow Never Dies." Plagued by stupid villains, mediocre action, and a bad plot, only Brosnan's acting can keep this film from falling in to the "worst bond movies" category. (Where Diamonds are Forever, A View To A Kill, and Moonraker is) The DVDs are pretty good, boasting some good documentaries, radio spots, commentaries, trailers, storyboards, music videos (on the newer bond films) and sometimes more. This bond set chronicles a saga of Bond from 1964 - 1997. Bond fans should have this set. They won't be disappointed. P.S Rest in piece, Q.
Rating: Summary: 007 Beats the Devil Review: James Bond goes up against some of the toughest forces of evil in this collection. GOLDFINGER contains a well-balanced level of depth and action leaving one emotionally charged. This is Sean Connery's finest James Bond film. The golden girl, Oddjob's bowler hat, Goldfinger's lethal laser, the Astin Martin DB5 with modifications introduced by Q, and Shirley Bassey's legendary rendition of the theme song belted out over the titles immediately became an integral part of the James Bond lore and remained in the psyche of the public. Production designer Ken Adam and art director Peter Murton gave the production a stunning and lavish distinction. The Fort Knox set and Goldfinger's playroom at his stud ranch was a testament to imagination and achievement. John Barry finally honed his distinctive style to perfection with this memorable score. In THUNDERBALL 007's Astin Martin DB5 returns and so do the evil forces of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. In his fourth film Sean Connery is self-assured, inimitably virile and an infallible James Bond. Adolfo Celi as Emilio Largo devises and implements a plan that ultimately draws 007 to the Bahamas in search of a missing Vulcan jet lost on a NATO training sortie. This is a lavish Bond film where most of the action takes place underwater. What makes the film very memorable is John Barry's rich and esoteric score combined with Lamar Boren's beautiful and picturesque underwater photography. The cover of the THUNDERBALL dvd is very impressive and haunting. LIVE AND LET DIE is the one film in this series that stands out from the rest. It does not even seem like it is part of the series. The character of James Bond as played by Roger Moore was totally revamped in LIVE AND LET DIE. Bond seems to have traded in cigarettes for cheroots. Gone were the "Martinis shaken not stirred," the Dom Perigone, Bond's virility, worldliness and sardonic wit. Instead Bond uses his urbane sagacity and charm to follow the pipeline from New York to a Caribbean island to destroy a drug empire protected by a voodoo legion of hoodlum Mr. Big. LIVE AND LET DIE is a very entertaining film. In FOR YOUR EYES ONLY 007 gets rough as he goes up against an international tycoon on the payroll of the Soviets. This is an action packed film, with picturesque European and Mediterranean locales and a very exciting score by Bill Conti. The sinking of the St. Georges, the attack on Kristatos' warehouse and Bond kicking Locque's car, with Locque still inside, off the cliff were high points that were excellently filmed. LICENCE TO KILL has Timothy Dalton as an avenging James Bond turned rouge agent out to eliminate drug lord Sanchez in Isthmus City. There are many great action scenes on the land, on and under the sea and in the air. The best element of the story line is having Bond place doubt in the mind of Sanchez that henchmen in his organization were plotting against him. The film's greatest asset is Benicio Del Toro's performance as Dario, a Sanchez henchman. GOLDENEYE is Pierce Brosnan's first film as James Bond and seems more like a hybrid of Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton, combing the best elements that each brought to the role. He possesses intelligence, wit, charm and dedication and delivers these with no-nonsense passion and drive. GOLDENEYE is a great looking film beautifully filmed for mood and action. Some of the film's high points are the miniatures by Derek Meddings; probably his best work in the series, the return of the Astin Martin DB5 and Eric Serra's original if controversial score. Serra's interpretation of "The James Bond Theme" over the opening gun barrel trademark is powerful and very innovative. One can not appreciate Serra's contribution to this film unless the DVD is played through a surround stereo system with a good amount of bass and volume pumped up. This boxed set boasts some outstanding graphics. Outstanding!
