Review: Spectre

After the colossal success of Skyfall director Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig return to bring Bond's origin story to completion. It... is a bumpy ride.

Bond is on the ropes once again at the MI6, M has him grounded after he causes chaos in Mexico City while hunting down a man the previous M had secretly instructed him to find. This leads Bond down a path to further discover his past, and a conspiracy that links all his previous missions. Meanwhile, MI6 faces a merger with MI5 to become a new intelligence agency without need of double-oh agents...

If Skyfall was The Dark Knight, Spectre is The Dark Knight Rises. With its previous instalment being such a huge success as well as being incredibly unique in the now twenty-four entries of the franchise, Spectre is completely up against it. Unfortunately what appears to be a more traditional Bond film from the outset, is exactly that.
Spectre (or correctly spelt: S.P.E.C.T.R.E) relies on a lot of mystery and a lot of setup in its task of tying up the underlying plot of the last three films. But avid fans have already called it out; much as with the "twist" of JJ Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness, Spectre's title isn't the only problem undermining the film's attempts at mystique. It feels like an conspicuous attempt to remake the series.

The film is surprisingly slow and sporadically paced (a bit like Sam Smith's whining, warbling theme The Writing's on the Wall, which has not improved with time) especially for a Bond film. We leap from location to location at the drop of an editor's hat. Most of the story is expositional and setup for a payoff most people already know is coming. The dissolving of MI6 is positively dull, Ralph Fiennes as M working with an unimaginative script, a battle of wits with Andrew Scott (Moriarty from BBC's Sherlock... totally not playing a villain...)
Action scenes are haphazard and quite baffling. Compared to Skyfall's train-top earthmover stunt, or the fight in Shanghai, Spectre has you more likely scratching your head asking Bond what exactly he hopes to achieve. A lot of stock is put into Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) as Spectre's silent lead muscleman (who has apparently watched too much Game of Thrones) but apart from an excellent punch up in a train, his scenes feel more like the completion of a checklist than anything relevant.

It isn't all bad though. It earns respect for thematically tying the last decade worth of Bond films together, heck it even references the often reviled Quantum of Solace more than once! The film is in line with a more traditional Bond experience: a globe-trotting plot; a larger than life villain henchman who hounds Bond at every turn; a romantic train journey; isolated super villain hideouts; a comedic edge to proceedings. Indeed, if one thing saves the film it is actually the comedy. Bond and Q have a great chemistry still. Christoph Waltz as the villain of course is good, although he is playing the character he has always played.
If Daniel Craig's Bond films are the first films you are watching, this works as a decent segway into more from the franchise, even if it is a clear sign that the future will be either more derivative or remakes.

It has none of its predecessor's smarts or uniqueness, and while it is perhaps the most fun of Daniel Craig's films it is laboriously slow at getting to the point. Skyfall was a peak that Bond perhaps will never attain again, and bringing back a reluctant director and lead actor to capture that lightning once again was likely a mistake. While the predecessor was a celebration, this is more of an homage.

Lower your expectations and you will enjoy it for its action and its quick wit, its more classic Bond call backs and Daniel Craig still delivers Bond's more severe personality well. But I found it a slog to get through, with too much setup for a reveal that was completely expected.

Review: Kingsman - Secret Service

Matthew Vaughn continues his comic book adaptations after Kick Ass and X-Men: First Class with this bloodied, tongue-in-cheek British spy action movie.

A smart British youth who has found himself in hard times after the death of his father, but when an agent of a secret organisation requests he join the service he, and the other young trainees, might be the only ones able to stop a maniac millionaire's evil plans.

It took me a long time to finally see Kingsman: Secret Service, but it appears to have a lot of staying power here in the UK mostly because of its star-studded supporting cast and Vaughn's directorial hand. With Michael Cane, Mark Strong, Colin Firth and Samuel L Jackson you'd swear you were watching something extremely prominent, but as always Matthew Vaughn brings his classic sense of humour and style to the proceedings, making what might have been a by-the-numbers spy caper a lot more fun and enjoyable.

I cannot say I hadn't seen any of this before. The lengthy training montage of wise-cracking youths at a grand English manor is straight from Vaughn's superior First Class, dozens of homages to James Bond movies (though justified and often the movie is self-aware of these) such as a secret underground shuttle car system, tonnes of gadgets and snowy mountaintop retreats. Cane, Jackson and Firth are honestly playing the same characters they have been playing for years. Although I did greatly enjoy the villainous Samuel L Jackson's lisp.
There are some strange inconsistencies and bad continuity throughout, such as one of the opening scenes seeing a masked soldier killed only for a follow up shot to have his mask removed so we could see his face. No one had removed it. Or our villain, Valentine, being violently allergic to the sight of blood but has a henchwoman who's signature weapons are blades. She can cleave a man in half, yet after having done so... there's conveniently no massive pool of blood? 

I don't know why I feel the need to be hard on the film; the action sequences were awesome! The fight choreography, editing and timing around the battles were exceptional and eye popping, I never thought I would see Colin Firth being such a bad ass. As I've mentioned already Matthew Vaughn's style is strong, the score reminded me of First Class and there's some great music choice. Colourful cinematography and lighting make everything pop and the dialogue can be very witty.

It is good fun, and an easy way to spend a couple of hours. The pacing was strong, the story wasn't taxing or laborious at any point, nothing was wrong with the film. I guess I just wasn't expecting such a prolonged training theme and maybe more unique characters from our actors (the exception being Mark Strong's character) ultimately making it very enjoyable but somewhat forgettable.

Additional Marshmallows: I also turn in my Film Buff badge for not recognising MARK HAMILL in this film! 

