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I was slightly disappointed in it back in 2008, and let's be honest, only because CR made my expectations rise to the sky.
For many years I didn't touch QOS. I was prejudiced because of the, still, awful editing in some action sequences.
During the last couple of years QOS has climbed up the ladder steadily in my ranking of the Bonds.
With every viewing of QOS I love it more. And it wasn't different this time.
If the brilliantly choreographed action sequences would have been provided with a more reasonable editing process. QOS would have the potential to belong to the classics like FRWL or OHMSS.
It is firmly standing in my Top 10 now. At No 9 to be exact. And if it moves again, the only way is up!
QOS is definitely one of the most beautifully shot Bond movies. Marc Forster actually is a very good director and his typical style can be seen in many scenes. What makes it difficult to like his style overall is the editing.
The cinematography is perfect. The sets are visually stunning and beautiful.
The cast is nearly perfect. Dominic Greene is probably the most slimy of all villains and the despicable General Medrano is a great side-villain.
Olga Kurylenko is the greatest discovery since Famke Janssen and I'm very happy that she has such a successful career with many very good movies since she appeared in QOS.
Daniel Craig gives the best ever physical performance that puts Lazenby or Connery to shame. Of course that's about it, it's Craig's clear advantage over all other Bond actors and thankfully so, otherwise his performance could be called dull.
But it doesn't hurt QOS, because it's a roller-coaster-action-ride like no other Bond movie before or after.
I never found QOS to be too short in running time. I find this running time perfect and I wish some of the other would be 30 minutes shorter. I don't think I have to tell you which particular movie I'm talking about.
Dench still was kicking ass in QOS and I wish it would have been her last, that way her character would have come to an end in grace, dignity and standing proud. Sadly 4 years later Dench's M got ruined.
Felix Leiter's appearance may be the best of the series. Jeffrey Wright is awesome and it is a crime he didn't appear in the next one.
Overall QOS, like DAF, is highly entertaining and highly re-watchable.
And last but not least, the best ever KILL in the franchise: Craig driving Greene into the middle of the desert and leave him there with a can of oil only and saying:
"I bet you make it 20 miles before you consider drinking that. Goodbye Mr. Greene."
So I decided to give it another go - my first watch since the end of May.
This time around it went much better. I'm not sure that's because I have such a low impression of the film or if it's because I've come to terms with what's bad, and can now more readily just enjoy what's good. Regardless, I was relieved to actually be able to sit through the whole thing to the very end this time, which is a first since I got the blu ray. I still find the London finale terribly tedious, and the torture sequence a tad gratuitous, but I enjoyed the film up to this point this time. Even Seydoux & Waltz are more tolerable.
My #1 criticism now is the 'colours', including the hazy monotonous palette that accompanies nearly every scene. It's almost like Hoyte intentionally wanted to blot out any natural luminosity (and replace it with something that looks terribly contrived), and that's unfortunate. See QoS for a complete contrast and and a far more 'real' (and Bondian imho) approach to colours. My #2 criticism is the lack of passion shown by any of the characters. One gets the impression that most are just going through the motions in a sedated fashion. I'm not sure if that is intentional or not, but that's the impression I get. It's terribly subdued.
New observations:
I noticed for the first time that there are other passengers on the train during the Hinx fight. There is a waiter and a passenger that can be seen during the encounter if one watches closely. I also noticed that a lot of revelers at the Day of the Dead celebrations actually did stop and notice the explosion. While Bond is chasing Sciarra, there are quite a few people who are walking towards the explosion in shock. Also, the way in which Hinx is pulled out of the train reminds me of the keelhauling sequence in FYEO. Finally, I don't think C should have been killed (even if accidentally). He is such a pathetic accomplice, and death is almost too significant a fate for him.
It was an enjoyable enough watch that I will move it up a notch in my overall rankings to 20, just above MR.
My comments during my last watch are below, fyi:
http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/comment/597226/#Comment_597226
QoS is a Bond film that gets better with each successive viewing @BondJasonBond006
It's the one I usually go for when I'm in the mood for 007!
Sorry but I love the editing in the opening car chase and foot chase across the rooftops. It's razor sharp and really gives the scenes momentum. The only strange edit is during the boat chase when Bond manages to inexplicably flip the enemies boat with no actual visible reason.
I think Craig is brilliant in this. Self assured, brutal and mean. Just how I like my 007!
It's number 5 on my Bond list. Love it. A lean mean Bond film.
