AVTAK

[skywalker]

Please rate Sir Roger's final outing as Bond out of 10. As usual please feel free to add comments.

[adam]

After two Bond movies in 1983, no one would have complained if there was a three or four year gap before the next one. That would have given everyone a chance to recharge their batteries and find a new actor. However Cubby Brocoli and John Glen thought differently and plowed into pre production work for AVTAK.

While filming 'O' in the searing Indian heat, Moore said 'This is definatly my last Bond movie, I can't see any more carrot in doing another'. There was a feeling he meant it this time. We were wrong, again ! Negotiations after 'O' were surprising quick and Moore quickly signed up for AVTAK.

AVTAK has all the Bond elements, a crazed villian, a menancing henchman (or rather woman), humour, big set pieces, lovely ladies. However there was a flatness that dogged the film throughout. The script is not as good as usual and even the humour and one liners fail to raise a smile. The action was'nt as exciting or well edited. The firetruck chase was a bit embrassing and the airship climax was nothing special. The two fight scenes with Bond & Tibbs/Bond & Roberts are still the worst fight scenes in the seris. However the PTS was fun and the mine shaft scenes were good.

Walken delightfully hams it up as the mad villan. Jones is ok as his side kick. However Roberts is perhaps the worst Bond women in history. Looking way too young for Bond. Moore unfortunatly looks too old, he has lost weight since 'O' but that just makes him look gaunt. It would'nt be so bad if the film portrayed him as an older Bond, but it does'nt. He also looks like he's going through the motions and has lost the twinkle in his eye, saying his lines with less conviction than usual. The scene early on with Bond, Moneypenny and Tibbs must have had a combined age of 150, a bit too old for a film which is supposed to appeal to a young audience.

AVTAK is unfortunatly one of the worst in the seris and simply hammered home that an overhaul was needed. But thanks for the last 12 years Rog.

[adam]

Sorry, last post should have included 6/10.

[drfanshawe]

adam wrote:

The scene early on with Bond, Moneypenny and Tibbs must have had a combined age of 150

8/10 for me as it is good fun.

ps. Did you forget to vote in the poll adam?

[Gambit]

7 out of 10. It's a remake of Goldfinger and not as inspired as some other Bond films but it is well made with a great cast and good music.

[skywalker]

I really like AVTAK despite it's obvious flaws. Moore although he's looking a little wary still delivers a fine performance and the film still has a bondian feel to it which is more than can be said of the last 2.

[James]

Seven out of ten. Not the best Bond film ever made but it's a laugh.

[harrypalmer]

If I had watched it at the time I would have been a bit disappointed and felt that Roger had made one too many or been wasted in his final film. Now I feel it's a cult film. It has a John Barry score and a great theme by Duran Duran. It has a great cast - Christopher Walken, Grace Jones, Tanya Roberts, Patrick McNee.

It's similar to Moonraker in that I can understand why some do not like it. But I do!

8/10

[poirot]

In some ways, this feels like the true end of the "Cubby" era to me, as Bond would soon be forced to acknowledge political correctness.

I quite enjoy the first half of the film, but the middle act does tend to drag once Bond reaches San Francisco. The fire at City Hall and subsequent chase both seem better suited to a 70's cop show than James Bond 007.

But there's a familiarity to the whole affair that makes it enjoyable to watch. (This is even truer today, given the current direction EON has chosen.) Moore is in fine form, especially in his scenes with Macnee and the old gang at MI6.

I do find it odd that they tried to use this particular script to appeal to a younger audience. Then again, perhaps it's the other way around. Maybe they realized that Bond at the races or dining at the Eiffel Tower was a little too elegant, and decided to shake things up a bit?

It's not Roger's best, but I do enjoy watching it whenever I see it on. I also find my appreciation of it has grown considerably over the years, so I would probably have to give it an 8.

[mh4213]

7/10

[Jake]

To quote from the review I did on AVTAK:

A View To A Kill is good, underrated fun. It has too much humour for its own good at times and could have been trimmed a little in length I think to give it a little more pace. The iceberg sub, the Beach Boys and Pola Ivanova are not essential parts of the film and could have been lost but for me A View To A Kill - while having weaknesses - also has a lot going for it.

It might not be the best James Bond film ever made but that doesn't automatically make it a bad film.

A View To A Kill may be flawed but it remains a stylish film that contains much to enjoy.

7/10

I really like this poster also;

[007]

Seven and a half. I rounded it down to seven.

[JackBurton]

7 out of 10

[Greg Haugen]

Eight out of ten.

[Terry]

6/10. Not the best of the Moore films but ok.