James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in film history and he’s also proven timeless, with the franchise’s highest grossing films being a mix of Connery’s original iteration and Daniel Craig’s latest. There have been seven actors in the role of Bond, and while everyone will have their favourite, Connery does hold a special place in the ranks simply for opening the gates. Every actor has brought their own flair to the role, but all have had to bring that Bond charm and few could make it look as effortless as Connery did.
The Bond films are based on author Ian Fleming’s spy novels and as suave and beloved as Connery ended up being in the lead role Fleming wasn’t impressed with his rougher look and inability to properly speak “the Queen’s English.” Regardless, Connery played the part of Bond for six films (second only to Roger Moore) from 1962 to 1971 and audiences adored him. There is his seventh and final outing as Bond in Never Say Never Again, which came out in 1983, though it wasn’t produced by Eon Productions, so it’s not viewed as a part of the overall official franchise. Still, it’s Connery who set the foundation for the many actors that followed in his footsteps and Warner Bros. has now made it possible to see how he did it in glorious 4K.
Yes, the Sean Connery 007 James Bond Collection is available in 4K, with each film receiving 4K scans of the original camera negatives. While technology improves and it’s said with every new step we make (such as DVD compared to VHS, Blu-ray compared to DVD) it remains true that these films have never looked better when it comes to home viewing. The set consists of the first Bond film to ever hit the silver screen, Dr. No (1962), which was followed up with From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
That’s a lot of James Bond, as for a handful of years there Connery had to feel like that’s all he was doing with four Bond films being released in four years, and a fifth within two years of that. Still, the quality rarely dips throughout his tenure as Bond, as none of these films is an outright dud, and the majority hold up quite well as wholly entertaining spy flicks filled with intrigue, action, beautiful damsels, femme fatales, suave (and cheesy) one-liners, and great scores to accompany it all. There are also plenty of fun villains that square up against our hero, and even if they really have no chance it’s still fun to watch Bond find ways to escape the trouble he constantly finds himself in.
Visually Warner Bros. did a superb job with these restorations and fans will be thrilled to have the opportunity to own them. These are a substantial upgrade from their Blu-ray counterparts and that’s exactly what you want when you look to double-dip in home releases. Warner Bros. has been consistent in delivering quality 4K releases of older films that truly bring these movies to the modern era of home entertainment to the best that they can be. While it’s a costly endeavor it’s always great to know that films that may have otherwise been lost to time have been restored to the point where at times it feels like they could be released theatrically today and you audiences wouldn’t be the wiser. That may not be the case with these Bond films, as they certainly do show their age in terms of style and feel, but the new life that these restorations have breathed into them visually and from an audio perspective is magnificent.
Now when I say they show their age I mean that in the best way possible. If you want to watch a modern take on Bond you’re going to watch Craig, which is a much more visceral, emotional and reality-based take on the character (I use that term lightly, as this is still Bond we’re talking about, so spectacular death-defying stunts are in abundance.) With these Connery films there’s a sense of the time that you don’t want to lose and these restorations preserve that look and feel all while cleaning it up so that some more details pop, the colours ring truer and most importantly, so there are less visual distractions from wear and tear that take the viewer out of the moment.
Each of these six Connery films stand on their own, though there are loose connections weaved throughout that do make it feel as though we’re watching Bond’s career progress as a spy for his Majesty’s service – even if women continuously fall by the wayside (and bedside) often never to be mentioned again after the credits role. This allows anyone to jump on at any time without fear of missing out, though if you’re on for the entire ride you get just a little bit more out of the experience.
If you’ve never seen these original Bond films then there’s never been a better time to do so. As mentioned, they all hold up quite well and some continue to hold up as some of the best the franchise ever delivered. And as added incentive, while you may not have watched these older films there’s a good chance that you’ve seen the Austin Powers movies, and if you want to get even more out of this purchase then you should know that these are the movies Mike Myers was basing most of the characters and a lot of the gags around. And if you’ve seen none of the aforementioned movies? Well, then do yourself a favour and run the entertainment spy gamut starting with this collection and working your way forward!
Overall Movie Collection Score: 5/5
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
These 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision discs deliver in almost every way you could hope for as a viewer. The charm and feel of the ‘60s and early ’70s remains in the look while almost all the dirt, dust and any other distracting visual has been brushed away leaving a much cleaner, sharper image than home viewers have seen from these releases before. The colours are deep, yet natural and the blacks are rich and deep. The movies still keep their filmic look without any sort of unsightly grain, keeping only the natural look that filmmakers go for when shooting on film.