Review: Skyfall

Skyfall marks a defining moment in the franchise, a make or break decision to scale things down, tighten the characters and their histories, to become more the thinking man's Bond. The film does not break in the attempt.

We find Bond on assignment and liberated from the rage that had once consumed him; he is a complete agent now as he tracks down stolen intelligent that gives names and locations to undercover MI6 agents. Bond however is shot accidentally, and must recover in time to stop the further sabotage of the British Secret Service.

How incredibly different this film is to the messy, ham-fisted Quantum of Solace, I can actually see the action this time! The pacing of the film is steady, everything is given to you in malleable amounts yet maintains an intelligence not seen in Bond films since On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Licence to Kill or perhaps From Russia with Love. The camera and direction slowly relish the locations, people and vistas with care and attention.

Not to say of course that the action set pieces are toned down completely, this is a Craig film; we still get incredibly kinetic and real action! I can understand how Daniel Craig wants to do more while he is physically able; especially with Skyfall's opening chase that involves a train. I know I've not seen a train chase like that before!
The charisma is still there too, Craig possibly giving his best performance yet, taking advantage of this more human Bond. The womanising Bond trait is quite restrained; there is less focus on a "Bond Girl" relationship (which is impossibly refreshing at this point!) and all of the film's focus goes into Bond's relationship with M (great to see Dudi Dench being given presence!) and her connection with the film's villain Raoul Silva.

As seen in the trailer the franchise gives us a new Q character, played by the young Ben Whishaw, whose age brings an enlightening new angle to the character's relationship with Bond. Asides Q there are plenty of references to Bond's past, but not hammered home bluntly, and they are often used with great comedic effect! Yes, there is a great sense of humour beneath the espionage heavy story too.
"A gun and a radio," Bond mutters to Q about his new gear, "Not exactly Christmas, is it."
"What were you expecting... an exploding pen?" Q parries wearily, "I'm afraid we don't go into that sort of thing any more."

Skyfall, in my opinion, is a startlingly realised Bond film. Clearly someone wanted to show characters rather than icons and this may well divide audiences; some may want more grand scale, world-threatening stories from Bond. Personally, it intrigued me from start to finish.

Great opening theme and intro, an excellent homage to the 50th Anniversary, and a film that promises even more from Bond!

Additional Marshmallows: My only concern for the franchise, is that they stuck the traditional gun barrel opening sequence at the end of the film again... I... don't like this! But, the film uses the Bond theme effectively; the score was awesome, so I suppose that makes up for it.

Saga Review: James Bond (No.21 - No.22)

That's right, with Skyfall releasing later this year I am opting to give you my thoughts on all of the Bond films! There's twenty-two films, and when I started this challenge there were twenty-two weeks before Skyfall, sounds good to me!
I grew up in the six year drought of Bond films, between the Dalton and Brosnen Eras, so my definition of Bond is Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights and License to Kill, while Goldeneye is one of my top favourites. It took me a little while to watch all of the other James Bond films, but they were regularly shown on television, and while the Brosnen films quickly worsened I would never grow to like the Roger Moore era. At least not yet.

We have reached the end of this endless journey! Now we have two remarkably stand-out films to review as part of Daniel Craig's ongoing era as the super spy.

It is impressive to see that even now, fifty years on and after twenty films the franchise can still find some solid ground without resorting to parody or remakes. True, Casino Royale is technically a prequel (and ignoring the Peter Sellers spoof, not a remake!) but that is at least forgiveable isn't it?

So let's see how we get on with this new, edgy James Bond. There will be free-running and rooftop chases, endless Poker games, angry, angry revenge and slimy villains. It is the Craig era.

Casino Royale (2006)

Four years on, James Bond gets a face lift the only way movie franchises know how: with a prequel!

Daniel Craig takes over the role as the special agent when he is given his 007 status from M (Judi Dench reprising her role) and he is given the task to investigate Le Chiffre, a terrorist money dealer and notorious poker player. MI6 sends Bond to participate in the Casino Royale poker game and prevent Le Chiffre from keeping his criminal finances and turn his clients against him.

After directing Pierce Brosnen’s first outing Goldeneye, Martin Campbell returns to direct this fiercer, bolder and grown-up Bond outing. Craig has great presence as Bond, going from icy intensity to playfully and relaxed with ease. Eva Green is also a competent Bond Girl, to the point where she might not be considered a “Bond Girl” in the traditional sense.

The film is perhaps the most solid Bond film I have ever seen, it feels like a story with integrity; we aren’t dealing with some doomsday device intent on world destruction, just a banker with a bleeding eye. Okay, so there are some unusual elements. The film has huge, lengthy action sequences strung together with Bond’s character development, and the action is kinetic, real and immersive! (Then again, the last time I saw him; he was para-skiing through icebergs while being chased by an orbital solar laser beam...)

It is a grown up Bond film, and even more integrated and complete than the Dalton films (or at least more so than Living Daylights) some people may find its pacing too slow and its story lacking in “wow” factor; the third act does get a little lost. The villain here is pedestrian compared to previous films too, but I like the film a lot simply because it is showing the potential Bond films have. They had better not screw up this potent mixture!

This one is excellent in my opinion, it may not be for everyone, and it does have some teething problems, but it shows great promise.

Additional Marshmallows: The decision to almost completely ignore the traditional James Bond theme throughout the entire film (give-or-take) may irk a lot of fans (John Barry did not work on Casino Royale) the soundtrack is comprised of Chris Connell’s theme “You Know My Name” for the majority. This is however quite thematic, as the film is witnessing the birth of the vengeful, famous Bond we all know and love.

