007: The Spy Who Loved Me
Originally published on January 24, 2022
I went into this film with high hopes and excitement after my great experience watching Moore’s 2nd Bond film yesterday. This is one of Moore’s iconic Bond films that has paved a way for many Bond spoofs and tends to be a film that people remember. Yet, why was I so bored?
It’s definitely not the scenery or sets. Like every other Bond film, this film delivers exotic locations with gorgeous cinematography. My family and I really enjoyed the underwater villain lair as well as the cozy white round couch in the escape pod. And who could forget the underwater spy car? You can’t go wrong with gadgets and gorgeous views.
Both Bond villains were amusing in their own right. Somehow there was something hilarious about Stromburg feeding his wife to the sharks. The villain everyone remembers from this film though is the completely wretched Jaws. He’s just the worst, and he does a good job at being disgusting. Yes he was obnoxious, but he did such weird and disgusting things that it made the film a little more interesting.
The character who was not meant to be annoying, but mockable regardless was Major Anya Anasova. She is the spy who ends up loving James Bond. With her being a spy, I expected her to be a little more intelligent, self sufficient, and likable. If I were to judge Barbara Bach just by this performance, I would say she’s a bad actress.
The main flaw of this film was the story… it was not very interesting. Bond films are supposed to be adventurous, but this adventure was only interesting in the first 30 minutes. After that, it felt as if the writers were following some basic manual of how to make a Bond film without really thinking about the final product. The film felt like it was stuck in a cycle that kept repeating action sequences followed by flirting. This cycle is fine so long as the audience is hooked on the story, the characters, and finds the jokes funny. Unfortunately, none of those elements made the mark.
If anything, this film is a one-time see, and if you do decide to watch this film, you have my personal blessing to fast forward between sections.