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
Unlike some of his other entries, this one doesn't have any truly boneheaded, movie-destroying decisions. Unfortunately, it does have a whole bunch of regular bad decisions, and a lack of many redeeming features.
Among the movie's many mistakes are the "California Girls" cover, Bond's advanced age, the bizarre chase sequence with Bond driving a destroyed car, the dropping of the horse steroid plot without another word, yet another Goldfinger ripoff, Bond's advanced age, Stacey Sutton screaming "JAMES!" over and over again, the tension-free chase sequence on a firetruck, a thoroughly lifeless evil plot reveal, Stacey Sutton being ambushed by a blimp, and Bond's advanced age.
The movie does have a few good qualities, to be sure. Christopher Walken is at his hammy best as Zorin, and I've always had a soft spot for May Day, for whatever reason. The scene with Pola is fun, though it would certainly be better were she Anya Amasova, as originally planned. Zorin's rampage in the mine is also great, and though some people (Roger Moore included) thought it went too far, the series was about to take a major turn towards more realism and brutality.
Despite those scenes, the elephant in the room here is Moore's age. He's nearly sixty, far too old for the role, which is built in part on youth, sexual energy, and boyish charm. The stunts are obvious, and watching him and Moneypenny flirt at this age is nearly cringeworthy, especially given that they're both older than my parents. Still, no matter how badly it hurts AVTAK, both Moore and Lois Maxwell served the series well, and they deserve thanks for that.
The numerous bad decisions and paucity of great moments cost the movie, in the end, and we're left with yet another Moore entry in the bottom rung. Poor Sir Rog, he really was essential to the series. Onto another hard left turn in series history next week, with The Living Daylights!
1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia With Love
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. Dr. No
6. For Your Eyes Only
7. You Only Live Twice
8. Thunderball
9. Octopussy
10. Live and Let Die
11. Diamonds are Forever
12. A View to a Kill
13. The Man with the Golden Gun
14. Moonraker
Last time I saw it was in 2013 when it was released on Blu-ray.
This time I went into it throwing all my prejudices against it overboard.
The result: I enjoyed it much more and realised how good it is even with some major flaws that back then (2012/2013) almost ruined the viewing experience for me.
Verdict:
Skyfall has some bad writing which shouldn't have happened in a movie that takes itself very seriously.
Q is depicted as an imbecile of gigantic proportions which is sad.
Some cringe-worthy moments that are shattering, "Mommy was very bad" and homoerotic dialogue with clownish acting of Bardem, flashlight incident, empty subway crashing in the middle of the day.
Other than that Skyfall is simply breathtaking for the most part.
I realised once more that no other Bond movie has looked that great. It's a true masterpiece of cinematography and camera-work.
Everything in Shanghai, Macau, Scotland is fantastic.
The score of Newman is great in some scenes, in some it is rather dull.
I did a detailed review in the review section in the Skyfall thread if anyone is interested.
However, I think it's having a mini-renaissance: while the Bond series is currently going though a 'gritty' patch (really well IMO) I love returning to a sillier time with crazy stunts, broad comedy and Roger Moore at his quippiest. Holly Goodhead holds her own, too.
But it's Hugo Drax who lifts the film, as almost everything he says is GOLD. The understated performance of Michael Lonsdale is brilliant - one only has to imagine what the film would have been like if the villains of MR and TSWLM were swapped: MR would be half as entertaining.
Drax has become one of my favourite villains!
There's a reason they're forgotten ;)
My daughter's first was Casino Royale, but I'd guess she doesn't remember it as she was two weeks old at the time! Our local cinema offers one "Baby Day" screening a week where parents can take their young children without worrying about upsetting other patrons if their child starts to get fussy. Otherwise, they have a strict no talk/text rule.
My son is eager to continue with FRWL next!
The Living Daylights
TLD was much more enjoyable for me on this viewing. I was able to appreciate the plot's grounded balance between fun and realism more than I previously did; the direction is excellent and creates a very entertaining ride through a complex plot and some neat character development, though Kara will forever be a major nuisance. TLD proved itself this time as being a Bond movie that never tips the scale too far in either direction (goofy or realistically dull).
