Customer Reviews

James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 1 (The Man with the Golden Gun / Goldfinger / The World Is Not Enough / Diamonds Are Forever / The Living Daylights)

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Having purchased all Bond DVDs years ago, to my own consternation I find myself shelling out even more money to buy this new editions.
I always thought they did a fairly good job with the old DVDs, the "Making of" documentaries were excelent and the overall presentation rather good. Why buy these new ones then ? The answers are rather simple:
1) 5.1 DTS sound on all movies. For years I've opted to turn off my sound equipment when watching the Connery films. It just didn't make that much of a difference from listening to them on regular TV's speakers. Some of the later ones (OCTOPUSSY) should also benefit greatly from this addition.
2) FRAME BY FRAME RESTORATION: Specially important in the Connery ones even though the earlier Moores left a lot to be desired too. It is my understanding that the three earlier movies which were cropped at the top and bottom in order to fit them into 16:9 sets will be presented in their entirety. And this isn't just any restoration we're taling about but one done by Lowry Digital. If you've watched the Indiana Jones and King Kong (1933) you'll know how absolutely perfect their work is.
3) EVEN MORE EXTRAS: and real good ones at that: Deleted Scenes, TV Specials, screen tests, varying angles for action scenes, etc.
In summary, if you are a regular Bond fan, the old edition should be more than enough. If you're a die-hard, just bite the bullet and enjoy these films as if they were brand new once again.

Sony pictures has taken over the MGM/UA film library and now offers new editions of the Bond films (the gem of that acquisition) in time for the holidays (early November); and not merely to annoy those who've purchased them previously. These films have been re-mastered (via the truly revolutionary Lowry System) and the results are stupendous, both visually and aurally. I've seen the PAL versions and they are truly, opening-night pristine, and the DTS mixes are astonishing - not just souped up or boosted versions of the original sound mixes, but re-actualized using the original sound stems with discrete directional remixes. It's probably not an option for many to re-purchase all 20 of these ultimate editions, but you'll be doing yourself a fan's disservice if you don't at least replace the Connery originals (mostly monaural) with these new editions. DR. NO, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and GOLDFINGER are must-haves. My own personal favorite was the new version of ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE - revived for me by this new ultimate edition. I don't see the attache-case limited edition that was offered overseas being offered in the US - and that's a real pity for NTSC collectors!

The Bond DVD collection was last available individually in 1999/2000, and as a 3-box, 'Special Edition' version a year or two ago. As noted elsewhere, these `Ultimate' Editions are suppose to be an incredible upgrade in sound and picture quality, completed by Lowry Digital, which is the platinum standard in film restoration. For this Bond effort, over 42 miles of film were scanned, and restored frame-by-frame (each frame was stored as a 45 megabyte image).

It makes sense to get this set if you are not planning to go to high definition DVD in the next few years. These, I expect, will be as bright and clean as standard DVDs can possibly be, so why not get them now. I'll get them just to see and hear the older films in this as-new condition.

For HD fans, it's interesting to note that the Lowry scanning occurred at a resolution of 4,000 x 3,000 pixels, in contrast with the 720 x 576 pixel resolution of standard DVDs. This means that the films were restored to greater-than DVD quality, AND greater-than High Def quality. So the Lowry restored films can already take full advantage of High Def DVD capabilities (they'll be Blu-Ray, as Sony owns both Blu-Ray and part of MGM). Blu-Ray DVDs have a 1080 by 1920 pixel resolution, nearly twice as sharp as a standard DVD. This will give these old films an almost 3D appearance.

Sony has been silent on when Bond will go to Blu-Ray (almost certainly available individually), but some say it can't be too long. There's no upside to waiting once the holiday season is over.

Everyone has seen the movies so there's no need to rehash them here. They are all awesome. The remastering is a major plus and a definite upgrade to the previous versions as stated in previous reviews. I only rate on the quality of the movies, which is what it is all about and these sets definitely get a 5-Star rating. But I do have an annyoing beef about the packaging. Yes, the movies are not released/packaged in the ordered they were made. Oh well, we can rearrange them in order once we all have the sets. But the movies are now stored in slimline cases within the box set. This is fine, but the accompanying booklets do not fit within the cases and are stored separately within the box set. It would have been much nicer if the cases were produced a bit wider to accomidate putting the booklets within each case. Like I said, it is only an annoying aspect and I don't consider packaging in my rating. What really matters is the quality of the movies. Not sure, but since I already have the previous versions, I may just migrate the new versions into the old cases and put the old versions in the new slimline cases which would solve the problem for me.

