DVD Release Date: December 12, 2006

Cast:

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By Ken Shallcross

[Author’s note to readers: I did as much research on this as I could. If there are errors in this review in the technical realm or elsewhere, please email us and we will make corrections.]

The James Bond 007 series is no stranger to DVD in the US. First being issued in late 1999 and early 2000, the then 18 films old enough for DVD were released, split up across three volumes in The James Bond Collection. Each film contained a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, commentaries, making-of featurettes and collectible booklets. The second coming of Bond collections on DVD appeared in 2002 and 2003 as The James Bond Collection Special Edition. This series took the then-current 20 Bond films, again, split them into three volumes and included Dolby Stereo soundtracks, commentaries again, and a few more bonus features. But now, finally, Bond fans have something to celebrate. If you’re like me and have not yet invested in any Bond collections, don’t bother reading this review unless you just want to tease yourself even more – go buy these sets now! If you have invested in any of the previous sets, well, read on… chances are you’ll be kicking yourself that you didn’t hold out.

The allure in the newly release James Bond Ultimate Edition sets is thus: the first 20 films, split evenly into four collections, two discs per movie, new DTS 5.1 soundtracks, brand new frame-by-frame digital restoration, beautiful color booklets for each film and a whole slew of bonus features, including some unearthed vintage stuff, some rehashed familiar goodies and a ton of new material. Originally planned for release in 2005, the sets were pushed back to coincide with the theatrical release of the 21st Bond film, Casino Royale. Bond fanatics may complain that this is the 3rd (U.S.) incarnation of the series on DVD, but in reality, they should be thrilled. The series has never looked or sounded this good, nor has it been accompanied by such a comprehensive volume of extra features.

THE MOVIES
Because there is so much to review in these sets, I will keep the bulk of the review content to the tech specs and bonus features. However, for refresher sake, here is a quickie recap of the plot of each film in the James Bond Ultimate Edition Volume 4 [with noted help from Amazon.com]:

Dr. No – 1962. Meet: Bond, James Bond. Directed by Terence Young, this is the world’s introduction to the now infamous 007 agent, first played by a 32-year-old Sean Connery. The film remains as one of the best, and serves as an entertaining reminder that the Bond series began (in keeping with Ian Fleming's novels) with a surprising lack of gadgetry and big-budget fireworks. In his first adventure, James Bond is called to Jamaica where a colleague and secretary have been mysteriously killed. With an American CIA agent (Jack Lord, pre-Hawaii Five-O), Bond discoverd that the nefarious Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) is scheming to blackmail the U.S. government with a device capable of deflecting and destroying U.S. rockets launched from Cape Canaveral. Of course, Bond takes time off from his exploits to enjoy the company of a few gorgeous women, including the bikini-clad Honey Rider (Ursula Andress), who gloriously kicks off the long-standing tradition of beautiful Bond women. This is Bond at his purest, igniting a series of movies that shows no sign of slowing down.

You Only Live Twice – 1967. Sean Connery’s fifth appearance as Bond, and his “last” – during shooting he announced his retirement of the character, though he did return for one more official Bond picture in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, and again for the unofficial Never Say Never Again in ’83 (see below). This film is considered to be one of the weaker ones of the Sean Connery lot. Surprising, since the screenwriter, Roald Dahl, is the mad genius behind Willy Wonka. The story concerns an effort by the evil organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E. to start a world war. Bond travels to Japan to stop them, where we meet the diabolical leader Ernst Starvo Blofeld (Donald Pleasence). In all, the movie doesn’t really hold a candle to the other Connery films.

Moonraker – 1979. Roger Moore. One of my least favorite films of the franchise, this was the first James Bond adventure produced after the success of Star Wars. So, naturally, in an effort to stay with the times, it jumped on the sci-fi bandwagon and combined the suave appeal of Agent 007 with enough high-tech hardware and special effects to make Luke Skywalker want to join Her Majesty's Secret Service. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a bit of overkill – at least for me. However, it does bring back one of the best Bond henchmen ever: the steel-toothed Jaws (Richard Kiel). This time Bond is up against a criminal industrialist named Hugo Drax (Michel Lonsdale), who wants to control the world from his orbiting space station. From Venice to Rio de Janeiro to outer space, Bond thwarts this maniacal Neo-Hitler's scheme with the help of a beautiful, sleek-figured scientist Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles). Despite the bandwagon-jumping idea – or maybe because of it – Moonraker had no problem attracting an appreciative audience, and there are even a few renegade Bond-philes who consider it one of their favorites.