SkyFall
I noticed some flaws in the plot now that the "new Bond movie" hype has worn off, but those recognitions were not dangerous enough to threaten my liking for SF. It's a Bond movie that successfully supports its overly gloomy approach with nearly perfect characters, dialogue, and dramatic action sequences.
It truly gets better every time I watch it. It might contain some of the stupidest, cheesiest material in any Bond movie except DAF and DAD, but its light-hearted meets occasionally grim approach works out well for it in the end. The back-and-forth between comical fantasy and gritty, agent vs. assassin showdowns keeps TMWTGG in a "sweet spot" that, while occasionally tipping too far into goofiness, maintains its energy. High points go to Roger's rougher portrayal of 007, Francisco Scaramanga, and the generally swift pace of direction.
Things I Liked
- Daniel Craig as Bond. His performance is a touch lighter, which I think can also be attributed to the script, but I truly enjoy Craig's Bond. Never misses a beat even when squaring off against Bardem. Bond's final scene with M is great.
- Bond's brief relaxation on the beach after the pre-titles. One shot in particular when Bond is staring into space looking miserable; here is a man of action forced to a life of nothing. A great character moment.
- Javier Bardem as Silva. A rousing performance and great Bond baddie - certainly among the best and may very well be my favorite. Bardem (and the script) give him some oddly relatable traits which I really enjoyed. His final reaction when he realizes Bond has beaten him is fantastic.
- The rouge MI6 agent (Silva) with a personal grudge against M. Yes, the whole turncoat thing has been a trend with the last five (!) Bond films, but I enjoyed how Silva was kind of a "Bond-gone-crazy."
- Bérénice Marlohe as Severine. Very surprised this was her first major acting role. Great with Bond in the Casino, and manages to leave quite an impact despite a rather fleeting role.
- The Shanghai sniper sequence. Stunning visuals, great tension and a great silhouette fight to cap it all off.
- Silva's twisted target practice with Severine. This scene is pure Fleming - filled with tension and probably the best scene in the film.
- Adele's tune. This doesn't make the film any better necessarily, but I find it to be one of the best Bond songs.
Mixed
- The pre-titles sequence. There's some great action going on once they get aboard the roof of the train, but everything before that feels a tad middling. Not bad, mind you, but just kind of there.
- The retreat to Scotland. I actually like the idea of a "violent Home Alone" finale. What I don't quite understand is why Bond takes the head of British Intelligence to what ends up being a vulnerable and exposed spot. I do understand that Bond's plan was also to isolate Silva and get him away from a densely populated city, but feel like he could have done something that left them a little less outnumbered? Also the whole thing with the helicopter blasting away at the house and Silva then saying, "Nobody touch her," is a bit off. That's minor, though.
- Thomas Newman's score. While the soundtrack works in the film, it never excels like Barry's scores and is a fairly boring listen by its lonesome.
- Ben Whishaw as Q. The performance is good; I really like that Whishaw does his own thing and is not a Desmond Llewelyn rip-off. However, some of the choices he makes from a script perspective is a bit strange. Mainly, plugging in Silva's laptop into the MI6 network? Not a great idea.
- The "list." It's not the worst thing to hang an action film off of, but I ultimately felt Mission: Impossible handled it better. It is almost totally forgotten by the end of the film, despite its extreme importance earlier on. The balance just doesn't sit right with me.
Things I Can Do Without
- The CGI animals. This includes the scorpion and the Komodo Dragons. Just compare the scorpion to the tarantula in Dr. No, and the Komodos to the alligators in Live and Let Die, and you tell me which is more convincing.
- Naomie Harris as Monneypenny. I thought Harris was forcing it quite a bit, particularly the flirtatious moments with Bond. Call me a tad worried for Spectre when she is in full Monneypenny mode, but I will hopefully change my tune come November.
- Computers - lots of computers. I feel that new-age action films rely too much on computers and they are ultimately used as cheap plot devices. Example #1: Bond removes the bullet shrapnel from his torso and gives it to Tanner. Tanner analyzes it, and the film then uses a classic CSI TV show plot progression technique that I cannot stand ("Only one warehouse in the city makes this type of metal," "Only one place in New York sells this type of flower," or in Skyfall's case "Only three men in the world use such a bullet.") Some typing later, and we're all of a sudden at a lead. To me, that feels cheap. I also don't buy Bond discovering Granborough through the gobbledy-goop on the screen either. Eh, maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing, I don't know. Finally, I know Silva was supposed to be this master hacker but I guess I just didn't see that?