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Quantum of Solace, much like its title, is hard to quantify; I want to say I enjoyed watching it, only it doesn’t allow me too.

A cold, hate-filled Bond pursues the nebulous villains behind the schemes of Le Chiffre, taking him across the globe and risking the lives of everybody around him in the process.

In a unique move for the franchise this film is a direct sequel to Casino Royale, picking up where we last saw Daniel Craig’s super spy, capturing the only suspect who knows about a global criminal group that MI6 has no knowledge about. This leads Bond to investigate an environmentalist who is secretly taking control of the world’s natural resources.

The film is very different from Casino Royale. Like the flip-side of a coin; Casino was often moody and slow paced, while Quantum is a frenetic action sequence that never ends! Not in a good sense; the editing is rapid, we have that shaky-camera action filming and a lot of CG stunt elements (for a Bond film, often praised for their physical stunts). You could say it lacks conviction with its content too; it is a film of story padding, you can’t shake the feeling that there should be more going on, even its finale feels quite lacking. This likely stems from the weak villains, who make Le Chiffre appear multi-layered and threatening, and over-reliance on action sequences.

But the film does look great. It has lush visuals, a great moment of espionage where Bond gets the upper-hand against the mysterious organisation at a theatre, and the general sense of bottled rage from Bond is exciting to watch (if not entirely capitalised upon) Craig is still an excellent Bond.

It is certainly a weak individual film, and even when watched after Casino Royale it feels directionless and poorly executed. Here’s hoping the following films can make up for this unintelligent stumble!

Additional Marshmallows: Quantum of Solace is the first Bond film to not use the traditional opening montage of Bond shooting towards the camera! Instead it is tagged onto the beginning of the end credits...

Well, I have to say I am now completely stoked for Skyfall's release next week! I only hope it is more like the Dalton films and less like Quantum of Solace... Given the film industry's current obsession with "more action, less integrity", Daniel Craig's time as Bond could descend into a mash of brainless action and explosions. James Bond films need to have espionage, those moments of slowness where we can appreciate what's happening and appreciate Bond's wit and sophistication.

From the looks of Skyfall's trailer, there's plenty of action but also a more stand-out villain played by Javier Bardem (see No Country for Old Men for his credentials in playing villains!) which is much needed in this series now. We can only hope that more of this secret organisation is revealed, and a proper spy story can develop along the way.

Director Sam Mendez has stated he grew up watching Roger Moore's first film Live and Let Die... Well, so long as Sherriff Pepper doesn't make an appearance, I'll be at ease!

See you all at Skyfall! 

The Connery Era

The Lazenby / Connery Return films

The Moore Era

The Dalton Era

The Brosnen Era

Saga Review: James Bond (No.17 - No.20)

That's right, with Skyfall releasing later this year I am opting to give you my thoughts on all of the Bond films! There's twenty-two films, and when I started this challenge there were twenty-two weeks before Skyfall, sounds good to me!
I grew up in the six year drought of Bond films, between the Dalton and Brosnen Eras, so my definition of Bond is Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights and License to Kill, while Goldeneye is one of my top favourites. It took me a little while to watch all of the other James Bond films, but they were regularly shown on television, and while the Brosnen films quickly worsened I would never grow to like the Roger Moore era. At least not yet.

Because there are twenty-two films I am breaking my reviews down into eras as best I can, and quite possibly Pierce Brosnen's reign as Bond proves to be the most intriguing. I remember them well, especially Goldeneye as that was the first Bond film I saw in cinemas, and of course the Nintendo video game of the same name. But almost immediately we can sense the franchise struggling to find identity in this new era; Goldeneye was a success after the six years hiatus, but after that the magic and power ebbed away at an increasing rate.

What would happen would be a downward spiral, but what can we expect from this wild, flailing era? Awesome and unique villains, I can say that much, but also helicopters with chainsaws, Solar death-rays, newspapers, the Goldeneye theme, ice palaces, invisible cars and awful casting choices. The list goes on, and on!

Goldeneye (1995)

Pierce Brosnen revives the Bond franchise six years later with a bombastic, entertaining return.

When the key and access codes to a sophisticated weaponised satellite are stolen, James Bond must stop whoever is responsible before they use it to destroy the modern world. But while he is teamed up with a rogue Russian computer technician a dangerous femme fatale wants him dead, while the mastermind behind the plot seeks personal revenge.

Goldeneye is a leap into the 1990s, and a positive all-change for the franchise. Judi Dench takes over as the first female M, and Samantha Bond plays the third Miss Moneypenny, while the film itself is riddled with tech-talk and “internet hacker” jargon that has most certainly dated the experience! The film’s soundtrack is all over the place, feeling disjointed and awkward.

However, Brosnen does a great job as Bond, coming somewhere between Dalton and Connery. Bond’s darker, merciless side is hinted at in conversation, while Brosnen has the correct amount of wry comedic timing without hamming it to death! He and Desmond Llewelyn’s scenes in Q’s lab are genius, and possibly the best in the series!

The other actors, except for Sean Bean as an excellent and original turncoat villain, are a little... over the top; there are some questionable accents being thrown around, while Famke Janssen topples all previous villainesses with a truly psychotic (and memorable) character.

But, I do love it. As the first Bond film I saw on release, how can I not? Sure it is 1990s, but Goldeneye has the first use of computer graphics (okay, some satellite shots are dodgy) and it is the first Bond film to come on DVD. It also has the most use of models and miniatures of any Bond film and it shows, with some excellent effects. Tina Turner’s opening theme is still incredible, and tops all the others, while the opening itself (with new designer Daniel Kleinman) is a much needed breath of fresh air for the franchise!

