It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Similar to my review on TLD, and yet entirely opposite of that opinion, I don't understand why I enjoy DAF as much as I do. Much like my mediocre feelings towards TLD, there's no real reason why I should favor DAF the way that I do. Its entire approach is goofy, the plot holes are frequent and big enough to fall through, Charles Gray is a horrid Blofeld, Norman Burton may be the worst Felix Leiter in the series, and Connery is way past his Bond prime. Even still, I absolutely adore DAF. Perhaps it's the witty, quotable dialogue, the glossy scenery, the colorful ensemble of outrageous characters, and the outlandish, adventurous feeling of the plot, and the ear-pleasing soundtrack that draw me in. All of those perks combined probably shouldn't outweigh the more glaring factors mentioned previously, but nonetheless, I guess they do. Sometimes it just doesn't add up!
2014/2015 Winter Bondathon
1. From Russia with Love
2. Tomorrow Never Dies
3. Diamonds Are Forever
4. Thunderball
5. The Living Daylights
6. You Only Live Twice
7. The Spy Who Loved Me
From my recent rewatch, I realize like LTK, DAF is a movie I have been too harsh on in the past, but for different reasons.
You're right, it does not add up. I shouldn't have enjoyed it so much the last time I saw it, but I really did. So much so that I'm going to watch it again before the year is up.
My view on Connery's performance has gone up immeasurably, and yes, the lines are as witty as ever, and that to me is very important in a Bond film. Something I really hope we get in SP.
Too true! I love trying to follow the path of the diamonds as they trade hands up the "pipeline" along Wint and Kidd's assassination trail. Even after Blofeld is revealed as the big cheese behind the scheme and the diamonds are revealed to be a part of his giant laser satellite, I still find enjoyment in Bond working with the likes of Willard Whyte in their attempt to thwart his plot. Few Bond movies care this little about being down to Earth! (MR and DAD would be the only others in that category, but they take it too far)
I don't hate watching Gray's Blofeld, but coming off of the more chilling performances from the unseen Blofeld, Pleasance, and Savalas, Gray seems too cheesy in the role. Besides, given all of the other Blofeld performances, I don't understand why DAF made him so much different- isn't his personality supposed to remain the same? As for Pleasance, I think he could have really done something great with his take on Blofeld if he had been given more than the last 20 minutes of YOLT to do so.
He does appear very dull, I'll give you that- I think he might have tried to be too chilling, to the point of not even being interesting. Blofeld has always been a troubled character for me. No single actor has gotten him right, besides the unseen performances in FRWL and TB. Pleasance didn't have enough time to flesh out his take, and thus came off a little boring; Savalas missed that crucial "larger-than-life" aspect in trying to be a little too grounded, and Gray was the polar opposite of Savalas, thus being incredibly cheesy. I can never definitively place a favorite on any of the "face Blofelds".
And what a finale, too! YOLT has been pretty rock solid in terms of action set pieces. In the first half you've got the fight with Osato's driver, Bond's subsequent getaway, the car chase when Aki rescues Bond from Osato Chemicals the second time, and the Kobe Docks shenanigans. Then, with the second half, you've got the Little Nellie helicopter duel, some interspersed killings with the ninja camp assassins (Aki's killer and the impostor with the bamboo blade), and the volcano lair payoff at the end. Aside from some of those scenes in the second half leading up to the volcano lair invasion, YOLT remains fairly busy.
It's sad that my favourite Blofelds are in FRWL & TB (and we don't even get to see their faces!).
Hopefully we are subjected to the definitive performance in either SP or B25.
I love Pleasence's voice and the close ups of the white cat, but when Connery TOWERS over him later on you do think "wow, he's pretty small". Bad case of Short Man Syndrome.
Yes. there is no way he is the same guy as in FRWL/TB.
Nice theory for the Pleasance haters.
After watching The Man With The Golden Gun, I can finally say I'm back to a film that I really enjoy. Honestly, I believe this film to be the crown-jewel in the Bond franchise. The film has the best soundtrack in the series, some of the best cinematography and editing seen in the series, too. With OHMSS, the Bond films had fully matured. It's a shame that later entries would revert back to the gadget laden and OTT antics that would become a staple of the Moore-era.
Some people put Lazenby as a fault for this film but I believe him to be a positive of the film for sure. The entire supporting cast is on top form: Savalas, Rigg, Lee, etc. The MI6 regulars are also given more screen-time and are able to add more characterizations to the proceedings. Also, as I've said before, the use of the Bond Theme during the end credits of the film is an inspired choice - Bond has just lost one of the only people he's ever truly loved...for this reason, the Bond Theme is a great choice that screams, "Bond may be down but he's not out! He's going to return!" It's too bad that the next time we would truly see him again wouldn't be until 2006.
Rankings (from best to worst):
From Russia With Love
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Goldfinger
Casino Royale '06
Dr. No
Quantum Of Solace
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
Live And Let Die
The Man With The Golden Gun
Diamonds Are Forever
This is where I would say "Phase 1" of my Bondathon is done. So far I've watched CR, QOS, DN, FRWL, GF, LALD, TB, YOLT, DAF, TMWTGG and now OHMSS in that order. After the emotionally charged ending of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, For Your Eyes Only is the best jumping off point for "Phase 2."
James Bond Will Return in For Your Eyes Only!
