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Woah! Great review! =D>
I especially love that last paragraph because I had the exactly same feeling when watched it recently. Unlike most Bond films where we and Bond are joined at the hip, GE shifts around the characters really efficiently. Basically we're following whoever happens to be most important to the story at any given moment. It's like that scene where Bond rams the train. I think most films would show that from Bonds perspective, having to hold his nerve as the train approaches his tank, and then stepping slowly through the train carriages with his machine gun until he finds Alex unconscious. The way they do it in GE, its much more dynamic. Alex wakes up and sees his gun, attempts to grab it but Bond is already there. I think Bond is like the monster in a monster movie. The less you show him, the more effective he is. The real stars of the show should be the villains and the Bond girls IMO.
It's funny, but on this last watch, for some reason all those things that made me love it the first time I saw it came back to me in streams. It actually seemed 'fresh' again. I think it's possibly because I've been watching the older 70's/80's movies recently prior to this, and GE is definitely 'modern feeling' in comparison, given it's a bit of a soft reboot. Serra's industrial sounding score also plays into that (I so much prefer his work to Arnold's pre-Craig Barry-lite efforts).
Its a great Bond film it has the perfect balance of the previous Terrence Young films with the best stuff from Goldfinger.
Sean Connery was great as always and Luciana Paluzzi made a great Femme Fatale, even Largo was a great villain. At the beginning he doesn't look very scary but once he kills one of his men you know what he is capable of.
For me its a 10/10
Definitely the 60s was one of the best Bond eras along with the 90s and 2000s.
Woow its been a long time since I've watched this, practically i Never watched it again since my very first Bondathon but I thought its time to give it a re watch.
It's still the Bond flick i lkie the least from Sean Connery but i liked it a little more this time.
It has some very good moments like the escape from the Police in the red Mustang and Bond's fight with Bamby and Thumper.
Sean Connery wasn't that bad either, at least was much better than Moore at his worst( A view to kill) the biggest problem here is that he looked out of shape.
There Were a few moments where he looked fat but still the charm was there and he still had his menacing moments like in the pre titles sequence looking for Blofeld and when he was asking Tiffany who she was working for.
At the end id give this a 7/10
Yes it seems like its one of those.
The first time left a bad after taste this time was much more fun and enjoyed very much the good stuff like the scene in the whyte house.
I saw an extended version of that scene on my blueray special features and its so bad they cought that scene the expanded version is sexier and shows more the Sean Connery of the early films.
I still prefer Terrence Young version but ithis one is not as bad as i first thought it was.
Barry, Adam, Moore, Lonsdale...it's hard for me to dislike this film, it's so darn fun. Not in the top half of Bond films, but still a blast.
Ps- Corinne's death is one the most brilliantly shot scenes in the series.
I've been meaning to get to this one for a while. I have already watched it earlier this year, but had to see it again to resolve a dilemma in the lower half of my top 10 ranking, where I have quite a few favourites all bunched up, namely SF, OHMSS, GE & OP.
This viewing went very well, as did the previous one a few months back. This is indeed quality film making as we all know, with excellent performances, magnificent cinematography (Deakins is a legend), superb dialogue and characterizations (Mendes living up to what we expected of him in this instance), and great performances.
The highlights for me were the pretitles (just so tense - what a great way to start a film) and, surprisingly this time, the finale at Skyfall Manor. On first watch, I thought it was terrible, and Home Alone/MacGyver/A-team all came to mind at that time. However, since then it has improved every time I've watched it. I'm amazed at how Deakins made the night setting so beautiful and clear. The actual explosion of the building & helicopter crash into it is a work of art. The entire sequence is taut and engaging, and I now rank this as one of the better finales of the past few Bond films and certainly of the Craig era. I much prefer it to CR's Venice finale, and don't get me started on the SP debacle, which I can't even sit through without turning the blu ray machine off once London appears.
Another surprise was Naomi Harris. I've never been a fan of her MP, but I did enjoy her scenes this time more than before. Again, certainly better than in SP. The same goes for all the other Scooby Gang members, who I also prefer here.
Thumbs up to Thomas Newman as well. I expected more than his lazy rehash in SP, but I think he nailed the score with SF. I always have. He has a subtlety which was sorely missing from Arnold. To my ears it's a perfect score for the film, just like Serra's was for GE. They both fit like a glove.
Craig is excellent. He is smoother than in QoS but still has that unmistakable trademark edge. Marlohe is a delight, Bardem is a classic villain & Dench gives a superb performance. Kudos to all.
Now to my dilemma. I've made some adjustments. SF & OP drop only because OHMSS & GE went down so well this time. They're all closely bunched & I still have a blast with them all.
Previously:
OP - 6, GE - 7, SF - 8, OHMSS - 9
Now
OHMSS - 6, GE - 7, OP - 8, SF - 9
With your recent love to the films you disliked before i wonder if these re watches could make you like Pierce a bitt more as Bond.
