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Comments
Only to say after an interesting pre title sequence with the horse show and Acrostar Jet it all goes to pieces a bit. I think Moore could even be worse here than AVTAK after seeing the latter yesterday, at times it did get a bit too much. Totally ridiculous and inplausible scenarios ensue on route, I watched the jungle hunt sequence again after Moore escapes from The Monsoon palace, and by god it is embarrassing to witness, it becomes so far detached from a James Bond movie you wonder for a time what it is you are actually watching on screen
Still take issue with the Circus bit as Bond crashes through the entrance post and takes refuge in one of the trailers. It all gets a bit dull in the end as Moore and Q arrive in a Hot Air balloon, Octopussy' girls siege the palace, and Moore and Gobinda have a battle on the roof of a plane, Kamal loses conrol into some rocks, Moore and Adams survive, he is a weakened condition, the credits start to roll -JAMES!, and so there ends this 1983 release. It's merely tailored for kids I feel, anybody over 10 years of age just couldn't take this Bond outing seriously, although admittedly it does have some serious and worthwhile moments which are few and far between
Not a favorite of mine by any distance 4/10
xxx
I actually don't mind AVTAK's second half all that much. Yes, the first half feels more Bond-ish, but the second half wasn't that bad, especially considering the finale of AVTAK is one of the best in the series. The finale alone would put AVTAK in my Top 5!
Moore grabs on to the mooring rope, and sails across the SF skyline dodging aerials and other obstructions, The Golden Gate bridge is some way in the distance, next second we're actually right up against it, Moore has a tussle with Walken, 'Max!, Max!, ha ha ha, aaaaaaaaaarrgh!' etc, Zorin even appears to be laughing at some stage before he falls to his expected death
How did Moore and Roberts get down from where they were anyway. The film should of been titled 'A View To A Groan', it was sometimes quite painful to watch
Two silly Moore outings in as many days by my math, the man can make a good Bond movie but these two are not a part of that
Glad to see you've completely skipped most of the film.
Yes the tiger hunt is more than a little over the top, the circus scenes seem to have the fans divided and at times the film does go to far.
As you say, this is not one of your favourites.
But you overlook the wonderful Sothebys scenes, taken almost from the pages of Flemings 'The Property Of A Lady', one of the highlights of the film. Also the excellent backgammon game where Moore (imo) exudes just as much cool as Connery ever did.
"Double sixes."
Octopussy's back story, and the use of Flemings 'Octopussy' using Major Dexter Smythe as her father who Bond had met years before. Although only brief, I feel it's used in such a way that it works. Always nice when Flemings work, is used. No matter how small.
The final confrontation with Orlov aboard the train, in which Moore is at his best, and the exciting and suspenseful race to stop the atom bomb exploding.
The film also contains some of the most exciting and well staged stuntwork of not only the series, but of many films. It's no secret that OP ranks as my favourite of the series, and of course not all fans feel this highly of it. But I feel your brief review overlooks many of the greater aspects of OP.
I saw all of Moore's sixth outing, and Yes as mentioned there were indeed some finer points that deserve recognition, it was not all one way traffic
Yes Tiger Hunt (?), was indeed a low point, Can I add before they even start why would anyone climb into a body bag that is only going to be discarded in some way, the body is dead, it has no use, was Moore taking a chance by way of this, he could easily have ended up indeed dead meat on another day, lo and behold they take the body at the perfect time, and despite clear sounds nearby of people in the vicinty, Moore makes a whooping noise, bursts out of the bag, and runs for cover, I still wonder what he was even doing in there, then there's the Tiger bit (Sit!), 'Hiss Off', Bond convenintly has a lighter to remove leeches from his person and even more conveninent pleasure trip boat comes past at the very required moment to save Bond's hide, it was all a bit too convenient all said, I know we have to suspend disbelief with 007 but they were pushing it sometimes in this picture, although it was entertaining amid all the nonsense
Now for the finer parts as illustrated
Sotherby's auction is indeed a suspensful shoot, if a little short, Bond bargains up to a half a million pounds for the Faberge egg and in no time at all the scene is over, Yes it is one of the better sequences of the film, but it flashes by in no time
The Backgammon scene at Kamals club is also noteworthy in that it is another suspensful and well done bit, but as with before a little short in duration, the subsequent chase through the streets is best left alone for this viewer
When Adams and Moore first meet it's a well done scene, some tangible debate and Moore for once extracts some seriousness and we get the picture of who Octopussy really is and what her objectives are, it's a well done bit
Moore once again puts on a straight face with the Berkoff character on the train 'No, let's stay, why is that Bomb on the train etc', yet again it doesn't last long but Moore seems plausible as he did for longer durations in For Your Eyes Only, it's only with this picture that it sadly eroded away and the last to follow in 1985 with Mr Moore as 007
The train ride across Germany is one of my favorite bits of the film, OK, Moore gets into and out of a gorilla suit in half a second flat, but other than that, I did enjoy it, the killing of the knife throwing twins, the subsequent effort back into Town and stealing the German ladys auto at the phone booth (handy Police Officers at the scene to report stolen car)
I can indeed see why it can be regarded as something of a fan favorite but for me the overriding nonsense and sheer inplausibility, much like Moore's Moonraker before it, simply casts a long shadow over it. Did I mention the teaser in the Acrostar, one of the best pre credit sequences of the entire franchise, so it's hardly the worst the series has to offer. I'll maintain that Moore should of quit after For Your Eyes Only, maybe someone else in the role could of made a difference by 1983 but it's not a total failure, there are some redeeming qualities as outlined above, but for me it's nowhere near Classic Bond. Sorry
1.) FRWL
2.) TB
3.) DN
4.) GF
5.) YOLT
6.) DAF
And tomorrow I am having my friend come to my house to watch FRWL. He claims to be a big Connery Bond fan but has yet to see it or TB. After I was done yelling at him with infuriation because he has yet to see Sean's two best performances, I cooled down. I will remedy the situation, because he is really missing out. So tomorrow may turn into a double bill with FRWL/TB, which will prompt me to watch DN to finish the cycle.
