I liked the Goldeneye movie. I consider that the best Pierce Brosnan James Bond film by far. The game is better though.
Goldeneye has got to be one of the most unexpected videogame successes of all time. The whole point of making a licenced game is that it comes out around the same time as the movie to capitalize on the film's success. But the film came out in 1995 before the N64 was even released so even if Rare had it ready as a launch title it was going to be a year late no matter what. And Goldeneye wasn't a big enough movie that two years later people would still be going nuts for it.
I never paid any attention to the game while it was in development. It was a console FPS, which at the time always sucked and it was a licenced game. And the two years late thing was like some sort of Duke Nukem Forever-esque joke. It just begged to be ignored. When it became a big hit I was like "really? That vapourware Bond game is awesome?!" But then I tried it and, holy ****, it was!
The reason the game was so successful though was that it was so great. Not just "really good" but legitimately groundbreaking. It succeeded DESPITE the fact that it was licenced game that came out two years too late. EA didn't get that and Activision probably doesn't either. They see the name and think James Bond and specifically the Goldeneye film as the catalyst for the game's success.
Though perhaps giving a talented dev a licenced property and giving them the time and freedom to make a great game, instead of just churning out some licenced junk to fool rubes and mothers for a week before everyone hears the game sucks, is the key to major success with a licenced game. That attracts legitimate success, not just temporary con-man success like most licenced junk.