Roger Moore Sucked In "For Your Eyes Only."

[Peyton Westlake]

Bond was campy ever since Goldfinger, all the way to The Living Daylights. But Roger Moore embraced that part of the character the most.

I think Roger Moore was what Adam West was to Batman. Making a iconic symbol very cheesy & doing it very well. Whether it was by design or not, Moore really set Bond back & made it hard to watch Bond & take him seriously as a trained killer.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I liked Roger Moore. Other than Connery, he's the actor I most associate with the character and he's my third favourite in the role behind Connery and Brosnan. The Spy Who Loved Me is in my top three Bond films. There is a very fine line between being cool and being stupid, and Moore had films on both sides of the line, but when it worked the camp really worked. The only films of his I dislike are Moonraker which goes overboard and makes it silly to the point where the villains aren't threatening and the final fight is cartoonish instead of exciting and A View to a Kill where there seems to be a lack of effort and it falls flat aside from Christopher Walken and Patrick Macnee.

If nothing else, Moore carried the franchise through the period in which it was at its most vulnerable after one previously failed attempt to replace Connery. I honestly don't believe that the franchise would have survived if not for Moore and the direction Cubby Broccoli took the franchise in the 70s.

 

[Catman]

Bond was campy ever since Goldfinger, all the way to The Living Daylights.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service wasn't campy and neither was For Your Eyes Only. I also wouldn't call Goldfinger and Thunderball campy. They were very light-hearted but never crossed the line.

 

[Panthro]

On Her Majesty's Secret Service wasn't campy and neither was For Your Eyes Only. I also wouldn't call Goldfinger and Thunderball campy. They were very light-hearted but never crossed the line.

Goldfinger had a more tongue in cheek sense of humor about it, but it wasn't the camp disaster that DAF or Moonraker were (and I would say Moonraker isn't as bad as DAF despite sending Bond into space).

 

[The Joker]

The only really serious Moore Bond movies are The Spy who loved Me and For Your Eyes Only. The rest of them are cheese filled.

Heck Moore's very first scene as Bond is in his house where he tries to hide some dolly bird in his closet while M and Moneypenny inexplicably decide to visit him in the middle of the night. Cheesetastic.

 

[Panthro]

The only really serious Moore Bond movies are The Spy who loved Me and For Your Eyes Only. The rest of them are cheese filled.

Heck Moore's very first scene as Bond is in his house where he tries to hide some dolly bird in his closet while M and Moneypenny inexplicably decide to visit him in the middle of the night. Cheesetastic.

But it was worth it just to see the babe he had hiding in the closet.

 

[The Chairman]

I have a love-hate relationship with Moore's Bond films. When I was young and could not judge a film's qualities objectively, I ate Moore's films up like candies. Big explosions and silly one liners. I was happy.

Nowadays, I think Moore only had three truly good movies in his entire tenure - The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, and Octopussy (my personal favorite of his run.) That being said, only A View to a Kill is truly abysmal (though Walken saves it to some degree). While Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun and Moonraker have dreadful plots, cheesy special effects, horrible acting, stupid action sequences, etc., they're all insanely entertaining. And heck, Moonraker has one of the creepiest scenes in the entire series when Drax sics the guard drogs on Corrinne Dufour.

Also, I have watched both of Dalton's films recently, and the man deserved to go further with his take. Both of his films easily rank in the Top 10 and The Living Daylights may be in the Top 5. I also think License to Kill would've been a great way to permanently end the series in terms of story arc (though Goldeneye is an even better movie).

 

[Kurosawa]

I have a love-hate relationship with Moore's Bond films. When I was young and could not judge a film's qualities objectively, I ate Moore's films up like candies. Big explosions and silly one liners. I was happy.

Nowadays, I think Moore only had three truly good movies in his entire tenure - The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, and Octopussy (my personal favorite of his run.) That being said, only A View to a Kill is truly abysmal (though Walken saves it to some degree). While Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun and Moonraker have dreadful plots, cheesy special effects, horrible acting, stupid action sequences, etc., they're all insanely entertaining. And heck, Moonraker has one of the creepiest scenes in the entire series when Drax sics the guard drogs on Corrinne Dufour.

