I always have a good time with A View to a Kill and gets unfairly treated in my opinion. It has its flaws, certainly, but, for me, there are several others lower in the pecking order. The Mine scene, the Golden Gate Bridge scuffle, the whole Stables sequence are worth additions to Moore's legacy and lift the film.
A few things: 1) David Bowie was the first choice to play Zorin. The first draft even specifies his eyes have two different colors. 2) The stunt man who doubled Roger Moore for the fire engine sequence was Dick Ziker, known as "the Z-Man." He was the lead stunt man/coordinator on Mannix. 3) The script where May Day sacrifices herself is very flat. The actors (Moore, Grace Jones) add a lot as does the John Barry music.
I don't agree Diamond's are Forever is way worse yes A View to a Kill is not the best that's for sure but it isn't the worse to me,it had one of the best songs with Duran Duran that's for sure
Even with the main issue of Roger Moore being too old at this point, A View To A Kill has always been one of my favorites. Moore still carried it with his presence and known charisma, the soundtrack from John Barry was spectacular, great villain from Walken and Grace Jones was unique, i enjoyed the story and how it developed, and the movie has an unmistakable 80s feel to it.
Lol! Scott is on fire with this one. His enthusiasm for disliking this film is hilarious! He speaks the truth but I still kinda like this movie. MacNee and Moore in a Persuaders-like series is a great idea. Would have loved that!
There's also the in-joke during the blimp sequence. Zorin flies the blimp so Bond gets uncomfortably close to the Transamerica building. Transamerca was the former owner of United Artists. It was Transamerica that sold UA to MGM, creating decades of bad karma for Bond films.
I've always felt TONE was the problem. At times it's low brow humor, and others Zorin is machine gunning his own men. Also, Roger was WAY TOO OLD. I loved Tanya Roberts as a kid...but her acting makes me believe Denise Richards was a nuclear scientist turned actress. Walken was great. Grace Jones was interesting too. But like Patrick McNee, totally underutilized. There is one scene I love. The music and drama when Bond descends the ladder with Stacey hanging off his back. Awesome!
I'm your first like for this video, but l think A View To A Kill, despite its many faults is way better than Diamonds Are Forever, just my opinion. But another enjoyable review.
@@Beingjamesbond lol well somehow it's available in your playlist on my RUclips. I just checked earlier to see if your AVTAK one was available and it was. I'm honoured to be the first person to see it. l hope that's ok 😉
And yet, I love the latter movies with Roger Moore. There was indeed a special chemistry between him and Patrick. Roger in this movie plays more as The Saint than like James Bond.
AVTAK is one of my favs possibly as its first one I remember from my childhood. Love the score and Zorin and I still think Moore had the presence and charm to carry it off. Jones is interesting and for me the Duran Duran theme is one of the best in the series. Yes there are flaws and I can understand the criticism but for me its top ten Bonds.
@Wadsy At the time there was even a TV cop show called 'The Streets of San Francisco'! Don't recall any sunshine i the film either. Every outdoor scene was on a dreary day.
How they could've fixed a few problems: Zorin's plot comes down to putting Russia ahead of the US in the chip industry. As it is Zorin's KGB career is meaningless to the main plot, this would've fixed that as well. The producers were careful not to show Russia in too evil of a light, but this still would've worked. Gogol doesn't approve of Zorin's action, yet Zorin sees it as genius given his psychopathy. It's like he's goin rogue but still for the sake of his side. Idk if Russia had a huge stake in chips at the time, though they did have their own PCs as far as I know (even if not it's believable enough to an 80s audience). Woulda weaved everything together better.
Well the Duran Duran song was great. Also, the score by John Barry did add some class and flavor into a movie that needed much energy interjected into it. There are some aspects that of the movie I like, but the characters, story, and overall screenplay does not work.
Octopussy was up against Never Say Never again so everything from EON's side was bound to be much much tighter. AVTAK was fun and had some really good set pieces
Late to the party, but FYI: A quiche and a soufflé are 2 completely different things. A quiche is very dense and firm and usually surrounded by some kind of thick pastry, while a souffle is much lighter and fluffier because it's mostly whipped egg whites. And you don't need to cook a quiche in a water bath in the oven. A soufflé absolutely requires a water bath and a little more babysitting.
The mine shaft set piece scenes were quite impressive. The underwater scene quite tense. The horse ride scene ok. The Paris car chase has decent stunts but not as well constructed as the India chase in Octopussy.
I visited the San Francisco city Hall because of this film. I like the theme and music the fact Moore is 58 adds something the oldest Bond has been. Like the opening sequence what is super bad is the stunt men in Paris that is awful. As an English kid it felt cool being in the USA never visited. Maybe that's a factor.
I’m a huge Bond fan. Books and movies. This movie was sooooo bad that I saw it twice only….when it came out in 1985. Just horrible. Moore should have left one film sooner.
Everyone knew it was Moore's last. If it's a clunker they can re boot for the next one. DAD & LTK Brosnan & Dalton were still very much Bond & at least everyone made an effort.
Not to beat a dead horse here but when this was released in 1985 Moore was 3 years shy of 60 year old. Yes he has a certain presence and charm and always did, but a 57 year old Bond? In my opinion the sweet spot for Bond has to be 35 - 45 years old. Personally, I feel that Moore as Bond should have been retired after FYEO.
The main issue here sadly is that Roger just seemed too old for Bond. Idk why but years back people just looked older! Tom Cruise is the age that Roger was in this film now but he looks just fine in the Mission series and guys like Liam Neeson are making actions films today with no problem. I think the movie has a lot of good elements-great music-cool villains-some good stunts and one of the best songs in the series.... But seeing Bond fighting old guys and being with Bond girls half his age is always the hardest part of watching this one for me!
Moore seemed ok until around the 80s, then he started to show his age. But his main issue in action scenes was that he was never a very athletic guy, he always looked stiff and slow even when younger. He had other qualities. Having said that, i love A View To A Kill, i don't get the hate, it's one of my favorites, just like Roger Moore is one of my favorites as 007.
Nicola Ferrari Oh sure-it’s James Bond! Even a not great 007 movie is more fun to watch than most movies! I’ve seen this a million times over the years and still enjoy it. But to me,Its the weakest of the Roger Moore Bonds. Maybe it’s because it seems when the action takes place he was nowhere nearby-because they used stuntmen that looked not even a little bit like him!
Nicola Ferrari Completely agree-Spy is definitely Moore’s best film and one of the best in the entire series. But the title song and the score in A View To A Kill is actually my favorite out of all of his movies!
I personally prefer The Living Daylights by A-ha over Duran Duran's A View To A Kill, TLD is arguably my favorite Bond's theme of all time. And that John Barry score for A View To A Kill, phenomenal, just amazing and possibly the best of any Bond's movie. His main theme for On Her Majesty's Secret Service was great too.
I agree this was a weak Bond film. Casting Christopher Walken as the villain was a great idea, but he wasn't used to his full potential by the film makers.
Not an overall great movie and a poor Goldfinger remake with microchips. But some great Bond moments - the death of Tibbit, when Bond finds out that Zorin had Tibbit killed, the death of the Soviet KGB agent down the water chute by Zorin with John Barry's score, when Zorin is confronted by Gogol and the KGB. One of the best Bond themes by Duran Duran. I just think that Moore was too old and that facelift didn't help him, because Octopussy was still ok.
