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Does anyone actually like AVTAK
This entry has of course taken a lot of flak over the years and of course some of it is deserved. Personally I always loved this one when I was a kid and still hold a bit of a soft spot for it!
I personally agree that this probably was one to many for Rog but I guess he was just filling the space until the right new guy was available, and although getting on a bit he was still pretty good in the film and of course Zorin is one of the better villans (in my opinion).
Does anyone else out there get some enjoyment from this one or is it universally hated?
I personally agree that this probably was one to many for Rog but I guess he was just filling the space until the right new guy was available, and although getting on a bit he was still pretty good in the film and of course Zorin is one of the better villans (in my opinion).
Does anyone else out there get some enjoyment from this one or is it universally hated?
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Not only that, but we also get a true back-story with the lead Bond girl, something we don't always get. Also, like Goldfinger, the femme fatale of the story May Day (just like Pussy Galore), ends up turning to the side of good and saves the day at the end. I like that, in fact the scene when she martyrs herself on the mining car gets me a bit emotional.
I used to hate AVTAK. It didn't have any of those great Bond qualities that I loved about the earlier Bond's: the lush locations, the great action sequences, the gorgeous women, the overall style. In AVTAK, the actions not that great, the locations look pretty lackluster, John Glen as usual makes for a pretty bland looking film, and of course all of MI6: Bond, M and Moneypenny dearly needed to retire at this point.
But after revisiting this film, a little older, a little wiser, and removing my biases for what a Bond film should be, I really appreciated this one. Ironically, I saw a lot of classic Bond qualities in this film: mainly that this is just really a great spy movie at it's core.
Also this
...and this is just so epic:
....John Glen's boring directing and cinematography, that's what....
....... But everything else about AVTAK is pure awesome !! (expect the love scene with Grace Jones)
I like how Moore alternates between grandfatherly comfort and boyish charme.
I even forgive the film the back projection in the climax scene, pretending it´s a hommage to some old Hitchcock films.
However, AVTAK does have its flaws. I will say flat-out though that Roger isn't one of them in my book. I think he carries this film on his angelic wings. Too old? Nah, silly argument. They shouldn't have plastered him with all the make-up though. I bet there was a pretty decent Roger Moore underneath those layers. But he's nonetheless giving us a very enjoyable performance and I will say that he's a fine actor even if he himself has openly stated otherwise.
I like Walken. I even like... Roberts. No no, no fights, I mean it! Tanya Roberts is smoking and she's not even half as bad as some around here seem to think. She plays the part she was given. Period.
Barry's score is stupendous! 'nuff said!
As for Glen, I have no problems with Glen's directing. I've always had a soft spot for Glen's work in the 80s. I think he understands pacing and storytelling and if you pay close attention to his films, you can recognise the urge to remain precise and to have things delicately balanced. He made films for a mature audience and having come to age myself (I'm 29 - that's old and my pupils never let me forget it!), I respect his work even more.
So what does annoy me ever so slightly about AVTAK? The plot. I'm serious - it makes no sense. A certain member once tried to convince me of the plot's waterproof logic. My conclusion; it ain't there. But again, that's like saying you like a girl less because she's got a B instead of a C. There's enough about AVTAK for me to like besides the plot, which explains why this film is in my top 20 ranking. Hey, I'm serious, it's no shame being in the top 20 of a series so darn good as the Bond series!
And now, the bubbles will tickle my Tchaikovsky...
AVTAK i recognize as being on the lower end of the totem pole with Bond films, but it's still an enjoyable fun ride..
I can't put the blame on the shoulders of Moore for his performance, because I am pretty sure he was giving 100% to what was written for the script.. that being said, what makes his performance "off" for me, is that the script is without Moore's usual humor and wit - it seemed to play itself a little more serious than his other films.. and I can only imagine that when writing the script, they weren't sure if Rog would be returning, so they wrote a generic Bond... but it's obvious at age 57 that he was starting to show his age.. whether that was natural, or poor makeup job - it looked like he aged 20 years between OP and AVTAK...
