Viewed in
2010
Formats
HD TV
Premise
Roger Moore stars as James Bond, who teams up with a beautiful Russian spy to stop a madman stealing submarines.
Loved
The chemistry between Moore and Barbara Bach.
Liked
Jaws.
Disliked
The slow parts.
Thoughts
A very fun and funny Bond flick, thanks to a great sidekick premise.
As expected, it had Moore delivering cheesy lines, lovely ladies, some cool stunts, Q gadgets and gags, exotic locations, and lavish lairs. The Jaws character was bizarre and memorable.
What made this film stand out was the back-and-forth sexual tension between the two rival superspies. Barbara Bach was sexy and very likable as Agent XXX. The film makers used this premise to create some hilarious twists to the formula. Instead of getting the last word, Bond constantly was upstaged by her. Instead of large quantity of women, it was very high quality of Bach, with her numerous scantly-clad outfits and sexual presence. Instead of Bond showing off the latest gadgets, XXX would beat him to the punch on using them. I never thought Bond should ever have a sidekick, but a smart, sexy female spy is now the exception to the rule.
Even though it was clearly an expensive movie, with submarine-swallowing tankers and half of the film taking place above and below the ocean, it was obvious at times that special effects were not up to date. It was amusing to see the unpolished blue screen, editing continuity, and models to accomplish the special effects. Another outdated aspect was the full-out 1970's disco-influenced score.
The biggest flaw was it was slow at times. It took a while at the beginning to get the ball rolling on the mystery and the two spies together. Also, during a crucial fight scene, the film makers foolishly separated the Bond and XXX, killing the sexual/comedy momentum of the film temporarily.
This was definitely one of my favorite Bond flicks, thanks to the unique pairing of Bond with his female equal. The chemistry was unforgettable that it made the slow parts forgivable.
What I would change
Trimmed the beginning, and found a way to keep the two characters two for as long as possible.