The old guy from the conveyor belt was actually in a British soap opera called Eastenders. That made that scene seem even more cheap for me. A scrap with old chaps.
I have such a soft spot for this movie but it definitely has its problems. Roger's age in relation to Stacey's could have been far better handled by taking the approach that they had with Bibi in FYEO. I think more of a mentor role would have been far better. Also while I don't mind the Beach Boys part as much as I used to I think it would have worked far better if they just kicked straight into an orchestral Bond theme with the snowboarding or even just continued the with the fantastic score. But I do have a lot of love for the film. Barry's score is superb and I love the whining guitar parts throughout. Its use in 'Snow Job' and 'Golden Gate Fight' is amazing. Bond carrying Stacey down the ladder and also 'Wine With Stacey' are some of the best tracks of the franchise. I also love the brief chase between Bond and Mayday down the stairs of the Eiffel Tower. Again I think the score helps here but I think it's a well crafted sequence. Bond's interactions with Zorin are fun and that Golden Gate fight at the end is ridiculous but at the same time an amazing action packed fight in an incredible setting (the poster that features this is also ridiculous but so much fun) In the end I know that the movie is among the series' worst but I still love it. I'd watch it over DAF or DAD any day of the week. Great review as always guys and I'm already looking forward to the next one!
The only Daniel Craig film I love is Skyfall, but that was because they were forced to include lots of old fashioned 007 elements because it was the fifty year anniversary. It is the only one of his films that, for me, feels like a true 007 movie!
Completely disagree, this is easily one of the worst of the Bond movies for many reasons. Craig's Bond movies are a more modern update on the traditional Bond movie, and all are brilliant movies!
At the time On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was the longest Bond around release of A View To A Kill at 142 minutes long. A View to A Kill was 131 minutes
The only reason to watch this one is when you do a Bond marathon. There is no way that you choose this Bond over any of the classic ones if you're only watching 1 or 2 Bond movies that evening.
In the video game Everything or Nothing Willem Dafoe's villain was a student of Zorin, so when my parents got me a random Bond DVD collection and it had AVTAK I was excited to see Zorin. Nobody can argue the films heavily flawed at parts but in others it's very well done. Feel like they were rushed on this one, but I still love the cosey and laid back tone it has. I can always put the film on for a good relaxing time. It's more down to earth but has exciting enough set pieces to make it that bit more adventurous yet believable and the cast is fun. The film has good energy for certain weekends or junkfood nights.
I think that we are meant to believe that May day did remember being chased around Paris, but without seing exactly what James Bond looked like, and that is why she can't figure out where she has seen him before.
If it were darker and serious, had a better Bond girl, less corny jokes, Dalton’s first Bond film, and was higher octane the movie is fixed. I really feel like Walken and Jones honestly carry it. And the plot, while the microchip plot works against Zorin logically, it was still a thrilling concept.
I love bond so much but this film was a 1 for me. I found it so boring and I couldn't stand Stacey's screams by the end of it. Thank God for John Barry, he is the reason I give it a 1 and not a Zero!
It's pretty much a cliche to say that Moore was too old for this one, but it can't be avoided. I really wish Dalton had done this one and there was potential. I like the story, however dated. I would really have liked to see Dalton go up against Walken. That could have been dynamic. Walken, like Christopher Lee deserved a better film. Grace Jones is not a good actress but she has a presence that makes her memorable. Stacy Sutton is annoying. I will say that the filmmakers managed to keep the grittiness from Eyes Only. Out aside the campiness and there's a violence level in this one that's more suited to a Dalton era film. It's unfortunate that it did not happen. He could have been spot on in this one.
A though not the greatest of Bond films, this one still has one of the most unexpected jump-scare shots - the cat scurrying past James Bond's feet as he's ascending the stairs in Stacey's house.
This was the first James Bond I ever saw in the theatre, and it always has a special place in my heart. On a more objective level, I recognize its weaknesses, but I still put it above Diamonds Are Forever, Quantum of Solace, and Octopussy.
A View to a Kill is not a great Bond film, but I think it's better than Die Another Day, Diamonds are Forever and SPECTRE. It's a guilty pleasure for me.
When this Bond film came-out in (1985) it was very exciting to me, Today it's just a Guilty pleasure now. However, the Music by John Barry makes-up for the Film. it's a pity The Late rock-Star David Bowie Never played Zorin as Planned. 4 out of 10
there's a lot of Good action Scenes in ''A VIEW TO A KILL''' but Sir. Roger Moore was way too old for the James Bond Role. However, the John Barry's Collaboration with DURAN DURAN Theme Song was Good and still sounds Good today when listen to. Christopher walken as Villian ZORIN was originally offered to the late David Bowie . I give this Film. 4 out of 10
It would have been fine with a dialogue polish and someone like Sam Neil as Bond. Why have so many “youth” elements then cast a man pushing 60 in the lead? It still beggars belief.
Did you ever pick up on the "Jenny Flex" name? I find not many fans get it, maybe unless they're Catholic. Jenny Flex, genuflect (Genuflection or genuflexion is the act of bending a knee to the ground, as distinguished from kneeling which more strictly involves both knees. From early times, it has been a gesture of deep respect for a superior.)
Love Zorin & May Day, Chantilly Castle, Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge, mine (my field of work) and of course the score. But Stacey has way too much makeup, it distracts me from the film!!
I love A view to a kill, although it is hard to defend it from Scott. I think that there are a lot of flaws to this, but for me, the american locations, my love for Roger Moore, John Barrys score, and the good action-scenes weighs up for that. When it comes to the girls, I do think that even though Stacey Sutton is not a very smart person, Tanya Roberts is weighing up for that by her sexy body, and for me, that is the most important thing for a bondgirl.
I enjoy A View to a Kill. It was my first 007 film in theaters. I know Moore was too old, Tanya Roberts was not a very good Bond girl, the firetruck being goofy, etc, but I still enjoy it. Moore is still fun as Bond, John Barry's score is awesome, Christopher Walken is great, Grace Jones is great, it was nice to see Patrick McNee, etc. The fight on top of the Golden Gate Bridge is still one of the best finales!! It is way better than Octopussy.
the reason the movie was bad was moore was way to old to play bond. the old bond is still better than the wooden bond of "on her majesty's secret service"
It may not be one the greats, but I still have a soft spot for it (it might have been the first I saw as a kid). The score is great, Walken and Grace Jones make for memorably crazy villains and Roger Moore still brings the charm. The main problem is that it's kinda bland otherwise.
Looking at the current chip shortage.. I guess this movie was way ahead of its time. 😉 Also, I think Scott missed quite a few key elements in this film that causes him to to not to understand the plot.
Good Bond theme , good John Barry score ,( Wine with Stacy) ....film is a mixed bag .....the fight at Stacy Suttons home , stuntman with most unrealistic grey wig always sticks in my mind when I think of AVTAK .
Read that Moore had a face lift after Octopussy which had not settled. Not sure about that. He may have lost weight since O which made him look gaunt. He did look youthful in LALD but aged more dramatically than the other actors over his tenure. Fair enough, he was already 45 in LALD. AVTAK was simply one too many. The film didn't help him either.
