Never Say Never Again
|
List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $4.99
Your Save: $ 9.99 ( 67% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Starring: Sean Connery, Kim Basinger, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow, Barbara Carrera
Directed By: Irvin Kershner
|
Average Customer Rating:  
|
|
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: CONNERY,SEAN
EAN: 9780792847229
Format: Anamorphic
ISBN: 0792847229
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2000-10-17
Running Time: 133
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: 1983
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Good, The Bad, and the Bond
Comment: I wouldn't go out of my way for this if I wasn't a Bond completist, but NSNA seems to me to be a fair-to-middling Bond outing that compares favorably to its contemporary (1983) 'official' competition, OCTOPUSSY. Despite a low budget the film doesn't feel cheap, the recycled plot is one of the better ones, and Connery, although hamming it up a bit as a middle-aged superspy, is still everybody's favorite Bond.
If you're comparing this to the early Connery, or even the Pierce Brosnan period, forget it - done at the height (depth?) of the Roger Moore period, NSNA is full of tongue-in-cheek, but handled better, IMHO, than the corny Moore scripts. Q-Algy was less overdone than John Cleese, though James Fox's "M" dialogue was sometimes a bit too over-the-top, Barbara Carrera had to make do with a part that was all ham, and Rowan Atkinson - well, was Rowan Atkinson, which should tell you all you need to know about THAT! On the other hand Klaus Maria Brandauer was a SUPERB villain; Max Von Sydow was kind of wasted in the Blofeld role, but I prefer him to Telly Savalas!?! Kim Basinger was decent eye-candy; the rest of the roles were adequately handled.
There are some distinct weaknesses in NSNA, particularly the flat and somewhat absurd climax (why would Domino have been there at all?!?) but the fight scenes were generally good, and Brandauer rises above the material to be, IMHO, the best villain since GOLDFINGER (at least until DIE ANOTHER DAY.)
MY DVD *I* have HAS the full scene of Bond approaching Domino in the casino and offering her an apology and a drink. According to some there are bad disks out there, so beware!
Customer Rating:
Summary: sadly...."Stirred not shaken"
Comment: By no means a great bond movie....but not a complete flop either, I had to have it for the series (sigh!)...but will I watch it again...probably not. An adequate digital transfer, okay sound....but not a scratch on the real Bond franchise
Customer Rating:
Summary: Connery's swan song
Comment: The result of Kevin McClory's lawsuit against Ian Fleming (and much later Cubby Broccoli) over THUNDERBALL, it has Sean Connery returning to harness as Commander James Bond 12 years after departing the series. A film that had a torturous history. Originally announced in 1976 as JAMES BOND OF THE SECRET SERVICE (McClory's agreement with Cubby Broccoli & Harry Saltzman called for him to be able to remake the story 10 years after THUNDERBALL's release -- some have speculated that the two Bond producers didn't believe the character would survive that long), he was promptly sued by Broccoli & company. Later Sean Connery would come on board with British Spy novelist Len Deighton (THE IPCRESS FILE, FUNERAL IN BERLIN, et al) to write a new screen treatment now called WARHEAD. Connery even went on a scouting trip to NYC to check out locations (including the Statue of Liberty). As legal entanglements dragged on, McClory eventually sold the rights to Hollywood lawyer (and Talia Shire's husband) Jack Schwartzman. The film managed to lure Connery back for a reported $3 or $4 million. Basically using the THUNDERBALL scenario (legally, it couldn't stray too far from the original story) NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN is a curious film. While it works when Connery is on screen (and he is alot), somehow it isn't totally satisfying. It lacks the sense of urgency and worldwide menace that the original had. The Legrand score stinks (the fault of Sean Connery who insisted on him), the finale lacks the drama epic scope of the original underwater battle, Kim Bassinger is lovely but lack Claudine Auger's charm; Klaus Maria Brandeur -- a fine actor -- is interesting as Largo but everything seems less than the original. Of standout mention: Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush -- sexy and murderously deranged. However her character departs half-way through the film. Edward Fox as M doesn't make it and Pamela Salem is a weak Moneypenny. Some nice touches: Aftering water sking into Bond's arms at a Bahaman bar...
