A View To A Kill.... Forgetable?

I just watched it again for the first time in years...

I dunno... the movies hlds a special place for me as it was the first I saw on the big screen. BUT it just seems like... oh.. a filler movie.

So much rehashing of previous Bonds... Moore walked through the movie (as well as very obvious stunt man work).

Is it me? Anyone else think so?
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Comments

  • taitytaity Posts: 702MI6 Agent
    Well, walking was the only thing physical that Moore could do in that movie.

    I wouldnt say its his best performance, but he does a good job. Moore in a bad adventure is alot better than Connery in one (DAF, anyone.) It is pretty tame at times, and I deem it one of the two Moores I have trouble watching.

    I should warn you, theres a certain someone out there who will defend AVTAK to the death
  • MrsDallowayMrsDalloway Posts: 79MI6 Agent
    Ah, yes; JennyFlexFan, or 'St Jude' as I prefer to call him.
  • Golrush007Golrush007 South AfricaPosts: 3,418Quartermasters
    While I wouldn't describe AVTAK as one of the better Bond movies, I still enjoy watching it every now and then. It has some very strong points.
    The villains are very good. Christopher Walken is really terrific as Zorin, and Grace Jones is absolutely terrifying as May Day!!
    The villain's scheme, although derivative of Goldfinger is still quite novel. I think it is one of the better plots of the Moore era - far better than the Stromberg/Drax destroy the world types.
    Also, the score by John Barry is very good as is the title song.
    The best thing about AVTAK is the fight on Golden Gate bridge. It is very nail biting and well filmed. Also, John Barry's music adds plenty to the scene.

    So - there is quite a lot in AVTAK to enjoy, but it will always remain in the bottom half of my favourite Bond films list, but a good standby for a rainy afternoon's viewing!
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    Fish1941 wrote:
    To me, A VIEW TO A KILL is simply a rehash of GOLDFINGER.
    That's my majr problem with AVTAK. Not only is it IMO a terrible film but it is also a rip-off of the film that I consider to be the single greatest Bond film of all time. :#
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • RJJBRJJB United StatesPosts: 346MI6 Agent
    Thankfully, I would never consider AVTAK to be forgettable. If I ever forgot how bad a movie it is, I would run the risk of wasting time watching it again.
  • wordswords Buckinghamshire, EnglandPosts: 249MI6 Agent
    Call me a heathen but I saw this recently straight after watching LTK and I found AVTAK a jolly sight more entertaining. Its a big dumb action movie and what's wrong with that?
  • jbfreakjbfreak Posts: 144MI6 Agent
    Forgetable? Yep, I forgot about it.

    The movie bored me. It tried to incorporate some comedy, but I missed it. I will watch it sometimes but only because I haven't watched it in about a long time, and when I'm done I can wait to watch it again.
  • OsatoOsato Aberdeen, ScotlandPosts: 99MI6 Agent
    It may not be out of the top drawer, mainly due to Roger looking so clapped-out, but there's lots to remember in there: the Eiffel tower jump and car chase through Paris, the whole City Hall fire and fire-truck chase, the Golden Gate fight, two memorable villains, and some nice chemistry between Moore and Patrick Macnee. Barry's score is lush, the locations and sets look great - but there are enough negatives to keep it down at number 15 in my list.

    As basically a re-make of Goldfinger, it doesn't even come close.
    Green figs, yoghurt, coffee very black.
  • LOO7K OUTLOO7K OUT United KingdomPosts: 474MI6 Agent
    My own view is that had Roger Moore bowed out with Octopussy, then he wouldn't get half of the stick he gets now. I fully agree that AVTAK is not the greatest Bond movie ever, but it does depend on how you approach it. I have always seen AVTAK as one last romp for old times sake. Watching it like this, I find it hugely enjoyable.
  • delliott101delliott101 Posts: 115MI6 Agent
    As I watched it last night, it felt like Rog's last romp and he knew it....

    There ARE great elements... the score was awesome, MacNee makes 3 Avengers to have appeared in the series and gave it a great feel and Walken is probably my favorite villain.

