Search

Search only in certain items:

The Avengers - Season 1
The Avengers - Season 1
1961 | Thriller
Only three episodes of this first season are believed to exist, so it's hard to speak with great authority as to its quality - but the ones we have are brisk, efficient thrillers, as good as the videotaped Honor Blackman episodes (and possibly more coherent). This is 60-year-old TV so the production can be primitive in places, but much of the acting holds up.

Again, judging solely from the three surviving episodes, the arc of the season seems to go from fairly 'straight' stories (Girl on a Trapeze doesn't feature Steed at all) towards the kind of tongue-in-cheek, off-beat material the series is best remembered for (Tunnel of Fear is rather more extravagant, with more of a focus on Steed as an entertaining eccentric). You can almost see the producers figuring out the potential of Patrick Macnee, not that Hendry isn't completely reliable. Not the show in its iconic form, but you can see how it started heading that way very early.
  
The Avengers - Season 2
The Avengers - Season 2
1962 | Thriller
The second season of The Avengers is a show going through a transformation following the departure of its original star. The results are understandably a bit uneven sometimes, with episodes made in a range of styles - some are very ambitious globe-trotting spy capers, others more routine detective stories, while a few approach a more recognisably quirky and whimsical Avengers style. Production values are equally variable and often primitive: there are many technical mistakes and actors sometimes appear in multiple roles.

The three Dr Keel episodes are easily the dullest; the ones with singer Venus Smith are better but still often clumsy and slowed down by musical interludes; you can tell that the producers very quickly realised that Mrs Gale was the character with real potential. All the best episodes feature Honor Blackman and you can see the chemistry between her and Patrick Macnee growing from episode to episode. Not quite yet a classic TV series, but on the way.
  
Goldfinger (1964)
Goldfinger (1964)
1964 | Action, Classics, Mystery
Characters – James Bond is the guy we know, he breaks into hotel rooms to sleep with women, uses his charm to seduce others. This time he starts his own investigation into a mysterious smuggler, getting up close and personal to him hoping to let the rest of team to follow the trails he leaves. Goldfinger is a competitive gold smuggler who has grabbed the attention of the governments across the globe, we learn early on that he will kill the people that cross him including leaving his trademark gold paint behind, his latest job will see him take on the world’s biggest gold reserve. Pussy Galore is a pilot that is instrumentally to Goldfinger’s plans which will includes her skill set. Oddjob is the henchman for Goldfinger, he uses his hat to kill people, making him one of the first and most memorable of all of the henchmen.

Performances –Sean Connery in the leading role once again is good for the most part, he has the charm needed for the whole film. Gert Frobe brings us a different type of villain to the franchise, he makes the character seem likable on the outside while having his motive kept below a smile. Honor Blackman does a solid job even if for some reason we get a total of three bond girls in this film. Harold Sakata brings us the first truly memorable henchman which soon became the key to the success of the Bond franchise.

Story – The story here puts James Bond on his latest mission, this time there isn’t a connection to the previous two like the last two and this is refreshing because this being a solo story we get to see how James operates. The negatives in the story come from seeing him so close to the villain for most of the film with most of the film being him trying to get a message out about where he is. It is strange though because I did enjoy this one more than the last two because this is one that can be picked up without needing to see anything in the franchise before. Simply put this is one that can be enjoyed as a casual viewer because of how simple the story unfolds.

Action/Adventure – The action in this film does feel toned down from the previous films, simple enough action related material, while the adventure does take Bond around the world next to the Goldfinger.

Settings – We get plenty of settings which all relate to the idea of where you would find gold, this is perfect for the idea the film is needed.


Scene of the Movie – Oddjob.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The final twist

Final Thoughts – This is one of the fun James Bond movies, it isn’t connected to the rest of the franchise which does help make it enjoyable.

 

Overall: Fun Bond movie.