Anime Juke Box - Konya Wa Hurricane -Bubblegum Crisis

Going a bit classic with the anime juke box today. Heading back to 1987 and the original animated video series Bubblegum Crisis. While there is a crisis in the series, it has nothing to do with bubblegum. It has everything to do with rogue androids and hot women in power suits blowing them up. I've already featured one song from this fun series a few years ago, but there are so many awesome 1980s rock songs in this series that I have to share another.

This is the song that starts off the series. The band Priss and the Replicants (fun nod to Bladerunner - one of many!) are rocking out on stage. The performance is intercut with the destruction one of the androids is unleashing on Tokyo. The style of the song (and the performance sequence) is borrowed from Streets of Fire, and I think it actually makes this even better. It's a great way to start off the series, and the song is pretty darn catchy (with lots and lots of english thrown in there for good measure: "Give me touch... burning touch!")

So here is Priss and the Replicants performing Konya Wa Hurricane from the series Bubblegum Crisis.

Score Sample: Masters of the Universe (1987)

At some point I wonder if Bill Conti wondered what the hell he was doing working on the film Masters of the Universe. Not only was the popularity of the animated series and toy line already long over by the time 1987 rolled around. But the movie was being produced by Cannon Films, not necessarily known for making quality entertainment. Check out the film Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films to find out more about some of their adventures in film making.

The movie bombed pretty hard in the box office and Cannon films was pretty much destroyed by its failure. But Bill Conti, well the guy gave it a very strong effort. Combining his heroic bombastic style, heard especially well in films like The Right Stuff with a bit of classical influences like Holst's work on The Planets. Let's not forget some likely temp tracking from John Williams Superman and Miklos Rozsa's God theme from Ben Hur and you've got something pretty impressive. Conti take the familiar elements and makes them his own in a rousing and fun fantasy score, one of the best of the decade. Much like Jerry Goldsmith's work on Lionheart it is a shame the movie is was lost to the mists of time, because the music doesn't deserve to be.

Here are the end credits to Masters of the Universe featuring a good mix of Conti's main theme, the Cosmic Key theme as well as some villainous material for Skeletor (played with relish by Frank Langella). Enjoy!

And Then This Happened... Cry Wilderness

Bigfoot is a legend we are all curious about. Is he real? Is he a tall tale (pun kinda sorta intended)? Is he just a hoax meant to drive up tourist visits to backwoods towns? Maybe Bigfoot is all this and more too. The movie Cry Wilderness would certainly like for us to believe that. But mostly Bigfoot in that movie is... well, let's just say he is less than impressive. But at least when he does show up in the film, he provides plenty of unintentional humor.

Such as this little moment from Cry Wilderness. I think it is just itching for a caption, don't you?

And then this happened...

Score Sample: Hellraiser

October is here and it is time to share some of my favorite horror themed scores. That also means it is time for me to praise Christopher Young again. This talented composer has crafted amazing music for just about every genre of film and in an amazing array of styles. But for most film score fans he is the master of horror music. He does a great job of combining lyrical beauty with darkness. He can create music that can be etherial in its uncanny nature. He can craft horrible bombast that shatters your mind (and eardrums). I love his stuff.

One of the first scores that brought him to everyone's attention was his work for Hellraiser. It is a wonderfully gothic score with some great moments of beauty and horror. The end title track Another Puzzle offers a wonderful example of both sides of Young's music for this film.

Nostalgia Nugget: Star Trek was Always Around - Part 2

If you didn't get a chance to read part 1, check it out first to read my thoughts and memories about Star Trek the original series.

Q's Galactic Nets. Keeps freshness in and keeps
Picard out!

Star Trek was always around.

But I have to admit in 1987 I was way more into Star Wars. It was the ten year anniversary of my favorite space adventure series, and I was really getting back into it at that time. I was listening to the scores on cassette tape and reading my Role Playing Game book, and even writing my own fan fiction. But that is when I heard about a new Star Trek series coming to television

At this time I had a friend who insisted everyone call him Spock, even our teachers. Seriously. I went to school with "Spock" for two years of junior high, and he ended up going to a different high school. I ran into him a couple years later during summer school, and greeted him as "Spock". Wow, he looked like I had slapped him. The guy had gone all goth and Depeche Mode in the past couple years. Star Trek was far behind him. He may have insisted I call him by his true name, but I still thought of (and think of) him as "Spock".

Spot tried to watch Encounter at Farpoint.

