DAF vs. NSNA vs. AVTAK vs. DAD

LegoBatman008

Which Swan Song do you like the most? Sean Connery's official EON production Swan Song, Diamonds Are Forever? Sean Connery's unofficial Swan Song, Never Say Never Again? Roger Moore's Swan Song, A View to a Kill? Or Pierce Brosnan's Swan Song, Die Another Day?

For me, it's a tough one because all of these films have problems but if you twisted my arm for me it would have to be Never Say Never Again, because of Kim Basinger alone.

Thunderpussy

Agreed they all have problems but I'd go with DAF, it's so much fun. )

MooseWithFleas

I'll go with AVTAK. When I first saw this film I thought it was a pretty weak entry, but I enjoy more with each subsequent viewing. It's still one of the weakest Moore films, but it's no longer in my bottom 5. Can't say the same for the other three

Gassy Man

DAF, NSNA, DAD, AVTAK, in that order.

LegoBatman008

Gassy Man wrote:

DAF, NSNA, DAD, AVTAK, in that order.

This is less about putting the films in order and more about deciding which one you like the most...

AirJordanFan93

I like DAF the most. The rest are pretty bad or at least I think they are. DAF is campy but I still enjoy it as a light fun movie. NSNA is just plain bad and it looks way too cheap. Its hard to watch AVTAK with Moore looking way to old and DAD is well we all know about DAD. Maybe im just a huge Connery mark but DAF is the best of the "swan songs"

Charmed & Dangerous

Definitely Diamonds Are Forever for me. It was the first Bond film I ever saw at the cinema back in '71 and I fell in love with Bond movies as a result. Despite its detractors, I still think it's a fantastic film.

Bond's tough fight with FRanks in the lift, the moon buggy, the brilliant chase scenes in the Mustang, Plenty O'Toole and Tiffany Case, and the magnificent scene where he rides the external lift to the top of the Whyte House, uses the piton gun and leaps into space to climb to the rooftop.... what's not to love? )

Thunderbird 2

For me DAF and DAD.

The writing of both films wobbled about, but the actors do their best, esp Sir Sean and Mr Brosnan. The oil rig is a weak set piece, the ice palace is classic Bond wow factor oppulence.
Both have below par main baddies, due to wrong casting. However, perversley, they are funny and have decent back up baddies. (Wint & Kidd and Frost and Zao.) Both I can accept as the actor's final turn in the role, though irronically Sir Sean had one more and Mr Brosnan easily could have. Not the best overall, but the best of the last.

AVTAK is underwhelming to me. Stacey Sutton is a weak character, the plot is a computer industry rerun of Goldfinger. Everyone works hard, and visualy it looks great, but it feels like a laboured and tired effort in part due to the writing. Christopher Walken is great, but considering Zorin's frankenstein monster backstory, a missed opportunity. With due respect to Sir Roger, OCT would have been a better send off, as his age was showing compared to the stunt team arround him, and I don't like saying that. A film that has content, but in a purely going through themotions kind of way.
Loved the blimp though!

NSNA has a different problem as Sir Sean is still great here and looks credible, if nearing 00 retirement. The film looks like it was made on less of a budget. Thunderball version 2, it has clever ideas, excellent casting such as Charles Fox's stuffy M, Barberra Carerra sexily terrifying as Fatima and Bernie Casey is hands down the best Felix Leighter to date, though Jeff Wright is a close second. However this does not hide awkward computer graphics, an improbable bomb heist and fashions that even seem dated for their time!
Extra marks for trying, but def a Bond alternate reality, with a legacy in a sense of Johnny English! (Rowan Atkinson's awkwardly out of place yet funny, performace as Small-Fawcett.)

Jarvio

AVTAK, by far

SilentSpy

LegoBatman008 wrote:

For me, it's a tough one because all of these films have problems but if you twisted my arm for me it would have to be Never Say Never Again, because of Kim Basinger alone.

I'm pretty much in the same camp. Kim Basinger is hot in Never Say Never Again. It's far better and more of a serious Bond movie compared to Diamonds are Forever. I do like Diamonds are Forever. But NSNA is closer to the older, classic Connery movies compared to DAF.

I'm not against A View to a Kill either. It has its moments. Die Another Day is definitely the worst of the bunch.

LegoBatman008

SilentSpy wrote:

LegoBatman008 wrote:

For me, it's a tough one because all of these films have problems but if you twisted my arm for me it would have to be Never Say Never Again, because of Kim Basinger alone.

I'm pretty much in the same camp. Kim Basinger is hot in Never Say Never Again. It's far better and more of a serious Bond movie compared to Diamonds are Forever.

I really like Kim Basinger in Never Say Never Again as opposed to her in the Tim Burton "Batman" movie from 1989. Because in Batman '89 she just annoys me but in Never Say Never Again, I love her. Isn't that weird?

Smiert-Spionam

AVTAK for me. Roger Moore going out with a more serious film is better than Connery going out with a campy one. Don't care for DAD or NSNA at all.

However if you want to throw Dalton's swansong into the mix then the answer will be so much easier!

Blackleiter

Thunderbird 2 wrote:

For me DAF and DAD.

The writing of both films wobbled about, but the actors do their best, esp Sir Sean and Mr Brosnan. The oil rig is a weak set piece, the ice palace is classic Bond wow factor oppulence.
Both have below par main baddies, due to wrong casting. However, perversley, they are funny and have decent back up baddies. (Wint & Kidd and Frost and Zao.) Both I can accept as the actor's final turn in the role, though irronically Sir Sean had one more and Mr Brosnan easily could have. Not the best overall, but the best of the last.