I actually like the first half better than the second half, believe it or not. I wouldn't have thought that last time, but I did. The second half was still good though, given the intensity of the poker scenes where no one is getting shot or punched, yet the tension is just as high! I loved the action scenes in the first half, like the Madagascar chase and the Miami airport fight. I also really liked Arnold's score for CR, I thought it matched the movie well. The locations were very colorful and bold, and that was a superb touch. All in al, it's very top ten worthy!
...And how about the opening chase sequence of the twins hunting down Agent 009 in clown disguise who collapses to his death, Faberge egg in hand at the British Embassy? One of the most thrilling scenes of the film IMO and great foreshadowing for Bond's subsequent scene near the end of the film.
Pretty much sums up how I feel about the films. There is an essence to all the films: 1962-1989, that makes them highly enjoyable. Maybe it's Cubby Broccoli, maybe it's because a lot of the same crew had been involved throughout the series, maybe it was the times, I don't know exactly, but those films all had the right 'feel.'
Agreed. GoldenEye felt different, but definitely good (my favorite of the series) but after that, I found myself going back to the classics much much more. Casino Royale is right behind GoldenEye, so if I had my way, Martin Campbell would direct all the new Bond movies! If we can't have Cubby, give me Campbell
I think George did well and the scene at the end is still moving every time you watch it. I could not see Sean doing this one, but a reboot with Dan would be good.
Rating 7 out of 10
It's difficult yes, but I think with the pre Brosnan films and CR, they have that thriller aspect to them. They weren't just almost non stop action films. They also retained that Flemingsque atmosphere. The Brosnan films, with the exception of parts of GE, feel generic and artificial to me. The other films knew how to slow down and take a breather. I think this is a big part of it.
I reckon Brosnan is a bad Bond too. He was passable in GE.
Goldeneye was a good Bond film: it checked off all the boxes. Martin Campbell did a fine job directing and Pierce was serviceable. It definitely holds up in my book. But to me it feels like the first reboot; a new era in the Bond series. 1962-1989 felt like one long continuous era. I consider it the "classic era". It's been well documented that the Bond series is very producer-driven, so it's no coincidence that Barbara and Michael taking over in 1995 signals a noticeable shift in the series.
I know exactly what you mean. I love parts of FYEO but the soundtrack might be the worst in the series.
Moonraker is a fun movie to show young kids and they find it kinda cool too.
Maybe this should have been his last one though... but anyway that's another discussion.
This movie had the perfect mix of humor and action; if Moonraker had established Roger as 'the funny Bond', then FYEO sprinkled some toughness back into him. Seriously, I was wincing whenever he hit the coral and blood filled the water during that scene when they were dragged by the boat! Actually, come to think of it, Bond takes QUITE a beating in this one! There's the coral as I mentioned, and when that deep-sea-suit-man cuts/pinches him (again, blood all over the place), and being repeatedly dropped from that mountain at the end-- hard to believe that just one movie prior, this was the same guy who made a gondola/hover-craft escape, and got thrown through glass museum displays over and over and didn't get a single scratch!
FYEO had the task of literally 'bringing Bond movies back to Earth' and it does that extremely well! Easy to see why most people think this one is Roger's best one; I wish all of his were like this! Then (some) people wouldn't be poking fun at him today
Now about that famous scene when he kicks Locque's car off the cliff: it was awesome and clearly reminded the audience that Roger WAS James Bond, but did anyone else HATE the fact that Roger just had to have a quip? And a pretty stupid one at that! 'He had no head for heights'? What does that even mean? It wasn't even funny! lol perhaps if Locque's head had detached from his body during the fall it would have made more sense, but that sort of gore would have no place in a Bond film. If I had my way, Bond should have kicked the car off, not said anything, and walked off. But oh well, it is still Roger after all, ha had to say something I guess ;D
One last thing I want to mention: people have shown dislike for the music. The car chase and the ski chase, yes they're dated, but they're also insanely fun! Make fun of me all you want, but I have the music from the ski chase (I think it's called 'runaway') on my iPod when I'm at the gym and let me tell you, that helps me run!! I have it right before the Rocky theme to be exact, lol
*edit* I never noticed this before, but at a glance, Luigi sort of looks like Timothy Dalton!
Yes!
...and Yes!
I used to find the FYEO soundtrack unbearable...but I have really warmed up to it lately. That music during the Citroen chase definitely has an early 80's cheesiness, but it sure does make the scene exciting. I often put the vinyl of the FYEO soundtrack on in the morning at full volume and it gets me going for the day. "For Your Eyes Only...dun-dun, dun-dun..."
Its very true that Bill Conti's score has aged some what, but as you say it is a guilty pleasure indeed!!!
Thats what the 80'S sound was to a degree, and Bill Conti was a funky based composer who loved to "Funk" things up a bit!!!
"Gonzales Takes A Dive" all good funky fun!? :-j