Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Sean Connery brings his characteristic style, humor and magnetism to Agent 007 as he travels to Nassau to track down villainous criminal Emilio Largo, who's threatening to plunge the world into a nuclear holocaust.

The fourth film in the Bond series is one of the more popular outings and the only true Bond film to be remade later on. Sean Connery later reprised this role for the offshoot Never Say Never Again, which was a bit of a reimagining. This one included great production values and a little more international flare compared to the first two and is one of my favorites behind Goldfinger.

MGM has done an outstanding job bringing these Bond classics to Blu. I grew up on these films and saying that they’ve never looked better would be an understatement. The clean up and restoration done is nothing short of outstanding and I was blown away by the fine object detail and depth the HD images provide. Some of the stock footage and effects shots look a bit cheesy but there is no overcoming production shortcoming. I still notice a slight amount of blur around some objects but it wasn’t overly distracting.

The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack still has a dated feel to it and dynamic range isn’t nearly as impressive as we’ve become accustomed to with modern day soundtracks. Some of the dubbing is a tad off and you can tell most of this film’s dialogue was recorded in a soundstage and not live. The sound design is good for its time and this new mix does open up the mix quite a bit.

The Bond films get the royal treatment on Blu-ray and include some great vintage features. You get a couple audio commentaries, vintage trailers and TV spots and a look at the production and impact the film had on Hollywood. There is also a great TV special from the mid-60’s that looks at the Bond phenomenon. A very solid extras package.

One of my favorite Bond installments gets the royal treatment on Blu-ray. I’m elated with the work done on these and strongly recommend them to any Bond fan.