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Does anyone actually like AVTAK

identigraphidentigraph
edited November 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 1,052
This entry has of course taken a lot of flak over the years and of course some of it is deserved. Personally I always loved this one when I was a kid and still hold a bit of a soft spot for it!

I personally agree that this probably was one to many for Rog but I guess he was just filling the space until the right new guy was available, and although getting on a bit he was still pretty good in the film and of course Zorin is one of the better villans (in my opinion).

Does anyone else out there get some enjoyment from this one or is it universally hated?
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Comments

  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    i liked the eifel tower jump, zorin and the theme song. I do enjoy moores bond but he was way too old for this film. I don't like mayday. So overall it isn;t one of my favourites but i don't think its too bad, i can understand why some people wouldn't like it
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    edited November 2011 Posts: 1,497
    A View To a Kill is an excellent Bond film. It has a great story with a plot that moves right along. I particularly like the fact that we get some good backstory on the villain Zorin and his relationship to Dr. Carl Mortmer. We get a good explanation for his insanity. The main conflict of the story is very similar to that of Goldfinger, in which the main villain plots a plan to destroy a major American system that would shatter the current infrastructure and destroy thousands of lives in the process: in this case it is Silicon Valley to gain monopoly on the micro-chip market, much like Goldfinger gaining monopoly on the gold market. I thought the connection to the micro-chip and the super-powered horses was an interesting connection and the whole idea of humans creating a super-being with Zorin himself.

    Not only that, but we also get a true back-story with the lead Bond girl, something we don't always get. Also, like Goldfinger, the femme fatale of the story May Day (just like Pussy Galore), ends up turning to the side of good and saves the day at the end. I like that, in fact the scene when she martyrs herself on the mining car gets me a bit emotional.

    I used to hate AVTAK. It didn't have any of those great Bond qualities that I loved about the earlier Bond's: the lush locations, the great action sequences, the gorgeous women, the overall style. In AVTAK, the actions not that great, the locations look pretty lackluster, John Glen as usual makes for a pretty bland looking film, and of course all of MI6: Bond, M and Moneypenny dearly needed to retire at this point.

    But after revisiting this film, a little older, a little wiser, and removing my biases for what a Bond film should be, I really appreciated this one. Ironically, I saw a lot of classic Bond qualities in this film: mainly that this is just really a great spy movie at it's core.

  • obin_gamobin_gam
    Posts: 268
    I love it. For me its probably Moores second best film (FYIO gets the top spot) and i think all the credit should go to Christopher F***** Walken! That man was born to be a Bondvillain plain and simple!

    Also this
  • PanchitoPistolesPanchitoPistoles 2.0
    Posts: 4,619
    I really like AVTAK, it's a good movie especially after the abysmal OP. The scene where Bond and Sutton escape from the fire is one of Moore's best moment as Bond.

    ...and this is just so epic:

  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited November 2011 Posts: 15,713
    Yes AVTAK is a fantastic Bond film. Sir Rog on top of his game, Walken is pure awesome, great action scenes, good location in the french estate and Paris, another stellar Barry score... What's not to like ??

    ....John Glen's boring directing and cinematography, that's what....

    ....... But everything else about AVTAK is pure awesome !! (expect the love scene with Grace Jones)
  • boldfingerboldfinger
    Posts: 5,767
    Does anyone else out there get some enjoyment from this one or is it universally hated?
    What a silly question! AVTAK is Moore in top form! "My name´s Saint-John-Smythe. I´m English." He is so good, even the scariest Bond girl of all times and one of the most braindead Bond girl of all times can´t do it any harm. And it has Christopher Walken.
    I like how Moore alternates between grandfatherly comfort and boyish charme.

    I even forgive the film the back projection in the climax scene, pretending it´s a hommage to some old Hitchcock films.

  • BFGBFG
    Posts: 12
    Always liked this outing. No more to say on the matter.
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    edited November 2011 Posts: 4,341
    I watched AVTAK back when it came out. The other huge hits that summer were Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome and Back to The Future, both of which were sooo much more entertaining. I thought that the James Bond series had come to a natural death back then and the only reason there was hope for the Bond aficionado was that Moore now also looked too old for the role and certainly a younger face was waiting to fill the dinner suit.
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    @DaltonCraig007: Well said sir. You hit the nail on the head. John Glen and the cinematography are easily the weakest links.
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    The other huge hits that summer were Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome and Back to The Future, both of which were sooo much more entertaining.
    Comparing apples to oranges though...

  • CoH_GHOST_007CoH_GHOST_007
    Posts: 303
    I've never minded it, i always thought it was underated, that 'golden gate bridge' fight was so tense and doesn't look fake. Sure it has some bad qualities, but i enjoy it.
  • doubleonothingdoubleonothing Los Angeles
    Posts: 864
    Yup, really like it.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited November 2011 Posts: 24,157
    Of course I like it, though it is one of my least favourite films in the series. But I'm a Bond fan so that's not saying much. It's like having to choose from 22 dazzling beauties which one is among the least pretty and picking one merely on boob size.

