Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
One of the better Bonds; lots of cartoonish violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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GoldenEye
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In a flashback, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and his fellow double-O agent Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) attempt to blow up a Soviet weapons plant, but Alec is caught in the explosion. Years later, Bond is assigned to investigate the evil Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen). It turns out she's involved with an evil villain code-named Janus, who plans to use a satellite to create an electromagnetic pulse that will knock out computers and allow easy access to the Bank of London. Bond gets a little help from a beautiful, scrappy Russian computer programmer (Izabella Scorupco) and from a loudmouth American agent (Joe Don Baker). But time is running out, and our heroes must find the secret location of a satellite dish before it's too late.
Is It Any Good?
After the longest dry spell in the James Bond movie franchise (six years), director Martin Campbell and star Pierce Brosnan provided a highly successful reboot with GoldenEye (1995). Where the series had grown lethargic through the 1980s, Campbell injected into it a fresh dose of sprightly fun. (It doesn't try to be "darker" like the Daniel Craig entries.) Brosnan turned out to be the Bond many fans were waiting for: He was suave and tough but also funny and with an electric screen presence.
Likewise, many of the supporting characters in this particular entry are unusually vivid and memorable. Notably, the movie introduced a new, female M (Judi Dench) and was the first of the series not to be based on the works of Ian Fleming. The original screenplay is satisfyingly complex but allows for plenty of exciting chases, fights, and escapes. Indeed, though it does contain a few silly moments, the entire movie crystallizes nicely. Even Tina Turner's title song is terrific.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about GoldenEye's violence. Does the movie seem less violent if many characters die but very little blood is shown?
What does Bond's license to kill mean? Would it be easy to have such a thing?
What is the appeal of Bond's vices such as sex and drinking? Can he be a hero or a good role model in spite of these things?
Does this movie have strong female characters, or are they stereotypes? How do they compare to women in other Bond movies?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 17, 1995
- On DVD or streaming: October 22, 2002
- Cast: Famke Janssen , Pierce Brosnan , Sean Bean
- Director: Martin Campbell
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studios: MGM/UA , United Artists
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Run time: 130 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: a number of sequences of action/violence, and for some sexuality
- Last updated: October 5, 2023
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