Rating: 
Summary: James Bond Giftset Volume 2
Review: Though the first one was better, the second OO7 giftset holds its own. It re-releases some great films such as Connery's debut in Dr.No but the first one picks better Connery outings with two of his best, Goldfinger and Thunderball. George Lazenby's On Her Majesty's Secret Service is an excellent choice however and is better than Tomorrow Never Dies. They made a mistake in the Moore section, however. They should have put two Moore films out and two Connery films like last time but instead put or three Moore films and one Connery. The Moore film choices were weak with the exception of his best, The Spy who Loved Me. They should have put out Octopussy and A View To a Kill instead of Moonraker and The Man with the Golden Gun. As for Brosnan, GoldenEye is excellent but in my opinion isn't as good as The World is Not Enough. Overall, weaker than the first set but still good. I can't wait for the next set to come out.
Rating: 
Summary: Five Great Movies - Five Great DVDs
Review: MGM has been doing a fantastic job with the Bond DVDs. The previous set has gotten fantastic reviews from every DVD review site and they were. Great video, great audio and the extras are always interesting. Documentaries, mutiple audio commentaries, ads, and trailers. As for the movies: Dr. No - The first, and very entertaining. Not to mention it takes place in one of my favorite places, Jamaica; On Her Majesty's Secret Service - One of the best Bond movies, Lazenby does a good job. Handles the emotional impact of the end that I think Connery couldn't; The Man With The Golden Gun - Good, definitely not great. And Goodnight is such an annoying ditz; The Spy Who Loved Me - Another great one, has a great henchman Jaws, Bond girl Anya (Agent XXX, yeah, I know...); Moonraker - Blatant TSLWM ripoff to capitilize on Star Wars but still good. If you like Bond, don't miss out on this great bargain!
Rating:
Summary: The Undertakers Wind and other Stuff
Review: The groundbreaking DR. NO is one of the best James Bond films of the series. Sean Connery's performance is that of the no-nonsense dedicated civil servant entrusted with a "licence-to-kill" when he chooses, where he chooses and whom he chooses. His screen presence alone conveys the physical, intellectual and moral conviction of the character. Connery's portrayal in this film directed by Terence Young seems closer to the literary James Bond created by Ian Fleming. Many elements that distinguish the James Bond series were introduced in this film. The opening gun barrel trademark, "The James Bond Theme," M played by Bernard Lee, Miss Moneypenny played by Lois Maxwell, Ken Adam's distinctive melding of modern and futuristic production designs, Maurice Binder's unique main titles, the "Martinis shaken not stirred," exotic locales, just to name a few are all here. Bond is sent to Jamaica, land of the Undertakers Wind, to investigate the elimination of British field agents and strange signals that have been interfering with the American space program. Joseph Wiseman as DR. NO is one of the best villains of the series. His steel mono-toned performance is eerily unsettling. Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder leaves the most indelible image of the series as she emerges erotically from the blue waters of the Caribbean clad in her white bikini. Along with Felix Leiter and Quarrel, Bond must uncover the trail that all leads to DR. NO's mysterious Crab Key. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is the one film closest to any of Ian Fleming's Bond novels. George Lazenby, possessing the physique and physical attributes that fit the role, gives a visually striking and straightforward performance in his only appearance as James Bond. The combined efforts of all the filmmakers and Lazenby's performance of a James Bond with conviction, assuredness and determination make this the definitive James Bond film. The film has a sense of undeniable drive behind it accentuated by Lazenby's no-nonsense approach and the urgency of John Barry's instrumental theme used repeatedly to never let up the pace. If James Bond was ever the dedicated civil servant it is ever so evident in this film. There are intensely choreographed fights of great ferocity, exciting and incredible ski chases, car chases, an alpine battle atop an ice-capped peak and an extraordinary thrilling bobsled chase. There is more action, suspense and emotion packed into this film than any other in the series and Lazenby's hard edged performance, Peter Hunt's direction and John Barry's driving score make it all work. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is possibly the best film of the series. