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
TLD is my 3rd favorite Bond film (next to OHMSS and CR) and it's with renewed pleasure that I watched it for the 12th time.
Timothy Dalton was still awesome, after all this time I could still enjoy his performance.
The whole "sniper was a woman", the "you should have brought Lilies" scenes and the scene where Saunders is killed and Bond went after a kid with balloons had me on the edge, once more.
I watched TLD with my 19 year old son, and he like it. Next time, I'll show him License to Kill.
It's funny, because I'm 19, and am currently showing my mum all of the Bond movies. We watched Skyfall in the cinema, and that's her first one. She loved it, so I decided to buy the bluray set and just show her all of them. We've only watched Dr. No so far, but she absolutely loved it.
Bravo! Well done! I can almost envy your mom, there's a whole new world of adventures in front of her, a world she'll love and cherish and she'll have you to thank. Lucky mom, she still has 21 more brand new Bond films to go!
But there's hope for her yet- I was visiting last Thanksgiving and they were showing CR & QOS on tv and she watched and enjoyed both!
Have strength, I know it's hard. :))
I am pleased to say that the first 7 films at least are being shown in pristeen digital restored versions. They look and sound spectacular, especially TB, OHMSS and DAF, none of which I had seen previously at other post Lowry-treatment big-screen festivals. Still waiting on YOLT. Will catch that in Jan. The digitally restored version should be spectacular.
Everything from TMWTGG to LTK, although quite watchable, have been grainier prints, not perfectly restored versions. Not sure what LALD looks like. Still waiting on that one.
I feared the same thing, so I watched them in a much more random order...sadly it didn't help. Be strong and Tim will be along to save the day in more ways than one.
Pros:
- Brosnan’s fresh take on Bond.
- Sassy, independent, well acted Bond girl.
- Xenia Onatopp. Nuff said.
- Alex Trevelyan, a personal, dangerous, smart Bond villain, played by the wonderful Sean Bean.
- One of the coolest titles. Seriously though. When someone asks you what you’re watching, it’s really fun to say “Goldeneye!”
- One of the best Bond title songs. Haunting and catchy. Perfectly sets the mood for the film. When you hear it, you’re hooked.
- Title sequence! Not one of the best, the best! Who knew the fall of the Soviet Union could look so beautiful. And there’s a girl breathing fire!
- The stunts. Namely, the bungee jump and the tank chase.
- The witty script.
Cons:
- The score. Although, only in some parts. But the parts where it doesn't work, it REALLY doesn't work. Let's not beat a dead horse though.
- Alan Cumming as Boris. Irritating beyond belief. His outfits and outbursts were jarring in a Bond film.
- Bond and Xenia never seal the deal.
i have to admit to having a soft spot for MR though. It was my first ever cinema Bond at the tender age of 8. Still love it despite the sheer stupidity of it all, but my wife (first cinema Bond was TLD) and kids have no such nostalgia and still preferred MR.
Still holds up, and I think it is here that Sean is in his overall prime. He seems more physically impressive and his overall Bond persona is more effortless. The Bond girls are bloody gorgeous, the film really makes you feel the risk of Bond's mission, the locations are great and the underwater fights are still the best of the best. This film also has my favorite Adam set: The impressively vast MI6 conference room where Bond actually sits with his fellow 00s. It is at this moment where the danger of the mission is most apparent, and that tension carries throughout the film. I also love seeing more of Bond caring about his allies, something Connery's Bond always had. In the fantastic PTS Bond is killing as vengeance for his lost colleagues, and later he doesn't seem pleased to learn that Pam took her cyanide.
Barry's score is amazing, and really amps up the otherwise mostly silent underwater scenes. The music gives the action a great pulse and amps up tension like it should very effectively.
I love the interaction with Bond and Largo as well, continuing the gentlemanly relationship Bond always had in the 60s with his enemies instead of the bitter fight to the death that it can be in other films like it. That is one of my favorite things about the Connery era in fact. TB also has some of the best one liners in Bond, and the dialogue between characters is very good.
Some gripes: The editing is a little off putting at parts either when shots are cut too soon (see opening PTS fight) or shots are sped up for effect. There are some moments that leave me scratching my head and those I have posted in the Bond questions thread on here. The plot seems to be all about luck. Bond just so happens to be at the same clinic that Lippe and Angelo's imposter are at. Bond just so happens to run up the bank to get a ride from a passing Fiona, and he just so happens to be in the same hotel that she is in. Bond just so happens to spin Fiona around in perfect timing so that she is shot instead of him. To top it all off, for head scratchers Bond punches Felix for basically no reason and I am pretty sure Bond's bullet wound in his left ankle is just scrapped and forgotten after the parade chase. Or maybe it was only a grazer? And just how many sharks were hurt in the making of this film? At times it feels like they are actually being shot at with harpoons. But any issues I have are only minor blemishes on this beautiful films' body. Overall, the film is another great romp as expected from the early Connery years. It isn't as polished as FRWL or as iconic as DN and GF, but the sheer ambition of the plot for its time, the big action pieces and effects that are truly jaw dropping for its time all culminate into why it is easy to see Bondmania really hit when this film released in theaters.
