New to Blu-ray disc: James Bond Collections

In addition to “Casino Royale,” which is just out on high-definition Blu-ray disc in anticipation of the Nov. 14 release of the latest James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace,” joining it on Blu-ray are six Bond throwbacks: Sean Connery in “Dr. No,” “Thunderball” (pictured above) and “From Russia With Love”; Roger Moore in “Live and Let Die” and “For Your Eyes Only”; and Pierce Brosnan in “Die Another Day.”

While there’s no disputing that the best of the lot are the Connery films, Moore acquitted himself nicely in “Live and Let Die” and, to a lesser degree, in “For Your Eyes Only.” All of those are recommended. The weakest of the lot is the 20th Bond film in the franchise, “Die Another Day,” which plays it too safe and features a midsection that’s among the dullest, most uneventful of the entire Bond lot.

This time out, Bond is trying to put the screws to some shady North Koreans planning an illegal diamond deal--mad billionaire Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), who wants to take over the world by harnessing the sun’s energy, and his henchman, Zao (Rick Yune), a man whose last encounter with Bond left him with diamonds embedded in his face.

As Bond villains go, these two have the necessary toys--an Icelandic compound, a fleet of hovercrafts, laser beams galore--but what they lack is what they need most: a personality. The film finds just that in John Cleese’s Q, who gets most of the film’s laughs. Also strong are a swordfight between Graves and Bond and the film’s terrific final 40 minutes, in which Graves and Zao butt heads with Bond and Jinx (Halle Berry).

Madonna’s overhyped cameo is never as loose or as engaging as the video based on her theme song, "Die Another Day," but Rosamund Pike as Bond’s partner, Miranda Frost, does add necessary bite. It’s she--not Berry--who has the best chemistry with Bond, though it’s Berry, not Pike, who made the smartest move. She wore that revealing bikini, created a firestorm of attention for doing so, and thus it’s her appearance in the movie that will be remembered most.