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." I have a couple of complaints about the four collections, balanced by some significant positives.

My biggest complaint is that the movies are not in order, which continues the tradition begun with the previous James Bond Collections. My second biggest complaint is that these versions have a lot of new material, meaning you have to shell out a lot of money to buy these movies, again. It would be nice if the "ultimate" version would have been the first version released instead of the third or fourth version.

The most significant positives about these movies are the improved sound and picture quality, and the second disk that comes with each movie that includes material uncollected in the original James Bond Collections. The improved sound and picture are the result of new technology, and thus this version was possible only in the last few years. If you have the previous James Bond Collections and you have watched them only once, then you can probably pass this collection over. If you watched the previous James Bond Collections and you thought the picture and sound could have been improved, and you wished for more extras, then you may want to shell out the big bucks and buy these four sets.

Two of Sean Connery's films are in this first set. "Goldfinger" is considered by many fans to be the best Bond film. Bond's villains in this movie were ruthless megalomaniacs, and Connery has a close encounter with a laser. Shirley Bassey belts out the title song and sets the standard for future Bond music. James Bond also quips that drinking Dom Perignon above 38 degrees Fahrenheit is "...as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs." Fortunately, Paul McCartney did not take it personally as he recorded the title track to the 1973 Bond movie "Live and Let Die." Bond also got ever more gadgets from Q, played by Desmond Llewelyn, who went on to appear in more Bond movies than any other major actor.

The other Connery film is "Diamonds Are Forever," which was Connery's last "official" Bond film. 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.

Roger Moore is represented by "The Man with the Golden Gun" from 1974. Christopher Lee as Scaramanga and Herve Villechaize are two of the most bizarre and ruthless Bond villains ever. There are fewer gadgets than in some of the surrounding Bond movies, but Moore's performance is a bit wooden and Clifton James was a bit over-the-top as comic relief. The title song by singer Lulu is pretty good, but pales in comparison to many of the other title songs in the series.

Timothy Dalton made two Bond films. The first of the two was "The Living Daylights," which I think was the better of his two movies. The plot is complicated, 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 of "The World Is Not Enough" 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. The value of the extras varies, but 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 if you are just starting to collect Bond movies, are looking to replace your VHS versions, or you must have the best versions available.

Enjoy!

Sell all your old versions of the DVD's. You will make enough to purchase these FANTASTIC upgrades of one of the longest running franchises in American movie history, plus have money left to see the new film, Casino Royale in the theater in November.
All new two-disc editions, (no doubt to take advantage of the new movie's premiere) with more behind the scenes featurettes, making ofs, and brand new DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 and DTS for the cinephiles out there. Dr. No and Goldfinger (my two favorites), should sound superb in surround.
The only reason for the 4 stars (5 in my opinion) is because if you just like a certain Bond or maybe you just like the new ones, you will be unable to purchase them like that. They come 5 movies per volume and they have a broad range of titles. So with the good come the bad.
Volume 1 includes:
Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, The Man With the Golden Gun, The Living Daylights, and The World is Not Enough
Volume 2 includes:
Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, A View to a Kill, License to Kill, and Die Another Day
Volume 3 (which will be released in December) includes:
You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, and Goldeneye
Volume 4 (also due in December) includes:
Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Moonraker, Octopussy, Tomorrow Never Dies.
Buy them, you will greatly appreciate this fine series.

