Director John Glen got his first chance to depict Ian Fleming's infamous English spy James Bond 007 in "For Your Eyes Only," my favorite Bond film of all.

In "For Your Eyes Only," Bond is sent out to recover a lost British encryption device, housed on a spy ship, accidentally destroyed and sunk. Before interested parties can salvage it and make use of the device, 007 must get it first. The device is also used as a navigation tool for all ballistic missiles the Ministry of Defense has.

However--this is a flaw of the picture, the story gets very sidetracked on numerous occasions.

Roger Moore serves as Bond in this installment, his follow up to "Moonraker." Being the Bond I grew up with, Moore's take on Fleming's character was fun and as "Bond" as Bond needs to be.

"For Your Eves Only" screenwriter Richard Maibaum, who wrote seven of the existing Bond movies from Connery to Dalton days, had a great amount of perfect Bond quips in this installment, especially in dealing with the ladies.

The other reason why FYEO is my favorite Bond feature is, admitted by the director, it is a production which brings the main character "back to earth." Even though "Moonraker" was considered largely successful by its makers, its storyline kept Bond in a science fiction genre, borderline supercilious.

This Bond film returns the character to the fist to fist, secret technology, cloak and dagger essence the character should be submerged in. For that, I appreciate it whole hearted.

Unfortunately, the picture was made in 1980, thus Bill Conti's music score of the picture was extremely dated and hoaky. Action sequences are accompanied by rock music, instead of the orchestral efforts of John Barry in Bond sequels post-FYEO.

I also appreciate the role of Melina, the daughter of two assassinated archaeologists working with British intelligence. Played by French actress Carole Bouquet, Bond, for once, is accompanied by a rough and tumble beauty who can hold her own, rather than the damsel whose hand 007 must hold all the time or she'll fall in her heels and slow him down i.e. Tanya Roberts in "A View to a Kill."

Outside of all that, the action sequences are benchmarks for the series. Skiing fights with motorcycles and snipers, underwater sequences with some dude who blows up at the end of it, rock climbing fights, Bond and Melina are tied up and used for shark bate, a hilarious car chase through Brazil--not in the story, but the actual location--are included in this one. What else does a Bond feature need?

The DVD disc has a very interesting and not so self appreciating documentary, as well as a series of original cheesy dated trailers. It also includes the theme song's music video by 80s pop vixen Sheena Easton. "For Your Eyes Only" is also my favorite of all the Bond main title tunes. I even sang "For Your Eyes Only" in a bar during kareoke one night. It was a good idea, until I started getting requests to perform "Goldfinger." Ah, memories.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?