As mentioned throughout the review these are quite simply stunning restorations that clearly reach the peak that they’re able to with the source material that remains. Fans of Bond and Connery will be thrilled to have these to add to their collection, and newcomers to the franchise are in luck as they get the best of the best right out of the gate.
On the audio side of things we’ve got a beautiful Dolby Atmos that makes the most of the original tracks. There’s a solid amount of surround sound that pull the viewer into the film and the scores throughout are fantastic and fitting of the time and style where at moments it’s a lot less subtle and the musical notes would hit each time a step is taken or the bad guy appears then disappears on screen. It’s a lot of fun and it sounds gorgeous. And of course there’s the Bond theme which always sounds magnificent. The dialogue is clean, clear and never a struggle to hear. Overall, top tier audio and visual upgrades and a must-own for fans of the franchise or cinephiles in general.
Special Features:
There are no new features on any of the discs, as the big selling point here will be the 4K restoration, and for fans of Bond who are double-dipping that’ll be enough, as it’s always good to have the special features on the latest disc you’re viewing.
Sure it would’ve been nice to have had some sort of fresh lookback and maybe they would have had Connery still been alive; however, this still doesn’t change the fact that this is a high quality set with loads of features for fans to work through if you’ve yet to do so.
DISC 1: DR. NO
Audio Commentary – With director Terence Young and various other cast members.
Declassified: MI6 Vault – There are two featurettes here that combine to just over 18-minutes in length. They are The Guns of James Bond and Premiere Bond: Opening Nights.
Exotic Locations – This is a quick two-and-a-half-minute featurette on the filming locations.
Mission Dossier – The meat and potatoes feature with three sections to choose from, all which add up to almost 70-minutes total.
Ministry of Propaganda – Each disc has one of these features which showcase ads, trailers, commercials and such for each film.
DISC 2: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Audio Commentary – Again, Young and crew talk about working on the film.
Declassified: MI6 Vault – These break down the same on each disc, just changing the topic to the current film. This feature breaks down into three parts and is just under 20-minutes in length.
Exotic Locations – Once again a brief piece about the filming locations.
Mission Dossier – This feature is broken into two parts which equal 60-minutes in total.
Ministry of Propaganda
DISC 3: GOLDFINGER
Audio Commentary – Director Guy Hamilton talks about working on the film in this track.
Audio Commentary– The cast and crew get their own track on this film.
Declassified: MI6 Vault – These five featurettes almost hit 29-minutes in total.
Exotic Locations – Another 3-minute piece about the filming locations.
Mission Dossier – These two features are just over 55-minutes in total.
Ministry of Propaganda
DISC 4: THUNDERBALL
Audio Commentary – Director Terence Young returns to Bond and gets his own track.
Audio Commentary– Some crew get their own track here.
Declassified: MI6 Vault – We’ve got five features that total 88-minutes here.
Selling Bonds – More commercials, but this time for selling various Bond themed items.
Exotic Locations – Want to know a bit about the locations they filmed at? Here you go!
Mission Dossier – We’ve got 62-minutes of features here that are broken into three parts.
Ministry of Propaganda
DISC 5: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
Audio Commentary – Director Lewis Gilbert along with the cast and crew have a track here.
Declassified: MI6 Vault – We’ve got just over 62-minutes of features here broken up into three sections for easy viewing.
Mission Dossier – We’ve got another feature that’s almost 61-minutes in length broken into four parts this time.
Ministry of Propaganda
DISC 6: DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Audio Commentary – Director Terence Young is back at it one more time with cast and crew.
Declassified: MI6 Vault – We’ve got four featurettes here that combine to hit almost 19-minutes in total viewing material.
Alternate and Expanded Angles – We’ve got over 30-minutes of alternate footage and extended scenes for those who are interested in checking them out.
Deleted Scenes
Mission Dossier – At over 66-minutes we’ve got three features that finish off the legacy features on the discs…well, outside of the customary commercials, trailers and spots in the Propaganda featurette below.
Ministry of Propaganda
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Sean Connery 007 James Bond Collection. Directed by: Terence Young, Guy Hamilton, Lewis Gilbert. Based on the novels by: Ian Fleming. Starring: Sean Connery, Ursela Andress, Bernard Lee, Joseph Wiseman, Zena Marshall, John Kitzmiller, Lois Maxwell, Lotte Lenya, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendariz, Honor Blackman, Shirly Eaton, Harold Sakata, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Robert Shaw, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Tetsuro Tanba, Jill St. John, Charles Gray, Lana Wood. Running time: 702 Minutes. Rating: PG. Released on 4K Blu-ray: June 10, 2025.