Fatima Blush: I've made you wet!
Bond: Yes, but my martini is still dry.
Released the same year as the Eon series 13th outing, OCTOPUSSY, the Moore film made more money. Also of note, the same year George Lazenby played a character only referred to as "JB" in THE RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. So all three of the guys who had -- up to that point played 007 -- were all doing so again somewhere in the world!
Customer Rating:
Summary: He gets better with age.
Comment: Wonderful comeback for Connery. His wit and humor are above that in any of his older Bond movies.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Winner Of The Battle Of The Bond's
Comment: 1983 was "the battle of the Bonds". That year both Roger Moore and Sean Connery starred in two separate James Bond film, the former (Octopussy) was produced by the "official" makers of the Bond films while the later (Never Say Never Again) was produced "unofficially" by a group led by Kevin McClory who held the film rights to Thunderball. Surprisingly enough is the "unofficial" film that is better despite the obvious flaw of missing elements from the official films and the fact that Never Say Never Again is a remake of Thunderball.
Never Say Never Again has the distinction of sporting one of the best casts ever assembled for a Bond film. It all starts with Sean Connery, returning to the play Bond for the first time since 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. Connery might be older then he was then but he looks better here then he did in Diamonds Are Forever. Gone is the bored Bond of Diamonds and in is an older version of the Bond of the early Connery films. The Bond of Never Say Never Again is the sleek and dangerous shark of Dr. No or From Russia With Love, just a few years older. Connery's delivery of one liners and dialogue is as dead on as it ever was. The one downside to Connery's age is his believability, especially when it comes to the ladies of the film. Let's face it even Connery, despite being in top physical shape, looks as odd as Moore when he is bedding women half his age. Yet despite this believability issue, Never Say Never Again shows Connery in one of his better Bond performances and a definite improvement on his two earlier Bond performances.
Kim Bassinger plays Domino in one of her early film roles. Bassinger plays the role with considerable confidence for a relative newcomer and she makes the character believable. Bassinger holds her own against her co-stars and has considerable chemistry with them as well. In fact she may well outshine her Thunderball counter-part played by Claudine Auger.
Then there's the villain, Maximilian Largo played by Klaus Maria Brandauer. Brandauer's Largo is everything a James Bond film villain should be: suave, charming, evil and above all believable none the less. One can believe in the villain of this film, a billionaire playboy with an evil streak in him that remains well hidden. Brandauer makes the role realistic and chooses not to fall into the trap many other Bond villains have fallen into by going over the top. Brandauer plays Largo with a silent menace and charisma unseen in many adversaries of 007.
The excellent cast extends into the supporting cast as well. Barbara Carrera makes a fine henchwoman in the guise of Fatima Blush and the screen lights up when ever she appears. Max Von Sydow makes a rather nice appearance as Blofeld, though his appearance is more akin to a cameo role. Rowan Atkinson makes an early screen appearance as Bond's bumbling contact in the Bahamas that makes for some of the best scenes in the film. With all that the highlight of the supporting cast comes from the MI6 staff from Edward Fox's M who makes for a great contrast to Bernard Lee, Pamela Salem who make s affine Moneypenny and the icing on the cake with Alec McCowen's wonderful Q. The supporting cast has a couple of misfires though in the form of Bernie Casey as Felix Leiter (the first African-American to play the role) and Gavin O'Herlihy as Jack Petachi who both seem to lack credibility in their respective roles. Otherwise this film sports one of the best casts ever assembled for a Bond film.