Octopussy – 1983. Roger Moore. One of the best title songs to come from the franchise (“All Time High” performed by Rita Coolidge). Maud Adams returns as the improbably named Octopussy, while Afghan prince Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan) is her crafty, double-crossing partner in crime. There's an island populated only by women, plus a fantastic sequence with a hand-to-hand fight that happens, literally, on a plane. The film even has an extra emotional punch, since this time out 007 is not only following the orders of Her Majesty's Secret Service, but he is also exacting a personal revenge: a fellow double-0 agent has been killed, coincidentally while in possession of a priceless Faberge egg. Remember, this is the year that two Bond films were released within a few months of each other; Octopussy was followed by Sean Connery's comeback in the unofficial Bond film, Never Say Never Again. The success of both pictures proved that there was still plenty of mileage left in the old license to kill.

Tomorrow Never Dies – 1997. Pierce Brosnan. It's only appropriate that a Bond film from 1997 would find Agent 007 pitted against a media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who's going to start a global war (beginning with stolen nuclear missiles aimed at China) to create attention-grabbing headlines for his latest multimedia news channel. It's the information age run amok, and Bond must team up with a lovely and lethal agent from the Chinese External Security Force (played by Honk Kong action star Michelle Yeoh) to foil the madman's plot of global domination. Luckily for Bond, the villain's wife (Teri Hatcher) is one of his former lovers, and at the behest of his superior, M (Judi Dench), 007 finds ample opportunity to exploit the connection. Armed with the usual array of gadgets (including a remote-controlled BMW), Brosnan settles into his role with acceptable flair, and the dynamic Yeoh provides a perfect balance to the sexism that once threatened to turn Bond into a politically incorrect anachronism. He's still Bond, to be sure, but he's saving the world with a bit more sophisticated finesse.

SOUND + VISION
Here’s where the Ultimate Editions live up to their name. Each film has been given special frame-by-frame digital restoration by Lowery Digital Images, the world’s leader in digital restoration and image enhancement (founded by John Lowery, a former NASA film restorer). They have removed all traces of fading, scratches, specs of dirt and other defects and have returned the films to their original pristine condition. I read somewhere they removed over 37 million pieces of dirt and 74,000 'hairs in the gate' from over 42 miles of original film. The images have been rescanned at a rate of almost three times that of a normal DVD and the result is Bond as you have never seen before. In this collection, Dr. No is presented in 1.66:1 Anamorphic Widescreen; the other four films are presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen aspect radios.

Each film has also been given the audio treatment it deserves – and that fans have demanded. The first eight Bond films were released in Mono, as stereo technology was not a practical film device until the late ‘70s (in Bond lingo, that means The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977). Previous 5.1 mixes of the early Mono and middle-era Stereo films were rather shoddy and not quite up to the expectation level of fans. Usually I am the first person to criticize an attempt at 5.1-ifying an old film. Until now. The soundtracks have been stripped, analyzed, cleaned and completely redone in a way that you and I have never heard. They are simply amazing. Each film contains a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track in English and French, plus a glorious English DTS 5.1 mix. Also included are the original Mono soundtracks for the early films, all cleaned up and restored to their bright original luster; in the James Bond Ultimate Edition Volume 4, that means Dr. No and You Only Live Twice. As a special treat for this set, both Moonraker and Octopussy are presented with their original Dolby Surround tracks, cleaned up and restored to better than new.

Subtitles are available on all films in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Thai. Audio commentaries can be read in Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Thai. Special features are subtitled in Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai.

PACKAGING/ LAYOUT
Packaging for the James Bond Ultimate Edition series is uniform throughout, save for the difference in box color; James Bond Ultimate Edition Volume 4 is silver and black. Each set contains five slimline cases, one for each film and its bonus disc. The five cases are pocketed in a sturdy box that slips into the even-sturdier cardboard casing. Included within the set is a separate 8-page color booklet for each film, which contains detailed liner notes on the film, production, this issue’s restoration process and more. You’ll also find a cheesy obligatory foldout advert for other MGM titles.

Each slimline case holds two DVDs for each film: “Feature Film” and “Special Features.” The cases are all black, highlighted by the title and an image from the film on the cover, and a brief write-up, special feature listing, film credits and tech specs on the back.

