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@JamesBondRadio I too rewatched it recently and I surprised myself how I found it to be a decent movie actually.
I personally (and I might be the only one) didn't like TB at all and I still don't think that NSNA is great movie but somehow the cheesyness made NSNA enjoyable
Meh
Yes, there are existing threads for discussing this film. Take your pick:
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/1712/never-say-never-again-was-it-that-bad-imo-no-it-wasnt/p1
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/8002/never-say-never-again-looking-back-30-years-on/p1
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/370/never-say-never-again-a-bond-film/p1
Still it beats DAF, TMWTGG and possibly others in the official canon.
Not the worst film out there that's for sure.
Right.It's still in pretty good shape.
Also, while EON Productions always said that a "Bond film can not survive with the perfect mixture of the typical Bond elements, like Monty Norman's James Bond theme and the Gunbarrel sequence", the past three Bond films with Daniel Craig in it actually showed that these elements aren't always that sacred. So far we haven't seen the gunbarrel at the start. And moreover, EON Productions (David Arnold) pro-actively downplayed the use of the James Bond theme.
This thread is to discuss the positive aspects of the film "Never Say Never Again". I am really curious what you liked about the film and not so much what you didn't like. And it's a topic that also indulges into the behind the scenes videos....something we rarely do with the unofficial Bond film "NSNA".
And moreover, isn't it nice to get at least some positive feelings back that surrounded this unique unofficial Bond film during its premiere in 1983? Don't you think Sean Connery looked terrific in 1982/1983?
Full report of the 1983 Royal Premiere of "Never Say Never Again":
The Guardian Lectures: Sean Connery about "Never Say Never Again":
Behind The Scenes of "Never Say Never Again":
The NBC Today Show: "Octopussy vs. Never Say Never Again":
Yes its outlandish, yes some of the music is bad, and yes the special effects(missles and motor cycles) were as low budget and unoriginal as they come. But I do love Barbara Carrera, Kim Basinger, and Brandauer.
It's funny, earlier I just happened to see a pretty good deal on the Bluray/DVD Combo pack on ebay($9.97+2.99shipping) if anyone's interested in picking up a copy. I really enjoy having it on bluray. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Never-Say-Never-Again-Blu-ray-DVD-/191488375549?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c9598bafd
The special features are nice and the audio commentary with Kershner are actually quite funny in some spots. He makes sure that you know he was using a shoestring budget.
BUT, Connery is real spry, there are some good action scenes, and overall I enjoy myself.
And the video game battle cracks me up. Absolutely the worst of the Connery Bond films though.
Well, that's certainly an elaborate comment :-). Let me show you my ranking of the Bond films and where "NSNA" is in that ranking:
Top quality films!!!:
01 --> 9.5/10 --> 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'
02 --> 9.3/10 --> 'From Russia With Love'
03 --> 9.0/10 --> 'Skyfall'
04 --> 8.7/10 --> 'Casino Royale'
05 --> 8.3/10 --> 'Thunderball'
06 --> 8.0/10 --> 'For Your Eyes Only'
Good films!:
07 --> 7.6/10 --> 'Doctor No'
08 --> 7.5/10 --> 'Octopussy'
09 --> 7.4/10 --> 'The Living Daylights'
10 --> 7.1/10 --> 'Licence To Kill'
11 --> 7.0/10 --> 'Goldfinger'
Average films:
12 --> 6.7/10 --> 'The World Is Not Enough'
13 --> 6.4/10 --> 'Quantum Of Solace'
14 --> 6.2/10 --> 'The Man With The Golden Gun'
15 --> 6.0/10 --> 'Live And Let Die'
16 --> 5.8/10 --> 'Never Say Never Again' (non-EON)
Fun stuff for Bond nerds, but as a standalone film bad and sometimes even groce!:
17 --> 5.6/10 --> 'The Spy Who Loved Me'
18 --> 5.3/10 --> 'Diamonds Are Forever'
19 --> 5.0/10 --> 'Moonraker'
20 --> 4.8/10 --> 'Tomorrow Never Dies'
21 --> 4.5/10 --> 'You Only Live Twice'
22 --> 4.2/10 --> 'GoldenEye'
23 --> 3.4/10 --> 'A View To A Kill'
24 --> 2.8/10 --> 'Die Another Day'
25 --> 1.0/10 --> 'Casino Royale' (non-EON)
Probably the list will change in the next months. But in all honesty, it never really changed through the years.
