MGM/Warners Home Entertainment, out now

The original†, and for many the best, James Bond comes to 4K…

The six films in this collection span the first decade of 007 on the big screen, and very much warrant double-dipping (who am I kidding, probably more like sextuple-dipping) for these new 4K transfers.

Watching them in quick succession, you can see the development and increase of scale – and the sharpness that characterises Sean Connery’s performance in Dr. No begin to be blunted so that by the time of Diamonds are Forever, the self-parody in the script (“You’ve killed James Bond!” cries Tiffany… so much for the secret undercover spy!) is reflected in Connery’s performance. That’s not to say that the films aren’t entertaining – and, it has to be said, looking and sounding fantastic in these new editions. My immediate reaction to the colours in the Caribbean scenes in Dr. No was that it felt as if I’d only seen them in black and white before, and the vistas that are quite rightly one of the elements the films are renowned for look glorious. Even the tackier moments of Diamonds work well, with details clear in the black scenes that I’d not spotted since cinema showings.

There’s lots of good technical reasons to get these – they’re presented in the intended aspect ratio, for a start – and the new sound mixes add to the enjoyment. There’s the odd moment where dialogue can get a little lost, notably in From Russia With Love, but overall I think I’d use these going forward for a rewatch. Nearly all the special features are ported across from the 2012 Blu-ray set, but a few, less than vital, elements aren’t, so completists will want to retain that collection.

Verdict: Hopefully OHMSS will get the same treatment in the not that distant future to give a complete run of the first decade of 007, but these are highly recommended. 9/10

Paul Simpson

† OK, being pedantic he wasn’t the first portrayer of Bond, even on the cinema screen….