"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
1. TSWLM ----> PTS - Ski jump, Jaws, Excellent sequences in Egypt and Italy, Moore at his best, Agent XXX, Lotus-marine, background score
2. YOLT ----> Superb first 1/3 .... things slow down in the middle, esp. with Bond disguising himself as a Japanese .... superb climax - final 1/3rd - one of the best lairs .... excellent background score
3. MR ----> A solid fun ride taking you from California, Italy, Brazil to Space
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Right now, I'd say my biggest con with this film isn't the plot, but the fact that Stromberg isn't among my fave BVs. He's tough, but there are various others I prefer to him.
Still, the film's a hard 10/10 for me.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Great visual experience as well. The locations range from snow capped mountains, deserts to underwater!
Also the movie uses many different modes of transportation:
a) Skies (both on snow and water)
b) Submarines
c) Boats (different types)
d) Cars
e) Bikes
f) Helicopters
g) Car-marine
h) Camels
i) Vans
j) Trains
k) Horse carriages
For me this is what a Bond film is all about. It is like a Bond greatest hits package.
Amazing stunt in PTS.
Iconic theme song.
Roger at the top of his game.
Stunning Bond girl.
Terrifying henchman.
Diabolical evil mastermind attempting to destroy the world.
Awesome villains lair.
Wonderful locations.
Perfect blend of serious and humorous.
Exciting train fight.
Great gadgets + an underwater car!
Spectacular set designs.
Action packed final battle.
It remains my favourite Roger Moore Bond film and I never get tired of watching it. -{
Barbara Bach was very lovely in those days :x ;% .
Ringo Starr married a very fine lady .
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
- Roger Moore kicks ass, looks great and completely owns the role. He acts well, especially in the scene admitting he killed XXX's lover.
- Barbera Bach is gorgeous and while not totally believable as a Russian, plays the role well.
- Detente storyline between the two agents is interesting and there's real chemistry between the two.
- Plot is interesting all the way through the film.
- How amazing the PTS is, is a clear sign of what's to come in the rest of the film. The reverse gun shot from the ski-pole is wicked!
- Ken Adam's sets are incredible, especially the Liparus interior.
- Stromberg is a great subtle presence, his voice is memorable too.
- Jaws is an excellent henchman.
- Lotus Esprit is stunning and its underwater scenes are brilliantly done.
- Special effects throughout are excellent. Model work, matte shots etc. Love the boat escape from the Liparus.
- Locations are great.
- Naomi and hotel-lady are very sexy and I love the overdone interest in Bond. Jealously between the two ladies.
- Fight scenes are well choreographed, the fight between Jaws and Bond on the train is suffocating.
- Good blend of funny elements.
- Support actors are great - Gogol, Cmndr Carter, M and Q.
- While I don't like the soundtrack outside of the film - within it, it completely suits what's going on on-screen.
- Iconic title song and fantastic title credits by MB.
- Bond identifying the fish correctly is a great moment. Makes me want to be Bond.
Cons:
- None.
Observations:
Shane Rimmer makes his 4th Bond appearance as Commander Carter.
BluRay:
Stunning, gives the film a much more polished feel. Stromberg's webbed hands are much clearer and obvious, I hadn't really noticed them before.
Overall:
Wow, what a brilliant Bond film. Watching Bond in a marathon again has been interesting because you actually feel the marked differences between films in chronological order - and the difference between this and DAF through TMWTGG is vast. The scale is there, the craft is there, the acting is there and most importantly Bond is there. Brilliantly played and owned by Roger - he's carrying this blockbuster from start to finish. Great work by Cubby on his own too, made Bond survive into a new era.
- Roger Moore kicks ass, looks great and completely owns the role. He acts well, especially in the scene admitting he killed XXX's lover.
- Barbera Bach is gorgeous and while not totally believable as a Russian, plays the role well.
- Detente storyline between the two agents is interesting and there's real chemistry between the two.
- Plot is interesting all the way through the film.
- How amazing the PTS is, is a clear sign of what's to come in the rest of the film. The reverse gun shot from the ski-pole is wicked!
- Ken Adam's sets are incredible, especially the Liparus interior.
- Stromberg is a great subtle presence, his voice is memorable too.
- Jaws is an excellent henchman.
- Lotus Esprit is stunning and its underwater scenes are brilliantly done.
