Finally I am getting around to typing this up as the Blu-rays covered in this second report on Fox's James Bond titles on Blu-ray were released in stores two weeks ago. Unfortunately a variety of pressing engagements and other work got in the way, but is it ever too late to talk James Bond?

This time around there is a smorgasbord of titles to choose from including the most recent Bond, an infrequently seen Bond and three more original Bond classics to consider. Across the five titles we will see Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig all inhabiting the iconic British spy, which one is your favorite is up to you. Personally I have found Craig's Bond to be a highly entertaining twist. I thought Brosnan may have been best suited to play Bond, but his films didn't exactly give me much to work with. Connery is the classic Bond and Moore has never been a favorite of mine. We'll save comment on Dalton and Lazenby for the appropriate time.

Let's begin this look at the classic Bonds first. Unlike last time around when we got six classic titles in Volumes 1 & 2 of Bond on Blu-ray, this time we only get one volume and only one of them is worth owning, which will have many completists scratching their heads asking if they should only buy the one or come up with the extra scratch to make sure they don't have a couple of gaps in their collection.

Volume 3 of Fox's James Bond on Blu-ray collections comes with Goldfinger, Moonraker and The World is Not Enough. Goldfinger, an obvious classic, stars Connery as Bond as he takes on Auric Goldfinger whose goal is to destroy all the gold in Fort Knox, destroying the world economy. After Goldfinger, though, there is little to talk about in terms of quality cinema. Moonraker and The World is Not Enough, in my opinion, are the two worst Bond films in Moore and Brosnan's respective careers. Moonraker is simply absurd, ending in a goofy laser battle in space and The World is Not Enough suffers from problems such as casting Denise Richards as a nuclear chemist named Christmas Jones, which should be enough to explain how bad it is altogether. However, I will say Sophie Marceau as Elektra King, the first main female villain in the Bond series of films, is certainly a pleasure to look at.

As for the high-definition presentation, it is just as good as the first round with the three titles duplicating the supplemental material found on the 2006 Ultimate Edition DVD releases. The only difference in these releases compared to the DVD releases is a visual upgrade and while the DVD versions were digitally remastered and the majority of supplemental material was saved for the second disc, you are going to see an upgrade. However, this is one of the first times I have watched a Blu-ray and felt there was something of an artificial look to it all. Moonraker, primarily, seemed to have received a high level of digital noise reduction. The picture remains stunning, but on occasion the DNR is a bit noticeable. Goldfinger didn't appear to have as much DNR done to it and The World is Not Enough is likely new enough they left it alone the most.

One bothersome aspect of these Blu-rays is Fox insists on releasing three-film volumes while the DVD volumes contained five films each. This, of course, is a way for the studio to price gouge the consumer as Blu-rays continue to be overpriced, but even more annoying is how after three volumes they still haven't completely replaced one of the original four DVD sets. So, not only will you have to buy (at the least) six volumes to complete your Bond Blu-ray collection, if you are replacing your DVD volumes you still can't give one of them to a friend since you are still missing a movie or two from each one. I know, a petty complaint, but it is rather annoying.

So, without beating a dead horse, the economical recommendation is to buy Goldfinger separate from all three films. Unlike when the Ultimate Edition DVDs were initially released Fox is allowing consumers to buy the titles separately and not only in the volume packaging. Buying Volume 3 at Amazon will run you $57.99 while Goldfinger alone runs you $23.99 and you can still buy the first two Blu-ray volumes at Amazon for $97.99. You just have to ask yourself how important it is to you to have all the films to complete your collection.

Related post categories: Home Video News, Reviews : Goldfinger, Moonraker, Never Say Never Again, Quantum of Solace, The World Is Not Enough

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