    However, AVTAK does have its flaws. I will say flat-out though that Roger isn't one of them in my book. I think he carries this film on his angelic wings. Too old? Nah, silly argument. They shouldn't have plastered him with all the make-up though. I bet there was a pretty decent Roger Moore underneath those layers. But he's nonetheless giving us a very enjoyable performance and I will say that he's a fine actor even if he himself has openly stated otherwise.

    I like Walken. I even like... Roberts. No no, no fights, I mean it! Tanya Roberts is smoking and she's not even half as bad as some around here seem to think. She plays the part she was given. Period.

    Barry's score is stupendous! 'nuff said!

    As for Glen, I have no problems with Glen's directing. I've always had a soft spot for Glen's work in the 80s. I think he understands pacing and storytelling and if you pay close attention to his films, you can recognise the urge to remain precise and to have things delicately balanced. He made films for a mature audience and having come to age myself (I'm 29 - that's old and my pupils never let me forget it!), I respect his work even more.

    So what does annoy me ever so slightly about AVTAK? The plot. I'm serious - it makes no sense. A certain member once tried to convince me of the plot's waterproof logic. My conclusion; it ain't there. But again, that's like saying you like a girl less because she's got a B instead of a C. There's enough about AVTAK for me to like besides the plot, which explains why this film is in my top 20 ranking. Hey, I'm serious, it's no shame being in the top 20 of a series so darn good as the Bond series!

    And now, the bubbles will tickle my Tchaikovsky...
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    I even like... Roberts. No no, no fights, I mean it! Tanya Roberts is smoking and she's not even half as bad as some around here seem to think. She plays the part she was given. Period.
    I agree. I feel like if she didn't have that one scene during the City Hall fire, where she screeches out "James!!!" with the most ear-piercing tone immaginable, she would get a lot more respect around here. As I said earlier, her character has some backstory that is at stake to the main plot.

  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited November 2011 Posts: 2,629
    I like Christopher Walken, Patrick McAnee, Duran Duran and John Barry. It's everything else about AVTASK that troubles me greatly.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    I like it but it's all rather tied and worn out. Most of all we needed a change in lead actor but the girls, action and plot all needed work too. Average but A View To A Kill has it's charms.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    I enjoy every Bond movie on some level - yes, even the retched DAD.. because quite simply, I would rather watch that, than many of the lousy films outside of the Bond series.. Bond at his worst is still better than Hollywood at it's worst (which is majority of the time)

    AVTAK i recognize as being on the lower end of the totem pole with Bond films, but it's still an enjoyable fun ride..

    I can't put the blame on the shoulders of Moore for his performance, because I am pretty sure he was giving 100% to what was written for the script.. that being said, what makes his performance "off" for me, is that the script is without Moore's usual humor and wit - it seemed to play itself a little more serious than his other films.. and I can only imagine that when writing the script, they weren't sure if Rog would be returning, so they wrote a generic Bond... but it's obvious at age 57 that he was starting to show his age.. whether that was natural, or poor makeup job - it looked like he aged 20 years between OP and AVTAK...

    Walken never disappoints in repeated viewings... i do admit, I enjoy his villain merely because it's Walken and it's fun to parody.. but beyond that, I do enjoy the sadistic nature Zorin has - and he executes it at times with a playful charm, that you can't help but to laugh right along with him.

    The plot, well, like any Bond flick, it has it's share of holes, so I don't put too much faith into any Bond plot that it's 100% believable... some are more accurate than others - but each have their own level of disbelief that needs to be suspended in order to enjoy the movie...

    My only real problem with this film is Ms Sutton... sure, she is more than easy on the eyes - but her constant wailing drove me nuts... i know, i know - she was just doing what she was being directed to do.... but that is what made her character annoying to me - and it didn't help that had her get snuck up on by blimp, and subsequently captured.... they must run on Prius technology lol.

  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    If you watch again Roberts and Moore on that cringeworthy ending on the Golden Gate Bridge you'll happen to notice the background shaking around like it must have been when the big one hit San Francisco back in 1906, are you sure that wasn't actual footage taken at the time of the event :L

    All Roberts does is scream and yell 'Jaaames' every two minutes from what I can remember, Grace Jones is wasted, Dolph Lundgren has a ten second cameo, was it even worth turning up, although Walter Gottell seemed to feature more than in recent episodes

    The freakin' awful Fire Truck chase through SF with Moore swinging around on ladders and all that ensues is more Buster Keaton than James Bond 007

    Teaser is almost non existent, and yet again Moore ends up spending a few hours in the company of a lady who could easily represent a daughter etc

    The fight scenes, particularly at the Sutton mansion and the distribution center with Moore puffing it out with some heavies, does warrant some genuine, if unintentional amusement

    Was Patrick McNee even needed here, well if they had Diana Rigg previous..

