75 replies to this topic

[O.H.M.S.S.]

The Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker and A View to a Kill are generally the Roger Bonds which are criticized the most.
Which of the three do you prefer and which one did you like the least?

[Colossus]

Moonraker. It is like The Spy Who Loved Me all over again, which is not really bad at all. The whole relationship between Bond and Jaws is also furthered, i mean they are like arch nemeses at this point. This guy again?

[thecasinoroyale]

I love 'A View To A Kill' - it's in my top three ranking Bond films. I love the action, I love the character relationships, I love the music, I love the plot and I love Christopher Walken as Zorin. It's cheesy at times, but there are far more worst Bonds out there, and Roger Moore may be old, but he's still the same character he was in 'Live And Let Die', and growing up with that character from his first film simply adds to 'AVTAK' with some depth that our man Bond is STILL fighting for Queen and Country.

My weakest is 'The Man With The Golden Gun' from polar opposites to 'AVTAK'. I don't find the locations very intersting, the action is a little drawn out for me and tedious at times, the characters are a little annoying in places, I do like Christopher Lee as Scaramanga but that's about it, the music is boring and I feel Roger isn't totally enjoying this one.

[Odd Jobbies]

Of the 3 TMWTGG is the best.

An exciting premise (Bond targeted by a master hitman).

A great villain (Dracula no less and the cousin of Fleming to boot.

Great locations; Exotic Thailand (very exotic for a westerner in the 70s), and James Bond island - c'mon, how cool was that? So cool i visited when i was backpacking many years back.

2 sexy Bond girls... Maud's acting chops weren't as poor as could've been expected from a model and Britt is great comic value, whether she knew it or not (i'm sure she did).

One of the best car stunts ever (even if it is marred by a swanee-whistle!)

Oh, and i almost forgot, a great theme from Lulu (who'd've thought that were possible?) I really love the tune's reprise at the end as the boat sails into the horizon with Nick Nack strung up in the rigging - "Do not fear, James Bond is here..." On paper that sounds pretty naff, but every time i hear it i just think, yep, i f******g love James Bond

But, having said all that, it's still one of the weakest movies of the series, but the best of the 3 you've named.

The worst of the 3, IMO is AVTAK... Great villain and premise (Silicon valley) and a nice locations (Golden Gate Bridge). But it's trapped in 80's mundanity, looks like a tv movie (unlike it's predecessor, another troubled film but at least cinematic in it's photography). AVTAK is only cinematic in the Golden Gate finale.

Grace Jones is good fun and Walken's villainy is untouchable as he guns down his own men while laughing, but that's not enough to rescue this entry from it's lazy, play-it-safe approach - from Cubby no doubt. It's appears that Cubby is so terrified to risk his gravy train that he keeps poor Roger playing a role he grew out of by Octopussy, when until the last minute James Brolin was set to take over the mantle.

This is cynical filmmaking and takes it's audience for granted - assuming that as long as the audience gets the same product as the last movie, then we'll be happy. Well while it may keep die hard fans engaged, i think popular culture has categorised this film as the one with the really old guy as Bond.

As a schoolboy Bond fan he could do no wrong and i was pleased as punch when i saw this at the cinema, but now i think it's such a shame that a story with such potential and an actor who was born to be a Bond villain was served up in such mediocre fashion with a geriatric Bond. I really mean no offence to the great Roger Moore, he was good in his day but i'm sure he'd agree that this film would've worked better with a younger Bond and that Fleming's Bond was never a 57 year old....

To paraphrase his old mate Michael Cane in his best role, Jack Carter: "He's a big man, but he's in bad shape. With Bond it's a full time job..."

As for MR it holds a special place for me as the first Bond i saw at the cinema

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 05 August 2012 - 11:54 AM.

[David_M]

Moonraker's my favorite of the three, easily. There are a few rough spots, and the final sequence with Bond saving the Earth through, essentially, a drawn-out Atari game is easily the least-dramatic "nail-biter" in history, but everything is beautifully filmed, the special effects are masterful (and hold their own against any CGI foolishness churned out today), the score is amazing, Roger is still in top form and there is an epic sense of sheer spectacle that no Bond since has rivaled...it's the last of the BIG Bonds.