I'm not sure what happened to "Spock" in those two years, but I can tell you what happened when I watched the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was actually a pretty big event in my house. We got the VCR ready to tape the episode, which was a full two hour (two episode) event. I don't remember if my grandmother was still living with us at that point (I don't think so), but we were still fans because of the films in the 1980s.

So Encounter at Farpoint starts, and we are enjoying the new characters, the new ship, the new look to everything, but also kind of puzzled at how much different everything looks and feels. Then about one hour into the episode one by one my family starts getting distracted and vanishing from the sofa. I was the only one left to see the ending. To this day, I don't know if the rest of my family has seen the whole episode.

Now, I do remember revisiting the taped version (commercials and all) a few times over the years and having the same issue. I thought maybe I just wasn't giving it a chance. But it took its damn time doing anything, and that the story just wasn't terribly interesting. I thought Q was pretty cool and funny, but the rest of the episode just felt kind of flat. I remember giving the next couple episodes a chance. But when you've got the one two punch of The Naked Now and Code of Honor, well let's just say, this isn't The Next Generation at its best. In fact Code of Honor is often listed as one of the worst episodes in the entire Star Trek franchise. You know right under Spock's Brain.

Wow, this picture is filled to bursting with nerdy
goodness!

So I went back to Star Wars and kind of forgot all about The Next Generation for a while. I would catch episodes here and there. I specifically remember seeing Elementary Dear Data and Sarek which made a big impression on me. At some point I remember there being a big hullaballoo about Spock returning to Star Trek. I remember my family once again sitting down to watch both parts of Unification and wondering how it would all tie into Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. But time went by and I never really got into the series.

I still made a point of seeing The Next Generation films in theaters. But even though I found First Contact entertaining (Farmer Hoggit in SPACE!) I just didn't feel a connection to this crew. I ended up giving Insurrection and Nemesis a pass during the theatrical run, and saw them on home video.

Star Trek had a collectable card game too, but I
didn't care. TEAM DEATH STAR!

By this time we are in the 1990s, and I was still a Star Wars fan. But an odd thing happened in that decade. With Deep Space Nine and Voyager on the air, there was a saturation point to Star Trek that Star Wars just didn't enjoy. I think a lot of Star Wars fans got a little bitter about the whole thing and this strange rivalry started. Suddenly, you couldn't like both series, you had to pick one. I was on team Star Wars for sure, especially when the Timothy Zahn books and the collectable card games came out. With the Star Wars renaissance occurring I declared Star Trek too boring and cerebral to have fun. I ended up avoiding all things Trek (aside from the original series movies which already had the nostalgia glow on them).

Even Mr. Triquarter is begging him to stop.

Looking back on the whole thing it just seems silly. Kind of reminds me of the whole DC vs. Marvel debate going on these days. Trek vs. Wars - there was no winner. Because Star Trek ended up with Insurrection and Generations, and Star Wars got the prequels. We all ended up losing.

Still, when Enterprise was announced in 2001, I was willing to give it a shot. I liked the idea of tackling that period of history in the Trek universe. I also thought that Scott Bakula would make a great captain. It looked like there was going to be a good mix of adventure and action, so I was looking forward to it. So my wife and I sat down to watch the first episode Broken Bow and wow was it underwhelming. I thought it was going to be more about the prequel elements of the concept, but that didn't really seem to be the point. Instead it we were given some bland storytelling with a new coat of paint. And don't get me started on that odd decontamination massage scene - wow was that embarrassing.

"So we want you to take this survey after you watch
Broken Bow and tell us what you think."

We gave Enterprise about two more episodes, and they were mostly harmless, but not really engaging. Or at least not what we were expecting from something that was supposed to be leading up to The Original Series. It seemed way too much like The Next Generation, and missing a lot of the fun and adventure of the 60s series. The the trailer for the next episode featured the hilarious "pregnant man!" gag, and we just said "no thanks" and went back to watching anime.

I eventually changed my tune about The Next Generation. I knew too many folks whose opinions I respect tell me about some of the really great episodes of that series. Hell, even one of my video store friends (who was also a huge Star Wars fan) got into Deep Space Nine when the Dominion war heated up. He kept trying to convince me to give it a chance. I called him a traitor to the cause and tried to Force choke him - but yeah that just never works out for me.

A fan's vision of Star Trek anime!

