A View To A Kill - Is It That Bad?

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Roger Moore Promotion For A View To A Kill

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uploaded by Manny Castro

25 years ago today, Roger Moore said farewell to James Bond with the release of A View to a Kill, his seventh and final film in the series. He was 57-years old. That makes him the oldest person to play the role and the actor to portray Bond the most times. Sean Connery also did a seventh movie (Never Say Never Again) but it isn't an official installment in the series. 

Many consider A View to a Kill as one of the worst in the franchise and were glad to see Moore finally leave. But is the film really THAT bad and was Moore the worst thing that ever happened to the series?

Let's start with the movie. The plot revolves around a corporate mogul named Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) who wants to destroy Silicon Valley so he can replace it with his own computer empire. In other words, it's the typical Bond storyline but adapted for the times. Almost every installment in the series features a villain who wants to destroy something for their own personal gain. In the `80s, using a yuppie made sense. So, what makes a Bond villain great isn't what they're doing but whose doing it. In this case it's Christopher Walken. You can never go wrong with Walken and he's definitely one of the best villians in the series. A villain also needs a good henchman and there is one in the form of May Day whose played by Grace Jones. Grace Jones is more man than all James Bonds combined. Okay, so, there's a classic Bond story, a classic Bond villain, and a classic Bond henchman. What are we missing? A classic Bond Girl? The character of Stacey Sutton isn't very memorable, but the actress who plays her, Tanya Roberts, makes an impression. Roberts was one of the decade's sex symbols, so it makes sense for her to be cast. Now what about the action scenes? There's the Eiffel Tower/Streets of France chase, the fire truck chase, and the fight scene on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. All of those are pretty good. Adding to that is another classic score by John Barry.

It seems like the only flaw in A View to a Kill is old man Roger Moore. That is a very valid complain. Moore's age is a major distraction. However, it isn't enough of a distraction to ruin the film. The movie, despite its flaws, is a solid entry in the series and shouldn't be so hated.

As for the Roger Moore era, it wasn't very good but it kept the franchise fresh. Those silly films of his were different enough from the Sean Connery ones to keep audiences interested. His time was just as important. Could George Lazenby have kept the series going for the next two decades? Did Timothy Dalton leave enough of an impact? So, give Roger Moore some credit. He deserves it.