Very solid Bond outing, it is unfortunate that some Bond purists revile this entertaining film merely because of the legal hurdles it was forced to jump through in order to get made. Essentially, it is a remake of Thunderball, as the result of the lawsuits stipulated that was the only rights Kevin McClory had to the character. He did change the story significantly enough that you can discern the similarities, but in no way is it like watching Thunderball again.
This Bond is very entertaining. The Bond girls are excellent, the action is non-stop, and best of all, the puns are few, witty, and add to the overall experience as opposed to horribly mangling it as in most of the later Moore films. Whereas the Danjaq production company had Roger Moore portray Bond in a much more Ernest-like manner in the horridly flawed Moonraker, View to a Kill, and other post Live and Let Die films, Never Say Never Again sticks to a much more rugged portrayal of the secret agent. He is tough, ruthless, and unstoppable.
Starting with Spy Who Loved Me, and ending terribly with View to a Kill, Moore's Bond got increasingly effeminate, 3 Stoogish, and ridiculous with each movie. Although Spy remains a pretty solid effort, you can start to see how the producers had decided to stray more into the Home Alone type violence with cars ending up in trees, hit men biting through cable car cables, and action scenes more commonly found in Ernest movies than in Bonds. Puns started to overshadow the action, groaners revealing not the slightest shred of wit (culminating in the wince-inducing Die Another Day). Never Say Never Again fortunately returns to Bond's roots, providing great action sequences without the Bond-as-a-Dandy approach. The result is vastly more entertaining than the shockingly bad Moonraker, or any other 80's Bond picture.
This Bond is very entertaining. The Bond girls are excellent, the action is non-stop, and best of all, the puns are few, witty, and add to the overall experience as opposed to horribly mangling it as in most of the later Moore films. Whereas the Danjaq production company had Roger Moore portray Bond in a much more Ernest-like manner in the horridly flawed Moonraker, View to a Kill, and other post Live and Let Die films, Never Say Never Again sticks to a much more rugged portrayal of the secret agent. He is tough, ruthless, and unstoppable.
Starting with Spy Who Loved Me, and ending terribly with View to a Kill, Moore's Bond got increasingly effeminate, 3 Stoogish, and ridiculous with each movie. Although Spy remains a pretty solid effort, you can start to see how the producers had decided to stray more into the Home Alone type violence with cars ending up in trees, hit men biting through cable car cables, and action scenes more commonly found in Ernest movies than in Bonds. Puns started to overshadow the action, groaners revealing not the slightest shred of wit (culminating in the wince-inducing Die Another Day). Never Say Never Again fortunately returns to Bond's roots, providing great action sequences without the Bond-as-a-Dandy approach. The result is vastly more entertaining than the shockingly bad Moonraker, or any other 80's Bond picture.