Present!
Okay, taken for what it is, NSNA isn't that bad-especially considering the nightmare that was the making of process. Poor Kersh barely got the film cobbled together and out into theaters, which is how I honestly think this RB sequel went down as well. The extras on the latest NSNA release go into this and Kersh himself explained how much of a mess it was.
But it is a godawful film for a Bond fan, and really terrible as a movie. It's tired, uninspired, looks like a made for TV film, and the only bright spots are the few fleeting moments of Connery getting to go off script. Great actors portraying the villains who are just wasted. The script was hacked to pieces and put through numerous drafts by different teams of writers and it really shows. The effects are laughable. Kim Basinger is atrocious. You know it's bad when a crammed in ill-fitting Rowan Atkinson actually is interesting.
High points: an older more reflective Connery, an acerbic Q, Bond driving a Bentley, the brief slow piano motif, the game of Domination, the psychotic Largo, Blofeld is revealed to be Max Von Sydow, and the smile Connery seems to have throughout the whole film.
Low points: everything else.
zombie84 said:
It was the best Bond film in the 80s and better than anything that had been done since the mid-70s IMO.
captainsolo raised both eyebrows and said:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Granted they each have their own personalities and faults, but NSNA better than an classic EoN Bond film? Never! I'll admit I still enjoy A View to a Kill primarily because of childhood, but even that is better than this lame duck! And what about the positively smouldering Timothy Dalton in the brilliant The Living Daylights? NSNA is so dull, tepid, and bad that it makes the year's official film Octopussy look like a masterwork in action/adventure film.
And in no way is a lame Connery a match for Roger Moore in his 70's era prime. Safari suit battle!
NSNA is like the prequels in that it was truly one of the most disappointing films of all time. Connery comes back to Bond again for this muck? The film would have been better if it had been rewritten and released as Shrublands: James Bond 007 Masseur.
Cue the awful NSNA title song. I get disgusted with myself every time this comes back on the end credits because I know that I have watched this stupid movie again and lost more time I won't be getting back.
You know, NSNA gets to me so badly that I realized despite all of the criticism Thunderball has gotten over the years, it's a very subliminal movie. There's a lot of depth in there that isn't immediately apparent. And NSNA makes you achingly yearn to be watching Thunderball.
But if you like it, then...you like it. (Shrugs.) But in no way, shape or form is it better than any of the official films from the 80's and prior.
Now back to Robocop 2. ;)