A View To A Kill: Hate It Or Love It?

TheQBranch

AVTAK is one of the more polarizing films in the series. And it often tends to rank lower on most peoples lists. I find I tend to be in the minority, because AVTAK is one of my favourite Bond films. I think it has one of the best theme songs, one of the best villains, and some pretty impressive stunt work. But since it's so polarizing, I'm curious to see where the divide comes from, and to see who else loves the film, and to get some opinions from people who dislike it.

The_Commander

It's just a 'meh' film for me - Walken is pretty good in his typecast role as a deranged villain, but it's Grace Jones' lack of acting ability that makes my toes curl every time.

It's one of those films which sealed its own fate by hinging on gadgets and technology which now seems incredibly dated - the whole tag line about 'microchips' is so 1980's, as are secret descending horse boxes and robotic dog surveillance cameras, which are merely used to let us see Bond making out in the shower at the end.

I think this is the beauty of the very early films and the Daniel Craig era movies too - they feel pretty timeless (and the digitally restored Dr No is beautiful to watch over half a century after it was shot).

Golrush007

I don't hate any James Bond film, but I wouldn't say that I love AVTAK. It is a film that I enjoy revisiting from time to time. For some reason I find it has more re-watching appeal than many of the better James Bond films. And despite some obvious weaknesses, such as the female characters and the recycled Goldfinger plot, I feel that it has a number of strong points.

- I really enjoy the Eiffel tower sequence.
- Max Zorin may be a bit two dimensional and predictable but I find Walken's performance very entertaining to watch.
- May Day has a memorable screen presence, and whether or not Grace Jones can act well I found the character memorable.
- The Golden Gate fight is one of my favourite set pieces.
- I think John Barry's score is very good. His action theme from this film is one of my favourite themes. It's always nice when the James Bond theme has another solid action theme as a backup, such as in OHMSS.

It may be dated with the 1980s computer technology, but for me that is part of its charm. I actually like it when a film is 'of its time'.

Thunderpussy

I quite enjoy AVTAK. it has many great scenes, sure it has its
Obvious and well noted faults, but you can't help liking what you
Like. )

Moore Than

I really do enjoy large parts of A View To A Kill. Particularly the sequences at the Eiffel Tower, the water pumping station, the mine, and the Golden Gate Bridge which is one of my favourite Bond finale's. Max Zorin is one of the best villains of the series, memorable characters such as May Day and Sir Godfrey Tibbett. Very good locations, score and title song.

The recycled Goldfinger element does not bother me at all. Neither do the screams of Tanya Roberts, makes her character seem more human. Having said that, casting someone similar to Maud Adams (in Octopussy) would have been considerably more appropriate. The script should also have been tailored to suit Bond's age.

Silhouette Man

stag wrote:

Personally I like AVTAK.

Me too! -{

Barbel

A similar thread was opened not long ago- http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/44811/pros-and-cons-a-view-to-a-kill/page/3/ Please continue in that one.