GoldenEye

This movie began the weird Bond-series tradition of changing some players while retaining others. The old Q is still banging around here, but Judi Dench steps in as the new M, and of course Brosnan quickly secures the role of Bond as his very own. The six-year layoff between films was, apparently, good for everyone; the production is back to its usual standards, Russia plays prominently once again (as a post-Cold War venue, but it still had some of the old juice), and the gadgetry--sorely missing in the last two films--returns to its usual role. Most noticeably, there’s fun to be had here, the lack of which was a major deficiency in the Dalton movies. No wonder a tottering enterprise was able to save itself, not just to continue but to achieve future excellence.