A View to a Kill

Review #73
Eon Productions, 1985
Mov No. 27721
Genre: Action
Directed by: John Glen
Staring: Roger Moore, Christopher Walken, Grace Jones, Tanya Roberts
Oscars: 0 (One Golden Globe Nomination: Best Original Song - John Barry, Duran Duran, "A View to a Kill")
AFI 100 years, 100 _____ tributes: Heros & Villains (#3, Hero James Bond); Quotes (#22); Quotes (#90; "A Martini. Shaken, not stirred.")
Runtime: 2h 11min
AFI Quote #22: "Bond. James Bond." - James Bond

James Bond (Roger Moore) is up against a real villian this time. He must stop a mad man, Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) who is out to controll the world's supply of microchips by destroying the San Adreas Fault thereby flooding Silicon Valley.

Zorin, with his sidekick May-Day (Grace Jones), hide out in his base of operations, a blimp hovering over San Fransisco. From here, Zorin can view every inch of the very land he plans to flood... From a view, to a kill... that is, unless 007 can find a way to sabatoge those plans...

Personal Comments

A View To a Kill was Roger Moore's last time playing James Bond, and he did a decent job. No, it is not the best Bond flick, but it is pretty good.

What I like most about A View To a Kill is the song at the begining, A View To a Kill, by Duran Duran. It's a great song that should have been nominated for the Oscar, but alas, it wasn't. It is a powerful, fast-paced song that energizes the whole movie right from the start.

The energy fizzles quickly, though; there is less action in this Bond adventure, but there is more "politics," if you will. More people talking, meeting, etc. The movie is still very thrilling, however, and good choice if you are going to pick a Bond to watch.

Plot:
This is not the most action packed James Bond, but it does have it's moments. And, of course, it's theme song.

Visual Effects:
The cinematography is comparable to other Bond films (nice touches on the San Francisco skyline), which as we all know is excellent. The stunts and action scenes are top notch.

Sound:
The score works will combined with the James Bond theme, and Duran Duran's opening song A View To a Kill makes the movie.

Character Development:
While bond stays the same, film after film, some of the other characters change... albeit very little.

Atmosphere:
The opening "teaser" will grab anyone into any bond film, and this is no exception; the title song really energizes the film but it quickl;y fizzles.

Realism:
Being made by the British (mostly), Bond is hardly "Hollywoodized" (untill Tomorrow Never Dies, at least). The stunts look real and belivable. However, this would not be the case in later bond films.

Warren’s Rating:

FINAL RATING

Is the movie worth your time to watch?

07-04-04