Customer Reviews

The James Bond Collection, Vol. 2 (Special Edition)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For those that purchased one of the box sets the first time they were issued, beware: MGM didn't re-release them. They conveniently shuffled the discs around so that if you bought Volume 1 of the old edition, buying volumes 2 and 3 of this edition will leave you missing some movies, and with duplicates of thunderball, live and let die and for your eyes only. Overall, the movies are great and have some good special features which are worth checking out. Just be warned that these new sets don't match up with the previously released ones.

For any James Bond fan. If this superb collection of James Bond DVDs weren't enough for you; there is good news coming your way. SONY and MGM are planning to re-release all twenty(20) of the James Bond Movies to DVD in (what they're calling) The James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD Collection. Straight official article from mi6.co.uk Here is the link:

http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/dvd_ultimate_editions.php3?=&s=

These new Ultimate Edition DVDS are due in Q32006 coinciding with the release of Casino Royale (21st James Bond Film). These DVD releases are gonna be one of the top DVD projects of 2006!

Picture Quality? They are using Imagica Machines; which are ultra-sophisticated digital film-scanners. One frame every four seconds, which is how long it takes Imagica to scan across the frame 4,000 times. The Imagica they are using creates digital replicas of the frame consisting 4,000 horizontal lines of data. The process is called 4K scanning. It's gonna look sharper than ever; believe it.

Sound Quality? The Company Mi Casa has chosen the brand new Bryston SP 1.7 multichannel preamplifirer/processors for to use in the James Bond remastering project. Although you'll be able to switch back to the original traditional mono sound track if you desire.

Extra special features? Brand New Documentaries and new special bonus material; plus cast and crew intervies from the past 42 years. Including rare and previously seen footage from the productions. Also newly added, Roger Moore has just recorded his commentary tracks for his seven bond films.

I just can't wait. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan (my favorite Bond) coming back to DVD in the best action spy adventures; the best collection yet.

So they're out next year in 2006. Probably October, with the release of Casino Royale who'll once again being directed by Martin Campbell (GoldenEye). Theatrical Release Date October 19th, 2006.

I am a die-hard Bond fan so of course I like every movie in this set! I'll tell you what I think of each individual film:

1. From Russia with Love (1963) Starring: Sean Connery, Pedro Armendariz, Lotte Lenya. This is the film with the best plot in the series and is probably the most accurate rendition of Fleming's original novel!: *****


2. You Only Live Twice (1967) Starring: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Tetsuro Tamba. Of Connery's films, this is probably the worst one since the plot is the most far-fetched of his Bonds. The Japanese location and the revelation of what Blofeld looks like make this movie worth the watch however.: ***


3. Diamonds Are Forever (1971) Starring: Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray. Even though this film is very outlandish, it is is still one of the most fun films to watch in the series. The diamond pipeline plot adds greatly to the film, despite the idea of Blofeld's "diamond satellite" being very far-fetched. You'll have fun with this one!: ***1/2


4. Moonraker (1979) Starring: Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale. This is the most riodiculous film in the series, in terms of reality, but it still is a guilty pleasure. The movie is actually a very straight-foward Bond adventure unitl Bond takes off into outer space, then the film gets bizarre beyond belief.: **


5. For Your Eyes Only (1981) Starring: Roger Moore, Carole Boquet, Topol. Of all the Bond films in this set, this is my personal favorite. It is the most serious of the Roger Moore Bond films and is to Moore what "From Russia with Love" was for Connery. If you're looking for a very down-to-earth, realistic spy adventure, look no further than this gem!: *****


6. The Living Daylights (1987) Starring: Timothy Dalton, Maryam D'Abo, Joe Don Baker. Of Dalton's two Bond films, this is the one I prefer. I'm a big fan of his interpretation of Bond, since he made the character very much like he was in the original novels. The only major fault with this film is the fact that the villains are very weak, and that no one villain dominates at all. Other than this, a wonderful film that is very underrated: ****1/2


7. The World Is Not Enough (1999) Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Caryle. Of the four Brosnan films out right now (I still don't know if he's doing more, though I certainly hope he does), this shows his best portrayal of the character. Even though I prefer "Goldeneye", this movie has the better plot and has some of the best characterizations in any Bond film. This film really shows Brosnan at the top of his game!: *****

Iam going to tell you what I thought about these films. From Russia with Love:This is a great film Sean Connery is the best Bond that there is.For some reason I like the old movies better.You only live Twice:Once again Connery returns in this pulse-pounding adventure as bond meets Blofeld!Diamonds are Forever:This is not the best Bond movie as it is Connerys last.Moonraker:Great movie Roger Moore is pretty good as he takes on Hugo Drax.For Your Eyes Only:Moore is back again I loved the theme son.The Living Daylights:Very good movie but I hate Timothy Dalton as Bond.It had a very good story.The World Is not Enough:A very good movie Brosnan is very good.Bond confronts Electra King in this ation packed film

