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Agreed, and an element dearly missed with modern Bond.
It WAS expensive,hence the toned-down,cheaper FYEO 2 years later.
The expenses both on MR & FYEO were put on the screen, both movies look still more glamorous and glorious than the recent Craig/Mendes vehicles. I sincerely hope that the new director will put some of that back on the screen and some of the fun that CR did have but gradually eroded from the Craig era. Craig deserves to go out with a good movie. (as did Brosnan but that is another discussion)
I'm thinking of:
YOLT -> OHMSS (concerns about Lazenby's box office pull etc)
MR -> FYEO (box office performance, United's financial struggles, etc)
DAD -> CR (new bond, untested at the box office, the sheer bloat of DAD, etc)
Not disagreeing with you about TSWLM and MR. But there's commercial sense in mixing things up as well, otherwise you just end up with diminishing returns - I imagine.
As I pointed out, MR was a huge box office success in '79. Realistically, there was no real reason to change the winning formula and go back-to-basics. I admit that I wasn't a fan of the goofiness at the time, but the majority of cinemagoers were. Clearly it was a mistake to cutout the extravaganza from FYEO as it under-performed at the box office, certainly if you compare it to MR or TSWLM. This downward trajectory would continue right up until Brosnan reversed it over a decade and a half later with GE. Let's not forget that Moore was refusing to sign his contract again, and there were talks of a new Bond taking over in FYEO. This was the main reason why a lot of the story was written as if it were for a different actor in the role. As soon as Moore signed on, it gave Cubby an excuse to reinstate some of the absurdity of both TSWLM and MR, albeit on a much smaller budget due to UA financial constraints.
I think the circumstances of why and when the producers changed the styles were under a set of different circumstances. Again, DAD was hugely successful at the box office. The only reason Eon didn't give us DAD Part 2 was because the studio had finally gotten their hands on Fleming's Casino Royale and knew they couldn't really have Brosnan pretending to be a young recruit, unless they made drastic changes the narrative. Hence, why the decision to reboot the franchise was taken with a younger face. Factor in the rise in popularity of Jason Bourne and the drastic events of 9/11 and it's pretty clear to understand why the silliness was taken out in favour of a more sober tone. It's also worth remembering that we almost got a Jinx spin-off movie for a November/December 2004 release. The reason why this was pulled had nothing to do with Eon, as Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson were both furious at the decision. You can thank MGM for obtaining the rights to CR and wanting to press ahead with that movie instead.
It's good PR and Cubby was the best at it in the business. Don't think for one minute that Cubby really wanted to reduce the budget for his MR follow-up if he had a choice in the matter. That was imposed on him by the studio from directly above. The irony is, you mention diminishing returns, which is exactly what happened as a result of FYEO and not because of MR. The commercial sense is not to change a winning formula when you're only two movies in, but to change it when it starts to show signs of fatigue or diminishing returns. TMWTGG was the first Bond movie to show signs of fatigue, which is why TSWLM ended up the way it is - a sort of greatest hits package. Spy was a huge box office global success and MR was its equal. The same cannot be said of FYEO, which saw another decline in the series. I understand what you're saying, I just don't see the logic in it if your movies are doing extremely well. Mid-course direction is something you only do if your audience wants it.
I agree with you. It's a good starting point. I've shown my son the following films:
GF
DAF
TMWTGG
TSWLM
MR
YOLT
Wasn't sure where to go next. I started to show him FYEO but he got bored and so off it went. LOL! I was thinking AVTAK but it tends to get violent towards the end.
His ranking is as follows:
DAF
MR
TSWLM
GF
YOLT
TMWTGG
He frequently quotes DAF dialogue to me. LOL!
I'm glad we have such varied films in the franchise that there's usually one that hooks them in
I didn t get to see it at the cinema, but I am sure I would have loved it at the age I was. I have found some new appreciation for it lately.
I can attest: it was wonderful on the big screen.
The thing I remember most was that they didn't show the pre-title sequence. All we saw was the gun barrel sequence right into the silhouette of Jaws falling into the net and then the theme song. It wasn't till I saw it on TV some years later that I saw the pre-title sequence.
It's James Bond. In space. With lasers.
What's not to like?!?!
I'm not saying TSWLM is inferior, on the whole, before people sick the hounds on me. I'm saying the two are both fantastic and are far closer in quality than many people seem willing to recognize. Just my take.
I like to pop in this thread now and then to see the movie get some love.
For me, even though TSWLM is a great, MR is a better film. As you said, audiovisually it’s more impressive but it also has a better villain and Bond girl.
The humour is silly in places, but so is Spy’s. Jaws dropping a stone on his foot or having him flap his hands while falling, that’s equally silly in my book.
Moreover, I like Moore’s Bond better in MR too. In Spy, that one scene with Anya notwithstanding, he acts like total prick sometimes: “Women drivers.”
Very nice! What a massive reassessment that was for your ranking.
I always liked pieces of it as far as I remember. But in recent years, It just keeps getting better and better. It's just a complete joy. Everyone is just at the top of their games. The acting is great, the effects are great, and the music is great. I just love Moonraker.
And you are sure you just didn t read your list upside down?
That's how it went for me, though perhaps not as extreme - there were always some moments I enjoyed, but the production as a whole seemed to grow much more exciting and bombastic with each viewing recently. It's a real fun time.