OK...first up, bit of personal context, this was definitely one of the first Bonds I watched back in the early-to-mid 90s back when "1985" meant "film relatively new for TV". I never got why this film took so much heat as I always found it a lot of fun...but hadn't rewatched it for a long time so...this is a good excuse for a rewatch and... 1. Beach Boys? Why? Yet the soundtrack overall is still one of the best of all time! 2. The undercover stuff...Moore is still very good at...the basics of this film still work. 3. Physicality...flipping hell...this is the first time watching this film where I thought Dalton could have done a better job though Moore handing to Dalton is another topic but yeah...Roger is looking a bit pathetic at times....OK...I'll give the critics some late credit here... 4. ...yet the Golden Gate scene still works very well! 5. Stacey...is hit and miss...has reasonable capability(wasn't the actress one of the original Charlie's Angels?) and needs it being paired with a relatively feeble Bond and at other times..."help me, James..." 6. Mayday...Scott's being a bit harsh on...you don't have to sympathise with her character...but her changing sides is realistic at least... 7. Yet again...Bond works with the CIA...in the US! For it to be Leiter, OK I'll buy...but some guy we haven't seen previously who just happens to be operating out of San Francisco? Even as a Brit I know the CIA aren't legally meant to operate Stateside! Overall though, you guys were still pretty harsh on this...it blows DAF out of the water no questions asked. Has a bit of a general 80s action film feel but I still like it a lot. 8/10.
Guilty Pleasure for me. I know its average,Sir Roger was way too old and the casting of some was bad but its the Bond I remember actually being of my time(I was 5).
If you liked Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the bandit, you should check out the norwegian movie "Boerning" from 2014. It is really good and it is inspired by "Smokey and the bandit" and "The cannonball run", only much, much better. You can rent it on RUclips.
You guys are way off on this one 4 out of 10? Really? And yet you really like Octopussy, which was made only 2 years before and is roughly the same quality as AVTAK. It doesn’t make any sense at all to be gushing about Octopussy while you trash AVTAK. In fact both movies are very good.
Everyone gives View to a Kill a hard time. I actually think View is much better than For Your Eyes Only and Man with the Golden Gun. The villains are terrific in View. Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are very memorable villains, much better than the bland villains of For Your Eyes. The John Barry score is superb here! I also like the locations, Paris and San Fransisco are great locales. I also love the pairing of Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee. Macnee is a perfect sidekick for Bond. My only regret is they kill him off too soon. And the theme song by Duran Duran is the best theme in the entire Bond series. View doesn't at all deserve the bad rep it gets. It is vastly better than Living Daylights, Diamonds are Forever, Never Say Never Again, License to Kill, Die Another Day and Quantum of Solace; and it's arguably better than Moonraker as well. View is far from being the worst Bond film. And I'd gladly take an old Bond (Moore) over a dull-as-dirt Bond (Timothy Dalton) any day! And so did audiences of that time. Granted, there is some cringe-worthy moments in View, such as the Beach Boys song and the hot-tub scene with the Russian agent. And I definitely agree that the overall film-length is just too long. Once we get into the mine-shaft, the film drags a lot. Some careful editing was needed.
I like AVTAK on the whole. There are some flaws but I don't think it's a terrible movie. I'll start with the things I like: Zorin is a fantastic villain. Easily the most maniacal in the franchise and his plot is believable enough. The horse racing plot is interesting too because it highlights Zorin's greed and even Gogol picks him up on it later. Walken plays the character really well. The expression on Zorin's face during the massacre at the mine is frankly terrifying. I like May Day too. Her Eiffel Tower jump is iconic, as well as her self sacrifice later at the mine. She's a powerful henchwoman. I think Roger gives a good enough performance. Yes he's getting old by this point, yes there's a stuntman replacing him in almost every scene, but I don't think he was dreadful by any means. I love Paris as a city and am really happy to see it in the film. The chateau is suitably stunning. My major dislikes in the film though are: Stacey. Awful character, easily one of the worst in the whole franchise. I feel like the whole movie would have been better if they completely removed her character. She drags the whole film down for me. I don't like the car chase in Paris very much. It was way too over the top really. I can't really pinpoint exactly what it was about it, but I just don't like it. The pre title sequence is pretty rubbish and unexciting for me. Certainly one of the weaker ones in the franchise. I hate chase scenes involving American police. It was rubbish in Diamonds, Sherrif Pepper was rubbish in LALD and the officer in this film was equally awful. I'm not usually a fan of scenes filmed in America in general, but these stereotypical incompetent American police officers really detract from the stakes of the chase. Overall, I feel like this could have been a great film. If Dalton was Bond, they removed the character of Stacey, removed the firetruck chase and reworked the script to make it a bit more cohesive then I think it would have been better.
In the words of Le Chiffre, You are so wrong. Come on, if you had a blimp wouldn’t you commute to work in that? This film is a work of art in every way. It’s gorgeous from the first frame to the last! Minute 28 :-) nice insert!
I have to tell you, as much as I can't argue with Scott regarding screenplay shortcomings, etc., there's a charm about this movie that I just can't deny. And who are those handsome chaps at minute 28? ;)
Thes was NOT the worst Bond movie (see You Only Live Twice and Diamonds are Forever) is it perfect? No it has its problems certainly but it’s still entertaining and Grace Jones was a blast!
I've been following you along watching all the films and I have to say that I really enjoyed this one. Only things I hated were the beach boys snowboarding and a couple of other minor things. Why they chose to stick that song in the middle of that awesome action theme I'll never know
I am not sure I understand the negative reviews for AVTAK. It's not Moore's best but not his worst either (that accolade goes to Octopussy - sorry fellas). If you fellas have ever so far been guilty of overanalyzing a plot, it would be for this one. Walken is a great villain IMHO - he's supposed to be psychotic fellas - hence the unpredictability and giggles etc. I'd prefer it if the franchise had never ventured down the route of slapstick in the first place but if you are willing to buy into it as offered by Moore's other outings, then AVTAK requires no leap of faith. It offers two great metropolises in Paris and San Francisco (and delivers some great action sequences with all the difficulties of shooting on location there), great Bond girls +including Fiona Fullerton who was making a name for herself in the UK at the time), a great villain in Walken and a superb soundtrack and theme song. The steeplechase scene was also particularly good. I agree with Joe's choice - The Beach Boys sequence in the pre-title sequence - as my least favourite part (though it's no worse than the travesty of the jungle sequence in Octopussy). Unlike Scott, I was also not so keen on the MacNee character which for me only served to highlight (by association) Moore's advancing years. Yes it has its weak points but AVTAK has some great scenes which were better than what was being offered elsewhere in cinemas at the time. A 7 from me.
So this is the movie it takes for me to finally agree 100% with Joe Darlington, from the overall score and ranking within the franchise right down to the least favourite part... I often hear people claim AVTAK was the worst Bond movie ever, and when I hear that I want to fundamentally disagree, but at the same time it's really hard to defend it. But there are some aspects to it that always work for me. Walken, Jones, Duran Duran and the banter between Bond and Tibbett. With that, it certainly has more redeeming qualities than Diamonds are Forever. I also prefer it to Moonraker, personally. With A View to a Kill, I have the feeling that it was made with the right intentions. They tried to make a proper Bond movie. They maybe didn't try very hard, and one might even say they failed. But with Moonraker, they tried to make a cash grab for the Star Wars generation, intentionally putting stuff in there like the canal boat scene and Jaws falling in love, and what's worse: they succeeded. And for that, I resent Moonraker.