Eventually The Next Generation appeared on Netflix download. I decided to give it a chance, and try watching a few of the episodes that people kept telling me were so good like Inner Light and Darmok and of course The Best of Both Worlds. That convinced me. Off and on over three years I watched all seven seasons of The Next Generation. It was quite a ride and I had a good time, getting to know and appreciate this crew and some of their stories and situations. It made The Next Generation films have a greater impact for me, and made me appreciate the Star Trek legacy even more. In the last couple years I've delved into Deep Space Nine and have been enjoying that series. Might be time to give Enterprise another chance too.

I really liked the series finale. Thought it was better than
most of the TNG feature films actually.

That said, Star Trek has always been around. There have been good stories and characters and bad stories and characters.  But I kind of like the comfort at having that galaxy out there. It is a vision of the future that is unique in some ways and so influential in others. With a new television series coming soon, I'm actually looking forward to it. I just hope that the first few episodes are more engaging then Encounter at Farpoint or Broken Bow.

Anime Juke Box - Rock Me - Bubblegum Crisis

One of the first anime series I picked up on DVD was Bubblegum Crisis. At the time anime fans were salivating for this one. These days, I don't see too many people talk about it.  Probably because the whole thing can be pretty derivative and the thin plot and characters lack the depth of the 1998 reboot Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040. But for me the original has a lot of great elements going for it. It is very much based in the 1980s vision of a cyberpunk future, and I love the character and mecha design of the show. But I also have to say that the rockin' 80s J-pop from this series is a lot of fun. Most folks who've seen the series will comment about the music. Here is a tune sung by rough and tumble rocker Priss and her band The Replicants aka Yuiko Tsubokura. And yes she is saying Rock Me! Just You!.

Fugitive Alien (1987) – MST3K Review

Summary:

The fearsome Wolf Raiders are attacking earth and making a real mess of things. The most fearsome is Ken (Tatsuya Azuma), who can toss humans around like they are sock monkeys and manages to scowl pretty good even with this goofy clown wig/helmet on. But it all goes wrong when a little human boy named Ken appears and Ken (the Starwolf) can’t shoot him. His fellow Starwolf mocks him and then takes aim a little Ken. Big Ken tries to stop him and blammo Ken has killed one of his own.

The supreme leader of the Raiders won’t stand for this and declares Ken a fugitive. After a daring escape from the raiders Ken is adrift in space. He is rescued by the crew of the Bacchus III. Captain Joe (Jo Shishido) sees that Ken may be able to help them in more ways then one, but the untrusting Rocky (Choei Takahashi) is just waiting for Ken to screw up. What adventures and excitement will our Fugitive Alien experience this week… I mean, this time, because this is not, I repeat, is not a movie made up of a bunch of episodes from a Japanese weekly series.

Movie Review:

Fugitive Alien is a “movie” made up of a bunch of episodes from a Japanese weekly series called Star Wolf (Sutaurufu). Star Wolf was made back in 1978, which should tell you just what the series was going for – Star Wars. The opening scenes with the Raiders attacking earth, the ships look suspiciously like the X-wing fighter Luke Skywalker uses to blow up the Death Star. And while the show was obviously inspired by the recent success of Mr. Lucas’ opus, there are a lot of other inspirations going around.

Bacchus III, the booziest ship
in the cosmos.

Anime like Space Battleship Yamato (aka Star Blazers) had been providing Japanese viewers with space opera adventures since 1974. So it makes sense that Star Wolf feels a lot like a live action anime series, more often than not. Captain Joe is typical of the rough and ready commander type. Ken is typical of the misunderstood, but brave and strong hero type. Even Tammy (Miyuki Tanigawa) is cheerful and perky and plays the token girl in the all male crew.

The acting and the camerawork in Fugitive Alien  follow suit. Most of the parts are played pretty broadly, with the exception being the evil leader of the wolf raiders who shows no emotions when he orders the death of hundreds. But everyone else is over the top and having a good time. The camera work uses bursts of quick editing, as well as multiple zooms so you can see every pore on a persons’ face – a technique very popular in anime in the late ‘70s and ‘80s.

But some of the adventures reminded me strongly of the original series of Star Trek, especially the story arc on the alien world where negotiations are taking place between Captain Joe and a miniature leader dressed like a Mongol warlord. But most of the space battles, Ken’s daring escapes and the crew’s ability to work together reminds me strongly of space opera anime series like Macross (or Robotech if you prefer) or Outlaw Star.

Don't let the red clown wig fool
you, Ken will shoot first.

