Good afternoon friends, and welcome to yet another film review. Today, we are finally going to be back on the James Bond train, after being absent from reviewing that franchise. Oh, and before we dive back into reviewing the James Bond films, including this one, I have an announcement to make. Because I was in a position just a few weeks ago, where I had to put the James Bond marathon on pause, I’m more than likely planning to watch three of these films per week. The reason being is because I’m hoping to have gone through all 24 films by maybe early to mid-October, sometime like that. Yes, I’m well aware that the 25th film, No Time To Die won’t be out until the following month, in November. Still, because I’ve been enjoying most of these films thus far, and I was also hoping to possibly rewatch a few other films that are NON-007 related sometime before 2020 is over, I figured I might try this plan out, and see how it goes. If it turns out to be overwhelming along the way, I’ll be flexible, and scale it down to two a week. Let’s hope that doesn’t end up being the case. Still, we’ll see on that. Anyway, if I succeed in this plan, then I will say this. If any of you feel the need to get angry at me, and make ridiculous accusations to me like that I’m not being caring about others, or that I’m so focused on myself, or things like that, please try not to do so. I honestly believe that this could be a very good course of action. But we’ll see. Now, with all of that out of the way, let’s reunite with James Bond, and his adventures in the 7th installment, Diamonds Are Forever. Oh, and let’s not forget about this being Sean Connery’s final role as far as the eon films go.
Plot: When James Bond (Sean Connery) hears about an attempted plot by Blofeld (Charles Gray) to use diamonds, in order to create a laser beam satellite, it’s up to Bond, his new girlfriend, Tiffany (Jill St. John), and some other friends of his to prevent him from likely destroying the world.
Before we talk about the positive aspects of 007: Diamonds Are Forever, let’s talk about the more okay ones, shall we? First off, if these films are supposed to be a continuation off of each other, then you may find yourself a little surprised about James Bond’s character in this film. Come on! Bond had some rather tragic events happen in his life in the previous movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. And yet, Bond seems to go back to his normal self, and his old pattern of ways. Okay, I get that we can’t go through life stuck in sadness, and regrets of certain events that happened in our lives, and that we have to move on at some point. Also, I don’t know how much time has passed between the last 007 film, and this one. However, it’s almost like the writers of this film seem to make Bond’s character arc, from the last film, some steps backwards, and make him act, and behave the way that he did in the movies that came out before On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Sorry to say, but that sounds rather strange, wouldn’t you say? Did we, the audience, miss something in regards to that whole deal? You got me! Besides that, this movie seems to add in one too many characters that barely even have a big role to play in this film. Finally, the running time could have maybe been extended, in order to some of the characters that were supposed to play more major roles in 007: Diamonds Are Forever. Hopefully, the executives at MGM learned from a potential mistake like this in the films of this continuation to come.
Now, is this film bad? No, of course not. As usual, thus far, the pros have mostly outweighed the cons in these movies. 007: Diamonds Are Forever is no exception. First off, the action is really good. Okay, sure, maybe the score for this film wasn’t exactly fantastic. Nevertheless, it’s fun to listen to on this film, or even a soundtrack, if there was one. This seems especially true for the epic moments. Yes, you’ll more than likely remember the score from some of the later, or more recent James Bond movies. Even so, the music is fun to listen to, and the action is somewhat dynamite. Also, the scenery of places like Nevada, or other areas like it, is really good to look at. Also, did some of that technology actually exist in those times, or were some of those technological items more fake than real? Anyway, there some surprisingly very funny moments. I mean these comedic scenes seem to show up out of nowhere, even when you may not expect them. Okay, it may not quite be the same amount if comedy that was found in comedies like 2006’s RV, 2008’s Get Smart, or films like those, but still. Some of the villains can be a little goofy at times too. We’re talking like maybe Yzma and Kronk goofy. Okay, some of those villains can still act diabolical. Still, that’s good writing when you seem to make a balance for characters by making them more sinister half of the time, and then more lighthearted, and goofy during the other half of the time. Oh, and there are some surprisingly rather interesting Easter eggs that are scattered throughout this film. One of these that can stand out in particular is this point where 007: Diamonds Are Forever seems to reference a Disney film that was released around thirty years before this film was even released. Not going to say what the reference is, but you might really like it nonetheless. Finally, there is the ending. Not only are people likely to enjoy the ending, but there’s something about it that can feel rather symbolic, and poetic.
And that, my friends, is my review for 007: Diamonds Are Forever. Once again, we have a 007 film that may not be exactly one of the best. However, the good elements seem to outweigh the negatives so much that one should kit have to worry about it in the end. Sure, maybe the movie might have been a little too short, even for around 120 minutes, and some of the characters could have been fleshed out more. Still, 007: Diamonds Are Forever is another fun entry in the 007 library, and is worth one or two watches, if not more.
Final Grade: B+
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