Bond 50 Blu-ray Review - IGN (2024)

James Bond: The Best to the Worst

It would have also been neat to see the early 1954 adaptation of Casino Royale, from the TV series “Climax!” That episode is found on the DVD of the 1967 version of Casino Royale, but hasn't been seen since. If you've got it, hold on to it.

The set itself comes in a thick, glossy cardboard sleeve. The series is split between two elegant books: 1962-81 and 1983-2012. Each page of the book features two films from the series, with page art highlighting the various Bonds over the years.

The discs themselves are housed in sleeves, which could lead to cardboard tearing or disc scratching over time, so be careful. Unfortunately, like the Indiana Jones set, there's no page or booklet which tells you what bonus features are on each disc. There's even an extra blank page on both books. It wouldn't have been hard to have a visual breakdown of all the extras. Below is our unboxing of Bond 50:

Of the fresh Blu-rays here, only Goldeneye seems to suffer any major calamities. With noticeable DNR scrubbing, Goldeneye doesn't look nearly as sharp or clean as the rest of the films in the set. Made in the mid-90s, an era known for its grainy, mediocre film stock, it would seem Goldeneye fell victim to this tragic plague. That said, the scrubbing doesn't ruin the presentation by any stretch.

The remaining films look and sound positively outstanding. Each film does succumb to some DNR at times, but it's nothing too distracting or upsetting. Naturally, the older the film, the more likely you'll see dust specks and even some print damage – Dr. No and From Russia with Love being the worst culprits of the bunch.

The newer films, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, feature the same transfers from previous releases. Unfortunately, this means Quantum of Solace still sounds a bit subdued and wonky, with action beats that feel dialed-back. But, of the films in the set, the newest ones look the best.

The Top 50 Bond Moments

Virtually every single extra from the previous DVD and Blu-ray releases has been ported to this box set. You'll be treated to literally hundreds of hours of commentary tracks, featurettes, documentaries, interviews, trailers, archival EPK material and more. There's enough here to keep any Bond fan occupied for days, that is, of course, provided they haven't already traipsed through the goodies before. Still, the commentary tracks alone are worth revisiting, especially the commentaries with Sir Roger Moore, who did a track for every film he was in!

Also missing are a few odds and ends from the “Mission Control” section of the original DVDs. A rather terrific documentary, Inside Die Another Day, is also missing. While it's sad to see some missing pieces, it's really hard to complain. After all, with hours of content to watch for each film, it's not like too many corners were cut.

To compensate for the missing pieces, Bond 50 includes a Bonus Disc filled with some additional content. “World of Bond” is basically a montage reel split into six pieces, including title sequences, gadgets, Bond girls, villains, locations and Bond in motion.

Next up are the Skyfall Videoblogs, which serve as a promotional tool for the next chapter in the James Bond legacy. At just 10 minutes, don't expect these video diaries to dig too deep.

Rounding out the bonus disc are two more featurettes, “Designing 007” and “Being Bond.” “Designing” takes a brief 4-minute look at the franchise's elaborate production design, while “Being Bond” pulls together vintage interviews from all six Bond stars. This featurette runs just 3 minutes.