    Zorin/Walken is fun to watch, surreal, unique etc, but a little one dimensional

    This is undeniably one of the weakest entries in the entire Bond series and a sorry way for Roger Moore to depart

  • SAMSAM
    Posts: 107
    I have never been aboard the band wagon that constantly criticise A View To A Kill.

    Thought the premise was quite entertaining.

    Agreed, this James Bond production is certainly not a classic; though there have been much worse - Die Another Day

    Despite being Roger Moore's most disliked Bond feature - There were a number of positives:

    - Though Roger Moore is much too old, he still gives a respectable performance

    - A fine performance by Christopher Walken as sinister Max Zorin

    - A strong supporting role from The Avengers star Patrick McNee



  • actonsteveactonsteve
    Posts: 1,492
    I have always enjoyed it. Any flaws are ironed out by interesting locations, Moore and John Barrys score.

    There are some truly wonderful bits in it such as the music starting up as they swing towards the Golden Gate, the car stunt where it drives on to the roof of the bus and then off again along the Paris quais, and the flooding of the mine is pretty spectacular.

    I dont mind Ms Roberts either. My only complaint is not having a big bruising fight with Mayday. She just gets her hands on him when they plunge into the briny.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,128
    A great send off for Sir Rog, who is still giving the role his all. Despite his age, and the aging Mi6 staff (including the wonderful Patrick Macnee) this is an enjoyable film.
    What more could one want?
    Moore, Walken and Macnee!
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    So many things to admire, yet put those things together and it simply fails to catch light. Thanks, as @DaltonCraig007 says to Mr Glen.
  • forgotmyusernameforgotmyusername
    Posts: 2,782
    As a romp, it's fab..but CW was misplaced in this film...he should have been kept for a darker bond movie. Gunning down all those men in cold blood doesn't sit right with RM's rock salt shot gun.
  • Monsieur_AubergineMonsieur_Aubergine Top of the Eiffel Tower with a fly in my soup!
    Posts: 642
    All i can say is "Brilliant..I'm almost speechless with admiration".. it sits a little on it's own but as a swansong and the end of an era piece I just watch it enjoying it with Rog.

    He doesn't display an ounce of the surlyness of Connery in the final days of his tenure and I love AVTAK, for all it's faults. :-)
  • identigraphidentigraph
    Posts: 1,052
    Good to see some love for this film, I will probably get shot down for this but I prefer to it the film that followed it which I gather is a bit of a fan favrouite.
  • jamesdutjamesdut
    Posts: 95
    I like AVTAK i think it has some great stunts, locations and lets be honest one of the best villians in Zorin plus mayday is without dought one of the best female parts of any bond film played by Grace jones as she is strong and stubon and no push over. Most of the criticasim comes from moore's performance which he is going through the motions but hey this was his seventh film and he knew what he was doing. Without this film the series would not be as strong as it is with it.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    I like AVTAK. Its a good film and most importantly its a highly movie. Walken is an excellent villain, Moore is on top form with his panache and humour, the stunts are great, Barry's score is excellent and I know people hete Stacy Sutton by have no problem with her character, she's one sexy mamma.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,244
    @Darth well here's that member of the boards that tried to convince you, and he's absolutely right! iiiiiiiiiitttsss ME! memememe!
    sorry, just paraphrasing Lord Flashheart there, but still, I am right about the plot, it makes sense.
    Going after the horse-trickery would bring them closer to Zorin's operations, allthough they obviously hadn't counted on Aubergine getting killed. After that it was only natural to follow up his investigations: apparently they were important enough for Zorin to kill over.
    AVTAK is still one of my favorite Bond-films, and close to LALD, which i consider RM's best. It has an increadable soundtrack, nice locations, Christopher Walken in one of his best performances, a lot of humour, but not as slapstick as we've gotten accustomed to with RM.
    Yes, it's a great film!
  • Whitaker1987Whitaker1987
    Posts: 172
    Love AVTAK and can't wait to see it on ITV4 this friday. Its on the same time as BBC Children In Need so not a problem there.

    Not against CIN but Bond is miles ahead plus Bond has been apart of CIN remember the news casters doing a medly of Bond songs?

    No hate for any Bond film here.
  • The_ReaperThe_Reaper
    edited November 2011 Posts: 1,092
    It's a fun movie. There are some weak moments but it doesn't take itself too seriously. I grew up with Moore as Bond and AVTAK, OP and MR are the first Bond movies I ever saw, AVTAK was the first I saw in the theater, so this three film block will always have a soft spot in my affections towards Bond.

    There are some great scenes here. I love the rock salt shotgun fight when he first meets Tonya Roberts, who's ridiculously hot, btw and I like that they aren't afraid to get a little hardcore. His ally gets killed in a brutal fashion, Zorin kills that diver spy in a bad way, and blowing up the mine is a nice, nasty touch.

    I wish they had focused on Moore's age. They could have sent him off right and given it a bit more gravitas, like, this is an aging, still fighting for all he's worth super agent and the whole affair would have mattered more. He gave a great performance but the script and some of the story elements were lacking at times.
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