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I wouldn't say I love it but I definitely don't hate it. It's a weird one but it's fun, easy to watch and actually has quite a bit going for it. Give me something bizarre but memorable like AVTAK over something painfully forgettable like FYEO any day.
Probably wouldn't be panned nearly as much, lol.
Zorin is the BEST Bond villain. I mean ever.
I’d be interested in a list with all those moments when he does that.
Moore may be a little (lot) on the old side in this film, but Walken more then makes up for it as one of the best villains in the series for sure. It goes to show the films need some tension, if it isn't in the fighting, it at least should be in the thwarting of the villains' plan. And Walken sure comes over as genuinly psychotic.
He is pretty great. I love the little excited laugh he does when he finds out who he's really up against. And he has some great lines. "If you're the best they've got, I'd imagine they'd rather cover up your embarassing incompetence". It's a good job he tried to drown Bond in the lake after, he needed it after that burn. And one of the best villain death scenes for sure.
I think Walken/Zorin alone elevates AVTAK above FYEO. Kristartos is probably the worst villain of the series for me, it took me a good few years and rewatches to actually remember who he was. For ages I'd always had it in my head that Locque was the main villain just because he has a more memorable look to him.
I would be too.
There are at least two at the end of AVTAK, when Zorin tries to run Bond into the top of the TransAmerica (in-joke?) Building, and again when Moore first dangles from a single rope on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Also, Jones' orgasmic sound when she jumps from the Eiffel Tower always makes me giggle.
FYEO has slipped considerably in my rankings, though, or rather other films have just gone up past it. It's down to 12 or 13 on my list now.
Yeah I'm not a fan either. It's just so forgettable, and the whole "down to earth, back to basics" angle is undermined by the slapstick cringey moments. I do like a lot of the action (especially the climbing bit), Bond and Melina's dynamic, and the scenes with the smugglers. But overall I don't really see what the fuss is about. I think OP is a lot better, even as a serious/gritty Bond film.
I was gutted that for the double bill charity showings they did TSWLM/FYEO. Don't get me wrong it was great getting to see them at the cinema but I really wish it'd been TSWLM/OP. I guess it's because all people remember from OP is the clown makeup. If any Bond film deserves a proper reappraisal it's that one.
Yeah, I'm back to liking OP more again. Sustained intensity (couple of tense spikes), nice balance between gritty reality and humorous fantasy, a plot that's also "grounded and realistic" (unfortunately it's quite underrated) and much more confrontation between Bond and the villains.
I know Bond only encounters Orlov once in OP but that didn't even happen with Kristatos after he was revealed as the villain. I think he exchanged a few words with Bond on the boat before the keelhauling and that was it. They were within metres of each other at the monastery as well but once again Bond was occupied with other people.
That was kind of what dragged FYEO down for me on the recent viewing. I can get behind Kristatos' more realistic villain but when he gets completely glossed over the protagonist (twice!) you just know he's not being an effective villain. And that's a great shame as I liked him otherwise (well, apart from the terrible "I will deal with you" line he says to Jacoba Brink). The fault of the script, really.
Missed this. From what I can see, TMWTGG made more than OHMSS in terms of inflated gross, and with less of a budget. OHMSS is not surpassed as the lowest gross until AVTAK, which doesn't hold the title for long before LTK snatches it away, and it still holds that title today.
That's what I always though. Unless history has been revised, I don't really think any of the Bonds prior to LTK's reception in the U.S. actually posed much of a threat to the series' future.
OHMSS certainly did less than TB or YOLT, and really didn't get the appreciation we have for it now. Even in the '80's it was considered an odd curiosity rather than a masterpiece.
Post TMWTGG, Eon was ready to carry on with SPY until the situation with Harry occurred, which then delayed production. Still it was a lower than expected box-office, and I can imagine had TSWLM been released, say in December of 1975, it would have been a smaller scale production. Maybe more along the lines of LALD. I do believe Cubby was considering Guy to direct until he got involved with the SUPERMAN film.
It's been in my top ten (for as much as I have one) since I managed to get used to the shakey cam in the beginning. I love it how Bond is dead set on doing his job while everyone else thinks he's preoccupied with Vesper's death.
As for OP, I love the film itself but I dislike Maud Adams so much it takes me out of the film. She's outshined by everything and everyone, including inane objects. Kristina Wayborn is so much more interesting. It's a pity, with a different actress it could have been so much better, and they could have known as she doesn't do any better in TMWTGG.
I think Adams is Moore's best Bond woman chemistry-wise, possibly because she's at least in the ballpark as far as age goes. No, she isn't a great actress, but which of the other leads were?
Wayborn's Magda is more interesting, true, and obviously attractive, but as an actress she's not that far off from Talisa Soto. Maybe it's the dubbing in some of the scenes, but many of her line readings are horrid and that distracts me.
But she and Adams are nice complements to each other and two of the more underrated women in the series.
I agree. I think Melina is very underrated. Unlike Anya for instance, she actually showcases some ability and character. She does admittedly have one or two unconvincing moments performance vise, but so do most Bond girls to be fair...
I agree,it should have been a black actress,and Solitaire has never appealed to me,quite bland.
Honestly if you cut the boat chase in half, have Solitaire get recaptured on San Monique (cut the airport chase), recast Solitaire with a black actress, made her a bit more interesting and gave it a more exciting/climatic finale then LALD would be top ten for me, maybe even top five.
I do like it, but it frustrates me because it has so much going for it but a couple of nagging little issues hold it back. It could have easily been a classic with just a little bit of tinkering imo.
I think it has the best cast of villains in the series, Moore is perfect, the theme song is legendary, it has one of the best stunts, it has the great bit where Bond hang-gliders in while smoking a cigar, the score is great, the hints at the supernatural are really cool and perfectly done, and the whole thing feels really fresh and exciting every time I watch it (well, up until the boat chase maybe). It's a great film. I just think it could have been even better.
I always thought she was great. Cold and aloof, especially during the Mojave Club scenes and gradually warms to Bond's charm. I think they had a great rapport, really. She's definitely one of my favorites.
I loved all of Roger's leading ladies. Good chemistry, IMO, despite often a difference in age. To be honest I thought his relationship with Stacey was more convincing than Daniel/Bond's with Swann.