Also, I have watched both of Dalton's films recently, and the man deserved to go further with his take. Both of his films easily rank in the Top 10 and The Living Daylights may be in the Top 5. I also think License to Kill would've been a great way to permanently end the series in terms of story arc (though Goldeneye is an even better movie).

I pretty much agree with you, although I like TSWLM best of Sir Roger's Bonds. And if you take the horrid J.W. Pepper character out of LALD and it's actually good for what it is. And Solitare is a top 5 Bond girl IMO. The problem with Moore's movies was not really Moore himself. He could do whatever they wanted him to do. He was pretty menacing in some scenes, like when he put a sexist Connery level slap-down on Maud Adams in TMWTGG. They just used him wrong too much of the time.

Dalton's Bond was just pro, badass, and he was smoother and funnier than people give him credit for. "Hope you don't snore, Q!"

 

[The Chairman]

To touch on another point of discussion, I watched Diamonds are Forever last night and it's easily in the Bottom Five and in the running for worst of the series. Horrible plot, some of the most cringe worthy scenes in the whole series (Blofeld in drag? Blofeld doubles? The gorilla woman?), awful villains (Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd), a useless, vapid Bond girl, etc. It's worse than any of Moore's films.

I've also watched both of Dalton's again, and they're both among the very best of the series. The Living Daylights is a taut, tense spy thriller with an intriguing plot and Dalton fits the darker, grittier Bond like a glove. Maryamm D'Abo is the only weak spot.

And License to Kill is simply outstanding.

 

[Ajendo]

The difference between DAF and Moore's movies is, that Connery in DAF was still believable as he's always been but he was entertaining from a different perspective. DAF is essentially an action comedy and Connery and Barry's score is the only things that make the movie tollerable.

As for Moore. He and his Bond movies are what they are and although they may not be of the standard of the early 60s movies, they still did the incredible job of carrying Bond through the 70s, a decade that hasn't been kind to the character and the series. Moore's portrayal was a deliberate departure from Connery's or should I say his portrayal took the batton from Connery's DAF performance and went wild with it. Either way, Moore had a talent and used it the best he could and as a result, aided in the continued success and continuation of the series so for that I'm still greatful for.

 

[Kurosawa]

To touch on another point of discussion, I watched Diamonds are Forever last night and it's easily in the Bottom Five and in the running for worst of the series. Horrible plot, some of the most cringe worthy scenes in the whole series (Blofeld in drag? Blofeld doubles? The gorilla woman?), awful villains (Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd), a useless, vapid Bond girl, etc. It's worse than any of Moore's films.

I've also watched both of Dalton's again, and they're both among the very best of the series. The Living Daylights is a taut, tense spy thriller with an intriguing plot and Dalton fits the darker, grittier Bond like a glove. Maryamm D'Abo is the only weak spot.

And License to Kill is simply outstanding.

DAF is especially bad because it came after the incredible OHMSS. The only decent scene in it is the fight in the elevator IMO.

The difference between DAF and Moore's movies is, that Connery in DAF was still believable as he's always been but he was entertaining from a different perspective. DAF is essentially an action comedy and Connery and Barry's score is the only things that make the movie tollerable.

As for Moore. He and his Bond movies are what they are and although they may not be of the standard of the early 60s movies, they still did the incredible job of carrying Bond through the 70s, a decade that hasn't been kind to the character and the series. Moore's portrayal was a deliberate departure from Connery's or should I say his portrayal took the batton from Connery's DAF performance and went wild with it. Either way, Moore had a talent and used it the best he could and as a result, aided in the continued success and continuation of the series so for that I'm still greatful for.

I thought Connery was pretty silly in DAF, but really it's just the whole movie is f'n stupid. And yea, it started the whole silly Bond thing that Moore continued. It's the first Moore Bond even without Moore in it.

 

[JAK®]

On Her Majesty's Secret Service wasn't campy and neither was For Your Eyes Only. I also wouldn't call Goldfinger and Thunderball campy. They were very light-hearted but never crossed the line.

