AVTAK at the top, CR at the bottom

Jarvio

Am I the only person in the world? (I still need to edit my signature, but I'm pretty sure that's the case at the moment for me)

AugustWalker

Certainly not. A view to a kill shares my no.1 with Die Another Day.

Matt S

AVTAK is not at the top for me (around the middle), but CR is at my bottom.

Jarvio

Matt S wrote:

but CR is at my bottom.

Reassuring to know, as the majority of lists I see have CR right near the top.

CR is not a film that I dislike and not a film that I even think is bad, but it is just.... not for me. It's not what I look for in a bond film

Thunderpussy

I love both :x for different reasons

Quentin Quigley

AVTAK will never be at the top of my list, but I have found a new appreciation for it in recent years. Still bottom 5 though... CR is a modern classic; Top 5. If B25 is anywhere near as good as that (quite achievable), then I'll be the happiest Bond fan in the world. -{

Hardyboy

Dunno why you put this in the Bond 25 forum, Jarvio. . .moving it to the Films forum. Carry on!

Agent Purple

CR ranks very low for me, although it may move from its spot in the future, who knows.

Don't have AVTAK near the top though.

zaphod99

Thunderpussy wrote:

I love both :x for different reasons

Bleedin Hippy

Jarvio

Hardyboy wrote:

Dunno why you put this in the Bond 25 forum, Jarvio. . .moving it to the Films forum. Carry on!

Oops, my mistake. Thanks for moving it

HowardB

Very interesting concept AVTAK vs CR. The end of an era and the beginning of an era. I guess for me, not being much of a fan of the Moore films in general and even less of a fan of AVTAK it's pretty obvious where I stand. However to be fair, as a Bond fan I still will watch the Moore films and be entertained by them, including AVTAK. They do have their charm and even my least favorites have some great moments which is the beauty of being a Bond fan. Even the Bond that's not your favorite still has redeeming qualities. Hopefully that makes some sense beyond my own addled brain. )

superado

AVTAK is nowhere near my top ten Bond favorites and may actually be closer to the bottom. But as I read this thread I am trying to put myself into the shoes of those who have it as number one and looking back when it was released, this movie really excited me and had me going back for repeat viewings while it was still in theaters.

The main song was boss and I always got stoked hearing it again and again on the radio, just as it played as the movie's recurring tune. This song and the title sequence at the time was the boldest, most beautifully quirky and revolutionary since LALD, making TLD's immediately following that look like a tepid rehash and DAD's a pale attempt at again capturing that edgy vibe. I loved the PTS and thought the snowboarding to California Girls was funny and cool, because at that time I was just starting to ski and snowboarding was indeed still a novel and weird sight at the slopes...but 007 made it cool! I loved Sir Roger's sleek hairdo. And of course because I live in the area, I love the settings in San Francisco and surrounding locales that continued on to the climax. Considering Sir Roger's age being the biggest objection by many, IMO it was nonetheless the most wonderful swansong for him that anyone could have expected.

As for CR being at the bottom for some people, I kinda relate to that sentiment in certain aspects...but not as far as seeing it anywhere near the bottom. I have a high, though stunted appreciation for CR and the other DC movies so far. I still maintain that the casting is radical for the "established" characterization of the Bond role (to me, practically apples and oranges) that's almost akin to casting Idris Elba since the criteria for the character has been effectively blurred, Craig's excellent performances and the production in general in this rebooted era just make these entries stand out in the series.

Dirty Punker

I'm at the awkward position where I view both as great movies in what they were trying to achieve.
There can never be a top list of Bond films for me cuz there were very different films that tried to try something new, one way or another.

While Casino Royale is second to the top on the "serious" way of making a Bond movie, I always found A View To A Kill quite entertaining as the whole concept is quite laughable, even if it tried to come off as serious for large parts of the movie which is a weird incosistency I'm not sure I'm a fan of, in the Moore era. It was truly the end of an era, made in the old way of making the Bond films we liked for a while, and that's part of what makes me nostalgic and makes me respect the film even more.
Casino can be drily humorous with Craig's deadpan, serious delivery and it strikes a different chord with the story and the brand new world of Bond which is being presented, cleaning its shoes on the camp aspect by cutting off most predominantly moments completely, perfecting everything else in the process. Something that after whatever Tamahori had done with the series seemed like the proper way to go.

I can see why fans of either would hate either but both can be enjoyed in their own right, if both groups of fans tried.

A tough and interesting question.

Firemass

LOL good on ya Jarvio. Just seeing this thread made my day.

Neither film is at the extreme top or the bottom for me, but AVTAK is definitely one of my very favorites, whereas I barely care about CR.

clublos

I think they're both great, for vastly different reasons.

But, then again, I don't think there is such a thing as a bad Bond movie.

Thunderpussy

+1 {[] ( official series at least )

Number24

In my opinion CR is one of the best Bond movies, probably among the top three.
AVTAK is weighed down by Moore and the rest of the Scooby gang. On the other hand the villans are among the best in the Moore Bonds. AVTAK's style is also less silly and harder than what we usually get with Moore.

