Great review of it. Kinda feels like a reverse of the Spider-Man movies to me where we saw what they were like with song for years and then finally saw what it was like with marvel studios driving things.
I was fine with Never Say Never Again until I realised that it wasn’t an official Bond film and suffers from how it can’t be a typical Bond film. Most of the elements and people that solidified the EON aren’t there, and whilst they could use it as an opportunity to try something new, it’s ultimately just a derivative Thunderball. The worst thing is that Barbara Carera, Max Von Sydow, Pat Roach, and Kim Basinger would’ve been great in an official Bond film, and it’s amazing that Rowan Atkinson got his first pre-Johnny English spy role here.
What makes it unofficial? They got the legal rights. Just because Cubby Broccoli and his team didn't work on it doesn't make it official or unofficial. It was legal. That's the only issue.
I think both "Octopussy"(1983) and "NSNA"(1983) are great James Bond films! * I like older Moore and Connery very much! Charming gentlemen agents! * For example: I think Roger Moore is much better in Octopussy(55) and AVTAK(57) than he was in his early films LALD and TMWTGG. Not entirely his fault, the films were also very weak! * And by the way, Sean Connery is soooooooooooo much better in NSNA1983(53) than in DAF1971(41)! This NSNA is much more classic Bond film, than spy-comedy DAF actually was! * I love-love-love that scene where Jack Petachi steals 2 thermonuclear warheads! It's a pretty tense scene, really! At least for this poor guy Petachi! You can really feel that 1983 Cold War tension! And I also like that "Death of Fatima Blush" scene! Pure gold! * "Well, to be perfectly honest, there was this girl in Philadelphia!"....................
I unashamedly enjoy the movie for what it is. Connery, Brandauer, and Carrera go a long, long way towards compensating for the weaknesses (relatively limp action, bad score, lack of an edge, fumbled arcs).
Haha. This movie ended up in my not-so-guilty-pleasure list. I like the over the top cast- especially Barbara Carrera. I even like the theme song. It's like a warmed over "Love Boat Theme", and for that reason alone, it's a banger. haha
It was McClory and Connery's middle finger to EON, Connery basically playing the same character in the same movie TWICE. Although he did look better than he did in his last Bond movie 12 years earlier
Huge Bond fan here, but I've never actually seen this one, since it's not an official Bond film. I think at the time, it was well received, with top critics like Roger Ebert saying something like it's "the best Bond since the early Connery ones". And yet, everyone I hear talk about it today seems to think it's terrible. I will definitely check it out one day, not just because I'm a completionist, but also because I've heard good things about Barbara Carrera's performance.
I LOVE NSNA, and much prefer it over Thunderball. Connery turns in one of his best Bond performances (best since Goldfinger, imo) and I love the jazzy score and chicness to it...feel much more European in it's sensibilities than many, while exuding '80's-ness in spades. I don't find it boring at all, but rather, fairly comedic and strikes a good tone for me! The shark stuff if stunning!
Not my favorite film, but I like the concept of an older Bond, who's essentially slowing down in his years, but at the same time, you can tell Bond is just itching for just one more mission before leaving the service for good. He's trying to prove, for one more time, that he's "still got it." This parallels Connery's personal ambitions for this film. I also think this film is better than the disjointed, undisciplined Diamonds. I just wish it wasn't a slight remake. Also wished that it was much tighter in pacing (like Thunderball's problem), and that it would've been more of a conflict between Bond and Blofeld (especially when you have a dynamic actor in Max von Sydow doing the role), even though Brandauer is great as Largo. Eon did cherry pick several ideas from this movie and used them in future films. Barbara Carerra just relishes playing Fatima, and even though she's Fiona Volpe 2.0, I agree with you that the character's audacious qualities most likely inspired Onatopp. Even Mayday, but in a small, small way (Grace is a too unique to say it's a flat out copy, lol). The laser watch concept in this shows up in a couple of later films. The idea of Bond being a "relic." And the first Black Felix Leiter is presented here, played by the late, great Bernie Casey.
I think if it didn’t star Sean Connery, this would be pretty obscure, like Casino Royale 1954 and 1967. It’s in the conversation because Sean Connery is in it, not because of the actual movie.
Of course, Sean Connery is the main factor why I love this movie so much! Sean Connery was great in NSNA! And you have a good point: 1954 & 1967 are just stupid movies. 1954 looks very cheap and Bond is actually American man in this??? 1967 had a huge potential(great actors, big budget, beautiful futuristic sets) but scenario was just insanely crazy! 1967 had 6 directors ??? My God...
I agree with most of what you say. I do not mind the older Connery being less ruthless. I imagine he’s just going with the flow, doing what he has to do to complete the mission. I love the fact that we see him again as Bond and he looks like he has aged well. I’m not disappointed in our legacy Hero. As you said the cast was top Notch, including the new Blofeld which unfortunately we don’t see enough of. A lot of missed opportunities in the film. It doesn’t hold a candle to Thunderball. Yet Connery shines dispite the missing EON elements. Had this film been larger in scope it might have completely misfired. It was different enough with bringing back the “gratuitous sex and violence” of Connery. Of course it was an older Connery. So it was a more fun version of that line, with a wink at the audience. I had fun watching it knowing it wasn’t really was not going to compete with Eon Bond but co-exist. Sean is Bond. And even In this smaller scope film he recaptures the charm and energy you mention. And it’s just big enough of a film I forget the issues and just smile. Fun stuff. Could have been much better but also could have failed. Im happy it did well. Not a spoof, not epic, but a fun adventure. Maybe a bit like Moores Man with The Golden Gun?
The thug ag Shrublands is played by Pat Roach who also played the thugs in Indiana Jones films, which is why the fight seemed very familiar. Also, in the bike chase scene, when the bike slides under the truck it's very obvious there's no rider.
Never Say Never Again could have been so much better if they deviated more from the source material and made it feel more like a final Bond film for Sean. Thunderball already had a proper adaptation. I do think Sean Connery’s performance is better here than in Diamonds. In that regard, it is a better film, but only slightly. It also has some of the most alluring Bond girls of the series. Never and Diamonds are the only Connery films that I rarely watch unless I’m doing a countdown. I do count it as being part of the Bond series. Even if it isn’t an official production, it stars Sean Connery as James Bond. Of course people should count it.
I think they were restricted legally by how much they could deviate. McClory winning the film rights to Thunderball was a bit of a poisoned chalice. After making Thunderball (1965), he thought he could launch a rival Bond series after 10 years. But he was only entitled to an adaptation of the novel Thunderball. Remaking the 65 film so soon was taking the piss a bit, but McClory tried to do it again in the late 90's, early 00s.
@ The film could have a similar plot structure, but that doesn’t mean it had to have the same ending or character names. Book adaptations can be very loose. That’s the only excuse they would need.
They couldn't deviate from the original material. Copyright laws would not allow them. In fact every single movie they had planned would have been all remix of Thunderball. That's because they only had the rights to the novel Thunderball.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond Io I guess all the super low budget /bad /Sci-Fi movies should be considered fantastic films also just because they had Sean Connery in them.
There is some excuse for the music score. The film used alternate cues at times that Michel Legrand did not want used. This film proves that an inappropriate and/or bad music score can damage a film.....even if that film isn't exactly firing on most cylinders in the first place.
Once again a great assessment of a Bond film. I think you hit on it when you point out that as great as Connery's performance is, he lacks the menace and danger of the EON Bond movies. Klaus Maria Brandauer as Largo was excellent, Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush was awesome, along with Connery we have 3 great actors giving fine performances but with the uneven direction and horrible score, as a complete film it just falls flat.