I like all the videos you and Scott do. But this one was the one where I laughed the most. Like you said, nice to see one where Scott beats up on. Even then, 4 out of 10 isn't that bad; it could be worst. AVTAK was hard for me to watch then and it is now. I agree with you guys that they all looked exhausted, or filmed it in, and the lazy filming in some parts. I wonder if you think the Beach Boys is as bad as the Tarzan yell? Also, Joe, I heard you on that What's the Score Podcast and you were great. Had no idea you were such a fan of Woody Allen?. Curious if you have a favorite movie of his? I lean toward Hannah and Her Sisters and Manhattan too. But I really enjoy the Purple Rose of Cairo. Thank you again for great work! Can't wait to see The Living Daylights one
I’m with you on this; I grew up with Moore’s films, but AVTAK is really not among the good ones. It’s not *the* worst, however, there are handful of good scenes, and while the plot is yet-another take on Goldfinger, it’s not that bad. It’s just that the overall feeling AVTAK instills in me is boredom, and then there are the goofier elements such as Tanya Roberts not in the role of her life. The blimp sequence would be okay, but it’s badly dragged down by Roberts being caught by it (goofy as fudge). That said, there are a couple of more films I like even less. A couple of films having something to do with diamonds and another one with water (oh look, a common element).
Jamie Braswell I don’t particularly fancy Thunderball either, but that one gets points from stylishness - I actually was referring to Quantum of Solace, which has a plot involving water, and with which my disappointments is measured in units far larger than quantums :D
Watched this last night (as part of my latest 007 marathons) and I thought the first 40 mins are pretty interesting, and the film falls apart after the City Hall on fire scene. Moore def shows his age, there is an apparent laziness with many aspects of the film but Zorin is one of the better villains in the series. If he'd gone against Dalton and not had such a meh ending it would've been very interesting. I agree with Joe here that it's better than Diamonds (wayyyyy better) but it's not necessarily a "good" film. The last hour just isn't engaging as it should be but i wouldn't call it boring per se (that's the Craig films) just not as good as the two films that directly precede it.
Diamonds was actually fun; the hilarious one liners, wint and kidd, Willard Whyte, and the delightfully sleazy atmosphere is stimulating. A View to a Kill wastes the potential of Christopher Walken, the film tries to recapture Goldfinger's magic but it fails to emulate the brilliant escalation of that film, way too many red shirts being killed in order to keep the audience wake, dull locations, many forgettable minor villains, and an overall lack of energy.
The face Scott made when you were trying to say something positive (not influenced by the two unrelated gentlemen of the pictures :-)?) about AVtaK :-). When I was a child, I learned the word cartel from the movie, so that might be a redeeming feature for me :-). As always, enjoyed your review very much.
I don't mind A View To A Kill at all, I always enjoy it, even the eye rolling moments. But let's not pretend that everything up until then everything was Bond gold, because it wasn't, there was plenty of stinkers before AVTAK and most were during the Moore era.
Joe you praise to the heavens John Barry but at the same time describe as “shockingly shockingly stupid” the Beach Boys moment,,well who put it in to the soundtrack,,,Barry has to take serious stick for that as much as the infamous slide whistle he put into MWTGG surely!?
I always felt that the rest of the film never quite lived up to the promise of that opening ski chase. It was pretty much all down hill from there. The film does have a very lazy feel about it and although everyone mentions the obvious stuntman replacements for Roger Moore, no one ever seems to mention the scene where he jumps off the bridge and crashes through the glass roof of the boat below. Cut to the scene of a poorly articulated and unconvincing dummy landing in the wedding cake. Shot from the front where you can clearly see its face and tell that it's a dummy. They just weren't even trying at all on this one. I know it was Roger Moore's swan song but he deserved a much better send off than this. The whole approach seemed lazy and lacked investment. Having said that, I would still rather watch this more than once than Die Another Day.
A View to a Kill, I can't say that I like it, but I DO like elements of it. The score, Christopher Walken, the Golden Gate Bridge sequence and the title sequence. I don't giving it a watch now and then, usually if I'm doing a Roger Moore-athon. It's okay.
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The cinema audience loved AVTAK. Laughing, cheering & clapping at the end. Full of hard core Bond fans.
The actor who played scarpine was almost captain jean luc picard...
I always have a good time with A View to a Kill and gets unfairly treated in my opinion. It has its flaws, certainly, but, for me, there are several others lower in the pecking order. The Mine scene, the Golden Gate Bridge scuffle, the whole Stables sequence are worth additions to Moore's legacy and lift the film.
Instablaster.
A few things: 1) David Bowie was the first choice to play Zorin. The first draft even specifies his eyes have two different colors. 2) The stunt man who doubled Roger Moore for the fire engine sequence was Dick Ziker, known as "the Z-Man." He was the lead stunt man/coordinator on Mannix. 3) The script where May Day sacrifices herself is very flat. The actors (Moore, Grace Jones) add a lot as does the John Barry music.
The lift fire scene was fine. But Roberts shouting 'James' was irritating.
Well maybe but i recall when i saw that the first time and she calling him and Bond did not respond to her that made the scene more intense i think
@@no288 Maybe Bond was considering leaving her there.
JAMES
@@leejones8582
Don't leave me.
@@adamcollins915 🤣
I don't agree Diamond's are Forever is way worse yes A View to a Kill is not the best that's for sure but it isn't the worse to me,it had one of the best songs with Duran Duran that's for sure
Even with the main issue of Roger Moore being too old at this point, A View To A Kill has always been one of my favorites.
Moore still carried it with his presence and known charisma, the soundtrack from John Barry was spectacular, great villain from Walken and Grace Jones was unique, i enjoyed the story and how it developed, and the movie has an unmistakable 80s feel to it.
@Alchemica Blackwood He likes literally every Bond movie except this one.
Concur; possibly THE quintessential 1980s 007 film!
It’s pretty good. Could have been better but overall I like it.
Connery looked his age in 1971. No problem, he was 41. Sadly, Moore looked his age in 1985.
First one I saw at the theater.
me to
Lol! Scott is on fire with this one. His enthusiasm for disliking this film is hilarious! He speaks the truth but I still kinda like this movie. MacNee and Moore in a Persuaders-like series is a great idea. Would have loved that!
There's also the in-joke during the blimp sequence. Zorin flies the blimp so Bond gets uncomfortably close to the Transamerica building. Transamerca was the former owner of United Artists. It was Transamerica that sold UA to MGM, creating decades of bad karma for Bond films.
Now THAT'S interesting!! Never made the connection before!
I've always felt TONE was the problem. At times it's low brow humor, and others Zorin is machine gunning his own men. Also, Roger was WAY TOO OLD. I loved Tanya Roberts as a kid...but her acting makes me believe Denise Richards was a nuclear scientist turned actress. Walken was great. Grace Jones was interesting too. But like Patrick McNee, totally underutilized.
There is one scene I love. The music and drama when Bond descends the ladder with Stacey hanging off his back. Awesome!
I'm your first like for this video, but l think A View To A Kill, despite its many faults is way better than Diamonds Are Forever, just my opinion. But another enjoyable review.
Ok HOW did you find this video? It's not even listed yet.
@@Beingjamesbond lol well somehow it's available in your playlist on my RUclips. I just checked earlier to see if your AVTAK one was available and it was. I'm honoured to be the first person to see it. l hope that's ok 😉
"l hope l did the right thing?"
