A View To A Kill is my number 1 favourite bond movie, and I am a HUGE bond fan. I've heard all the criticisms, but I just don't agree with them / they don't effect me. I feel isolated though, because the vast majority will disagree with me.
shareI agree. This is the first Bond movie I was introduced to during a James Bond marathon on TV years ago. I'm watching it now, and I love it just as much as ever.
shareSame here, it's certainly not the best but it's my favorite. My Bond rankings change depending on whether we're talking best or favorites. A lot of it is nostalgia, it was the first Bond film I ever saw and my dad took my brother and I to see it in the theater. Plus that was right about the time we got cable, and shortly after it left theaters it was a daily staple on HBO. When that UA logo came on the screen it could only mean 1 of 2 things: Rocky IV or AVTAK. Either way, it was on.
I can see why people don't like this film, but I think it has a lot worse reputation than it deserves. People nitpick it to death when the rest of the series doesn't hold up to the same scrutiny. I've heard people say it was a ripoff of Goldfinger. If so, only very loosely, and only in the same way that most Bond films rip each other off. TSWLM is a remake of YOLT, yet that movie is revered. But because of a few minor similarities to Goldfinger, AVTAK is called a ripoff.
I've heard complaints about the stunt men. It's not the worst/most obvious use of stuntmen in a Bond film, that probably goes to Moonraker. That's just the way films and TV were back in the day. They weren't obsessed with realism back then, you didn't have to hire a Navy SEAL to come on your set and teach actor's how to properly hold guns, make sure every patch on a military uniform was correct or choreograph extended fight scenes. People had imagination and the ability to suspend disbelief. We could see the strings and obvious stunt doubles, but we didn't care. Look at old episodes of Star Trek or The Prisoner, they used some of the most obvious stunt doubles ever for some of the most mundane tasks. Doesn't stop them from being remembered as classics.
Roger's age doesn't bother me. Like I said, I was a kid when I saw this and it was the first time I'd seen James Bond, so I didn't have any pre-conceived notions of what his age should be. It was the 80's, nobody really looked like an action star. Tom Atkins was a movie star in the 80's for crying out loud. And he did a damn fine job, but he looked like your friend's dad who guzzled beer and ran a hardware store. Didn't stop him from foiling a fog pirate invasion, a killer Halloween mask plot or from banging Jamie Lee Curtis and Stacey Nelkin. As a kid Roger didn't look too old to me, but as an adult I can see he had aged quite a bit. But so what? People age, and some day all the people who are making fun of Roger's age in this movie are going to be wrinkled old bags too, if they're lucky. James Bond can get old, and then be young again. I think the biggest mistake they made was not acknowledging Roger's age, making it part of the story, and instead ignoring it. Which I think made it into an elephant in the room, and therefore a bigger problem than it should have been.
See you guys at the 10 year prison reunion - Ben Richards
I actually enjoyed this more when I saw it than I do now but I still like it. Grace Jones and Tanya Roberts sucked big time but I enjoyed watching Bond knowing it was his last outing, also watching Walken as a bond villian is absolutely fun as hell. Story wasn't bad but could have used some script touch ups here and there. Much better than Octopussy and the living daylights.
shareI certainly love it and like you, I don't agree/am not phased by most of the criticism - the only one for me is the Beach Boys song played over the PTS, but it's so short that it doesn't affect what's to come.
www.bondandbeyond.forummotion.com
It's such a perfectly 80's/cheesy thing to do though. There were lots of little silly things like that in the Moore films, and I find it even more entertaining now just because I know people hate it so much. Whenever they crank up the Beach Boys I always grin a little bit thinking of all the people who really hate this movie and get really hot over that in particular.
See you guys at the 10 year prison reunion - Ben Richards
I love A View to a Kill.
shareIt is not Moore's best—that belongs to THE SPY WHO LOVED ME-77'—but it is my favourite of Moore's and quite possibly the one that I find the most enjoyable of all 007's. Didn't really enjoy so much upon first release and it just grew on me. I love the casting and settings, it's awesome 80's look and vibe, and Christopher Walken makes an excellent, 'real' and sociopathic villain. I always enjoyed seeing Grace Jones in the few films she did and it is nostalgic to see the lovely Tanya Roberts, as the main Bond girl. The film takes a while to knock into gear and can appear a bit routine and lagging in the French Chateau scenes; but once it starts to get underway, it really kicks and is a lot of fun.
shareI do think Moore gave his most grounded and focused performance in AVTAK, despite his age, and think the Chantilly scenes are amongst the films best moments!
But good to see appreciation for the film, all the same!
www.bondandbeyond.forummotion.com
I do think Moore gave his most grounded and focused performance in AVTAK..
_____________
I think in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME-77', Moore really appears to fit into the character of Bond like a glove and there is also a vulnerable confidence about him. He also played off well with Bach. Not to mention, the film looks splendid.
What I like about Moore in this one, is that he appears more brash, self-assured and even cocky, when dealing with those sociopaths he is investigating and in a sense, he is self-consciously drawing attention to himself and he doesn't care. It helps add to the tension. I noticed this more in OCTOPUSSY-83' too. AVTAK, also has some very memorable and classic scenes. It is also snickeringly funny in parts. Once Zorin finds out about Bond's real identity—I love Walken here and his subtle reactions—and the steeple chase begins, this one really soars for me.
This is for me Roger Moore's best Bond movie, and my 2nd favourite Bond movie after Licence To Kill, so I am also in the unpopular choice category, which really just makes us unique in our tastes.
AVTAK is for me the most gritty Moore movie. The excellent John Barry soundtrack helps push a long this rough edged tension. So many exciting scenes from the Eiffel Tower to the Golden Gate Bridge with a variety of great hand to hand combat fighting along the way. I find the whole thing so exciting. Plus Christopher Walken's Zorin is so menacing. Not like the Christoph Waltz wimpy, soft spoken style bad guys we've been getting for a while.
I absolutely bloody love this film! One of my favourites, next to Goldfinger and Skyfall. I know this is completely different to the other 2 I mentioned, but equal in entertainment value.
shareI have a soft spot for AVTAK. As it was one of the first Bond films I saw when i was quite young.
It's entertaining all the way through.
[deleted]
just finished a Bond marathon - saved this for last, as almost all of the reviews were negative. was pleasantly surprised. it wasn't anything more than decent, but I liked it far more than Octopussy and For Your Eyes Only.
A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous. Got me?