It is punchy, incredibly fast paced yet maintains the sense of danger and espionage nicely. Brosnen’s reign as James Bond looks very promising indeed. Right? ... Right?

Additional Marshmallows: If you are like me, and anyone growing up with Goldeneye as their Bond film, you will have obsessed over the tie-in Nintendo game on the N64. It is very, very hard to watch it again without thinking “God, that level was murderous!”

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

It seems like Tomorrow Never Dies gets a lot of criticism thrown its way, but personally, I think it is the only other good Brosnen film next to Goldeneye!

After military unrest is caused between the British and the Chinese when a secret GPS encoder was used to mis-direct battleships, Bond is sent to investigate the intelligent but power hungry media magnate Elliot Carver.

Goldeneye was quite the act to follow, but asides from a few clichés and glib expositionary dialogue, Tomorrow has a massive amount of action and a consistent pace, making it very easy to watch yet with new ideas to spin some intrigue.
Jonathan Pryce plays Elliot Carver, a transparent but unique villain, and I for one fully appreciate this character; at least he gives an impression of having a plan that works. The naysayers really should watch Moonraker some time, for an example of a stupid, stupid villain. The film also features Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin, possibly the most capable Bond Girl we have ever seen! We also continue to get great scenes between Bond and Q, Desmond Llewelyn and Brosnen have some great chemistry in these scenes.

The theme by Sheryl Crow could never beat Goldeneye, but thank god the film’s score rises head and shoulders above its predecessor! This soundtrack actually has an identity, grounding the film in its own surroundings and story, and being punchy and loud when it’s supposed to be.
There is however a dip in Bond’s darker presence... and while this only gets worse in later films, it is already happening here; Bond is almost always jovial here and the one-liners are tumbling out. You could also say Joe Don Baker’s recurring character is like the Moore era’s Sherriff Pepper... but at least Baker’s character has a purpose in the story!

I definitely enjoy Tomorrow Never Dies. It may have its flaws, but I’ve been through eighteen Bond films now and I can say none of them are without flaws; at least this one has some unique features, memorable moments and some grounding in reality!

Additional Marshmallows: Did you know this was the first Bond film to not use any Ian Fleming references? While Carver’s German bodyguard Stamper was originally drafted to have a brain injury that made him register pain as pleasure... a characteristic altered and adapted for the next Bond film’s villain.

The World is Not Enough (1999)

There begins the sagging demise of Pierce Brosnen’s Bond career. While nowhere near as bad as Roger Moore’s worst, this certainly has too much overly juvenile stupidity.

The World is Not Enough begins with a merciless terrorist who cannot feel pain (due to a bullet lodged deep within his brain) killing a oil baron and targeting his daughter next. Bond must protect her while uncovering the terrorist plot.

Okay, I have to get the negative out of the way first, because it was becoming painful throughout the film... Denise Richards. It has been ten Bond films since I saw this sort of pathetic excuse of a Bond Girl; I thought we were past this! A nuclear physicist who runs around in a sleeveless shirt and hot pants... give, me, a, break. She does next to nothing except spout exposition so Bond knows what to do and otherwise makes it look like Brosnen’s dragging around a blow-up doll. She could have easily have been written out of this for the movie’s benefit.

The film feels choppy, as though there were several ideas churned together, individually eye-catching, but together they feel disjointed. We have a man who feels no pain, parachuting ski-mobiles (“Parahawks”, Google it) and helicopters wielding buzzsaws, the latter was indeed in an early draft of Goldeneye. Certainly the best elements of the film are the villains, and while I usually attest to a good villain making a good film... here they just feel wasted, especially Robert Carlyle’s Renard, I mean what an interesting casting choice!

It has its moments; the opening includes a motorboat chase around London and the Thames River, ending on the Millennium Dome, the villain’s plot is relatively interesting. But the character of Christmas Jones is just a travesty; some of the dialogue is more juvenile than even Moore standards, while Brosnen himself is looking less-and-less invested.

Intelligence and integrity are buried under needless stupidly here, pushing aside unique ideas in preference for overloaded campiness. Better than I remember, but possibly due to comparison with previous Bond films!

Additional Marshmallows: The film features an absent-minded farewell to Desmond Llewelyn as Q and his replacement by John Cleese. Unfortunately Llewelyn died in an automobile accident soon after the film release, he had commented on wishing to return in the next movie. The video and DVD of The World is Not Enough features a tribute to his appearance in the last seventeen Bond films.

Die Another Day (2002)

Should have been called “Parody Another Day” or “Overripe Garbage”.

Where to begin...

The twentieth outing for super-spy James Bond was going to be special, a triumphant celebration of forty years of movie magic. Shame that all we get is an infantile mash of explosions, pointless gadgets and pointless characters, with an overwhelming amount of padding, and literally endless one-liners!

Bond is captured and tortured in North Korea while investigating diamond smuggling and arms dealings, only to later defy MI6 and uncover the connections between these illegal trades and an overnight diamond billionaire developing an orbital space weapon. Meanwhile, Halle Berry is in this.

So, the good aspects are easy to list, since there are only two. The villain’s henchman Zao (played by Rick Yune) who could have carried the entire film had he been given the chance, and the brand new Aston Martin Vanquish and its final ice-skating car chase!

