For Your Eyes Only

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Sea and ski with 1981's Bond in an average outing.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that beautiful and sexually available women continue to be part of the 007 furnishings here, just like the decorative nudes in the opening credit sequence. One of the women who attempts to seduce James Bond is a perky teenage figure skater, which is even too much for the secret agent. A phony countess does manage to get the spy into bed, but she's figuratively punished the next day, run over by an assassin in a dune buggy. Other deaths result from arrows, bombs, knives, and machine guns.

  • Bond turns down an offer of easy sex with an underage girl, but she's about the only one. Otherwise, though, 007 is fearless, worldly, gambling, fond of fine cuisine, and as indestructible as ever. Melina, the leading lady, is revenge driven for most of the film, but is still strong and resourceful, as Bond girls go. A secondary heroine, a young American figure skater, functions as barely more than an alarmingly underaged sexpot. Germans seem particularly stereotyped as nasty and unsympathetic.
  • Much fighting, clubbing, and (in a hockey rink) body-checking. People are shot with machine guns, blown up with bombs, and pierced with arrows, the crossbow-toting heroine's specialty. Spooky dead bodies float in an underwater shipwreck.
  • Nude women (mostly in shadow and seemingly underwater) are in the opening-credit montage, and an assortment of bikini girls are hanging around a villain's swimming pool. James Bond is a ladies' man as always, and goes to bed with a countess whose nightie barely stays on. A saucy teenage figure skater (who brags of not being a virgin) tries to seduce Bond, but he refuses her.

What's the story?

A NATO spy vessel in the Mediterranean is struck by an old, derelict sea-mine and sinks with no survivors off the coast of the chilly Communist dictatorship of Albania. A high-tech surveillance-communication console on board the wreck would be a prize for the Soviet Union, so the superpowers race to recover it, via their assorted agents and hired stooges and gunmen. A Greek archaeologist and his wife who saw the wreck are quickly killed by a Cuban agent. James Bond is on the case, but he sees the assassin in turn slain by Melina (French actress-model Carole Bouquet), the victims' pretty daughter, who favors crossbows as her weapon in exterminating all those responsible for her parents' deaths. Next in line on her list is a smuggler (Julian Glover) in league with the Russian KGB.


Is it any good?

 

Propelled by a hit Sheena Easton song as an especially popular main theme, FOR YOUR EYES ONLY was the 12th entry in MGM's "official" series of James Bond movie adventures. The tone is consistently lighthearted and comedic. When a talking parrot provides a vital clue, viewers know not much of this can be taken seriously. For Your Eyes Only indeed gets by as undemanding entertainment for the fans, with some particularly excellent underwater cinematography and action sequences. There's a little moral lesson in Bond chastising the fierce Melina about seeking vengeance, but these words seem a little hollow coming from a spy who has just killed, what, 20, 200, 2,000 bad guys?

Viewers can insinuate a little Greek-myth lesson in there by emphasizing how Melina compares herself to the avenging heroine Elektra, of ancient drama (the name and vibe was later hijacked for a comic-book heroine and movie Elektra ). And you can amaze kids with your 007 I.Q. by telling them that the late actress Cassandra Harris, playing a phony countess who has a romantic fling with Bond, was in real life the wife of an actor who would later play Bond -- Pierce Brosnan.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the way Bond settles a Cold War standoff at the end, enforcing "détente" so that even the villainous Russians go away satisfied. You might have to explain to younger fans exactly what the Cold War was anyway (and the joke appearance at the end by a Margaret Thatcher impersonator). Of course, Bond kills numerous henchmen and attackers throughout; does this make his negative attitude toward the heroine's quest for revenge seem a little hypocritical? Also, do kids think James Bond is a good role model? Why has this movie franchise been so successful?


This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Teen, 14 years old
August 1, 2011
 
Not that bad of a Bond film, and actually pretty mild for the 12th entry in the series.
My rating: PG [borderline with PG-13] for action violence, some drinking and a brief mild sexual reference.

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Teen, 18 years old
July 3, 2009
 

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Kid, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
 
It was awsome evry body should See this.
This was an outstanding movie evrybody would like this Yes there are some sex sence but other wise it is awsome.I love bond but this is not the best I would by Goldfinger insted or live and let die. I love action alot If you like Bond as much as I do Get Casino Royal.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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Kid, 11 years old
March 23, 2012
 
My Favorite bond of all time
this is the best bond film of all time I don't give an dam if commonsense gives it 2/5 stars I love For Your Eyes Only!!!

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Teen, 15 years old
February 18, 2012
 
A really good movie
One of the best Roger Moore films. Not as out there as moonraker.

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This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Topics:adventures
Studio:MGM/UA
Director:John Glen
Cast:Carole Bouquet, Julian Glover, Roger Moore
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:127 minutes
Theatrical release date:June 24, 1981
DVD release date:October 19, 1999
MPAA rating:PG
MPAA explanation:sex and violence

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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