Excellent and well balanced critique. Myself, I really dislike this film immensely, in large measure owing to it not having any real sense of that globetrotting, larger than life, flamboyant appeal. I neither liked Carerra or Brandauer and the Michel Legrand score, a horrid choice for composing the music, is just terrible. He is only right for “light” films like “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and “The Thomas Crown Affair”. It’s interesting to note that John Barry was instructed to use the JB theme more than he would have liked, to really press the point home with audiences that “Octopussy” is the “real” Bond film of the two released in 1983.
Great commentary as always. I remember seeing this movie when it came out. Yes, I am that old. But I was just a teenager and I just couldn’t stand the excitement of thinking we were getting two James Bond movies in one summer! Plus as Sean Connery was always my dad‘s favorite, I couldn’t wait to see him again as James Bond. I agree with you. He looked way better in this movie than he did in diamonds are forever. But this movie as much as I loved it at the time is not aging well. And it’s not one of my “sick day “ Movies. Octopussy on the other hand, seems more fun to watch now than I remember it being originally. I totally agree with you on the music - it was just awful. And I don’t mean to be crude, but it almost seems like the background track to some sort of softcore porn that they used to show on cable? It’s just weird. I also did not like the spa scene at all and that ridiculous outfit that Sean Connery was wearing. So, it was fun at the time but it’s aging like milk. Whereas.Octopussy is still sort of a fun romp. One thing they wasted a lot of time on this movie with was all the technical stuff with the eyeball and how they actually stole the missiles and then the torpedo launched jet packs. It was just too much screen time which took away from story time. Anyway, I always look forward to hearing your commentaries. By the way, I think this movie is still in play for someone else to redo, but I may be wrong on that. But I think Thunderball has come and gone, and they should just leave well enough alone
"Misfire" is a very kind way to describe this film, Ryan. I like your take on the film. I've never liked the film (it's only better than the 1967 version of Casino Royale in my opinion), although I can admit that Connery's on fine form for the first time since Thunderball (ironic, huh?), Barbara Carrera's Fatima Blush is a fun character, and I like the fight scene in Shrublands. And your review has helped me appreciate other aspects like Largo and Bond's interactions. Great review, as always.
I don't think that Shrublands fight reminding of Indiana Jones fisticuffs is a coincidence. Both this and Raiders had the same Assistant Director, David Tomblinson. Pat Roach who plays Bond's assailant also played the big German mechanic who fights Indy by the plane in Raiders.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond Back then there there was a smallish amount of guys to hire in Britain. And also they were top tier. So visiting Hollywood productions used them.
Very good point about Bond lacking his ruthless nature that has been present in pretty much all other portrayals. I hadn't picked up on that before. But indeed he is quite genial in this one.
Never Say Never Again has been a guilty pleasure of mine since I 1st saw it and that's down to Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush. She lights up and quickens the pulse of any scene she's in. Karl Maria Brandauer's 'Largo', as you've mentioned the snake, can hypnotise you with his charm, then kill you with a single venomous strike and I also enjoy Edward Fox's 'M''s disdain for 'all the OOs'. But Fatima's the highlight for me. Not much of an argument, M'lud, but an honest one at least.
I like the scene where Largo is observing Bond in the casino's arcade section, while standing next to a monster illustration on a Centipede arcade game. That was a nice touch 🐍
@@jbjones07 I also like how you have Domino in the casino. She opens a door and then in the mirror on it we see Fatima watching her. Like she's marked her out for death already.
Thanks, great video that captures the weird contrasts in this film. I think of Never Say Never Again as the inverse of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. In NSNA, the big sell is obviously Sean Connery, often to the detriment of the rest of the film. In OHMSS, Connery's absence creates something of a black hole that George Lazenby really can't fill--which makes the viewer appreciate the other aspects of the film, like the wonderful score, cinematography, supporting roles, plot development, etc. Thanks for doing this!
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond At one point if Connery had not agreed, Lazeby would have been approached, as the court agreement for whatever reason was it had to be an actor that had done the role before
21:57 - You may know this already, but there's a reason the fight in NVSA looked similar to the one Indy had with the big German in Raiders: it was the same man (Pat Roach - this time with hair).
Seeing as Eon Productions now own 'Never Say Never Again' and no doubt intend to keep it locked away in a vault till the ends of time. Maybe they should turn it into an Eon Bond film by using John Barry's music and release it on Blue-Ray or I guess now as a download. That was the thing that was so missing when I saw it in the cinema. John Barry's music!
Connery had actually done a Legacy Sequel before this, 1976's Robin And Marian. About an older Robin Hood. Interestingly the older Sheriff Of Nottingham is played by Red Grant from From Russia With Love, Robert Shaw.
Interested to see your take on the much-reviled NSNA. I saw it in the theaters in the day. I didn't know anything about the bad blood behind the production at the time. But I thought it was highly entertaining, and still do (save the opening sequence, to be fair). And that's coming from a died-in-the-wool, Bond franchise fan whose seen every movie, multiple times. I just choose to take off my Bond movie critique cap and zone out for this one.
It's okay for what it is, a 1980s remake of Thunderbolt. I'm surprised Barbara Carrera's career didn't do much after this. She was in Lone Wolf McQuade, but not much else of note. Barbara acted throughout the 90s and 00s, but mainly small scale stuff. She seemed to be Famke Jannsen about 10 years before Famke hit the scene.
While it was delayed ..Daniel Craig was 53 when NTTD was released. The same age as Sean Connery in NSNA...MUCH older Bond is relative...but yes...at the time I thought he was ancient. I am a fit 58 but those numbers still hurt.
Just watched it with another 007 nerd the other night for our weekly Bond watch- of course I've seen it a ton of times and there are so many things I like about it - Klaus, Barbara Carrera, the cigar holder "bomb" gag, Connery looks like he's having fun again, the locations are great, Max Von Sydow as Blofeld, Q, even Edward Fox as a frumpy M. It's very much of its early 80's era. Domino skewering Largo could have been handled better. Yeah, the score is pretty weak and had a weird over compressed audio aspect to it, the title song is hummable, but at the end of the day, I was happy teenager to have DOUBLE my Bond in 1983 (I still have my Starlog magazine with Both Connery and Moore on the cover - the battle of the Bonds). Where does it rank for me? Bottom half of the list for sure, but if its on TV, I'll always watch it. It's not "boring" by any means. Cheers.
The non-cannon-ness kept out the classic stuff like the gun barrel opening and the theme music, so immediately it was taken down a notch. Overall, it's not really so good, but Fatima Blush was a good character as was "Max" Largo. And the motorcycle chase was good.
Did EON finally obtain Never Say Never Again to their conematic catalogue? I thought I heard they did, so it's technically an official entry now. If that's the case, they should make an EON Cut where they can clean it up, tighten the pace, fix some vfx, give it the gunbarrel logo, and most importantly redo the soundtrack score and titles. They could hire fan composer Rich Douglas to give the film the official John Barry-esque 007 thematic sound. Get someone like Winona Oak to do a new theme song to accompany new opening titles in the Maurice Binder tradition. Do a really good job on an EON Cut, and it could even get a theatrical release.
Totally agree with your analysis. It was so great seeing Sean back again and loved Largo and Blush. The music- AWFUL. Set pieces for the most part, boring. Octopussy won this battle hands down. OP is one of my favorite “fun” Bonds to watch. Great job with these observations!
For all its flaws, I think the film would be much higher regarded if they hadn't completely messed up the final battle. Compare this damp squid to the exciting conclusion of Thunderball. Apparently the film had the same kind of budget as Moonraker, but you would never guess from what is on screen. While training for the health clinic punch up, Connery had his wrist broken by Steven Seagal.
The producer was a lawyer who sorted out all the legal wrangles, but had no experience producing a film. It shows. I think a lot of money was spent, but wasted. Connery got so agitated with how things were being run by in his opinion a bunch of amateurs that he muscled in on getting the film finished.