Rating: Summary: The Best Bond Set Review: I think MGM did a great job selecting which movies go in which set. A lot of people think it would've been better to put the movies in order that they were released in, but people that buy these collector's sets are probably going to buy all 3. Therefore, they can put the movies in what ever order they want, so stop complaining! I also think that this set, Volume 1, is the best of the 3. The reason, each of the movies are the actor's better outings. Also, it has the best bond movie ever, "Goldfinger" and a close second, "GoldenEye." In addition to these 2 great movies it has 2 decent Roger Moore Films, "Live And Let Die" and "For Your Eyes Only." Finally, it has Timothy Dalton's better movie, "Licence To Kill," Pierce Brosnan's seriously underrated, "Tomorrow never Dies," and a solid Connery film, "Thunderball." My only complaint is that, for the amount of money you pay for the VHS version, you don't get any extras like you do for the DVD version. And I don't have the 300+ Dollars to buy the DVD's, so I must settle for the VHS. But, I bought it for the movies, not the extras,...5 STARS!!
Rating: Summary: Strange mix Review: For fans, forget this package. For those interested but not big fans, it's probably what you want. This is the sort of collection that die-hard fans will jump on. Too bad the films were apparently randomly selected. I think the REALLY die hard fans would want the collection in chronological order. So why not start with the original 6 Connery films, plus On Her Majesty's Secret Service? Who knows why these 7 films were selected... Anyway, just about every Bond film has some merit. The formula is pretty tight , and most episodes follow it closely. I own the series on VHS, excluding "A View to a Kill" and "License To Kill". For some reason, I even bought "Man WIth The Golden Gun", which has to be the worst entry -- there is nothing good about this one. But 95% of the films are great if you're a true Bond fan. If you're NOT a Bond fan, why not? If you are interested, this collection is probably adequate to give you a broad look at the series. Goldfinger is a must see, Goldeneye is action packed, For Your Eyes Only is a great change of pace from the other Roger Moore attempts, and License to Kill is very dark. Live and Let Die is OK and very dated, Thunderball is slower moving but still interesting, and Tomorrow Never Dies is very one dimensional (frankly, I don't know why it is included). Check out "From Russia With Love"; it's Cold War but a very good plot and story. Better than most but maybe not widely known if you're not a Bond fan.
Rating: Summary: The James Bond Collection VHS Review: Not a bad collection of Bond material, however, this is a mix of various Bond movies with a variety of leading Bond actors. I recommend looking into the 1996 Collections that have the videos in chronological order and primarily by actor. JAMES BOND 007 Collector's Set, Vol. 1 includes all six Broccoli-produced Sean Connery Bond films, to include a 1995 documentary video. JAMES BOND 007 Collector's Set, Vol. 2 includes all seven Roger Moore films and Timothy Dalton's first film. Although these sets are out-of-print, they are still available as used and collector's sets through Amazon.com's Marketplace. If you're like most fans, you'd prefer to have the movies that include your own favorite "leading-Bond-man"!
Rating: Summary: Excellence from MGM Review: I have just purchased the 7 DVD gift set and am amazed at the overall quality and extras that they contain. The menu screens are fantastic and the picture quality is amazing. Many of these DVD's have been remastered using THX, this is not noted on the actual covers. MGM has chosen to release the DVD's in three waves. The first set has been released, the second and third sets will be released next year covering the entire series. There have been many complaints about Disney's DVD box set and the fact that it contains no supplementary material. The James Bond Gift set contains so many extra's that it becomes almost daunting. There are various Behind the scenes stills, Active storyboard sequences, music videos, Documentaries, Original radio interviews, 007 featurettes, Digital effects reels. Every one of these DVD's has a newly created widescreen master for optimal picture and sound quality. BUY IT!