    I'm thinking, though, the film is just a forgetable entry in the series. Like does it come to mind in most peoples minds that it was a Bond film back in the '80's?

    And compared to TLD, this movie also felt like a comic book. That's how it feels to me, at least...
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    The Eiffel tower gag is a great Bond moment; the high point of the film for me...but...check my list of favourite Bond films, and it will give you my undiluted opinion of the film as a whole...
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    There are films that I dislike more than AVTAK, but among Bond films, AVTAK is by far my least favourite film (among the 21 official films and NSNA.) There are moments that I enjoy, but generally, I am extremely ashamed to call this a Bond film. Moore is my third favourite Bond, but I would have given anything for him not to have done it, which probably gives an indication of how much I hate it. :#

    If I were to identify the major reason why I love AVTAK, it would be the script. Most Bond films aren't original, and so a great script can make or break a film. TSWLM wasn't entirely original but IMO had a fantastic script which is one of the reasons I consider it to be a true masterpiece. AVTAK, on the other hand, has IMO a horrible script which makes it's rip-off of GF all the more unforgivable.

    If I am at home, and a Bond film is on TV, I will always watch it, regardless of what else I am doing. There are three exceptions: TLD, DAD and AVTAK. It's been years since I last saw it and I am still recovering. :s
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • JennyFlexFanJennyFlexFan Posts: 1,497MI6 Agent
    AVTAK? Forgettable?!?!?! :))

    Since I'm referenced in almost every AVTAK thread known to man, I will now come out and help it. AVTAK is not a forgettable movie at all, it has some of the most beautiful and memorable locales in a Bond movie, from the picturesque Chateau Chantilly to the quaint Stacey's Manor, the domineering San Fran City Hall, the vast Main Strike Mine and the view... from the Golden Gate Bridge.

    Also, the PTS is one of the most well done ever with all the ski/snowboarding stunts as well as the very interesting ice boat.

    Are we forgetting the cast as well? We have Christopher Walken playing a younger but shrewd and absolutely loony Max Zorin, a Nazi experiment gone awry, who defines the over-the-top villain in every way, shape and form. He's absolutely and positively EVIL! We can't forget his trio of genetically-enhanced deadly lady assassins May Day, Jenny Flex and Pan Ho can we? May Day steals the show in some of her scenes when she acts like the Amazonian that she is, absolutely frightening! While Jenny and Pan Ho don't get nearly as much screen time, they're still nice to look at and do menial tasks very well (also, Alison Doody proves that you can make mine clothes sexy). Patrick Macnee is welcome in his small part as Sir Godfrey uniting with his old friend Roger Moore is wonderful, as they have great chemistry.

    Now here's the big clincher, Ms. Tanya Roberts. We all know that she isn't the best actress ever but with the material given, she plays the part of Stacey Sutton, the independent, yet naive and spoiled heiress to a tee. She's not afraid to fight, but she's not the best at it. (The way she attacks resident psychopath Zorin in the blimp proves she'll throw herself into a fight, even if she knows she can't win, because without her, Bond might've died when Zorin broke free of the rope!

    The firetruck chase is original and is a lot of fun, along with the MayDay chase in Paris, and the , chock full of silly moments but it's a lot of fun. People also love to rag on this as a silly Bond. In fact, it's the next serious Moore outing next to FYEO. Watch City Hall and watch Roger Moore provide some serious acting after Mr. Howe is killed and watch the whole Oil Pumping Station sequence is very tense as well, as well as the flooding of the mine.

    Moore is also not too old, he's playing a world-weary spy that is getting up there but still has enough energy to pull out one final spy adventure. I also hope I look as good as he does at nearly 60!

    So to answer the question? AVTAK, forgettable? Hardly. It's no filler, in fact, it's better than Goldfinger who people call the movie it's cloned from, with a better villain, better plot and better locations.