After recently watching SP and in honor of George Lazenby's birthday this week it's time to pop this one in. This is the Bond film SPECTRE, TWINE, and so many other's would love to be, but aren't even near the same league. OHMSS just has that special magic that overcomes any obstacle, and it wasn't exactly the easiest production for EON to get through. George, although not an actor, just oozes Bondian confidence all the way. I can pop this one in anytime of the year and it always hits the spot. I may have to do yet another update of my Bond ranking list, I'm digging this one so much.
I saw those passengers in the train the first time I saw the movie, but they are only visible for a second or two and you hardly see them escape the wagon, but they do.
The main reason for Rome, London and other places seemingly being deserted of people is Mendes, who likes his scenes scarcely populated.
In the Rome sequence that may come across a bit strange, as Rome usually is crowded, even during the night. But then only in holiday seasons, so overall it doesn't really bother me much.
Still, it is something that could have been done a bit better by adding the one or the other pedestrian to the scenes or at least a tiny bit more traffic.
Mendes went all the way of symmetry in Spectre, be it plot wise (helicopter and the beginning and the end) or sets. Q's laboratory, Oberhauser's command center, the new CNS building being vis-a-vis the old MI6 building and so many more.
Also he likes contrast a lot. After the heavily populated PTS, the movie hardly shows any sign of street life.
Personally I find Spectre to be Mendes greatest directional work so far, even surpassing American Beauty.
As Spectre is an action/thriller his ingenious directing might not be in the foreground as it is in his quieter movies. But it is there.
I found Skyfall to be his final rehearsal direction wise for Bond, flawed but still very good, really saved by Deakins.
Spectre is pitch perfect technically. Not one image that is not thought through and brilliant in its directional execution.
I hope Mendes will do more action/thriller movies, now that he learned how to make them perfectly.
I was in the mood for a little Bond inspiration last night and so put in one of my objective and subjective favourites. It hit the spot, as it always does.
Near perfection from start to finish, with perhaps a slight decline in the Liparus sequences which drag a little in the middle but end on a high note with the truly 'Bondian' moments of removing the Polaris warhead, & riding on the overhead camera rail.
This is how it should be done. Wonderful colours, an excellent score, beautiful cinematography, gorgeous - almost ethereal location work, fantastic real stunt & model work, a lovely Bond babe (actually two, if one counts Naomi, who really steals her scenes), a larger than life villain and henchman, and last but not least a truly refined Bond operating at the top of his game, and played wonderfully by Roger Moore in this outing. He is extremely convincing in nearly every way for me here.
It may be a kitchen sink outing, but it is still one of the most iconic films in the canon, and for good reason. Full of tension, spectacle and splendour, for me this remains the best of the 'extravagant' Bond films, because it straddles the realism/fantasy world beautifully, serving up romance, glamour and tension/suspense in all the right quantities and doses.
It remains firmly planted at #4 in my rankings. A great film which captures everything that makes James Bond special!
Recently I’ve been on a sort of mini Bondathon, viewing each of the actors fourth films, starting with Spectre and concluding with Thunderball.
Last Wednesday – I lieu of the British bank holiday – I watched Moonraker. Yes, it’s too big and too outlandish, to really move off of the bottom echelons of my rankings, but despite all of this, I always look forward to popping the movie in to my Blu-Ray player.
Here are a few reasons why -
1) Michael Lonsdale as Hugo Drax
Boy, is he a hoot! Drax seems permanently annoyed with being on terra-firma, and is aching to get into space. Added to Drax’s frustration is a certain Mr. Bond. Drax, in a move perhaps inspired by Fleming’s Mr. Big, devising elaborate death traps for Mr. Bond, taking great pains to meticulously prepare them for the nasty secret agent. Lonsdale is magnificently droll as Drax, and has all the best lines. No wonder Drax is irked by Bond – Drax wants to get to Space and deliver his sumptuous “in the heavens” speech.
2) John Barry’s Score
Amongst my fav Bondian scores, Barry serves up an audio delight. Barry’s reveal of the space station is goose-bump inducing every time.
3) Derek Meddings’ Miniatures
Helping Barry’s music are the fabulous miniatures work by Meddings.
4) The location work and the stunning cinematography by Jean Tournier
Not only does Tournier frame the spectacular location footage, Lewis Gilbert allows time to for each location to breath, making Moonraker one of the most satisfying globe hopping adventures for Commander Bond.
5) Sir Roger Moore as James Bond
Sir Rog really is on form in this outing. Moore is the only Bond actor to pull of Moonraker’s rather preposterous style, being effortlessly gracious and charismatic. Moore’s films are maybe not the best of the bunch, but I always smile when Moore is on screen.
Why? I rely on ITV showing them because I don't have Sky. If you have Sky then you can still watch them on ITV.
