1981’s FOR YOUR EYES ONLY and Its First-Rate MARVEL Adaptation
REEL RETRO CINEMA: A new look at old flicks and their comic book connections — on the 45th anniversary of For Your Eyes Only… — UPDATED 6/26/26: Hello, darling! For Your Eyes Only came out June 24, 1981, in the UK and June 26 in the US! Perfect time to reprint this column from 2015’s 007 WEEK. Now, do pay attention… — Dan — By ROB KELLY In 2006, the producers of the James Bond film franchise were universally praised for Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig in his first outing as 007. Tougher, rougher, and meaner than previous installments, it was clear that Eon Productions had shrewdly realized the excesses of the Bond films during Pierce Brosnan’s tenure (invisible cars, really?) needed to be reined in, lest the series become so silly that it could never recover. And make no mistake, Casino Royale deserves all the praise it received—but it’s worth taking a few moments to discuss another Bond film that was crafted for the same purpose, 1981’s For Your Eyes Only. For Your Eyes Only was originally scheduled to be Roger Moore’s fourth Bond film, following 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me (it was even promised as such at the end of that movie’s credits). But in between Spy’s production and release, 20th Century Fox unleashed Star Wars, a film whose impact on the movie business is still under-discussed (even after the 40 billion words that have been written about it). Eon Productions was still being run by Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, half of the team that first brought Bond to movie screens back in 1962 with Dr. No. Broccoli wasn’t afraid to chase a hot trend, so For Your Eyes Only was put on hold in favor of Moonraker, pretty much no one’s favorite Bond movie, Non-Ironic Division. Basically it’s The One Where Bond Goes Into Outer Space, and while it was a massive hit, fans of the series wondered just where the hell it could go after this. What’s next, James Bond vs. Michael Myers? Luckily, cooler heads prevailed and it was decided that for the next film, a more “back to basics” approach needed to be taken, for the long-term health of the franchise. Gone were the cartoony villains like Jaws, the outlandish gadgets, and the (literally) out-of-this-world settings. No, this time around, James Bond...
Read more
