zombie84 said:
I have feeling I am maybe just an Irvin Kershner fanboy, but I feel like this is one of the better Bond films ever made. Yeah. I'm not a huge Bond fan, so take that as you will. But this film is, in my opinion, every bit as clever and witty as the Connery classics, except it has the better taste to not take itself too seriously and have fun with the idea of an older Bond. Sean Connery looks like he is enjoying himself, at least. Not the best film ever made or anything, but when I watch this film I feel like the people making it were having fun. It has a bad rep with some people, but compared to shit like Moonraker this looks like genius. It has a certain silliness that reminds me of some of the better Roger Moore entries.
Oh yeah! I can't believe I forgot to mention that, it was one of the things on my list, even!
I had seen the film a few times before, but never once did I realize who had directed it until I watched it this time. I paid more attention this time, and the directing really is superb, and there does seem to be a lot of fun going on; it feels very loose and easygoing as a film. I totally agree with all of that, and it's really nice to see Connery apparently enjoying himself again, and certainly not as "tired" as he seemed in Diamonds Are Forever, so it was certainly a better final Bond for him, leaving the franchise more on the right foot. It really seems like an early Connery Bond than anything, and would fit in better with FRWL and Goldfinger than YOLT or DAF did.
I just didn't like the modernization of the Thunderball story is all, or the reimagining of the characters; but I've read Thunderball almost annually since I bought the book (which the original Thunderball is more true to), and I've seen Thunderball more times than Never Say Never Again, so, as neat and fun and easygoing as NSNA is, it just leaves a weird taste in my mouth because of the differences.
SilverWook said:
I would think they would be almost a year apart production wise, and Indy's mine set was at Elstree?
It's entirely possible they had similar crews building the sets. Some set crew transitioned from The Empire Strikes Back to Flash Gordon, and the Arboria swamp looks a bit like Dagobah.
Yeah, they were filmed ages apart and at different places, but it was just one of those childhood associations that stick in your head.
A good point about the similar crews, though. Be interesting to see a list of the workers!