"well you did the right thing, but picked the wrong moment..."
(from Dr. No)
@@leethomas2155 Haha!! All good! I just honestly couldn't figure out how that happened! And thanks for the comments! :)
@@Beingjamesbond No worries, a good review with some fair points.
And yet, I love the latter movies with Roger Moore. There was indeed a special chemistry between him and Patrick. Roger in this movie plays more as The Saint than like James Bond.
AVTAK is one of my favs possibly as its first one I remember from my childhood. Love the score and Zorin and I still think Moore had the presence and charm to carry it off. Jones is interesting and for me the Duran Duran theme is one of the best in the series. Yes there are flaws and I can understand the criticism but for me its top ten Bonds.
Dull locations. Paris is a short journey to most living in Europe. Places such as San Francisco were on TV every week in American cop shows or films.
@Wadsy At the time there was even a TV cop show called 'The Streets of San Francisco'!
Don't recall any sunshine i the film either. Every outdoor scene was on a dreary day.
Always been one of my favourites, I love the 80s feelin' it has.
Roger Ebert summed up the plot nicely which is Zorin is just killing his own customers not competition by flooding Silicon Valley.
I just realized that for the first time last night when I rewatched it! Hilarious lol.
How they could've fixed a few problems: Zorin's plot comes down to putting Russia ahead of the US in the chip industry.
As it is Zorin's KGB career is meaningless to the main plot, this would've fixed that as well. The producers were careful not to show Russia in too evil of a light, but this still would've worked. Gogol doesn't approve of Zorin's action, yet Zorin sees it as genius given his psychopathy. It's like he's goin rogue but still for the sake of his side. Idk if Russia had a huge stake in chips at the time, though they did have their own PCs as far as I know (even if not it's believable enough to an 80s audience). Woulda weaved everything together better.
@@TheT3rr0rMask That already sounds way better than this movie. Also, recasting Bond. Moore is ancient here. This is when Dalton should have came in.
Well the Duran Duran song was great. Also, the score by John Barry did add some class and flavor into a movie that needed much energy interjected into it. There are some aspects that of the movie I like, but the characters, story, and overall screenplay does not work.
Octopussy was up against Never Say Never again so everything from EON's side was bound to be much much tighter. AVTAK was fun and had some really good set pieces
Late to the party, but FYI: A quiche and a soufflé are 2 completely different things. A quiche is very dense and firm and usually surrounded by some kind of thick pastry, while a souffle is much lighter and fluffier because it's mostly whipped egg whites. And you don't need to cook a quiche in a water bath in the oven. A soufflé absolutely requires a water bath and a little more babysitting.
The mine shaft set piece scenes were quite impressive. The underwater scene quite tense. The horse ride scene ok. The Paris car chase has decent stunts but not as well constructed as the India chase in Octopussy.
Yaaaayyy Looking forward to this later with a Vodka Martini
“And we could do with a couple of glasses” 😂😂
This was my first Bond film in the cinema and will always be a personal favourite regardless of what anyone says. Far better than any Brosnan film .
I visited the San Francisco city Hall because of this film. I like the theme and music the fact Moore is 58 adds something the oldest Bond has been. Like the opening sequence what is super bad is the stunt men in Paris that is awful. As an English kid it felt cool being in the USA never visited. Maybe that's a factor.
I’m a huge Bond fan. Books and movies. This movie was sooooo bad that I saw it twice only….when it came out in 1985. Just horrible. Moore should have left one film sooner.
What was that noise at 29:22 lmao
I heard that too lol
Oh dear ... I’m only 6 mins in 😬😬.. I knew it was gonna be a tough review but Scott’s gone straight in !! 😂😂😂
Everyone knew it was Moore's last. If it's a clunker they can re boot for the next one. DAD & LTK Brosnan & Dalton were still very much Bond & at least everyone made an effort.
AVTAK have more rewatch value than the Craig’s Bonds.
@@PungiFungi Must admit I do watch AVTAK when on TV. Find it fascinating.
Patrick Macnee was Awesome. Him and Bond fighting the bad guys is HILARIOUS. 2 Geriatric guys on some secret mission.pmsl
Not to beat a dead horse here but when this was released in 1985 Moore was 3 years shy of 60 year old. Yes he has a certain presence and charm and always did, but a 57 year old Bond? In my opinion the sweet spot for Bond has to be 35 - 45 years old. Personally, I feel that Moore as Bond should have been retired after FYEO.
You didn't mention Moore's appearance much. Looked way too old, espescially next to Roberts, Fullerton & Walken.
connery did in never say never again, to much tan and make up and wig
The main issue here sadly is that Roger just seemed too old for Bond.
Idk why but years back people just looked older!
Tom Cruise is the age that Roger was in this film now but he looks just fine in the Mission series and guys like Liam Neeson are making actions films today with no problem.
I think the movie has a lot of good elements-great music-cool villains-some good stunts and one of the best songs in the series....
But seeing Bond fighting old guys and being with Bond girls half his age is always the hardest part of watching this one for me!
Moore seemed ok until around the 80s, then he started to show his age. But his main issue in action scenes was that he was never a very athletic guy, he always looked stiff and slow even when younger. He had other qualities.
Having said that, i love A View To A Kill, i don't get the hate, it's one of my favorites, just like Roger Moore is one of my favorites as 007.
Nicola Ferrari
Oh sure-it’s James Bond!
Even a not great 007 movie is more fun to watch than most movies!
I’ve seen this a million times over the years and still enjoy it.
But to me,Its the weakest of the Roger Moore Bonds.
Maybe it’s because it seems when the action takes place he was nowhere nearby-because they used stuntmen that looked not even a little bit like him!
It's maybe not as good overall as The Spy Who Loved Me, wich is Moore's best in my opinion, but it's absolutely not the worst in my view.
Nicola Ferrari
Completely agree-Spy is definitely Moore’s best film and one of the best in the entire series.
But the title song and the score in A View To A Kill is actually my favorite out of all of his movies!
I personally prefer The Living Daylights by A-ha over Duran Duran's A View To A Kill, TLD is arguably my favorite Bond's theme of all time.
And that John Barry score for A View To A Kill, phenomenal, just amazing and possibly the best of any Bond's movie. His main theme for On Her Majesty's Secret Service was great too.
I agree this was a weak Bond film. Casting Christopher Walken as the villain was a great idea, but he wasn't used to his full potential by the film makers.
Not an overall great movie and a poor Goldfinger remake with microchips. But some great Bond moments - the death of Tibbit, when Bond finds out that Zorin had Tibbit killed, the death of the Soviet KGB agent down the water chute by Zorin with John Barry's score, when Zorin is confronted by Gogol and the KGB. One of the best Bond themes by Duran Duran. I just think that Moore was too old and that facelift didn't help him, because Octopussy was still ok.
The face lift really did a disservice to Sir Roger, but I still enjoy his performance. He should have sued his plastic surgeon.
The old guy from the conveyor belt was actually in a British soap opera called Eastenders. That made that scene seem even more cheap for me. A scrap with old chaps.
Big Ron lol
I have such a soft spot for this movie but it definitely has its problems. Roger's age in relation to Stacey's could have been far better handled by taking the approach that they had with Bibi in FYEO. I think more of a mentor role would have been far better. Also while I don't mind the Beach Boys part as much as I used to I think it would have worked far better if they just kicked straight into an orchestral Bond theme with the snowboarding or even just continued the with the fantastic score.