- Special effects throughout are excellent. Model work, matte shots etc. Love the boat escape from the Liparus.
- Locations are great.
- Naomi and hotel-lady are very sexy and I love the overdone interest in Bond. Jealously between the two ladies.
- Fight scenes are well choreographed, the fight between Jaws and Bond on the train is suffocating.
- Good blend of funny elements.
- Support actors are great - Gogol, Cmndr Carter, M and Q.
- While I don't like the soundtrack outside of the film - within it, it completely suits what's going on on-screen.
- Iconic title song and fantastic title credits by MB.
- Bond identifying the fish correctly is a great moment. Makes me want to be Bond.
Cons:
- None.
Observations:
Shane Rimmer makes his 4th Bond appearance as Commander Carter.
BluRay:
Stunning, gives the film a much more polished feel. Stromberg's webbed hands are much clearer and obvious, I hadn't really noticed them before.
Overall:
Wow, what a brilliant Bond film. Watching Bond in a marathon again has been interesting because you actually feel the marked differences between films in chronological order - and the difference between this and DAF through TMWTGG is vast. The scale is there, the craft is there, the acting is there and most importantly Bond is there. Brilliantly played and owned by Roger - he's carrying this blockbuster from start to finish. Great work by Cubby on his own too, made Bond survive into a new era.
While the 60s films hv their own special charm, TSWLM is the best film amongst #7 to #24 (post OHMSS) .... It is probably the last of the iconic Bond films
While the 60s films hv their own special charm, TSWLM is the best film amongst #7 to #24 (post OHMSS) .... It is probably the last of the iconic Bond films
While there are plenty of great films to come IMO, I agree that it would be the last of the iconic films. To me it's in the category of GF, TB and YOLT.
While the 60s films hv their own special charm, TSWLM is the best film amongst #7 to #24 (post OHMSS) .... It is probably the last of the iconic Bond films
While there are plenty of great films to come IMO, I agree that it would be the last of the iconic films. To me it's in the category of GF, TB and YOLT.
I appreciate that you are re-watching the films in order. May be I would do that in near future too
Watched TSWLM again for the first time in a long while. While it's not as great as I remembered it to be, it's still a good movie.
On the good side of things: It gave Roger Moore a movie with some more seriousness and emotional weight, while still having signature fantasy/comedy elements. As an adventure epic, it was one of the most biggest ambitious movies in the series at the time. After a trend of misogyny after OHMSS, Bach's character (XXX) was a well-developed character who actually had personality and purpose. It had beautiful shots like the sunset and a big epic climax on the ship. It of course had all of the memorable "bumps" (as Cubby would call them): Jaws as a henchman, an underwater submarine chase, and so on. And there's plenty of memorable moments such as the fight with Sandor, Stromberg killing his henchmen, Q's gadget lab and so on. Lastly, Stromberg was a better villain than I remembered.
There are some areas in where I felt it was lacking.
* Technology. Like Star Wars, is heavily reliant on special effects and such, some of which look outdated by today's standards.
* Plot originality. It nearly copies YOLT and it could have thrown in some more curveball's. It's Bond-formula but it's Bond-formula-done-well (like Goldeneye).
* Sluggish pacing. It could have been tightened up and shortened by about 15 minutes overall. It could have jettisoned a set piece or two easily. The opening should have straight action and excitement; the atmosphere building and such could've been put in later or have been done in a more interesting way.
* Sound. The sound quality hasn't aged well, and I'm surprised the blu-ray didn't embellish it. Aside from the Carly Simon's theme song, the soundtrack is dull, doesn't give energy and there's a lot of scenes which don't have music at all.
* Directing. Some scenes were picture-perfect. The majority were average.
There are some areas in where I felt it was lacking.
* Technology. Like Star Wars, is heavily reliant on special effects and such, some of which look outdated by today's standards.
* Plot originality. It nearly copies YOLT and it could have thrown in some more curveball's. It's Bond-formula but it's Bond-formula-done-well (like Goldeneye).
* Sluggish pacing. It could have been tightened up and shortened by about 15 minutes overall. It could have jettisoned a set piece or two easily. The opening should have straight action and excitement; the atmosphere building and such could've been put in later or have been done in a more interesting way.
