A View to a Kill
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A-zone — 13 years ago(February 11, 2013 05:09 AM)
Hi "GregOrCreg"! Good to see you here.
Well I have always
LOVED
Roger Moore's "Bond", so I like all his movies, even FYEO, Octopussy, Moonraker etc. I know they were cheesey and over the top but that was how Moore approached the role, with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. I suppose that is why I don't consider his movies bad no matter how bizarre they may be. It's like if you goes to see "Johnny English", you know there's going to be a lot of craziness in it because that is expected. But if those same stunts were used in say "Mission Impossible", people would crucify that movie. So Moore was allowed to be silly but Connery wasn't.
Regarding the opening scene in FYEO, I think (and I'm not entirely sure) there was some legal issues which prevented EON from using the character of Blofeld in their movies, hence they killed him off without even showing his face. It was his bald head and white furry cat which hinted that it was Blofeld.
"I'm the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!" -
A-zone — 13 years ago(February 11, 2013 07:09 AM)
Oh I'm not saying that the Moore "Bond" movies are the best. Many of them are cheesier than a Cheeseburger! But that is one of the reasons I like them. It is their identity. Unbelievable gadget, megalomaniacal villains, exotic locations, big stunts, witty one-liners, gorgeous gals with double entendre names. these are the things that make a Bond movie a Bond movie.
I'm not a fan of Craig's James Bond era. None of his films are bad, they just aren't true to "Bond", IMHO. They've stripped all the Bond-ness so all that is left is just another action spy thriller movie. Something like 'The Bourne Identity". Moneypenny, Q, Vodka Martini shaken but not stirred, all these iconic things which were introduced by Bond are now being rejected by the Craig movies as being too campy. The one thing that set James Bond apart from all other spies was the fact that he was the most conspicuous spy in the world. By making Bond too realistic, what's the difference between him and Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt?
If you take an example of the Burton Batman movies, a lot of people (not me!) feel the same way about them as you feel about Moore's Bond movies. People find them too cartoony and cheesy and feel that Nolan's gritty and realistic Batman movies are a true interpretation of the character. If this trend continues, maybe in another 10-20 years when there's another reboot of Batman, they'll remove even more elements from it so that eventually all we will be left with is a millionaire playboy who moonlights as a vigilante. Period. No Batsuit, no Alfred, no Joker, no Batmobile, no Bat signal because by then, it will all be considered too cliche. Just like a lot of the kids of today think that the original Star Wars movies are garbage.
I don't mind some amount of realism being injected into James Bond movies but not so much that they lose their identity. Something along the lines of "Licence to Kill" would be nice.
"I'm the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!" -
A-zone — 13 years ago(February 11, 2013 08:56 AM)
besides if there's only so much realism one can achieve if Batman's next cinematic incarnation is to be with the Justice League of America.
True. I'm guessing that it is the massive success of "The Avengers" that showed flmmakers that not EVERY superhero movie has to be given the "Nolan" treatment for it to be a success and considered mature. The dark, gritty, realistic approach suits some superheroes, but not all. Which is why I am a bit skeptical about the upcoming "Man of Steel". The posters make it look like it has taken the route of "Batman Begins" which I don't think is the right approach for a character like SUperman. But I'll reserve my opinion until I see the movie.
I see Craig's gritty take on Bond to be a reaction to the gone-too-far excesses of 'Die Another Day'
Yes, that seems like the most logical explanation. But sometimes film-makers try so hard to not repeat the mistakes of a previous film that they end up going to the complete opposite end of the spectrum which is also a bad idea.
I feel more protective of the older Batman films because I was always a fan of them,
I feel the same way about the old Bond movies!
I grew up watching them so as cheesy and over-the-top as they may be, for me they will always be the benchmark against which I judge all preceding Bond films.
"I'm the dude playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!" -
jemimakahn — 13 years ago(March 24, 2013 10:48 AM)
The last quarter of "License to Kill" was pretty far out as well. But it is still one of my favorites. I think "Die Another Day" was pretty much on track till the last quarter. Much like "The World Is Not Enough" was. Everything worked beautifully till Denise Richards and Bond started explaining what they were doing with the whole nuclear meltdown thingamjiggy.
I think "Octopussy" was the worst. -
MaximusXXX — 13 years ago(March 30, 2013 02:57 PM)
A View To A Kill is almost universally considered the biggest turd in the franchise.
Die Another Day is arguably in the bottom 5 and almost undeniably in the bottom 10, but it's not a true contender for worst.
Those foolish enough to move from canada to america increase the average I.Q. of both countries -
AudioQuest — 12 years ago(April 16, 2013 07:40 AM)
A theme song and Jane Seymour can't hide the ridiculous blaxploitation flick that it really is. Horrible stuff - and I love Roger Moore as Bond.
What's a knockout like you doing in a computer-generated gin joint like this? -
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domester82 — 11 years ago(May 06, 2014 07:07 PM)
If we're talking Eon films only, Diamonds are Forever is the worst final film for a Bond actor. It was not a good way for Sean Connery to bow out, at all. They paid him a ludicrous sum of money to return, plus a share of the film's profits, and I guess all the budget went on him. The action was poor, the Bond girl ludicrous, the tone was too camp and comical when we needed a gritty follow up to OHMSS. Connery looked bored throughout it.
If we include non Eon movies, Never Say Never Again wasn't that bad. I thought it better than Diamonds, and possibly better than the film it was a remake of, Thunderball. When talking about the entire franchise, including non Eon productions, then Die Another Day is the worst 'final' film for a Bond actor. It's not likely that Craig's last film will be as bad as that.
AVTAK was not the best, but I still found it entertaining. I liked Christopher Walken's villain.
License to Kill I liked. I think it's a very underrated film, and almost a remake of Yojimbo, or A Fistful of Dollars, where Bond infiltrates into the enemy's trust ,and undermines his organisation from within.
It's not really fair to include Dalton, because he was intended to come back for at least one more. The protracted court case put paid to him coming back. Lazenby too, as OHMSS is his only film. Opinions may vary, but I thought OHMSS one of the best films of the series.
Actually David Niven as Bond in the 1967 version of Casino Royale, in his first and last appearance, must be the worst! -