The First Original James Bond Film Still Holds up 30 Years Later

Author Ian Fleming has been synonymous with James Bond since the British MI6 agent’s introduction in 1953. Yet, one of the best latter-day Bond movies, GoldenEye, was the first in franchise history to avoid adapting story beats from a Fleming novel. The film also marked Pierce Brosnan’s inaugural portrayal of the dangerously dashing superspy, leading to three more reprisals and a popular video game spinoff.

With GoldenEye targeting its 30th anniversary in November 2025, reflecting on the movie’s original story, explosive set-pieces, performances, and direction by Martin Campbell ought to make a legitimate case for more fresh 007 stories that rely less on Fleming’s outdated source material and more on a contemporary 21st-century plot. With plenty of recent James Bond casting rumors swirling, it’s only right that GoldenEye comes into sharper focus.

‘GoldenEye’ Is Arguably Brosnan’s Best Bond Film

Martin Campbell directed GoldenEye, the 17th James Bond movie in the long-running British spy franchise. The first 16 franchise entries adapted story cues from Ian Fleming’s popular novel series, which introduced James Bond to readers in 1953. To give GoldenEye a more modern spin, Fleming’s novels were discarded. American scribe Michael France conceived a new story. Once the story was fleshed out, the screenplay was credited to Jeffrey Caine and Bruce Feirstein.

Story-wise, GoldenEye finds James Bond doing everything to prevent the defective MI6 agent, 006 (Sean Bean), from causing a global financial catastrophe by bombing London with a high-tech satellite armament called GoldenEye. The film introduced audiences to Pierce Brosnan as 007 for the first time, picking up where Timothy Dalton left off six years prior in License to Kill. The casting proved brilliant, with many listing Brosnan behind only Sean Connery and Roger Moore as the best version of James Bond until then. 30 years later, it’s still unanimously hailed as Brosnan’s best Bond film.

As Bond prevents 006 from executing his plan to wipe out the world’s financial system, he encounters several memorable allies and villains, including M (Judi Dench), Bond Girl Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco), sadistic murderer Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), CIA veteran Jack Wade (Joe Don Baker), and several Russian members of the crime syndicate Janus carrying out 006’s plan. Beyond Brosnan’s first foray as Bond, GoldenEye was the first franchise entry to boast CGI, one of many reasons the film still holds up in 2025.

How ‘GoldenEye’ Still Holds Up in 2025

GoldenEye received critical acclaim upon its release in November 2025 and has only appreciated its value since. At the time, critics hailed Brosnan’s casting as James Bond, with the late Roger Ebert lauding his performance as “somehow more sensitive, more vulnerable, more psychologically complete” while noting the character’s “loss of innocence.”

Brosnan’s performance was also compared favorably to Timothy Dalton’s previous turn, which helped catapult GoldenEye to successful heights. Far from a one-man show, critics also adored Judi Dench’s fire-breathing turn as M, marking the first of eight Bond films the British dame appeared in. Unlike previous Bond movies that glorified 007’s womanizing ways, M chastises Bond in GoldenEye as a “sexist, misogynist dinosaur,” poking fun at the archaic Fleming source material while pushing the character into a new self-aware direction.

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While the story is set in 1986 during harrowing Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, GoldenEye remains incredibly modern in its messaging. As Rotten Tomatoes’ critical consensus reads on 80% of positive reviews:

“The first and best Pierce Brosnan Bond film, GoldenEye brings the series into a more modern context, and the result is a 007 entry that’s high-tech, action-packed, and urbane.”

Although some critics felt that Bond’s trademark campy humor was absent in GoldenEye, the majority agreed that emphasizing the intense action and eye-popping VFX was more than enough to compensate. Of course, Bond movies are popcorn flicks meant for fans and general audiences, not necessarily film critics. Fortunately, GoldenEye won over its target demo with its visceral action scenes and dazzling set pieces, holding an 83% Popcornmeter rating and an A-CinemaScore. GoldenEye‘s smashing success makes one pine for the first original James Bond story in 30 years.

We Need More Original Future James Bond Movies

Considering GoldenEye‘s commercial and critical success, it’s surprising that it’s one of the few entirely original James Bond stories. While Ian Fleming’s novels continue to provide solid source material to adapt to the big screen, GoldenEye proves that outside voices can give the character a fresh perspective and craft just as compelling stories as the original author. For instance, writing 006 as Bond’s close friend and ally who defects and becomes the villain behind Janus gives the story an intimate heft that several previous entries lack.

The world has changed so dramatically since Fleming introduced the character and wrote the anachronistic novels that modern-day issues could be incorporated in the future. Fleming never wrote about the dangers of AI, for example, a contemporary existential threat that would perfectly suit an original Bond concept (which Mission: Impossible has already decided to tackle). Past the central conflicts that a Bond villain might introduce, updating 007’s personality from a rakish cad and womanizing lout to a more considerate gentleman of manners would go a long way in repairing his reputational harm.

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To wit, rumors continue to swirl about who will play James Bond after Daniel Craig ended his run with No Time to Die in 2021. Everyone from Idris Elba and Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been considered, although no decision has been made. The Hollywood Reporter recently predicted the role won’t go to Taylor-Johnson, but will be granted to British actor Josh O’Connor, star of the sexy tennis thriller Challengers.

Regardless of who is cast as James Bond in the upcoming 26th franchise entry, the new casting presents the perfect opportunity to tell a new 007 story. As celebrated as he is, Fleming’s source novels can only advance the character so far. To progressively evolve James Bond in the 21st century and beyond, it could be time to leave Fleming’s work behind and chart an entirely new path forward, at least for a little while. GoldenEye is available to rent on Prime Video.