Customer Reviews

Licence to Kill

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This review is designed to assist individuals who are on the fence about upgrading from the previously released Special Edition (SE) DVDs to the Ultimate Edition (UE) DVDs. I do not profess to be an audiophile or videophile, so I won't be bandying about terminology like compression and low-end frequency loss (I'm trying to help you, not impress you). On the other hand, I do comprehend technical terms and realize the importance of presentation and quality; however, this information is for the benefit of the average consumer.

Like so many others, the first thought that came to mind following the announcement of the UE DVD project was 'corporate greed.' My perspective has since changed considerably. In the wake of Sony's acquisition of MGM/UA, there is no doubt that the new parent company is looking to exploit the series for maximum profit. But at least Sony has the resources to do it right.

My waning interest in the Bond series was reinvigorated with the release of "Casino Royale" in 2006, an exceptional reboot which compensates for the disappointing Brosnan era. Given that event, I wanted to revisit the older films, only to discover that the SE DVDs looked less than impressive on a contemporary LCD television. At that point, I wondered if the UE DVDs might live up to the marketing hype.

I always read product reviews on this website to help guide my purchases. I'm equally amused and annoyed by hardcore technophiles who point out 'mistakes' in the UE DVDs - 'Felix Leiter's pants are the wrong color,' 'reverb on the gunshot ricochet is too heavy,' etc. I'm quite certain that none of these amateur critics have ever been employed by EON Productions, United Artists, or MGM, and have never seen an original master film print. Thus they are not credible reference sources for interpreting the artistic vision of the filmmakers. While no one is perfect, I am convinced that the professionals at Lowry/DTS Digital Images went above and beyond to ensure that the finished products accurately reflect how the films should properly appear and sound.

Another factor to bear in mind is that everyone's home theater setup is different, thus audio and video reproduction may vary considerably. Very few of those 'expert' reviewers describe their home theater configurations; however I expect that they all have high-end equipment with optimized settings. I also assume that none of them suffer from color blindness, hearing loss, or any other condition that might invalidate their comments. The average Joe can't distinguish between cerulean and cobalt, and doesn't have a basement that resembles the local Cineplex. For the record, I am viewing the films using a Samsung DVD R-120 directly connected to a Samsung LNR328W 32 inch LCD HDTV using Monster component cables, with sound directly output to Bose Cinemate speakers (2.1 channel stereo).

IMAGE: The clarity, color tones, and level of detail are truly amazing, with the restoration giving an almost three dimensional effect to the picture. There is no absolutely no visible film damage or anomalies such as dust, scratches, hairs, etc. like that which plagued all previous releases. It's like watching a new print, only better.

SOUND: While I don't have 5.1 channel surround sound, the Dolby Digital stereo output is just as revelatory as the restored image. Although I can't comment on surround sound effects and DTS output quality, I can say that the soundtrack (music, dialogue, and effects) is properly balanced for the first time on any video release. I find myself fully hearing and completely understanding many lines of dialogue for the first time. The stereo remixing on the earlier films is subtle but contributes exceptionally to the viewing experience. However, if you prefer the original mono soundtrack, that is an option in the setup menu.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Almost all of the special features available on the SE DVDs have been transferred over to the UE DVDs ("Die Another Day" being the exception), and are joined by new content. Some of the new material is fascinating (period interviews and footage), while other segments are less than enthralling (storyboard sequences). I've not listened to any of Roger Moore's running commentaries, but I rarely watch any DVD in that manner. In short, the original behind-the-scenes documentaries carried over from the SE DVDs still make for the most enlightening viewing.

PACKAGING: It doesn't take a high-paid marketing executive to figure out that if the films were released in four chronologically ordered box sets, the first two boxes would substantially outsell the latter two: this explains why the series was jumbled around. Considering that serious fans will want the entire series anyway, this frequently documented complaint seems petty. Regarding the storage devices (boxes and cases), I often read gripes that the individual movies can't be sequenced into the proper order because the boxes have the film titles printed on the spines. Again, this is a trivial grievance. Reviewers are split over the slimline double-disc cases, some preferring the space-saving measure, while others finding them cheap-looking and not as presentable (I agree with both sides). Because the cases can't hold the accompanying booklets, that paperwork is deposited into one side of the box. I've always found those booklets to be superfluous anyway, and they're not included with the single disc releases.

TECHNICAL ISSUES: Some reviewers have reported experiencing freezing and pixeling during playback of some discs, beyond the usual shift between disc layers. May I suggest that it is not a defective DVD, but rather performance issues with one's player. I had similar problems with "O.H.M.S.S." and other non-UE discs played on my Samsung, however the discs played fine on another unit or my PC.

Since the start of the home video market, the Bond films have been released in nearly every format: VHS (through CBS/FOX and then MGM/UA), Laserdisc, RCA SelectaVision (remember that one?), Pioneer VCD, and DVD (initial releases were THX in cardboard snap cases). To play devil's advocate for a moment, the specifications of Lowry's restoration and digital transfer process will allow for full 1080p high definition versions of each film. So expect yet another massive reissue campaign within the next three years or so to capitalize on the next generation optical disc format. Currently, there exists a competition between Sony's Blu-ray disc and Toshiba's HD DVD - a market struggle somewhat comparable to the VHS vs. Betamax battle of the early 1980s. To be honest, I don't know how much better the picture can get - with a decent LCD screen and an up-converting DVD player, the average viewer will be more than satisfied with the UE DVDs.

