James Bond DVD Boxsets

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

Anyone pick these up yet? While I'm glad to finally get all the Special Edition DVDs, I must say I am a bit that they're essentially unchanged from their original releases in 2000 (With the exception of TWINE and DAD of course) I thought SOME new matierial was in order. And the fact that they couldn't be bothered making and alternate DAD cover to go with the rest of the set is pretty inexcusable.

 

Still... I'd be lying if I didn't admit seeing the three of them together on my bookcase brings anything but a smile to my face.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I hate the fact that I can't buy the new ones seperately. I mean who wants Moonraker or A View to a Kill?

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

I hate the fact that I can't buy the new ones seperately.  I mean who wants Moonraker or A View to a Kill?

To be fair, they did a pretty good job balancing the crap and the good stuff. Plus, Moonraker is in the same set as FRWL and TLD (Gold with Connery's visage) so it kinda cancels it out. Plus, if you let them be bought seperatly you run the risk of stores being stuck with a million copies of AVTAK and TMWTGG and no other ones. Like all those toy stores that rows and rows of that Hammerhead Star Wars guy, and people would search and search and search for another figure just to find out the only other one they was R2-D4, and no one wanted him because he had a bad motivator...

[Boner Kawanger 0]

I do. Moonraker rocks. It has lasers AND Jaws. And I think you CAN buy them seperately...you could last year and back when they were originally released...

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

You can't now Matt, at ianfleming.org the article says that they have the DVDs listed only as members of the boxset, not as individual items. I didn't have to worry about that because I was getting them all anyway.

 

Oh and the opening sequence of Moonraker is fantastic. Hispanic assassins with porn star 'staches = GOLD.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

Well, doesn't that suck for other people. I have to COMPLETE THE SET~!, so the boxes are mine.

 

And "Hispanic assassins with porn star 'staches" almost rhymes, I'm going to write a song with it.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

Well, doesn't that suck for other people. I have to COMPLETE THE SET~!, so the boxes are mine.

 

And "Hispanic assassins with porn star 'staches" almost rhymes, I'm going to write a song with it.

The next line could be

 

"Shoot the controls, so Bond's there when it crashes"

[Guest El Satanico]

Moonraker is wonderfully Cheesy. It's more entertaining to me than any released in the last 10 years, well excluding the Joe Don Baker appearances.

[Karnage 0]

Aren't they going to re-re-release these DVDs later on?

[Tony149 0]

Aren't they going to re-re-release these DVDs later on?

In 2005, yes. From what I've read, the first 6 or 7 films will be getting their soundtracks remastered.

 

BTW, Mr. Zsasz, since you own the set, what DVDs are in Vol. 2?

[Boner Kawanger 0]

Aren't they going to re-re-release these DVDs later on?

In 2005, yes. From what I've read, the first 6 or 7 films will be getting their soundtracks remastered.

 

BTW, Mr. Zsasz, since you own the set, what DVDs are in Vol. 2?

From Russia with Love (commentary by director Terrence Young and members of the cast and crew; "Inside From Russian with Love" and "Harry Saltzman: Showman" documentaries)

 

You Only Live Twice (commentary by director Lewis Gilbert and members of the cast and crew; "Inside You Only Live Twice" and "Silhouettes: The James Bond Titles" documentaries)

 

Diamonds Are Forever (commentary by director Guy Hamilton and members of the cast and crew; "Inside Diamonds Are Forever" and "Cubby Broccoli: The Man Behind Bond" documentaries; deleted scenes)

 

Moonraker ("Inside Moonraker" and "The Men Behind the Mayhem" documentaries; still gallery)

 

For Your Eyes Only (commentary by director John Glen; commentary by producer Michael Wilson and crew members; "Inside For Your Eyes Only" documentary; "For Your Eyes Only" music video by Sheena Easton; behind-the-scenes photo gallery with over 150 pictures)

 

The Living Daylights (commentary by director John Glen and the members of the cast and crew; "Inside The Living Daylights" and "Ian Fleming: 007's Creator" documentaries; never-before-seen deleted scene; music video)

 

The World Is Not Enough (commentary by director Michael Apted; commentary by production designer Peter Lamont, second unit director Vic Armstrong, and composer David Arnold; "The Making of The World Is Not Enough" documentary; The Secrets of 007: Featuring Alternate Video Options; "The World Is Not Enough" music video by Garbage)

 

Theatrical trailer(s), radio spots

 

Animated storyboard sequences

 

Collectible booklets

 

Widescreen anamorphic format

 

Number of discs: 7

[Tony149 0]

From Russia with Love (commentary by director Terrence Young and members of the cast and crew; "Inside From Russian with Love" and "Harry Saltzman: Showman" documentaries)

 

You Only Live Twice (commentary by director Lewis Gilbert and members of the cast and crew; "Inside You Only Live Twice" and "Silhouettes: The James Bond Titles" documentaries)

 

Diamonds Are Forever (commentary by director Guy Hamilton and members of the cast and crew; "Inside Diamonds Are Forever" and "Cubby Broccoli: The Man Behind Bond" documentaries; deleted scenes)

 

