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First Half or Second Half

00Beast00Beast
edited January 2012 in Bond Movies Posts: 4,762
Which Bond movies have a gripping first half, and then let you go in the second half, and vice versa? For me, a terrible first half but a good second half is OHMSS. The first half is extremely difficult to get through, but then the second half is a little better and is much easier to get through. On the flip side, DAD has a pretty great first half but then slips for me in the second half.

Comments

  • Dr_MetzDr_Metz
    Posts: 401
    00Beast wrote:
    For me, a terrible first half but a good second half is OHMSS.
    I agree mostly. I wouldn't call the first half of OHMSS "terrible", but it needed to be worked on. I would say right when he arrives in Switzerland is when it gets really good.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Dr_Metz wrote:
    00Beast wrote:
    For me, a terrible first half but a good second half is OHMSS.
    I agree mostly. I wouldn't call the first half of OHMSS "terrible", but it needed to be worked on. I would say right when he arrives in Switzerland is when it gets really good.

    Ehh...I think it only gets good when Blofeld locks him in the cable car room.
  • X3MSonicXX3MSonicX https://www.behance.net/gallery/86760163/Fa-Posteres-de-007-No-Time-To-Die
    Posts: 2,635
    Almost all the movies i've saw, the second half. Except for TND.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    X3MSonicX wrote:
    Almost all the movies i've saw, the second half. Except for TND.

    Oh man, I love TND's second half! The battle on the Stealth Boat is worth the wait!
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Tomorrow Never Dies has a fine first half, great teaser at the arms fair, Sheryl Crow song, sinking of the Devonshire, stupid but amusing Carver presentation at the Hamburg conference, the Doctor Kaufman scenes, etc etc but once Brosnan leaves for South East Asia and Joe Don Baker turns up again I often find I am frantically searching for the Off button, it just gets boring, dull and frustrating and it is downhill all the way from there on.

    Worth noting A View to a Kill too, a film of two halves also, I usually enjoy seeing Moore (stunt doubles) out and about in Paris and at the steeplechase courses but once the film turns to San Francisco it all goes astray and just goes into cringeworthy mundane childish nonsense culminating in one of the most embarrassing and awkward last half hours in Bond franchise history, said that before in anger too
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,979
    In my opinion:

    More or less balanced: DN, FRWL, GF, YOLT, TSWLM, OP, TND, QoS

    First half stronger: TB, DAF, LALD, MR, FYEO, AVTAK, TLD, LTK, GE, TWINE, DAD

    Second half stronger: OHMSS, TMWTGG, CR
  • fire_and_icefire_and_ice
    Posts: 6,432
    Good question there are a few that immediately come to mind. TSWLM and TND coincidentally drop for me soon as there respective car chase scenes end.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    Worth noting A View to a Kill too, a film of two halves also, I usually enjoy seeing Moore (stunt doubles) out and about in Paris and at the steeplechase courses but once the film turns to San Francisco it all goes astray and just goes into cringeworthy mundane childish nonsense culminating in one of the most embarrassing and awkward last half hours in Bond franchise history, said that before in anger too

    One thing I noticed when I watched AVTAK with the commentary some time back: despite its flaws, the first half did feature some exotic locations for the viewer(Iceland doubling for Siberia, London, Ascot, Paris, Chantilly). Then when the film heads to California, it looked like a rerun of Matt Houston, The Fall Guy or any other typical mid-1980s action/detective TV series.

    I think the first halves of TND and DAD make for Brosnan's finest 2 hours in the Bond role. YOLT, OP, TMWTGG and OHMSS are films that definitely improve in their 2nd halves(not that their first halves were bad, mind you.)