I saw both NSNA and Octopussy at the time they came out and experienced NSNA as a breath of fresh air compared to the Eon movies which had become extremely formulaic. I agree that the conclusion of NSNA stretches on too long--but then I feel that way about most Bond movies. Octopussy has painful moments like Bond zooming a camera in on a woman's cleavage like a sex-starved teenager. By contrast NSNW's Bond acts like a grown-up. NSNW has some of the best witticisms of the series: "Then I shall cut out the white bread, sir." "Best not have the fish." "You're a bit early for lunch. Yes, it's rather embarrassing." Not to mention "James Bond--urine sample." Most of the EON Bond lines just make me roll my eyes. (To be fair, Octopussy has one great line: "No ma'am, I'm with the economy tour.") Both Octopussy and NSNW have casino scenes, of which a comparison is interesting. It does seem that NSNW's casino was shot on location whereas Octopussy's casino is a set, so in that sense NSNW seems to be lower budget. But the NSNW casino is vast, with ornate walls and high ceilings, whereas Octopussy's casino is cramped, as if your neighbor had outfitted his basement. I don't particularly buy into the excitement of the blackjack game. Outfitting the casino with video games was a more interesting concept in 1983 than it would be today, when slot machines are literally video games. Bond's match against Largo provides the satisfying emotional beat of Bond appearing to be humiliated, only to come back and win. I disagree that this is a pissing match between Bond and Largo. Bond's objective is strategic--to get the chance to speak to Domino privately and turn her against Largo. As a rule, I find the gimmicks of Octopussy--pedicabs doing wheelies, nailed beds--to be clicheed and predictable. I also find the stylistic differences between NSNW and the Eon movies to be a strong rather than weak point (the lighting, for example). With the Eon movies, sometimes I feel I am watching the same movie over and over again. NSNW's use of the Riviera is particularly good, along with the creative choice of a French chanson rather than a John Barry soundtrack. I can appreciate that you find the NSNW title song weak, but it evokes Bond way better than Rita Coolidge. Rule of thumb: a Bond theme should never be a song that your grandmother would play at her wedding. If you mentioned Felix Leiter I missed it, but again I appreciate the departure from the apparent Eon rule (with a few exceptions) that Felix is supposed to be like Bond's frumpy uncle.
You and I have quite different takes, but I appreciate your thoughts. (For one thing, "All Time High" is a much, much better title song just because it has one of Barry's lovelier melodies - even if it is ultimately nicer as an instrumental.)
It's not bad, given that it's an updated remake of Thunderball and sometimes slips into being a semi-parody of the franchise - but, in the latter, it was more aware than the holders of the main franchise that it was becoming a parody of itself.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond- That's true, but what NSNA demonstrated was that it really often wasn't all that difficult to match or better the Moore-era product as either a spy or action film which was, in itself, a comment on the direction that EON was taking. The Moore-era stunt team would do some of the greatest stuff ever filmed to date and then the audience had to be taken out of the film by using crocodiles as stepping stones, smiling dogs, etc. as EON tried to outdo its last sight gag/unbelievable side character, all just to somehow need to remind us that what we're watching "isn't real".
"A bit of a misfire" Whilst certainly no perfect - I still find it a damn sight more entertaining than The Man With the Golden Gun and A View To A Kill. Barbara Carrera and Klaus Maria Brandauer are both terrific. Particularly Barbara. Phew! Think I was ten years old when I first saw it and...Wow.
Say what you will about Dial of Destiny, love it or hate it, but all evidence suggests Harrison Ford did it out of genuine passion for the character of Indiana Jones. Remember, Harrison Ford is the same guy who openly admits that he only came back to Star Wars for the money and he's never tried to hide that fact. Ford is the type of guy who'll tell us straight and honest if he's doing something just for the money, which I greatly respect about him, and he's been very clear that Indiana Jones is a character he cares deeply and continued out of an overwhelming love for being Indiana Jones. Now, if up to the subjective judgement of the individual viewer whether or not Dial of Destiny was worth coming back for or not, but regardless of how you feel I think it's pretty hard to dispute that at least Harrison Ford had artistically sincere intentions in doing it.
I did like the older Bond angle oh but what a mess of a film. Poor Sean has to take over production as Jack Schwartzman was making such a mess of it. Connery even brought in British comedy writers Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement to rewrite some of the script. They filmed so much extra that didn’t make it to the screen including Blofeld getting killed by his cat’s poison claws. As for the score, it’s awful. It deserves a re-cut and it rescoring, but I can’t see it happening as Eon were so annoyed by it. However one bit of decency is the rushes were mixed up and Eon ended up with them one day. They rung NSNA and without peeking, couriered them back.
Loved your take on it. This is a movie that could have been so much more. Squandered opportunity. - Kim Basinger was the weakest element of the major actors. She couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag. - Rowan sort of overplayed the comedy element. But this movie, as mediocre as it is, has a soft spot for me since I saw it with some buddies of mine and afterwards we made a pitcher of martinis with absolut (the vodka sponsor of the movie) … and I got the worlds worst hang over. 😂
Never Say Never Again: The World's Worst Hangover has a good ring to it (even if it's meaner than I'd ever be to this movie). I like Basinger as an actress in general, but she's not given a lot of material or strong direction here.
NSNA isn't a great Bond film, but it drives circles around DAF. And as far as final entries for a Bond actor is concerned, I'd take it over AVTAK and DAD as well. (As an exit for 007 himself, I'll take it over "nanobot blood," even if I find NTTD an overall better film.) The terrible score and the lackluster finale can leave the viewer with a worse impression than is really warranted.
But Eon have since 1983 taken away the Eon Bond machinery in 2 Bond films. That was in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. It just proves with those 2 films and this film that it just does not work when you do that. So the old saying goes if it is not broke don’t fix it. I was thinking the makers of NSNA missed a trick here. They could have just used the Thunderball story like they did and give it a different name like they did. But if they have called the main characters different names so Sean was not called James Bond and M and Q where also called different names then they could have made another spy series of films and after NSNA they could have just got a Hollywood screen writer to write a new story for each each new film in the series.
@ That’s right but I meant most of the things that made all the other Bond films the same ware taken away from those 2 films. So they did not really feel like Bond films.
I find this easier to watch than the 'official' comedy film from eon. Connery was great, Fatima was great and Largo was believably mad/evil....especially in that computer game scene with I think is great. The finale was weak, Q was weak, music score was weak.
Not one of my favorite Bond film. I agree with you on the legacy film for a character. I watch someone touch on this idea, loosely, on how the movie "The Rock" with Nicholas Cage and Connery; which Connery plays as Bond but under an alias. The video talks about all the little connections to Bond. There are a few leaps over continuity but it is an interesting one.
Connery does indeed have something of an opportunity to play an older Bond again, in The Rock. Of course that's all unofficial, and his character name is John Mason, an ex SAS commando. Bond by comparison was a Submarine Commander before he joined MI6. We also have to accept that this Bond has spent about half his life in prison, which is depressing. However Connery's performance does give us a great show of how a 60 something Bond might be. And he still kicks ass. If Kevin McClory had his way, a 60/70-somethning Connery would have been playing Bond again in his further attempt at a Thunderball remake.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond Yes. I believe that was after Connery gave him a final "Yuu Mussst Be Jocking". Interestingly, Pierce Brosnan approached McClory after he couldn't do The Living Daylights because of his Remington Steel contract. He figured Dalton was in for the long haul and EON wouldn't ask him again, so he'd take the initiative and ask McClory for the part in his. Luckily for him it never happened, otherwise he wouldn't have got GoldenEye.