@royale65 agreed on MR. I also think the film up until the obligatory Moore groaner i.e. the Bondola sequence, is top 5 material. After that point, there's still a lot to enjoy but unfortunately there's also quite a bit to cringe and shake your head at.
Because I prefer to watch Bond films without interruptions every 15 minutes, and to not have them be butchered (see LTK).
My disappointment is echoed by Drax's comments: "Mr Bond, you defy all my attempts to plan an amusing death for you. You're no sportsman. Why did you break off the encounter with my pet python?" (I would have added the following: "By pulling that ridiculous gadget out of your pocket").
Up to the gondola, there are some quite thrilling sequences, including the PTS, Chang fight, centrifuge etc.
Ah. I see the only way to combat Moonraker's grandiosity is to be supremely flip. The screenplay/script does not do Moore any favours. But in those two aforementioned scenes, Moore really sells it. And where Bond is thanking Corrine after she shows him the safe. Moore delivers that "Thank you" with such sincerity. Bond knows that he has just signed Corrine's death warrant. If you didn't have that "flip", the impact of Bond's sincerity would be much less.
I get the impression they decided to do a yin to TSWLM's yang (or vice versa) with this film. So everyone just dialled it up a notch in the flip/comedy dept., including returning cast members Moore and Kiel. Even Lonsdale is like Stromberg (down to Nehru jacket) but with more memorable lines.
It makes for a great double bill.
The first 45 minutes are simply boring, but the next hour is superb and entering Domino and the too few scenes of Fiona Volpe are truly iconic. Sadly the last bit is boring again and the finale is the weakest of the series even, the sped-up scenes are unforgivable.
Back to Fiona Volpe and Domino. This is were the movie succeeds. It might even be the best Bond girl duo of the series.
Volpe has some of the best dialogue ever given to a Bond girl. Domino is the perfect contrast to Volpe.
The lengthy underwater scenes are artistically breathtaking but somehow they would fit better in a documentary than an action/thriller.
But TB still amazes. Sean Connery gives his best performance and that means something. Because it was almost unthinkable he could get any better than in DN to GF.
The way Connery moves in TB is fantastic and I could watch him doing "To Catch A Thief John Robie" all day long.
Overall TB is a mixed bag for me therefore. Maybe the direction simply didn't stand the test of time. I remember liking TB a great lot in the nineties. I even considered it one of my favourites back then.
One last word. The score: John Barry re-defined the Bond sound in TB, something that can't be appreciated too much considering he already made two incredibly great soundtracks for Bond before TB.
LTK is only butchered if it's shown in the afternoon. Other than that the films are shown uncut. I usually record them so I can skip the adverts.
I agree that the first Act is really not good. There are just too many inconsistencies there, especially in the health spa. However I think the underwater scenes are still great. Just the editing of the final fight is not really amazing.
What a fun way to spend 4 hours. Two classic films with two fantastic performances from Roger Moore - one unflappable Bond and one world-weary Bond. Terrific soundtracks, great locations, stunning stunt work, epic PTS's, colourful bunch of secondary characters. Roger Moore's films are just so damn watchable.
My 2 favorite Moore Bonds. Those are 2 films you can't go wrong with.
Out of respect for Laz's birthday (thanks @Creasy47) I decided to watch his one and only contribution to the franchise, and the last of the 60's Bond films.
It went superbly. This film just keeps getting better for me every time I watch it. It's beautifully shot and directed, with wonderful cinematography and location work. The colours really pop in that crisp Bondian manner. This could very well be the most beautiful Bond film to watch. Barry's epic score is really magnificent, and the stunt work and action sequences are top notch.
Most importantly, one relates to the Bond/Tracy relationship at the centre of the film, which is sold subtly and in an uncheesy manner.
The performances are very good across the board as we know, but I am more impressed with Lazenby each time. He's no Connery, but as others have noted, he does an excellent job in this film. Full of confidence and youthful vigour, he demonstrates a vulnerability and sincerity in his performance that is impressive given the subject matter. I dare say he is as good in the cabin scene professing his love for Tracy as Craig is on the beach in CR. He has gotten much closer to Dalton (who is currently at #4) in my actor ranking and in many respects I think he is better. He has more natural swagger, style & suaveness than Dalton, and his build, height & physique is more Bondian than Craig. Pity he didn't do more films.
I was so impressed with this film today that I have moved it up one spot in my ranking to #5, just in front of DN & just behind FRWL, TB, CR & TSWLM. It started the year at #9, so it is moving up fast, although I think the top 4 will hold it at bay from here on in.
Happy b'day Lazzers.