Unfortunately, everything else is bad. We can assume the twentieth Bond would have some cameos, some references to previous films, but did they need to replace the story with them? We have laser torture (ala Goldfinger) we have ejector seats, we have Union Jack flag parachutes, jet packs, knife shoes, and oh yes, Halle Berry butchering the original Bond Girl’s (Ursula Andress from Dr No.) entrance, replacing subtly for brazen slow-motion, rivets of water and breasts.
It is a messy, choppy and nonsensical action film that strays so far from what Bond is that it goes beyond parody; this is jumping the shark in almost every scene. When the villain dons an electric power-suit akin to Power Rangers, you wonder just what the hell you are watching!

This is a shame, because the opening isn’t too bad, it starts with surfing. SURFING! I’ve never seen that; they've finally replaced skiing with something different (although I still don’t believe hovercrafts can safely traverse minefields) and Bond being captured and tortured was also unique (although this too is ruined with that selfishly “standout” theme from Madonna...)

Ultimately, Die Another Day fails at almost everything it attempts; everything good is countered with something bad i.e. cool looking car = they make it invisible; strong female character = they cast Berry; different setting with North Korea = they turn the bad guy British... wait what?

There’s so much wrong I cannot list it all. 2002 was a bad year for film franchises, seeing Resident Evil begin and Star Trek: Nemesis, and like Nemesis, Brosnen’s last Bond film is a jumble, a mess without any coherence; bubblegum for the eyes.

Additional Marshmallows: Did you know that Halle Berry was looking to start a spin-off series with her character Jinx, “The first Bond Girl to get her own film”? I cringe at the thought, fortunately it was canned and she went on to film Catwoman. Hah.

Now I am going to hit you with a revelation I've had... I believe that Pierce Brosnen is the weaker actor.

I know, I know!

... Stop throwing the cabbages, tomatoes and grenades at me!

I'm not saying the films themselves are the worst (certainly not; Moore and Connery have some of the worst stories/plots/villains of the series) but Brosnen only ever looks comfortable as the character once... and that is during Goldeneye.

This and the fact that Bond becomes an unmoving cliché of himself in these films, he requires more interesting characters around him to make things dynamic. Michelle Yoeh from Tomorrow Never Dies, Robert Carlyle in The World is Not Enough, and in Die Another Day Halle Berry practically steals everything from Bond in becoming his equal!
Maybe he isn't as bad as Roger Moore as the character... but at least Moore felt consistent (horrendously consistent, yes) and fairly confident throughout, and if you like that sort of thing... then that's... good? Brosnen does look and sound the part.

The actor himself has been quoted as being uncertain about the character, that he "never really nailed it", and how he may have wanted to portray Bond in a slightly edgier manner than the Moore-like comedic route; "a more ferocious way".

However you look at it (and perhaps you really like the Brosnen films as they are!) there is a lack of confidence underneath the films, either with the character or the storytelling in general.

But this is all quite harsh because I really enjoy Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies, in fact Goldeneye was the first Bond film I owned, even before Licence to Kill! The films have some great ideas, great villains, and are entertainment (all the way down to the most basic definition of the word) I would rather watch these four twice rather than the seven Moore films!

Next time, things get dark and gritty. We are no longer watching happy-go-lucky, suspension of disbelief action anymore, Bond is getting a realistic edge now! The last and current Bond, Daniel Craig arrives in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace!

The Connery Era

The Lazenby film & Connery's Return

The Moore Era

The Dalton Era

Saga Review: James Bond (No.15 - No.16)

That's right, with Skyfall releasing later this year I am opting to give you my thoughts on all of the Bond films! There's twenty-two films, and when I started this challenge there were twenty-two weeks before Skyfall, sounds good to me!
I grew up in the six year drought of Bond films, between the Dalton and Brosnen Eras, so my definition of Bond is Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights and License to Kill, while Goldeneye is one of my top favourites. It took me a little while to watch all of the other James Bond films, but they were regularly shown on television, and while the Brosnen films quickly worsened I would never grow to like the Roger Moore era. At least not yet.

Because there are twenty-two films I am breaking my reviews down into eras as best I can. 

It is bitter-sweet, today's post, because after nearly two months of Roger Moore torture I only get two weeks of awesomeness that is the Timothy Dalton films. I grew up with these films, so naturally I am already biased, but believe me when I say this, these films are massively underrated. Massively. Underrated.

So let's see how much awesome action and spy work we can fit into just four hours! There will be great 1980s music, tanker trucks exploding, capable Bond Girls (for once), sharks, exploding toothpaste, angry eyes and steely stares! It is the Dalton duo.

The Living Daylights (1987)

Thank you, thank you; effort, honest to god effort!

The Living Daylights comes just two years after Roger Moore’s era, and boldly starts a brand new chapter with Timothy Dalton as an all new Bond.
While secret agents are being killed off, Bond is asked to protect a defector and informant from the KGB who was targeted by a female sniper. However, not all is as it seems, and a string of betrayal and death leads Bond to a war profiteering general and his diamond smuggling operation.

The tone has changed dramatically from the last seven Bond films; finally we get a film that feels like a thriller, a spy film. Not only this, but the film has integrity and the sense it has been written not for cheap laughs and silly stunt sequences, but to tell a story of espionage and double-crosses.

Not to say there aren’t any Bond staples, there’s plenty! We even get... skiing?? Actually, this is skiing with an awesome return of the Aston Martin, I always remember this early sequence; a car with pop-out skis, windshield projected targeting computers, rocket launchers, even the booster from the Batmobile! All of this without some stupid sheriff mugging at the camera, bliss.

Bond is far darker now, his mood is vengeful and often uncompromising, prepared to do whatever it takes to get what he wants – and get the job done. This may put off those who... for some reason... like Roger Moore’s take, for example. But Daylights isn’t without comedic relief, only it is done subtly, giving a wry chuckle and a knowing grin.