MWTGG feels cheap and small and every character in the film seems cranky and disagreeable (except Q, who's a punching bag for many of them). But at least Roger looks great, maybe better than he ever did.

AVTAK ranks last for me because not one thing in it feels inspired or original. It feels lidke the entire reason the fim was made at all is because "it's been two years since the last one, so we might as well." Even Roger's classic shtick, which I loved for so long, has a "been there, done that" air to it. And yes he looks old, but no older than everything else about the film. Nice try at infusing some youth and vigor by hiring on Duran Duran, darlings of teenage girls everywhere, but it's too little too late.

[AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän]

TMWTGG is my favourite and AVTAK I like the least. Moonraker is positively a braindead extravaganza but oozes some charm while AVTAK has a bit too many embarrassing moments - the fight on the Golden Gate bridge is better than the climax of Moonraker though. I've never understood why 'Golden Gun' is so maligned.

[Mickeba]

Golden Gun is my favorite of the three. It's one of my favorites period. I think the worst element of Golden Gun is the kung fu girls. Their inclusion made no sense. Lt. Hip bringing the girls along when he's dropping 007 off at Hai Fat's made no sense. No one would have done that. The girls would have been endangered, and their kung fu standoff is just silly. I do hate Sheriff Pepper. His racism in Golden Gun is really gross. He's comic relief, I suppose, and he fit in well in LALD, but in Golden Gun, he is just the ugly American. This aside, Golden Gun is a great story, Christopher Lee is a great villain, and Britt Ecklund is just... YUMMY!!!

Moonraker is much worse than Golden Gun. VTAK is the worst of the three. I watched FYEO, the other night, and it's really obvious to me that FYEO should have been his last outing. He's aged terribly since LALD, and should have hung it up after FYEO.

[tdalton]

I very much enjoy A View to a Kill. It's not a great film by any stretch, but it's often a good deal of fun and features a great villainous duo in Zorin and May Day.

I can enjoy Moonraker if I'm in the mood for it, which admitedly isn't all that often. The Man with the Golden Gun is just awful, aside from the funhouse sequences.

[AMC Hornet]

In a surprising turnaround, I agree with Odd Jobbies this time out (AgentNNS too).

Give me Golden Gun every time. In between give me MR if you must. Save AVTAK for when I've forgotten how disappointing it was.

[Dustin]

I must say I really have to rewatch those three before I can rate them. It's been so long since last time ( six or more years) it would not seem fair to fire way at them from the hip now.

[Odd Jobbies]

In a surprising turnaround, I agree with Odd Jobbies this time out

First time for everything

[AMC Hornet]

"Enjoy it while it lasts."
"The very words I live by...And what words do you live by?
"It's better quit while you're ahead."
"That's one trick I never learned."

[TCK]

Golden gun is my third favourite James Bond film with Moore, after For your eyes only and Octopussy. But I think it's his best interpretation.
Very Bondian in this one. Was way better than in Spy.

[Janus Assassin]

I always had Moonraker as my 3rd favorite Moore film.. followed closely by Golden Gun at #4. They both were one of the first Bobd films I'd seen. AVTAK falls apart for me once it reaches San Francisco.. so its definately my weakest of the 3.

[Trevelyan 006]

The Man With The Golden Gun, hands down. One of Roger's best as far as I'm concerned. Moonraker feels like a four-hour movie and A View To A Kill's only reedeeming qualities are Christopher Walken and Duran Duran's title song.

Edited by Trevelyan 006, 05 August 2012 - 09:35 PM.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Moonraker easily. A very underrated film with Moore as comfortable in the role of 007 in his 4th turn at bat as Connery was in Thunderball. Has the widescreen, epic feel that The Man with the Golden Gun lacks and the faster pace and exotic locations that A View to a Kill lacks.