    And to RJJB, I wish LTK was forgettable as well, as every time I watch it I look for a blunt object to end my misery. ;)
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited January 2007
    Since I'm referenced in almost every AVTAK thread known to man, I will now come out and help it.
    He's baaack! :))
    It's no filler, in fact, it's better than Goldfinger who people call the movie it's cloned from, with a better villain, better plot and better locations.
    Puttins aside the villains and locations, how can you say AVTAK's plot is superior since its plot is virtually identical to GF's?
    And to RJJB, I wish LTK was forgettable as well, as every time I watch it I look for a blunt object to end my misery. ;)
    I feel the same way about Dalton's first film. ;)
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,988Quartermasters
    edited January 2007
    The firetruck chase is original and is a lot of fun

    The firetruck chase was original in the 1920s, when Mack Sennett's great "Keystone Cops" first did it...come to think of it, I think Moore was in that one, as well :v
    Moore is also not too old, he's playing a world-weary spy that is getting up there but still has enough energy to pull out one final spy adventure. I also hope I look as good as he does at nearly 60!

    He's a good-looking 60, no doubt about it...I just don't think Bond should ever be that old, unless his age is part of the story---as it (arguably) was in NSNA, when it's made clear that Bond has been out of the field for years, "teaching...not doing."
    AVTAK, forgettable? Hardly. It's no filler, in fact, it's better than Goldfinger who people call the movie it's cloned from, with a better villain, better plot and better locations.

    All righty ;) Never go away, JFF---Sir Roger needs you...or, as Stacey Sutton so ably shrieked:

    "Jaaaaames!!! Don't leeeeaaavvve meeeee!!!"
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • RJJBRJJB United StatesPosts: 346MI6 Agent
    And to RJJB, I wish LTK was forgettable as well, as every time I watch it I look for a blunt object to end my misery. ;)

    If you dislike LTK so much, why watch it again?

    Now, let's have some fun. You know how movie ads take critics's comments out of context to hype a film? Let's do the same with some of the previous posts here and see what we get.

    Moore walked through the movie...Moore in a bad adventure...A VIEW TO A KILL is simply a rehash of GOLDFINGER...Its a big dumb action movie...one last romp for old times sake...It's been years since I last saw it and I am still recovering...absolutely frightening!...just a forgetable entry in the series.:p
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    edited January 2007
    Thanks RJJB for including me. ;)
    MacNee makes 3 Avengers to have appeared in the series and gave it a great feel
    I love The Avengers but I would rather Macnee not have appeared in AVTAK. The reason being, unlike Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg, I think he was rather wasted and his role did nothing for him.
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • delliott101delliott101 Posts: 115MI6 Agent
    I watched the Avengers when I was a wee lad in the late '60's, so I know who Rigg and MacNee were from early on... I thought it was cool that John Steed and Bond were together at last (even though they couldn't use the name, it was him.. heh heh).

    And JennyFlexFan, I feel the same as you about Flex... needed more of a part, but I'm glad she was in it!

    There are some great elements in it, great one-liners and Zorin turned me onto Walken as an actor... Zorin was psychotic and Chris played him as such. Laughing while mowing down his people? Sick and disturbing, but Walken really delivered (Good... right on schedule).

    BUT as a whole and compared to FYEO and even OP, a very weak effort.. although I like it more than MR and it's a lot more polished than TMWTGG.
  • Moore Not LessMoore Not Less Posts: 1,095MI6 Agent
    He's a good-looking 60, no doubt about it...I just don't think Bond should ever be that old, unless his age is part of the story---as it (arguably) was in NSNA, when it's made clear that Bond has been out of the field for years, "teaching...not doing."

    He's a good looking 57, no doubt about it. Your point about Bond being that old unless his age is part of the story is a very fair one. That's my biggest criticism of AVTAK. Roger signed up almost a year in advance, so Eon/Maibaum/Wilson knew they had a 57 year old Bond but chose to ignore that.
  • Krassno GranitskiKrassno Granitski USAPosts: 896MI6 Agent
    While I agree A View To A Kill (#17) is not a very good Bond flick, it does have it's moments. To me Moore finally showed some believable anger when confronting Zoren about Tibit and the fight on the Golden Gate bridge was pretty intense. The title song by Duran Duran is excellent. Whenever Bond confronted Zoren it was a highlight and really the only redeeming quality of this film.
  • SteedSteed Posts: 134MI6 Agent
    Well, it's simply NOT the best Bond film ever, let's face it, but neither is it the worst either and I find it infinitely more watchable than TMWTTGG and DAD especially.

