A View to a Kill (1985)

Underrated

Roger Moore's last Bond film, "A View to a Kill", is considered by many to be one of the worst films in the series. In my opinion it's underrated. Yes, Roger Moore was getting a bit too old for the part but he still does a good job. My main complaint is Tanya Roberts's character, Stacey Sutton. She's not a very good Bond girl, but it is somewhat redeemed by Grace Jones's May Day character, one of the more colorful (no pun intended) Bond girls. Christopher Walken is a good villain and Bond gets help from Patrick Macnee who also does a good job.

The story is something of a rework of "Goldfinger", but it' still fun and has added some nice twists and been updated to fit the 1980s. The movie offers lots of fun action and in my opinon delivers what I expect from a Bond movie. February 25, 2008

AVTAK needs to be re-evaluated

Recently I upgraded from VHS to these new 2-Disc ultimate edition DVDs and i couldn't be more pleased. The films look and sound great, and the special features are intriguing.



I've always considered A View to a Kill as one of the worst, alongside The Man With the Golden Gun and Diamonds Are Forever.


Upon re-watching AVTAK i was amazed to discover that i really, REALLY liked it.


Here are some of the reasons why:


1. Great pre-title sequence with Bond in Iceland. First ever use of a snowboard in the movies! However, I still think using "California Girls" is inappropriate, but thats only a minor quibble. The chase ends in classic Bond fashion with an Iceberg Submarine waving the Union Jack flag.

2. Great theme song by Duran Duran.

3. Roger Moore looks old, but not unbelievable in the role. His age is a testament to his popularity as 007. I'm glad he came back for one more after Octopussy.

4. Christopher Walken and Grace Jones and some of the best villians EVER!

5. Amazing scene where Mayday basejumps from the Eiffel Tower, which is followed by one of my favorite car chases ever. Bond keeps driving despite his vehicle taking heavy amounts of damage.

6. Badguys getting back up after Bond used a shotgun loaded with rock
salt.

7. Bond using the air from car tires to avoid drowning.

8. Exciting climax on the Golden Gate Bridge


I could go on and on....basically this 007 film is a great adventure from start to finish.

Roger Moore had a string of highbudget, high entertainment films starting with the Spy Who Loved me and ending with A View to a Kill.


Give this one another chance...this is classic 007. January 23, 2008

The best film since Spy who loved me

I think some of the reviewrs were to hard on this film. This 1985 adventued thrilling marked the end of Roger More's career as james Bond. The next two films Here Majesry Secret serive and License to Kill would star Dlayton he would eventually be replace by Piere Broson in 1995 production of Golden eye Pierce Bronsonm who would be bond for the next four films until the release of Casino royal in mid 2005. In aview to A kill More Returns for his last oting. This time against the vile and wealth Max Zorin and his super strong african companion May Day. When Zorin played by Christopher Walker makes a dibolical plain to cause a douyble earth quake that will destroy Silcon valley force the world to hand over its remaining computer fincial power to Zorin. Zorin is diabolical a really back stabb son of a gun. Has James Bond finally meet his match or can he with the aid of his newest female partner stop Zorin before million of innocent people are slaugter and drown in a massive earthquake and flood. Or is the world doomed to destruction. Find out in the thrilling action packed conclusion. If you like this I also recommend the other Roger More Bond movies such as Moonraker and Live a Let Die or the four pierce brosn Movies, Tommorow Never Dies, Golden Eye, The World is not Enough, and die Another Day. January 7, 2008

A below average entry in the series despite the occasional entertaining scene

A View To A Kill is directed by John Glen. The film stars Roger Moore and co-stars Christopher Walken, Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones, Robert Brown, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, Geoffrey Keen, Walter Gotell, Patrick Macnee, Patrick Bachau, David Yip, Fiona Fullerton, Willoughby Gray, Alison Doody, and Jenny Flex. John Barry performs the musical score, and Duran Duran performs the title song.

Following a mission to Siberia to recover a microchip in the custody of a deceased double-O agent, Bond returns to British Intelligence - only to discover that the chip is an exact match of one created by one of the world's leading microchip manufacturers. Bond is sent to investigate these findings, and upon doing his research, discovers a sinister plot - one that involves flooding Silicon Valley.

Another weak Bond film - the highlights of John Glen's era with Bond were few and far between, and this certainly wasn't one. It's more-or-less a rip-off of Goldfinger. Once again the characters are hardly memorable and the overall feel of the film is campy. There are a few great scenes, but nothing that saves this from being a below average Bond film. It's slightly better than Octopussy, but then again, what isn't?

Roger Moore made his last appearance as James Bond in this film, and rightfully so. By this point he was really beginning to show his age, even moreso than in his last few Bond outings. I have no issues with his acting, but he, seriously should have passed the torch after For Your Eyes Only.

The supporting cast is a hit-and-miss one. If there's one truly great thing about this otherwise-dismal film, it's Christopher Walken. Even though his character, Max Zorin, is essentially an update of Goldfinger, ripping him off in oh-so-many ways, Walken makes for a terrific Bond villain. Sadistic and coldhearted, he's one of the more effective Bond villains of the eighties. The usually-entertaining Grace Jones is a waste of a character here as May Day - It's never made clear exactly what her relationship to Zorin is supposed to be. The Bond girl here is largely forgettable, seeming to have more interest in legal battles with Zorin than with Bond. Certainly not the best group of actors and characters ever assembled for a Bond film.

The plot in this film is flawed severely, and I don't just mean the whole "It's a Goldfinger rip-off" stuff. The Bond girl this time around pretty much derails the entire film, with the whole subplot of legal battles with Zorin. The whole "city hall is burning" scene didn't even feel like it belonged in a Bond film.

Pacing is another issue. This film suffers from what is arguably the worst pacing ever featured in a James Bond film. Far too much time is wasted with Bond at Zorin's estate. The film runs just over two hours, which is pretty typical for a Bond film, but here, due to the dragged-out length and the sluggish pacing in all the Zorin estate scenes, those two hours plus feel like an eternity. Even great scenes like the classic "May Day's skydive off the Eiffel Tower" can't save this movie from its sluggish nature.

The score is, yet again, composed by Bond regular John Barry. As with most Bond films, even the less-than-average ones, Barry's score here is another excellent one. It suits every scene of the film nicely, boring or exciting as the scene may be. Despite this being one of the weaker films in the series, the title song is actually one of the best in the series. The legendary Duran Duran performs this film's theme, and it's one of the most catchy and memorable Bond songs ever recorded. Hell, it's the only Bond theme to ever hit number one on the charts!

There is no denying it - despite an amazing scene here and there, A View To A Kill is a below average entry in the Bond catalogue. It's movies like this that make you wonder why Roger Moore didn't pass the torch earlier. The seventies and eighties were Bond's biggest hit-and-miss period, and this just happened to be one of the many misses.

Thumbs down

As always, if you must watch the film, get the 2006 DVD remaster. With the frame-by-frame restoration treatment, the film looks better than ever. December 5, 2007

A gem from the 80`s

This is by far my favorite Bond movie. A great reminder of the `outrageous 80`s` as someone said before. The soundtrack is perfect, Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are just amazing. Tanya Roberts and Roger Moore are great too. I`ve watched this in movie theaters countless times, I got it on VHS, Laserdisc and now finally on DVD. I just love the 80`s and this one is definitely a keeper. Sure, there are flaws, but it is simply deliciously entertaining. To me it is one of those rare films that you can watch over and over again with great pleasure. The locations are great too, from Paris to London to beautiful San Francisco, it`s all there. Boy, do I miss the 80`s! December 4, 2007

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