If you enjoy the recent Daniel Craig movies, yet haven’t seen Dalton’s, I implore you to do so! They are massively underrated spy action movies. Daylights has its teething problems, but it packs a punch and is consistently dynamic and eye-catching.

Licence to Kill (1989)

Timothy Dalton gets into his stride in what will be his second and final outing, making for the darkest and most intense film in the series!

Bond’s colleague Felix Leiter and his newly-wed are violently attacked on their honeymoon by a drug baron out to settle the score, this however forces Bond against MI6 as nothing will stop him getting revenge.

What a startling difference we can see compared to Moore, even more so than The Living Daylights! Licence to Kill has a reasonably simple setup and down-to-earth villains and settings, but it is head-shoulders-chest and feet above the drivel of Roger Moore’s era. Here we see an incredibly vulnerable Bond, a man blinded by revenge so great that he constantly puts those around him in danger, and this is sold perfectly by Dalton (who has grown in confidence since Daylights) and Robert Davi as the cold hearted Franz Sanchez, easily one of the best villains in the series. We even get a steadfast Bond Girl in Carey Lowell’s Pam Bouvier, who doesn’t make mistakes, has her own independent goals, and scowls at Bond’s attitude frequently.

The action is frequently excellent as it is entirely story driven, there are no random detours for the sake of it, and escalation never feels forced or contrived. It is easily, easily the bloodiest of the Bonds; people are torn apart by sharks, fed into grinders, exploded in decompression chambers. It is grisly stuff, but I love the darker Bond!

If I had to pick flaws in it, I would only say that the character of Lupe felt unnecessary, her romance with Bond felt forced to allow for a love triangle. She provided assistance to move the plot forward and help Bond, but everything else seemed needless.

Easily my favourite Bond film so far, and in this day and age you must see it if you haven’t already! It is a dark, realistic spy action film, and the way Bond should be!

Additional Marshmallows: This is the last Bond for many of the actors, not just Dalton, it was Robert Brown’s last part as the original M, and Caroline Bliss who took over as Moneypenny would not return.

The troubles of the Dalton era would strike even harder on the franchise; there would not be a Bond film for a further six years, the longest period without a movie in production. This was due to numerous setbacks: with Licence to Kill's box office failure, director John Glen left the production studios, the writer of thirteen Bond films died in 1991, and legal ownership of the franchise was hotly disputed. This caused Timothy Dalton to turn down the role in future films, while producer Albert Broccoli retired.

The James Bond franchise was in a bad place!

In 1995, Bond would finally return, and it would be all change (except maybe for Q!) it is the Pierce Brosnen era, and boy is it going to be an interesting one... Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day.

Here are my reviews for the previous Bond eras!

The Connery Era

The Lazenby / Connery Transition

The Moore Era

Saga Review: James Bond (No.8 - No.14)

That's right, with Skyfall releasing later this year I am opting to give you my thoughts on all of the Bond films! There's twenty-two films, and when I started this challenge there were twenty-two weeks before Skyfall, sounds good to me!
I grew up in the six year drought of Bond films, between the Dalton and Brosnen Eras, so my definition of Bond is Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights and License to Kill, while Goldeneye is one of my top favourites. It took me a little while to watch all of the other James Bond films, but they were regularly shown on television, and while the Brosnen films quickly worsened I would never grow to like the Roger Moore era. At least not yet.

Because there are twenty-two films I am breaking my reviews down into eras as best I can. 

Today's post is one of torment, a torturous month and a half of hammed up comedy and glaringly bad storytelling. There is little salvation for me here, people have said I am a fool for doing this, but I will endure... I will.

So let's see what nonsense we are mercilessly subjected to, the dimwitted Texas Sheriffs, the hovercraft gondolas, the brainless bimbos and of course... the skiing.

Live and Let Die (1973)

The first instalment of the Roger Moore era is actually one of my favourites (you have to like the poster with the tarot card theme) despite my general dislike of the other Moore films.

Bond is back with a confident new face as he tracks down a heroin merchant who relies on voodoo witchcraft and fortune telling mysticism. Can Bond survive on his wits alone when surrounded by enemies? By now we know the answer to that!

 It is an unusual turn for the Bond character; the film starts out awkwardly and clustered with multiple locations and scenes, while Bond himself seems a little too oblivious to being followed and walking into traps. I found myself wondering how he got to be a secret agent!

But then the bad guys are numerous, they all have gadgets and spy equipment, and last but not least, a seer of the future! I think I enjoy Live and Let Die because of its unique themes and villains; Solitaire is a good Bond Girl, Baron Samedi is visually striking and unforgettable, and there’s a big guy with a metal claw! But despite all of this, it goes along at a reasonable pace (it doesn’t blaze along like Diamonds for example) the villains are composed and devious.

There are some detour chase sequences, and while they are fun, the airplane chase felt unnecessary and the boat chase was extended with a weird local Sherriff joining in. I think I understood the gag of having local police finally questioning Bond tearing stuff up, but it didn’t work so well in this instance; you could have edited him out, shortened the chase, and it would have been just as good.

But despite these criticisms, I enjoy this one. The themes used, the villains, it feels packed. Not to mention a great theme song.

It is a shame Moore’s initial success didn’t last though...

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Well it continues to surprise me how quickly the Moore films become campy holocausts, but here we are. The Man with the Golden Gun isn’t so much bad as it is disappointing.

James Bond is taken off assignment when a hit is placed on him by a sharp-shooter assassin known as Scaramanga. The undeterred Bond decides beat him to it, and track down the “Man with the Golden Gun” first.