    There ARE a lot of flaws- Tanya Roberts and her character are simply dreadful and totally one dimensional. The 'California Girls' schtick is embarassing and the plot itself is not really that interesting. Roger Moore was clearly over the hill (yet interestingly in a documentary done a few years later to promote Dalton, he looks younger than he does in AVTAK!?).

    But, there's something for me which stops this hitting the bottom of the barrel. Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are complete nutters but I do find them to be very memorable characters, Patrick Macnee is terrific here, the Eiffel Tower/chase scene is excellent and Roger's performance is fine.

    So it's not exactly first rate, but nevertheless there are elements I like. But Octopussy simply trounces it, to be fair, so perhaps it could have been better to go 'out on a high' in some ways.
  • taitytaity Posts: 702MI6 Agent
    Dan Same wrote:
    I think he was rather wasted and his role did nothing for him.

    Perhaps, but at the same time having him in the role made the role much more memorable than what it could have been.
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    taity wrote:
    Perhaps, but at the same time having him in the role made the role much more memorable than what it could have been.
    The question is, though, was it worth it? I love The Avengers and I'm a big fan of Macnee but I think that AVTAK is so bad that it wasn't worth his appearing in it.

    As for being memorable, if I was Macnee, I would hope that people would forget that I appeared in this disaster of a film. :#
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    Fish1941 wrote:
    I know how you feel. It's just like how I feel about GOLDFINGER, DR. NO and TOMORROW NEVER DIES.
    The wonder of Bond; you look at DN and GF and you see two badly written disappointments and I look at them and I see two of the best written and greatest Bond films ever made. -{
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
  • Bill TannerBill Tanner "Spending the money quickly" iPosts: 261MI6 Agent
    ...MacNee makes 3 Avengers to have appeared in the series...

    Four, surely?


    And sorry, but what film were we talking about?
  • delliott101delliott101 Posts: 115MI6 Agent
    ...MacNee makes 3 Avengers to have appeared in the series...

    Four, surely?

    Did I miss someone? Blackman in GF, Rigg in OHMSS and Macnee in AVTAK.
  • Moore Not LessMoore Not Less Posts: 1,095MI6 Agent
    ...MacNee makes 3 Avengers to have appeared in the series...

    Four, surely?

    Did I miss someone? Blackman in GF, Rigg in OHMSS and Macnee in AVTAK.

    Joanna Lumley played Purdey in The New Avengers and briefly appeared as one of the girls being treated for allergies by Blofeld at Piz Gloria in OHMSS.
  • JennyFlexFanJennyFlexFan Posts: 1,497MI6 Agent
    Dan Same wrote:
    taity wrote:
    Perhaps, but at the same time having him in the role made the role much more memorable than what it could have been.
    The question is, though, was it worth it? I love The Avengers and I'm a big fan of Macnee but I think that AVTAK is so bad that it wasn't worth his appearing in it.

    As for being memorable, if I was Macnee, I would hope that people would forget that I appeared in this disaster of a film. :#

    Dan... Dan... Dan... X-( ;)
  • delliott101delliott101 Posts: 115MI6 Agent

    Four, surely?

    Did I miss someone? Blackman in GF, Rigg in OHMSS and Macnee in AVTAK.

    Joanna Lumley played Purdey in The New Avengers and briefly appeared as one of the girls being treated for allergies by Blofeld at Piz Gloria in OHMSS.

    NEW Avengers? When was that? Why was it "New" and not just "Avengers"?
  • Dan SameDan Same Victoria, AustraliaPosts: 6,054MI6 Agent
    Dan... Dan... Dan... X-( ;)
    I'm sorry. But hey, you did insult GF, so I guess we're even. :v Still friends? ;)
    "He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
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