Once upon a time I remember thinking Skyfall was the greatest Bond film of them all. Certainly the glisten has worn off a bit, but I would still rank the film highly. The good outweighs the not-so-good by a fair margin.
8/10
Me too, at No 7 now when it once was at No 13 ;)
First things first, The Living Daylights. While in many ways a welcome change of pace from the excesses of the Moore years, it hasn't broken out of his paradigm completely, and so it's in some respects a confused movie. Dalton's dark focus is well-documented, but the movie still turns to the occasional bit of senseless goofiness (cello case, the entirety of General Koskov) that feels out of place. This also means that Dalton doesn't have the chance to fully flesh out his vision of Bond; the bit after he fails to shoot Kara where he comments "if M fires me, I'll thank him for it" feels out of place. This would be addressed in Licence to Kill, but more on that later.
All the same, Dalton does his best in every scene to make the movie a more serious affair and his Bond a more grounded secret agent. This is a welcome take on the character after Moore's goofiness. Unfortunately, he doesn't have half the suavity or comedic timing Sir Rog did, which leads to some disappointing moments. He does, however, nail the softer moments, much like Lazenby before him (despite their vastly differing acting experience).
On the subject of goofiness and seriousness, the movie is caught in a bizarre one-two with its villains and their requisite evil plot. Their evil plan is (while a little over complicated) relatively plausible and dependably evil. The villains themselves are completely hamfisted caricatures. Koskov, while entertaining, is far too goofy to take seriously, and Whitaker is an awful villain with the least Fleming-esque name in the series (seriously? Brad Whitaker? How did we go from Dr. Julius No and Ernst Stavro Blofeld to Brad Whitaker? He sounds like a supporting character in a romance novel.) The fact that Bond spends most of his time struggling against Koskov but ends up fighting Whitaker in the end and leaving Koskov to Poushkin and the Russians is another headscratcher. Necros, at least, was a great henchman, and by far the best of the Red Grant knockoffs.
Back to Poushkin for a second, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers does quite well in the role, especially when Bond holds him at gunpoint (by far the best scene in the movie) and then pretends to assassinate him, though it was clearly meant to be General Gogol, and would have had more dramatic weight if he were in the role. Curiously, this is the second film in a row an attempted actor's return was thwarted, although in the next movie, it would finally pay off. Gogol does show up at the end and is perfectly fine in his role, although his being happy to meet the Muhajideen is a little ridiculous.
The other two major supporting characters in the movie are Kara and Felix Leiter. Kara is believably sweet and innocent, yet not a mere prop or sex object like the earlier Bond girls. Her relationship with Bond is genuinely heartwarming, aided by Dalton's tender side. The less said about the block of wood masquerading as Felix, the better.
I do enjoy the more grounded feel of this movie and its general aesthetic, which boosts it a bit in the rankings.
Licence to Kill shows a much more cohesive vision of a Bond movie, although some might not like its vicious presentation and less glamorous locales. There's none of the confusion of TLD, as everything from Bond to the henchmen build the tension.
Dalton can really sink his teeth into this portrayal of Bond, as angry and abandoned by MI6, and he makes the most of this opportunity. He still overacts on occasion, but it's clearly the better performance. Sanchez is similarly excellent as the antagonist, a believably brutal and terrifying mob boss who nonetheless clearly exists in the Bond universe. His henchmen are similarly memorable creations.
And now, finally, after two near misses, we get to see a returning character in a major role. David Hedison is great as Felix, and his plight is a great motivator for Bond's revenge quest. Pam Bouvier is a little spotty, with how she alternates between tough & capable and whiny & bothersome, but the better moments are more prevalent and drown out the others. It's great fun seeing Q out in the field and showing a less antagonistic relationship between him and Bond.
