GoldenEye (1995)
Your first Bond stays with you. And for me, Brosnan is James Bond. I have appreciation for all who have played Bond for what they have brought to the table, but I grew up with Brosnan and this was the first Bond film I saw, and nostalgia is hard to beat. The fact that I also played GoldenEye 64 on the Nintendo constantly as a kid, everything about the look and sound and atmosphere of this film brings me back to that time.
To be fair, this is really on the 90s cheesy end of things and Brosnan isn’t quite comfortable in the role yet. His charm isn’t there yet and his innuendo jokes doesn’t quite land, but what I have always liked about Brosnan’s Bond is that he plays the character as one that genuinely likes his job as a secret agent. He appears to have fun. Unlike Craig who obviously rarely wants to be there. He seals that approach in the next film, but the groundwork is here. Action is top notch, the title song is delightfully over the top and the villains plan is classic destroy the world and take the money and run type of deal.
Rating: 4