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I was thinking we can do Spectre in December (so @4EverBonded has seen it). Catch the "Then" whilst its still fresh in our memory.
Then
From the terrific pre-credits, through one of the most under-rated theme songs, the atmospheric and tense opening with 009, (praise for Alan Humes cinematography),
Peter Lamonts stunning war room set, Steven Berkofs barking mad general, great action set pieces, the best diffusing of a bomb ever in the series,( John Glens direction here is superb) and the thrilling finale on the outside of the plane. I try to overlook the racism, the bad puns and the rather boring Octopussy herself, Maud Adams!
Now
Still entertaining for all the same reasons!
Then-4
Now-5
Tie-7
Getting ready for my sabbitcal; not easy!
A View To A Kill
Then –
As previously mentioned, this was my first Bond film, on VHS, along with The World Is Not Enough. Which means I have slightly sentimental feelings towards this film. Growing up I was disappointed to see the return of the blight of overt humour. But I loved Walken. And Moore. I felt scared for him, due to his age. Which is not the emotion one should be feeling for Bond. But it was a different perspective to see a veteran Bond. A View To A Kill should be so much more – it should have been a spectacular send off for Moore. Still it was an end of an era.
Now –
With A View To A Kill's dichotomous nature, it has always been toward the bottom of the rankings. Contributions from Walken, Moore, and Barry always make this one worth another watch. And I still get rather emotional at the end credits, with Duran Duran's pulsating theme playing over the Golden Gate bridge. Roger Moore provided a steady hand, when the films were at their most inconsistent.
I had my stroke in 2010. I was wary of getting into a Bondathon. Why? Simply put, I was waiting to get back to my old self before revisiting them. The pleasure would be so much more, I reckoned.
That didn't happen – me getting back to my old self, or near enough to it anyway – until late 2011. My speech therapist urged me to see watch the Bond films. As part of my recovery, I had been writing reviews, a creative writing exercise, that took a lot out of me, which I shared with my therapist. Even writing reviews today still takes a lot out of me, to be honest.
I started the new Bondathon in October 2011, with my then girlfriend, who expressed an interest in seeing them. I knew it wouldn't work out, as after the Bondathon was completed she declared Die Another Day as her favourite.
Then something amazing happened whilst watching A View To A Kill, in January of 2012. It was during the scene where Bond and Stacey are having dinner. “Wine With Stacey” is one of my most cherished John Barry tracks. During that particular scene, I experienced goosebumps down the entire right side of my body - demonstrating the return of physical sensation there, post stroke. For that reason, A View To A Kill is very special to me.
So, for me a Now
Then - 0
Now - 1
Tie - 0
When I saw AVTAK in the cinema in 1985, it was an even bigger disappointment than OP. The series felt tired and uninspired at this point. It felt like the series was on its last leg. Time to bring in some fresh blood.
Watching the film today, I can be more forgiving. There is still a lot to enjoy, and much worse was yet to come the next decade.Therefore now.
Then - 0
Now - 2
Tie - 0
Then - 1
Now - 2
Tie - 0
I admit I'm not an "original fan" but growing up I loved AVTAK, particularly because it was made the year I was born. Now, seeing it at the age of 29/30, I can't help agree with @Thunderfinger regarding how tired it feels. Octopussy may have had its weaknesses but it felt like it had more energy to it than this.
Now - 2
Tie - 0
Actually found it quite fun and entertaining before, now its my #23
Now - 3
Tie - 0
Disliked it when it came out, now I can appreciate its many great aspects.
Now - 3
Tie - 0
I liked AVTAK back in the 90's. It has never been one of my favourites though.
Luckily after AVTAK things got better and fast with Dalton's two movies and especially GE and TND that made the 90's a worthy Bond decade as well.
AVTAK wasn't the low point in the franchise in my opinion, that was DAF.
And then it happened. AVTAK was the first Bond film I saw at the cinema. I was six years old that summer, about to turn seven in October. For the life of me, I can't remember the order in which I saw the previous films. I'm not even sure I had seen them all prior to AVTAK. It was not uncommon for my parents to watch a Bond movie on television and so it seemed that Bond had just always been there from my earliest memories.
So imagine my excitement when I was told that we were going to see the new James Bond movie at the theater! It just also happened to star my favorite Bond, the one and only Roger Moore. To be able to witness a new chapter in Bond history was very special. It was much more personal. I had enjoyed watching the other films but I felt like I owned this one. Indeed, it did not disappoint. I was thrilled during almost every moment. There were a few parts I didn't fully understand but I certainly got the gist of the whole thing.
