When the James Bond movies were released on Blu-ray, the Connery films especially were a revelation. They looked so good I said they must have invented time travel to go back in time and refilm Dr. No with modern cameras. 4K couldn’t be quite as drastic an upgrade, but they’ve ensured the HD upgrade remains preserved, with some more subtle enhancements.
Those enhancements include the silhouettes in all the title sequences. The early ones project footage onto dancing bodies in a deep void, but later you get the sharp silhouettes swimming and dancing against the background.
Seeing the world in the ‘60s and ‘70s in 4K is a treat too. The night skies in Jamaica in Dr. No and the Bahamas in Thunderball are exquisite. Thunderball in particular also films the ocean at night, making that horizon between the water level and the sky subtly distinct.
From Russia with Love has a lot more night action from the gypsy camp, the assassination in the billboard and the train station.
Considering it is the prototypical Bond movie, Goldfinger is also the most American with Florida and Ft. Knox. Still, all the shiny gold sparkles, from poor Jill Masterson to the gold bars themselves.
The underwater footage in Thunderball is really National Geographic worthy. Some fans complain that the slow underwater action makes the film longer, but I love how deliberate every move has to be underwater.
Diamonds are Forever and You Only Live Twice appear a bit grainier than the first four, perhaps due to the widescreen film stock, though that doesn’t affect Thunderball. Still, it’s authentic and gives way to plenty of distinct visuals.
Old Las Vegas at night provides a stark backdrop for much of the action, from the Fremont Street car chase to the top of the Whyte hotel. But also the fake moon landing and Circus Circus midway are also full of deep, dark corners. Then the bright desert day contrasts even further.
One of the restorations over the past decades must have included a surround upgrade because these movies have full sound effects. The train and helicopter circle you in From Russia with Love and the wake of the speedboat remains behind you.
Goldfinger’s car chase, the chirping on the Japanese islands of You Only Live Twice, and the villains’ lairs in Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever explode. Given those were the first sieges on an evil lair, the famous volcano and an oil rig respectively, the machine gun fire is all around you. Live Twice has a big helicopter chase in full surround too.
As a Bond fan, releasing the films by actor makes more sense than many of the previous collections. DVD and Blu-ray sets would include at least one film from each actor, which is good variety but terrible on organization. The 40th and 50th anniversaries warranted complete collections, but now we’re all upgrading again.
The Connery collection does skip over On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. That seems unlikely to be included in a Roger Moore collection, which already will have seven films. a combined Lazenby/Dalton/Brosnan set would be great.
These films also include previously released bonus features, including the behind-the-scenes features on each film from the DVD sets. I love that these give each sequel in-depth attention because each production is a whole story.