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN contains one of Roger Moore's best performances as James Bond as he injects Bond's virility, worldliness and sardonic wit back into the character in his second appearance as Bond. Christopher Lee's performance as the enigmatic Scaramanga is refreshingly energetic giving the assassin an amiable quality on the surface hiding a darker side beneath. An often-overlooked asset to this film is Maud Adams' performance as Andrea, Scaramanga's beautiful mistress. She brings genuine compassion to the role as the tormented individual who can not escape her master. There is also great location cinematography in this film. We see Bond at the gambling tables at the Casino de Macaoand and witness his solo flight through the uprooted rock formations near Phuket, Thailand to Scaramanga's island. One bit of innovation combing location filming, miniatures and set design was the use of the half-submerged Queen Elizabeth, its hull at a 30-degree angle, scorched and rusted at rest in Hong Kong harbor. Hidden in the bowels of the sunken ship is the headquarters for the Hong Kong station of the British Secret Service. "It's the only place in Hong Kong where you can't be bugged" says a naval officer to Bond. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN contains martial arts sequences, an imaginative car chase and some very witty dialogue. The music soundtrack by John Barry was re-mastered in stereo. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is a big-budgeted opulent film with effective screenplay and editing delivering one of the most succinctly structured films of the series. Roger Moore clearly redefined his approach to the role as the good-natured British agent. His Bond is suave, debonair, never condescending and resorts to seriousness only when confronted with malevolence. That was the way he played it for the rest of the series. The globetrotting THE SPY WHO LOVED ME featured a gadget laden Lotus Esprit as its centerpiece and a maniacal villain Stromberg whose immense wealth featured an aquatic empire aimed at global domination. Great action sequences and chases abound. MOONRAKER is one of the biggest films of the entire series. Once again Bond is on the trail of another maniacal villain, Hugo Drax, whose immense wealth has financed the research and production of the space shuttle program. This is also another globetrotting epic that features gorgeous location work in Venice and Rio de Janeiro bringing out the of essence of these exquisite cities. Following his work on THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, production designer Ken Adam returned with some sets reminiscent of the earlier Bond films as well as some completely innovative sets for Drax's space empire. MOONRAKER plays like a compendium of the entire series running the gamut from the serious to the fanciful. MOONRAKER contains many elements to please the diverse tastes of the millions of Bond fans. That is the magic of MOONRAKER. There is incredible action in this film. The free-fall sequence is one of the best pre-title sequences of the series. The boat chase in the South American jungle is truly thrilling. Bond's fight in the Venetian glass museum is a classic. John Barry's score is exquisite and moving, one of his most unique. The dialogue by Christopher Wood is witty and intelligent. MOONRAKER has it all. This Volume demonstrates the versatility and diversity of the world of James Bond.
Rating:
Summary: BOND...JAMES BOND
Review: The second James Bond collection is as varied as the first, with DR NO, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and MOONRAKER. One of the best of the series, DR NO introduced the world to the suave secret agent and of course, Sean Connery. With incredible locales and witty one-liners, it's Connnery and Bond at their best. OHMSS is a tricky one; there are good points including some terrific action, strong emotion (Bond gets married!) and great villians. But the questionable casting of George Lazenby tends to stifle the film's story and the pace gets somewhat plodding at times. More satisfying if you take it from an action P.O.V, rather than a Bond film as a whole.
Roger Moore's secong outing as Bond after LIVE AND LET DIE is a mediocre mess, helped only by Cristopher Lee's menacing performance as the charming yet deadly Scaramanga. But it's one of the most un-exciting entries into the franchise, with little to get enthusiastic about. That said, Moore is good in this one, but it's not nearly as good as THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, which happens to be one of the BEST of the series. This one has outrageous action, awesome sets, great stunts, inventive special effects, cool one-liners, ski chases and a cracking scene with 007 getting chased in his cool Lotus Espirit by a helicopter. And of course, agent XXX!
And then there's MOONRAKER, which tried too hard to follow-up with the STAR WARS craze and loses track of the staple Bond M.O. It's way too far-fetched and cheesy to sit well with the rest of the Bond films. But there is some good action and dry-as-a-vodka martini wit. All put together with tons of extras, this one is another must-have for Bond fans.
Rating:
Summary: The best DVD collection ever!