This is the last really classic Connery where he is commanding and his comfort in the role really shows through. I think that is why he wanted out not long after. Maybe it got too same old same old and he was too use to the role by now? I understand that, and I would rather have TB be his last. A great one to go out on, making his entire era star studded.
Casino Royale
I hadn't watched it all the way through since late May, and I forgot just how spectacular CR really is. I was really amazed by the locations this time around; they added a lot of dazzle to the movie and made it very vibrant and loud, which is always a necessary Bond quality. Also, the action took me in, once again, with its sheer size and magnitude, as well as its ability to snag the viewer and pull them on a roller coaster ride, particularly the Madagascar foot chase, the Miami airport tanker truck fight, and the stairwell fight with Obanno. On a more subtle level, I thought the "dialogue scenes" were very well handled. Some Bond movies do not handle their dialogue scenes very well, which makes the movie only entertaining in the action-packed scenes. However, CR doesn't have this problem, which I really enjoyed. Good examples of this point include the scene at M's house with her and Bond, the small scene outside of the casino with Bond and Vesper after he lost the crucial round to Le Chiffre, the torture scene, and M's speech to Bond about Vesper after her death. Also, I thought David Arnold contributed a great deal to the movie with his very classy soundtrack. The whole thing sounds so polished and slick; it really fits the tone well! Overall, CR is a great asset to the Bond series and is top ten material, although I'll have to do some adjusting to the ol' ranking to try and include it!
2013 Bond Marathon by Novels Ranking
1. Casino Royale
A man after my own heart. It's widely known I place OP as my number one Bond film, for all the reasons you have stated, and then some. Often overlooked for the silliness, and Moores age, OP is the Bond film that truly has something for everyone. Louis Jourdan and Steven Berkoff are two of the finest villains to grace a Bond film, Maud Adams, Kristina Wayborn and the Octopussy girls are a feast for our eyes (The males amongst us anyway) The action is still impressive thirty years on. The story although complex is never imo confusing. I've read reviews in various books before where the author has a hard time following the story of OP. To this I say, why? Concentrate and it's really quite easy to follow. The dialogue and tension are above par, and on the whole the film is an improvement on Glens directorial debut in FYEO.
Several standout scenes for me. The wonderful PTs, the Sothebys auction, the back gammmon game. The best game in a Bond film. At least an equal to the golf match in GF. The way Magda seduces Bond, and Bonds capture. The dinner at the Monsoon palace. Bond infiltrates Octopussy's island. The entire German portion of the film. From M's briefing at Checkpoint Charlie, Bonds face off with Orlov (My favourite scene) the race to stop the bomb, and the incredibly tense moment where Bond dressed as a clown has to convince the authorities he is who he says he is, as the bomb ticks down to destruction. If you're not on the edge of your seat at this point, there really is something wrong with you.
Then as if that wasn't enough, Bond has to confront Kamal Khan for his wrong doing and of course rescue Octopussy, whilst hanging on to the exterior of Khans airborne plane! As with all the Bond films of the 80's and before, all the stuntwork is done for real. And it shows. OP is filled with exciting and original action sequences, that have rarely been bettered. As @Signed_By_RogerMoore says, it really is that good.
I also saw some of Casino Royale a day or two ago, but had to leave it, as the DVD player 'became belligerent' and I was forced to abandon viewing, but will endeavor to get back when able and see the rest of it out
So far I'm enjoying it, but find the constant sex references a bit tedious.
The storyline also doesn't seem as captivating as GoldenEye, but I don't remember the storylines from TND or DAD being as captivating as GE either...
Die Another Day wasn't up to much either in terms of plot, but TWINE is as always, my favorite Brosnan adventure, but the sexual references are indeed too much sometimes as you stated
Yeah even as a teenager who barely understood the storyline in GoldenEye, I was underwhelmed and disappointed by the one in TND. DAD just struck me as over-produced and cheesy. I don't hate them - not at all - they just felt a bit... lazy. I wasn't sure why they kept missing the mark despite getting it (to my eyes) so RIGHT in GoldenEye.
Looking forward to watching the rest of TWINE tomorrow ^^
Fantastic picture quality (especially during some of the early scenes in Monte Carlo, M's office and the statue park sequence).
An excellent movie with teriffic action and memorable characters but the flaws are clearer now (the production at times is a bit iffy and Brosnan isn't as comfortable as he would be - but has some fine moments).
8/10
I have been watching LALD in portions today (due to time today), and I must say, the transition between Casino Royale and Live and Let Die is, obviously, illogical! I mean I suppose we could just say that MI6 took care of Mr. White and somehow wrapped up the Quantum issue, and Bond found Miss Caruso as a suitable replacement for Vesper, hahaha! The thing is though, I'll eventually get around to Quantum of Solace, which will make no sense to any continuity! I suppose if I were to take out CR and QoS, and possibly DN and FRWL also (since they have some slight continuity), then the transitions could be made logical and reasonable.