Moonraker ("Inside Moonraker" and "The Men Behind the Mayhem" documentaries; still gallery)

 

For Your Eyes Only (commentary by director John Glen; commentary by producer Michael Wilson and crew members; "Inside For Your Eyes Only" documentary; "For Your Eyes Only" music video by Sheena Easton; behind-the-scenes photo gallery with over 150 pictures)

 

The Living Daylights (commentary by director John Glen and the members of the cast and crew; "Inside The Living Daylights" and "Ian Fleming: 007's Creator" documentaries; never-before-seen deleted scene; music video)

 

The World Is Not Enough (commentary by director Michael Apted; commentary by production designer Peter Lamont, second unit director Vic Armstrong, and composer David Arnold; "The Making of The World Is Not Enough" documentary; The Secrets of 007: Featuring Alternate Video Options; "The World Is Not Enough" music video by Garbage)

 

Theatrical trailer(s), radio spots

 

Animated storyboard sequences

 

Collectible booklets

 

Widescreen anamorphic format

 

Number of discs: 7

Thanks for posting the info. I only need 4 Bond films (FRWL, TB, YOLT, DAF) to complete my collection and I knew 3 of the 4 were in the same set and my Moonraker DVD doesn't have its inserts (got it off ebay), Vol. 2 looks like a "must buy" for me.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I like how they're releasing these things every couple of years because they know there's a big group of schmucks willing to shell out money for each new set, regardless if they're not that much better than the older ones.

 

Goldfinger was the only Bond movie I've ever seen where I didn't wanna stop watching halfway through, too. The rest seem to be too similar and so lethargic, going on and on and on. That's just me, though.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Did anybody get the Ultimate Edition boxsets yet?

[Black Lushus 0]

I have to echo Brusier Chong's statement from 2003: There are only a few of them that I can watch all the way through more than once...Goldfinger, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Live and Let Die and Goldeneye. Casino Royale does look pretty fun though, so that may be added to that list.

[DMann2003 0]

I picked up both of the new Ultimate Editions, and I think they've done a fanastic job with them, the best they'll be until they're released on HD-DVD or Blu Ray.

 

Goldfinger's new transfer is amazing, the old DVD had so much dirt, specs and overall looked old. The colors stand out, the print's been cleaned up and even if you don't like a new 5.1 DD or DTS sound, there's the original mono audio track.

 

Most of the new stuff is old press stuff, but it's pretty cool to see how things were marketed at the time of release. Can't wait until volumes 3 & 4 come out, I'll get them too.

[cabbageboy 0]

I think some Bond movies have more rewatchability than others. I am going to rewatch the box sets to gear up for Casino Royale. Most of the Connery outings are highly watchable. The only one of his that I find a bit drawn out and dull is Thunderball, since it has way too much underwater stuff.

 

The crappiest Bond movies in my view are these: Man With the Golden Gun, View to a Kill, Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies, and maybe Octopussy (though Octopussy scared me big time when I was about 5...I hated seeing the clown die). It's odd that I have 2 Brosnan outings on the crap list, since I actually rank him as the #2 Bond overall. It was like I enjoyed him as Bond, but thought the plot of the movie sucked or that it was way too overproduced.

 

If I had to give a top 5 it'd go like this:

 

1. Goldfinger (Best Connery outing, coolest villains, great women, killer plot and gadgets)

2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Lazenby holds this back from being the best, but it's got the best female lead of the series, and the most emotion and characterization)

3. Goldeneye (The best Brosnan outing and jumpstarted the series again after Dalton damn near wrecked it)

4. The Spy Who Loved Me (Best Moore outing, great villains in Stromberg and Jaws, excellent theme song too)

5. From Russia With Love (either this one or Dr. No but I give FRWL a mild edge).

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I liked The Man With The Golden Gun and Tomorrow Never Dies, but that's just me.

 

My favorites:

 

Connery - From Russia With Love

 

Moore - For Your Eyes Only

 

Brosnan - The World Is Not Enough

[cabbageboy 0]

For some reason I don't get the love some have for For Your Eyes Only. I just rewatched it over the weekend and I don't really get why it's anything more than a **1/2 movie. Has a mediocre, rehashed plot (let's get another decoder!) and the villains in it are among the weakest in the series.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Because IMO it is the most realistic Bond movie of them all, and this series is based in real world. The plot is believable, the villians looks more human and there are almost no gadgets, even the sets and photography have a more natural appearence. It is a serious dramatic action film with great writing and performances. The editing is, quite simply, superb. And it has the best collection of stunts in the series. A definite high point for both the series and the action film genre. Plus Bond

finally takes out "Blofield" once and for all and that's at the start of the film!

[SuperJerk 0]

Plus Bond

finally takes out "Blofield" once and for all and that's at the start of the film!

That was kind of a let down after they'd chased each other for so many years. Not that they couldn't have made the case that he's not really dead and it was YET ANOTHER double in this movie.

 

My 5 favorite 007 films are:

Dr. No

Goldfinger

Diamonds are Forever

Live and Let Die

Goldeneye

 

Alos...Am I the only one that thought On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Die Another Day were good? Admittedly, OHMSS would've been 10x better with Connery, and DAD felt more like a Halle Berry vehicle rather than a Bond movie.