So how could anything ever compare to that? Even if I thought this was a great Bond film, I could never match the enjoyment of that experience. Sadly, I don't think it's a great Bond film. However, I don't think it's quite as bad as some people make it out to be either. Granted, it has it's flaws. The thirty years between then and now have certainly opened my eyes to all of them. Still, I can't quite condemn this to the bottom of the barrel because it keeps me entertained for the most part. The only thing that really bothers me is that Moore deserved a better sendoff than the shower scene.
So, from my point of view (to a kill), this is most definitely a THEN.
Then - 4
Now - 3
Tie - 0
:P
Then:
This is another one I can't really put my finger on whn I saw it first (on tv, no doubt). It was a Roger Moore film, which were just good, not as good as Connery. Walken was impressive though.
Now:
This is the film with the most flaws that I utterly enjoy. Roger Moore may not look too young (going for the understatement of the year award, plase take notice), but he plays Bond at his Moore's best. Then there's Walken, whom I find utterly mesmerising and dangerous. His ma laugh when he sees the info on the computer about Bond (istead of his horses) I find scary as hell. Stacey is a terrible Bond-girl, but it works. Patrick McNee is a hero in his own right.
Anyway, I can't really explain why a film with so many shortcomings works so well, but it does. It's a 'Now'for me as well.
Then - 4
Now - 5
Tie - 0
This was the first bond film that I watched repeatedly in around 1988. I taped it off the tele Me and my mate watched the pts before school. I loved it. It inspired us to take the wheels off our skateboards and make our own snowboards, which worked rather well during winter. I loved the whole thing. And the remi julienne car chase was just awesome.
Now:
I have a soft spot for it. I don't hold it in as high regard but I still don't rate it as bad as some.
I'm probably a 'then'
Then 5
Now - 5
Now: Still one of my least favorite Moore entries, but I adore many parts of the film. Everything with Tibbett is brilliant. I love the St. John Smythe alias. The horse racing works for me as does the mainstrike mine finale which bored me as a youth. Walken and Jones deliver great villainous performances. How foolish I was!
Then - 5
Now - 6
Then - 5
Now - 7
* We have a leak in the microchip industry so NATURALLY the big guy is responsible. So if someone is suffocated with a Playboy magazine, please arrest Hugh Heffner.
* Oh wait, the film tells me the big guy IS responsible because he, well, cheats on horse racing... That makes him a very bad man. Next time I see someone cheat during a game of cards, I'll contact the FBI. He's probably going to assassinate the Queen.
* And of course the British service, while scared about nuclear threats, is going to have Bond investigate some horse race cheating. Maybe that's what went wrong before the 9/11 attacks. Someone was wasting time going through the unpaid parking tickets, another abysmal crime, of one of the terrorists instead of... oh well, you get the point.
* Naturally, Zorin is a big idiot for drawing too much attention to his horse racing a mere few days before Main Strike. Also, he kills the French P.I. who investigates the whole thing. In fact, he's willing to travel to France himself to make sure it gets done the right way... Next time any of you is planning to take over the world, make sure you continue to steel old ladies' purses. Old habits die hard and pointing arrows to yourself right before you're going to commit the crime of the century is part of the fun. Never mind that you're only a few days away from sitting on top of the world's economy. Nope, gotta win that horse racing title!
* Incidentally, a P.I. is one thing, two members of the British secret service something else together. Killing them means you have an army of fully equipped soldiers storming your private place. Good idea. How long before Main Strike is supposed to happen? Your lawyers better work fast.
* Remember, NUCLEAR THREAT!
Meanwhile in France, ...
...Bond and Tibbit are digging dirt in some horse stables. But, we're in luck. Famous industrialist Zorin actually keeps the manufacturing of microchips, for which his empire is famous, hidden underneath the lab where he has his Nazi doctor help him cheat on the horse races, the lab itself hidden underneath elevating horse stables. Because he can.
* While we're on the subject, did you know that aliens from the planet Zorg, located near the star Zuxula, landed in Roswell in the 50s? Only two of them got out: the one named Zorin and the one named Scarpine. They had to leave their other buddies with spacey alien names behind.
* Want me to continue...?
So obviously:
Then - 6
Now - 7
And I thought I am the master of sarcasm :))
I like it, great review!
Zorin truly is one of the most stupid villains in the series, never liked him. Walken may be a great actor but here he is just wasted.
