007: Sólo para tus ojos

The Bond series was moving into the wrong direction in 1979 with Moonraker, John Glen takes over the directing for the next 5 adventures, beginning with 'For Your Eyes Only'.

Bond is back down to Earth with a bang, a very satisfying entry in the Bond series. The film is much more Fleming-like, that is until Dalton comes in.

The story is very interesting because it's more of a spy movie, Moore has some work to do here!!! There's no reliance on the gadgets. The Bond girl played by Carole Bouquet is very good, not just a pretty girl!

The acting is much better than Moonraker, John Glen eases into the directing quite comfortably.

The photography is wonderful, very realistic colour use.

There are some fun stunt sequences, the ski chase is fantastic.

The film score is fun, but a product of its time, unlike Barry, the music doesn't transcend the generations!

Overall, 'For Your Eyes Only' is a satisfying Bond picture. Obviously you'll be viewing it in wide-screen!!! James Bond returns in Octopussy!

Roger Moore returns as Bond and takes down Blofeld once again in the first 10 minutes after visiting his late wife's grave. It's a good start, but it doesn't get any better after that.

A British spy ship is accidentally sunk by a mine. Its valuable communication equipment is a top prize for the Soviets. Meanwhile, a Greek tycoon is killed for unknown reasons, and Bond is assigned to investigate. He tracks down the assassin, but is killed in revenge by the tycoon's daughter Melina (Carole Bouquet).

Bond goes to Cortina in the Italian Alpes. And that's where he battles the bad guys in a Bond Olympics. He skis, he ski jumps, he skis on the bobsled track, and to top it off, he fights a hockey team. It's a bit of fun action. But it makes the mistake of dropping Carole Bouquet for much of the middle. I rather have a pretty face get in on the action. And Greek hilltop villain hideout just doesn't have the explosive action needed for the climax. All in all, it's an acceptable Bond escapist adventure.

For Your Eyes Only is the best Bond film with Roger Moore as agent 007. It had the best story of all the Moore Bond's, as well as the best action sequences. These sequences include a thrilling ski chase, as well as an edge of your seat mountain climb.

Carole Bouquet portrays one of the most serious minded Bond girls in the serious. We also have the late Cassandra Harris as a Bond girl who at the time was married to future Bond Pierce Brosnan.

Even for everyone who didn't like Moore's portrayal of Bond, you still gotta claim this one as his best even though he was in his mid 50's. Sheena Easton sang probably the best theme song of all the Bond films.

After 1979's sci-fi cartoon called Moonraker, Albert Broccoli and the rest of the James Bond producers decided to change the pace for Roger Moore's fifth adventure. This included firing incumbent director Lewis Gilbert and writing a more believable plot, to begin with. The second item on the agenda was to write a script which curbed Roger Moore's obsessive tendencies to pile on the jokes. Add a few good villains and allies, and voila! a classic James Bond adventure there is. All right, maybe it was not that simple.

This time around, Bond is sent to investigate the murder of one Timothy Havelock, who was working to salvage the wreckage of a spy boat carrying a vital command system called A.T.A.C. Bond's investigation leads him to believe that the Russians are also trying to recover the system, and may be using one Aris Kristatos (Julian Glover) to carry out their dirty work. Aiding Bond is the beautiful sharpshooter Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) and an old acquaintance of Kristatos's named Milos Columbo (Topol).

As good as it is, 'For Your Eyes Only' starts out terribly. The pre-title sequence involves an attempt on James Bond's life by a bald guy in a wheelchair with a white cat (I wonder who that could be?). The scene is campy and don't get me started on the remark about the delicatessen in stainless steel (obviously put in there at the request of some actor). I understand why the sequence was filmed, but that does not make it good. Thankfully it would not be a barometer on the rest of the movie!

It may not be among the very best in the series, but believe me when I say that the difference in tone between this and the goofy 'Moonraker' is like day compared to night. It is easily the preeminent Roger Moore Bond film, and is well worth watching in every area. The villain is not trying to kill a majority of the human race for some outlandish purpose. There are no extravagant weapons or billionaire lunatics, no silly motives or doomsday schemes. Instead, we have a lean adventure that a Bond fan can actually enjoy. There are many outstanding qualities about this film, mixed in with a few notable negatives.

Any list of what went right with this film has to begin with Roger Moore. After two mediocre performances, he really nails down the part here. He is courageous, commanding, tough, and, most importantly, serious, thanks to new director John Glen (who apparently had to do some prying to slow down Moore's humor blitz).

Another BIG breath of fresh air is provided by the villains and allies, who are also treated seriously and given unusual depth of character. Julian Glover is exceptional as the ruthless and deceptive Kristatos. It is villains like this that help make the Bond series so great, and Glover is excellent indeed. No wonder Steven Spielberg cast him for Indiana Jones! In Topol, most famous for his work in 'Fiddler on the Roof', we get a terrific ally who has a great chemistry with Bond. I imagine I am not the only person who found him to be much like Kerim Bey in the great 'From Russia With Love'.

Then there is the matter of the women, who both bring good and bad qualities to the table. Carole Bouquet is somewhat wooden as female lead, Melina, but can also hold her own when the heat is on, which makes her the best Bond girl in some time. Lynn-Holly Johnson provides a lovable portrayal as Bibi Dahl, a figure skater who gets the hots for Bond (don't get me started on the age difference). Her bubble headed character makes for some humorous moments and is used to make the character of Kristatos stronger. Dahl is also enrapturing to look at, but I find her ditzy part a little too over the top, but not to the point of weakening the final product.

Unfortunately, there are a few items that bug me about this film. The first is Bill Conti's soundtrack. While it would be terrific literature for an up-tempo jazz band, it really clashes with the action more than anything. Another weakness is Roger Moore's lack of talent for fight choreography, which detracts from the action slightly. The last is Eric Kriegler (John Wyman), another invincible Oddjob rip-off that at one point picks up a motorcycle and hurls it at a fleeing Bond (!).

This is all forgivable, however, because the action, from the mountainside ski chase to the climax atop a rock cliff, is of very high standards. The absurdity of the previous chapter is shed, and we get a highly entertaining adventure that appeals to fans and non-fans alike. I can certainly live with all of the flaws any day. So grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy another great 007 adventure.

When a secret UK military spy ship (disguised as a fishing boat) is sunk in a Warsaw pact country's waters the Government fear that another power will recover their ATAC device and render their current submarine control system useless or allow others to order their weapons to be fired on the UK. Bond is dispatched to recover the device with the help of Havelock. However when Havelock is killed his daughter Melina is set on revenge and Bond must get the device before she kills those involved.

After all that messing around with special effects in space in Moonraker and too much comedy in The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond goes back to basics for the new decade. This sees the comedy added to by a nasty streak that sees Bond pushing people off cliffs – even the opening scene is very cruel when you think about it! It also means the film is a lot tighter and has plenty of good action scenes from start to finish.

However the back to basics thing has some downsides. The whole film is not as memorable as others because it doesn't have any BIG scenes or a BIG ending. Also the baddie is totally forgetable and doesn't make his mark at all. However this is still a good spy movie – even if it ranks low as a Bond.

Moore is actually good – he seems better now that his humour is toned down to allow him to be cruel. Bouquet is good but Topol is just an oddity. Glover is AWOL and the rest of the cast seem more down to earth than usual.

Overall it is a really good film but the normal nature of affairs mean it occasionally doesn't feel like a Bond. That said I still rate it as a step in the right direction as it saw Bond become a spy movie again and not just a spoof of itself.