Rating: Summary: A GREAT ADDITION FOR ANY BOND FANS COLLECTION Review: GOLDFINGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THUNDERBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIVE AND LET DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR YOUR EYES ONLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LICENCE TO KILL????????????????????????? GOLDENEYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TOMORROW NEVER DIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WITH THE EXCEPTION OF LICENCE TO KILL, YOU ARE IN FOR A REAL TREAT IF YOU BUY THIS SET OF 6 OF THE GREATEST BOND FILMS OF ALL TIME. GOLDFINGER: ARGUABLY THE BEST BOND FILM ALONG WITH THE SPY WHO LOVED ME AND FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, BOND INVESTIGATES AURIC GOLDFINGER WHO TRIES TO TAKE OVER FORT KNOX. THUNDERBALL: AN EPIC BOND FLICK HAS BOND TRYING TO RECOVER STOLEN ATOMIC BOMBS IN THE BAHAMAS. LIVE AND LET DIE: ROGER MOORE MAKES HIS DEBUT AS BOND IN THIS STRANGE DEBUT ABOUT VOODOO AND CROCODILES. (DON'T ASK) FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: GREAT PLOT AND BOND GIRL AS BOND TRIES TO RECOVER A STOLED ATAC MACHINE AND PREVENT THE RUSSIANS FROM GETTING IT. LICENCE TO KILL: HORRIBLE MOVIE, ONLY WATCH IT ONCE. GOLDENEYE: PIERCE BROSNAN MAKES HIS DEBUT AS BOND IN THIS THRILLING MOVIE, THE FIRST OF THE 90'S, BOND INVESTIGATES THE THEFT OF 2 HELICOPTERS CARRYING WARHEADS. LISCENCE TO KILL: BOND AT HIS BEST WITH HIS DEFINITE EQUAL, MICHELLE YEOW AS THEY THWART A NEWSPAPER TYCOOD WHO WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. THAT'S ALL FOLKS, BUY THIS COLLECTION!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: Summary: bond,james bond Review: this 7 video set of james bond is the very best on the market with titles like "goldfinger" "goldeneye" and "tomarrow never dies" just to name a few.mgm did a very good job putting this collection together all of the best of james bond. thanks,mgm.
Rating: Summary: BOND...JAMES BOND Review: Ok, i'm a huge James Bond fan. And, as a distinguished ametuer film critic, I know what I like. And these films I like. From the dry-as-a-vodka-martini wit and charm of Sean Connery to the hard-edged Pierce Brosnan, the James Bond films vary in quality, but for the most part they are entertaining without being too political. And this first collection presents some of the best films in the series. Directed by Guy Hamilton, GOLDFINGER IS the best Bond film. No question. It epitomizes the entire franchise's appeal, with the brilliant Connery oozing charm, the terrific title villain played by Gert Frobe, to Shirley Bassey's powerful title tune to 007's ultra-cool Aston Martin. One line from Bassey's song sums it up nicely: "The man with the midas touch". Almost as good is THUNDERBALL, another great addition to the early "Pow! Bang!" Bond films, with stunning underwater photography, foxy bathing beauties and hungry sharks! Monty Norman's fantastic score adds another layer of panache, and the terrific action and endless one-liners (Bond dispatches a villain with a spear gun, then coolly says "I think he got the point") makes this one one of the best. Roger Moore's first outing as the debonair secret agent in LIVE AND LET DIE is somewhat disappointing, but there are still some good action set-pieces and witty one-liners. But for me, the best bit was Paul McCartney's smashing title song. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY saw the serious James Bond return after they norsed it up with MOONRAKER. There are a number of great action bits, and it's Moore's best performance (In this humble critic's opinion) in the whole series. The second Timothy Dalton film LICENCE TO KILL is ok, but it's unnecessary violence and lack of witty humor parts it from the usual Bond fare and places it somewhere in hard-man action territory. That said, there are some good villains, but it's really just not as fun as THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS. And then everything clicked with GOLDENEYE, the best of the Brosnan flicks so far, with amazing action, spectacular stunts and a thumping title track by Tina Turner. TOMORROW NEVER DIES has great action and stunts, but lacks a meaty villain to pump up the story. It's good, but not great. All put together with an impressive bunch of DVD extras, this is a must-buy item for any Bond fan.
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