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Summary: JAMES BOND GIFT SET VOLUME 3
Review: OK, lets get one thing straight. In my opinion there's no such thing as a really bad BOND movie. They all have something to offer based on your on personal likes and dislikes. This giftset completes the BOND collection and it is a shame, because the BOND DVDs are the best on the market. Not only do they present the movie in terrific audio and visual clarity, they also contain many exciting and interesting extras. If your interested on my opinions on each movie I have published them under each title. Add this one to your shopping cart for hours of action/adventure enjoyment.
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Summary: John Barry Scores All Six for 007 Vol 3
Review: One point of interesting trivia about this third volume of James Bond DVDs is that John Barry scored all six titles.John Barry scored "From Russia With Love" bringing a highly recognizable sound to the Bond series with his unique musical style. That has been a hallmark, which brings a cohesive quality to the whole series even in Barry's absence. "From Russia With Love" is considered to be one of the better Bond films in the series. It follows the directorial style of "Dr. No." Sean Connery continued his portrayal of the character in the Fleming literary mold. Connery continued to refine his performance adding more depth to the character's worldliness, intellect, social graces and wry humor. "From Russia With Love" is still missing Lines of dialogue, even from this new DVD version. These lines are also missing from every VHS copy that I own as well as the original DVD. I was not pleased with the copy of the print. It looked a little soft and grainy. The audio also has a shallow and hollow sound. Not a good copy. In the first hour of "You Only Live Twice" the pace is deliberate, but never boring or unentertaining. It ends with Bond flying "Little Nellie," delivered by "Q," into an aerial dogfight with four helicopters. As it moves into the second hour more of the science fiction and fantasy elements start to take center stage. The film starts to look sloppy and meanders along till it gets to the excellently filmed battle between Tanaka's ninjas and Blofeld's private army in his Volcano lair. However, John Barry composed one of his best scores for this film. "You Only Live Twice" contained elements of espionage, action, thrills, adventure and science fiction. The print of this film is excellently crisp, clean and clear. It is the best widescreen version I have seen. John Barry's score for "Diamonds Are Forever" was much more lightweight, not in substance, but in sound compared to "You Only Live Twice." He appropriately reflected the tone of the film. The string and percussion sections are much more prominent here than in earlier Bond films. Actually, it is one of his better Bond scores. Ken Adam's designs for the Willard Whyte penthouse and Blofeld's cavernous mud bath lair were familiar and welcome additions from the man who helped set the visual style for the series. They were visually opulent and pleasing to the eye, but nowhere in the magnitude of those he created for "You Only Live Twice." The plot is very confusing and it really doesn't matter because the film does not take itself too serious. "Diamonds Are Forever," though not very suspenseful, remains an entertaining farce bringing Bond into the 70s. The 4 deleted scenes were very welcome additions to this DVD. In "Octopussy" the score by John Barry is a little vague. The action scenes he scored didn't have his old punch. It was like he was in a transitional state. He scored the early scenes very well and they had that unique Bond sound that he used to bring to the earlier films. As the film progressed the score seemed to become repetitious and tedious. He did do a good job scoring the scenes involving the Soviets, which had that eastern block flavor similar to his score for "The Quiller Memorandum." To its credit, the film uses elements from the short stories "Octopussy" and "The Property of a Lady" by Ian Fleming in a sentimental throwback to earlier Bonds. Louis Jourdan as Kamal, in a very underrated performance, is excellent and is one of the best villains of the series. Desmond Llewelyn as "Q" seemed to return to his old self prior to "Diamonds Are Forever." The film goes a little over-the-top near the end having Octopussy's troupe of beautiful amazons attack Kamal's Monsoon Palace and then having Bond crawl all over Kamal's Beechcraft Model 18 Super H18 as it dives, loops and tailspins. Your heart kind of went out for Roger in "A View To A Kill." He deserved a better finale. John Barry's score is somewhat sentimentally romantic with a tinge of melancholy perhaps out of respect for Roger. The one image that remains with me from this film is when Bond carries Stacey on his back climbing down the fire truck ladder rescuing her from the burning City Hall. As corny as that scene may have looked it hearkened back to a time in films when heroes really were heroes. Roger did a fine job during his tenure. "A View To A Kill" is the best remastered print of the six titles in this set. All the previous