I would have liked seeing the fallout from the different plans (Bond, MI6 and the Japanese, and the CIA) more, rather than just providing a brief interlude in the middle of the movie and getting Bond in with Sanchez. I also understand why some fans would be put off by the movie, given its grittier tone and focus on a world clearly outside of the usual Bond topics. All the same, though, I think the film makes clear that it's still the Bond universe and the usual laws still apply, despite the different subject matter and grittier tone.
The movie also features my favorite group of henchmen, who, during the climax, chase Bond in a car, then on foot, then covered in dust, then in another car, which is promptly set on fire. For an added bonus, most of them survive the chaos! How can you not root for them, at least a little?
All in all, I found the Dalton years to be a fascinating experiment and a refreshing change of pace from Moore's tenure, although they clearly didn't pull off the darker tropes as well as they did during Craig's tenure (when they had Bourne and Batman Begins to serve as lodestars). It's a shame it was cut short after LTK flopped (unjustly), but next week we can resume the series without a six year break when we start Brosnan's tenure with GoldenEye.
1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia With Love
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. Dr. No
6. Licence to Kill
7. For Your Eyes Only
8. The Living Daylights
9. You Only Live Twice
10. Thunderball
11. Octopussy
12. Live and Let Die
13. Diamonds are Forever
14. A View to a Kill
15. The Man with the Golden Gun
16. Moonraker
Glad someone else still agrees. Many here don't hold it in such high regard it seems...
Tonight I just watched Thunderball and that's one that, IMO, gets overrated. I enjoy it just fine, more parts than others, but I don't think I hold it in as high regard as so many others on this site.
Really? When we did the film elimination game it only squeezed in at #10.
Or certainly not, depending on who you ask...
Yeah, you ask me and I'd say not. Really loved it when I was a teen, but on subsequent viewings I like it less, typical Hamilton I'm afraid, only in this one he subs a car chase for a boat chase but as usual the police are inept. Solitaire's damn tasty though!
I've actually got a poster of Thunderball framed. It has a lot of great moments, but a few I find on the dull side, too. With some editing, I'd rank it higher on my list. I'd have to put Goldfinger as my favourite Connery entry, tho.
I finally understand what people have been saying for years on here about the mile-wide gap between the first and second halves. First half? Right on track, complete with an overall steady pace, fine action sequences, and good plot progression. Second half? A little too heavy on the action with a regrettable sacrifice for the plot progression and pace, which speeds up tremendously. I'm just grateful that the Stealth Boat finale is as good as it is because the events leading up to it in the latter half are too frenzied. In spite of this incongruence, TND will still be a favorite of mine. Along with GE, this is the Brosnan era at its finest and most promising- a true high point in the Bond series!
Just finished up my Connery era Bondathon with DAF. Much better than I remember it being.
Tiffany Case falls apart for me in the second half. Charles Grey was a disappointment to me, too, but there are still some great moments.
YOLT offers a pretty fun, exotic, action-packed adventure that follows a thrilling Cold War plot, but it contains what is undoubtedly one of the worst sets of characters in a Bond movie (except for Tiger Tanaka) along with the laziest Bond performance ever captured on camera. The sheer lack of life in Sean Connery and the pitiful lot of characters surrounding him (Osato, Brandt, Kissy, etc.) make YOLT suffer greatly in its "approachability." However, some scenic location work and occasionally nice score try to help out where they can. One improvement I wish YOLT had made before its release is in its first half action sequences. That block of time between Bond's meeting with Osato and the Russians' rocket launch squeezes way too many action scenes in with no apparent intention in sight. The entire Helga Brandt plane trap should have been scrapped, and in my opinion, it would have been a little more sensible and certainly more thrilling to have Bond and Tanaka check out the Ning Po stealthily at night; the Kobe Docks fight didn't help with the Ning Po investigation whatsoever. If anything, it just seemed like a reason to include another all-too-convenient "trap" for 007. Thus, those scenes kind of remove me from the movie, but oh well. YOLT gets the job done most of the time, but it isn't always the most enjoyable.
I think I'm the same way too. Last time I watched it I couldn't stand it but this time I'm thinking I need to move it up in my rankings a little.
I'm too busy drooling over Tiffiany to tell if she's a great or terrible Bond girl. Red heads get me every time