* Sound. The sound quality hasn't aged well, and I'm surprised the blu-ray didn't embellish it. Aside from the Carly Simon's theme song, the soundtrack is dull, doesn't give energy and there's a lot of scenes which don't have music at all.
* Directing. Some scenes were picture-perfect. The majority were average.
Technology - IMO the special effects in this have aged much better than YOLT and it doesn't have the terrible DAF style either. The usage of models, matte and composite shots in TSWLM still look pretty good.
Plot - Yep, Bond formula done well - but the detente aspect of it is the curveball you speak of for me.
Pacing - There may be one or two scenes, like the tracking of Jaws that are a wee bit slower, but I don't think the movie is bogged down by pace at all. Generally everything happens quite quickly, and the slower scenes are acted very well to keep one interested.
Sound - I like how many scenes don't have soundtrack in it, it makes the film feel more real in some parts. Hamlisch's soundtrack is dull on its own, but IMO it works in the film - his interpretation of the Bond theme and its placement is excellent.
Directing - Overall I think all scenes are picture perfect, I don't see the average point.
Each to their own, but perhaps you'd like to go further in your cons? {[]
There are some areas in where I felt it was lacking.
* Technology. Like Star Wars, is heavily reliant on special effects and such, some of which look outdated by today's standards.
* Plot originality. It nearly copies YOLT and it could have thrown in some more curveball's. It's Bond-formula but it's Bond-formula-done-well (like Goldeneye).
* Sluggish pacing. It could have been tightened up and shortened by about 15 minutes overall. It could have jettisoned a set piece or two easily. The opening should have straight action and excitement; the atmosphere building and such could've been put in later or have been done in a more interesting way.
* Sound. The sound quality hasn't aged well, and I'm surprised the blu-ray didn't embellish it. Aside from the Carly Simon's theme song, the soundtrack is dull, doesn't give energy and there's a lot of scenes which don't have music at all.
* Directing. Some scenes were picture-perfect. The majority were average.
Technology - IMO the special effects in this have aged much better than YOLT and it doesn't have the terrible DAF style either. The usage of models, matte and composite shots in TSWLM still look pretty good.
Plot - Yep, Bond formula done well - but the detente aspect of it is the curveball you speak of for me.
Pacing - There may be one or two scenes, like the tracking of Jaws that are a wee bit slower, but I don't think the movie is bogged down by pace at all. Generally everything happens quite quickly, and the slower scenes are acted very well to keep one interested.
Sound - I like how many scenes don't have soundtrack in it, it makes the film feel more real in some parts. Hamlisch's soundtrack is dull on its own, but IMO it works in the film - his interpretation of the Bond theme and its placement is excellent.
Directing - Overall I think all scenes are picture perfect, I don't see the average point.
Each to their own, but perhaps you'd like to go further in your cons? {[]
I agree about the special effects. I thought they looked really good. They're not as perfect as Star Wars, but they get the job done really well. Nothing stands out as much as the building collapsing in SP.
And yes, the plot has the huge curveball of bringing the Soviets into it. This was a huge move since the Bond films had previous avoided using the Soviets in the stories. As a government they are absent from FRWL. They're used in YOLT, but neither as allies nor enemies.
And I think the soundtrack is really great. I don't know how it sounds on its own because the soundtrack album doesn't actually include the music from the film. But I actually think a lot of the music on the album works better as standalone pieces than the similar pieces in the film work. The parts that aren't too '70s are excellent all around.
I love the directing in TSWLM, but then again, Gilbert's my fave EON Bond director.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
It was a good film, and while numerous moments captivated me, it never sucked me in entirely as a whole.
As far as the pacing goes, I think Bond movies have generally opened with something thrilling and interesting. While the union jack parachute was iconic, I think the opening overall was weak. They could have focused on the ski chase and cut out everything before it; those scenes don't explain anything which isn't explained later in the film anyway.
I do agree that the scene where Bond is tranquilized and the two intelligence teams work together is a twist, but it was a standard Bond plot before that and a standard Bond plot after that. I'm differ from many Bond fans, but I generally prefer the formula-to-novelty ratio to be 50-50 rather than 90-10.
Though I also need to look at the film in the context of the time. Roger Moore was still following up Connery, his strengths weren't fully utilized and his identity wasn't clearly established yet. His first film, Live and Let Die, was acclaimed but wasn't seen as a classic on the level of Connery's movies. His 2nd, The Man with the Golden Gun, got mixed reviews and it showed Moore's portrayal of Bond being conflicted between ruthless and comedic.
