It’s been thirty years since Martin Campbell’s classic James Bond movie 30th anniversary of Brosnan’s GoldenEye, it’s increasingly clear that Martin Campbell’s movie was something the franchise hasn’t quite topped since then.

Of course, the concept of a great Bond movies in the ‘80s, it took GoldenEye for the franchise to really find its footing once again.

GoldenEye Has Aged Better Than Most Bond Movies

The Film Doesn't Feel Thirty Years Old

There have been 25 James Bond movies since the franchise first got started with Dr. No, and many of them haven’t stood the test of time. The series is often plagued with outdated stereotypes and poor visual effects, as the limits of filmmaking have expanded over the years. However, despite coming out three whole decades ago, GoldenEye feels like one of the slickest, most modern Bond movies of them all. Much of this comes down to Martin Campbell’s excellent direction, which makes the most of the large budget and advanced special effects.

Additionally, Brosnan’s iteration of James Bond doesn’t feel as archetypal and old-fashioned as those who came before him. Perhaps this is due to his age, or the fact that the James Bond series merely wanted to reinvent itself after some of Roger Moore’s poorly received installments in the 1980s - either way, it succeeds. The movie feels fresh, creative, and boundary-pushing in ways that Bond hadn’t been for a long time. Brosnan’s movies often get a bad reputation for their derivative storytelling and bland characters, and while this is perhaps true for his later movies, it doesn’t apply to GoldenEye.

GoldenEye Feels Like A Classic, No-Nonsense Bond Movie

The Story Is Simple Yet Effective

Another reason that GoldenEye feels like such a great Bond movie is that it’s so clearly and unequivocally rooted in the mythos of James Bond himself. It feels like a real celebration of Ian Fleming’s novels, pushing the franchise into the future while paying homage to all the classic storytelling that came before it. Campbell was aware that something needed to change for James Bond in the ‘90s, but he didn’t want to completely separate his movie from the preceding eras; GoldenEye is a solid compromise.

The actual story of GoldenEye is very simple, and that works in the film’s favor. Where some installments got overly complicated and intricate with their narratives, Campbell’s first Bond movie strips the formula back to its basics. There’s a spy, an accomplice, a melodramatic villain, and an existing rivalry between all three; this is where James Bond thrives, and GoldenEye adheres firmly to this structure. Brosnan’s era never quite topped GoldenEye for this exact reason: the sequels often felt convoluted in comparison.

GoldenEye Features The Best Pierce Brosnan Bond Performance

Brosnan Is The Most Underrated Bond Actor

This franchise is nothing without its lead actors, and Pierce Brosnan’s performance is among the authentic depictions of James Bond ever put to screen. While actors like George Lazenby and Roger Moore had attempted more subversive takes on the character throughout their movies, Brosnan’s performance felt very formidable, stoic, and exactly as Fleming’s Bond has always been presented. He took the series back to its roots, and in doing so, reignited plenty of the audience’s love for this franchise.

It also helps that Brosnan had excellent chemistry with his co-stars, Sean Bean and Famke Janssen.

It was exactly the kind of reinvention the series needed, and it stands out today as one of the few Bond sequels from this era to feel wholly original but comfortingly familiar. It also helps that Brosnan had excellent chemistry with his co-stars, Sean Bean and Famke Janssen. The entire narrative hinges on whether or not the audience can buy into the unique dynamic between these characters, and it’s refreshingly easy in GoldenEye. Michelle Yeoh may be more fondly ed as Pierce Brosnan’s true “Bond Girl”, but Janssen is a hugely underrated addition to this franchise.

GoldenEye Marked A Much-Needed Change In Tone From The Dalton Movies

Brosnan's Movies Finally Made James Bond Serious And Intense Again

There’s also a very clear shift in tone between Pierce Brosnan’s era (starting with GoldenEye) and the much goofier and more lighthearted movies that preceded it, starring Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton. There are certainly things to enjoy about both Moore and Dalton’s take on the character, but those who are familiar with the James Bond franchise will likely take more comfort in GoldenEye’s darker, more traditional approach. There’s a time and a place for exaggerated, melodramatic spy movies, and the franchise’s mixed reception throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s proved that James Bond isn’t that place.

Where the previous movies often got caught up in being silly and over-the-top, Campbell understood that GoldenEye could be just as exciting with a more grounded, realistic story. Instead of overwhelming audiences with high-tech gadgets or ridiculous trips to space, GoldenEye focuses instead on the personal tension between Bond and Alec Trevelyan, a former MI6 agent.

This shared history is much more compelling than the majority of Moore and Dalton’s stories, and it clearly inspired Daniel Craig’s subsequent era. Campbell’s work on Casino Royale is similarly low-stakes and character-driven, and that’s often considered the best James Bond movie of them all. There’s clearly a lesson to be learned about the way James Bond has evolved over the years into something much darker, more intimate, and more mature than it started out as - and GoldenEye can be seen as the beginning of this transformation.