It is Bond versus Dracula now; Christopher Lee plays an excellent part as Scaramanga, memorable with calculating ambition, and a desire to kill Bond simply because it would be good sport. The story is simple and has great potential; I was almost convinced early on that this Moore film would be another surprise.

That is until Mary Goodnight appears... A Bond girl who is as stupid as a Crystal Maze contestant (obscure 1990s British television joke, I couldn’t resist) and quite possibly the STUPIDEST agent of the MI6 ever. How she is a “Secret Agent” is beyond me... activating the doomsday laser cannon with her butt? Just makes me want to claw my eyes out.
Plus, there is a return of the Texas Sherriff “J.W. Pepper” from Live and Let Die because... he was such a hoot right? Ugh.
Plus, how exactly does one decide not to kill Bond, and instead put him into a karate school and be pampered by three Chinese girls where he can easily be rescued?

Overall, so much potential squandered here, making it pretty bland and forgettable – especially after Live and Let Die. Oh, and it has Bond fighting a midget too... really?

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

I’m impressed; this is a Moore Bond film that is trying to be more mature! Mostly.

The film opens with perhaps one of the most famous scenes, where Bond skis off a mountain only to open a parachute with the Union Jack flag over it. So begins a story about the United Kingdom rescuing both America and Russia from a criminal mastermind, so very fantastic. Bond must defend himself against a towering mercenary with steel plated teeth, side with Russian secret agent Triple X and stop a man’s plan to capture nuclear submarines.

Compared to the Texas sheriffs, midget fights and brainless bimbos, this film actually becomes quite severe, the plot reminds me of the lacklustre You Only Live Twice, with Blofeld’s abduction of space craft and a final siege on an enemy’s stronghold. Even our Bond girl, Agent Triple X (not to be confused with Vin Diesel...) aka Anya Amasova, is good although her initial hatred for Bond and reluctance of working with him seems to vanish rather easily.

I’d probably say that Jaws himself was the most peculiar element here... but he certainly is monstrous and is the template for future titanic bond henchmen in the future. I also find it a little ironic that Bond’s car turns into a submarine when the villain’s schemes revolve around a new piece of technology that specifically detects submarines.

It also has silly, silly late-70s music. Oh dear god, if only this film had better music accompanying the traditional themes, it might have been nearly perfect. The given effect sounds like someone poking a cat made of jelly, awful!

I was happy to see the campy Roger Moore-ness dialled down a little here though, keeping the humour down to occasion and one-liners. It has a more refined feel, making it one of the more iconic Bond films. Who’d have thought!?

Moonraker (1979)

Bond goes boldly where no Bond has gone before... and hopefully never will again.

When a special American space shuttle goes missing on its way to Britain, it is up to James Bond to track it down. He quickly discovers that the shuttles creator, Drax, has disastrous plans of a global scale.

You know... I hate this film? James Bond has had a lot of ups and downs so far, but Moonraker has to be crowning jewel of utter shame to the franchise. From the word go, there is little to be excited about, the opening scene shows a return of Jaws... why? No particular reason, he just appears, because the fans loved him, and so that Moonraker can ruin his monstrousness with campy stupidly later on.

What kills this film – to my shock – is not the utterly laughable spacesuit laser battle in Earth’s orbit, oh no, a string of contrived plot conveniences kills it before the finale. The entire middle hour of this film is redundant with random fight/chase scenes; we have Bond visiting every corner of the Earth for forgettable reasons, including Venice. While there he rides a gondola (doesn’t everyone?) only for a funeral gondola to pass by nonchalantly... oh snap! There’s a knife-throwing assassin in the coffin! What? No reason. The assassin kills the gondolier first (?) and Bond activates not only a motor, but a full blown hovercraft device! ...
I... I’m sorry, this was a regular gondola, yes? I knew there was a stupid space battle later, but this just blew my mind. They even loop the footage to make a pigeon (A PIGEON!) do a double-take at the... hover-gondola.
I try not to go on tangents like this, but sometimes it is necessary when the shark is jumped so completely like this!

Moonraker is a spoof, a parody of James Bond. Knife-throwing-coffin-gondola-assassins, double-take Pigeons, Jaws-and-girlfriend, Close Encounters of the Third Kind music cues, James Bond dressed as if in a Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western only to be shown laser guns by Q... The list of awfulness goes on, and on, and on.

I was so bored, and made stupider, watching this. Even Drax’s plan felt redundant in its over-the-topness; there’s no chance it could be allowed to succeed. The setup was garbage too; Bond is called in because Drax stole one of his own shuttles?? I know Blofeld was stupid... but this is taking the cake. Just ask for it back, you moron!

Moonraker is utterly pointless, and bereft of any substance.

Additional Marshmallows: “Moonraker is a special space shuttle as it can launch by rocket and land like a conventional aircraft.”... Uhm, couldn’t all space shuttles do that?

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Some furious backpedalling from the ghastly “comedy” of Moonraker does little to disguise this film’s lacking conviction.

James Bond is called in when a ship sinks while carrying the A.T.A.C device, a communications computer that can order all the British submarines to fire ballistic missiles. Bond is joined by a woman seeking revenge after the deaths of her parents, and they both begin a perilous mission to find the device before the Russians.

You know I had to go back to the beginning of the film to remind myself why the A.T.A.C was important and what it did? That’s how seemingly irrelevant it becomes twenty minutes into the film. We get a half-baked revenge plot for the very capable Bond Girl Melina, and while the film even began with a throw-away (pun intended) end to Blofeld and even Bond visiting his wife’s grave, it does not capitalise on this relationship synergy between Bond and Melina. The plot feels garbled and extended beyond its scope, making you wonder “Why didn’t they just do that?” whenever scenic detours take place.

