Search - James Bond Ultimate Edition - Vol. 4 (Dr. No / You Only Live Twice / Octopussy / Tomorrow Never Dies / Moonraker) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 5/4/2022...

Moonraker - Classic Roger Moore 007 Bond, James Bond! Jaws is the best!

Spectacular Restoration

C. S. Junker | Burien, WA USA | 12/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've owned these films on tape, laserdisc, and DVD, and yes, it was definitely worth shelling out the bucks to buy all 20 films again on these spectacularly remastered sets.

The earlier films show the most difference, of course. The Connery Bonds and the first three or four Moores show the most improvement. Rich, vivid, colors, a sharp, crisp image, beautifully remastered 5.1 surround sound (the DTS tracks are utterly delightful) --- I'm sure there will be another repackaging of these movies before too long, but as far as I'm concerned, this is a close to an "ultimate collection" as it gets.

(I'm referring to all four sets, basically, and these comments apply to the technical aspects of the discs, rather than dealing with my opinions of each movie.)

The discs will be released individually starting in March of 2007, BUT (and it's a big but) they will be single-disc releases without any of the special features. All of the films in these boxed sets have a second disc with extras (most of them ported over from the original DVD releases). So, you'll be able to buy, say, "Dr. No" and leave "Moonraker" on the shelf, if that's your pleasure ... but you won't get any extras.

Hopefully the studio will rethink this before too long. Good marketing usually means making your customers happy."

These Ultimate Collections deserve Ultimate Respect...

Mike Sorge | Ontario, Canada | 11/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hi all you Bond fans!...

I don't understand what all the big disappointment is with the order of the films in these sets!!! Sure, it'd be nice if everything was in chronological order, but who are we to decide that?

The amount of hard work that went into the making of these sets, and the quality of the sets themselves, are nothing to disregard! I don't understand how anybody could put chronological order over the quality of something itself... If you really wanted what was in these sets, then how can you argue over the order of the DVD's in them???

To me, the makers did a fantastic job of ordering them, because then the not-so-popular movies get somewhere to live too! How would you feel if you had to release sets in an order that not so many people would buy a certain volume of, just because less people liked what was in it? You have to respect the makers' wishes, and go for it.

I, myself, am profoundly interested in these sets, and to me... they are a MUST to have! I can see how people who have already bought the previous DVD sets would be upset, but I think these sets justify re-buying them 100%. (Too bad these North American releases aren't in the attache case, though!)

As another reviewer (Eric D. Zdrojewski "Lockport Eric") said, you can sell your other DVD sets (if you wanted to), and you'd have a decent amount to go for these sets.

... and as another reviewer on here (The JuRK) said... I'm definitely getting these for Christmas this year too!!! :-D

Thanks,
Mike Sorge
"

James Bond Collection #4 of 4, In the ULTIMATE Version!

Lonnie E. Holder | Columbus, Indiana, United States | 11/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection includes various Bond movies from three of the actors that have played James Bond in the "official" Bond movies, which excludes "Never Say Never Again." I have a couple of complaints about the four collections, balanced by some significant positives.

My two biggest complaints are that the movies are not in order, which continues the tradition begun with the previous James Bond Collections, and these movies are so good when compared to the originals that fan of the James Bond movies will want to have these, which means you have to shell out a lot of money to buy these movies over again.

The most significant positives about these movies are the improved sound and picture quality, and the second disk that comes with each movie that includes material uncollected in the original James Bond Collections. If you have the previous James Bond Collections and you have watched them only once, then you can probably pass this collection over. If you watched the previous James Bond Collections and you thought the picture and sound could have been improved, and you wished for more extras, then you may want to shell out the big bucks and buy these four sets.

Two of Sean Connery and two of Roger Moore's films are in this fourth set. The first Connery film is "Dr. No." "Dr. No" launched the Bond franchise. Sean Connery set the tone for Bond; suave, debonair, and terminally cool. He drove nice cars and had a penchant for dry one-liners. Ursula Andress set the tone for future Bond women, and Dr. No was coolly ruthless. Ken Adam's sets were artistic and artfully filmed by Terence Young, who also provided the stylistic role model for Connery's Bond. In the extras you learn that Connery was mentored by Young and acquired expensive tastes and hobbies in the process.

The second Connery film was the fifth Bond film. "You Only Live Twice" had more gadgets, more exotic locations, and more jokes than previous Bond films. Someone is hijacking Soviet and American spacecraft and no one knows why. After one of the best opening credits where Nancy Sinatra sings the title song, we enter one of the weaker entries in the Bond series. There is too much reliance on gadgets and women and too little reliance on a serious plot. I also struggled to believe Donald Pleasance as the evil Dr. Blofeld.

Roger Moore's first film in this collection is another of the weaker films in the Bond series. "Moonraker" was intended to capitalize on the public's interest in science fiction movies sparked by "Star Wars." However, this movie is not close to "Star Wars," and the spaceship effects are relatively cheesy. However, the space station is reasonably well done. This time madman Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) plans to park his chosen people on a space station while he eliminates all people on earth. His chosen people will then repopulate the earth with their perfection. Drax is a suitable madman for Bond. The popular character Jaws (Richard Kiel) appears again in this movie. Unfortunately, Moore appears generally bored with this one and this movie just never sparks.

Moore's second film in this collection is "Octopussy." When agent 009 turns up stabbed with a valuable jeweled egg, James Bond is on the case. His investigation leads him to India, where he learns that Kamal Khan is involved in a number of activities, some of them apparently involving Octopussy, a female smuggler who makes her home on an island where there are only women. As the movie unfolds we learn that General Orlov has been plotting with Kamal Khan to use the military superiority of the Soviet Union to show the world that the Soviet Union remains a potent world power. Kamal Khan's interest is money, however, and he cares little for Orlov's activities other than how he can benefit from them.

The final film in this collection is 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies." The supporting cast this time is phenomenal, with the great actor Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver, Teri Hatcher as his wife Paris Carver, and Michelle Yeoh as Chinese agent Wei Lin, among numerous others. Jonathan Pryce steals nearly every scene he is in, reminiscent of some other great Bond villains. The locations are ever more incredible, digital effects abound, and the stunts are even more thrilling. That motorcycle jump was really performed! Cheryl Crow does a great job on the title song, and the excellent video is included.

Because of all the extras these DVDs require hours to watch. The value of the extras varies, but watching them gives a fan much more information about the difficulties of making each movie, and how many of the stunts were performed. I consider these movies to be among the gems of my DVD collection. I recommend this set very highly if you are just starting to collect Bond movies, are looking to replace your VHS versions, or you must have the best versions available.

Enjoy!
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