  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    The first half of TWINE is okay. The fight in the banker's office, the chase on the Thames, Bond and Q one last time, the ski chase. From the introduction of Christmas Jones onward, bad movie.
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    TMWTGG: I actually enjoy the first half quite a bit, but the finale (or lack there of) never delivers on what the first half sets-up.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Second half of Goldfinger too, I mean it has a good build up to the Fort Knox ending, as before that Connery just spends most of the time sitting about looking bored

    Golden Gun too, second half improvement, Scaramanga island retreat, the duel, Moore gets to meet Lee, gun in a bag of peanuts etc, as before that, and although it's one of my favorite that Moore did, well it sometimes seems to go nowhere

    Definitely The Spy Who Loved Me had a better first half, once we get to the bit where Bond rescues the ships crew and they all charge out it just gets terribly dull, pity really as before that it is an interesting and fun hour or so

    Moonraker first half too, the amazing teaser, Moore in the simulator, Ms Clery gets savaged by dogs, the Venice trip, but once we arrive in Brazil for the second bit, it all goes a bit dull and culminates in the ill advised out of space experience and blatant Star Wars rip off

    Also, and I must argue here, that For Your Eyes Only's second half is a tedious bore-athon, Moore takes forever and a day to scale the cliff face and when he reaches the top nothing much occurs and it's one of the lamest endings of the series. Shame too as up to the half way point it's actually an exciting and interesting story
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    JBFan626 wrote:
    TMWTGG: I actually enjoy the first half quite a bit, but the finale (or lack there of) never delivers on what the first half sets-up.

    I kind of had the opposite thought when I watched TMWTGG yesterday. I found the second half to be much more engaging than the first half. Once Scaramanga kills Hai Fat, the movie picks up. We get that hilarious scene where Bond has both Goodnight and Anders in his hotel room, Scaramanga and Bond meeting face to face at the boxing ring, the cool car chase with J.W. Pepper, and the finale on Scaramanga's island. However, I will agree with you that the finale is a bit disappointing. The duel between Scaramanga and 007 was much too brief, and didn't capitalize on Scaramanga's killer instincts. Also, they completely wasted a good fist fight between Bond and Scaramanga's maintenance man, Kra. That could have been cool.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    It's only when (Clifton) James makes his re-appearance in Thailand that the film gets going, OK some people castigate the character but there is always humor abound whenever he is on screen, said so before I ideally would of liked to have seen him in maybe Spy or Moonraker, the latter would of been quite fitting with all the childish nonsense that was going on half the time.

    How many times did Lee have the opportunity to kill Bond in that picture I don't know
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    It's only when (Clifton) James makes his re-appearance in Thailand that the film gets going, OK some people castigate the character but there is always humor abound whenever he is on screen, said so before I ideally would of liked to have seen him in maybe Spy or Moonraker, the latter would of been quite fitting with all the childish nonsense that was going on half the time.

    How many times did Lee have the opportunity to kill Bond in that picture I don't know

    Well, one outside the Bottoms Up Club, two at Hai Fat's gardens, three at the boxing ring, and four when Bond landed on his island.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    And when they had dinner don't forget, Lee put his Golden Gun together and could easily have slain Moore but Roger decided to eat instead, that's what I would of done

    I suppose you could include the 20 pace duel too, all Lee had to do was turn around at two or three and blast Moore from behind, so that's at least six attempts wasted by my math

    In later years this Bond movie may well be titled 'The man with the frustratingly inept ability of saving us from further Moore Bond films' :-L
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    Dr No... i thought the first half kind of drags along - that is until Bond goes to Miss Toro's villa, then things seem to pick up from there.

    From Russia With Love.. though It's my favorite Bond film ever (to date).. there is no denying that the first half kind of meanders around, while planning to steal the lector... once they do, and they board the train, the suspense really starts to ramp up.

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service... I am probably in the minority here when I say this... but I love the first half of the film over the second half... everything from the PTS to the meeting with Sir Hilary at the College of Arms I love... once he gets to Piz Gloria, things start to slow themselves back down - i think because he seems more interested in bedding the young ladies than advancing the plot lol... i don't know, usually between this point and the end assault, my attention always seems to drift in and out........ this was one film that I thought was about 5-10 minutes too long anyway.

    The Man With The Golden Gun.... the only reason to watch this movie is for the last 30-40 minutes once Bond gets to Scaramanga's Island.... the entire film up until this point seems like a horrible dinner you sit through just to get to the dessert.

    A View To A Kill... I find myself enjoying the first half more than I do the second half - don't get me wrong, any scene with Walken is classic - especially in the second half when he maniacally laughs while gunning down his workers... but I find the first half between the PTS and Bond getting dumped into the drink the real highlights.. once he gets to the states, things seem to bog down, and the action and characters just seem to get more retarded.