Main Menu screens are prefaced by the familiar MGM start-up and a trailer for the James Bond Ultimate Edition DVDs. (Redundant?) Once the menu comes up, it is a brilliant staring-down-the-barrel-of-a-gun Bond-themed fanfare, done up in CGI with shadowed ladies in the nude and clips of the film in silver circles floating by and theme music playing on repeat.

Choices on the “Feature Film” discs allow you to “Initiate Mission,” choose a “Mission Selection,” select an “MI6 Commentary” or head to “Language Decryption.” Submenus for the “Special Features” discs are split into “Declassified: MI6 Vault” (new bonus material), “007 Mission Control,” “Mission Dossier” (rehashed extras), “Ministry of Propaganda” and “Image Database.” An extra section on the Dr. No “Special Features” disc is “Top-Level Access,” which contains a single bonus feature devoted to the film restoration process for the UE sets. Details on that below.

Each film in the James Bond Ultimate Edition Volume 4 is split into 32 chapters and has the following runtimes:
• Dr. No: 110 minutes
• You Only Live Twice: 117 minutes
• Moonraker: 121 minutes
• Octopussy: 131 minutes
• Tomorrow Never Dies: 119 minutes

SPECIAL FEATURES
Again, where do I start? Each film in the James Bond Ultimate Edition series has been given a maximum dose of special features. The “Feature Film” disc for each title contains at least one audio commentary to go along with the film. The “Special Features” discs contain all other bonus content. Included are vintage featurettes and interviews, deleted scenes, trailers, screen tests and more. The list is quite extensive. The best way to analyze everything in these sets is to go film by film. For the James Bond Ultimate Edition Volume 4 you get:

Dr. No
Disc 1:
Audio Commentary – Rehashed from the previous DVD releases, John Cork of the Ian Fleming Foundation introduces this commentary and acts as a narrator throughout. He gives details on shooting, locations, characters, actors and more. He also introduces audio clips from the participants, which are taken from previous interviews with director Terrance Young and a slew of cast and crewmembers. The commentary, even if you’ve heard it before, is a fantastic treat for any Bond fan.

Disc 2:
Top-Level Access
• 007: License to Restore (12 min) – Unique to this film’s bonus content is this wonderful and amazing inside look at the film restoration process used for the James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD sets. You get a detailed journey through the labs were they brought Bond back to life in, hosted by John Lowery (of Lowery Digital Images). Wow.
Declassified: MI6 Vault (new bonus material)
• The Guns of James Bond (5 min) – Courtesy of the BBC is this vintage black & white featurette with Major Geoffrey Boothroyd, a gun expert who lived in Glasgow, Scotland. Boothroyd wrote to Fleming and advised him on the James Bond character and his choice of firearms. The character Q, who’s full name in the film is Major Boothroyd, was obviously based on the Major himself. Shot in 1964, the piece is a look at the firearms used by 007 in the films. Very interesting and cool to watch, though short.
• Premiere Bond: Opening Nights (13 min) – Narrated by producer (and stepson of long-time producer/creator, Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli) Michael G. Wilson, this piece is comprised of vintage footage and photographs taken from the various Bond movie premieres throughout the years. Lots of cool stuff in here to see, including a news report from the A View To a Kill premier by Bob Whitaker!
• Credits – Give credit where credit is due, here you can watch the disc credits.
007 Mission Control
• Interactive Guide Into the World of Dr. No – Each film comes with this new extra that serves as a sort of highlight reel for 007, the women, allies, villains, fight sequences, Q branch and exotic locations. It’s kind of like a best of, I suppose, but overall rather pointless.
Mission Dossier (previously available bonus material)
• Inside Dr. No (42 min) – Most of the films in this collection are accompanied by an “Inside” piece that serves as the definitive making-of; they hail from 2000 and have been rehashed from previous DVD editions of the film. They are comprised of interviews with cast and crew and take you from novel to casting to shooting to editing to release – more or less covering all facets of making the film. The one here for Dr. No has a lot more backstory on the creation of the series. Each one is excellent and a must watch for Bond fans old and new.
• Terrance Young: Bond Vivant (18 min) – This is a look at the first and most-original director of the Bond franchise (he directed the first three films). Friends, family and colleagues comment on the director’s life and work, highlighted by photos and clips from his films.
• Dr. No 1963 Featurette (8½ min) – A vintage featurette in black & white, this piece is a look at the character of Bond. Pretty neat, it’s always cool to watch stuff that is over 40 years old.
Ministry of Propaganda
• Theatrical Archive – In this section you can view four rather lengthy theatrical trailers for the film – in all their scratchy, grainy, gritty, muffled-sounding glory!
• TV Broadcasts – Here you can view two TV trailers for the film, which look beautifully like crap.
• Radio Communication – Six 1-minute radio spots for the film can be heard here.
Image Database
• Dozens of production and behind-the-scenes photos are shown here, split into eight different subcategories. It’s worth browsing.