Let me start off by saying that this collection has some good points. Those good points are From Russia with Love, a great Sean Connery movie, For Your Eyes Only which a pretty good Roger Moore film, and (many may disagree with me on this one) my favorite Brosnan Bond, The World is Not Enough. The other films in this collection are ok, but I don't think there is any film in the Bond series that I really dislike. Now that being said, DON'T PURCHASE THIS SET. I don't know who the people are that are reviewing this with 5 stars and saying great low price, but I wonder if they are the ones trying to sell them. My problems with this set is the picture and sound quality. They are what you would expect on a movie from the era each film was produced. The older Connery Bond movies look like your watching them on 1960's film. The other problem I have with these sets are the prices. To purchase this set used will cost you about $170, the price new is over $200. There is no reason to pay that much for this set. I would recommend if you are looking for the Bond collection to purchase the Ultimate Editions (UEs). The movies have been restored so picture quality is great. The UEs are also set in 5.1 surround sound, and the special features are great. Also the price of the UE compared to this set is a lot better, when you consider that you can purchase all 4 of the UE for about the same price this Vol 2 will cost you. In sort if you want the Bond movies, buy the Ultimate Editions.

Like the third boxed set, a few titles you can live without, but some good movies are in here:

From Russia With Love - slow by today's movie standards but an excellent Bond film. Bond's gadgets are very practical and he's only human in this one. Don't miss the gypsy girls fighting or Tatiana getting ready to meet Bond!

You Only Live Twice - not as interesting as the novel although the girls and the custom Toyota were good to look at. Bond finally meets Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Diamonds Are Forever - the funniest Bond of them all. I enjoy this one even though there were some glaring questions like how does a car on two wheels suddenly go up on the other two wheels and why would diamonds around a laser make it more powerful than if they were in the laser?

Moonraker - the outerspace battle is as boring as the underwater battle in Thunderball and Jaws is as inept as he is indestructible in this one. Plot is certainly more up to date than that in Fleming's novel, but didn't have much to offer except women in skimpy outfits and a good fight scene in the glass museum.

For Your Eyes Only - decent movie, often played for laughs. Teaches you not to mess with women wielding crossbows.

The Living Daylights - Timothy Dalton attempted to bring Bond more in line with Fleming's down to earth, human spy. Although Dalton may have been just a bit too serious as Bond, this is one of my favorite Bond films. The opening is terrific and we see a Bond with his own moral code doing what he must.

The World is not Enough - Bond's family motto and a good film. Brosnan's line as he kills the true villain of the piece is reminisent of some of Connery's better lines. Most fantastic opening sequences of any movie!

This collection includes various Bond movies from four of the actors that have played James Bond in the "official" Bond movies, which excludes "Never Say Never Again." My only complaint about the three collections is that the movies are not in order. I have all three sets because I like Bond rather than wanting all the Bond movies by one of the three actors. However, you have to take them as you can get them sometimes.

Each of the movies in this collection is a "special edition," which is a fancy name for DVDs that include extras that range in value from high to low. I have been very fascinated with some of the commentaries (those by Terence Young were very fascinating) and some of the features just seemed like filler. However, what I found interesting other may not, and vice versa. Rather than listing all the extras, a list of which is available, I will discuss the movies briefly.

"From Russia with Love" is one of the best of the Bond movies, and is the best in some people's opinions. This follow-up to "Dr. No" introduced us to Desmond Llewelyn as Q, gadgets, multiple exotic locales, more tongue-in-cheek, a bigger variety of vehicles, and ever more Bond women. The production values and budget were higher than for "Dr. No," and the action and plotting were outstanding. This movie is a gem in this collection.

The fifth movie in the Bond series is the second entry in this collection. "You Only Live Twice" had even more gadgets, more exotic locations, and more jokes. Someone is hijacking Soviet and American spacecraft and no one knows why. After one of the best opening credits where Nancy Sinatra sings the title song, we enter one of the weaker entries in the Bond series. There is too much reliance on gadgets and women and too little reliance on a serious plot. I also struggled to believe Donald Pleasance as the evil Dr. Blofeld.

Sean Connery's final official Bond film was "Diamonds Are Forever." This time Dr. Blofeld has a plot to steal diamonds for a satellite that then become part of a laser-like device. He then plans on blackmailing governments for obscene amounts of money or he will destroy their weapons. This movie inspires either loathing or love. I like it, but then again I am a science fiction movie fan, and the gadgets and science fiction subplot are geek cool.