I don't know how they thought this would be a good idea. Is this meant to be the same Bond as the earlier Bond??. Watching this film recently my opinion is it's piss poor. Connery is essentially living out the exact same mission he'd previously been assigned to years earlier. It should have had a different actor in the role. But then again the film probably would have completely failed.🍸
It is boring but Thunderball is very boring also and was Connery’s worst Bond movie. Even though it was his biggest box office success It is the EON Connery film that gets rewatched the least. As remake NSNA captured that crappiness. The best part of Connery’s movies, and the only good aspect of Thunderball IMO, is the concept of SPECTRE as as an omnipotent sinister shadow organisation with those traits also embodied in the mysterious Blofeld. That was all conceived by Kevin McClory to help Flemming make Bond more cinematic so it is a pity that when he produced NSNA he didn’t have the budget to push that aspect.
Your take on the music was my biggest complaint about the film when I first saw it.There was nothing I'd want to buy and listen to at home. How about the music that Domino plays while she's practicing? Sort of cheesy
Nigel Small-Fawcett I'll have you know. Atkinson's injection into the film was apparently at the behest of Connery who wanted more comedy. He'd hired legendary British TV sitcom writers Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais (who'd go on to beef up Connery's lines for The Rock) to redo NSNA and that led to Atkinson, then a member of the British sketch show Not The Nine O'Clock News being hired. His character was later remolded by Atkinson with less clownishness and a tad more suaveness into Latham, a spy in a series of comedic Barclays Bank commercials. Later extending that into the Johnny English films.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond I think people read titles first and thumbnail text second, especially since thumbnail text can be small to read when displayed at a small size, as thumbnails often are. The natural order in which people would read it would be "Is it any good?: The unofficial Bond film. It would make more sense to read it as "The Unofficial Bond Film: Is it any good?" Some people might not pay attention to the thumbnail text at all. All they would register is a video titled "Is it any good?" which would not make it clear what the video is about. Another problem is search terms. If I were an average person looking to find a video about this film, I would most likely type either "Never Say Never Again" or "Unofficial Bond Film" into the search bar. But when I do, your video doesn't come up. It only came up for me when I searched "Is it any good?" Which is a phrase no one would ever think to search. In my opinion, one should use titles to introduce the main subject, and use thumbnail text for additional commentary or as a subtitle.
Don't like it, don't count it. Don't really see what you see in it. That's fair enough, of course. I don't think I even have a copy of Never Say A Book By Never A Judge Saying Neverending Story No More Again One Time Never. We could have had Zardoz II but no, Sean Connery had to go do this one instead. Oh, but, I can absolutely shee Bond during one of hish shabbaticals hooking up with a dance teacher and learning the tango along the way. I'd agree he'd not go take leshons, but that's not the shame as shaying he shouldn't know the dance.
Dial of Destiny was terrible and so was Never Say Never again. But Never say Never again was way better then the atrocity of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Anybody who's a real Indiana Jones fan would agree that Dial of Destiny was the worst of the films. It's biggest flaw is that the writers did not know the characters.
Dial of Destiny killed a beloved franchise. Never say never again is fine, the song has a great hook, very catchy. But yea the production could have made it a lot better.
While I like NSNA it ranks at the very bottom just because its the same as Thunderball and except Carrera worse on every level. Therefore when I'm in the mood for this I watch Thunderball.
@AnalyzeThisMisterBond on good days I can give you that. KMB certainly did an outstanding performance and he has more weight than TB Largo. As you mention in your video the cast is really good. But it kind of shows how much better TB is despite the great NSNA cast.
NSNA is a film that I really dislike. I saw it first when I was a child, but gave it a rewatch again in 2023. It’s a boring film, and for me, lacks anything of real substance for me to enjoy. I’ve been harsh towards my least favorite Eon film (AVTAK), but I’d rather watch that on repeat than to try to struggle through NSNA for a second viewing as an adult. Just the opening to NSNA is enough to get me to want to stop watching it. At least AVTAK has a great soundtrack and great villains. For me, Never Say Never Again is really just Never Watch It Ever Again. As always, thanks for the analysis Ryan!
The score is probably the biggest misfire of the entire movie. Its awful. Feels small and unfocused. Does not feel like a big budget spy film score. Obviously, they couldn't use the Bond theme, but still, there had to have been a better option.
I’ll say this I don’t watch this when I do Bond marathons… but if it’s ever on tv I sit and watch I do think that motorcycle chase is awesome
The chase is fun.
you understand what makes these films tick so well... must-watch bond content
Thank you so much! 🙏
Great review of it. Kinda feels like a reverse of the Spider-Man movies to me where we saw what they were like with song for years and then finally saw what it was like with marvel studios driving things.
Interesting comparison!
I prefer the "Never say McClory again" fan edit that puts in a more Bond style intro and soundtrack. It makes a difference.
I remember that edit!
The urgency in Never Say Never Again is on par with the Cannon's Enter The Ninja.
I was fine with Never Say Never Again until I realised that it wasn’t an official Bond film and suffers from how it can’t be a typical Bond film. Most of the elements and people that solidified the EON aren’t there, and whilst they could use it as an opportunity to try something new, it’s ultimately just a derivative Thunderball. The worst thing is that Barbara Carera, Max Von Sydow, Pat Roach, and Kim Basinger would’ve been great in an official Bond film, and it’s amazing that Rowan Atkinson got his first pre-Johnny English spy role here.
The cast deserved better!
What makes it unofficial? They got the legal rights. Just because Cubby Broccoli and his team didn't work on it doesn't make it official or unofficial. It was legal. That's the only issue.
I think both "Octopussy"(1983) and "NSNA"(1983) are great James Bond films! * I like older Moore and Connery very much! Charming gentlemen agents! * For example: I think Roger Moore is much better in Octopussy(55) and AVTAK(57) than he was in his early films LALD and TMWTGG. Not entirely his fault, the films were also very weak! * And by the way, Sean Connery is soooooooooooo much better in NSNA1983(53) than in DAF1971(41)! This NSNA is much more classic Bond film, than spy-comedy DAF actually was! * I love-love-love that scene where Jack Petachi steals 2 thermonuclear warheads! It's a pretty tense scene, really! At least for this poor guy Petachi! You can really feel that 1983 Cold War tension! And I also like that "Death of Fatima Blush" scene! Pure gold! * "Well, to be perfectly honest, there was this girl in Philadelphia!"....................
Connery is in fine form here. (I also think Moore is at his best in OP, though I like his mean, arrogant take on Bond in LALD and GG, too.)
I couldn't agree Moore! ;) Glad to find another big NSNA fan! I even love the Michel LeGrand score
Just found your channel. Big Bond fan here, so now I’ll need to subscribe and watch all your videos from the beginning.
I unashamedly enjoy the movie for what it is. Connery, Brandauer, and Carrera go a long, long way towards compensating for the weaknesses (relatively limp action, bad score, lack of an edge, fumbled arcs).
Yeah, you gotta give the cast credit.
Haha. This movie ended up in my not-so-guilty-pleasure list. I like the over the top cast- especially Barbara Carrera. I even like the theme song. It's like a warmed over "Love Boat Theme", and for that reason alone, it's a banger. haha
It was McClory and Connery's middle finger to EON, Connery basically playing the same character in the same movie TWICE. Although he did look better than he did in his last Bond movie 12 years earlier
He looked much better!
It was…. Alright. I loved seeing Sean Connery coming back for one more go at the character.
That's the only real reason to watch it!
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond It was also nice seeing him more excited to play the character
Huge Bond fan here, but I've never actually seen this one, since it's not an official Bond film. I think at the time, it was well received, with top critics like Roger Ebert saying something like it's "the best Bond since the early Connery ones". And yet, everyone I hear talk about it today seems to think it's terrible. I will definitely check it out one day, not just because I'm a completionist, but also because I've heard good things about Barbara Carrera's performance.