I’ve made this sound pretty good so far, but just like anime, there are some amazingly bizarre and goofy touches in this series that make it ripe for riffing. The first thing you see is the Wolf Raiders, supposedly fearsome invaders, except for the small fact that they are wearing helmet with bright read clown wigs attached to the inside of them. I don’t care how much destruction and carnage you create, if you’re dressed like that people are going to laugh. Then you get odd things like Ken’s explosive buttons on his jumpsuit, or the whole scene with Rocky and the forklift. You can’t help but ask questions. Why is the leader of the Wolf Raiders made up like a kabuki actor? Why does Ken’s old fiancé have long blonde hair, even though she’s obviously Japanese? What is hidden inside Captain Joe’s huge, huge cheeks?

But the real culprit here is whoever decided to make a buck off of this series, because it was old by the time 1987 rolled around. Star Wars was long over and considered un-cool (although Star Trek had a pretty solid following thanks to the success of The Next Generation series). They took a dozen episodes or so, edited them down in a bare bones fashion and slapped a ridiculous dub track to create Fugitive Alien.

As you may have guessed the final product makes very little sense. Some scenes flow better than others, and the whole opening with Ken actually establishes him pretty well. But the horrible editing, the amazing lame voice acting pretty much turns what could have been a fun television series into one of the most astoundingly bizarre sci-fi “movies” out there. It’s little wonder that Joel and the bots tackled this movie, not just once, but twice!

Episode Review:  

"Yes! A leatherette jumpsuit!"

Yep, you read that right. Fugitive Alien was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 back in the cable access season and then again on Comedy Central during season three. I’ve never seen the cable access season, and frankly I’ve heard they aren’t nearly as good as the later work. I’ll take the cast and crew’s word on it. Instead I’ll focus on their Season Three effort.

Sandy Frank was the man behind the plan of grabbing Japanese imports and repackaging them for the American market. He did this with the Gamera films as well as the turning the Gatchaman anime into Battle of the Planets in the late ‘70s. So what he’s done here with Fugitive Alien really comes as no surprise. It’s also no surprise that Joel and bots tackle it, since they were on a roll with Sandy Frank’s work in season three (tacking the Gamera films as well as a couple other television series turned into movies including Time of the Apes and Mighty Jack).

But this stuff is riffing gold! The Japanese style combined with the goofy voice acting and horrendous dubbing just keeps on delivering and delivering material for the boys to comment on.

In the opening scenes of Fugitive Alien when big Ken can’t shoot little Ken, Joel and the bots just assume everyone in the movie is named Ken. This creates a whole bunch of silly jokes and provides a running theme that pops up when you least expect it.

Tammy doubts the veracity of
Captain Joe's cheeks.

While Ken is on screen for most of the film, the character that generates the most laughs is Captain Joe. His huge cheeks, his blustery demeanor and his bizarre voice over actor just make him a perfect target. You could argue that the episode is at its best when Captain Joe is on the screen. Combined with the goofy vinyl outfits the crew wears Joel dubs them “Captain Gerbil and the Leatherettes”.

But the riffers also get a lot of mileage out of the overall style of the movie. As I mentioned there are a lot of quick edits and zooms (sometimes in combination). The boys will add all kinds of sound effects to these moments, especially the surprised gasp, or a simple “huh?” They also pick up on some of the bizarre music choices used in the film. Again I’m not sure if this is something the American distributor added in postproduction, or if this is original to the series, but you’ve got some great stuff here. 

When an oddly twanging piece kicks in as we see the majestic Bacchus III in dry doc, Tom asks if “Ma and Pa Kettle have boarded the ship.” But one of the most classic scenes from this episode is when an overtly brassy piece kicks in during infamous Forklift incident. The boys concoct a song to go along with the tune and sing it. That moment alone is worth seeking out this episode. And when the piece is used later the boys adapt their lyrics to suite the scene.

Fugitive Alien is also an episode filled with references to previous MST3K episodes. So long time viewers will get a kick out of mentions of characters, situations and even riffs from Pod People, Lost Continent, Cave Dwellers and more.

I’m going to stop here, because there are so many great moments and little humorous bits that I could comment forever on this episode. So lets just get to the host segment break down.

The episode opens with Joel pretending he’s a farmer and the bots are his animals. Has Joel lost his mind already? For the invention exchange the mad scientists create a device that delivers all your ear, nose and throat drops at once. Frank demonstrates and nearly drowns. Joel shows off his “musical chair” a lounger that doubles as a xylophone. Then Jack Perkins shows up to introduce the film (and never leaves the Mad Scientists alone for the rest of the episode). At the first break, Joel and bots are inspired by the Wolf Raiders goofy helmets to make their own. When they boys are back after the next round of movie, Joel is Captain Joe and the bots are terrified. At the next break Joel and bots attempt to break down the screenplay of the “film” using Syd Field’s screenplay technique (a book I used in University!). At the end of the film Joel shows off his explosive buttons on his jumpsuit. And back in Deep 13 the mad scientists have had enough of Jack Perkins and prepare to finish him off.