But I do have a lot of love for the film. Barry's score is superb and I love the whining guitar parts throughout. Its use in 'Snow Job' and 'Golden Gate Fight' is amazing. Bond carrying Stacey down the ladder and also 'Wine With Stacey' are some of the best tracks of the franchise.
I also love the brief chase between Bond and Mayday down the stairs of the Eiffel Tower. Again I think the score helps here but I think it's a well crafted sequence. Bond's interactions with Zorin are fun and that Golden Gate fight at the end is ridiculous but at the same time an amazing action packed fight in an incredible setting (the poster that features this is also ridiculous but so much fun)
In the end I know that the movie is among the series' worst but I still love it. I'd watch it over DAF or DAD any day of the week. Great review as always guys and I'm already looking forward to the next one!
Love this film. This feels more Bond than Craig films.
and this can be rewatched unlike Craig films.
The only Daniel Craig film I love is Skyfall, but that was because they were forced to include lots of old fashioned 007 elements because it was the fifty year anniversary. It is the only one of his films that, for me, feels like a true 007 movie!
I disagree, old man Moore feels like Grandpa Bond and not actual Bond!
Completely disagree, this is easily one of the worst of the Bond movies for many reasons. Craig's Bond movies are a more modern update on the traditional Bond movie, and all are brilliant movies!
The film was too long. All Bond movies were over 2 hours then. But several scenes could have been cut.
At the time On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was the longest Bond around release of A View To A Kill at 142 minutes long. A View to A Kill was 131 minutes
The only reason to watch this one is when you do a Bond marathon. There is no way that you choose this Bond over any of the classic ones if you're only watching 1 or 2 Bond movies that evening.
True, this one was on the telly last night, i did not watch it
By this point they seemed to be using a stuntman when Bond walked, nice review though.
In the video game Everything or Nothing Willem Dafoe's villain was a student of Zorin, so when my parents got me a random Bond DVD collection and it had AVTAK I was excited to see Zorin.
Nobody can argue the films heavily flawed at parts but in others it's very well done. Feel like they were rushed on this one, but I still love the cosey and laid back tone it has. I can always put the film on for a good relaxing time. It's more down to earth but has exciting enough set pieces to make it that bit more adventurous yet believable and the cast is fun. The film has good energy for certain weekends or junkfood nights.
Me and my friend allways refer to the German scientist as "Anti-Q"
You don't need to explain the Beach Bonds. It was a fun PTS with some upbeat music. Don't mind it.
I think that we are meant to believe that May day did remember being chased around Paris, but without seing exactly what James Bond looked like, and that is why she can't figure out where she has seen him before.
It's not just that California Girls hasn't agreed well: I remember at the time sinking into the theatre seat in embarrassment.
I enjoy the film, but the Beach Boys song was indeed groan inducing even back then.
Not sure if Drax or Zorrin had the best pads.
Drax's had space shuttles being built, but Zorrin's had magnificent horse stables.
This is my all time favorite Bond film and everybody else hates it . Lol!
Don't worry about what anyone thinks! :) There are NO bad Bond films!
If it were darker and serious, had a better Bond girl, less corny jokes, Dalton’s first Bond film, and was higher octane the movie is fixed. I really feel like Walken and Jones honestly carry it. And the plot, while the microchip plot works against Zorin logically, it was still a thrilling concept.
I love bond so much but this film was a 1 for me. I found it so boring and I couldn't stand Stacey's screams by the end of it. Thank God for John Barry, he is the reason I give it a 1 and not a Zero!
It's pretty much a cliche to say that Moore was too old for this one, but it can't be avoided. I really wish Dalton had done this one and there was potential. I like the story, however dated. I would really have liked to see Dalton go up against Walken. That could have been dynamic. Walken, like Christopher Lee deserved a better film. Grace Jones is not a good actress but she has a presence that makes her memorable. Stacy Sutton is annoying. I will say that the filmmakers managed to keep the grittiness from Eyes Only. Out aside the campiness and there's a violence level in this one that's more suited to a Dalton era film. It's unfortunate that it did not happen. He could have been spot on in this one.
A though not the greatest of Bond films, this one still has one of the most unexpected jump-scare shots - the cat scurrying past James Bond's feet as he's ascending the stairs in Stacey's house.
A View To A Kill is my number 2 007 Film on my James Bond list
2nd worst?
@@gregmize01 😂😂 no ,my 2nd favourite, no joke
@@dlbia9569 good lord 😭 This is my 2nd worst
@@greatwuta ,😂😂🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️😜😂😂
This was the first James Bond I ever saw in the theatre, and it always has a special place in my heart. On a more objective level, I recognize its weaknesses, but I still put it above Diamonds Are Forever, Quantum of Solace, and Octopussy.
A View to a Kill is not a great Bond film, but I think it's better than Die Another Day, Diamonds are Forever and SPECTRE. It's a guilty pleasure for me.
Agreed 100%
@@Beingjamesbond I also love the score. Actually I take it back, I'll place AVTAK higher than DAD, DAF, QOS, Moonraker and Spectre.
When this Bond film came-out in (1985) it was very exciting to me, Today it's just a Guilty pleasure now. However, the Music by John Barry makes-up for the Film. it's a pity The Late rock-Star David Bowie Never played Zorin as Planned. 4 out of 10
there's a lot of Good action Scenes in ''A VIEW TO A KILL''' but Sir. Roger Moore was way too old for the
James Bond Role. However, the John Barry's Collaboration with DURAN DURAN Theme Song was Good
and still sounds Good today when listen to. Christopher walken as Villian ZORIN was originally offered to the late David Bowie . I give this Film. 4 out of 10
It would have been fine with a dialogue polish and someone like Sam Neil as Bond. Why have so many “youth” elements then cast a man pushing 60 in the lead? It still beggars belief.
Exactly. This film needed a leading man who was at least 20 younger.
Did you ever pick up on the "Jenny Flex" name? I find not many fans get it, maybe unless they're Catholic.
Jenny Flex, genuflect (Genuflection or genuflexion is the act of bending a knee to the ground, as distinguished from kneeling which more strictly involves both knees. From early times, it has been a gesture of deep respect for a superior.)
Where's the movie Never Say Never Again!?
its ranked as an unofficial Bond movie. It was not produced by the Brocolli & Salzman company who uptill then did the Bond movies
Mm good question maybe because its not an eon production
Love Zorin & May Day, Chantilly Castle, Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge, mine (my field of work) and of course the score. But Stacey has way too much makeup, it distracts me from the film!!
I love A view to a kill, although it is hard to defend it from Scott. I think that there are a lot of flaws to this, but for me, the american locations, my love for Roger Moore, John Barrys score, and the good action-scenes weighs up for that.
When it comes to the girls, I do think that even though Stacey Sutton is not a very smart person, Tanya Roberts is weighing up for that by her sexy body, and for me, that is the most important thing for a bondgirl.
Not a clunker but an important addition to the bond cannon and good entertaining fun
James Bond is supposed to be 35 years old. That's his age in Ian Fleming's books.
Roger Moore was far to old to play the character in this Bond movie.
You two guys are excellent. Terrific genuine reviews right on the money! Keep it up!