The PTS and the titles are freaking great, so is the sequence on the Golden Gate bridge, everything in between can go and shoot itself :))
I first watched AVTAK on TV on Saturday 26th December 1998 (Boxing Day). Whilst I did enjoy it it was somewhat underwhelming on that first viewing. It was at the point that I had nearly seen all the Bond films that had been released up to that point (barring OHMSS which was broadcast on the 28th, Diamonds Are Forever and Goldfinger), and this just did not seem up to scratch. My reaction to the PTS probably summed it up quite well, still quite enjoyable seeing all that ski action, but Moore looks old, he just about gets away with it in Octopussy but here it was distracting to me and was just somehow becoming less of what I expected Bond to be. And the Califoria Girls track felt random and a bit daft.
Now
I last watched AVTAK when I got the Bonds on Blu-ray and I think it was a better experience in the intervening years. When I first saw it it was in the context of seeing all the Bonds for the first time and being disappointed when I got to this one (although not as disappointing as Diamonds or DAD!). Now being able to take it on its own terms I found it quite enjoyable. The steeplechase and the fight on the Golden Gate Bridge being highlights. And Walken is such a good villain, he deserved a much better Bond than this. But still can't get over how distracting Moore's age is. It's not just that, in that Blu-Ray Bondathon I had to come to the conclusion that it was the least Bond-like performance from any of the Bond actors.
Marginally Now.
Then - 6
Now - 8
Tie - 0
Then
I first saw View the Sunday after it was released. I was 10 and my folks took me to see it. The past 2 years I had really started to get into Bond when OP and NSNA came out and I was watching the Bonds on ABC whenever they aired. Back then seeing a Bond film really was an event. So this new one I was really excited for. I also had just watched Good Morning America's Bond week-great interviews with Roger, Christopher Walken, Richard Kiel, and Christopher lee. So I was pumped. I recall the trailers prior to the film included Eastwood"s Pale Rider and the the film just started up. The Zorin disclaimer must have thrown me off or made me think that too was part of a trailer because the film seemed to just kick off with the gun barrel. Contrary to imdb, the dots were NOT red, they were the traditional white.
I really enjoyed this film in the cinema. The audience roared with laughter every time Roger would needle poor Patrick MacNee. Very vocal audience and cheering during the Duran Duran song. By the time we got to the Zorin mine sequence I had a huge headache. Not due to the film, though, more tot he fact I hadn't eaten all morning prior as I was so excited to see the film. We left the cinema with my mom lamenting the violence and dad and I agreeing it was one of the best with Roger Moore. In fact ALL the kids at my school who had seen it claimed it to be their favorite Bond film of all time. Well, I disagreed there. I still thought of Goldfinger or FRWL as the best. But I still hadn't seen every film. That would come later. Funny how current trends of the time were laced throughout the films: Connery playing a video game (all the rage in '83) in NSNA, and computers being a major theme in View. What would be next? Breakdancing? Which Bond could pull that off? I was picturing Moore in that navy blue tracksuit attempting a moonwalk. At the time I really didn't think this would be Moore's last. To me he looked no different than he had in FYEO or OP. So the age never bothered me. I'd have to wait until December to see it again as by then we'd have our first VHS player and the film would be available for home viewing. It wasn't my first priority, though, as ABC had butchered the previous films we were renting the early ones so I could see them uncut. I really wouldn't rate View against the others until much later.
Now
I'd say from the 6 year gap from LTK on if I were asked which was the worst bond film I'd have named AVTAK. That's until DAD came out. Now with all the praise going to the Craig film's I've sort of re evaluated my feelings toward the earlier ones. In fact I'd go as far to say the newer films are immensely overrated.
As much as I'm all for the films attempting to bring the spirit of Fleming alive, I have a soft spot now for the fun filled VIEW. On any given afternoon, I can pop AVTAK in , be entertained, and enjoy it the way I did when I was 10. Something like Skyfall I have to be in the mood for. So AVTAK has really gone up in my rankings just for that factor alone. Who cares if it's obviously Martin Grace battling the thugs at Stacey's mansion? Even at 10 the doubles were obvious, part of it's charm really.
Then-8
Now -8
Tie.
I get what you're saying about the newer Bonds. DC is by far and away the best Bond for me, but I can't imagine his films having that Bank Holiday ITV afternoon slot that I remember growing up watching the other Bonds - there's something different about them.
Ah, I do miss the occasional @DarthDimi rants. Always great fun.
Glad to see plenty of members popping in here. Looks like AVTAK is generating plenty of discussion. Good show!
