I owe you guys some mini-reviews!
Octopussy
I don't really have a lot of strong feelings on this one. It's just sort of there, occupying space. Some of the set pieces, locations, and action scenes are quite good, but the confusing plot and tonal imbalances keep it down. Louis Jourdan is a fun and suave bad guy, but Maud Adams is on the bland side, and Berkoff just gnaws on the scenery.
5/10
A View to a Kill
Moore maintains the tradition of a Bond actor exiting on this worst movie. A View to a Kill starts off OK, actually (I was wondering if I had judged it unfairly) with some very exciting stunts and a fun chase through Paris. Then we toil away as viewers in the stables for what feels like hours, and suffer another absurd storyline. Walken and Jones seem wasted in the movie, although they have some great sexual chemistry. Moore looks old. I will say the master-servant stuff with Moore and Patrick Macnee is excellent; I would have liked to see even more of it.
4/10
The Living Daylights
For about 85% of the movie, I was thinking 7/10. But the third act in Afghanistan is tedious and Whitaker is just a cheesy, distracting villain. Still, Dalton shines in his first Bond affair (I love that first zooming shot of him on the rocks) and the rest of the supporting cast is quite good. Krabbé, d'Abo, and Rhys-Davies are all welcome. Just a hair short of 7/10.
6/10
Licence to Kill
It might be an unlikely Bond movie, but it's paced well with taut action, a visceral plotline, and a steely performance from Dalton, who exited the franchise far too soon. Davi is a solid villain: cruel, but charismatic. I really like Q in this one; him operating as a field agent is a lot of fun--albeit out-of-character--and brings some much-needed levity to this dark revenge story. The violence can be a bit much, and Soto's Lupe is disappointing (she falls in love with Bond at the drop of a hat), but overall this is a rock-solid action film.
7/10
GoldenEye
This has always been a personal favorite. I was 12 when it came out, after all, so it definitely captured my young male mind. Plus I adored the video game. Brosnan, who I've long maintained is the second-best Bond, immediately slides into the role. The supporting cast is one of the best ever: Dench, Coltrane, Bean, Janssen, Cumming, etc. Dench is an absolute delight, and her short screen time really elevates the proceedings. Samantha Bond sparkles in her brief role as well. Martin Campbell's action direction is great, and some of the stunts are spectacular, including the opening bungee jump and the tank chase. I just wish the movie slowed down to develop some of the characters, dynamics, and relationships. There's so much to mine here: the brotherly relationship between Bond and Trevelyan, political fragmentation in a post-Cold War world, Bond's emotional detachment. There's that really beautiful scene on the beach in Cuba, where Natalya asks Bond "how can you be so cold?", but it doesn't feel earned. The script touches, glancingly, on some of these themes, but doesn't really attack them. At 130 minutes, the film had the time to be as intellectually efficient as it is technically efficient. GoldenEye helped push the series into the modern era, but ultimately it still confirms to the standard template.
7/10
