For Your Eyes Only is the franchise’s self-correction after the orbital absurdity of Moonraker. Out go the lasers, the space stations, and Jaws’ love life. In come skis, cliffs, sunken submarines, and a relatively grounded plot about Cold War espionage. But don’t worry, this is still Roger Moore-era Bond, so the camp hasn’t been completely ejected from the payload.
I give it a 3.5 out of 5. I liked it. It’s a bit uneven in tone, and some of the comic relief borders on self-sabotage, but the action is solid, the locations are stunning, and Moore feels more present than he has in years. It’s a scaled-back, slightly more serious Bond adventure… with an aggressively horny figure skater thrown in for good measure.
The ATAC Device MacGuffin
This time, the mission is refreshingly straightforward. A British spy ship with a missile-launching command system (called the ATAC) sinks in the Ionian Sea. Bond is tasked with recovering it before the Soviets do. Along the way, he crosses paths with Melina Havelock, a revenge-driven archer whose parents were murdered by smugglers tied to the whole operation.
The story isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s a Cold War scavenger hunt with a few twists, and it moves at a steady clip. There’s something nice about Bond actually having to investigate again, instead of just being told exactly where the villain’s lair is and blowing it up.
Less Smug, More Steel
Moore feels sharper here. He dials back the eyebrow-raising playboy routine and leans into a colder, more pragmatic Bond. He still has the charm, but he’s not skating through the movie on autopilot. He’s ruthless when he needs to be—like that moment he kicks a car off a cliff with a villain still inside. That scene is cold as ice, and it lands.
It’s probably his most serious take on the role, and it works. You can tell the filmmakers were trying to ground Bond again, and Moore rises to the occasion more than you’d expect.
Vengeful, Stoic, Kind of Flat
Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock is striking and clearly going for icy and intense, but the performance feels a bit stiff. She’s got a compelling backstory—Greek woman on a personal mission of vengeance with a crossbow—but she doesn’t get a lot of emotional range.
Her chemistry with Moore is fine, if a little forced. For Your Eyes Only tries to sell them as a romantic match, but it plays more like an older uncle giving dating advice than two spies falling into bed together. That said, she’s competent and never turns into a damsel, which is always a win.
All Red Herrings, All the Time
This movie throws a lot of potential bad guys at you before settling on one. First there’s the smuggler Kristatos, then the wild-card Milos Columbo, and finally the reveal that Kristatos is the real villain all along. It’s a fun little fake-out, even if none of them are particularly memorable.
Kristatos is probably the blandest of Moore-era villains—smug, calm, and not nearly as threatening as the film thinks he is. Columbo, played with crusty charm by Topol, ends up stealing most of the scenes he’s in. He’s a Greek walnut-munching wild card and, oddly, the heart of the back half of the movie.
Surprisingly Gritty
The action here is great, and refreshingly grounded. The ski chase is one of the best in the series—fast, creative, and loaded with great visual gags (the bobsled run sequence is top-tier Bond mayhem). There’s also a terrific rock-climbing finale that’s genuinely tense, with Bond scaling a vertical cliff as henchmen try to knock him off.
The underwater sequences drag a bit, but they’re beautifully shot. And the car chase with the beat-up Citroën 2CV? Silly as hell, but fun. It fits the tone, even if it borders on cartoonish.
Espionage Meets Saturday Morning Cartoon
Here’s where the movie trips a bit. For Your Eyes Only wants to be more serious with Bond is killing out of revenge, MI6 is grounded in real-world politics—but then it shoves in Bibi Dahl, the teenage figure skater who spends the film throwing herself at Bond like she’s auditioning for Porky’s. The tonal whiplash is real.
It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s distracting. The film is caught between two identities, and sometimes they crash into each other instead of blending.
A Solid Reset with a Few Wobbles
For Your Eyes Only is a welcome step back from the franchise’s wilder instincts. It’s not flawless—the villains are bland, the pacing is a little uneven, and the humor sometimes undercuts the tension—but it’s still a stylish, well-paced Bond outing with some great stunt work and a more grounded Moore.
Think of it as Bond doing a bit of a detox before the 80s really kick in.