widescreen copies of this title be they on Laserdisc or VHS tape all contained an annoying strobe-like pattern for the first 20 minutes of the print and returned for the final 10 minutes. They finally got it fixed. The print is very clean and crisp. The sound was also greatly improved. The music is more prominently heard now in some of the early scenes. The deleted scene in the Paris police station was very interesting. "The Living Daylights" was the best James Bond film since 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." The film introduces Timothy Dalton as 007 and it brings the series back to its roots. Dalton's performance brings comparisons to Sean Connery over other actors that have filled the role. The film looks more like a product of the 60s as it brings Bond behind the "Iron Curtain" and up against the KGB. An emotionally charged pre-title sequence on the cliffs of Gibraltar introduces the new James Bond and is a highlight of the entire series. Alec Mills' rich and colorful cinematography and John Barry's best Bond score in years make this a nostalgic treat. The deleted scene with the magic carpet was in fact best left deleted as seen on this DVD.
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Summary: Bond, James Bond
Review: Probably the best James Bond movie of all was "From Russia With Love". At least if you like spy movies with a shred of reality. During the Cold War of the early sixties this film was true to character and had believable undercover operations. With Goldfinger (not in this set) they got more high tech and the believability started to go out the window. I am not saying they weren't entertaining, just not as believable as the original Ian Fleming books or Tom Clancy movies. The rest the movies in this set are okay but nothing special. Dalton was okay but no Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan. Roger Moore was loosing his touch and it shows. I never thought they should have hired him after The Saint TV series in the first place. This is a good set but it is not available at this time. Amazons price is reasonable and I am sure this will be back on their available list in the next few months if you can wait. I have talked to several retail stores and they were instructed to pull copies of all James Bond movies off the shelfs by MGM. The movies are not out of print as some would have you believe. I have heard a couple stories as to why it was pulled (i.e. daughter of someone involved with picture rights is not satified with percentage, defects in quality of the DVDs, or new movie coming out so they want movies off the shelf to stimilate interest but they will be back on shelf in September). What ever the reason there are far to many fans for this not to be back out on DVD sometime very soon. Don't spend more than what Amazon charges for a new copy or you are paying to much. Wait and buy it from Amazon so you won't kick yourself for being impatient and paying a scalper. Don't buy it here, go to where the new James Bond sets are being sold by Amazon. They are under ninety dollars.
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Summary: Worth your money.
Review: Since the first DVD Collection put in the "must have" Bond films and the second wave yucked it up with mostly Roger Moore, it was a given that this one would be a great set. And what a set it is! -"From Russia With Love": In my opinion, the best you could ever get. Beautiful scenery, beautiful women, great villains, and the memorable gypsy camp and train fight scenes. Connery is at his best with this one. -"You Only Live Twice": A personal favorite of mine. This one takes Bond to Japan. Although Connery's acting shows his growing distest for the role, the film has it's moments. Blofeld is finally seen, Helga Brandt is a great villainess, and the volcano lair is a classic. -"Diamonds Are Forever": Connery's last film is a far cry from his previous five, but it isn't all that bad. It's over the top but doesn't cross the line like Roger Moore did a few times. -"Octopussy": One of Roger Moore's best. The settings are great, Kristina Waybourn as Magda is one of the best Bond girls, and Maud Adams proves she is always welcome as a Bond girl. The film has it's moments though when I'm reminded exactly why I dislike Roger Moore so much. -"A View to a Kill": This is as bad as it gets. At 57 years old Roger Moore decides he should do one last film. The plot is weak, the main Bond girl (Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton) is drab and stupid, and most of the dialouge is stupid. The best part is the villains. Christopher Walkin and Grace Jones make for excellent baddies. Moore still should've retied after "For Your Eyes Only" though. -"The Living Daylights": Timothy Dalton makes a welcome debut as James Bond in this one. After many, many years of Roger Moore's goofball antics, Dalton's hard-edged approach to playing Bond was very welcome. The film ranks as one of the best and is not one to be missed. The DVDs themselves once again feature great special features and menu screens. Definitely check out the "Octopussy" and "Living Daylights" DVDs to see screen tests of Bond hopefuls James Brolin and Sam Neill.