Note: This review was written for the Volume 2 release, but contains pertinent information regarding this release.
I received advance copies of the Region 1 release and just had to gush about these incredible DVDs.
In October of 1999 the first wave of James Bond 007 Special Editions was released. It was in fact the second time that the series had seen a release on those shiny silver discs having first appeared in the much-maligned "snapper" cases two years earlier. But these special feature laden releases were immediately hailed as setting a new benchmark for back catalog releases of movies on DVD.
Times however have since changed. And the single disc editions that appeared in a set of three waves in 1999 and 2000 now look, at best merely serviceable and at worst wholly inadequate when compared to the bumper releases that have been afforded to the likes of other favorites from the last 40-plus years.
So on Nov. 7 Fox released the first two of four volumes that are touted as the Ultimate Edition's of all 20 of the movies in the storied franchise. The collection of special features this time around are a virtual embarrassment of riches and each movie has been remastered by the team that oversaw the work on the original Star Wars trilogy - Lowry Digital. The result is so impressive that movies the likes of 1964's "Goldfinger" now look they were made last year instead of over 42 years ago.
John Lowry, who started his career with NASA, spent two and a half years restoring the picture and sound quality on all 20 Bond films, which in total consisted of 42 miles of film. According to information released by the studio the combination of automated computer processing and digital retouching led to the removal of 25 million pieces of dirt and 74,000 "hairs in the gate" in addition to restoring more than 30,000 frames of scratched or torn images.
The difference is most evident in the older movies and when I watched "The Spy Who Loved Me" (for example) I seriously felt like I was watching a new movie - particularly during the demise of the Liparus super tanker.
There has also been an improvement in the audio department has a brand new 5.1 DTS mix.
The special features will impress even the most ardent and knowledgeable James Bond fan. Take for example the DVD for the 1985 adventure "A View to a Kill." In the 2000 release fans were amazed to see the inclusion of a hitherto unknown deleted scene set in a Paris Police Station. In the release Tuesday the Paris scene is still there, but several more deleted scenes join it. These ranges from the scene where fishermen (along with Bond) demonstrate outside of the main villains San Francisco operations to a more minor scene that shows said villain and his henchman and henchwoman carrying cans of gasoline into City Hall. Director John Glen who explains why they were eventually cut from the movie introduces each.
This all-inclusive approach to special features pervades these releases with everything from the inclusion of archival reports from the set for British television to a home movie from the Egyptian set of "The Spy Who Loved Me."
Of course the real jewel in the crown of the releases are the newly recorded audio commentaries by James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore for his seven movies. Last year Moore recorded the commentaries over a period of five days starting with the last of his movies (A View to a Kill) and working backwards. He prefaces each of his commentaries by claiming not to remember much about the production history of the movies and urges the listener to merely approach them as a one-way conversation. However, despite his claim Moore does seem to recollect quite a bit about the movies and his light breezy tone and dry wit make the commentaries a real draw. He does have a habit of getting sidetracked on occasion and discusses other projects other than James Bond, but each of the commentaries is well worth a listen.
My particular favorite commentary in Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 is the one that accompanies "A View to a Kill." For many years fans questionned where Maud Adams' cameo was in this movie (she had famously visited the set during the San Franciso shoot), with not even Maud Adams knowing where she was. Well, there's a big clue to where she appears when Roger Moore remarks that the man walking out of shot is Maud Adams boyfriend. Watch the couple in the background shortly after this remark on the commentary.
The only real quibble I have is regarding the "007 Mission Control" section of the DVDs. These are merely a collection of clips from the movie and as such seems a tremendous waste of valuable disc space. For example say you click on "Girls" from the Mission Control main menu. A menu appears listing the girls in that particular movie and if you click on their name you are provided with a menu listing a series of clips including that character. Not only is this highly redundant for those who have watched the movie (which one would presume people who own the DVD have done) but its also very selective. Take for example the character of Anya Amasova in "The Spy Who Loved Me." The first clip offered is her meeting with James Bond at the Kalba club. Surely the first should have been her famous introduction (where audiences expentations are turned on their head) and the scene where she learns of her lovers death.
Another minor gripe is the treatment of "Die Another Day" in this set. Whereas all the previous content from the other movies Special Editions are included in these Ultimate releases, the same cannot be said for the "Die Another Day" discs. Released already as a 2-disc set on its initial DVD release in 2003, this edition seems to have dropped the extensive documentary on the making of the movie. I was not a big fan of said documentary as I found it to be largely fluff, but its strange that it was not included here, especially since they probably used up space that could have accomodated it with the afore-mentioned "Mission Control" section. There are some interesting tidbits on the "Die Another Day" discs including the "From Script to Screen" doco (that had appeared previously only in Region 2) and a fascinating coverage of the parachite jump over Buckingham Palace, but the omission of the lengthy "Making of..." documantary from the previous release is puzzling.
The movies are in slim cases. The big fear among Bond fans when images of the cover packages were released was that it would be a gatefold design. The slim cases are 2-disc sets with disc 1 facing disc 2.
For those fans and collectors who like to place the DVDs in chronological order when displaying them on the shelf, there is a solution. The inner casingo for the DVDs are in the familiar shape common to storing magazines. This allows the collector to place this casing back in the box backwards so that the spines of the DVDs (with their titles on them) are facing out.
Recommended for everyone from the casual viewer to the most fervent Bond fan.

