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Comments
This is a great post & I for one do not have a dislike to any Bond film yes even DAD can be fine to watch now & again.
All 3 films in this post are all top notch however if I had to pick one it would be Moonraker.
I fall into this category most of the time, though sometimes I can't stand Octopussy.
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Nice to see some praise for AVTAK! I never have figured out why people rank it lower on their list. I understand that Roger is 58 and not able to perform stunts, and Stacey is annoying, but I still like it. Had Timothy Dalton come in early for AVTAK, I think people would have enjoyed it more.
I too think Timothy would have been very good in AVTAK if offered.
Did you ever see James Brolin's test footage for OP?
I have to say he may have made a great Bond if given the chance. he so reminds me of Christian Bale back then.
James Brolin in OP & AVTAK may have been a better idea all along what do folk think?
Cubby seemed very interested in Brolin before Moore was talked back.
Judging from his screentests on the OP UE DVD I'd say a definite NO as with John Gavin for DAF. However, I would've been fine with Brolin or Gavin playing Felix Leiter.
*Sorry not sure how that happend.
2.MR
3.AVTAK
I would probably go with that line up, except that TMWTGG is one of my favourite Bonds, whereas the other two are not.
The ranking of these films depend entirely on which type of Bond you like.
For me, MR is the worst. It's funny at times, it has a good score, huge sets, good stuntwork in the PTS, and it's meant to be purely escapist, so I don't watch it with the expectations of it being amazing. The first half is fine, as I've said before. Where it goes downhill is the second half - where it sacrifices everything for its comical style. I can understand that it's an escapist movie (the first half of the film gets this quite right), so I'm more lenient towards it. But just because it's a humourous escapist film doesn't mean it should destroy one of the most memorable villains in the franchise (Jaws) and reduce Bond to a flurry of whizzing lasers. You don't even see the PPK in this - as a whole, this film just feels the most removed from Bond as a character. In an attempt to replicate the culture of the late 70's, it sacrifices the culture of Bond, which I find particularly disappointing.
TMWTGG and AVTAK are actually quite similar (for me, at least). They both feature really good villains in both Walken and Lee, horrible Bond girls in Ekland and Roberts (Maud Adams is fine), and strange but generally memorable henchmen. Both have central plots (Scaramanga targeting Bond and Zorin planning to monopolize the microchip market) but get sidetracked by annoying side-plots that get way too much focus (the solar energy crisis and the horse racing).
The differences aren't that great, but choosing between them is what lets me choose between my #22 and #21. AVTAK has a better score and Bond theme by far, while Moore is too old in AVTAK and it's an underlying distraction from any good acting he has in the film. It's nice to see that we have a more intense adventure where Bond seems genuinely out of his depth, but this is perhaps the first time where Bond seems thoroughly exhausted on every front. I'm fine with the way Moore plays Bond, but in this film, I'm strangely aware (and a bit critical) of the way Moore plays Bond in this one. Every time I see the film, I'm acutely aware that it's time for Moore to go and that his portrayal has lost its touch. I'm still not completely sure why that is, because as far as acting is concerned, there's nothing wrong. I suppose Moore's age has more of a subconscious effect on me than I realized.
For TMWTGG, everything that is good is answered by something that is bad, and you can notice this in certain scenes (the most obvious one would be the amazing car jump juxtaposed with the stupid sound effect played during the stunt). Regarding Bond himself, Moore is in his younger years so physically, there's no problem. I also find his portrayal here to be more satisfying than in AVTAK, especially because there are a few moments where he injects some Fleming into his portrayal (I believe that is why a number of respected users on this forum rank TMWTGG as his best Bond portrayal). However, he is clearly uncomfortable and not completely devoted to the scene where he bends Andrea Ander's hand and slaps her. The producers, obviously divided on where to take Bond, seemed to want to bring Moore closer to Connery - a poor move in my opinion, as each actor needs to be allowed to have his own distinctive take on Bond. Whenever I see that scene, I just notice the lack of Connery and it stings for a bit.
At the end of the day, it's very close and more or less neck-and-neck for me between these two. I chose AVTAK for having less cringeworthy moments and Mayday being better than Nick Nack. The score is so much better throughout the film, too, whereas I can't find any consistent, underlying advantage TMWTGG has over AVTAK other than Moore being younger (which is not enough).
<ul>
<li>Music</li>
<li>Moore's acting</li>
<li>Stunts</li>
<li>Cinematography</li>
<li>Locations</li>
<li>Bond girl</li>
<li>Effects</li>
<li>Theme song</li>
<li>...</li>
</ul>
Do not agree on that. The score is good but the AVTAK score is way better.
The locations are not bad but it is more like a tour around the world. The locations are also a little wasted due to some campy elements (bondola, Jaws falling in love).
The title song? Moonraker is probably my choice for the second worst and most forgettable theme song.
Anyway my ranking would be:
1. AVTAK
2. TMWTGG
3. MR
For locations, they're both better than TMWTGG, but it's hard to say which is better. Not too much good comes out of Brazil in Moonraker, which is where all the cringeworthiness in MR spawns. AVTAK definitely has the more diverse environments too.
I'm also not convinced that Moore's acting in MR is the best. Sure, he was able to go along with the ridiculous settings, but his interaction with the villains in TMWTGG and AVTAK were just as satisfying, if not moreso.
In my ranking:
19. AVTAK
20. MR
21. (QOS)
22. TMWTGG
23. (DAD)
24. (DAF)
AVTAK isn't quite as bad as it is maligned to be, because it can at least have fun in some sequences (Golden Gate), but most of the film is flat and uninteresting - Max Zorin is good, but not great, and May Day is... serviceable - they bring up horse racing, then dump it halfway. And no one can quite tell whether the movie is trying to be fun (fire truck chase) or serious (mine massacre). The Beach Boys moment remains one of the most bizarre and worst moments in Bond. And it is true, Moore was waaaay too old.
MR starts good (PTS, centrifuge, hunting scene), then downspirals, and I don't even have to explain it. Bondola, Jaws in love, space laser battle, the end. Most of the action in the second half (like the boat chase) is mundane and uninteresting. Very brainless as well.
TMWTGG has a great villain, and a good secondary Bond girl. Unfortunately, Moore has his weakest performance, and Goodnight is the worst Bond girl of Moore. Film is very empty and tired. Stupidity laces the film - dumb kung fu, sumo wedgie, slide whistle barrel roll, midget henchman, etc. It is just all round mediocre and very un-fun to watch. That's why it ranks among the worst. Because it is simply not fun to watch.
I'm sorry, but where I work the Blu Ray of MR is on sale for $4, and I still can't bring myself to purchase it. Dolly, Jaws & the Star Wars space battle (coupled with the horrifying slo-mo weightless simulation effect) just destroy it for me... 8-|
TMWTGG on the other hand is one of my favourite Moore entries just for its bizarre,
and AVTAK is actually quite watchable IMO.