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Summary: Bond Set #3 Is Shakin', Not Stirred
Review: So, finally the last of the James Bond movies arrive on DVD. And you get quite a variety, including 3 Sean Connery outings (the last set only had 1 and the first had 2 by Sean). From Russia With Love is the best of the 3. The Bond film made just before Goldfinger gives us a James Bond who's not use to having gadgets around to save his neck every time he gets in a jam. Robert Shaw stands out as the evil henchmen (like Oddjob) working for SPECTRE in is sure to be remembered as one of the greatest train fights in history. You Only Live Twice pits Bond against SPECTRE again, who this time are trying to start WWIII by stealing U.S. and Soviet space vehicles and making it look like the other country is responsible. Bond gets married to a Japanese woman (but only for undercover purposes) and the two track down the secret volcano lair of Blofeld (Austin Powers got many of it's ideas from this bond film including Dr. Evil's face job, taken right from Donald Pleasance's Blofeld here. After You Only Live Twice, Sean Connery decided he'd had enough of playing 007 and decided not to star in the next film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Many diehard Bond fans like myself feel that if he had taken the part, this would have been the most successful Bond film of it's generation. But oddly enough, the producers were able to persuade Sean to come back an do one more Bond, Diamonds Are Forever. It would be the first Bond shot in the 70's, with 007 doing what he does best, mixing it up with the baddies and indulging himself with the ladies. Don't miss the classic fight between him and Bambi and Thumper. Roger Moore's last two 007 films continue this set, beginning with Octopussy, a grand, if not a bit silly, story in which Bond must track down the killer of a fellow double 0 agent as well as woo an seduce the lovely Maude Adams who previously acted in The Man With The Golden Gun (She was killed in that one). The opening sequence is a lot of fun, as Bond flies a small jet plane, cutting through a hanger and making it all the way out before the doors are closed on him as a heat seeking missile flies after him. Moore's last Bond, A View To A Kill, will probably be best known for it's title song, performed by Duran Duran (the most successful Bond song in history). In this outing Bond takes on the microchip world and the baddies, played by a very blonde Christopher Walken along with his henchwoman, Grace Jones are out to keep him from spoiling all the fun. Tanya Roberts (who can now be seen on That 70's Show) plays the 'Bond Girl (just how many times can she scream "James! " in one scene?) with relative ease. And finally, Mr. Timothy Dalton's debut as 007 in, The Living Daylights. What's nice about this one is that Bond only has one love interest which makes it a bit romantic for some, but again a bit disappointing for others who want it the way it's always been. Dalton, takes a very serious tone with the Bond character, a trait that he has often been criticized for (Moore too smarmy, and Brosnan a bit too stiff). All I can say is, nobody does it better than Sean, but please, cut the rest of these fine actor's some slack. Each one gives us a unique perspective of the life of 007. This should be revered, not trampled on. As for special features, this set, like the two earlier one's, is jam packed with audio commentaries, making of's, trailers, music videos and more. My only complaint is that they did not leave a space open for Bond #20 in this collector's box like they did for The World Is Not Enough in the previous set. This means when #20 comes out it will be left out of the set or MGM will release another set to buy all over again. They can say that it's because nothing is definite with Bond #20 but lets face it, we know it's coming and they should have left a space for it. Other than that, this 3rd set is a wonderful edition to the world of 007.