I respect you might not love him in the role but I find it a bitt odd, its just that you give me often the impression to favor Cinemmatic Bond over Flemingesque Bond that it's weird Pierce is not your cup of tea when it comes to the Bond portrayals.
Please don't see this as im truing to convert you into Team Pierce but with your review of Goldeneye you must gave me the hope that you might see Pierce in a better light if you re watch his other 3 films.
@Szonana, I've always liked Brosnan in GE. Although he was a little uncertain in the film, he plays it in a controlled fashion. One feels he is trying to be Bond there. The character traits of Bond are clearly visible, if played a little unsurely.
He plays it similarly in the earlier parts of TND (up to the end of Hamburg) and I enjoy him there too. It's only after this (with Wai Lin) where I find he descends into playing Brosnan rather than Bond - there's something subservient almost about him in the later half of the film. I can't quite explain it.
I know you like TWINE so I'll be careful here, but I don't see anything Bondian about his performance here. I really feel like I'm watching a soap opera (and a poor 'daytime' one at that) and all of that comes from him.
I've always thought he was very good in DAD (although it really was the wrong film for him to step up his game). He is assured & in control in this film, and this is probably how he should have played Bond during his notably 'overblown action oriented era'. There's a lot of 'later' Moore in his DAD performance imho, and that's the tone he should have taken given the type of films they were giving him.
I did enjoy his films more on my last rewatch of them. They are very entertaining certainly, but I feel what I want from my Bond is missing in many of them (apart from GE).
For Brosnan, it's always been between GE & DAD for me in terms of his best performance. I like his character in GE because I see more of Bond in him (either due to the writers or due to Campbell's direction - e.g. "kill her, she means nothing to me") but I like his confident DAD performance very much as well.
The daddy of all Bond movies, as far as I'm concerned. All the millions they spent making this film is seen on the screen, and then some. Moore is just a big lump of charisma, and suaveness. Jaws and Stromberg are extremely charismatic villains, the soundtrack is fantastic, a big dose of exotic locals and breathtaking action scenes. The pace is off-the-charts, from the gunbarrel to the start of the climax aboard the Liparus, it feels like only 40 minutes has passed due to the brisk pace and endless successions of classic scenes and quotable one liners. And I am not exaggerating - I've seen 40 minutes episodes of random TV shows that felt longer than the entire 2 hours of this superb action/adventure film.
I guess it was just a misunderstanding from my part thinking you didn't like Pierce in Goldeneye but its great you did like him there.
Its a very good performance he just lacked a bitt of confidence but it's normal when it was his first time as Bond.
With The world is not enough i did see many Bondian moments especially in the Billbao meeting, the love scene with Elektra and the i never miss scene. It Was a very well acted.
With Tomorrow never dies the second half after he gets to wai Lin's place its all action so there wasn't much to do acting wise but still loved him there.
And DAD it's silly fun just like Diamonds are forever, Moonraker and now Spectre but yes it's Pierce most confident performance.
Anyway its great to know you did like him as Bond even if he is not one of your favorites but honestly having 6 Bond actors in the franchise, only 3 are our real favorites
GE is another big daddy in the franchise for me. Of course, it's the first Bond film I've ever watched, but there is something special about it. From the PTS, to the charismatic cast of characters, to the very brisk pace (hard to believe the tank chase ends at 1 hour and 20 minutes into the film, it feels like the movie barely started), and the unique soundtrack. Electric directing from Campbell, who paces his films brillantly (as he did for CR), the action scenes are breathtaking (shootout and tank chase, Bond vs Alec fight). Brosnan is on fine form here, great first performance as Bond. Natalya is in my top 3 Bond girls.
As for TND, even if the quality is not as good as the other 2 outings I saw today (TSWLM and GE), the very fast pacing is again present. The movie doesn't let you breathe between the action scenes, especially from the Hamburg break-in to the final climax - hardly 5 minutes of quietness between each action set pieces. Arnold enters the franchise with a loud bang - Bond theme every 5 minutes, bombastic during the action scenes, and very lush in the quiet moments. Brosnan is a pure badass here, I fist the air several times in celebration of him during the film. This really is one of my most rewatched outings in the series. It's got everything I need - breathtaking action, a badass main actor and a fantastic soundtrack.
anyways like You only live twice and a few other films I am writing the review as I type this
I have always said Connery could never be Bond in OHMSS as he was well to tough to fall in love and marry... and I still feel this way Lazenby is actually nice breath of fresh air after You Only Live twice. Draco is fantastic and much better then Tanaka Dianna Rigg is sexy
honestly after you only live twice this film feels like a breath of fresh air and this is easily Barry's best score so far. sure the middle drags a bit ( not helped by lazenby being dubbed) but over all a great film
Ranking so far
From Russia with Love
On Her Majesties secret Service ( I am putting it second though it is a tough battle.)