I enjoy A View to a Kill. It was my first 007 film in theaters. I know Moore was too old, Tanya Roberts was not a very good Bond girl, the firetruck being goofy, etc, but I still enjoy it. Moore is still fun as Bond, John Barry's score is awesome, Christopher Walken is great, Grace Jones is great, it was nice to see Patrick McNee, etc. The fight on top of the Golden Gate Bridge is still one of the best finales!! It is way better than Octopussy.
I was excited for the film as well. But as soon as I saw TV clips of Moore in it, I thought 'oh no'.
Read that Cubby Brocoli hired Oscar winner Walken as a tribute to Moore, who was making his last Bond.
the reason the movie was bad was moore was way to old to play bond. the old bond is still better than the wooden bond of "on her majesty's secret service"
Give me old Moore Bond any day over rugby player thug Daniel Craig.
It may not be one the greats, but I still have a soft spot for it (it might have been the first I saw as a kid). The score is great, Walken and Grace Jones make for memorably crazy villains and Roger Moore still brings the charm. The main problem is that it's kinda bland otherwise.
I love this movie. IDGAF what anybody says. I’m gonna research it right now in fact.
Looking at the current chip shortage.. I guess this movie was way ahead of its time. 😉
Also, I think Scott missed quite a few key elements in this film that causes him to to not to understand the plot.
Good Bond theme , good John Barry score ,( Wine with Stacy) ....film is a mixed bag .....the fight at Stacy Suttons home , stuntman with most unrealistic grey wig always sticks in my mind when I think of AVTAK .
A Renault car that after a crash is cut thru in half and is still drivable??? Naaahh
Right? They're barely driveable in one piece!
It's about as believable as Bond driving the car down the train tracks in Octopussy
Read that Moore had a face lift after Octopussy which had not settled. Not sure about that.
He may have lost weight since O which made him look gaunt. He did look youthful in LALD but aged more dramatically than the other actors over his tenure. Fair enough, he was already 45 in LALD. AVTAK was simply one too many. The film didn't help him either.
Just look at his eyes and the face lift is extremely obvious. Still, I love Sir Roger Moore!
He had his mole removed too
OK...first up, bit of personal context, this was definitely one of the first Bonds I watched back in the early-to-mid 90s back when "1985" meant "film relatively new for TV". I never got why this film took so much heat as I always found it a lot of fun...but hadn't rewatched it for a long time so...this is a good excuse for a rewatch and...
1. Beach Boys? Why? Yet the soundtrack overall is still one of the best of all time!
2. The undercover stuff...Moore is still very good at...the basics of this film still work.
3. Physicality...flipping hell...this is the first time watching this film where I thought Dalton could have done a better job though Moore handing to Dalton is another topic but yeah...Roger is looking a bit pathetic at times....OK...I'll give the critics some late credit here...
4. ...yet the Golden Gate scene still works very well!
5. Stacey...is hit and miss...has reasonable capability(wasn't the actress one of the original Charlie's Angels?) and needs it being paired with a relatively feeble Bond and at other times..."help me, James..."
6. Mayday...Scott's being a bit harsh on...you don't have to sympathise with her character...but her changing sides is realistic at least...
7. Yet again...Bond works with the CIA...in the US! For it to be Leiter, OK I'll buy...but some guy we haven't seen previously who just happens to be operating out of San Francisco? Even as a Brit I know the CIA aren't legally meant to operate Stateside!
Overall though, you guys were still pretty harsh on this...it blows DAF out of the water no questions asked. Has a bit of a general 80s action film feel but I still like it a lot. 8/10.
Guilty Pleasure for me. I know its average,Sir Roger was way too old and the casting of some was bad but its the Bond I remember actually being of my time(I was 5).
If you liked Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the bandit, you should check out the norwegian movie "Boerning" from 2014. It is really good and it is inspired by "Smokey and the bandit" and "The cannonball run", only much, much better. You can rent it on RUclips.
I don't have time to watch this right now. I'll have to wait a few hours. But I know it's going to be painful...
You guys are way off on this one 4 out of 10? Really? And yet you really like Octopussy, which was made only 2 years before and is roughly the same quality as AVTAK. It doesn’t make any sense at all to be gushing about Octopussy while you trash AVTAK. In fact both movies are very good.
A real James Bond fan adores every Roger movie
dan lugo There are no bad Roger Moore Bond films.
28:07 And Minty from Australia.
Minty is awesome!
Everyone gives View to a Kill a hard time. I actually think View is much better than For Your Eyes Only and Man with the Golden Gun. The villains are terrific in View. Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are very memorable villains, much better than the bland villains of For Your Eyes. The John Barry score is superb here! I also like the locations, Paris and San Fransisco are great locales. I also love the pairing of Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee. Macnee is a perfect sidekick for Bond. My only regret is they kill him off too soon. And the theme song by Duran Duran is the best theme in the entire Bond series. View doesn't at all deserve the bad rep it gets. It is vastly better than Living Daylights, Diamonds are Forever, Never Say Never Again, License to Kill, Die Another Day and Quantum of Solace; and it's arguably better than Moonraker as well. View is far from being the worst Bond film. And I'd gladly take an old Bond (Moore) over a dull-as-dirt Bond (Timothy Dalton) any day! And so did audiences of that time. Granted, there is some cringe-worthy moments in View, such as the Beach Boys song and the hot-tub scene with the Russian agent. And I definitely agree that the overall film-length is just too long. Once we get into the mine-shaft, the film drags a lot. Some careful editing was needed.
This film is basic Saturday afternoon serial.
I like AVTAK on the whole. There are some flaws but I don't think it's a terrible movie.
I'll start with the things I like:
Zorin is a fantastic villain. Easily the most maniacal in the franchise and his plot is believable enough. The horse racing plot is interesting too because it highlights Zorin's greed and even Gogol picks him up on it later. Walken plays the character really well. The expression on Zorin's face during the massacre at the mine is frankly terrifying.
I like May Day too. Her Eiffel Tower jump is iconic, as well as her self sacrifice later at the mine. She's a powerful henchwoman.
I think Roger gives a good enough performance. Yes he's getting old by this point, yes there's a stuntman replacing him in almost every scene, but I don't think he was dreadful by any means.
I love Paris as a city and am really happy to see it in the film. The chateau is suitably stunning.
My major dislikes in the film though are:
Stacey. Awful character, easily one of the worst in the whole franchise. I feel like the whole movie would have been better if they completely removed her character. She drags the whole film down for me.
I don't like the car chase in Paris very much. It was way too over the top really. I can't really pinpoint exactly what it was about it, but I just don't like it.
The pre title sequence is pretty rubbish and unexciting for me. Certainly one of the weaker ones in the franchise.
I hate chase scenes involving American police. It was rubbish in Diamonds, Sherrif Pepper was rubbish in LALD and the officer in this film was equally awful. I'm not usually a fan of scenes filmed in America in general, but these stereotypical incompetent American police officers really detract from the stakes of the chase.
Overall, I feel like this could have been a great film. If Dalton was Bond, they removed the character of Stacey, removed the firetruck chase and reworked the script to make it a bit more cohesive then I think it would have been better.
The obvious stunt people don't help
In the words of Le Chiffre, You are so wrong. Come on, if you had a blimp wouldn’t you commute to work in that? This film is a work of art in every way. It’s gorgeous from the first frame to the last! Minute 28 :-) nice insert!
