A View To A Kill - referred to as AVTAK from now on to avoid repetitive strain injury, is a bizarre Bond film to watch. Not necessarily because of Roger's age, as some Moore dissenters will continue to bemoan; (Moore looks in better shape at 58 than a younger Connery did in Never Say Never), but because AVTAK doesn't really 'feel' like a Bond movie.
The reasons for this are manifold. Firstly, the locations are sadly lacking... I'm sure Paris and San Francisco are wonderful places, but unfortunately remain ubiquitous and uninspiring locations for film-making, presenting little opportunity for innovative, original or aesthetically pleasing capers and stunts (with the single exception of the Eiffel Tower leap). Hence we have 2 rather pedestrian car chases and a scene with a burning building... wow. Where the film makers try to inject original elements; (eg a car chase in a fire-engine) the obvious restrictions of filming in such environments severely limit the opportunity for more exaggerated, exciting stunts.
Where the film makers do have opportunities to inject more adrenalin inducing capers, they miss their chance... For example:
1) The Paris car chase could have been far more elaborate and could have easily continued on the river Seine. 2) Another potential car Chase is lost When Pola Ivanova attempts to seduce Bond for information. 3) A fight early in the film is totally lacklustre thanks to Bond's companion being the geriatric Patrick Macnee, and takes place in a very small and not overly convincing packing room. 4) Another fight which takes place in Stacey Sutton's house is again totally devoid of thrills, partially because the setting is devoid of anything to destroy and because a load of heavies simply 'run away' from Bond who is armed with a rock salt loaded shotgun ... (presumably Bond misplaced his Walther PPK whilst cooking quiche the previous evening). All in all, the film is full of missed opportunities and overall lacks the 'ball's and excitement one comes to expect from the franchise. The film isn't 'bad' by any means, it has a more down to earth approach, Christopher Walken's Zorin is about as good a Bond Villain as you could get, even Grace Jones polishes up well as a charismatic side-kick and the story is OK. Whatever you think of Roger Moore's tenure as 007, you can't deny that he at least brought fun to the role. Disappointlingly, AVTAK lacks the colour and vibrancy of Moore's previous outings and is a disappointing swan song to his 12 year reign.
The reasons for this are manifold. Firstly, the locations are sadly lacking... I'm sure Paris and San Francisco are wonderful places, but unfortunately remain ubiquitous and uninspiring locations for film-making, presenting little opportunity for innovative, original or aesthetically pleasing capers and stunts (with the single exception of the Eiffel Tower leap). Hence we have 2 rather pedestrian car chases and a scene with a burning building... wow. Where the film makers try to inject original elements; (eg a car chase in a fire-engine) the obvious restrictions of filming in such environments severely limit the opportunity for more exaggerated, exciting stunts.
Where the film makers do have opportunities to inject more adrenalin inducing capers, they miss their chance... For example:
1) The Paris car chase could have been far more elaborate and could have easily continued on the river Seine. 2) Another potential car Chase is lost When Pola Ivanova attempts to seduce Bond for information. 3) A fight early in the film is totally lacklustre thanks to Bond's companion being the geriatric Patrick Macnee, and takes place in a very small and not overly convincing packing room. 4) Another fight which takes place in Stacey Sutton's house is again totally devoid of thrills, partially because the setting is devoid of anything to destroy and because a load of heavies simply 'run away' from Bond who is armed with a rock salt loaded shotgun ... (presumably Bond misplaced his Walther PPK whilst cooking quiche the previous evening). All in all, the film is full of missed opportunities and overall lacks the 'ball's and excitement one comes to expect from the franchise. The film isn't 'bad' by any means, it has a more down to earth approach, Christopher Walken's Zorin is about as good a Bond Villain as you could get, even Grace Jones polishes up well as a charismatic side-kick and the story is OK. Whatever you think of Roger Moore's tenure as 007, you can't deny that he at least brought fun to the role. Disappointlingly, AVTAK lacks the colour and vibrancy of Moore's previous outings and is a disappointing swan song to his 12 year reign.