On top of an excellent cast the film has several other essential ingredients: good action sequences, good special effects and good direction. From the opening Central America sequence to the fight at Shrublands to the underwater sequences and motorbike chase, this is a film where the action sequences are not only great but service the plot as well for the most part. The film also sports good special effects in terms of cruise missile models, explosions, and all the things we expect from a Bond film. Irvin Kershner, then fresh off doing The Empire Strikes Back for the Star Wars series, brings a tight sense of direction to the film especially in sequences like the substation of nuclear warheads and the subsequent theft of the cruise missiles.
Yet this film is far from perfect. Never Say Never Again is easily one of the most dated of the Bond films with its heavy use of 1980's computer sand video games. While technology dates any film after a time, this film's heavy reliance on it, especially in the hijacking of the cruise missiles and the Domination sequence makes the film look incredibly dated some quarter of a century after its release. The script also tends to suffer from predictability due to the very fact it's a remake of Thunderball.
Yet for its predictability the script for Never Say Never Again is pretty good. The script sports good dialogue scenes, not a single cringe worthy one liner (how many of the Roger Moore era scripts can you say that about?), some humorous situations, and yet is watchable and tense for the most part. Once you look past he fact that it's a remake, there's quite a lot of good things in the script for the film.
Music is in fact the biggest weakness of the film. Due to the "unofficial" status of the film, the James Bond Theme could not be used. That said this could have shown with the right composer that a Bond score without it could work. Unfortunately first choice James Horner (fresh off Star Trek II at the time) was passed over in favor of Michael Legrand, whose score is far from adequate. Legrand's score is totally out of place in a Bond film and there is only of or two places where it actually works. To make matters worse the film is also lumbered with one of the worst title sequences ever to grace a James Bond Theme.
Yet despite being heavily dated, somewhat predicable, and having a bad score Never Say Never Again is still a good Bond film. With one of the best casts of any Bond film, good action sequences, good special effects, good direction, and some terrific dialogue. Never Say Never Again proves that "unofficial" isn't a bad thing. In fact it is better then quite a few official films and is better then Octopussy and the winner of "the battle of the Bonds".
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Good, The Bad, and the Bond
Comment: I wouldn't go out of my way for this if I wasn't a Bond completist, but NSNA seems to me to be a fair-to-middling Bond outing that compares favorably to its contemporary (1983) 'official' competition, OCTOPUSSY. Despite a low budget the film doesn't feel cheap, the recycled plot is one of the better ones, and Connery, although hamming it up a bit as a middle-aged superspy, is still everybody's favorite Bond.
If you're comparing this to the early Connery, or even the Pierce Brosnan period, forget it - done at the height (depth?) of the Roger Moore period, NSNA is full of tongue-in-cheek, but handled better, IMHO, than the corny Moore scripts. Q-Algy was less overdone than John Cleese, though James Fox's "M" dialogue was sometimes a bit too over-the-top, Barbara Carrera had to make do with a part that was all ham, and Rowan Atkinson - well, was Rowan Atkinson, which should tell you all you need to know about THAT! On the other hand Klaus Maria Brandauer was a SUPERB villain; Max Von Sydow was kind of wasted in the Blofeld role, but I prefer him to Telly Savalas!?! Kim Basinger was decent eye-candy; the rest of the roles were adequately handled.
There are some distinct weaknesses in NSNA, particularly the flat and somewhat absurd climax (why would Domino have been there at all?!?) but the fight scenes were generally good, and Brandauer rises above the material to be, IMHO, the best villain since GOLDFINGER (at least until DIE ANOTHER DAY.)
MY DVD *I* have HAS the full scene of Bond approaching Domino in the casino and offering her an apology and a drink. According to some there are bad disks out there, so beware!