[cabbageboy 0]

Die Another Day sucks all sorts of cock. There is a reason they jettisoned Brosnan and did a reboot on the series.

 

BVD, here's the problem with your For Your Eyes Only analysis: Bond movies are NOT based in any sort of realistic world. They are escapist fare. Sure, the villain is more realistic I guess...but he just sucks either way. He has no standout quality. The henchmen are standard KGB or German thugs that could be in any actioner of the early 80s. I also like it when a film reiterates what the goal exactly is, but in FYEO the decoder is mentioned maybe once early in the film and then forgotten. The stunts are very good however. It's a middling Bond outing. Not notably bad, but lacks the spark of greatness. It's....filler.

 

OHMSS would have been the best in the series with Connery. As is, it's still very good and one of the best. Certain scenes just don't work right with anyone but Connery, like Bond cleaning out his desk and the various themes from previous films play as he remembers the adventures. Lazenby wasn't in those films so it doesn't work right. With Connery it would have been a downbeat finale to Bond's hellfire 1962-69 period that sent Bond in a new direction for the 70s. With Lazenby it was an oddball one shot deal that was quickly forgotten in continuity aside from the occasional brief mention of Teresa (in Spy Who Loved Me, also FYEO at the beginning).

[Der Kommissar 0]

I have no intention of buying the set myself, but I can finally complete my collection of the old ones now that they are rolling in at various used DVD shops that I frequent. I already grabbed the Living Daylights yesterday, and am looking forward to getting the rest that I need when Volumes 3 and 4 of the new boxsets are finally released.

 

That was kind of a let down after they'd chased each other for so many years.

 

I am shocked they even did it, honestly. Originally, it was put in the script to introduce a new James Bond, but the new Bond idea was scrapped after Moore signed on for another film. Further complicating things, they couldn't call Blofeld by his name due to legal reasons. I wish they had just left him "dead" after Diamonds are Forever.

 

Also...Am I the only one that thought On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Die Another Day were good?

 

I liked Die Another Day myself. I thought it was a fun action film, and the film that got me into Bond films in the first place. It probably would have been better had it not been a 40th anniversary film, but I enjoyed the finished product.

 

BVD, here's the problem with your For Your Eyes Only analysis: Bond movies are NOT based in any sort of realistic world. They are escapist fare.

 

That's why a lot of people like it though. It's "gritty" and "real." I am not a huge fan of it myself, as I prefer the escapist element of Bond. Like you, I find it to be pretty much average, and it's probably on the low-end of my Top 20 Bond films list, beating out only the World is Not Enough and Diamonds are Forever.

[cabbageboy 0]

Gritty and realistic is one thing, but FYEO is a bit dull. Also let's not forget the ice skater chick is one of the worst Bond girls in the entire series. I think FYEO was aiming to be another From Russia With Love, but it didn't have as sharp of a script or very interesting villains. Robert Shaw is a very realistic villain in FRWL, but he's intense as hell and keeps you glued to the screen.

[Guest Bel-Air]

We're lucky in the UK because you can buy the new Ultimate Edition's individually, bought eight so far and I might buy one or two more but that'll be it. My top 5...

 

Dr. No

From Russia With Love

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

The Living Daylights

GoldenEye

[Der Kommissar 0]

I think FYEO was aiming to be another From Russia With Love, but it didn't have as sharp of a script or very interesting villains.

 

Sounds about right to me. Of course, the fact that it is aiming to be FRWL probably helps it in a lot of Bond fans' eyes. There are some Bond fans that have been clamoring for another FRWL for a long while, so any Bond film within the same stratosphere seems to be hailed by them as a success. The fact that it followed the much maligned Moonraker also helps. Plus, a lot of fans seem to dislike the Moore years with a passion, so I think more than a few list that one as their favorite Moore by default because they disliked the rest of the Moore films.

[cabbageboy 0]

I think I said earlier but The Spy Who Loved Me is my favorite Moore outing. But yeah, there is definitely a lot of hostility towards some of the lesser Moore films (Moonraker, View to a Kill, Man with the Golden Gun, etc.). I don't think though that Bond has ever sunk to some ultra horrible depth, just maybe some occasional lesser vehicles.

 

Moore was in SWLM, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only (which is pretty decent, just not amazing). He was batting about .500, roughly the same as Brosnan. Brosnan had two that I enjoy in GoldenEye and The World is Not Enough, but the other 2 he was in are pretty bleh.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I think "Live and Let Die" is an underrated film, but that's just me. I didn't have a problem with Moore really.

[benn 0]

I love Live and Let Die, A View to a Kill and The Man with the Golden Gun because they're so cheesy. I don't like either of the Dalton ones for some reason, and I hate Die Another Day with a passion. GoldenEye is my favourite, I think it managed to strike a balance between what both Connery and Moore brought to the table, along with having a really strong villain.

[cabbageboy 0]

This might sound strange but I watched GoldenEye again this past week and couldn't help but think Sean Bean seemed more like the strong arm thug heel, rather than the mastermind heel.