By the end of 2007, each film will be available for individual purchase as a single disc releases with no additional features (except cast and crew commentaries as a secondary audio track). However, the box set bundle is a better deal, from both financial and entertainment perspectives. But if you still need additional convincing (as I did), buy the single disc "Goldfinger" for ten bucks - I was sold on the box sets even before the opening titles started.

UPDATE (March 16, 2007): Just purchased a Sony DVPNS75H upscaling DVD player. There are no playback issues like those experienced with the Samsung DVD R-120. In fact, the picture is slightly better. Haven't tried the HDMI link, but the progressive scan output through component cables is beautiful. A word to the wise - any 'defective' discs you have may be just fine, however it could be time to upgrade your player. One more note - the player has this neat screen saver feature which displays a still frame from the menu along with the title of the film when you stop playback (many recent DVDs are encoded with this function).

UPDATE (April 10, 2007): Having watched half the series in chronological order, I finally found a quality issue worth reporting - excessive edge enhancement (artificial image sharpening) during the first half of "The Spy Who Loved Me." The effect is characterized by the presence of black or white outlines around objects (like a halo), predominantly in medium and long shots. The effect is less obvious during the second half of the film. Thinking that I might have been tired while viewing, I perused endless posts on discussion boards dedicated to the UE DVDs to confirm. It's distracting and disappointing, but the UE is still preferable to the SE. Also worth noting is that the frame is cropped on the transfers of "A View To A Kill" and "Goldeneye." No integral image data is lost and the average viewer probably won't notice.

Having read all those online threads, I'm amazed over how purists emphatically debate details, but even after digesting such intense scrutinies, I abide by my own evaluation of the UE DVDs - you WILL be impressed.

The Ultimate Bond Collection is sure must in any Bond fan collection, or even in any Action Movie collection.

Not only do we get all the movies, and I mean all 20 of them, in a fully digitally restored image, but also in full Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound, not forgetting the DTS system also included...

Can you imagine watching Dr. No or Goldfinger in this manner? Or even Live and Let Die or The Man with the Golden Gun this way?

Simply spectacular.

Although there are some differences in the special features included here, compared to those offered in the equivalent Special Editions, which I would keep just for this reason, if you, like me still have them, instead of simply discard them from your shelves.

Also, the accompanying booklets are nice, but not as colorful as their Special Edition counterparts.

But as far as the main content, which after all are the DVDs, the Ultimate Collection is light years away from their previous releases.

Unless you want to wait until the entire collection is once again re-released, and this time on HD-DVD, which I sincerely doubt, I don't think they will give more impact to the movies themselves (you will still have to wait a couple of years, before the HD-DVD revolution truly takes in the hearts and minds of people - besides, there are even newer developments... so don't hold your breath for this).

The only two negative points here are just minor ones.

One is the everlasting question about the final scene in "From Russia with Love", on the Venice canals, in which James Bond (Sean Connery) and Tanja Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) are scrutinizing the secret "blue" movie taken by the Russians in the Hotel room in Istanbul, earlier in the movie, when Bond meets Tanja for the first time.

The full scene included some additional comments which were cut at the time, due to censorship problems. But today we are all grown-ups and therefore I would have appreciated, if they had it reintegrated as it seemed to be in the intentions of the Producers.

But then again, who knows, maybe the material was lost in the meanwhile (although I doubt it, because on at least on a videotape release I used to own from England, the entire scene was shown, unfortunately I don't have it anymore).

The second point is that they left Madonna's videoclip of her song for "Die Another Day", together with the "Making Of" of the same, out of this DVD release.
So, if you still own the Special Edition of "Die Another Day", do not get rid of it as yet, unless of course, you don't really care for that particular videoclip.

That's all.

The DTS soundtrack is a plus in this collection. If you own a DTS capable DVD player, put it on and you will experience these movies as you never have before, it is far better than the just conventional Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound also included.

What can I add beyond all of this? Absolutely nothing.

If you have appreciated the Special Editions, you will absolutely be overjoyed in having the Ultimate Edition.

It is well worth the money.

Bravo Sony, you are doing an exceptionally good job!

What else is there to say about these DVDs, other than if you hate blonde Bond as much as I do (yeah, I hate Daniel Craig-- deal with it, fanboys), pick up these DVDs and leave it at that. Everything good from the initial DVD releases (including the excellent "Inside (movie title)" docs) is here, plus a few scattered new features. But the obvious selling point of these discs is the vastly improved picture and sound quality. While purists may complain about the 5.1 tracks, most of the original mono and stereo tracks are included, and the first three films get faithful remixes anyway. There are a few exceptions, though. For example, Live and Let Die does not include the original mono audio, but does have a small amount of added sound effects. The ratio of added sound in this movie, however, is not as large as, say, Thunderball (whose 5.1 track in the original DVD looks like nothing compared to this one), or dare I say it, The Man with the Golden Gun, whose original sound mix feels rushed and incomplete (that track is included with the DVD, so you can hear how rushed it sounds).