You Only Live Twice
Disc 1:
Audio Commentary – Rehashed from previous DVD releases and following the format of the Dr. No commentary and others, John Cork of the Ian Fleming Foundation introduces this commentary track and acts as a narrator throughout. He gives details on shooting, locations, characters, actors and more. He also introduces audio clips from the participants, which are taken from previous interviews with director Lewis Gilbert and many members of the cast and crew. The commentary, even if you’ve heard it before, is a fantastic treat for any Bond fan.

Disc 2:
Declassified: MI6 Vault (new bonus material)
• Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond (52 min) – Title taken from a line in the film, this TV special incorporates bits from the film and was made as a promotional tool for the theatrical release of You Only Live Twice. I don’t want to give too much of it away, but I can say it’s actually quite entertaining – a wonderful inclusion on this set!
• Whicker’s World: Highlights From 1967 BBC Documentary (5 ½ min) – This is a compilation of clips from a 1967 documentary program, Whicker’s World, hosted by famed journalist, Alan Whicker. The filmmakers gave Alan unprecedented access to the set. These clips are really cool to watch 40 years later – lots of vintage behind-the-scenes material. Very cool!
• On Location with Ken Adam (14 min) – Narrated by Adam himself is this compilation of unearthed location scouting and shooting video from 1966. The extra is a great piece of insight and very interesting.
• Credits – Give credit where credit is due, here you can watch the disc credits.
007 Mission Control
• Interactive Guide Into the World of You Only Live Twice – Each film comes with this new extra that serves as a sort of highlight reel for 007, the women, allies, villains, fight sequences, Q branch and exotic locations. It’s kind of like a best of, I suppose, but overall rather pointless.
Mission Dossier (previously available bonus material)
• Inside You Only Live Twice (30½ min) – Most of the films in this collection are accompanied by an “Inside” piece that serves as the definitive making-of; they hail from 2000 and have been rehashed from previous DVD editions of the film. They are comprised of interviews with cast and crew and take you from novel to casting to shooting to editing to release – more or less covering all facets of making the film. Each one is excellent and a must watch for Bond fans old and new.
• Silhouettes: The James Bond Titles (22 min) – This is a pretty neat piece and a nice look at one thing that seems to have been overlooked thus far: the intriguing and often risqué opening title sequences that often included thin buxom beauties with long hair and no clothes. It takes you through film-by-film, paying special tribute to Maurice Binder, who also created the infamous looking-through-the-barrel-of-a-gun shot that opens every Bond film. Very interesting.
• Plane Crash: Animated Storyboard Sequence (95 seconds) – Very much the same as previous extras of the sort, this piece flips through original storyboards for the plane crash sequence. There are two minor differences in the original boards that I will let you see for yourself.
Ministry of Propaganda
• Theatrical Archive – In this section you can view three original theatrical trailers for the film – completely un-cleaned, as always.
• TV Broadcasts – There is a lone 1-minute TV spot in this area for the film – fuzzy and blurry
• Radio Communication – Seven radio spots are found here.
Image Database
• Dozens of production and behind-the-scenes photos are shown here, split into 14 different subcategories. It’s worth browsing.

Moonraker
Disc 1:
Audio Commentary – There are two audio commentaries available for Moonraker. The first resurfaces from previous DVD editions. It follows suit of other commentaries with the introduction/narration/commentary by John Cork, and features conversations between director Lewis Gilbert, screenwriter Christopher Wood, associate producer William P. Cartlidge and executive producer Michael G. Wilson. The second commentary track, newly recorded for this set in 2005, is with by Mr. Bond himself, Sir Roger Moore. While the first one is certainly interesting, it’s the Roger Moore commentary that fans will be extra pleased with. There is some overlapping of information from each commentary, but overall, after listening to both – you’ll have a pretty good knowledge base on Moonraker. Then you can pop in the second disc!