Thunderball
Dr. No
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Casino Royale 54
Casino Royale 67
Up next Diamonds are forever oh boy but like my appreciation For Goldfinger went up within recent viewings perhaps Diamonds Are forever will also be more appreciated.... or more then likely it wont lol
Bond has to recover the files...
A lot of the Craig films are like that. The plot fizzles in the second act and by the end the stakes are purely personal. That's fine as a one off, but 4 films in a row? The Craig era is a lot like the Brosnan era: A superb start that flounders as they attempt to recapture the magic, whilst not fully understanding what made the original so beloved. EON have a history of having a success, then learning the wrong lessons as a result. Look at Moonraker. They made TSWLM (not a personal favourite but I see why it is loved) and they took away that people just want as much fantasy as possible in their Bond. They were successful with MR, but look how differently we view both those films now. Now compare GE with TND, TWINE, DAD. Campbell used the action in GE intelligently and crafted the thrilleresque story as the meat. There is very little action that seems redundant in GE. And GE is a big success, so EON take away the lesson that audiences just want as much brainless action as possible.
With the Craig era they followed CR with QoS (a revenge mission) and SF (more Bond backstory, removing the mystique). What we need with B25 is for Bond to step back into the shadows and become an unfamaliar figure again. How much personal information do we know about Bond in FRWL or DN? That should be the model going forward.
Spectre
I listened to Spectre's soundtrack, then inevitably I watched the film later that night, despite only having viewed the movie last month. I've decided to be less anal with my viewing habits of Bond and just go with the flow.
Everything prior to the torture scene is bloody brilliant. I loved how much fun Craig is having in the role, with a good mix of action scenes too boot – the stylish Moore era chase throughout Rome, the almost Brosnan era plane chase and the brutal Hinx fight, showing us the depth and style of Craig's Bond.
However I'm not too sure on Blofeld. When I first saw the picture, I was worried about Blofeld being behind Bond's parents “accident”, from the line “author of all your pain”. I confided that on the wonderful “Sir Henry's Original” thread, before the movie came out. When that didn't happen I was very relieved and put the whole foster brother nonsense to one side. It could have been so much worse!
Also Newman's score in the final London act is just noise.
Quantum of Solace
A few days later I watched QoS again – I got the urge after reading the QoS appreciation thread.
I read somewhere that Marc Forster wanted to take us inside the mind of 007 – in the first act in Italy, Bond is very frazzled – the jump cuts and hyper editing reflected Foster’s vision. Yet reading the Fleming novels, I always got the impression that Bond was a man of action - action soothed Bond.
This divergent artistic viewpoint notwithstanding, QoS is magnificent, the bleak ambience of the film it makes it unique. Forster delivers a very slick film, where the drawbacks are the much maligned hyper-editing, and that's only prevalent in the first third-ish. I particularly like Forster's shot selection, in regards to the transitional scenes; think when Bond is entering Slate's hotel, and the scene in at the desert hotel, when Greene etc. are meeting. He uses quick, short shots, in order to get to the next action scene/dialogue exchange, very quickly. It reminds me of Fleming's writing; short, sharp sentences – both Fleming and Forster use speed. Other than that, this is a very effective thriller. The cast is especially good, the cinematography is uniformly excellent – bright colours and crisp palettes - and the production design is top notch as well.
Casino Royale
Well I couldn't leave CR out could I. So last night I popped it in. It stills thrills me to this day, after almost ten years after the fact. Superb.
Being totally objective, I have to say either CR or OHMSS are the finest Bond films, to be viewed as pieces of cinema, works of art!, without the baggage of being “a Bond movie”. Only rivalled by FRWL and GF, IMHO.
What I LIKED:
- the villains, Jourdan is charming and Berkoff is bonkers. Great fun.
- the Cold War atmosphere in East Germany
- the scene after the credits, easily my favourite of the film
- Sotheby's is a contender too though
- Maud Adams! :x
- Alfa Romeo GTV, Italian cars :x
What I DISLIKED:
I have a problem with the silliness in this film, only MR tops it in that department, why did they include these moments for instance:
- the crocodile sub
- the Tarzan yell
- the tennis jokes
- the Germans in the VW
- the clown makeup
- the gorilla suit
- "Sitttt!!", "Hiss off!", "This should shake 'em off", ... .
I understand why OP can be entertaining, but I am not sure why so many fans love it so much. It came in 10th in a recent elimination game on these boards. Before Dr. No and GoldenEye! Still, to each his own of course.
5/10: ok but nothing more.
Regarding why this film is liked so much by some: I like it for the charismatic villains, the amazing pace, the score, and a then 55 yr old Roger Moore hauling ass like he means business throughout the run time.