Customer Rating:
Summary: sadly...."Stirred not shaken"
Comment: By no means a great bond movie....but not a complete flop either, I had to have it for the series (sigh!)...but will I watch it again...probably not. An adequate digital transfer, okay sound....but not a scratch on the real Bond franchise
Customer Rating:
Summary: Connery's swan song
Comment: The result of Kevin McClory's lawsuit against Ian Fleming (and much later Cubby Broccoli) over THUNDERBALL, it has Sean Connery returning to harness as Commander James Bond 12 years after departing the series. A film that had a torturous history. Originally announced in 1976 as JAMES BOND OF THE SECRET SERVICE (McClory's agreement with Cubby Broccoli & Harry Saltzman called for him to be able to remake the story 10 years after THUNDERBALL's release -- some have speculated that the two Bond producers didn't believe the character would survive that long), he was promptly sued by Broccoli & company. Later Sean Connery would come on board with British Spy novelist Len Deighton (THE IPCRESS FILE, FUNERAL IN BERLIN, et al) to write a new screen treatment now called WARHEAD. Connery even went on a scouting trip to NYC to check out locations (including the Statue of Liberty). As legal entanglements dragged on, McClory eventually sold the rights to Hollywood lawyer (and Talia Shire's husband) Jack Schwartzman. The film managed to lure Connery back for a reported $3 or $4 million. Basically using the THUNDERBALL scenario (legally, it couldn't stray too far from the original story) NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN is a curious film. While it works when Connery is on screen (and he is alot), somehow it isn't totally satisfying. It lacks the sense of urgency and worldwide menace that the original had. The Legrand score stinks (the fault of Sean Connery who insisted on him), the finale lacks the drama epic scope of the original underwater battle, Kim Bassinger is lovely but lack Claudine Auger's charm; Klaus Maria Brandeur -- a fine actor -- is interesting as Largo but everything seems less than the original. Of standout mention: Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush -- sexy and murderously deranged. However her character departs half-way through the film. Edward Fox as M doesn't make it and Pamela Salem is a weak Moneypenny. Some nice touches: Aftering water sking into Bond's arms at a Bahaman bar...
Fatima Blush: I've made you wet!
Bond: Yes, but my martini is still dry.
Released the same year as the Eon series 13th outing, OCTOPUSSY, the Moore film made more money. Also of note, the same year George Lazenby played a character only referred to as "JB" in THE RETURN OF THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. So all three of the guys who had -- up to that point played 007 -- were all doing so again somewhere in the world!
Customer Rating:
Summary: He gets better with age.
Comment: Wonderful comeback for Connery. His wit and humor are above that in any of his older Bond movies.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Winner Of The Battle Of The Bond's
Comment: 1983 was "the battle of the Bonds". That year both Roger Moore and Sean Connery starred in two separate James Bond film, the former (Octopussy) was produced by the "official" makers of the Bond films while the later (Never Say Never Again) was produced "unofficially" by a group led by Kevin McClory who held the film rights to Thunderball. Surprisingly enough is the "unofficial" film that is better despite the obvious flaw of missing elements from the official films and the fact that Never Say Never Again is a remake of Thunderball.
Never Say Never Again has the distinction of sporting one of the best casts ever assembled for a Bond film. It all starts with Sean Connery, returning to the play Bond for the first time since 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. Connery might be older then he was then but he looks better here then he did in Diamonds Are Forever. Gone is the bored Bond of Diamonds and in is an older version of the Bond of the early Connery films. The Bond of Never Say Never Again is the sleek and dangerous shark of Dr. No or From Russia With Love, just a few years older. Connery's delivery of one liners and dialogue is as dead on as it ever was. The one downside to Connery's age is his believability, especially when it comes to the ladies of the film. Let's face it even Connery, despite being in top physical shape, looks as odd as Moore when he is bedding women half his age. Yet despite this believability issue, Never Say Never Again shows Connery in one of his better Bond performances and a definite improvement on his two earlier Bond performances.
Kim Bassinger plays Domino in one of her early film roles. Bassinger plays the role with considerable confidence for a relative newcomer and she makes the character believable. Bassinger holds her own against her co-stars and has considerable chemistry with them as well. In fact she may well outshine her Thunderball counter-part played by Claudine Auger.