The next movie in this collection is one of Moore's worst, "Moonraker." The producers of Bond wanted to capitalize on the public's interest in science fiction movies sparked by "Star Wars." However, this movie is no where close to "Star Wars," and the spaceship effects are relatively cheesy. However, the space station is reasonably well done. This time madman Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) plans to park his chosen people on a space station while he eliminates all people on earth. His chosen people will then repopulate the earth with their perfection. Drax is a suitable madman for Bond. The popular character Jaws (Richard Kiel) appears again in this movie. Unfortunately, Moore appears generally bored with this one and this movie just never sparks.

The next movie in this collection is one of the best in the series, and one of Roger Moore's best. "For Your Eyes Only" has one of the best spy plots with everyone after an A.T.A.C. system that went down with a British spy ship. Julian Glover as Aristotle Kristatos is as coldly evil as any Bond villain, and Carole Bouquet as Bond girl Melina Havelock is beautiful and capable of revenge. Topol as semi-good guy Columbo is wonderful. The only point where the movie is weak is the inclusion of Lynn-Holly Johnson. I will leave you to discover what she does to the movie, and what she tries to do to Bond.

The next movie in this collection is the first of the two Timothy Dalton movies, which I also think was the better of his two movies. The plot is complicated this time, involving a defector who is not defecting, and a bad guy who later plays a good guy in the Brosnan movies. It's all in good fun with one of the most interesting chase scenes ever in a Bond film, involving a bass and its case. Dalton managed to breathe new life into the Bond series with modern issues and locations that were in the news at that time. This Bond film is worth watching multiple times.

The final movie in this collection is one of Pierce Brosnan's weaker movies. The typically complicated plot involves an assassination attempt on beautiful Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), and the theft of nuclear weapons. While there are a number of good scenes in this movie, it is weaker than average. However, this movie was the last appearance of Desmond Llewelyn as Q, and Q seems to steal all his scenes.

Because of all the extras these DVDs require hours to watch. While the value of the extras varies, watching them gives a fan much more information about the difficulties of making each movie, and how many of the stunts were performed. I consider these movies to be among the gems of my DVD collection. I recommend this set very highly as long as you plan on collecting all the Bond films.

I finally broke down to purchase all three volumes for a complete James Bond set on DVD. Finding all of the sets online brand new was very difficult. The price was one of the best here for total shipped price.One word, "WOW". The packaging was very nice. The special editions of each 007 movies are loaded with impressive extras. After viewing the actual movies, I found the video excellent and the sound quality a huge upgrade from my Bond VHS versions. It was like watching them for the first time on DVD. In my opinion, these sets are classics for any DVD collection. I did not regret my purchase.

This is my favorite of the 3 Special Edition boxsets. For one thing, it's got 3 great Connery movies: "From Russia With Love" (007 tries to get a Russian decoding machine while surviving a SPECTRE trap); "You Only Live Twice" (007 in Japan must take on SPECTRE, which has been kidnapping spaceships to start war between the USSR and the USA); and "Diamonds Are Forever" (classic Connery 007, in Las Vegas tracking a diamond smuggling trail that leads to Blofeld). I find all those Connery ones entertaining, and YOLT and DAF are two of my personnal favorites, both very entertaining and with great settings. Next, there are two Roger Moore flicks: "Moonraker" (007 goes onto a space station to stop a madman from destroying the world); and "For Your Eyes Only" (007 must recover a stolen piece of technology). "Moonraker" is a bit silly, but I'll admit I find it to be entertaining and I enjoy it more than most Moore films. And "FYEO" is my favorite Moore film, the most hard edged and realistic. There's also a Timothy Dalton film, "The Living Daylights" (007 must stop a group of Soviet renegades from smuggling heroin). It's Dalton's first film, and he's my second favorite, next to Connery. Dalton's Bond is more dark and serious, yet "TLD" is still a good thriller. Finally, there's Pierce Brosnan's third outing, "The World Is Not Enough" (007 tries to stop a nuclear sub exploding and destroying much of the world's oil supply). "TWINE" is one of Brosnan's best, certainly better than his first two. Overall this boxset contains some of the lightest Bond movies, and some of the darkest, offering a good variety of styles and a good variety of Bonds.

When me,my brother and my dad went to circuit city my brother saw this very cool collection he told me about and its called volume two so when we agreed on it we got the set we wanted. I thought this was not going to be good but I thought wrong about it and I realized that this collection is soild. You should get this collection because it has four great bonds like YOLT,TLD,TWINE and FYEO. The three bonds in this set are not good and they are FRWL,DAF and MR. Get this collection you will not be complete without it.