    Die Another Day... i think by now it should go without saying how I feel about this one (those keeping score at home) - but for those new here to the boards, I shall indulge a little in this hate cake......... first half, between the PTS and the sword fight were far and away better than what follows in the second half... from the VR training, right up to Brosnan's vomit inducing last line - this film is a complete mess.

    Casino Royale... much like FRWL, though this film sits at #2 on my favorites list - I find the second half much more appealing than the first half - not that the first half is bad, but once Bond gets to Montenegro, the film really starts to pick up steam for me.

  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,551
    This topic was already covered here:
    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2127/the-james-bond-debate-thread-024/p2
  • Dr_MetzDr_Metz
    Posts: 401
    DarthDimi wrote:
    This topic was already covered here:
    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2127/the-james-bond-debate-thread-024/p2
    That was in a different context than this thread.

  • gaz4007gaz4007
    Posts: 71
    I always thought that TND 's first half was one of the best Bond films ever made then for some strange reason it just all goes to pot....i think it really sums up Brosnan's stint as Bond,full of promise,hint of a darker side but just never really hit it's stride.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    gaz4007 wrote:
    I always thought that TND 's first half was one of the best Bond films ever made then for some strange reason it just all goes to pot....i think it really sums up Brosnan's stint as Bond,full of promise,hint of a darker side but just never really hit it's stride.

    I love all of TND, but I do agree that the first half is a little better than the second. However, the Stealth Boat battle at the end picks up the second half tremendously!
  • gaz4007gaz4007
    Posts: 71
    the scene when Bond is in the hotel in his tux sipping vodka neat to me is just one of the best scenes in the entire movie series......
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,979
    gaz4007 wrote:
    the scene when Bond is in the hotel in his tux sipping vodka neat to me is just one of the best scenes in the entire movie series......

    Except that it's a cheap vodka.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    Also, and I must argue here, that For Your Eyes Only's second half is a tedious bore-athon, Moore takes forever and a day to scale the cliff face and when he reaches the top nothing much occurs and it's one of the lamest endings of the series. Shame too as up to the half way point it's actually an exciting and interesting story

    Agreed. FYEO tends to peter out for me around the 2/3 mark when Kristatos is keyhauling Bond and Melina. The rest I find pretty to look at but very anticlimactic.

  • gaz4007gaz4007
    Posts: 71
    world famous brand vodke...still a good scene...
    fyeo i enjoyed...to me the 1st half is the poor one here and it picks up...
  • ZekidkZekidk
    Posts: 3,169
    Biggest contrast between 1st and 2nd half:

    DAD - excellent 1st, worst 2nd in the series.
    CR- excellent 1st, didn't like the second (lack of action set-pieces)
    LTK - 1st half lacking, excellent 2nd half.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,979
    gaz4007 wrote:
    world famous brand vodke...still a good scene...

    Madonna is world-famous, too. ;)

    No serious vodka drinker takes Smirnoff seriously.

    http://www.russianlife.com/vodka/ranking.cfm

  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    DN- boring first half, better second half once reaching Crab Key
    FRWL- slow first half, excellent second half with plenty of action/suspense
    GF- okay first half, terrible second half, except for Fort Knox
    TB- slow first half, excellent second half
    YOLT- good first half, boring second half except for the volcano battle
    OHMSS- terrible first half, better second half
    DAF- good first half, poor second half
    LALD- good first half, better second half
    TMWTGG- decent first half, better second half
    TSWLM- good first half, better second half
    MR- okay first half, poor second half
    FYEO- better first half than second half
    OP- good first half, better second half
    AVTAK- slow first half, better second half
    TLD- slow first half, better second half
    LTK- better first half than second, except for the tanker chase finale
    GE- awesome all around
    TND- better first half than second half, except for the stealth boat battle
    TWINE- good first half, better second half
    DAD- okay first half, terrible second half
    CR- better first half than second half
    QoS- better first half than second half
  • Arsenal02071Arsenal02071
    Posts: 162
    For me, the best second half of one of the movies is FRWL. The camp battle is great and as soon as they get on the train, the movie becomes a classic.
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