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Never Say Never Again |
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Price (US): $7.99 |
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Director:
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| Rating: |
3.0 / 5 |
| Released: |
Tuesday, October 17, 2000 |
| Rated: |
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Sean Connery is back for his final performance as superagent James Bond in this high-velocity action thriller from the director of The Empire Strikes Back. When two atomic warheads are hijacked by the evil SPECTRE organization, Agent 007 is hurled into an explosive, pulse-pounding race to save the world from nuclear terrorists!
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Format
Anamorphic,
Closed-captioned,
Color,
DVD-Video,
Widescreen,
NTSC
Number of Discs: 1
Running Time: 133 minutes
Languages
English (Original Language)
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The Good, The Bad, and the Bond
»
I wouldn't go out of my way for this if I wasn't a Bond completist, but NSNA seems to me to be a fair-to-middling Bond outing that compares favorably to its contemporary (1983) 'official' competition, OCTOPUSSY. Despite a low budget the film doesn't feel cheap, the recycled plot is one of the better ones, and Connery, although hamming it up a bit as a middle-aged superspy, is still everybody's favorite Bond.
If you're comparing this to the early Connery, or even the Pierce Brosnan period, forget it - done at the height (depth?) of the Roger Moore period, NSNA is full of tongue-in-cheek, but handled better, IMHO, than the corny Moore scripts. Q-Algy was less overdone than John Cleese, though James Fox's "M" dialogue was sometimes a bit too over-the-top, Barbara Carrera had to make do with a part that was all ham, and Rowan Atkinson - well, was Rowan Atkinson, which should tell you all you need to know about THAT! On the other hand Klaus Maria Brandauer was a SUPERB villain; Max Von Sydow was kind of wasted in the Blofeld role, but I prefer him to Telly Savalas!?! Kim Basinger was decent eye-candy; the rest of the roles were adequately handled.
There are some distinct weaknesses in NSNA, particularly the flat and somewhat absurd climax (why would Domino have been there at all?!?) but the fight scenes were generally good, and Brandauer rises above the material to be, IMHO, the best villain since GOLDFINGER (at least until DIE ANOTHER DAY.)
MY DVD *I* have HAS the full scene of Bond approaching Domino in the casino and offering her an apology and a drink. According to some there are bad disks out there, so beware!
.:. Rating:
3
/ 5
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sadly...."Stirred not shaken"
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By no means a great bond movie....but not a complete flop either, I had to have it for the series (sigh!)...but will I watch it again...probably not. An adequate digital transfer, okay sound....but not a scratch on the real Bond franchise
.:. Rating:
2
/ 5
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Connery's swan song
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The result of Kevin McClory's lawsuit against Ian Fleming (and much later Cubby Broccoli) over THUNDERBALL, it has Sean Connery returning to harness as Commander James Bond 12 years after departing the series. A film that had a torturous history. Originally announced in 1976 as JAMES BOND OF THE SECRET SERVICE (McClory's agreement with Cubby Broccoli & Harry Saltzman called for him to be able to remake the story 10 years after THUNDERBALL's release -- some have speculated that the two Bond producers didn't believe the character would survive that long), he was promptly sued by Broccoli & company. Later Sean Connery would come on board with British Spy novelist Len Deighton (THE IPCRESS FILE, FUNERAL IN BERLIN, et al) to write a new screen treatment now called WARHEAD. Connery even went on a scouting trip to NYC to check out locations (including the Statue of Liberty). As legal entanglements dragged on, McClory eventually sold the rights to Hollywood lawyer (and Talia Shire's husband) Jack Schwartzman. The film managed to lure Connery back for a reported $3 or $4 million. Basically using the THUNDERBALL scenario (legally, it couldn't stray too far from the original story) NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN is a curious film. While it works when Connery is on screen (and he is alot), somehow it isn't totally satisfying. It lacks the sense of urgency and worldwide menace that the original had. The Legrand score stinks (the fault of Sean Connery who insisted on him), the finale lacks the drama epic scope of the original underwater battle, Kim Bassinger is lovely but lack Claudine Auger's charm; Klaus Maria Brandeur -- a fine actor -- is interesting as Largo but everything seems less than the original. Of standout mention: Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush -- sexy and murderously deranged. However her character departs half-way through the film. Edward Fox as M doesn't make it and Pamela Salem is a weak Moneypenny. Some nice touches: Aftering water sking into Bond's arms at a Bahaman bar...
Fatima Blush: I've made you wet!
Bond: Yes, but my martini is still dry.
Released the same year as the Eon series 13th outing, OCTOPUSSY, the Moore film made more money. Also of note, the same year George Lazenby played a character only referred to as "JB" in THE RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. So all three of the guys who had -- up to that point played 007 -- were all doing so again somewhere in the world!
.:. Rating:
3
/ 5
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