I have to tell you, as much as I can't argue with Scott regarding screenplay shortcomings, etc., there's a charm about this movie that I just can't deny. And who are those handsome chaps at minute 28? ;)
Siberia and Alaska are very close to each other, there's no way it would take FIVE DAYS for the iceberg ship to get there.
Thes was NOT the worst Bond movie (see You Only Live Twice and Diamonds are Forever) is it perfect? No it has its problems certainly but it’s still entertaining and Grace Jones was a blast!
You Only Live Twice is soooooooo much better than this
Timothy Dalton
Get Bent Rd?
What is that address about!!!
Meaning Timothy Dalton would have told the screenwriters "Get Bent" if he saw such an awful script (in Scott's opinion anyway).
@@leitercia thanks for clarifying that just wondering because bent has a few meanings here in the UK and none of them pleasant
@@garybryant1501 Whoops! Over here it's daily innocent. On par with something like, "Go jump in a lake."
I've been following you along watching all the films and I have to say that I really enjoyed this one. Only things I hated were the beach boys snowboarding and a couple of other minor things. Why they chose to stick that song in the middle of that awesome action theme I'll never know
I am not sure I understand the negative reviews for AVTAK. It's not Moore's best but not his worst either (that accolade goes to Octopussy - sorry fellas). If you fellas have ever so far been guilty of overanalyzing a plot, it would be for this one. Walken is a great villain IMHO - he's supposed to be psychotic fellas - hence the unpredictability and giggles etc. I'd prefer it if the franchise had never ventured down the route of slapstick in the first place but if you are willing to buy into it as offered by Moore's other outings, then AVTAK requires no leap of faith. It offers two great metropolises in Paris and San Francisco (and delivers some great action sequences with all the difficulties of shooting on location there), great Bond girls +including Fiona Fullerton who was making a name for herself in the UK at the time), a great villain in Walken and a superb soundtrack and theme song. The steeplechase scene was also particularly good. I agree with Joe's choice - The Beach Boys sequence in the pre-title sequence - as my least favourite part (though it's no worse than the travesty of the jungle sequence in Octopussy). Unlike Scott, I was also not so keen on the MacNee character which for me only served to highlight (by association) Moore's advancing years. Yes it has its weak points but AVTAK has some great scenes which were better than what was being offered elsewhere in cinemas at the time. A 7 from me.
So this is the movie it takes for me to finally agree 100% with Joe Darlington, from the overall score and ranking within the franchise right down to the least favourite part...
I often hear people claim AVTAK was the worst Bond movie ever, and when I hear that I want to fundamentally disagree, but at the same time it's really hard to defend it. But there are some aspects to it that always work for me. Walken, Jones, Duran Duran and the banter between Bond and Tibbett. With that, it certainly has more redeeming qualities than Diamonds are Forever.
I also prefer it to Moonraker, personally. With A View to a Kill, I have the feeling that it was made with the right intentions. They tried to make a proper Bond movie. They maybe didn't try very hard, and one might even say they failed. But with Moonraker, they tried to make a cash grab for the Star Wars generation, intentionally putting stuff in there like the canal boat scene and Jaws falling in love, and what's worse: they succeeded. And for that, I resent Moonraker.
I like all the videos you and Scott do. But this one was the one where I laughed the most. Like you said, nice to see one where Scott beats up on. Even then, 4 out of 10 isn't that bad; it could be worst. AVTAK was hard for me to watch then and it is now. I agree with you guys that they all looked exhausted, or filmed it in, and the lazy filming in some parts. I wonder if you think the Beach Boys is as bad as the Tarzan yell?
Also, Joe, I heard you on that What's the Score Podcast and you were great. Had no idea you were such a fan of Woody Allen?. Curious if you have a favorite movie of his? I lean toward Hannah and Her Sisters and Manhattan too. But I really enjoy the Purple Rose of Cairo. Thank you again for great work! Can't wait to see The Living Daylights one
Going through the motions is correct. They took it easy after competing against Connery.
I’m with you on this; I grew up with Moore’s films, but AVTAK is really not among the good ones. It’s not *the* worst, however, there are handful of good scenes, and while the plot is yet-another take on Goldfinger, it’s not that bad. It’s just that the overall feeling AVTAK instills in me is boredom, and then there are the goofier elements such as Tanya Roberts not in the role of her life. The blimp sequence would be okay, but it’s badly dragged down by Roberts being caught by it (goofy as fudge).
That said, there are a couple of more films I like even less. A couple of films having something to do with diamonds and another one with water (oh look, a common element).
Thunderball was great!
Jamie Braswell I don’t particularly fancy Thunderball either, but that one gets points from stylishness - I actually was referring to Quantum of Solace, which has a plot involving water, and with which my disappointments is measured in units far larger than quantums :D
Watched this last night (as part of my latest 007 marathons) and I thought the first 40 mins are pretty interesting, and the film falls apart after the City Hall on fire scene. Moore def shows his age, there is an apparent laziness with many aspects of the film but Zorin is one of the better villains in the series. If he'd gone against Dalton and not had such a meh ending it would've been very interesting. I agree with Joe here that it's better than Diamonds (wayyyyy better) but it's not necessarily a "good" film. The last hour just isn't engaging as it should be but i wouldn't call it boring per se (that's the Craig films) just not as good as the two films that directly precede it.
Diamonds was actually fun; the hilarious one liners, wint and kidd, Willard Whyte, and the delightfully sleazy atmosphere is stimulating. A View to a Kill wastes the potential of Christopher Walken, the film tries to recapture Goldfinger's magic but it fails to emulate the brilliant escalation of that film, way too many red shirts being killed in order to keep the audience wake, dull locations, many forgettable minor villains, and an overall lack of energy.
The face Scott made when you were trying to say something positive (not influenced by the two unrelated gentlemen of the pictures :-)?) about AVtaK :-). When I was a child, I learned the word cartel from the movie, so that might be a redeeming feature for me :-). As always, enjoyed your review very much.
I don't mind A View To A Kill at all, I always enjoy it, even the eye rolling moments. But let's not pretend that everything up until then everything was Bond gold, because it wasn't, there was plenty of stinkers before AVTAK and most were during the Moore era.
Joe you praise to the heavens John Barry but at the same time describe as “shockingly shockingly stupid” the Beach Boys moment,,well who put it in to the soundtrack,,,Barry has to take serious stick for that as much as the infamous slide whistle he put into MWTGG surely!?
I always felt that the rest of the film never quite lived up to the promise of that opening ski chase. It was pretty much all down hill from there. The film does have a very lazy feel about it and although everyone mentions the obvious stuntman replacements for Roger Moore, no one ever seems to mention the scene where he jumps off the bridge and crashes through the glass roof of the boat below. Cut to the scene of a poorly articulated and unconvincing dummy landing in the wedding cake. Shot from the front where you can clearly see its face and tell that it's a dummy. They just weren't even trying at all on this one. I know it was Roger Moore's swan song but he deserved a much better send off than this. The whole approach seemed lazy and lacked investment. Having said that, I would still rather watch this more than once than Die Another Day.
A View to a Kill, I can't say that I like it, but I DO like elements of it.
The score, Christopher Walken, the Golden Gate Bridge sequence and the title sequence.
I don't giving it a watch now and then, usually if I'm doing a Roger Moore-athon. It's okay.