GoldenEye

I have a rather warm relationship with this Bond film because it brought me back to my childhood love in 1995. However, when I look at it from a distance, several problems arise. Firstly: Timothy Dalton set out on a whole new conception of Bond that would free the series from the from the yoke of the shackles of the Cold War before the fall of the Iron Curtain. But GoldenEye acts as if this whole stage (excellent and productive, in my opinion) does not exist. In the mid-1990s, it returns to a long-overdue question: does Bond still make sense at the end of the millennium, or is he really just a relic of the end of the war of ideologies and the old model of entertainment? This theme resonates in the recurring motif of the "communist lapidary", but above all in the triple questioning of the characters. Natalia asks Bond about his coldness and shyness in "boyish" deadly gun games. Villain Alec questions Bond's iconic role as "Her Majesty's servant" as a relic in a world that loses its clear contours. Finally, the new M, more or less a tough and indiscriminate technocrat compared to the conservative and traditionalist predecessors, calls Bond a misogynistic dinosaur. He's right, in this role Brosnan (in all his efforts) really does give the impression of a stubborn relic of the Moore era. Although he is much more persuasive in action and tries to profile Bond humanly at the same time, his character is still more of a "vessel for a fiery action" than an impressive character with "Craigian" inner tension. But it's not just him - Martin Campbell is also struggling with the Bond concept: the middle part of the film is tedious and lengthy, lacking distinctive humorous moments and more imaginative action (everything is done in scale rather than execution). The conclusion finally cleverly incorporates a quick and functional edit, even reaching for a more physically rough Bond clash with the villain. The problem is that Brosnan is hard to believe in these transformations, even if he has the proper ironic look, his face and voice are constantly too blissful, and he really fits the "Moore" action combine harvester the most - he (just like Woody writes) seeks an unlikely fusion of all the existing elements of this character. The ambiguity of the sound (it is a Bond drama, comedy, melodrama) is highlighted by the appalling music of Eric Serra, which misses the atmosphere of individual scenes and would be more suited to a slightly erotic film or soap opera. Positives? An excellent villain who breaks the tradition of megalomaniac destroyers of the world with personal revenge for the historical sins of the Empire. A finale that shows Campbell can bring a great deal of adrenaline and dynamism to Bond by not having the "bombastic mowing down of dozens of enemies". The series will wait another seven years to answer the question of the old Bond's "legitimacy," and the answer is not very favorable after all. The Brosnan era has become a bit of a lapidary over time, which offers a lot of pleasant memories to nostalgic people, but the dust settles here too mercilessly. (11.02.2004) (mniej) (więcej)