The Spy Who Loved Me established Moore in the role. It also gave everything fans wanted to see (and still want to see) from a new actor. A ski scene, a memorable henchman fight, a believable romance a dramatic showdown in an evil lair, etc.
While the union jack parachute was iconic, I think the opening overall was weak. They could have focused on the ski chase and cut out everything before it; those scenes don't explain anything which isn't explained later in the film anyway.
They do a much better job of establishing the film in MR's PTS - but TSWLM's PTS features the "what the hell" moment with the sub and establishes Bond escaping and killing XXX's lover.
I do agree that the connection isn't the greatest, and other Bond films do it better - but many PTSes in Bond don't completely connect the story that well because of their emphasis on overt action.
Some of the very best one-liners in Bond history were uttered in TSWLM.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Comments
YOLT
TSWLM
MR
But I really love them all.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
2. YOLT ----> Superb first 1/3 .... things slow down in the middle, esp. with Bond disguising himself as a Japanese .... superb climax - final 1/3rd - one of the best lairs .... excellent background score
3. MR ----> A solid fun ride taking you from California, Italy, Brazil to Space
Like many of you, love them all!
TSWLM (very close to MR)
.
.
.
YOLT
As I always say, MR is an incredible achievement.
"Better make that two."
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Still, the film's a hard 10/10 for me.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Also the movie uses many different modes of transportation:
a) Skies (both on snow and water)
b) Submarines
c) Boats (different types)
d) Cars
e) Bikes
f) Helicopters
g) Car-marine
h) Camels
i) Vans
j) Trains
k) Horse carriages
Amazing stunt in PTS.
Iconic theme song.
Roger at the top of his game.
Stunning Bond girl.
Terrifying henchman.
Diabolical evil mastermind attempting to destroy the world.
Awesome villains lair.
Wonderful locations.
Perfect blend of serious and humorous.
Exciting train fight.
Great gadgets + an underwater car!
Spectacular set designs.
Action packed final battle.
It remains my favourite Roger Moore Bond film and I never get tired of watching it. -{
True!
Ringo Starr married a very fine lady
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Pros:
- Roger Moore kicks ass, looks great and completely owns the role. He acts well, especially in the scene admitting he killed XXX's lover.
- Barbera Bach is gorgeous and while not totally believable as a Russian, plays the role well.
- Detente storyline between the two agents is interesting and there's real chemistry between the two.
- Plot is interesting all the way through the film.
- How amazing the PTS is, is a clear sign of what's to come in the rest of the film. The reverse gun shot from the ski-pole is wicked!
- Ken Adam's sets are incredible, especially the Liparus interior.
- Stromberg is a great subtle presence, his voice is memorable too.
- Jaws is an excellent henchman.
- Lotus Esprit is stunning and its underwater scenes are brilliantly done.
- Special effects throughout are excellent. Model work, matte shots etc. Love the boat escape from the Liparus.
- Locations are great.
- Naomi and hotel-lady are very sexy and I love the overdone interest in Bond. Jealously between the two ladies.
- Fight scenes are well choreographed, the fight between Jaws and Bond on the train is suffocating.
- Good blend of funny elements.
- Support actors are great - Gogol, Cmndr Carter, M and Q.
- While I don't like the soundtrack outside of the film - within it, it completely suits what's going on on-screen.
- Iconic title song and fantastic title credits by MB.
- Bond identifying the fish correctly is a great moment. Makes me want to be Bond.
Cons:
- None.
Observations:
Shane Rimmer makes his 4th Bond appearance as Commander Carter.
BluRay:
Stunning, gives the film a much more polished feel. Stromberg's webbed hands are much clearer and obvious, I hadn't really noticed them before.
Overall:
Wow, what a brilliant Bond film. Watching Bond in a marathon again has been interesting because you actually feel the marked differences between films in chronological order - and the difference between this and DAF through TMWTGG is vast. The scale is there, the craft is there, the acting is there and most importantly Bond is there. Brilliantly played and owned by Roger - he's carrying this blockbuster from start to finish. Great work by Cubby on his own too, made Bond survive into a new era.
Excellent {[]
"Better make that two."
While there are plenty of great films to come IMO, I agree that it would be the last of the iconic films. To me it's in the category of GF, TB and YOLT.
