One of the most impressive gifts available this holiday season has to be the James Bond 50: Complete 22 Film Collection. With the arrival of Skyfall in theaters, it’s the perfect time to catch up on the entire 50-year history of Ian Fleming’s famous British agent. The collection includes all 22 official James Bond films. There’s even a slot that is “reserved” for Skyfall when it hits Blu-ray early next year. Bond turns 50, and now MGM is delivering the party favors.
All 22 films are included completely remastered and presented in full 1080p high definition. Most of these films have already been out on Blu-ray, and the transfers here are identical along with about 120 hours of bonus content. A 23rd disc offers some new high-definition bonus content. The new material catches up with each of the men who have played Bond over these last 50 years.
There is some controversy that the set does not include Never Say Never Again and the first Casino Royale with David Nivin. These were not official James Bond films. Never Say Never Again went through years of court battles to even get released. It relies on the fact that there was a copyright issue with the Thunderball script because it was based on a script and not a product from Ian Fleming. While it does star Sean Connery, it is not really a member of the lineage of Bond films presented here. The David Nivin monstrosity was actually a very bad spoof of the character and certainly does not belong in the collection.
Real Bond fans understand the situation. There are many films here that have not been available on Blu-ray before. It’s a must for any Bond fan’s collection. If there’s one on your list who doesn’t have this set, it’s your duty to honor and country to make sure it’s under their tree come Christmas morning. Remember the name. That’s “Bond, James Bond“.