[Eric Stromberg]

TMWTGG gets slapped around on this site like a cheap hooker, but it's the best of these 3 by far. It really could have been one of the best of the series had the final showdown been written/filmed more tightly. It's shortfall in that aspect is one of the biggest misses in the canon; shame it didn't achieve it's potential.

[zencat]

Moonraker easily. A very underrated film with Moore as comfortable in the role of 007 in his 4th turn at bat as Connery was in Thunderball. Has the widescreen, epic feel that The Man with the Golden Gun lacks and the faster pace and exotic locations that A View to a Kill lacks.

Yep. What PrinceKamalKhan said.

[DaveBond21]

I enjoy all 3.

TMWTGG is actually the darkest out of these 3, and would be a much better movie without Sheriff Pepper.

Moonraker is the most fun and over the top, with great locations

AVTAK is OK, but looks very much like a typical 80s TV movie, which is what the Bond movies mostly set in the US suffer from a bit. Still, it's a good Bond adventure.

_____________________________________________________________________

[JimmyBond]

Out of the three I can say with certainty Golden Gun is my least favorite, but still a pretty good Bond film.

I really couldn't pick a favorite between Moonraker or View though, I love them both, and rewatch them the most (unless I'm doing a Bond marathon, then I watch them anyways).

[00Twelve]

Moonraker easily. A very underrated film with Moore as comfortable in the role of 007 in his 4th turn at bat as Connery was in Thunderball. Has the widescreen, epic feel that The Man with the Golden Gun lacks and the faster pace and exotic locations that A View to a Kill lacks.

Yep. What PrinceKamalKhan said.

What Zen said Khan said.

[Colossus]

Moonraker easily. A very underrated film with Moore as comfortable in the role of 007 in his 4th turn at bat as Connery was in Thunderball. Has the widescreen, epic feel that The Man with the Golden Gun lacks and the faster pace and exotic locations that A View to a Kill lacks.

This is why you are my friend.

[O.H.M.S.S.]

For me, it's The Man with the Golden Gun. In a way, it reminds me of Dr. No albeit not on such a high level. It is a low-key detective story in an exotic atmosphere, with beautiful girls, one of the best villains and in both films the villains have an interesting lair on an island. The interplay between Roger Moore and Christopher Lee is very good and the cinematography is well done. The car stunt must be one of the most impressive I have ever seen. PIty about the silly moments here and there.

Moonraker and A View to a Kill have both a good villain, a great climax and a fantastic music score and I always find it hard to rank them. View does feel rather colourless en the cinematography can deel lifeless at times. I especially loathe the mining scene. While Moonraker, though far-fetched and on a narrative level a complete mess, is well-directed and does have a certain beauty to it such as the evil equivalent of Noah's Ark flyong into space on John Barry's brilliant music piece and with Jean Tournier's cinematography adding an enormous visual splendour.

[S K Y F A L L]

Least favorite = TMWTGG

Most favorite = AVTAK

[seawolfnyy]

rather than rank the movies, why don't we rank the bond girls of these films? because outside of denise richards who is by far the worst (I shiver when I think of Christmas Jones), britt ekland, tanya roberts and lois chiles are not far behind

[freemo]

Interesting that all there were followed by a series shake-up, be it an upscaling (GG to the "blockbuster" THE SPY WHO LOVED ME), course correction (MR to the "down to earth" FOR YOUR EYES ONLY) or refresh (AVTAK to the "dangerous" THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS).

I think I like GOLDEN GUN the best, of maybe I'm just more forgiving of it's flaws that I am of the other two (not that I'm particularly unforgiving of any of them. They're all good entertainment).

[hilly]

I think that all three have flaws, but, for me, TMWTGG is the one that could fixed most easily. Lose Sheriff Pepper, the Karate Kickin' schoolgirls and the slide whistle over the car stunt and you have a great Bond film. Christopher Lee steals the film, ( and his love/hate relationship with Nick Nack is interesting) but Roger looks good, the maguffin of the golden bullet is interesting and the fight sequences, particularly the one in Saida's dressing room, are well done.