"Better make that two."
I appreciate that you are re-watching the films in order. May be I would do that in near future too
On the good side of things: It gave Roger Moore a movie with some more seriousness and emotional weight, while still having signature fantasy/comedy elements. As an adventure epic, it was one of the most biggest ambitious movies in the series at the time. After a trend of misogyny after OHMSS, Bach's character (XXX) was a well-developed character who actually had personality and purpose. It had beautiful shots like the sunset and a big epic climax on the ship. It of course had all of the memorable "bumps" (as Cubby would call them): Jaws as a henchman, an underwater submarine chase, and so on. And there's plenty of memorable moments such as the fight with Sandor, Stromberg killing his henchmen, Q's gadget lab and so on. Lastly, Stromberg was a better villain than I remembered.
There are some areas in where I felt it was lacking.
* Technology. Like Star Wars, is heavily reliant on special effects and such, some of which look outdated by today's standards.
* Plot originality. It nearly copies YOLT and it could have thrown in some more curveball's. It's Bond-formula but it's Bond-formula-done-well (like Goldeneye).
* Sluggish pacing. It could have been tightened up and shortened by about 15 minutes overall. It could have jettisoned a set piece or two easily. The opening should have straight action and excitement; the atmosphere building and such could've been put in later or have been done in a more interesting way.
* Sound. The sound quality hasn't aged well, and I'm surprised the blu-ray didn't embellish it. Aside from the Carly Simon's theme song, the soundtrack is dull, doesn't give energy and there's a lot of scenes which don't have music at all.
* Directing. Some scenes were picture-perfect. The majority were average.
Technology - IMO the special effects in this have aged much better than YOLT and it doesn't have the terrible DAF style either. The usage of models, matte and composite shots in TSWLM still look pretty good.
Plot - Yep, Bond formula done well - but the detente aspect of it is the curveball you speak of for me.
Pacing - There may be one or two scenes, like the tracking of Jaws that are a wee bit slower, but I don't think the movie is bogged down by pace at all. Generally everything happens quite quickly, and the slower scenes are acted very well to keep one interested.
Sound - I like how many scenes don't have soundtrack in it, it makes the film feel more real in some parts. Hamlisch's soundtrack is dull on its own, but IMO it works in the film - his interpretation of the Bond theme and its placement is excellent.
Directing - Overall I think all scenes are picture perfect, I don't see the average point.
Each to their own, but perhaps you'd like to go further in your cons? {[]
"Better make that two."
I agree about the special effects. I thought they looked really good. They're not as perfect as Star Wars, but they get the job done really well. Nothing stands out as much as the building collapsing in SP.
And yes, the plot has the huge curveball of bringing the Soviets into it. This was a huge move since the Bond films had previous avoided using the Soviets in the stories. As a government they are absent from FRWL. They're used in YOLT, but neither as allies nor enemies.
And I think the soundtrack is really great. I don't know how it sounds on its own because the soundtrack album doesn't actually include the music from the film. But I actually think a lot of the music on the album works better as standalone pieces than the similar pieces in the film work. The parts that aren't too '70s are excellent all around.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
As far as the pacing goes, I think Bond movies have generally opened with something thrilling and interesting. While the union jack parachute was iconic, I think the opening overall was weak. They could have focused on the ski chase and cut out everything before it; those scenes don't explain anything which isn't explained later in the film anyway.
I do agree that the scene where Bond is tranquilized and the two intelligence teams work together is a twist, but it was a standard Bond plot before that and a standard Bond plot after that. I'm differ from many Bond fans, but I generally prefer the formula-to-novelty ratio to be 50-50 rather than 90-10.
The Spy Who Loved Me established Moore in the role. It also gave everything fans wanted to see (and still want to see) from a new actor. A ski scene, a memorable henchman fight, a believable romance a dramatic showdown in an evil lair, etc.
They do a much better job of establishing the film in MR's PTS - but TSWLM's PTS features the "what the hell" moment with the sub and establishes Bond escaping and killing XXX's lover.
I do agree that the connection isn't the greatest, and other Bond films do it better - but many PTSes in Bond don't completely connect the story that well because of their emphasis on overt action.
"Better make that two."
{[]
"Better make that two."
The first one I saw at the pictures...
Even the title is gorgeous...
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later