Agent Purple

Number24 wrote:

In my opinion CR is one of the best Bond movies, probably among the top three.
AVTAK is weighed down by Moore and the rest of the Scooby gang. On the other hand the villans are among the best in the Moore Bonds. AVTAK's style is also less silly and harder than what we usually get with Moore.

I take it you're not a big Moore Bond fan.

Number24

I rank him lowest among the Bond actors, but I still enjoy watching his movies.

Dryden

CR ranks as my favourite Bond film; gritty with a realistic plot and well acted.

I enjoy Moore's films but they were definitely for that era and a little fantastical. AVTAK ranks somewhere in the middle for me, has some good bits (Zorin is a superb baddie) but some parts, including Sutton, really grate with me.

Wadsy

I'm not a fan of Casino Royale, because it lacks the Bondian qualities of the earlier films. That's partially due to Daniel Craig's portrayal, and just the way the film feels. It's not the worst Craig Bond, that honour goes to Quantum Of Solace but I genuinely hold Skyfall and Spectre much higher because Craig really finds his balance as Bond, and the films feel better by Sam Mendes. Casino Royale would only get a 6/10 for me for feeling like a great action film, but not James Bond.

I love A View To A Kill, it has a lot of flaws like how he ages a hundred years in only 2 years since Octopussy, the visible stunt doubles (ughh) and Roger Moore's charm just not being there as compared with previous adventures. I'm not sure if this is because he is too old or if he was trying to approach the role more seriously, but either way it does hurt it a bit. On the positive side of things, I love the theme by Duran Duran, the plot regarding microchips and destroying Silicon Valley, the locations in France and especially San Francisco, the eiffel tower chase and fire truck chase followed by the climax which is the best of the Moore series I reckon. Christopher Walken is one of the greatest Bond villains of all time if not the best, and Grace Jones is one of the series' best henchmen. Tanya Roberts isn't a great actor but I still rank Stacy Sutton in the middle tier of Moore's films, ahead of the awful Goodnight and wooden Holly Goodhead. I think the second half of AVTAK is where the film really excels in suspense and enjoyment, whereas Goldfinger lost a lot of steam once it moved to Kentucky. I think that most of all, it's a dark entry even more so than For Your Eyes Only and felt like a Timothy Dalton film in many aspects. It's a solid entry and deserves an 8/10 from me, and yes I like it more than Casino Royale.

Mr Snow

Jarvio wrote:

Matt S wrote:

but CR is at my bottom.

Reassuring to know, as the majority of lists I see have CR right near the top.

CR is not a film that I dislike and not a film that I even think is bad, but it is just.... not for me. It's not what I look for in a bond film

Specifically what do you look for in a Bond film? The fact you rank Moore as No. 1 and have four of his films in your top 5 should tell me something. Without doubt we're on different wavelengths. TB you have ranked last? Why?

Wadsy

I like A View To A Kill a lot, it is a fun ride and I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Sadly though, I have noticed as I am getting older my opinion of it has gone down somewhat. I don’t actually have a lot of the complaints for it that most have, but if I had to point anything out it would be Roger Moore who was way too old to play bond and looked as though he had aged 10 years since his previous film. In all of his movies he never seemed to really age much except for maybe Moonraker to For Your Eyes Only but then transition into this movie is huge. He no longer has the same charm or interest and it feels like he just isn’t invested in the film a lot. The other problem I have relates to his age which are the stunt doubles where they desperately tried to keep Moore as bond instead of just searching for a new actor after Octopussy for safety I guess and it really shows. These are huge flaws but besides that, I can’t really complain.

Golrush007

AVTAK was one of my earliest experiences of a Bond film, and in May Day and Zorin it features two very memorable characters. But as much as I find it a very entertaining film, and one that I find very rewatchable I can't rank amongst the top half of the Bond films. The story is okay, but not particularly inspired, some of the action scenes aren't great and the excessive use of stunt doubles and the 'Wooooah' sound effect for Roger Moore in these scenes is distracting. Also, Stacey Sutton is easily one of the least memorable Bond girls. But the score, the locations and the villains are definitely good.

CR, on the other hand, I rank as a masterpiece and a near perfect Bond film - a good update of the Fleming material, top notch performances from all the leading cast members, also very good locations and score, the action is particularly excellent - most notably the Madagascar chase and the stairwell fight in the hotel. One of the top 3 Bond films for me.

So as much I'm fond of both films for different reasons, I definitely don't agree with Jarvio's original suggestion of AVTAK at the top, CR at the bottom.

Jarvio

OGG007 wrote:

Jarvio wrote:

Matt S wrote:

but CR is at my bottom.

Reassuring to know, as the majority of lists I see have CR right near the top.

CR is not a film that I dislike and not a film that I even think is bad, but it is just.... not for me. It's not what I look for in a bond film

Specifically what do you look for in a Bond film? The fact you rank Moore as No. 1 and have four of his films in your top 5 should tell me something. Without doubt we're on different wavelengths. TB you have ranked last? Why?

Just seen this post 2 years later lol.

What do I look for in a bond film? To be entertained, it's as simple as that really.

My list is ever changing anyway, and TB is no longer last. Qos is currently last now, but honestly I find enjoyment in every (official) bond film.