Moonraker feels like a fairly blatant attempt to be The Spy Who Loved Me 2. A good example of less is more. A couple of good set pieces, but all the outer space stuff lacks atmosphere ( no pun intended), the whole "Jaws turns good" thing, just makes me cringe and, having achieved a good balance of humour, action and spectacle in the previous film ( not achieved since Goldfinger), the producers (as they did with Thunderball), just go that little bit too far in trying to top it..

A View to a Kill. Roger really should have called it a day after Octopussy. He did great work in the previous 6 films, but there is no escaping the fact that he is nearly 60. The rest of the cast ( bar Patrick Macnee) look young enough to be his children and, whilst no one goes to see a Bond film for gritty realism. credulity is strained to eye-popping levels during the fight sequences. It all feels like a tick-box exercise, with all requesite Bond elements chucked in for the sake of it. Binder's titles are cheap, the locations look, as has been mentioned previously) like a tv movie, and everyone acts as if they have been told that they are in a "BOND FILM" ( Silly accents- hello Fiona Fullerton, lines like "ha ha. You amuse me Mr Bond", girls pouting and carrying guns etc). Having focussed most of my initial criticism on Roger being too old, I would have felt sorry for any incoming Bond actor who was faced with this film as his debut..

For me, however, none of them are as corny and OTT as Die Another Day, or as dull( by Bond standards) as TWINE or QoS..

[SecretAgentFan]

The Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker and A View to a Kill are generally the Roger Bonds which are criticized the most.
Which of the three do you prefer and which one did you like the least?

Since "Moonraker" was my second Bond-watching-experience it will always have a special place in my heart - even if these days I see its flaws.

"A View To A Kill", at the time of its release, was a disappointment for me - I had watched every other Bond film up to that (in the cinema, thankfully, since in those days they had Bond-festivals which showed every film in release order week after week). And although I treasure the viewing experience of AVTAK since it was the last time I went to see a movie with my whole family, at the time I thought that it was time for Bond to restart. These days I have found new respect for AVTAK and even started to love it. Having an older Bond star in it is no problem but one of its chief assets IMO.

"The Man with the Golden Gun" I kind of liked but didn´t really like when I saw it for the first time. But again, with time, it has grown on me considerably. So much in fact that I would put it in my current top ten.

But if you want me to choose between those three (changing anything in them... never!) this would be my top three (of these):

1. "Moonraker"
2. "The Man with the Golden Gun"
3. "A View to a Kill"


And while we´re at it...

My Roger Moore Bond Top Seven:

1. "The Spy Who Loved Me"
2. "Moonraker"
3. "The Man With The Golden Gun"
4. "For Your Eyes Only"
5. "Live And Let Die"
6. "Octopussy"
7. "A View To A Kill"

[Odd Jobbies]

Hilly, great examination of the 3 films.

On the subject of DAD, it is a weird one...

I agree completely that it's far too OTT, but only in it's second half.

Seeing that kite surfing effect in the cinema is my saddest moment in a Bond screening. Add to that the horrendously cheesy slow-mo during the final fight with Graves and yes, it's appalling.

However, i love the first half....

I think Bond's capture in Korea, torture, release and escape from MI6 in Hong Kong has a good balance of reality & fantasy, wit, cynicism and pace, is just gritty enough and is ultimately a pretty thrilling and very novel ride for Bond.

The Cuba sequence is fine and the Clash song London Calling laid over the plain journey back to London is a refreshing subversion of the usual format rules.

The underground meeting with M & Q is where it gets hackneyed and predictable for me, but the virtual reality sequence at MI6 HQ and even the sword fencing dual are great fun.

It's as if whomever was keeping hold of the reins until this point was suddenly absent from here on. Iceland is a fantastic location, forever tainted by the frivolous cartoon action (and cartoon acting) that takes place there.

From here until the final frame of DAD it's very hard to watch without laughing out loud at the stupidity onscreen and finding a little sick in your mouth as a result....

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 08 August 2012 - 10:29 AM.

[elizabeth]

TMWTGG most preferred, AVTAK least.