It's worth seeing (at least once).
I LOVE NSNA, and much prefer it over Thunderball. Connery turns in one of his best Bond performances (best since Goldfinger, imo) and I love the jazzy score and chicness to it...feel much more European in it's sensibilities than many, while exuding '80's-ness in spades. I don't find it boring at all, but rather, fairly comedic and strikes a good tone for me! The shark stuff if stunning!
I'm glad you enjoy it! Every movie deserves an ardent fan or two.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond haha, exactly! Even if only out of sympathy, sometimes :)
Not my favorite film, but I like the concept of an older Bond, who's essentially slowing down in his years, but at the same time, you can tell Bond is just itching for just one more mission before leaving the service for good. He's trying to prove, for one more time, that he's "still got it." This parallels Connery's personal ambitions for this film.
I also think this film is better than the disjointed, undisciplined Diamonds. I just wish it wasn't a slight remake. Also wished that it was much tighter in pacing (like Thunderball's problem), and that it would've been more of a conflict between Bond and Blofeld (especially when you have a dynamic actor in Max von Sydow doing the role), even though Brandauer is great as Largo.
Eon did cherry pick several ideas from this movie and used them in future films. Barbara Carerra just relishes playing Fatima, and even though she's Fiona Volpe 2.0, I agree with you that the character's audacious qualities most likely inspired Onatopp. Even Mayday, but in a small, small way (Grace is a too unique to say it's a flat out copy, lol). The laser watch concept in this shows up in a couple of later films. The idea of Bond being a "relic." And the first Black Felix Leiter is presented here, played by the late, great Bernie Casey.
All good observations. Blofeld feels like an afterthought here.
I think if it didn’t star Sean Connery, this would be pretty obscure, like Casino Royale 1954 and 1967. It’s in the conversation because Sean Connery is in it, not because of the actual movie.
Of course, Sean Connery is the main factor why I love this movie so much! Sean Connery was great in NSNA! And you have a good point: 1954 & 1967 are just stupid movies. 1954 looks very cheap and Bond is actually American man in this??? 1967 had a huge potential(great actors, big budget, beautiful futuristic sets) but scenario was just insanely crazy! 1967 had 6 directors ??? My God...
Sean is definitely the draw.
I agree with most of what you say. I do not mind the older Connery being less ruthless. I imagine he’s just going with the flow, doing what he has to do to complete the mission. I love the fact that we see him again as Bond and he looks like he has aged well. I’m not disappointed in our legacy Hero. As you said the cast was top Notch, including the new Blofeld which unfortunately we don’t see enough of. A lot of missed opportunities in the film. It doesn’t hold a candle to Thunderball. Yet Connery shines dispite the missing EON elements. Had this film been larger in scope it might have completely misfired. It was different enough with bringing back the “gratuitous sex and violence” of Connery. Of course it was an older Connery. So it was a more fun version of that line, with a wink at the audience. I had fun watching it knowing it wasn’t really was not going to compete with Eon Bond but co-exist. Sean is Bond. And even In this smaller scope film he recaptures the charm and energy you mention. And it’s just big enough of a film I forget the issues and just smile. Fun stuff. Could have been much better but also could have failed. Im happy it did well. Not a spoof, not epic, but a fun adventure. Maybe a bit like Moores Man with The Golden Gun?
There's something to be said for how relaxed Bond is here. It feels "mature."
The thug ag Shrublands is played by Pat Roach who also played the thugs in Indiana Jones films, which is why the fight seemed very familiar. Also, in the bike chase scene, when the bike slides under the truck it's very obvious there's no rider.
Never Say Never Again could have been so much better if they deviated more from the source material and made it feel more like a final Bond film for Sean. Thunderball already had a proper adaptation. I do think Sean Connery’s performance is better here than in Diamonds. In that regard, it is a better film, but only slightly. It also has some of the most alluring Bond girls of the series. Never and Diamonds are the only Connery films that I rarely watch unless I’m doing a countdown. I do count it as being part of the Bond series. Even if it isn’t an official production, it stars Sean Connery as James Bond. Of course people should count it.
I agree - it stars Sean as Bond, so you gotta give it its due.
I think they were restricted legally by how much they could deviate. McClory winning the film rights to Thunderball was a bit of a poisoned chalice. After making Thunderball (1965), he thought he could launch a rival Bond series after 10 years. But he was only entitled to an adaptation of the novel Thunderball. Remaking the 65 film so soon was taking the piss a bit, but McClory tried to do it again in the late 90's, early 00s.
@
The film could have a similar plot structure, but that doesn’t mean it had to have the same ending or character names. Book adaptations can be very loose. That’s the only excuse they would need.
They couldn't deviate from the original material. Copyright laws would not allow them. In fact every single movie they had planned would have been all remix of Thunderball. That's because they only had the rights to the novel Thunderball.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond
Io I guess all the super low budget /bad /Sci-Fi movies should be considered fantastic films also just because they had Sean Connery in them.
Where is it written that only EON films are official?
In the Ten Bond Commandments, passed down to Cubby Broccoli by Ian Fleming himself... or so they say
There is some excuse for the music score. The film used alternate cues at times that Michel Legrand did not want used. This film proves that an inappropriate and/or bad music score can damage a film.....even if that film isn't exactly firing on most cylinders in the first place.
That makes a lot of sense. I'm a big fan of Legrand in general.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond Yes, this score is very untypical of his usually dependable talents.
Your channel is so underrated. 😮😮
Once again a great assessment of a Bond film. I think you hit on it when you point out that as great as Connery's performance is, he lacks the menace and danger of the EON Bond movies. Klaus Maria Brandauer as Largo was excellent, Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush was awesome, along with Connery we have 3 great actors giving fine performances but with the uneven direction and horrible score, as a complete film it just falls flat.
Yeah, it misses the mark. Sadly.
Excellent and well balanced critique. Myself, I really dislike this film immensely, in large measure owing to it not having any real sense of that globetrotting, larger than life, flamboyant appeal.
I neither liked Carerra or Brandauer and the Michel Legrand score, a horrid choice for composing the music, is just terrible. He is only right for “light” films like “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and “The Thomas Crown Affair”.
It’s interesting to note that John Barry was instructed to use the JB theme more than he would have liked, to really press the point home with audiences that “Octopussy” is the “real” Bond film of the two released in 1983.
I didn't know that about Barry!
Great commentary as always. I remember seeing this movie when it came out. Yes, I am that old. But I was just a teenager and I just couldn’t stand the excitement of thinking we were getting two James Bond movies in one summer! Plus as Sean Connery was always my dad‘s favorite, I couldn’t wait to see him again as James Bond. I agree with you. He looked way better in this movie than he did in diamonds are forever. But this movie as much as I loved it at the time is not aging well. And it’s not one of my “sick day “ Movies. Octopussy on the other hand, seems more fun to watch now than I remember it being originally. I totally agree with you on the music - it was just awful. And I don’t mean to be crude, but it almost seems like the background track to some sort of softcore porn that they used to show on cable? It’s just weird. I also did not like the spa scene at all and that ridiculous outfit that Sean Connery was wearing. So, it was fun at the time but it’s aging like milk. Whereas.Octopussy is still sort of a fun romp. One thing they wasted a lot of time on this movie with was all the technical stuff with the eyeball and how they actually stole the missiles and then the torpedo launched jet packs. It was just too much screen time which took away from story time. Anyway, I always look forward to hearing your commentaries. By the way, I think this movie is still in play for someone else to redo, but I may be wrong on that. But I think Thunderball has come and gone, and they should just leave well enough alone
The attempts to do another redo ended at the same time EON got the rights to Spectre back (they also have the rights to NSNA now, I believe).