Disc 2:
Declassified: MI6 Vault (new bonus material)
• 007 in Rio: Original 1979 Production Featurette (13 min) – Vintage featurettes rock. This is a great look behind-the-scenes, during the making of the film in ’79. The narration is dry, but as always, these things are cool to watch, if nothing else for a bit of nostalgia. And hey, it still does the trick – gets you excited to see the film.
• Bond ’79 (12 min) – Michael G. Wilson introduces this collection of interviews with Cubby Broccoli, Roger Moore, Lois Chiles and director Lewis Gilbert, done on location in Brazil, 1979. Really cool stuff to see and have.
• Ken Adam’s Production Films (12 min) – More great vintage footage of the crew at work, filmed on the different locations during the shoot. Moonraker’s production designer, Ken Adam, narrates the footage.
• Learning to Freefall: Skydiving Test Footage (4 min) – Michael G. Wilson narrates this old test footage of a skydiving camera team practicing how to effectively shoot the opening pre-credit sequence of Moonraker.
• Skydiving Storyboards (80 seconds) – As with other special features of this type, this is all the original storyboards shown in sequence, dubbed by some of the audio from the finished sequence.
• Circus Footage (90 seconds) – This bit is introduced by Michael G. Wilson and showcases extra footage from the circus that Jaws crashed into during the opening pre-credit sequence.
• Cable Car Alternative Storyboard 1 (80 seconds) – Introduced by Michael G. Wilson, this is a sequence of storyboards for the cable car fight in Moonraker that include the original concept for Jaws’s girlfriend, a woman just as talk and as strong as he is.
• Cable Car Alternative Storyboard 2 (2 min) – Again introduced by Michael G. Wilson, these storyboards include an additional cable car henchmen, named Rats, whom was later decided not to use. Both of these storyboard sequences are accompanied by final scene audio.
• Credits – Give credit where credit is due, here you can watch the disc credits.
007 Mission Control
• Interactive Guide Into the World of Moonraker – Each film comes with this new extra that serves as a sort of highlight reel for 007, the women, allies, villains, fight sequences, Q branch and exotic locations. It’s kind of like a best of, I suppose, but overall rather pointless.
Mission Dossier (previously available bonus material)
• Inside Moonraker (42 min) – Most of the films in this collection are accompanied by an “Inside” piece that serves as the definitive making-of; they hail from 2000 and have been rehashed from previous DVD editions of the film. They are comprised of interviews with cast and crew and take you from novel to casting to shooting to editing to release – more or less covering all facets of making the film. Each one is excellent and a must watch for Bond fans old and new.
• The Men Behind the Mayhem: Special Effects Documentary (19 min) – This is another great featurette that pays special tribute to the men on the special effects team, especially John Steers, the special effects wizard on most of the early Bond films. Whereas many featurettes on special effects will highlight a few stunts or effects on one film, this one gracefully flips through the entire franchise, highlighting some of the most famous moments. It’s really good and worth anyone’s time. Hopefully, younger viewers will earn some appreciation for REAL special effects wizards, and not the folks of today who can manipulate anything with a computer.
Ministry of Propaganda
• Release Trailer (4 min) – The only thing in the ministry this time is the original, very lengthy theatrical trailer. Always worth watching and having, it’s here in all its original, non-remastered glory!
Image Database
• Dozens of production and behind-the-scenes photos are available to view here, split into 14 different subcategories. Worth browsing, as always.

Octopussy
Disc 1:
Audio Commentary – As with Moonraker, there are two audio commentaries for Octopussy: the first is a solo commentary from previous DVD releases recorded by director Jon Glen. The second commentary is the 2005 Sir Roger Moore recording, recorded specially for this Bond collection. Both are great to listen to, though I suspect the fans will have more affinity for Roger’s comments. There is some overlapping of information from each commentary, but overall, after listening to both – you’ll have a pretty good knowledge base on Octopussy. Then you can pop in the second disc!

