12 Things You Learn Rewatching For Your Eyes Only
2. The Underwater Sequence Is Too Damn Long
Though the vast majority of the action in this movie is terrific, the third-act underwater set-piece? Not so much. Even sharp editing sadly can't do much to save this dreadfully overlong sequence, in which Bond and Melina attempt to recover the ATAC from some underwater wreckage.
It's sluggishly paced (because moving underwater is hard) and conjures up unfortunate memories of Thunderball, which had an almost comically excessive devotion to underwater set-pieces.
At least this scene lasts "only" around ten minutes, but it certainly feels even longer, and a goofy climactic fight against an assassin in a gigantic diving suit doesn't remotely help.
Clumsy and lumbering as it is, this sticks out as the single dud action sequence in an otherwise splendidly-directed effort.