Joel channels his inner Captain
Joe. The bots look on in horror.

For me this is one of the best episodes of the entire series. The movie’s a hoot, the riffing is top notch and packed with laughs. Following this up with  Star Force: Fugitive Alien 2 or Time of the Apes and you've got a great one two punch of MST3K gold. In my opinion Season Three does not get better than this. It also earns its place in my top ten favorite episodes of all time. 

I give it five exploding jumpsuit buttons out of five.

This episode is available on Mystery Science Theater 3000 Vol. XXIV.

Untouchables (1987)

Introduction:

Brian De Palma returns to the world of gangsters. This time he travels back to the Prohibition era, instead of revisiting the world of Scarface. With David Mamet on board for the script and Sean Connery bringing some class to the cast you'd think the buzz would be about the film. Instead all anyone on TV could talk about was how much weight Robert De Niro gained for the part. Kinda missed the point there folks. Thing is, you may not notice his chubbiness with all the bullets and blood flying.

Summary:

Prohibition rages throughout the United States, and gangsters like Al Capone (Robert De Niro) are making a killing, and killing anyone that gets in their way. Things have gotten so bad in Chicago that a special unit is formed to take down Capone. The leader of that team is Eliot Ness (Kevin Coster) a man with a strong sense of justice and a desire to uphold the law. Unfortunately Ness is thwarted the rampant corruption in the police force, and finds himself at a loss. So he creates a band of incorruptible, untouchable men who will strike Capone where it hurts.

There’s Jim Malone (Sean Connery) a beat cop whose world-weary experience guides the team. Sharpshooter George Stone (Andy Garcia) is the youngest member of the team. Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) may be an accountant, but his research into Capone’s finances may provide the key to bringing down the gangster. But arrayed against them are a bunch of Tommy guns, exploding children and a wicked henchman played by Billy Drago. Will Eliot Ness and his Untouchables be able to clean up Chicago?

Good Points:

• Some great dialogue and entertaining performances
• De Palma’s brisk pace and visual flourishes keep things interesting
• Balances the action with human drama

Bad Points:

• Some of the acting choices are… interesting
• The visual flourishes will rub some folks the wrong way
• This is one violent movie and bloody movie

Overall:

This is one of those movies I loved in my youth. I loved the energy to it, and the way De Palma filmed the Prohibition era. I was wondering if I would still enjoy it so many years later. Some of the shine has worn away, but the movie is solidly entertaining. Some of the dialogue is still very quotable. Some of the visual sequences are still impressive. And while Connery’s accent seems a bit silly to me these days, his performance gives the movie a nice heart. I enjoyed revisiting this one.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 4

Acting: 4

Script: 4

Music: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Return to Horror High (1987)

Introduction:

With a title like this, you’d think this was a sequel. But it’s not. Instead you it’s a horror comedy with a few familiar faces. I caught about fifteen minutes of it one night and it intrigued me enough to remember the title. It was like a humerous prototype for The Blair Witch Project. But was it worth seeking out?

Summary:

Crippen High School was the site of a bloody massacre, and so the building was shut down. A few years later, a film maker, his cast and crew decide to shoot their own version of events, but at the same location. 

You and I both know this is a horrible idea, but these folks (including a very young George Clooney) aren't that bright. Soon corpses start piling up and young Callie (Lori Lethin of Bloody Birthday fame) finds herself the center of the killers attention. Will she live to regret her decision to Return to Horror High?

Good Points:

• A innovate premise for the time
• Has a few clever kills
• Has a few clever lines

Bad Points:

• Relies a bit too much on the premise to mine laughs
• Not very scary
• Never finds it’s footing 

Overall:

Overall the movie never really takes off. The horror moments end up stopping the comedy cold and some of the bad and limp jokes keep anything from being really frightening. I did like Maureen McCormick as the twisted police officer who seems to really enjoy blood. But most of the other characters are pretty annoying. Worth checking out for anyone who wants to see where something like The New Nightmare and Scream might have been inspired. But don’t expect to have your pom poms blasted off. And sadly no skeletal cheerleaders to be found here.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 3

Sound: 3

Acting: 2

Script: 2

Music: 2

Direction: 2

Entertainment: 2

Total:  2

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review. 