Review: After saving up my money for this set to buy on Amazon I was really nervous that it wasn't going to be as good as I hoped. It's awesome. I watch them every week. Dr.No, the movie that started it all, it gives us a good idea of what to expect in every Bond movie. The villian Dr. No played by Joseph Wiseman was great despite his limited screentime. And you could forget Honey Ryder as she walked onto the beach! On Her Majesty's Secret Service was George Lazenby's only film and was definitely underrated by the critics. He explored a whole new side of Bond's character. And Blofeld's mountain top lair Piz Gloria, was amazing. The Man With the Golden Gun, Roger Moore's second, was the worst Bond film to date. Despite an unforgettable villain Francisco Scaramanga, there was a horrible score, an uninspired script, and the Bond woman Mary Goodnight was a total Bimbo. The Spy Who Loved Me was Roger Moore's best, with a great set by Ken Adam, one of the best henchman villains Jaws. It has the ingredients for a great Bond movie. The last movie, Moonraker was definitely the largest Bond movie in 1979 in terms of scale, but failed to live up to expectations, despite the return of Jaws, it's far too comical and sci-fi to rank as a good Bond movie. But it is a very entertaining movie!
Rating: 
Summary: The James Bond Collection Vol. 2, 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: Great addition to the James Bond Collection
Review: "Dr. No" is the most modest of the set, being the first James Bond adventure. However, there are very memorable moments, like Sean Connery first saying: "Bond...James Bond", and the introduction of "M" and Miss Moneypenny. Also, SPECTRE is first mentioned in the series.
"The Man With The Golden Gun" is an entertaining outing, if a bit over the top (i.e. Scaramanga's flying car).
"Moonraker" is the worst of the set. It is completely non-believable, and almost ruined the Bond series (thankfully, "For Your Eyes Only" brought 007 back to Earth - literally!)
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a masterpiece. I consider it the best of the series, and it has the most dramatic end in any Bond movie. It is long, but worth watching. Telly Savalas plays the best Blofeld, and Diana Rigg's part as Tracy is nothing less than touching.
"The Spy Who Loved Me" is a bit like "The Man With The Golden Gun": entertaining, if you don't think very seriously about it. Perhaps the worst part of it is that it is a remake of "You Only Live Twice", but the 70s music and Jaws make up for it.
Overall, a must buy, especially because it doesn't contain any of the Pierce Brosnan outings, all of which have a "been there, done that" feel.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Set, but the scalpers want your blood for this one
Review: The studio has just re-released this James Bond set so don't buy it from the scalpers here wanting two to three hundred plus dollars. Amazon will be selling the new re-release Set as of November 17th. My advice to you is you can buy all three new re-released sets for under three hundred dollars. The set itself is great. Some of the best James Bond movies are in this set. The picture and sound quality are great and they include many extra features. You can get the new sets for under ninety dollars. If you bought the other sets and didn't get this one, do like me and donate the others to charity and buy the new sets. Makes me feel good about cheating the scalpers out of my money instead of them cheating me out it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Set, but the scalpers want your blood for this one
Review: The studio has just re-released this James Bond set three so don't buy it from the scalpers here wanting two to three hundred plus dollars. Amazon will be selling the new re-release Set three as of November 17th. My advice to you is you can buy all three new re-released sets for under three hundred dollars. The set itself is great. Some of the best James Bond movies are in this set. The picture and sound quality are great and they include many extra features. You can get the new sets for under ninety dollars. If you bought the other sets and didn't get this one, do like me and donate the others to charity and buy the new sets. Makes me feel good about cheating the scalpers out of my money instead of them cheating me out it.
Rating:
Summary: VHS is going down the drain.
Review: All of the bond movies are great, and plenty of fun to watch, but I have just one thing to say about this Item - VHS Sucks. Some if not all versions of movies com in full screen, which looks like a midget compared to widescreen format. One last thing is that with DVD you get almost none of the special features avalible on the DVD versions of the movie. Trust me, get a DVD player for fifty bucks, and stick to all of the movies that have the word "Widescreen" written on them. In the longrun the DVD player will pay for itself, and with the widescreen movies you won't be missing up to half of the movie fotage. In the longrun, the Bond films are great, but widescreen just sucks. Period.
|