Why do I have NSNA on 16th place? I think it's a pretty good spy flick, in which the pace is perhaps not ultra-fast, but in which the characters get the chance to evolve. I loved Klaus Maria Brandauer as Largo. IMO a very underrated villain....and mainly underrated because he was playing in "that unofficial film".
That also goes for Fatima Blush, played by Barbara Carrera. Many Bond fans tend to forget that she's the only actor/actress in a Bond film that got full acting recognition for her role during the Golden Globes of 1984. She actually got nominated. And like Javier Bardem in "Skyfall", Barbara was shortlisted for a 'Best Supporting Actress Oscar" in 1984.
And regarding Carrera's role. Come onnn. She was amazing. It's basically the blueprint for Xenia Onatopp in "GoldenEye". One of the highlights of the film. BUT....forgotten, because her role was in an "unofficial film". I think it's unfair.
Now as you can see in my ranking I absolutely found "Octopussy" better than "NSNA". But I do think there are at least 7 to 8 official Bond films that were more lacklustre.....especially solely judged as a film.
This is my opinion off course. But in any case...."NSNA" deserves a bit more praise.
Nah, it's shit.
OK :-).
The fact you rank it above TSWLM is just laughable,
Other Supporting Cast
I dislike the remainder of the supporting cast immensely. They are lacking in charisma compared to the phenomenal group assembled for TB, and since NSNA was always going to be compared to TB, they should have upped the charisma quotient with the other actors.
Brandauer is ok, but he comes across a little insecure and whiney. He reminds me very much of Almaric's Greene in this way - both very insecure about their women. Adolfo Celi blew him away, as did Louis Jordan in OP.
I suppose Blofeld as played by Max Von Sydow is probably closer to the novels than any of EON's creations, but again, I did not find him charismatic enough or quirky enough.
Edward Fox is annoying to me. So is MP and don't let me get started on that clown playing Q. They should not have put MP & Q in this film while Maxwell and Llewelyn were still around for EON - the comparison was always going to be unfavourable.
Rowan Atkinson is ok given he is there for comic relief.
Kim Basinger proves again that she should return her Oscar. Halle must have taken lessons from her for DAD. This was the first blockbuster she nearly ruined (the next was Batman 6 yrs later). Nice to look at but boy she's wooden.
----
Other Comments
The action is fine. The cinematography is great. The shark sequence is near briliant. The bike sequence is also above average imo.
The lines are lacking however. This was something I really noticed, again in relation to the classic that is TB, and even in comparison to OP. Connery was in shape and back in the saddle, and they didn't give him much memorable to say. Given his trademark delivery, this was one of the biggest missed opportunities.
As was said earlier, the other big loss is John Barry. If this film had John Barry we would be talking about it quite differently now. I dare say, with a Barry score, it could have bested OP in box office (it came pretty close on box office without him).
Now, as @Gustav_Graves has pointed out, we don't need a Barry score, the Bond theme, or the gunbarrel for it to be a proper Bond film, as EON themselves has shown us. However, one does need a decent score. The score from Legrande is a complete disgrace. The absolute worst in the franchise history.
----
Conclusion
So with a better score, some better casting, better lines, and no MP or Q, this would have been up there as one of the better 80's efforts imo. It's not quite as bad as many think - but it's not great either because of the above.
Well, thank you for your nice remark....
In my opinion.....TSWLM was a YOLT part 2. Everything had to be big, bigger biggest. Don't get me wrong. As a Bond film TSWLM hit most of its boxes. But judged as a film....I'm less impressed.
I also never was a fan of both Lewis Gilbert and Guy Hamilton. Especially Lewis Gilbert on many occasions said that it's only family entertainment. Whereas Timothy Dalton said during the "50 Years of Bond" documentary that Bond was never meant for kids. Well....call me more of a Tim Dalton fan then.
By the way, regardless of what I think about TSWLM as a film, I'm actually watching this documentary. Immensely interesting :-):
Has anyone seen the fan version of NSNA, Never Say McClory Again?
I like the joke about the explosive the goon had to hold...
But yeah, I find it fairly unwatchable myself. I rate it equal to or just below MR.
Um yes you do. A Bond movie without a Bond theme, Gunbarrel or good theme music takes away everything that makes it a Bond movie. Without those elements you just have British Bourne Identity. Bland and without it's own identity. (excuse the pun.)
Are you making fun of SF here???