The Living Daylights (1987)

Introduction

Roger Moore left the series after A View To A Kill and as much as some people loved him, it was time for a change.  And what a change!  Timothy Dalton stepped in and made James Bond his own.  He read the novels by Ian Fleming and recreated the spy’s character. The result was a James Bond we have only seen a few times before.  Was the audience of 1987 ready for the gritty and deadly world of espionage presented in The Living Daylights?

Summary

British secret service agent, James Bond (Timothy Dalton) finds himself embroiled in a complex scheme when he helps Russian General Koskov (Jeroen Krabbe) defect.  Koskov enjoys freedom for a couple days but is smuggled from England by the mysterious Necros (Andreas Wisniewski).  Bond attempts to find out more about Koskov and encounters Kara Milovy (Maryam d’Abo), cello player and Koskov’s lover.  Things get really complicated when it seems that Koskov is not back in Russia at all, but is in Moracco!  And that’s just the beginning of this dangerous adventure that will lead Bond from Vienna to Afghanistan.  Joe Don Baker and John Rhys-Davies fill in key roles.

Good Points:

• Timothy Dalton nails the role in his first outing.
• Some of the best action scenes in any James Bond film
• John Barry provides his swan song score – and it’s a doozy.

Bad Points:

• The script is really uneven.
• The villains are less then threatening
• Wow, the opening theme… wow. 

Overall:

When this movie is hitting it’s high points, it provides some of the best of James Bond. Dalton is excellent in the role. It’s a shame the script is such a mess. A plot that flails around with villains who aren’t very menacing ends up robbing the film of an effective punch. If the movies were feeling a bit stagnant, then this film provides a nice balance of the new and the old. Well worth revisiting if you haven’t seen it in a while.

Scores (out of 5)

Visual– 5

Sound– 5

Acting – 4

Music – 4

Script – 2

Direction – 4

Entertainment – 4

Total: 4

In Depth Review

The 1980s started off with the excellent with For Your Eyes Only.  Roger Moore delivered what can be argued as his best performance in a Bond film. But the films after that just weren’t able to follow up well. Octopussy is a mess of a film. Never Say Never Again feels lackluster in many ways. A View to a Kill is nearly as goofy as Moonraker. Moore himself was feeling long in the tooth and decided to bow out for the next film. The producers had to recast the lead, something they had been dreading ever since the perceived disaster of OnHer Majesty’s Secret Service.

Looking at it now we could have ended up with Pierce Brosnan in 1987. He could have carried on Roger Moore’s legacy.  The Living Daylights could have been a different movie in tone and feel.  But the fates aligned against Pierce and instead Timothy Dalton stepped up the part and grabbed it with both hands.  I think it was needed.  We got hard-edged and visceral.  The ‘80s closed with James Bond as a spy with a license to kill, not to quip.  He was dangerous in every sense of the word.  It was the first time the films were truly close to Ian Fleming’s creation as far as the character of James Bond is concerned.

Visually this is one of the more exciting James Bond films.  A concerted effort was made to bring the real life into the series.  It takes us back to the look from For Your Eyes Only and avoids some of the over the top elements of the two previous films. The sets by Peter Lamont are well done, and inject the film with some solid visuals.  These include the interior of the Hercules, Kamran Shah’s headquarters, and the interiors of the English retreat where Koskov is snatched up.

It is the stunning locations that make the visual work stand out.  The movie opens in Gibraltar, providing a gorgeous backdrop to one of the best pre-credit sequences of the series.  Vienna gets shown off with lots of great scenes especially the key scenes at Prater park. The city also doubles as Bratislava for the scenes where Koskov escapes from the Eastern Block.  Morocco was used to double as Afghanistan for the movies third half and is very effective. Let’s not forget Tangiers where Bond confronts General Pushkin, and the scheming Whitaker.  Each location is used with a balance of the exotic and the intriguing.

A return to reality requires more realistic sound effects.  Typically in James Bond films the actions scenes get the most attention.  The sound work is excellent in the pre-credit sequence, as well as the chase in the Austin Martin, and the final battle between Bond and Necros.  However quieter scenes offer plenty of atmosphere to the film.  The orchestra scenes in Vienna work wonderfully.  And the scenes in Afghanistan balance the action and atmosphere very well.

