While there has been more film franchises that you could possibly count most are around for a few years or so. They are often used to help defined the decade that they achieved their peak popularity. This makes the one franchise that has lasted for 46 years now very special. The film series that is the granddaddy to them all is the James Bond films. So far there are 22 movies that are considered canon in the series and there is no sign of the studio letting up on this type of film any time soon. There is a good reason for this; the movies are among the most beloved and profitable ever. Even above that they are all great fun. Even the lesser Bond films provide more than their share of excitement and action. Over the course of almost five decades of Bond films there have been numerous changes in both format and personnel. The franchise was started by actor Sean Connery who stepped down after six films. After a one film try out with George Lazenby the mantel fell to Roger Moore who holds the current record of seven Bond movies. Then there were two with Timothy Dalton before Pierce Brosnan took on the role for four of the films. One of the most popular under his tenure was the movie under consideration here; ‘Die Another Day’. This was his farewell time as Bond so he did leave on a high note or sorts although many fans consider this a minor member of the set. The first Bond movie, ‘Dr. No. had a more than modest budget of $1.2 million. By the time of this movie the cost had risen to over $142 million. Even considering inflation over the years this demonstrates the studio’s continued commitment to these films. It is extremely doubtful that any film buff out there has not seen more than a few of these movies. It is also a pretty good bet that if you have a DVD player there are a few on them on your shelves. Now, MGM/UA is starting to take the release of these films to a whole new level. There have been other releases of these films over the years but this new edition is spectacular. It is called the ultimate edition and more than lives up to the name. It is available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats both as an individual film or part of a three film set. No matter which way you get it you will be a winner.

The writing team of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade provided the story and script for this film. They worked on the second Brosnan film ‘The World Is Not Enough’ together and after this would pen the screenplay for the last two films featuring Daniel Craig. Bond films tend to be very loyal to the writers and directors. Helping out as one of the producers was the writer of five Bond scripts and produced 12 so far and is preparing for his thirteenth. This film was somewhat of a landmark. It was the twentieth film released on the fortieth anniversary of the franchise. This story is not based even loosely on any Ian Fleming novel which is to be expected since by this point the number of films exceeded the book count. As such there is a lot here that is contrary to what most fans have come to expect from a Bond movie. It was a new millennium and the society has changed. It was more politically correct so Bond had to cut back on his misogynous, womanizing ways to at least some degree. ‘M’ a role owned by Bernard Lee for so long has been turned over to Dame Judi Dench. A woman in charge of James Bond had been around for as long as Brosnan had the part. There is also a change in villains in this flick; the North Koreans. This is a major departure from the good old days of SPECTRE and SMERSH and the plethora of arch villains bent on world domination. The world had changed as ‘M’ notes to Bond in this film. The cold war was fantastic for spy flicks but it was long over by this time.

Directing this film was Lee Tamahori. This was his only Bond film but he did direct a couple of thrillers like ‘Along Came a Spider’, ‘xXx: State of the Union’ and ‘Mulholland Falls’. Since this was the fortieth anniversary Bond film Tamahori included a number of shots to pay homage to those movies that came before. There is the blade in the shoe from ‘From Russia with Love’ and most memorably the emergence of Halle Berry from the surf straight from the defining moment of your youth in ‘Dr. No’. All of this did serve to give a smile or two along the way. This film is also part of the new trend not only in Bond flicks but prevalent in most action movies; the dependence on computer graphics. There is a certain charm and imagination that old school practical effects provided that CGI cannot deliver. Sure they are more realistic but there is usually something missing. Tamahori paces the film well keeping the action and the witty Bond quips coming on a regular schedule.

The film begins in a very uncharacteristic way for Bond. He is leading a team to infiltrate a North Korean military base. The mission is to determine if the commander of the base is using conflict diamonds to purchase arms. He is captured. Bond winds up tortured and held for fourteen months. Bond is finally exchanged for a North Korean, Zao (Rick Yune) who was second in command to the villainous leader, Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee). When Bond is called into meet with ‘M’ (Judi Dench) who informs Bond that his double 0 license to kill has been suspended because the higher ups feel he may have been compromised while a prisoner. Bond does not take the news well and sets off to find Zao and who betrayed him. Along the way he meets Jinx (Halle Berry) and they find Zao in Cuba. Bond tortures him for information but manages to get away leaving some conflict diamonds behind. Bond follows the trail to locate Moon and his suppliers. This is a little more intense than previous Bond movies with Bond acting as a rogue agent at large.

This latest release from MGM/UA is the best Bond ever. As mentioned you can get this film as a single disc or part of a three film set. It is available in both DVD and Blu-ray. The Blu-ray edition features 1080p video and DTS HD audio. There are also a lot of extras to keep you busy long after the closing credits.