"Misfire" is a very kind way to describe this film, Ryan. I like your take on the film. I've never liked the film (it's only better than the 1967 version of Casino Royale in my opinion), although I can admit that Connery's on fine form for the first time since Thunderball (ironic, huh?), Barbara Carrera's Fatima Blush is a fun character, and I like the fight scene in Shrublands. And your review has helped me appreciate other aspects like Largo and Bond's interactions. Great review, as always.
There are the elements of a good movie in there!
I already thought Connery was too old for Diamonds are forever. I like my Bond young and mean.
Fair enough, though I think Connery is in much better shape here than he was in DIAMONDS.
Interesting because Roger Moore was about 3 years older 😌
@@tuomohoykinpuro6096 Not a fan of Moore. Not because of his age but because his movies were too campy. Same for Brosnan. :b No fun allowed!
I don't think that Shrublands fight reminding of Indiana Jones fisticuffs is a coincidence. Both this and Raiders had the same Assistant Director, David Tomblinson. Pat Roach who plays Bond's assailant also played the big German mechanic who fights Indy by the plane in Raiders.
Yep, a bit of crossover there!
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond Back then there there was a smallish amount of guys to hire in Britain. And also they were top tier. So visiting Hollywood productions used them.
Well, to be perfectly honest: NSNA(1983) IS ALSO AN OFFICIAL JAMES BOND FILM!!! It's just not EON Productions Bond film...
Yes, technically speaking!
If it isn't Eon Productions, it isn't an "official Bond film"
Very good point about Bond lacking his ruthless nature that has been present in pretty much all other portrayals. I hadn't picked up on that before. But indeed he is quite genial in this one.
It's something I only noticed on this viewing. Watched in conjunction with the rest of the Connery movies, it really stands out.
Never Say Never Again has been a guilty pleasure of mine since I 1st saw it and that's down to Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush. She lights up and quickens the pulse of any scene she's in. Karl Maria Brandauer's 'Largo', as you've mentioned the snake, can hypnotise you with his charm, then kill you with a single venomous strike and I also enjoy Edward Fox's 'M''s disdain for 'all the OOs'. But Fatima's the highlight for me. Not much of an argument, M'lud, but an honest one at least.
Interestingly she turned down playing Octopussy for this. TBF it's the more interesting role. But she could have been an addition to the EON series.
I like the scene where Largo is observing Bond in the casino's arcade section, while standing next to a monster illustration on a Centipede arcade game. That was a nice touch 🐍
@@jbjones07 I also like how you have Domino in the casino. She opens a door and then in the mirror on it we see Fatima watching her. Like she's marked her out for death already.
Such a fabulous character, that Fatima. @@davidjames579
I endorse all of this Carrera praise!
Thanks, great video that captures the weird contrasts in this film. I think of Never Say Never Again as the inverse of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. In NSNA, the big sell is obviously Sean Connery, often to the detriment of the rest of the film. In OHMSS, Connery's absence creates something of a black hole that George Lazenby really can't fill--which makes the viewer appreciate the other aspects of the film, like the wonderful score, cinematography, supporting roles, plot development, etc. Thanks for doing this!
That's a very good point!
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond At one point if Connery had not agreed, Lazeby would have been approached, as the court agreement for whatever reason was it had to be an actor that had done the role before
21:57 - You may know this already, but there's a reason the fight in NVSA looked similar to the one Indy had with the big German in Raiders: it was the same man (Pat Roach - this time with hair).
Yes! It's a great connection point between Indy and Bond.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond 👍
Seeing as Eon Productions now own 'Never Say Never Again' and no doubt intend to keep it locked away in a vault till the ends of time. Maybe they should turn it into an Eon Bond film by using John Barry's music and release it on Blue-Ray or I guess now as a download. That was the thing that was so missing when I saw it in the cinema. John Barry's music!
Connery had actually done a Legacy Sequel before this, 1976's Robin And Marian. About an older Robin Hood. Interestingly the older Sheriff Of Nottingham is played by Red Grant from From Russia With Love, Robert Shaw.
I *love* Robin and Marian.
Interested to see your take on the much-reviled NSNA. I saw it in the theaters in the day. I didn't know anything about the bad blood behind the production at the time. But I thought it was highly entertaining, and still do (save the opening sequence, to be fair). And that's coming from a died-in-the-wool, Bond franchise fan whose seen every movie, multiple times. I just choose to take off my Bond movie critique cap and zone out for this one.
Keep on enjoying it!
It's okay for what it is, a 1980s remake of Thunderbolt. I'm surprised Barbara Carrera's career didn't do much after this. She was in Lone Wolf McQuade, but not much else of note. Barbara acted throughout the 90s and 00s, but mainly small scale stuff. She seemed to be Famke Jannsen about 10 years before Famke hit the scene.
It's always strange when careers just fade out.
While it was delayed ..Daniel Craig was 53 when NTTD was released. The same age as Sean Connery in NSNA...MUCH older Bond is relative...but yes...at the time I thought he was ancient. I am a fit 58 but those numbers still hurt.
Time catches up with us all...
Just watched it with another 007 nerd the other night for our weekly Bond watch- of course I've seen it a ton of times and there are so many things I like about it - Klaus, Barbara Carrera, the cigar holder "bomb" gag, Connery looks like he's having fun again, the locations are great, Max Von Sydow as Blofeld, Q, even Edward Fox as a frumpy M. It's very much of its early 80's era. Domino skewering Largo could have been handled better. Yeah, the score is pretty weak and had a weird over compressed audio aspect to it, the title song is hummable, but at the end of the day, I was happy teenager to have DOUBLE my Bond in 1983 (I still have my Starlog magazine with Both Connery and Moore on the cover - the battle of the Bonds). Where does it rank for me? Bottom half of the list for sure, but if its on TV, I'll always watch it. It's not "boring" by any means. Cheers.
It must've been a treat to have two Bond films in one year!
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond and Return of the Jedi. It was a good year for nerds.
The non-cannon-ness kept out the classic stuff like the gun barrel opening and the theme music, so immediately it was taken down a notch. Overall, it's not really so good, but Fatima Blush was a good character as was "Max" Largo. And the motorcycle chase was good.
Did EON finally obtain Never Say Never Again to their conematic catalogue? I thought I heard they did, so it's technically an official entry now.
If that's the case, they should make an EON Cut where they can clean it up, tighten the pace, fix some vfx, give it the gunbarrel logo, and most importantly redo the soundtrack score and titles. They could hire fan composer Rich Douglas to give the film the official John Barry-esque 007 thematic sound. Get someone like Winona Oak to do a new theme song to accompany new opening titles in the Maurice Binder tradition.
Do a really good job on an EON Cut, and it could even get a theatrical release.
I think the rights did go back to EON, but they don't really want to embrace it and have people consider it part of their legacy.
Totally agree with your analysis. It was so great seeing Sean back again and loved Largo and Blush.
The music- AWFUL. Set pieces for the most part, boring.
Octopussy won this battle hands down. OP is one of my favorite “fun” Bonds to watch.
Great job with these observations!
Thank you! (I love Octopussy.)
There's a fan edit that changes the intro and soundtrack.
Never say never again is the only official bond movie. It was created by the person who created movie bond.
For all its flaws, I think the film would be much higher regarded if they hadn't completely messed up the final battle. Compare this damp squid to the exciting conclusion of Thunderball. Apparently the film had the same kind of budget as Moonraker, but you would never guess from what is on screen. While training for the health clinic punch up, Connery had his wrist broken by Steven Seagal.
I'm imagining there were a lot of legal fees with all the lawsuits. The production itself was apparently a bit messy, too.