The big story with the acting was Timothy Dalton as James Bond.  I’ve already mentioned that Dalton’s take on the character was more serious and intense than Moore’s.  He has been called humorless, wooden, and uninteresting.  However, I think most of these are in direct comparison to Roger and Pierce’s work in the part.  Both Roger and Pierce chose to underline the humor of the part.  In their own way, they created a Bond persona that was charming and casual about his job. Dalton took it one step further.  He was a killer, and one who didn’t like killing.  He wasn’t afraid of his job.  He understood it all too well.  However, he knew that no amount of charm could hide the blood on his hands.

This was the James Bond of the novels.  He was a gentleman, but he was a killer.  He knew it and the reader knew it.  In Dalton’s two films, the audience knows it too.  I think that made people uncomfortable.  This is not a James Bond you could hang out with by the pool and strike up a conversation with (Moore and Brosnan were more accessible).  This would be a man you saw sitting in a bar with a vodka martini, intriguing, alluring, but dangerous.  Some have argued that this is all well and good, but it’s not something the movie going public wanted to see.  I don’t agree. I think Dalton does an excellent job.  He’s believable and honest in his portrayal.  We can read so much in his acting because he is doing more than following the script.  He’s invested in the character.  The big difference between Dalton’s first film and the first films of Connery, Lazenby, Moore and Brosnan is that Dalton was James Bond from the moment we see him in The Living Daylights.

Dalton’s new take can either be seen as fresh and exciting or as a selfish attempt to change what was a winning formula.  I find the “selfish” theory amusing.  He would not have been hired if the creators of the series had not wanted to take the character in a new direction. The same thing happened in 2006 with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale.  The series needs to be refreshed or it will grow stale (see the early 70’s films).  Most James Bond fans can go back and watch Dalton’s films and enjoy them.  It’s only the actor-centric fans that can’t let go.

Maryam d’Abo plays Kara Milovy in the film.  I’ve encountered a real mixed reaction to her performance and the character.  Some have called her a bimbo along the lines of Goodnight from Man with the Golden Gun.  Others have called her strong and independent.  Instead I think we have one of the most normal Bond women in all of the movies.  She’s an average girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances.  She’s not a CIA operative, or a diamond smuggler, or a circus pilot.  She just plays a cello in an orchestra, and has fallen in love with a General.  She’s not a bimbo.  She’s just naïve and maybe a little desperate.  Any normal girl put into her situation would probably react in a similar way.  D’Abo plays the part with a mixture of sweetness and naiveté that suits the character.  She also plays the romance scenes with enough believability that we can see her falling for Bond, even if she’s still faithful to Koskov. In response we can understand Bond’s desire to protect her (even if her good looks first catch his eye).  In some ways, this normal character can become lost among the more glamorous and assertive Bond girls. I can’t fault the acting, d’Abo plays it perfectly.

We get a trio of villains in this film.  Let’s start with the henchman, Necros first.  The name alone implies two things.  He is death and he sounds more at home in a less serious Bond film.  But look beyond the name and you have the best henchman of the 80’s.  Andreas Wisniewski was a dancer by trade and his stature, presence and movement make him the perfect physical foil for Bond.  We see him in action early in the film when he snatches Koskov away from M16, and we understand just how deadly he is.  He doesn’t say much but he doesn’t need to.  His motivations are a bit murky, but really he’s just around to be the blunt instrument to get things done.  Wisniewski executes his part perfectly.

Jeroen Krabbe makes an interesting villain in Koskov.  He’s slick, he’s smarmy and he’s only out for himself.  As the part is written, Krabbe plays it to the hilt.  He’s amusing in several early scenes, especially when interacting with Bond.  But once the plot begins twisting and Koskov’s motives are revealed, he is still played for laughs.  I’m not sure how much of this is due to the written character, or the performance.  Koskov is never threatening.  He’s more of sleaze than anything else.  It would have been infinitely more effective if his slickness was an act, and he was a cold cruel person underneath.  Then his fate to shipped home in a diplomatic bag would have been more effective.

And then there’s Whitaker, the egotistical American arms dealer played by Joe Don Baker.  Baker’s got about one speed, but he’s good at it. He’s a blowhard in this part, full of bluster and aggression, but acting more like a big kid than a big threat. He’s more likable than Mitchell, but he’s not a terribly interesting character. Baker got to do more in Goldeneye.

