What makes GoldenEye so rewatchable, repeated over and over again by ITV and yet still a welcome addition to TV schedules? It’s not the best Bond movie – though it’s really, really good – but what it could be is the epitome of the 007 movie, the entry into the franchise that you could show a novice total that would get them up to speed on all things Bond, and everything fans love about Bond, in just over two hours.

After a long hiatus, the franchise had something to prove with Pierce Brosnan’s first outing, and so tackles all the elements we expected: there had been a sneaky villain who somehow mirrored the dark side of Bond before, but that of Sean Bean Alec Trevelyan, a rogue former 00 agent, was the most egregious example ever, while the nickname given to Famke Janssen’s henchwoman, Xenia Onatopp, is among the most outrageous in the series’ long history.

There are wild waterfalls (this opening barrage jump), car chases, a scene where Bond defeats an opponent in a casino, and dozens of conscious nods to the franchise’s worn-but-beloved tropes. If you want a 007 movie that just ticks all the boxes, GoldenEye is the one to watch (and watch, and watch).

– Morgan Jeffery, editor