Disc 2:
Declassified: MI6 Vault (new bonus material)
• Shooting Stunts Part 1: Crashing Jeeps (4 min) – Director John Glen narrates some old behind-the-scenes footage on the jeeps that crash during a chase sequence. It is followed up by…
• Shooting Stunts Part 2: The Airplane Crash (3½ min) – Director John Glen narrates more vintage on-the-set footage. This one focuses on the plane that falls off the cliff and crashes into the mountainside. Both of these extras are pretty cool. Very good stuff.
• Ken Burns On-Set Movies (6½ min) – A 16-year old local boy named Ken Burns (not the documentary filmmaker) got a job as an extra, playing a German Border Guard during the scene filmed at the Nene Valley train, which was near where he lived at the time. He asked the crew if he could bring his Super-8 camera and film everything. Affectionately known on the set as the "3rd Unit," Octopussy is the only film credit to his name on imdb.com. In the style of many other extra features, this is Burns narrating his home movies – a quite excellent inclusion in the set.
• On Location with Peter Lamont (5 min) – As with other bonus special feature bearing the name, this is a compilation of unearthed location scouting home videos shot in divided Berlin. Narrated by production designer Peter Lamont, the extra is a great piece of insight and very interesting.
• Testing the Limits: The Aerial Team (4½ min) – This is another unique featurette that focuses on the aerial stunt and camera team that shot the top-of-the-airplane sequence. Director John Glen narrates the vintage behind-the-scenes footage.
• James Brolin: Original Screen Tests – This extra is split into four different parts: “Brolin on Bond,” “The Fight Scene Screen Test,” “The Love Scene Screen Test” and “The Vijay Screen Test.” The first part is an interview with Brolin discussing how he was inches away from taking over the role of Bond for Octopussy and beyond. The screen tests are great to watch, but as much as I like Brolin, I just don’t know… There’s about 10 minutes worth of material here for you to view.
• Bond in India: Original 1983 featurette (29½ min) – Basically, just as it says, this is a short documentary on the film’s production in Udaipur, India in ‘82. Writer/director and publicist for Bond films, Charles Juroe, narrate the entire thing and it’s pretty cool to watch, though certainly dated… but I guess that is part of its charm.
• Credits – Give credit where credit is due, here you can watch the disc credits.
007 Mission Control
• Interactive Guide Into the World of Octopussy – Each film comes with this new extra that serves as a sort of highlight reel for 007, the women, allies, villains, fight sequences, Q branch and exotic locations. It’s kind of like a best of, I suppose, but overall rather pointless.
Mission Dossier (previously available bonus material)
• Inside Octopussy (33 min) – Most of the films in this collection are accompanied by an “Inside” piece that serves as the definitive making-of; they hail from 2000 and have been rehashed from previous DVD editions of the film. They are comprised of interviews with cast and crew and take you from novel to casting to shooting to editing to release – more or less covering all facets of making the film. Each one is excellent and a must watch for Bond fans old and new.
• Designing Bond with Peter Lamont (21 min) – This very interesting and unique extra dives into the production design and highlights the world of Bond that Peter Lamont created over and over. It’s an interesting recap of the design of the series, film by film.
• “All Time High” Music Video (3 min) – A true music video for a movie, this features Rita Coolidge singing the title track over clips of the film.
• Storyboard Sequence: Taxi Chase (3½ minutes) – Just as it says, this is the series of original storyboards, shown in sequence, spliced by the scene from the film and dubbed over by the audio from the final sequence from the film. Always worth watching.
• Storyboard Sequence: Bond Rescues Octopussy (3½ minutes) – Just like the one before it, this is the series of original storyboards, shown in sequence, spliced by the scene from the film and dubbed over by the audio from the final sequence from the film. As with the first, worth watching.
Ministry of Propaganda
• Theatrical Archive – Only theatrical trailers this time around, but there are four of them that run over 8 minutes. Trailers from the early ‘80s are so bad – they’re good!
Image Database
• Dozens of production and behind-the-scenes photos are available to view here, split into 18 different subcategories. Check ‘em out.

Tomorrow Never Dies
Disc 1:
Audio Commentary – There are two audio commentaries available for Tomorrow Never Dies. The first one is with director Roger Spottiswoode and friend/colleague Dan Petrie Jr. Petrie acts almost like an interviewer, helping move the conversation along and making sure there is never a dull moment. He also presents an outsider’s view on the film. The second commentary is with second unit director Vic Armstrong and producer Michael G. Wilson. Both are great to listen to, as they give lots of good details on the shoot, cast, etc. There is some overlapping information, but nothing that will make you feel you wasted your time. Though both are taken from previous DVD releases, they’re still definitely recommended for everyone.

