in between seeing the Spy Who Loved Me and this film's release, I had seen all the old films on tv, including Casino Royale, and read all Flemings books. So I'd gotten a bit snobbish about what I really wanted to see in a Bond film, and at the time, this was not it. I've since grown more charitable.
PROS
-Barry's back
-some of the things the Spy Who Loved Me already did, this film does better. Drax gets much more screentime than did Stromberg, and chews up much more scenery. Goodhead is more persuasive as a highly skilled rival spy than was Amasova.
-movie Drax is not book Drax, who was a much cruder character, still fighting the Nazi cause behind the lines. But movie Drax is a type of Nazi, I suppose, philosophically, with his aristocratic snobbery and extreme selective breeding eugenics scheme. Clever creative update, especially given there weren't too many leftover Nazi Werwolfs by 1979, and society had largely moved beyond 19th century notions of Race and Class.
(note: the villain has the same name as in the book but is a different character. The leading lady has a different name, but is essentially the same character as Gala Brand!)
-Ken Adam sets, the space station especially is very well conceived. "Level 10: Orbital Camouflage", just like the signs in a department store!
-the one scene directly adapted from Fleming gets its own Ken Adam set.
-Venice and Brazil, this film may have the best location shots ever.
-actually takes more from 2001 than Star Wars, and we know they worked with Kubrick himself on the last film.
-Jaws is genuinely scary in the alleyway scene ... also, Drax hires him through Rent-a-Minion. Too bad we couldn't see the other end of that phone call: all these minions and henchmen sitting round the office waiting for a gig.
-Drax and his dogs are very scary, and the pheasant hunt actually is an effective excuse for a murder, completely innocent hunting accidents do happen.
-glass factory fight, may be Rogers best fight scene ever ... there are several serious, even dark sequences in this film.
-Lois Chiles has a low husky voice that tickles my sub-woofer just right. And Goodhead actually does most of the work once they climb on board the last spaceshuttle, Bond is just there as muscle. I've read Chiles regrets this role, but she really did advance the concept of the Bondgirl. Her introduction even contrasts with all the eyecandy Bond has been oggling since arriving on Drax's estate: the main BondGirl of the film is the first female not flashing a lot of skin!
-"I think he's attempting re-entry" is the best closing line ever
-the gondola chase could be discretely edited out without affecting the plot in any way.
CONS
-some of the things the Spy Who Loved Me already did, this film does much much stoopider. And it repeats a lot from the previous film, a cleavage flashing helicopter pilot, a drunk doublechecking his bottle, almost every last detail gets repeated.
-throws out (almost) all the Fleming. I know we've discussed why before, but it's one of Flemings best books, very cinematic in and of itself. There's a lot in the book that would make for good film sequences, yet to be adapted. Spot the small details that do show up in the Spy Who Loved Me and Octopussy!
-the gondola chase is completely stoopid, every aspect of it. Why does he even get in the gondola after speaking with Holly? such an inefficient murder attempt, entirely slapstick, makes no sense, not a single damn aspect of that whole never-ending sequence ... I guess it does show off the canals.
-Jaws just does Wile E Coyote routines except for the alleyway scene, even the preCredits Sequence is ruined by comedy Jaws.
-the Get Smart movie tried to parody this opening sequence but couldn't find anyway to make it any sillier than it already was.
-if the Minister of Defence orders Bond off the case, why is he first in line to congratulate him at the end for saving the world? hypocritial politician.
-I can't think of more specific cons. But the selfparody does completely overwhelm the film, from first scene to last, to the point it's easy to forget there ever were three or four serious bits.
questions about the scantily clad lovelies always hanging round:
-Drax is always accompanied by these Titled aristocrat chicks, do they get invited on the "space-ark"? that would seem consistent with his Selective Breeding scheme, but I'm not sure I recognised any faces.
-the receptionist at the glass factory is one of the women at the rainforest HQ is she not? The one Bond follows into the caves? I thought I did recognise her face.