So, snooper was included in AVTAK because of the robot craze? Thanks @Birdleson. I suppose Johnny Five was around at this time too, in the film Short Circuit. And all because of those irritating c3po and r2d2 robots.
OCTOPUSSY: When it first came out, I’m afraid my impression of this film was negatively affected by my expectations regarding Sean Connery’s upcoming return to the role of Bond. I was not a fan of Roger Moore’s humorous take on the character at that time, and viewed many of the lesser moments in this film (the Tarzan yell, Bond in a gorilla suit and so forth) in an unfavorable light when judged against what I expected from Connery in the competing Bond film of that day. As you may be able to guess, I was substantially disappointed by Never Say Never Again when it was finally released, Now, I can see OP as one of the better Moore outings in his role as 007. Maude Adams is clearly one of Moore’s most suitable leading ladies. They work well together; one senses a genuine fondness between these two professionals. Adams is a mature actress at this point in time but nonetheless a truly gorgeous woman, and her casting alongside Moore tends to make him a believable figure as Bond despite his advancing age -- a condition that his pairing with Tanya Roberts in the next Bond film made fairly ludicrous. Louis Jordan is a fitting adversary for Bond as Kamal Khan, suave and gentlemanly while holding a genuine edge of menace. Kamir Bedi is one of my favorite henchmen of all as Gobinda: fearsome, exotic, and yet not superhuman in the mold of Jaws and Oddjob, his reaction when instructed to go outside the flying airplane in order to shake Bond off it is one of the best henchmoments in the entire Bond canon. Kristina Wayborn lights up the screen as Magda every moment she is on it…and Steven Berkoff is probably the most entertainingly deranged Russian general ever to grace a Bond film as General Orloff. Finally, Desmond Llewellyn gets one of his best outings ever as Q. I don’t think Q ever enjoyed his time in the field more than when he gets to join Bond in enjoying the company of the women of Octopussy’s island in this particular adventure. The settings are gorgeous, from Octopussy’s Island to Kamal Khan’s Monsoon palace, with important stops at the auction house and Octopussy’s circus. This one is simply great fun in the grand old Bond tradition, and if an occasional stuffed tiger is told to “Sit-ah!” well, I suppose that’s the price we have to pay for a historic Battle of the Bonds. PS: Roger won. Sean had to work with Kevin McClory again… Call it a score for NOW, making the tally…
NOW: 6
THEN: 4
TIE: 7
A VIEW TO A KILL: As I’ve stated elsewhere, I have a sentimental fondness for this one: as a long-time resident of the San Francisco Bay area, I just get a charge out of seeing Bond drive a fire truck through the streets of San Francisco…or climb out of a blazing SF City Hall…or cavorting around a mansion built in the post-Gold Rush California style, even if he’s in the company of Tanya Roberts’ shrill marionette of a Bond girl while doing so. Yes, Moore is visibly past the age when he should have retired from the 00 Section; yes, the plot is a tired reworking of Goldfinger all the way down to the point of an “investor” paying the fatal price for “dropping out” of the villain’s nefarious scheme…but Christopher Walken is such a gleeful lunatic as Max Zorin, and Patrick Macnee is so lovable as Sir Godfrey Tibbet, that all sins are forgiven. Yes, even those of Grace Jones. It’s all a TIE for me; I enjoyed it then and I enjoy it now. Even when Tanya Robert shrieks, “JAAAAAAAAAMES!” for the umpty-fifth time.
THEN: 8
NOW: 8
TIE: 1
@royale65, enjoy your time away from the forum -- and I hope we'll all enjoy SPECTRE NOW, THEN, and FOREVER!
I said I shall be resuming this thread in early November, but I decided against it because of all of the new Spectre threads. I was going to get this thread back up and running on Monday, but you know, life and such. I think it is about time to dust this one off...
For the new members, I thought I would just post our mission statement, from the first page -
In this thread, gentle readers, we are going to share our first experience of seeing a Bond movie, be it in the cinema, VHS or DVD, our reactions to it, and our thoughts now.
We look back on the first time we saw each particular Bond film, and our reaction, now.
And now -
The Living Daylights
Then –
The 60's and 70's films were on constantly when I was a young 'un. (Or so it seemed). But I don't recall the 80's Bond films being on TV as much. So the first time I watched The Living Daylights was on my VHS in the early 2000's. And it's always been right up there, with my favourite Bond films.
Now –
A top five Bond film.
Then -
Now - 1 -by a smidgen
Tie -