James Bond 007: Never Say McClory Again

The editor's stated intention is to bring this in line with other Bond films and essentially make it feel 'more Bond'. I think the result here is a really mixed bag in that respect, and also not any more enjoyable for me than the original (not very good) film...so I unfortunately can't recommend it.

I won't go into the many, many issues with the original movie (you can read a review I wrote here if you'd like to know: https://letterboxd.com/nottheacademy/film/never-say-never-again/) but I was hoping they'd be fixed in this film, at least somewhat. This movie could honestly do with a radical edit, and this isn't it. The main things changed here are the music choices... now some of the score replacements DO feel more 'Bond'...because they're from other Bond films. But many feel wildly wrong, and they almost all stick out like a sore thumb, whether matching Bond or not. All the Bond song remixes just scream "fanedit" to me, whereas I was looking for more subtle changes that would make me FORGET I wasn't watching a non-canon Bond film.

There are also some scenes which are edited with little tweaks here and there, and some of them (notably the beginning) actually make the scene less clear and slightly confusing. Some scenes are zoomed in on, pan & scan style, which is obvious and looks pretty bad. In fact, the quality of the video is really pretty bad throughout much of this, and the audio isn't blended in that well at many points.

I see that this worked for some people, and they got their Bond jollies, but sadly it was a chore for me. I felt every minute of the last 30 minutes of the film, and was kicking myself for not just rewatching Thunderball instead. I don't blame the editor for this just not being a very good movie to start, but I think there is room to cut this down a lot more, render the video better, and make more nuanced music replacements. I appreciate the effort here, but it just didn't work for me.

I WAS SO PLEASED when the man returned...

But it did not feel like a bond movie.
Thank god someone took this on (I may still)...
I did enjoy this but felt that the use of overly well known iconic bond music and signature motifs was ultimate a huge distraction in fact.

The arrangement of the story is far far far better but this was a film saddled with many issues...many of which have been dealt with here. The opening sequence being the main one.

With an HD version out on release a reworking from an HD source and then rendering to DVD quality would address some of the resolution issues in the opening but for the most part I still enjoyed this at a 7 (original 5) and have it on my shelf ...
Thx for the effort
W

May 27, 2010

I like the idea, and I like most of the new music selection used and the way it all developed (if some of it is not perfectly timed). Yet the technical quality of the DVD authoring was sorely lacking. A motion blur-like “effect” was present all through it, no doubt courtesy of Canopus ProCoder, and the end credits fail, interrupt, and mix themselves with a defective menu screen.

As for the video edit, pretty well done overall, but I felt that some character aspects could have been “EONized” as well. I mean, cutting the lines of “buddy” Q saying he missed Bond, or “dumb” Moneypenny’s “Ooh!” in her first scene (thankfully we lost her “be careful”), and the likes. Also, I detested what you did to the motorcycle chase, cutting back and forth from the car to the bike again and again and again. Looked like the work of a kid who had just discovered Windows Movie Maker and was trying to show off, sorry. Everything else, I liked fine.

With a better DVD, this might have been a 7, or even an 8. Due to technical issues, I can’t rate it higher than a 5.

November 15, 2009

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

May 23, 2009

Finally got a chance to see this after a few past failed attempts. JDownloader made it very easy. I had heard a lot about this FanEdit and was eager to see if somehow this Bond abortion could be brought back into the cannon of the official movies.

The DVD is simple and to the point, so I go straight to the feature. The iconic Bond barrel logo has been added but feels slightly dated as a younger Connery sporting a trilby does the honors. This I suppose could not be helped.

The idea of using original Bond scores is a good one and in the opening action scene the music is inserted very well. As the story unwinds the John Barry score works exceptionally well. It gives the flavor of a true Bond movie. Unfortunately, some musical choices are completely wrong, as in the case of the fight in the hospital and the introduction to the villains boat. Also the volume of some music is to far too loud in the mix.

I think keeping the scores to an certain era and composer would have helped a great deal in tying this project together. As it is the differences in the selected music are a huge distraction.

There are no real hard cuts but certainly awkward moments. Also some shots are very soft as if zoomed or scaled too much. I also noticed slight stuttering especially during panning shots. Entertainment value is the same as the original.

DVD 4, Editing 3, Audio Editing 3, Entertainment 2

6/10