Walken never disappoints in repeated viewings... i do admit, I enjoy his villain merely because it's Walken and it's fun to parody.. but beyond that, I do enjoy the sadistic nature Zorin has - and he executes it at times with a playful charm, that you can't help but to laugh right along with him.
The plot, well, like any Bond flick, it has it's share of holes, so I don't put too much faith into any Bond plot that it's 100% believable... some are more accurate than others - but each have their own level of disbelief that needs to be suspended in order to enjoy the movie...
My only real problem with this film is Ms Sutton... sure, she is more than easy on the eyes - but her constant wailing drove me nuts... i know, i know - she was just doing what she was being directed to do.... but that is what made her character annoying to me - and it didn't help that had her get snuck up on by blimp, and subsequently captured.... they must run on Prius technology lol.
All Roberts does is scream and yell 'Jaaames' every two minutes from what I can remember, Grace Jones is wasted, Dolph Lundgren has a ten second cameo, was it even worth turning up, although Walter Gottell seemed to feature more than in recent episodes
The freakin' awful Fire Truck chase through SF with Moore swinging around on ladders and all that ensues is more Buster Keaton than James Bond 007
Teaser is almost non existent, and yet again Moore ends up spending a few hours in the company of a lady who could easily represent a daughter etc
The fight scenes, particularly at the Sutton mansion and the distribution center with Moore puffing it out with some heavies, does warrant some genuine, if unintentional amusement
Was Patrick McNee even needed here, well if they had Diana Rigg previous..
Zorin/Walken is fun to watch, surreal, unique etc, but a little one dimensional
This is undeniably one of the weakest entries in the entire Bond series and a sorry way for Roger Moore to depart
Thought the premise was quite entertaining.
Agreed, this James Bond production is certainly not a classic; though there have been much worse - Die Another Day
Despite being Roger Moore's most disliked Bond feature - There were a number of positives:
- Though Roger Moore is much too old, he still gives a respectable performance
- A fine performance by Christopher Walken as sinister Max Zorin
- A strong supporting role from The Avengers star Patrick McNee
There are some truly wonderful bits in it such as the music starting up as they swing towards the Golden Gate, the car stunt where it drives on to the roof of the bus and then off again along the Paris quais, and the flooding of the mine is pretty spectacular.
I dont mind Ms Roberts either. My only complaint is not having a big bruising fight with Mayday. She just gets her hands on him when they plunge into the briny.
What more could one want?
Moore, Walken and Macnee!
He doesn't display an ounce of the surlyness of Connery in the final days of his tenure and I love AVTAK, for all it's faults. :-)
sorry, just paraphrasing Lord Flashheart there, but still, I am right about the plot, it makes sense.
Going after the horse-trickery would bring them closer to Zorin's operations, allthough they obviously hadn't counted on Aubergine getting killed. After that it was only natural to follow up his investigations: apparently they were important enough for Zorin to kill over.
AVTAK is still one of my favorite Bond-films, and close to LALD, which i consider RM's best. It has an increadable soundtrack, nice locations, Christopher Walken in one of his best performances, a lot of humour, but not as slapstick as we've gotten accustomed to with RM.
Yes, it's a great film!
Not against CIN but Bond is miles ahead plus Bond has been apart of CIN remember the news casters doing a medly of Bond songs?
No hate for any Bond film here.
There are some great scenes here. I love the rock salt shotgun fight when he first meets Tonya Roberts, who's ridiculously hot, btw and I like that they aren't afraid to get a little hardcore. His ally gets killed in a brutal fashion, Zorin kills that diver spy in a bad way, and blowing up the mine is a nice, nasty touch.
I wish they had focused on Moore's age. They could have sent him off right and given it a bit more gravitas, like, this is an aging, still fighting for all he's worth super agent and the whole affair would have mattered more. He gave a great performance but the script and some of the story elements were lacking at times.