AVTAK is underwhelming to me. Stacey Sutton is a weak character, the plot is a computer industry rerun of Goldfinger. Everyone works hard, and visualy it looks great, but it feels like a laboured and tired effort in part due to the writing. Christopher Walken is great, but considering Zorin's frankenstein monster backstory, a missed opportunity. With due respect to Sir Roger, OCT would have been a better send off, as his age was showing compared to the stunt team arround him, and I don't like saying that. A film that has content, but in a purely going through themotions kind of way.
Loved the blimp though!

NSNA has a different problem as Sir Sean is still great here and looks credible, if nearing 00 retirement. The film looks like it was made on less of a budget. Thunderball version 2, it has clever ideas, excellent casting such as Charles Fox's stuffy M, Barberra Carerra sexily terrifying as Fatima and Bernie Casey is hands down the best Felix Leighter to date, though Jeff Wright is a close second. However this does not hide awkward computer graphics, an improbable bomb heist and fashions that even seem dated for their time!
Extra marks for trying, but def a Bond alternate reality, with a legacy in a sense of Johnny English! (Rowan Atkinson's awkwardly out of place yet funny, performace as Small-Fawcett.)

I agree on all counts and I couldn't have said it any better. -{

LegoBatman008

Smiert-Spionam wrote:

However if you want to throw Dalton's swansong into the mix then the answer will be so much easier!

But it didn't become Dalton's Swan Song, until he decided to quit the role in 1994...He was contracted for one more movie and GoldenEye was supposed to be his. Just like The Living Daylights was supposed to be Brosnan's if NBC hadn't gotten in the way.

Gassy Man

LegoBatman008 wrote:

Gassy Man wrote:

DAF, NSNA, DAD, AVTAK, in that order.

This is less about putting the films in order and more about deciding which one you like the most...

But putting DAF first answers that question.

Firemass

Smiert-Spionam wrote:

AVTAK for me. Roger Moore going out with a more serious film is better than Connery going out with a campy one.

+1

I like NSNA quite a bit too…much better than DAF.

chrisisall

Smiert-Spionam wrote:

if you want to throw Dalton's swansong into the mix then the answer will be so much easier!

Ridiculously simple, in fact!
But, given the choices, I have to go with DAF.
Connery.
Barry.
Mountaineering about the Whyte House.
:007)
DAD comes close though. )

BIG TAM

1. DAF
2. DAD
3. AVTAK
4. NSNA

But I agree, LTK would get top spot if included.

AlphaOmegaSin

You cant really claim that 'LTK' (At the time) was Dalton's Swansong when nobody at the Time knew that there would be a huge Legal Battle for the next several Years.

Thunderpussy

+1 -{

GoldenEye85

Was Dalton supposed to do another one?

Back on topic:

I am going out on a very fragile limb here and say Die Another Day.

Part of this comes from just this past weekend a complete lunatic who, was obviously a common internet troll found a picture I had commented on, on the official James Bond Facebook page, back in August 2013, where I decided to state my favorite films in order, like we do on here all the time. Well he starts bashing me left and right saying that Die Another Day is the worst of ALL the films, that I'm not a true Bond fan for liking the Brosnan movies (WTF?) or completely disliking the Connery movies, which I NEVER said in my list, sure a lot of them are lower in my list, but that doesn't mean that I hate them or dislike Sean Connery as 007, just my tastes are different.

But trying to say that was like trying to talk to a brick wall, only the wall may have eventually answered, lol. I don't know if this person was actually a person or a bot, because he would post the exact same quotes he used on me to others this morning, not really responding, plus liking his own posts.

But my real reason is, I'm biased towards Brosnan as 007. I grew up with him as James Bond and except for a few things, Die Another Day is a fun movie. Those few things are the theme song......ugh why Madonna? That is the single most annoying 007 song and song period, the second being Another Way to Die from QoS.

One thing early in the movie solidified it as a good movie though, that sword fight. I can forgive the bad CGI in the latter half of the movie, yeah it's bad, but there are still worse out there.

AlphaOmegaSin

Yes, Dalton was supposed to do a third Film that was supposedly called 'The Property Of A Lady' (Taken from the last of the Fleming Novels)

chrisisall

Jamesbond007571985 wrote:

the theme song......ugh why Madonna? That is the single most annoying 007 song and song period

That's a bit harsh, eh mate? Off the top of my head I can names scores of worse songs.
But as to your fondness for DAD & Brosnan..... -{

Smiert-Spionam

Depends if by swansong you mean last film or the last film they did in the knowledge they wouldn't play Bond again. Seeing as I wasn't a big Bond fan at the time can anyone tell me if Brosnan knew DAD was going to be his last film?

chrisisall

Both Dalton & Brosnan expected to get another one.

SilentSpy

LegoBatman008 wrote:

SilentSpy wrote:

LegoBatman008 wrote:

For me, it's a tough one because all of these films have problems but if you twisted my arm for me it would have to be Never Say Never Again, because of Kim Basinger alone.

I'm pretty much in the same camp. Kim Basinger is hot in Never Say Never Again. It's far better and more of a serious Bond movie compared to Diamonds are Forever.

I really like Kim Basinger in Never Say Never Again as opposed to her in the Tim Burton "Batman" movie from 1989. Because in Batman '89 she just annoys me but in Never Say Never Again, I love her. Isn't that weird?

True, in Batman she's there to basically scream a lot and look pretty.

GoldenEye85

What was the dispute about that kept Timothy Dalton from doing a third film?

AlphaOmegaSin

I think that a part of EON wanted to break off from the Main Company.