A few years ago I started re-watching, and in some cases watching for the first time, all of the canonical Bond Movies starting with Dr. No. This was done via the Netflix DVD in the mail program which allowed access to the bonus materials on the Blu-rays. When I canceled my DVD in the mail account the Bond re-watch fell by the wayside.

Last night my sweetie-wife, who had participated and enjoyed the series suggested we continue, and we streamed the next one from where we had left off queueing up Goldeneye, the debut of Pierce Brosnan as Bond.

After disappointing box office returns for the two previous films in the franchise which had attempted a grittier and darker tone for the series follow the lighted hearted turned brought by Roger Moore the producers opted to U-turn and bring a level of levity back to the films.

Dealing with a collapsed, corrupt, and capitalistic Russia Goldeneye has Bond chasing down a Soviet-era EMP weapon subverted by Russian and British traitors. The film boasts the usual array of gadgets and gals, plenty of action that is quite over the top, and serious attempts to be relevant with computers in a slightly pre-Internet period. I literally did laugh when the ‘good Bond girl,’ playing the part of someone about to spend serious coin o desktop computers listed the 500-megabyte hard drives and 14400 modems as requirements,

In the film Bond at one point steals a Russian tank and uses it in a chase which reminded me of the deranged man who the same year as this movie’s release stole a tank here in San Diego causing serious damage but luckily, other than himself, no loss of life.

Overall I found Goldeneye a tad too comical, too aware of the camera and still prefer the Current series, with all it faults, to the comedic Bonds.