Yeah I'm talking in very broad strokes here. But OHMSS had a lot of Moore-esque camp in it, particularly the whole part where he was in disguise.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

To touch on another point of discussion, I watched Diamonds are Forever last night and it's easily in the Bottom Five and in the running for worst of the series. Horrible plot, some of the most cringe worthy scenes in the whole series (Blofeld in drag? Blofeld doubles? The gorilla woman?), awful villains (Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd), a useless, vapid Bond girl, etc. It's worse than any of Moore's films.

I've also watched both of Dalton's again, and they're both among the very best of the series. The Living Daylights is a taut, tense spy thriller with an intriguing plot and Dalton fits the darker, grittier Bond like a glove. Maryamm D'Abo is the only weak spot.

And License to Kill is simply outstanding.

License to Kill is one of my top 5 Bond films

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

The only really serious Moore Bond movies are The Spy who loved Me and For Your Eyes Only. The rest of them are cheese filled.

Heck Moore's very first scene as Bond is in his house where he tries to hide some dolly bird in his closet while M and Moneypenny inexplicably decide to visit him in the middle of the night. Cheesetastic.

To touch on another point of discussion, I watched Diamonds are Forever last night and it's easily in the Bottom Five and in the running for worst of the series. Horrible plot, some of the most cringe worthy scenes in the whole series (Blofeld in drag? Blofeld doubles? The gorilla woman?), awful villains (Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd), a useless, vapid Bond girl, etc. It's worse than any of Moore's films.

I've also watched both of Dalton's again, and they're both among the very best of the series. The Living Daylights is a taut, tense spy thriller with an intriguing plot and Dalton fits the darker, grittier Bond like a glove. Maryamm D'Abo is the only weak spot.

And License to Kill is simply outstanding.

It is . I rewatched it on DVD a few nights ago and it made me wonder "Why the hell don't anyone bring up Dalton's films when talking about the best James Bond films?" Its always either Connery films, Goldeneye (because the Brosnan films sucked), and recently Casino Royale.

Dalton got screwed over, but not by a studio or director, but by the fans. He was ahead of his time, sadly. I'm glad he's being appreciated now.

DAF is especially bad because it came after the incredible OHMSS. The only decent scene in it is the fight in the elevator IMO.



I thought Connery was pretty silly in DAF, but really it's just the whole movie is f'n stupid. And yea, it started the whole silly Bond thing that Moore continued. It's the first Moore Bond even without Moore in it.

I really hated DAF, and I feel the Connery hates it too. I don't think he cared for Bond films at that point.

 

[ChickenScratch]

Dalton was always my favorite. He came across as the only one of the bunch who read the books and played him as written. He's not glib, he doeskin joke, he rarely flirts. He's serious, harsh, brutal, detached but still fascinating.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

I always felt movie Bond and Novel Bond were different. I never minded the flirting and the joking as long as it doesn't get to Roger Moore like levels. I felt Brosnan and Connery handed that aspect perfectly.

 

[Catman]

Goldfinger had a more tongue in cheek sense of humor about it

Goldfinger had amazing undertones, so it's easier to take it seriously even though the plot is something out of a Saturday morning cartoon.

He was pretty menacing in some scenes, like when he put a sexist Connery level slap-down on Maud Adams in TMWTGG. They just used him wrong too much of the time.

Roger Moore actually hated doing that stuff which is why they rarely had him do it. He even complained that the movies got too violent towards the end like in A View to Kill when Chris Walken starts shooting all his employees and laughing like a maniac. Moore always saw Bond as family entertainment.

The difference between DAF and Moore's movies is, that Connery in DAF was still believable as he's always been but he was entertaining from a different perspective. DAF is essentially an action comedy and Connery and Barry's score is the only things that make the movie tollerable.

Connery was hilarious in DAF. That's why I can't hate that movie. It makes you realize how horrible Moore is - he can't even outdo Connery as the funny Bond.

Dalton was always my favorite. He came across as the only one of the bunch who read the books and played him as written.

You do realize that Ian Fleming was alive during Connery's first two films and played the role as written. All Connery did was add some charm to the role.

He's not glib, he doeskin joke, he rarely flirts. He's serious, harsh, brutal, detached but still fascinating.

Let's not exaggerate. Bond wasn't ulta serious in the books. He made jokes, especially around friends like Felix and he definitely flirted.

