The BBC's Barry Norman was quoted as saying 'the jury was still out' on Dalton, with the James Bond British Fan Club (00235 reporting!) said they should have gone home long ago as Dalton was great.
That said, with Dalton the new Bond the main press in the UK were not going to slag off the new guy exactly.
I was a huge fan of Siskel and Ebert and watched their show every Sunday. After Siskel died, I tended to seek out Ebert’s reviews on the Bond films online. However, as a Bond fan I felt there was something missing from his reviews, which along with most other critics went to limited depths with these movies, which I supposed was best since their reviews were on behalf of general audiences. It seems they evaluated every new Bond movie with Connery or Moore in mind, but they lacked the more nuanced of Bond fans who maintained a living and breathing awareness of the evolving Bond universe.
Yes most of their reviews I've read always seem to mention how 'Connery was the best' regardless of whether he's in the film they're talking about or not.
I was a huge fan of Siskel and Ebert and watched their show every Sunday. After Siskel died, I tended to seek out Ebert’s reviews on the Bond films online. However, as a Bond fan I felt there was something missing from his reviews, which along with most other critics went to limited depths with these movies, which I supposed was best since their reviews were on behalf of general audiences. It seems they evaluated every new Bond movie with Connery or Moore in mind, but they lacked the more nuanced of Bond fans who maintained a living and breathing awareness of the evolving Bond universe.
Yes most of their reviews I've read always seem to mention how 'Connery was the best' regardless of whether he's in the film they're talking about or not.
It's not just them. That's standard for people over a certain age. It's not like there was a huge demand for Brosnan to return to the role a decade later (though I would have been up for it).
Great review, SpectreofDefeat. You bring up some poignant points, especially about Dalton's performance and the references to Connery, Moore, and Brosnan's portrayals. The only thing your review didn't touch on was John Barry's excellent score, which is arguably his best in the series. Like you say, The Living Daylights is easily the best Bond film of the 80s, and it's my fifth favourite film of the series.
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That said, with Dalton the new Bond the main press in the UK were not going to slag off the new guy exactly.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Yes most of their reviews I've read always seem to mention how 'Connery was the best' regardless of whether he's in the film they're talking about or not.
It's not just them. That's standard for people over a certain age. It's not like there was a huge demand for Brosnan to return to the role a decade later (though I would have been up for it).
Great review, SpectreofDefeat. You bring up some poignant points, especially about Dalton's performance and the references to Connery, Moore, and Brosnan's portrayals. The only thing your review didn't touch on was John Barry's excellent score, which is arguably his best in the series. Like you say, The Living Daylights is easily the best Bond film of the 80s, and it's my fifth favourite film of the series.
8. TMwtGG 9. AVtaK 10. TSWLM 11. SF 12. LtK 13. TND 14. YOLT
15. NTtD 16. MR 17. LaLD 18. GF 19. SP 20. DN 21. TB
22. TWiNE 23. DAD 24. QoS 25. DaF