So what is there? For a Roger Moore film it has some great stunt work, and some decent underwater sequences that don’t feel overused or slow, an effective car chase down a winding hillside and a great Bond Girl.

I do feel there’s some Bond clichés settling in now... I already stated in my On Her Majesty’s Secret Service review how it felt like Bond at the Winter Olympics, well here they brazenly have scenes taking place at the Winter Olympic stadiums! Yep, ice skating, bobsleigh, ski jump, etc. They really do love their winter sports... but it is starting to get old now. That entire segment of the film felt completely unnecessary, and did I see Bond get attacked by evil ice hockey players, really?

It could have been an hour long, let alone two; it is pretty forgettable...

Octopussy (1983)

Octopussy. That is all.

Seriously, I’m getting really tired of the Moore era now. How such over-the-top nonsense be so forgettable, formulaic and dull is beyond me, I couldn’t even figure this film’s plot (yes, even worse than with the last outing For Your Eyes Only!)

So, a secret agent is killed and a precious Faberge Egg is stolen, leading Bond to a mysterious smuggler known only as Octopussy. Meanwhile, on a complete tangent, a transparently evil Russian General plans to use this smuggler’s actions as a cover for a nuclear strike against NATO.

Apparently, and I just don’t care anymore.

This film is more of an adventure film than a spy film; physical stunts are thrown around left-right-and-centre (suppose I should be grateful there’s no skiing this time!) There is a singular fun moment where Bond is trying to outbid the villains for the Faberge Egg at auction early on, which got a chuckle.

But this rest is so much irrelevance and I guarantee you I won’t remember any of it tomorrow. The puns are out in force, especially during a car chase in the first act, my god it is Batman and Robin standards of puns-per-second (pps) there. We see Bond in an alligator suit... a monkey suit and a clown suit. Oh ho ho, so hilarious. We even get Q flying a Union Jack hot air balloon over the villain’s hideout, because you know... SUBTLE. Good way for the MI6 inventor to get shot in the face! Why? Oh, just so Bond can say “You’re full of hot air” to Q... which doesn’t even make sense.

Moonraker is just awful in many ways, but Octopussy is surely the campiest and shoddiest entry so far, the series is parodying itself now (if it wasn’t already). Easily the worst villain ever written, I mean Drax was an idiot, but General Orlov has no purpose other than he’s EVIL.

People have said this is very Indiana Jones style (oh yeah, he swings on jungle vines with a Tarzan roar too...) and one wonders if, two years after Raiders of the Lost Ark, if Octopussy took some of the Indiana fight scenarios?

I... I want this Moore series to stop, but it is unending! Why did people want more of this tripe? I know it will get better, that I am nearly out of it, but my god it is torturous.

Additional Marshmallows: Maud Adams, who plays Octopussy, is a returning actress who also featured in Man with the Golden Gun (and later uncredited in A View to a Kill)

A View to a Kill (1985)

Usually a final outing for a Bond star is a shallow, flailing mess, but amazingly Moore’s last entry proves to be his best!

When a new microchip is manufactured to survive the EMP blast from a nuclear explosion, MI6 discover the Russians have made an exact copy with help from Max Zorin, head of Zorin Industries. Upon investigation, Bond discovers Zorin is a lot more than he appears.

So the film starts with.... skiing.

For GOODNESS SAKE! STOP WITH THE SKIING! It’s not as long winded as previous sequences, its conclusion is hammed up, but it leads into the excellent 1980s sound of the “A View to a Kill” theme.

The film benefits from strong villains and a strong storyline. Christopher Walken is a great choice for the snide, plotting but psychotic Max Zorin, finally giving this Bond an intelligent and extremely ruthless opponent. There are some nasty executions in this film. Meanwhile Grace Jones turns the tables on the Bond Girl image, playing a great femme fatale role.
There are even some really intense moments, specifically Bond trapped in a burning elevator shaft, and the total lack of comedy and gormless bystanders in these moments is remarkable!

So what’s wrong with it? Well despite distancing itself, there are still Moore-ish moments. The other Bond Girls are pretty unbearable, specifically Tanya Roberts as Stacey, I’m pretty sure her only purpose was to make sure the film ended in stereotypical Moore fashion: “Oh James!”
The villains also have their stupid moments; they could easily kill off Bond, but don’t. However, watch as many Bond as I have now... and these arguments are virtually invalid!

Honestly, with some script tweaks, I’d have loved to see Timothy Dalton start his Bond career on this film, but as it stands (weirdly) it is one of my favourites, despite some flaws.

Additional Marshmallows: This isn’t only Moore’s last film, but also Lois Maxwell’s, the original Miss Moneypenny. There was a thought she would later play the new M character, only for the producer Albert Brocolli to turn it down. He didn’t think audiences would want Bond taking orders from a woman.... How times change.

You have no idea how happy I am to be out of this Bond era. Okay, I know there are other bad ones to come, one in particular I dread as much as Moonraker... but at least it won't be as consistent!

I don't know what possessed everyone to like the Roger Moore films, because obviously the comedy angle worked... but looking back at it most of his films are simple parody! As if they had decided "we can't be as good as the Connery years, so let's not even try!"

While Live and Let Die and A View to a Kill are actually really good and memorable, they don't excuse five other forgettable and often hideous films!

Luckily, I have my generation of Bond coming up next! Timothy Dalton was the first Bond I ever knew, and it pains me to reminisce how he only got two films... Oh well!

Next time it is The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill!  Awesome!

Here are my reviews for the previous Bond eras!

The Connery Era

The Lazenby / Connery Transition