I always felt movie Bond and Novel Bond were different.

Depends on the book. Some books are exactly like the movies. Take Live and Let Die for example. The novel is as over-the-top as your typical Bond movie. There's a villain with a disfigurement who instead of getting a gun and shooting Bond decides to set an elaborate trap. Towards the end, Bond gets chased underwater by sharks and barracudas. It's a ridiculous book, really. And let's not get started on Goldfinger. Bond turns the lesbian ***** Galore into a straight woman. The Bond novels are male fantasy whether the hardcore fans want to accept it or not.

 

[ChickenScratch]

I do realize that Fleming was alive when Connery played the role. And no, he didn't play it as written. Her's more humorous and affable around Felix because that's his bud, he's not that person outwardly normally.

LALD the book and movie are not alike. Unless you consider removing Bond following the money trail from Casino Royal, removing the major incident with Felix, changing much of the setting from Jamaica to some random island, changing the ending being exactly the same.

 

[Catman]

LALD the book and movie are not alike.

That's not what I said. I said LALD, the book, was no different than your typical Bond movie. You keep complaining that films are too silly and yet here we have Bond chased by sharks and barracudas and a villain who sets up elaborate traps instead of just getting a gun and shooting the guy.

 

[Kurosawa]

Goldfinger had amazing undertones, so it's easier to take it seriously even though the plot is something out of a Saturday morning cartoon.



Roger Moore actually hated doing that stuff which is why they rarely had him do it. He even complained that the movies got too violent towards the end like in A View to Kill when Chris Walken starts shooting all his employees and laughing like a maniac. Moore always saw Bond as family entertainment.

He still did it well, however. He always turned in a professional performance. That's what is both good and bad about his Bond.

 

[ChickenScratch]

That's not what I said. I said LALD, the book, was no different than your typical Bond movie. You keep complaining that films are too silly and yet here we have Bond chased by sharks and barracudas and a villain who sets up elaborate traps instead of just getting a gun and shooting the guy.

Why do you seem angry that I prefers the books?

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Dalton was always my favorite. He came across as the only one of the bunch who read the books and played him as written. He's not glib, he doeskin joke, he rarely flirts. He's serious, harsh, brutal, detached but still fascinating.

He's not my favourite, but I will admit that his Bond is the only one I could see working as an actual spy. Even Dalton had his share of silly moments though, such as riding down a mountain in a cello case or popping a wheelie with a big rig.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

Dalton was always my favorite. He came across as the only one of the bunch who read the books and played him as written. He's not glib, he doeskin joke, he rarely flirts. He's serious, harsh, brutal, detached but still fascinating.

Just makes you wish That the last few Moore films or 1st few Brosnan films were done by Dalton

 

[Hellion]

I have a love-hate relationship with Moore's Bond films. When I was young and could not judge a film's qualities objectively, I ate Moore's films up like candies. Big explosions and silly one liners. I was happy.

Nowadays, I think Moore only had three truly good movies in his entire tenure - The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, and Octopussy (my personal favorite of his run.) That being said, only A View to a Kill is truly abysmal (though Walken saves it to some degree). While Live and Let Die, The Man With the Golden Gun and Moonraker have dreadful plots, cheesy special effects, horrible acting, stupid action sequences, etc., they're all insanely entertaining. And heck, Moonraker has one of the creepiest scenes in the entire series when Drax sics the guard drogs on Corrinne Dufour.

Also, I have watched both of Dalton's films recently, and the man deserved to go further with his take. Both of his films easily rank in the Top 10 and The Living Daylights may be in the Top 5. I also think License to Kill would've been a great way to permanently end the series in terms of story arc (though Goldeneye is an even better movie).

Finally, another Octopussy fan! Most people consider it 1 of Moore's worst Bond films. It's my personal favorite, too.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Just makes you wish That the last few Moore films or 1st few Brosnan films were done by Dalton

He's not my favourite, but I will admit that his Bond is the only one I could see working as an actual spy. Even Dalton had his share of silly moments though, such as riding down a mountain in a cello case or popping a wheelie with a big rig.

Agreed. I really think the bad Moore films would be less bad or less campy looking with Dalton. Dalton just comes off as less of a joke than Moore.