The Incomplete Guide to GoldenEye in 2025

In which Vanessa enters the Pierce Brosnan era of James Bond.

It’s been a long time since we did one of these, so let me remind you of the deal: I put the James Bond films through their paces for a contemporary take on their morals, plot realism, and travelability. You can check out everything I’ve written so far in our Substack archives.

Mamma mia, here we GoldenEye again!

Pierce Brosnan had been courted prior to the hiring of Timothy Dalton, but was legally committed to a final season of Remington Steele due to heightened interest in him thanks to the (true) casting rumours. In GoldenEye, he finally gets his shot.

This is the heyday of Tina Turner, and she effectively belts out the theme song. The opening credits were designed by Daniel Kleinman, taking inspiration from Maurice Binder with suggestive women, but he effectively weaves in plot forecasts with double-headed figures, sledgehammers wielded, and Soviet symbols.

Not Onatopp of the world

Once more we find ourselves in a country with sexist attitudes - this time it’s Russia. Boris’ lecherous behaviour is viewed with disgust by all, but there’s no reporting him to HR here. Alec Trevelyan’s time in Russia, but also his past as an agent, has him viewing Natalya like red meat too.

Xenia Onatopp is another doomed sexually empowered henchwoman, with her own gratification a key aspect of her signature killer move. As such we position the two lead women of the film in the Madonna Whore trope, as with so many of the previous Bond films. Why are we taking steps backwards? (2/5)

EMPty threats

The Soviet Union conducted experiments that resulted in nuclear EMPs, one of which had the local power plant catching on fire - so the Severnaya incident is not unlikely. However, satellites seem unlikely to be the cause of EMPs, but rather the victims of EMPs. The Tiger Eurocopter may not have had the extent of stealth technology that the film suggested, but it was a world-leading attack helicopter at the time of the film.

The Bond filmmakers can’t resist a lake hiding a secret lair, but I can’t even imagine what a nightmare that would be for any civil engineer employed on this construction project. This is compounded by the hazard of the spilled chemicals within, flash-freezing Boris as he proclaims his invincibility.

Trevelyan’s plan to steal money from the Bank of England and wreak havoc on the British economy, if it had worked, shows the post-Cold War landscape villains operate on. We will see more schemes of this type, which feels like a return to form akin to Goldfinger, or, dare I say, SPECTRE? (3/5)

From Regent Street with Love

The Monte Carlo heist offers our first identifiable settings, with its main casino serving as the formal introduction between Xenia Onatopp and James Bond. How much you want to bet is up to you, but the minimum at the craps table is a reasonable €10.

Hilariously, Jon Don Baker returns from his stint as Brad Whitaker, this time as CIA man Jack Wade, in a Lada-esque car in St Petersburg. Due to government restrictions, I apparently can’t look up what it would cost to rent, and most of the Russian scenes were filmed in the UK. The church in which Natalya agrees to meet Boris is St Sofia’s Greek Cathedral in Bayswater, for instance.

Finally, the giant satellite dish for the showdown is the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, (rather than Cuba, but closer than the UK is to Russia). It collapsed in 2020, and is now being converted into an educational facility, and it’s unlikely you are currently able to walk, run or fall anywhere on it as a consequence. (1/5)

Piercing the narrative

Brosnan’s new Bond was heralded as a return to form, that Dalton was considered an aberration from. I suppose it bears out in the scores - far-flung travel, sexuality as a weapon, and a smattering of real-life references to the plot to pull it together. It’s a reasonable first entry for Brosnan, whose stories start out strong, but, as I recall, tail off with each entry. However, he is committed to the debonair and ruthless characterisation that melds the best of Moore and Dalton, which generates a lot more goodwill. (2/5)

Is this your Bond era? Do you think this is Pierce Brosnan’s best film? Sound off in the comments!