Disc 2:
Declassified: MI6 Vault (new bonus material)
• Deleted & Extended Scenes Introduced by Director Roger Spottiswoode – A brief intro by the director calls up a menu containing nine deleted or extended scenes that run for a total of 13½ minutes. Each one is prefaced by a short introduction by Spottiswoode. All are worth watching for sure and actually pretty good for deleted material – though none will shake the ground beneath you.
• Expanded Angles Introduced by Director Roger Spottiswoode – A neat feature to see, this featurette shows you everything the camera picked up, before the editors had their way with it. A brief explanation by the director calls up a menu containing two different scenes to view: the BMW backseat driving one and the opening ‘white knight’ scene. You can use the ANGLE button on your remote to watch different angles at full screen, or all of them side-by-side. It’s a fun and appreciated extra feature.
• Highly Classified: The World of 007 (58 min) – I love Q. Desmond Llewelyn is the host of this official making-of for the film. Crewmembers take you behind-the-scenes to reveal the secrets of the film, including stunts and explosive action sequences, the infamous remotely driven BMW, the rooftop motorcycle chase and the death-defying skyscraper jump. Featured in the special are interviews with director Roger Spottiswoode and stars Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher and Judi Dench.
• The James Bond Theme: Moby’s Remix (3½ min) – This is a snazzy music video that features Moby’s rather-intelligent techno remix of the James Bond theme while Moby runs around as if he were Bond. The video is spliced with footage from the film.
• Credits – Give credit where credit is due, here you can watch the disc credits.
007 Mission Control
• Interactive Guide Into the World of Tomorrow Never Dies – Each film comes with this new extra that serves as a sort of highlight reel for 007, the women, allies, villains, fight sequences, Q branch and exotic locations. It’s kind of like a best of, I suppose, but overall rather pointless.
Mission Dossier (previously available bonus material)
• The Secrets of 007 (45 min) – Narrated by actor Peter Coyote, this special was created for TV and aired as a promotional tool for Tomorrow Never Dies. It’s pretty entertaining and acts as a history of Bond – much like the piece that was created and aired around the time of GoldenEye, The World of 007. Just like all other documentaries, it’s filled with interviews, clips from the movies, behind-the-scenes footage, etc. Worth your time and a good inclusion in the set.
• Storyboard Presentations – In this section are nine different storyboard bits that run for about 28 minutes. They are set-up with the scene from the movie playing, while a superimposed picture-in-picture of the storyboard plays in the lower right. It’s an interesting way to present storyboards, but also a little hard to follow.
• Special FX Reel (3 min) – This is an interesting brief featurette that show parts of the film broken down into storyboards, camera shots, green screen shots and final composites. It’s also has some cool behind-the-scenes footage of the helicopter-motorcycle jump scene. There is no dialogue, just Bond theme music playing.
• Gadgets – This section contains a brief look inside three of the gadgets in Tomorrow Never Dies: the Sea Vac, BMW and phone.
• Interview with Composer David Arnold (3 min) – A very short interview piece here has the film’s composer talking about his inspirations and reasons behind the score for the film.
• Tomorrow Never Dies Music Video Performed By Sheryl Crow (4½ min) – As described, is the music video for the title theme, which is really just an MTV-ified version of the opening credits (sans credits) that was used as a promotion for the film.
Ministry of Propaganda
• Theatrical Archive – In this section you can view two theatrical trailers for the film: a 1-minute teaser and a full 2½-minute trailer.
Image Database
• Dozens of production and behind-the-scenes photos, marketing materials and storyboards are available to view here, split into 15 different subcategories. Flip though them.

BOND X 5 = MUST BUY!
There’s really not much left to say if you’ve read this entire review. There is no doubt that this is the most comprehensive James Bond collection to date, AND the best looking and sounding one as well. In James Bond Ultimate Edition Volume 4 you get the five films: Dr. No, You Only Live Twice, Moonraker, Octopussy and Tomorrow Never Dies. If you haven’t invested in a Bond DVD collection yet, this is the one to plunk down; at roughly $250 for the entire set, it’s well worth it. Even if you own a previous set, you may want to consider ebaying them and putting the cash towards the Ultimate Collection. I really can’t say enough good things about this series – GO… BUY… NOW!

DVD Series/Collection Film Score: A+
DVD Series/Collection Sound + Vision Score: A+
DVD Series/Collection Packaging/ Layout Score: A
DVD Series/Collection Special Features Score: A+
DVD Series/Collection Overall Score: A++

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