Tomorrow Never Dies - Well, it finally happened. This one had been plummeting in my rankings for a long time now but this time I walked away almost completely satisfied. Yes, it still has issues but I had too much fun to care about (most) of them. Brosnan and Pryce brought such an enthusiasm to their respective roles that I could forgive some of the bad puns. Wai Lin has never been my favorite Bond girl but I think I gained a new appreciation for her this time around. She is a true underdog. The second half is a bit of a let down. GE and the first half of TND are pretty great. Then, things start to go downhill and the Brosnan era never truly recovers. Trend - Moving Up.
Quantum of Solace - At times, this feels like an Independent film disguised as a Bond flick. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing in my book. It's one of the "different" ones and either you're going to go with it or you're not. Perhaps a bit like LTK in that regard. I have always enjoyed it and am glad to see more and more Bond fans warming up to it now that the dust has settled. I love it's earnest and somber approach. Trust me, the editing gets on my nerves at times as well. It's also an obvious step down from CR. I remain captivated anyway. Almost seven years on now, it's interesting to see how some of the technology and fashions come across as a bit outdated. Oh, and I love Arnold's score. Personally, I feel it's his best. Trend - No Change.
The train sequence is still amazing. :)
- Diamonds Are Forever
- Moonraker
- Octopussy
- Tomorrow Never Dies
- Die Another Day
Some more than others, obviously, but back when i was younger I didn't really enjoy much of those 5. Nowadays it is 5 more Bond films I find myself really enjoying.
:)>-
Say what you will about QoS--and I've said plenty!--but the film is never boring. It is gripping from start to finish and there's little wasted footage. After last night's viewing, I'd say it's somewhat underrated.
I would agree if the version of the theme was any different. Instead, Barry treats us to an eerie, somewhat-bittersweet recording of the theme that he had been teasing us with throughout the pre-title sequence.
I also want to point out how bold the ending really is...even Casino Royale, which has a downbeat ending, allows the situation to defuse for another ten to fifteen minutes before ending (I know the novel has Bond discovering her body and ending moments after) while On Her Majesty's Secret Service smash-cuts to the ending credits from an image of Bond cradling his dead wife in his arms. I think this is the strongest (and ironically, saddest) ending to any Bond film, period.
Now, continuing on with my Bondathon. Last night I followed On Her Majesty's Secret Service up with For Your Eyes Only.
I once consider this to be Moore's best Bond film. However, in more recent times, it has fallen in my rankings slightly. Don't get me wrong, For Your Eyes Only is a rather good Bond film. However, parts are better than the whole and it feels like the action scenes in this film are used as padding, instead of completely thrilling.
Watching this film off the heels of OHMSS was definitely interesting, however. Bond visiting Tracy's grave and getting attacked by Blofeld after helps tie the films together really well. Afterwards, Moore spends the rest of the film telling Melina that she should be prepared to dig "two graves," somewhat hinting that avenging Tracy didn't bring her back...a motion that Bond previously stated in Quantum of Solace but it looks like Bond himself was blinded with Tracy's death.
Melina was an interesting Bond girl, although I do wish that Moore didn't bed her at the end. It really just felt superficial and tacked on. The Thatcher scene didn't really bother me so much this time around. It almost harkens back to the bizarre-ness of the old lady with a machine gun in Goldfinger. However, it feels like it would fit in better with a Moore film that didn't take itself as seriously as For Your Eyes Only. The rock climbing scene towards the climax of the movie is definitely a series highlight, especially when you figure in Bond really has to think on his toes here. I love the idea of Moore using his shoelaces to help him climb up. This was really an inspired choice.
My biggest gripe with the film is that it just seems so forgettable when placed in line with the rest of the Bond cannon. I find the villains to be rather forgettable. Luigi doesn't make much of an impact in his limited role. Bibi doesn't really bother me, although she does represent somewhat of a misguided decision in this rather more "serious" effort. Conti's score is serviceable but most of it feels rather bland in my opinion.
All in all, a solid effort but without flaws. I appreciate that Cubby knew that he had to bring the series back down to Earth. However, I think he would balance the danger and comedy much better in Octopussy.
Ranking (From Best to Worst):
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Casino Royale '06
Dr. No
Quantum Of Solace
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
For Your Eyes Only
Live And Let Die
The Man With The Golden Gun
Diamonds Are Forever
Any time I do a Bondathon now, I'll be hard pressed not to watch the Blofeld films in the order I have this time.
Although entertaining AVTAK is a “below average” James Bond movie, in my opinion.
It does feature one of the best villain/henchwoman duo in the series (Zorin/MayDay), has the iconic Eiffel Tower scene and some other high points (Golden Gate bridge sequence for example) but, on the other hand, the tone is sometimes to light, the directing not always inspired and sloppy and Roger Moore was indeed, although still and always a gentleman, getting to old (not credible on both action or romantic scenes).
(Plus)
- Christopher Walken as Zorin
- Grace Jones as May Day;
- Patrick McNee as Tibbet;
- John Barry’s OST and Duran Duran theme song;
- Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge and the scenes at Zorin’s Chateaux…
(Minors)
- Tania Roberts as Stacey Sutton (beautiful but bas actress);
- San Francisco sequences in general (boring and badly directed);
- Action scenes are let down by a too old Roger Moore (to many blue screen scenes)..
I would give it a 006 out of 10.