Media

Home Theater Movie Renter's Guide - May, 2010

"Goldfinger" (Blu-ray) - Reviewed by Jim Milton

Synopsis

The villainous Goldfinger plots to destroy the U.S. gold reserve at Fort Knox  with a nuclear device, thus leaving himself with the largest untainted gold supply in the world (and world domination, of course). Can the British super spy 007 stop him in time? This movie was very relevent when it came out at the height of the cold war and the combination of beautiful women, diabolical henchmen and wonderful gadgetry make this perhaps the best Bond film of them all.

 

Commentary

Generally considered the best Bond ever made, this Blu-ray version makes it even better. Carefully remastered from the original negatives, Goldfinger is an absolute delight to behold. It has the nostalgic look of '60s film stock, but that just makes it all the more fun. Colors and flesh tones are bold and natural. The monophonic original soundtrack doesn't translate perfectly to DTS-HD, but it's still good. If you prefer, there is a Mono option. If there were a single Bond film to own, Goldfinger on Blu-ray would be it. Filled with villains and gadgets, Bond battles Oddjob and his deadly bowler hat, stops the nuclear destruction of Fort Knox, drives a tricked-out Aston Martin and lands the gorgeous…uh, Ms. Galore! Oh, and did I mention "death by laser"?

For me, Connery will always be the best Bond ever. Suave, sophisticated and witty, but never campy.

Technical

Goldfinger is the prototypical '60s James Bond movie -- good looking, but a bit dated and filled with now-antiquated optical effects. I find this remastered 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode (1.66:1) to be very impressive. It is vastly superior to the 2002 remastered DVD. Sharp details jump out at you. Surrounds are used sparingly. Can this movie really be over 40 years old?

Extras

Plenty of extras including commentaries, "Making Of" feature, photo galleries and  featurettes on the "Goldfinger Phenomenon" and "On Tour with the Aston Martin", and some interviews.