There is a large supporting cast to help balance out the weakness of the villains.  John Rhys-Davies is one of my favorite character actors.  He well cast as General Pushkin.  His first appearances in the film imply menace (with no dialogue).  Once the plot has twisted and we realize he is on Bond’s side, he does a great job, even making a key appearance at the end of the film.  Art Malik is also good as Kamran Shah, leader of the Afghan resistance.  It’s a bit uncomfortable now to be rooting for this likable leader.  In the back of your mind you wonder if this type of man would have become one of the leaders of the Taliban.  As MI6’s man in Vienna, Thomas Wheatley injects the character of Saunders with enough stodgy British-ness to play well off Dalton.

The London crew in The Living Daylights returns with a minor twist.  Robert Brown has played M since Octopussy.  He’s a bit dry and crusty, but he works well as a grumpy foil to 007.  Desmond Llewelyn is still reliable as Q.  It’s Caroline Bliss as Moneypenny that seems strange.  I don’t know what it is about her performance, but she is often forgotten when the London cast in mentioned, and I can see why.  I always forget about her till she shows up in the Dalton films.

John Barry came back for his final scoring job in a James Bond film.  For many people this is one of the best James Bond scores that Barry ever did.  It’s a great mixture of brassy orchestrations, and the introduction of electronic sounds to a Bond score.  It’s the precursor to what David Arnold ended up doing when he took over scoring duties in Tomorrow Never Dies.  In addition to the score, Barry helped write three pop songs for the film.  Ah Ha performs the theme song The Living Daylights.  Musically it’s OK, but the lyrics are stupid and the singer’s voice just doesn’t work for a Bond theme.  Better suited are The Pretenders with Where Has Everybody Gone.  This theme is used for Necros and can be heard when he strangles his victims with his headphones.  But my favorite pop piece is If There Was a Man, also performed by The Pretenders.  This tune is played during the end credits, but it also appears (in orchestral form) during the films more romantic scenes.  Barry combines all three themes really well and also manages to use the classic 007 sound for the rest.  The balance achieved is really one of Barry’s best.  Just be warned that the oh-so-‘80s drum machine is in full force here.

While the movie does tend to get a bit plot-centric at times, that doesn't mean there is a lack of action. The pre-credit sequence is one of the best, with Bond attempting to stop an assassin from escaping from the cliffs of Gibraltar.  The stunt work is impressive and Dalton is quite obviously involving himself as much as possible. The next big set piece is the car chase, with the classic gadget mobile versus an entire Soviet army. You get driving on road, on ice and into the snow with this one. The final set piece is where Bond faces down Necros on the airborne Hercules. Again, the stuntwork really shines, as both men end up hanging on a net as it flaps behind a real plane. A great scene, well filmed and executed.

The major weak point of the whole film is the script.  So much potential is here, but I wonder if things ended up getting diluted in rewrites (especially since they ended up switching actors at least three times).  The script spends so much time setting up and resolving the plot is that characters suffer.  The villains are the ones that get it this time.  Both Koskov and Whitaker are rough sketches and don’t ever present a threat to anyone in particular.  Also suffering are characters like Pushkin and Saunders. A plot point that seems to be completely lost is the one involving Felix Leiter watching Whitaker.  I always forget that Felix is even in this movie.  Overall the script could have used some good streamlining and trimming of characters.  Most people when they are asked about the plot of the movie don’t remember much of it.

On top of it is the fact that some of the humor in the film feels very much targeted toward Moore or Brosnan. Remember Brosnan was hot off of Remington Steele  at this point, and a lot of that show focused on humor. Dalton’s lean mean style is completely at odds with some of the really poor one-liners here. He has some really bad lines during the excellent car chase. We wouldn’t get a script really written for Dalton until Licence to Kill.

John Glen was a veteran of the Bond franchise.  He’d directed the three final Moore films.  The best of these was For Your Eyes Only.  In this film he goes back to that mold.  He directs the action with plenty of excitement.  The scenes in Gibraltar, the car chase in the ice and the final battle aboard the Hercules are excellent.  He also manages to bring tension to key scenes, especially where Bond confronts Pushkin.  Things seem to get a little off track during the battle at the Russian airbase, but for the most part he does a good job with the film.

For entertainment this entry into the James Bond series is above average, but falls a bit short of perfect.  This is mostly because of the faults in the script and the impact they have on the pacing of the movie.  This is one of the longer Bond adventures and it feels like it.  The momentum stalls out when Bond and Kara leave Vienna.  With some script work this could have been the best debut of the original 20 films (Goldeneye has that honor in my book).  As it stands, The Living Daylights is an excellent James Bond film, one that gave us a glimpse of where the series could go with its new star.  It seemed like ‘80s Bond films were going to end on a high note.