In terms of the overall quality of movies selected per set, of the four volumes in the "James Bond Ultimate Edition," this collection is the best one. Not only do we get an undisputed Connery-era classic, but three of the others are arguably some of the best post-Connery Bond movies in the series. Best of all...no Timothy Dalton! So, if you're a Bond fan who can't afford to pick-up each set, I would suggest Volume 3.

"From Russia With Love" is considered by many to be the quintessential Connery-era Bond movie, and it's pretty easy to see why. It features a better story than the first ("Dr. No"), more exotic locales, more gadgets, better action (including a long and exciting chase scene), & nastier villains (SPECTRE, led by the megalomaniacal Blofeld, finally rears its ugly head). 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is still one of the more hotly-contested movies in the entire series. Featuring George Lazenby in his only appearance as Bond, some Ian Fleming purists argue that this movie is the most faithful in spirit to the original novel, and is the best post-Connery effort in the series (a vocal few assert it's the best one, period). Others, however, scoffed at the idea of Bond falling in love and getting married (even though his new bride gets killed at the end). 1973's "Live and Let Die" features Roger Moore's first appearance as Bond, and is probably the worst movie in the collection. The plot is less intriguing, as is the villain, and Moore hadn't yet grown into the role. It wouldn't really be until 1981's "For Your Eyes Only" that Moore made the character truly his own. A one-shot attempt to get back to basics that made Fleming's original novels so popular, gone were the ridiculous gadgets, goofy gags and Moore's clownish antics. In their place is a fairly down-to-Earth plot (no one trying to take over the world) and, after 8 years, a very surprisingly effective performance by Moore (for the briefest of moments, you can almost hear even Bond purists say "Sean who?"). The last film, 1995's "Goldeneye" is Pierce Brosnan's debut as Bond (whom which a lot of fans were pining for a long time). The plot, like many of the others without a Fleming novel to base it on, is forgettable and perfunctory, but Brosnan immediately slides comfortably into the role, and the script does a decent job bringing the series into the present (having some fun with Bond's hedonistic image).

All the films in this set have been remastered with great care, and for some, it'll be worth owning for the transfer alone, far better than the previous MGM discs. I was blown away by how great the image was; they all look like brand new films, even "From Russia With Love," which is 43 years old. Each film is presented in their original aspect ratios. Apparently, every film in the series was given a painstaking frame-by-frame remastering, and it shows. The sound quality is equally impressive; all films are rendered in both Dolby & DTS 5.1 sound, and it's arguable they have never sounded better. Both "From Russia With Love" & "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" also feature original mono tracks.

This 10-DVD set dedicates two discs for each movie. The first discs feature the films themselves, along with audio commentaries by various directors, writers, crew members & cast, though Sir Roger Moore is the only Bond actor present. The second discs feature a wealth of additional extras, old and new, ranging from the very informative to the strange to the fairly pointless. Most of the extras are specific to one film, while others cover concepts and/or images widely associated with the entire franchise. Aside from the commentaries, which include a wealth of info and anecdotes Bond fans will love, I think the most interesting features are the making-of documentaries and interviews made during the times the films were being produced. All-in-all, it's likely you'll find out a lot about each film's background and production you didn't know before. Of less interest is the "007 Mission Control" section included with every film; an interactive feature, you essentially click on different icons to watch clips highlighting Bond girls, villains, weapons, etc. There's not much in the way of revealing info, at least not like the featurettes. Also included are promotional trailers, TV & radio spots, while some of the newer films also feature music videos. A supplemental booklet for each film is also included, offering even more fun facts and historical details. On a side note, Sean Connery is noticeably absent from all of the newly-produced supplemental material. For that matter, so is Brosnan, widely regarded as the man who resurrected the franchise from it's 80s doldrums.

Just like MGM did a few years ago when first releasing the series on DVD, one may still quip that these films aren't offered individually or as chronological boxed sets. Initially, so did I. But the outstanding picture & sound quality alone make these volumes worth picking up. While it's obvious Fox wants Bond fans to invest in each of the four volumes to get the films from whichever era they prefer, as a whole, the good movies in the series outweigh the bad. Sure, the Connery films are inarguably the best ones, but ignoring the others would mean passing up on some action unappreciated post-Connery gems like "For Your Eyes Only" and "The Spy Who Loved Me" (featured in Volume 2). This third volume offers the best variety of Bond films from each essential era, so from a historical perspective, if you can afford only one set, this is the one to pick up (especially since the horrid Timothy Dalton-era movies are absent). Highly recommended.