Before buying this collection, I was very skeptical. Being a long time James Bond fan, I invested plenty of money in the best VHS version of all these films. When DVD came out, I re-bought about half of the collection again. I must admit that the DVD releases of these films are some of the most disappointing DVDs in my collection.

My major complaints about the ORIGINAL DVD RELEASES were:
1.) Audio Mix -- The first release of the Bond DVDs featured only the original 2 channel audio mixes. The result was a disaster. The spoken dialog was BURIED under the soundtrack... resulting in me having to dive for the remote every five minutes. On top of the poor dialog / score mixing, the audio lacked definition and served as a constant distraction from watching the movie. There were no distinct lows, or distinct highs, just a lot of bland sounding audio.

2.) Picture Quality -- I suppose I couldn't complain too too much about this one. Given the age of many of these movies, I accepted the washed-out, often grainy image as nothing more than a symptom of the era the movie was made.

All in all, poor audio and poor picture makes for a pretty crappy experience. After having been disappointed by the first couple Bond DVDs I bought, I gave up on the collection. It was with this in mind that the announcement of the newly remastered series left me very skeptical.

The major criticism of this DVD set is that it is another ploy by MGM/UA to drain more money from every Bond fan's wallet. In the past, I had avoided these pathetic attempts at getting me to constantly upgrade versions of things I already owned.

However, let me tell you, this collection DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. The talk about the upgraded audio and video is NOT hype. Painstaking efforts were taken to re-scan the original prints of each film frame-by-frame. Once scanned, the image was digitally enhanced from the original prints. I was amazed at the richness and depth of color this process produced. During most parts, these movies look like they could have been filmed last year. Different color pigments are more noticeable, skin color and tone looks more lifelike, and the special effects look sharper. All in all, one couldn't ask for anything more from the picture quality of these versions. I have yet to a scene where I felt it could have been retouched better.

If the image quality isn't enough to make this collection worth buying, the new 5.1 DTS mixes seal the deal. Gone are the days of me fidgeting with volume during every other scene! The balance between dialog, ambient sounds, and score is perfect. I never would have imagined that movies made in the 60's and 70's could sound so good. Unlike the previous DVDs, these Ultimate Edition DVDs utilize my home theater to its maximum potential. Explosions rumble through my sub and the dialog comes clearly through my center channel; every word is audible. I own other DVDs from films made over the last couple of years that wish they could sound this good! Utilizing the DTS is a MUST!

Finally, while I consider myself fairly discriminating when it comes to audio and video clarity, I am by no means an audio or videophile. So, I don't think you need a $25,000 home theater setup to enjoy the enhancements these DVDs offer. I wrote this review based off of the following hardware:
32" Winbook 720p LCD HDTV
Up-converting Samsung DVD Player (connected via DVI)
Sony 7.1 (7x100w) Surround Receiver
Matching 5.1 MTX Surround Sound Speaker System

Hopefully, this will help clear up some confusion or doubt as to the value this collection offers.

This new box set is the greatest. Sure, they're out of order, but it's still great. The menus are soo much better than the 2003 release. Thought each DVD menu is about the same, it still blows me away. And don't get me started on the bonus features. I'm a huge Bond fan, and I can name all the movies backwards in 13.7 seconds. So being only 52 and not living in the UK, it was great seeing the special "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, 007!". And all the films I enjoyed. This is a great box set.

GOLDFINGER never looked or sounded better. They did an outstanding job. The KungFu out-takes on THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN were outstanding. Those two girls were the real thing. The remastered sound on DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER raised this Connery Bond film to a new level. This is a great volume.