Search - For Your Eyes Only (Two-Disc Ultimate Edition) on DVD

Eyes Only 007 and A Good Effort

gobirds2 | New England | 08/06/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Stunt, after stunt, after stunt obliterates this film's attempt to return the James Bond series to its original origins. Roger Moore gives a competent performance as 007 but the physical stunts that he is supposedly performing defy credibility. It is interesting how the level of physical stunts that James Bond is required to perform increases proportionally with Roger Moore's age with each new film.

The first two thirds of the film are good. However, the film drops out in the third. When you've seen one impregnable mountaintop fortress, you've seen 'em all. Bill Conti's disco score actually helped this film along the way giving it some energy and drive. It is in the final third of the film that Conti returns to a more traditional orchestral scoring, which is actually very good, but unfortunately only contributed to the film's anti climatic finale.

The sinking of the St. Georges, the attack on Kristatos' warehouse and Bond's face to face confrontation with Locque kicking the villain's car, with Locque still inside, off the cliff were high points and were excellently filmed.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY makes a good effort to return to the pre-DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER tone of the Bond films. At the time of its release I think it played very well but with age it looks more like a grand experiment that didn't quite succeed. However, they did try.

I think the sound restoration and visual elements are outstanding. The extras are quite interesting. I recommend this one."