The producer was a lawyer who sorted out all the legal wrangles, but had no experience producing a film. It shows. I think a lot of money was spent, but wasted. Connery got so agitated with how things were being run by in his opinion a bunch of amateurs that he muscled in on getting the film finished.
I saw both NSNA and Octopussy at the time they came out and experienced NSNA as a breath of fresh air compared to the Eon movies which had become extremely formulaic. I agree that the conclusion of NSNA stretches on too long--but then I feel that way about most Bond movies. Octopussy has painful moments like Bond zooming a camera in on a woman's cleavage like a sex-starved teenager. By contrast NSNW's Bond acts like a grown-up.
NSNW has some of the best witticisms of the series: "Then I shall cut out the white bread, sir." "Best not have the fish." "You're a bit early for lunch. Yes, it's rather embarrassing." Not to mention "James Bond--urine sample." Most of the EON Bond lines just make me roll my eyes. (To be fair, Octopussy has one great line: "No ma'am, I'm with the economy tour.")
Both Octopussy and NSNW have casino scenes, of which a comparison is interesting. It does seem that NSNW's casino was shot on location whereas Octopussy's casino is a set, so in that sense NSNW seems to be lower budget. But the NSNW casino is vast, with ornate walls and high ceilings, whereas Octopussy's casino is cramped, as if your neighbor had outfitted his basement. I don't particularly buy into the excitement of the blackjack game.
Outfitting the casino with video games was a more interesting concept in 1983 than it would be today, when slot machines are literally video games. Bond's match against Largo provides the satisfying emotional beat of Bond appearing to be humiliated, only to come back and win. I disagree that this is a pissing match between Bond and Largo. Bond's objective is strategic--to get the chance to speak to Domino privately and turn her against Largo.
As a rule, I find the gimmicks of Octopussy--pedicabs doing wheelies, nailed beds--to be clicheed and predictable.
I also find the stylistic differences between NSNW and the Eon movies to be a strong rather than weak point (the lighting, for example). With the Eon movies, sometimes I feel I am watching the same movie over and over again. NSNW's use of the Riviera is particularly good, along with the creative choice of a French chanson rather than a John Barry soundtrack.
I can appreciate that you find the NSNW title song weak, but it evokes Bond way better than Rita Coolidge. Rule of thumb: a Bond theme should never be a song that your grandmother would play at her wedding.
If you mentioned Felix Leiter I missed it, but again I appreciate the departure from the apparent Eon rule (with a few exceptions) that Felix is supposed to be like Bond's frumpy uncle.
You and I have quite different takes, but I appreciate your thoughts.
(For one thing, "All Time High" is a much, much better title song just because it has one of Barry's lovelier melodies - even if it is ultimately nicer as an instrumental.)
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond I think it's a pretty song--it's just not a Bond song.
It's not bad, given that it's an updated remake of Thunderball and sometimes slips into being a semi-parody of the franchise - but, in the latter, it was more aware than the holders of the main franchise that it was becoming a parody of itself.
I dunno, I don't think you can do a double-taking pigeon ala EON's Moonraker and not know what you're doing!
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond- That's true, but what NSNA demonstrated was that it really often wasn't all that difficult to match or better the Moore-era product as either a spy or action film which was, in itself, a comment on the direction that EON was taking. The Moore-era stunt team would do some of the greatest stuff ever filmed to date and then the audience had to be taken out of the film by using crocodiles as stepping stones, smiling dogs, etc. as EON tried to outdo its last sight gag/unbelievable side character, all just to somehow need to remind us that what we're watching "isn't real".
"A bit of a misfire"
Whilst certainly no perfect - I still find it a damn sight more entertaining than The Man With the Golden Gun and A View To A Kill.
Barbara Carrera and Klaus Maria Brandauer are both terrific.
Particularly Barbara. Phew! Think I was ten years old when I first saw it and...Wow.
Brandauer and Carrera are a delight.
This one is really good. I hated Dial of Destiny, though. Harrison Ford really cashing cheques with Disney
Say what you will about Dial of Destiny, love it or hate it, but all evidence suggests Harrison Ford did it out of genuine passion for the character of Indiana Jones. Remember, Harrison Ford is the same guy who openly admits that he only came back to Star Wars for the money and he's never tried to hide that fact. Ford is the type of guy who'll tell us straight and honest if he's doing something just for the money, which I greatly respect about him, and he's been very clear that Indiana Jones is a character he cares deeply and continued out of an overwhelming love for being Indiana Jones. Now, if up to the subjective judgement of the individual viewer whether or not Dial of Destiny was worth coming back for or not, but regardless of how you feel I think it's pretty hard to dispute that at least Harrison Ford had artistically sincere intentions in doing it.
Yeah, Dial was a Ford passion project. (I happen to really enjoy Dial.)
@@HOTD108_ Not as bad as his Solo death in The Force Awakens, but Dial was actually quite a bomb, too.
I did like the older Bond angle oh but what a mess of a film. Poor Sean has to take over production as Jack Schwartzman was making such a mess of it. Connery even brought in British comedy writers Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement to rewrite some of the script.
They filmed so much extra that didn’t make it to the screen including Blofeld getting killed by his cat’s poison claws.
As for the score, it’s awful.
It deserves a re-cut and it rescoring, but I can’t see it happening as Eon were so annoyed by it.
However one bit of decency is the rushes were mixed up and Eon ended up with them one day. They rung NSNA and without peeking, couriered them back.
I would love to see some of that cut footage.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond There are some still somewhere on line of the killer kitty!
Is it fair to say it's more official than the 1967 spoof Casino Royale?
It certainly wants to be!
It has Sean Connery in it, of-course it's good.
Is that a rule for Bond movies or all movies?
I really like your delivery and your ideas - but please either add some clips - or do a podcast!
Thanks, but I'll be sticking to my format for the foreseeable future!
Fatima Blush is the best part of this film by a wide margin.
Mr Bean was the best part by a longshot. The rest was a snore fest!
@ BOO thumbs down:)
A Remake of Thunderball'. Had a Great Theme Song.
What is your opinion on the fan theory that the Michael Bay film "the Rock" is actually a James Bond film?
I think it's fun, but I don't think Connery comes off as being very Bond-like in The Rock.
Loved your take on it. This is a movie that could have been so much more. Squandered opportunity.
- Kim Basinger was the weakest element of the major actors. She couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag.
- Rowan sort of overplayed the comedy element.
But this movie, as mediocre as it is, has a soft spot for me since I saw it with some buddies of mine and afterwards we made a pitcher of martinis with absolut (the vodka sponsor of the movie) … and I got the worlds worst hang over. 😂
Never Say Never Again: The World's Worst Hangover has a good ring to it (even if it's meaner than I'd ever be to this movie).
I like Basinger as an actress in general, but she's not given a lot of material or strong direction here.
NSNA isn't a great Bond film, but it drives circles around DAF. And as far as final entries for a Bond actor is concerned, I'd take it over AVTAK and DAD as well. (As an exit for 007 himself, I'll take it over "nanobot blood," even if I find NTTD an overall better film.) The terrible score and the lackluster finale can leave the viewer with a worse impression than is really warranted.
With a stronger score, I think it would feel a lot better.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond There's a fan edit with a different score.
But Eon have since 1983 taken away the Eon Bond machinery in 2 Bond films. That was in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. It just proves with those 2 films and this film that it just does not work when you do that. So the old saying goes if it is not broke don’t fix it.
I was thinking the makers of NSNA missed a trick here. They could have just used the Thunderball story like they did and give it a different name like they did. But if they have called the main characters different names so Sean was not called James Bond and M and Q where also called different names then they could have made another spy series of films and after NSNA they could have just got a Hollywood screen writer to write a new story for each each new film in the series.