Like I said, the first three films get faithful 5.1 mixes, which are simply a matter of adding LFE and a lot of directional effects. Most of the other mono-to-5.1 mixes have added sound for extra punch, and all of the stereo-to-5.1 mixes are faithful as well. Some corrections to audio are made, such as removing reverb from alarm noises preceding the glass factory fight in Moonraker, and a lot of music fixes in The Man with the Golden Gun. All in all, good sounding.

Of course, the picture quality has to be seen to be believed. There's a documentary called "Licence to Restore" on the second disc of Dr. No, demonstrating numerous fixes to the picture, including the removal of annoying strobe lights in The Man with the Golden Gun. The Connery films look absolutely spectacular. Lazenby's one film has some minor color correction issues (the snow in the climcatic Piz Gloria fight scene looks reddish), but also looks excellent. The early Moore films have some flaws, but are still excellent. Everything afterwards is almost reference-quality. Example: I was perplexed that all but one film (Die Another Day) would be restored. I thought, "Why bother with the recent films?" Well, it turns out, a huge blemish on the picture at one point in GoldenEye (right after Bond says, "The very words I live by") was removed, and footage originally cut from Licence to Kill to get a PG-13 rating was reinstated.

All in all, well worth waiting four years for a proper release of Bond films on DVD. Any self-respecting Bond fan should ditch their old sets and get these now; you won't regret it.

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.

No James Bond fan in his or her right mind could pass up the opportunity to own ALL 20 James Bond DVD's with one swift purchase, and HALF-OFF at that!!

The sound and picture quailty for the ones I have watched are all SUPERB.


Now I'm PATIENTLY waiting on the March release of Casino Royale!

I bought this for my husband for Father's Day. I only gave him the first 2 sets and I'm holding onto the other ones for his birthday. He LOVED them! You can't beat the price for the set of 4. He was actually very happy that the movies were not in order too. This is a great gift for anyone who loves James Bond!

This is a great set, I have had the older (1999-2000) releases for some time. Most have improved picture quality and sound. I kept a few of my old releases due to problems:

1. Goldeneye - new one is cropped throughout entire film.

2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - new one has 'blue' color correction to opening sequence. I think the original is what was actually filmed; however after that, the new one beats it by a mile. All scratches are gone and much more detail can be seen.

3. The Spy Who Loved Me - I feel there is an over-sharpening of the picture.

4. Die Another Day - 2nd disc of extras from original release is not included here.

I also had trouble with From Russia With Love playing in one of my older players - but all the others were fine.
Note that I'm being picky here, these are great sets and I had the opportunity to keep some of my old ones, I wouldn't really hunt down the old ones otherwise.

The one day by chance i saw the $125.00 sale price i was thinking it over trying to decide to buy this im glad i did at 6:00 pm i read later that this offer sold out around 8:00 est. I always inspect my dvds upon arrival out of the 40 dvds only 5 had some scratches & specks. I played them right away & so far everything looks great. The transfer is as great as they say & the sound is better except the bass on the title for For You Eyes Only drowned out the lyrics on my tv.

I was nine years old when Dr. No came out and was thrilled when I saw it in the theater. I have never missed a James Bond movie that has ever come out since. Yes some are better than others, but it's hard to be perfect every time.

I have purchased some of the Bond movies on VHS and DVD, but I never purchased a set before because it didn't include ALL the movies. I didn't like someone else deciding which ones were important.

When I saw the 007 James Bond Ultimate Collection Set, I thought they finially came out with a set worth buying. To me, not having all the movies was an incomplete collection. This was the only reason I decided to buy this 007 Bond set.

When it arrived I was excited but I didn't think I'd have time to watch any of them for awhile. Then I found time in the afternoon and popped in For Your Eyes Only, to see how the set looked and played. I was stunned!!! What a incredible picture in WIDESCREEN and Dolby D surround sound. I have a 53 inch widescreen HDTV with a surround home theater sound system. It was like watching a brand new released movie.

Clearly the movie had been restored, and what a great job. I was not aware the films were restored since I don't pay attention to news releases about things like that.

When the movie was over, I had to see what they had done to Dr. No. Again I was impressed, though this is not in widescreen, but it is in Dolby D sound, and the same with From Russia with Love. I was so impressed I couldn't stop watching them and my work projects suffered, but I'm having a great time watching these Bond movies even better then they were in the theater.

They also have first class lead-ins to the movies and the extras that is a nice touch. I have never seen a DVD set so well put together as this one. I usually don't care about the extras but I found myself watching some of them too. Again well done.

If you are a James Bond fan, as I am, this is the set you must have.

Thanks Amazon for the fast delivery and great product. My husband fell in love with Bond years ago, and was ecstatic with this gift. I'm glad I could get him all the movies in one purchase. I did wish every single Bond movie was included, but it was still a great price! The quality of each film is phenomenal! Thanks!