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Summary: Third wave is here!
Review: The 3rd and final wave of Bond DVD's is finally here, and all 19 movies now take up a nice shelf of my bookcase. Of course this box is compulsory for anybody who has the other two boxes, but here are my thoughts about this box. I love DAF (not just because the opening is shot in my country, the Netherlands) and FRWL, and TLD is pretty decent, but i care a bit less about the rest. MGM did another excellent job at the picture quality of this set, and included some interesting documentaries on the music and all the title animations, amongst others. On the downside, there's no subtitling on any disc this time (as opposed to the first box), only captioning, which my set doesn't support. Also, the case of TLD states that it features a 5.1 soundtrack, while there only is a 2.0 track. But that's just nitpicking. Technically, the first box still is the best, with the most features and the least compatability problems. In my opinion, the third box contains the best and most varied movies of the series, and the second one contains all the others. So get this one, enjoy it, and let's hope that MGM will finish 40 years of bond with a 20th movie.
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Summary: Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton & Roger Moore
Review: The collection has the best of Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton & Roger Moore... they are classics now but a must have for 007 fans! One of the Best Roger Moore's 007 movie Octopussy and A View To A Kill as well... If you love Sean Connery's classics or Roger Moore's best or Timothy Dalton's The Living Daylights... this is what you need!
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Summary: Flawless but endangered part 3
Review: The DVDs in this collection are stunning. Not only are these the best most of these movies have ever looked and sounded but the extra commentaries and documentaries are a treasure trove. From Russia with Love, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, and The Living Daylights have recieved the best compliment MGM/UA can give. Well ALMOST: Both Octopussy and Living Daylights have minor authoring flaws. Throughout the films location "title cards" are missing and the occassional foreign language punch-line is not subtitled (Permanent on-screen subtitles not the DVD removable subtitles). Neither of these problems affects the narrative of the film (Unlike the scene missing on the Never Say Never again DVD)... In any case this is the newest set in the collection .... If you havent grabed the sets or your individual favorite movies grab them now before they disapear.
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Summary: Great Collection, but buy the new set
Review: The studio has just re-released this James Bond set three so don't buy it from the scalpers here wanting two to three hundred plus dollars. Amazon will be selling the new re-release Set three as of November 17th. My advice to you is you can buy all three new re-released sets for what the scalpers here want for just this one older set three. The set itself is great. Some of the best James Bond movies are in this set. The picture and sound quality are great and they include many extra features. You can get the new sets for under ninety dollars.
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Summary: Bond NO.3
Review: The third collection of the James Bond series has some of the best of the films, and in contrast, some of the not-so-good films. Starting off with DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER with Sean Connery as Bond, this one is somewhat lacklustre in comparison to the early 007 films, but there's still some fun to be had with some cool car chases through Vegas and an ensamble of menacing villians. The second entry into the Bond franchise, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is brilliant entertainment taken from Ian Flemming's best novel. Everything clicked in this one after the sometimes shaky DR NO (Due mostly to the increase in budget), from Connery's commanding performance, to some gripping action and the late, great Robert Shaw as a ruthless assasin. Gadgets, cool action and the entry of Q, played by Desmond LLewelyn. Masterfully constructed, FRWL is one of the greatest films ever made.
Following Roger Moore's long list of films, Timothy Dalton made his debut as the charming secret agent in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS. While the action is impressive, the film falls short of having any meaty villians. But Dalton is much closer to the mark with the character of Bond in Flemming's books. His performance, restrained at times, is a more cold portrayal than Moore. OCTOPUSSY is one of Roger Moore's better films, but John Glen's ham-fisted direction leaves the film with little in the way of inventive action. Last but not least, YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. Connery is good, but not up to his usaul standards. This collection, while impressive, is perhaps best suited for hard-core fans rather than action buffs.
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