By the EON Bond machinery, I meant the production team. They still made CR and QOS.
I think Casino Royale is really good, personally. Quantum, well...
@ That’s right but I meant most of the things that made all the other Bond films the same ware taken away from those 2 films. So they did not really feel like Bond films.
I find this easier to watch than the 'official' comedy film from eon. Connery was great, Fatima was great and Largo was believably mad/evil....especially in that computer game scene with I think is great. The finale was weak, Q was weak, music score was weak.
It was a remake of Thunderball and nothing much else.
There's the glimmer of something else in there, I think - but it needed more maturation.
Not one of my favorite Bond film. I agree with you on the legacy film for a character.
I watch someone touch on this idea, loosely, on how the movie "The Rock" with Nicholas Cage and Connery; which Connery plays as Bond but under an alias. The video talks about all the little connections to Bond. There are a few leaps over continuity but it is an interesting one.
Connery does indeed have something of an opportunity to play an older Bond again, in The Rock. Of course that's all unofficial, and his character name is John Mason, an ex SAS commando. Bond by comparison was a Submarine Commander before he joined MI6. We also have to accept that this Bond has spent about half his life in prison, which is depressing. However Connery's performance does give us a great show of how a 60 something Bond might be. And he still kicks ass. If Kevin McClory had his way, a 60/70-somethning Connery would have been playing Bond again in his further attempt at a Thunderball remake.
McClory also tried to get Dalton to do another take at Thunderball, IIRC.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond Yes. I believe that was after Connery gave him a final "Yuu Mussst Be Jocking". Interestingly, Pierce Brosnan approached McClory after he couldn't do The Living Daylights because of his Remington Steel contract. He figured Dalton was in for the long haul and EON wouldn't ask him again, so he'd take the initiative and ask McClory for the part in his. Luckily for him it never happened, otherwise he wouldn't have got GoldenEye.
I don't know how they thought this would be a good idea. Is this meant to be the same Bond as the earlier Bond??. Watching this film recently my opinion is it's piss poor. Connery is essentially living out the exact same mission he'd previously been assigned to years earlier. It should have had a different actor in the role. But then again the film probably would have completely failed.🍸
It is boring but Thunderball is very boring also and was Connery’s worst Bond movie. Even though it was his biggest box office success It is the EON Connery film that gets rewatched the least. As remake NSNA captured that crappiness. The best part of Connery’s movies, and the only good aspect of Thunderball IMO, is the concept of SPECTRE as as an omnipotent sinister shadow organisation with those traits also embodied in the mysterious Blofeld. That was all conceived by Kevin McClory to help Flemming make Bond more cinematic so it is a pity that when he produced NSNA he didn’t have the budget to push that aspect.
Earlier drafts of NSNA made a bigger deal of SPECTRE, if I recall correctly.
Your take on the music was my biggest complaint about the film when I first saw it.There was nothing I'd want to buy and listen to at home. How about the music that Domino plays while she's practicing? Sort of cheesy
I don't mind the Domino dancing music (it feels very plausibly correct to the time period). But the music doesn't land.
Yeah, but Mr. Bean?
Thankfully, he's hardly in it!
Nigel Small-Fawcett I'll have you know. Atkinson's injection into the film was apparently at the behest of Connery who wanted more comedy. He'd hired legendary British TV sitcom writers Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais (who'd go on to beef up Connery's lines for The Rock) to redo NSNA and that led to Atkinson, then a member of the British sketch show Not The Nine O'Clock News being hired. His character was later remolded by Atkinson with less clownishness and a tad more suaveness into Latham, a spy in a series of comedic Barclays Bank commercials. Later extending that into the Johnny English films.
Can you rank the bond actors?
If you'd find it interesting, sure!
The title and text on the thumbnail should be swapped.
@@Ladondorf Why do you say that?
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond I think people read titles first and thumbnail text second, especially since thumbnail text can be small to read when displayed at a small size, as thumbnails often are.
The natural order in which people would read it would be "Is it any good?: The unofficial Bond film. It would make more sense to read it as "The Unofficial Bond Film: Is it any good?"
Some people might not pay attention to the thumbnail text at all. All they would register is a video titled "Is it any good?" which would not make it clear what the video is about.
Another problem is search terms. If I were an average person looking to find a video about this film, I would most likely type either "Never Say Never Again" or "Unofficial Bond Film" into the search bar. But when I do, your video doesn't come up. It only came up for me when I searched "Is it any good?" Which is a phrase no one would ever think to search.
In my opinion, one should use titles to introduce the main subject, and use thumbnail text for additional commentary or as a subtitle.
Don't like it, don't count it. Don't really see what you see in it. That's fair enough, of course. I don't think I even have a copy of Never Say A Book By Never A Judge Saying Neverending Story No More Again One Time Never. We could have had Zardoz II but no, Sean Connery had to go do this one instead.
Oh, but, I can absolutely shee Bond during one of hish shabbaticals hooking up with a dance teacher and learning the tango along the way. I'd agree he'd not go take leshons, but that's not the shame as shaying he shouldn't know the dance.
Well, I do call it one of the most boring Bond films, so I'm not *that* complimentary towards it!
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBond Oh sure, but, I don't even see the smidge of good you do. :-)
I really liked Dial Of Destiny! Never Say Never Again is okay, better than Die Another Day and Spectre in my opinion!
I like Dial, too.
I would rather watch DAD and SPECTRE than NSNA, I *think*.
😢
Dial of Destiny was terrible and so was Never Say Never again. But Never say Never again was way better then the atrocity of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Anybody who's a real Indiana Jones fan would agree that Dial of Destiny was the worst of the films. It's biggest flaw is that the writers did not know the characters.
Dial of Destiny killed a beloved franchise. Never say never again is fine, the song has a great hook, very catchy. But yea the production could have made it a lot better.
@@AnalyzeThisMisterBondthanks for clarifying, I don't need to watch this video any further then 😂
While I like NSNA it ranks at the very bottom just because its the same as Thunderball and except Carrera worse on every level. Therefore when I'm in the mood for this I watch Thunderball.
I do prefer NSNA's Largo to TB's Largo.
@AnalyzeThisMisterBond on good days I can give you that. KMB certainly did an outstanding performance and he has more weight than TB Largo. As you mention in your video the cast is really good. But it kind of shows how much better TB is despite the great NSNA cast.
NSNA is a film that I really dislike. I saw it first when I was a child, but gave it a rewatch again in 2023. It’s a boring film, and for me, lacks anything of real substance for me to enjoy.
I’ve been harsh towards my least favorite Eon film (AVTAK), but I’d rather watch that on repeat than to try to struggle through NSNA for a second viewing as an adult. Just the opening to NSNA is enough to get me to want to stop watching it. At least AVTAK has a great soundtrack and great villains.
For me, Never Say Never Again is really just Never Watch It Ever Again. As always, thanks for the analysis Ryan!
Cheers, Paul. It's definitely on the dull side.
Connery and the rest great, soundtrack horrible. Title song great as is Herb Alpert's trumpet solo at movie's end.
Plot good.
The score is probably the biggest misfire of the entire movie. Its awful. Feels small and unfocused. Does not feel like a big budget spy film score. Obviously, they couldn't use the Bond theme, but still, there had to have been a better option.
It really feels "off."
NSNA sucks from beginning to end. There’s no need to discuss the film.
Well, thanks for stopping by!
It copied thunderball poorly
Yeah, it doesn't keep TB's better aspects intact.
Great then. Not now. 🙁
How so?
Worst Bond film ever. He was way too old for the part!!!!
Mr Bean was the only best part by a longshot, the rest of the movie was a snore fest!
He was younger than Roger Moore was at the time!
@ Shows you how good Roger Moore really was 👍