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
Ooh, that's a good one! With New York, New Orleans AND San Francisco, you'd almost get a "Bond on tour" in the US. :-)
I find AVTAK partly underwhelming. Don't know why, really. The plot itself is OK, a dangerous villain in Christopher Walken, one of the best theme songs and a solid score. It's not Moore's best performance, but he's still very good. Stacy never bothered me to much, either. Can it be the mid-80's setting that makes it look dated? The 60's look great in a mid-century way, the 70's is all funky an colourful, with Moore driving around in the Lotus Esprit etc. The 80's is... well, the 80's.
Looking forward to give AVTAK another viewing. There are plenty of good moments there too!
I used to love it too (partly because it was made the year I was born). But, in recent times, I've always considered it a film with a few good aspects but decidedly limp overall. When I saw it relatively recently I was a bit bored part during parts of it.
You get the impression that the film-makers are making it partly because they have to rather than because they actually want to. It also features too many stereotype characters and some genuinely appallingly edited action in places.
Moore's ok but his "letchy" behaviour goes too far sometimes to the point where you feel kind of uncomfortable.
As for Walken, he's alright but I'd put Scaramanga, Kananga, Stromberg, Drax and Kamhl Kahn above him. He's good but he has too many odd moments...and not odd in a good way ("you jeopardise MINE").
Perhaps under a more dynamic director it could have been a stronger film.
My favourite aspect of the film is still the Wine with Stacey track. Love the nostalgic feel to it.
Definitely agree with this.
Much as it's harmlessly enjoyable the film is like an old footballer asked to perform again even though they're legs have gone and they're well past their glory years.
There's some decent scenes in it and performances are all good but there's a tiredness that permeates the film in that there's nothing particularly original or exciting.
Luckily Dalton was waiting in the wings to rejuvenate the series. (At least for one film anyway!)
I come away from the film with the feeling that had Bond not gotten involved Stacey would have ended up caving to Zorin. Over Bond's quiche dinner, she fully admits she hadn't made up her mind. Tearing up the check is done ex post facto. Nothing she does in the final act makes me think she would've continued to refuse Zorin, which is my beef. The third act was the opportunity to resolve that and show she's capable of carrying through. "Is she bluffing or can she follow through?" is a question which we should be asking (and she herself should be too) for the first couple acts and which should've been satisfactorily answered in the final one. Alas that opportunity is squandered.
Well, IIRC it's Bond who makes the blimp stay in place initially by tying down the mooring rope. I'll grant you that Stacey is proactive in attacking Zorin. But she doesn't seem to have much of a plan besides wrestling with him and yelling, "Stop it!" over and over. It's more happy accident (i.e. excuse for the ensuing bridge fight) that her actions crash the blimp into the bridge. I'd say the difference with Natalya is that in commandeering the chopper she had a plan.
But again my main purpose in comparing Stacey to Natalya was less to observe what they were physically given to do and more in terms of character. Natalya's final act of GE lives up to her character. The film is largely concerned not only with how she exists in Bond's world but also how she exists in a man's world — she's a "second level" programmer compared to her male colleague and foil Boris, Alec objectifies her, etc. In fact, her "boys with toys" line points how her character is a fish out of water in a male/female way and not just in an ordinary world/Bond's world way.
I won't argue that's she entirely absolved of being a damsel in distress character (the tank chase and train scene), but at least her serving as such happens in the middle of the film instead of at the end, and this allows her character the opportunity to get her own back (which unlike Stacey she does).
Fair point. Again, I see the action of loading the shotgun with rocksalt as more of a metaphorically revealing character moment.
As I said, it certainly is realistic. Packing it all into the final act serves to dial up the frequency. Perhaps it would've gone down better spread through the whole film? I'm not sure.
To the point, however, it's not just about the screaming in terror. It's also about the "Oh, James"-ing and the banal "Stop that! What are you, crazy?" murmurs and shouts that betray a lack of purpose for the character in that final act.
Point and pull the trigger. ;)
Seriously, I don't hate AVTAK. (It used to be my favorite Bond film when I was about 14 or 15). It's not Glen's best, certainly, but it's not his weakest either. And compared to a whole film of Kara or Pam, I'll take Stacey.
Good point actually.
Well, outsmarting Bond also says a lot about her. She could've killed him regardless.
Not sure if you've watched Temple of Doom (came out a year prior), but Willie is 10^100 times worse when she screams in that movie (I know it's played for comedic purposes), yet being spread throughout the film does not work. Maybe her character gave me a high tolerance?
... F**k!... This PTS is the cat's meow!!!!!!
No, our 007 still hasn't seen the "big picture", or has he?...
Boys and girls of MI6-- I'm tuff on this film... but damn we have GREAT material thus far!!
I recall my last viewing was not entirely disagreeable...up to a certain point. But things drop off sharply, and keep dropping. And dropping. And dropping.
This is the one you want:
https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/16741/bond-comments-while-you-watch#latest