Trevelyan's Mainframe / FILE: Legacy, GoldenEye [Thirty years removed]

Much to my own surprise, you’ve reached the final file in this section of the mainframe. It was inevitable, I suppose... perhaps, you're more clever than you've let on?

Regardless, all previous entries have led up to this. So, without any further briefing being necessary, your codes check out once more and you may proceed. The following data is all we have on the legacy of GOLDENEYE, thirty years removed from its original release.

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Operative: Janus

File: GOLDENEYE Legacy

Report From: Disused Soviet Missile Train

Lat: ??.???? N

Long: ??.???? E

[ BEGIN TRANSMISSION ]

TREVELYAN:

In 1995, after a six-year hiatus, James Bond would explode back onto the scene in his newest, most cutting edge mission yet, GOLDENEYE. Debuting to rave reviews in the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom, GOLDENEYE would revive and stabilize the pulse of the James Bond franchise.

In all fairness, the franchise had been up against the ropes well before 1995.

Early into the decade, Timothy Dalton, former Agent 007, decided to step away from the role. The loss of their agent, in addition to plaguing and prolonged legal disputes, all threw the future of the James Bond films into question. Could 007 still thrive or survive in a post Cold War world? Or had Bond become passé? Who could be a strong enough lead to shine bright, new light back into the waning series? Doubts were at an all time high...

A familiar silhouette makes his way to the foreground, revealing the new face of James Bond.

With so many looming questions, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli delivered some big answers by ushering in action director Martin Campbell, writers Jeffrey Caine and Michael France, and a truly perfect leading man. GOLDENEYE would mark the first James Bond film to have Pierce Brosnan don the black tuxedo as Agent 007. With an ultra iconic marketing campaign of ‘expect no substitutes’, Brosnan’s portrayal of James Bond would be tailor-made for the next phase of Bond in the 1990s and beyond. Brosnan was a perfect mixture of the classically cool, smooth, and deadly of the past and the modernly dark, sexy, sophisticated of the current.

In hindsight, I daresay Brosnan as Bond couldn’t have worked any better.

Even Janus recognizes this.

Though, Brosnan couldn’t revitalize Bond in film alone. Brosnan’s performance, alongside strong performances from the likes of Dame Judi Dench, Robbie Coltrane, Izabella Scorupco, Gottfried John, and Famke Janssen all reflected greatly on the film's overall quality. Without a strong cast of supporting stars, Brosnan would've been left adrift, riding the new raft alone. Instead, GOLDENEYE would serve as a launching pad for several actors and actresses, as well as helping to cement a new basis for others. Speaking of GOLDENEYE's legacy and the facets that made the film a success, this mainframe would be remiss in not touching on a certain section of data concerning the video game tie-in...

Home console games were just escaping their toddler stage in the mid-nineties, so by the time the game version of GOLDENEYE came about, it almost immediately turned the gaming community on its head. At the very minimum, the first-person shooter genre would never be the same. With dozens of levels to choose from, spanning from the film itself to more loosely based settings, GOLDENEYE 007 delivered a level of variety and gameplay never seen before. Fans and gamers alike flocked to it. To this day, nearly thirty years after its release, GOLDENEYE 007 is still considered one of the greatest games of all time by players, publications, and companies far and wide.

The legendary GOLDENEYE 007 split-screen multiplayer experience for the Nintendo 64.

Perhaps, the most iconic piece of the GOLDENEYE 007 puzzle was its multiplayer feature. In this mode, you and up to three of your friends could battle to the death with any combination of weapons, characters, and modifiers you wanted! It made for long nights and and even longer weekends, I myself can attest to that.

In many ways, this game laid the groundwork for what would become known as multiplayer gaming as a stock feature. In GOLDENEYE 007's wake, the industry standard for multiplayer received a new-found focus and importance. This movie tie-in game had inadvertently raised the industry standard considerably, both for games on the Nintendo 64 system and well beyond.

Simply put, it is of my opinion and plenty of others that, without GOLDENEYE 007,

there may never have been a HALF-LIFE, CALL OF DUTY, or HALO to follow.

Now, when it comes to the legacy of GOLDENEYE, our data shows great correlation.

Its legacy is defined by its place in the Bond franchise, the cinematic impact, cultural relevance, media reach, and ultimately, its own legion of greatly devoted fans thirty years on. The film defined a Bond generation around the world. GOLDENEYE was THE James Bond film and Pierce Brosnan was THE James Bond.

For me, GOLDENEYE was a world apart from the everyday mundane. It introduced me to the entire James Bond franchise, deeply plunging me into a world of deadly risk, sweet reward, and ever-flowing cool. Without it, I suppose we wouldn’t even be here, would we?

All things considered, Janus, as well as this mainframe data, wouldn’t exist without a certain burning passion for a film released all the way back in 1995. Perhaps, it was just another Bond film to most... but for us, the scenes, action pieces, set design, and characters became ingrained, forever a part of our days passed.

Side notes on GOLDENEYE’s legacy include some statistics and review scores that have been collected by several of our inside sources.

Records indicate that GOLDENEYE ranked fourth-highest for worldwide film gross in 1995. It still holds a eighty percent ‘fresh’ rating on the review site, Rotten Tomatoes. It should also be recognized that famous film critic, Roger Ebert, gave the film a three out of four stars! The Sunday Times named GOLDENEYE the best Bond film since 1977’s THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. Countless critics agreed, GOLDENEYE vastly helped to modernize the series and push it much further along a respectably fresh route. Also, IGN ranked the film as the fifth-best of the entire series.

Awards would soon follow critical and commercial praise. GOLDENEYE would go on to be nominated for two BAFTA award categories, including Best Sound and Special Effects. The film’s composer, Éric Serra, won a BMI Film Award for GOLDENEYE! The film also earned a handful of award nominations, such as Best Action Film, Best Actor at the Saturn Awards, and Best Fight Scene at the MTV Movie Awards.

Rightly so, as the cradle action scene presented in GOLDENEYE is still unmatched, in my opinion.

To summarize, what is GOLDENEYE's legacy? Simply, it lives as an unforgettable James Bond film. Thirty years later, it is still getting as much praise and appreciation as it did upon release, if not more so. Nearly ten films and one actor later, GOLDENEYE is still a film that people near and far fondly remember. All guarantees GOLDENEYE eternal life, a life that will be celebrated and watched by generations to come.

That’s about all you’ll gather from this mainframe on GOLDENEYE to celebrate thirty years, old boy.

You’ve read through a year’s worth of files. Janus has prepared you well.

That said, hold your emotions, as we’ll always be watching.

For now, closing time, friend...

Last call.

-TREVELYAN

 [ END TRANSMISSION ]

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