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Comments
Thunderball!
Even someone who votes for it cant ignore the main problem. Its dull, dull, dull. Cut out 10 minutes? Try half an hour.
The stuff in Shrublands is entertaining enough but ultimately pretty much superfluous to the plot. The hijacking of the bombs is well done even though camouflaging the plane takes about 4 hours of screen time. But after Bond arrives in Nassau the film grinds to a halt as he has a nice holiday swimming, drinking and shagging at the taxpayers expense. Unless Fiona is on screen Sean just strolls around with his smug GF face on of a bloke who has read the script and knows everything will turn out alright in the end.
For what should be a thrilling premise there is absolutely zero tension once Bond arrives in the Bahamas. How close does SPECTRE get to detonating the bombs? Nowhere near is the answer. One is caught in some old boat off the Florida coast and the other sees SPECTRE caught red handed and even if they were to detonate it as the marines parachute in what would be the damage? Nassau wiped off the map. A bit of a bummer for those in the blast zone but ultimately who cares? And the fact is they cant detonate it anyway because they never even get the fuses out of the box and Kotze throws them into the sea FFS!! Contrast this with ‘be at least 20 miles away when it goes off’ and Berkoffs insane performance and there is no comparison in suspense.
If SPECTRE is blackmailing the west I want to see Bond saving us from Armageddon at the last possible instant. A bit like – oh whats that other film where Bond stops a nuclear warhead going off and prevents WW3 with the tension ratcheted up to 11 as everybody thinks he is crazy and the army are holding him back from defusing the bomb?
OP might not be as taut as FRWL, OHMSS or CR but it shows exactly how to do an over the top Bond. Fantastic action set pieces, Sir Rog on sparkling form, great villains and it all rattles along at a cracking pace and then just as you are thinking its your average Roger Moore romp it changes gear for the last half hour into the most tension packed bomb countdown in the series before giving you a little cherry on the top after the main climax with some preposterous stuff featuring Q in a union jack hot air balloon and Bond hanging onto the outside of a plane.
Yes it has its flaws but these are generally fleeting moments (the tarzan call, the camel double take, the croc submarine) which are soon over and replaced with something brilliant. In Cubbys old maxim of ‘putting every penny on screen’ and giving you value for money OP is probably only rivalled by MR for consistently entertaining you throughout its running time. TB might also have every penny up there but as it launches into another plodding underwater sequence theres only so long you can say ‘yes this is pretty impressive cinematography for 1965’ before you have to add the caveat ‘but christ I wish theyd get on with it.’ And before everyone says TB is classic Bond - what does that even mean? Yes its Terence Young, yes its Connery and yes it has Fleming as its source material (well perhaps - how much of it is McClory and Whittingham?). That doesnt mean its not all just a bit 'meh'. As an adaptation of the novel its pretty fainthful but I have to say I find the TB novel to be pretty middling. Certainly its far from Flemings best - whether thats the McClory influence again is another debate but TB in neither book nor film form never hits the heights of FRWL and OHMSS.
Just to clarify: my vote goes to OP.
TB is not as well written as it could be. the shrublands scenes are too coincidental to be belivable, ( I mean Bond just happens to be recovering there where the SPECTRE plan in put into action.) And with Count Lippe death(motor bike blows up a car on an English country road) where Bond does not even bother to mention it back at Mi6 (WTF, I mean Bond basically left the scene of an accident and does not stick around to investigate or notify authorities? Duh...)
Bond does not do much real spy work he kinda stumbles onto the SPECTRE plan. And some parts of the film is just undeniably boring.
At the risk of being acused of sacriledge and getting hit in the mouth my thoughts. TB is an iconic film but IMO it pales in comparison to say GF, DN, or FRWL.
i guess TB
Don't need to say a word about Octopussy, gave that a thorough review a few days ago, highlighting points and pitfalls
Thunderball wins, I should really see this again sometime if able
Overall, OP is much more entertaining and fast-paced whereas TB tends to drag out several scenes lack in action for a good time period, leaving us waiting for the next gun or fist fight. In OP, the action scenes and the plot scenes are spaced out well enough to keep us engaged and attentive. This is the biggest determining factor, because both movies are equal in villains and locations; also, I like TB's score better than OP's, but as stated before, OP is ten thousand times more fun and entertaining. Though let is be said, both movies are very close in my rankings. Still OP gets the win!
RIGHT ON. CAN I GET A WITNESS?
ROGER MOORE!!! Well in all seriousness, I do believe that TB is one of the better Bond movies out there, but OP rivals it in many aspects and betters it in others. Both come down to the wire, let it be said.
Delighted to see Octopussy putting up a surprisingly valiant fight against such a Bond 'standard'. I love that film.
Seconded. I've read complaints about a "boring" TB but that must've been a different cut. I think it moves along pretty slickly and quickly. AVTAK and TWINE seem more slowly paced IMHO. Plus Connery at the top of his form and the best gallery of Bond girls in the series. What's not to love?
I quite enjoy these type of things
Moonraker vs. The World is not Enough
This was a tough call... They're both among my least favourite films.
MR for me.