Then there's the villain, Maximilian Largo played by Klaus Maria Brandauer. Brandauer's Largo is everything a James Bond film villain should be: suave, charming, evil and above all believable none the less. One can believe in the villain of this film, a billionaire playboy with an evil streak in him that remains well hidden. Brandauer makes the role realistic and chooses not to fall into the trap many other Bond villains have fallen into by going over the top. Brandauer plays Largo with a silent menace and charisma unseen in many adversaries of 007.
The excellent cast extends into the supporting cast as well. Barbara Carrera makes a fine henchwoman in the guise of Fatima Blush and the screen lights up when ever she appears. Max Von Sydow makes a rather nice appearance as Blofeld, though his appearance is more akin to a cameo role. Rowan Atkinson makes an early screen appearance as Bond's bumbling contact in the Bahamas that makes for some of the best scenes in the film. With all that the highlight of the supporting cast comes from the MI6 staff from Edward Fox's M who makes for a great contrast to Bernard Lee, Pamela Salem who make s affine Moneypenny and the icing on the cake with Alec McCowen's wonderful Q. The supporting cast has a couple of misfires though in the form of Bernie Casey as Felix Leiter (the first African-American to play the role) and Gavin O'Herlihy as Jack Petachi who both seem to lack credibility in their respective roles. Otherwise this film sports one of the best casts ever assembled for a Bond film.
On top of an excellent cast the film has several other essential ingredients: good action sequences, good special effects and good direction. From the opening Central America sequence to the fight at Shrublands to the underwater sequences and motorbike chase, this is a film where the action sequences are not only great but service the plot as well for the most part. The film also sports good special effects in terms of cruise missile models, explosions, and all the things we expect from a Bond film. Irvin Kershner, then fresh off doing The Empire Strikes Back for the Star Wars series, brings a tight sense of direction to the film especially in sequences like the substation of nuclear warheads and the subsequent theft of the cruise missiles.
Yet this film is far from perfect. Never Say Never Again is easily one of the most dated of the Bond films with its heavy use of 1980's computer sand video games. While technology dates any film after a time, this film's heavy reliance on it, especially in the hijacking of the cruise missiles and the Domination sequence makes the film look incredibly dated some quarter of a century after its release. The script also tends to suffer from predictability due to the very fact it's a remake of Thunderball.
Yet for its predictability the script for Never Say Never Again is pretty good. The script sports good dialogue scenes, not a single cringe worthy one liner (how many of the Roger Moore era scripts can you say that about?), some humorous situations, and yet is watchable and tense for the most part. Once you look past he fact that it's a remake, there's quite a lot of good things in the script for the film.
Music is in fact the biggest weakness of the film. Due to the "unofficial" status of the film, the James Bond Theme could not be used. That said this could have shown with the right composer that a Bond score without it could work. Unfortunately first choice James Horner (fresh off Star Trek II at the time) was passed over in favor of Michael Legrand, whose score is far from adequate. Legrand's score is totally out of place in a Bond film and there is only of or two places where it actually works. To make matters worse the film is also lumbered with one of the worst title sequences ever to grace a James Bond Theme.
Yet despite being heavily dated, somewhat predicable, and having a bad score Never Say Never Again is still a good Bond film. With one of the best casts of any Bond film, good action sequences, good special effects, good direction, and some terrific dialogue. Never Say Never Again proves that "unofficial" isn't a bad thing. In fact it is better then quite a few official films and is better then Octopussy and the winner of "the battle of the Bonds".
Sean Connery is back for his final performance as superagent James Bond in this high-velocity action thriller from the director of The Empire Strikes Back. When two atomic warheads are hijacked by the evil SPECTRE organization, Agent 007 is hurled into an explosive, pulse-pounding race to save the world from nuclear terrorists!
|
|
|
- Ask about this healthcare product "Never Say Never Again" in the forum
- Give review on this healthcare product "Never Say Never Again" in the forum
- Search related information in the forum
|
|
|
|
|
|
