007 - 40 years of entertainment or crap?

[crudbucket]

I know that many people find them boring, but they've been around for 40 years so they must be doing something right. So which was the best movie and which is the worst ?

For me the best is "From Russia with Love" while the worst by a mile is "Moonraker".

any thoughts ??

[Fred]

The early ones were much better. As the special effects became more in vogue, the plot seemed to become less important - and more far-fetched.

[Mooster7]

Agree with you about Moonraker being a **** of ****.

Although I like the Sean Connery Bonds, my favorite is 'Goldeneye.' How about that tank chase? Three thumbs up.

[knuckles]

Not sure how you can call it crap. Wish more movies were this "crap".

Problem with growin up with a movie series, you, as a person change in what makes you go WOW! So the movie becomes boring, repetitive, and crap!

I'm convinced new viewers of 007 still get the same buzz as when you first saw it.

[Wicked Lester]

Good post.

Favourites:

a) Most of Connery's - Ruusia, Goldfinger, Dr No
b) I really like OHMSS - I know this is a big call, but I thought Lazenby was quite good.
c) Moore: Live and Let Die and Spy who loved me (mainly for Barbara Bach), For Your Eyes Only ok also
d) Dalton: quite enjoyed Licence To Kill though it was canned by most.
e) Not a big Brosnan fan though Tomorrow Never Dies was better on a second viewing.

[crudbucket]

Don't think I said they were crap, I asked the question "are they crap", but I will accept an opinion from anyone on this matter as that's why I put the question up in the first place ....

I also put Thunderball and Tomorrow Never Dies on a high, I feel less than enthusiastic about the Roger Moore efforts, they seemed to get campier and played more for laughs with each new movie ..

[Desredandwhite]

My favourite is You Only Live Twice - the one set in Japan.

With the Bond flicks, to an extent you always know what you're going to get. This can be good OR bad, as with anything else :)

[clucas91]

The last 3 Bond's have sucked IMO, Connery's time was by far the best, more plot, less emphasis on effects and gadgets.

[DEVO]

Favourite Bond: Sean Connery
Favourite Bond Film: Thunderball
Favourite Bond Chick: Domino (Claudine Auger) Thunderball
Favourite Bond Villian: Xenia Onotopp (Famke Janssen) Goldeneye
Favourite Bond Moment: Xenia Onotopp gunning down the Sevenaya Techo's and getting off on it. She looked so hot in the Black Leather Uniform.

Worst Bond Film: Moonraker

[GFC MAD!]

James Bond movies rock!!
I have 10 of the 20 films on video. I like the earlier ones the best, with Sean Connery and Roger Moore. Connery is the best by far, but I'm also a fan of Moore because his films are fun to watch, he made some really good ones, and he kept the series going strong.
Die Another Day is my favourite of the newer ones, even though it is a bit too far fetched even for a Bond film, and lacks a bit of the classic Bond feel.

Best Villan? Jaws [Spy who loved me, Moonraker]
Best Girl? Miss Frost [Die Another Day]
Best song? Live and Let Die [Live and Let Die]

My quick reviews of the 20 films in release order [I have seen them all!]

1 - DR. NO - Great first up one, obviously because of Sean Connery and lack of gimmicks. Not top on my list, as they got better as they went on. 6/10

2 - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE - Many Bond experts say this is the best of the bunch. As a kid I thought this one was a total bore and I would take a Moore one over this any day. But watching it now, I can understand why it is ranked so highly. The introduction of 'Q', great scenery, and an engrossing plot. 8/10

3 - GOLDFINGER - My favourite of the Connery's. Gadgets and action galore - as well as the famous "Pussy Galore". The '007' on the timer clock near the end is one of the best scenes in a bond movie. 9/10

4 - THUNDERBALL - Loses marks by being alot slower than Goldfinger, but it has a good plot and Connery is in his prime. I also like Bond films set in tropical locations, and this has some great water scenery. 8/10

5 - YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE - Perhaps the most gimmicky of the Connery ones, this is the benchmark for the high budget, super sets we see in the latter Bond films. Fun to watch. 7/10

6 - ON HER MAJESTYS SECRET SERVICE - Aussie George Lazenby's one and only. Have not seen this one for a while, but I remember it being one of the most emotional Bond flicks with the death of his wife at the end. Hard to score this one, I'll have to watch it again. From memory I found it too slow for a Bond filck. 5/10

7 - DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER - Connery just did this one for the money. Did not like this one as much as the others - do not know why. Defenately Connery's weakest. 4/10

8 - LIVE AND LET DIE - Great stuff! The first Bond film I saw and the one that got me hooked! Great song! Great boat chase! Great villans! Great into for Roger Moore! 9/10

9 - THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN - Considerd one of the weakest Bonds by many, I quite liked this good follow-up to LALD. Love nick-nack and Christopher Lee as Scaramunga. Nice loctions and a good dose of humour. Underrated. 8/10

10 - THE SPY WHO LOVED ME - Often described as Moore's best, it get my vote as a goody just because it has Jaws! Did not grab me as much as LALD, but it has the underwater lotus and sext Barbara Bach, and non-stop action. 7-10

11 - MOONRAKER - One of the weakest - they just went too far with this one. Very dull in parts, the space scenes at the end look out of place. 4/10

12 - FOR YOUR EYES ONLY - Thank heavens the Bond franchise sustained by following the mediocre Moonraker the the excellent For Your Eyes Only. Fantastic entertainment, from snowfields to the tropics. First class Moore entry. 9/10

13 - OCTOPUSSY - A somewhat different Bond flick, with Moore ageing and this one being set about the story of a circus, which does become silly. Yet, it is still ranked highly by many, and it does have plenty of tension - and a great climax. 6/10

14 - A VIEW TO A KILL - Terrible! Hard to understand, Moore way too old, and too much boredome between action. Even worse than Moonraker. 2/10.

15 - THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS - Dalton is not one of my favourites, but it was refreshing to see a new Bond take over. Very complex film, with little variety in the women stakes [only one bond girl] 5/10

16 - LICENCE TO KILL - Perhaps better than TLD, but it still gets the same score in my book. The final truck sequence is good, but Dalton still is not Bond. 5/10

17 - GOLDENEYE - Great intro to the 90's for Bond, with perhaps the best pre-titles sequence in Bond history. I think Brosnan made better ones than this one though. 6/10

18 - TOMORROW NEVER DIES - Used to be my favourite of the Brosnans, but found it a bore on the second and third viewings. Good scenery and great BMW car, but thats about it now. 6/10

19 - THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH - A complex plot, and you have to really pay attention to understand whats going on. I did, and I loved it. It is a bit slow in parts, but the action sequences make up for it. Plus it has Denise Richards. 8/10

20 - DIE ANOTHER DAY - A bit far fetched - lacks the feel of the classic Bonds, some great and some not-so-great effects [some of the CGI ruins it], but all-in-all a great show. 8/10

Girls, Action, Stunning locations and great entertainment. Whenever a James Bond film appears in the TV guide I'm sure to watch, as you are guarenteed to be entertained.

[Dry Rot]

Originally posted by crudbucket

For me the best is "From Russia with Love"

Agreed, although Goldfinger also a favourite but the first of the campy style so difficult to compare.

Must admit I don't mind Judi Dench as M, and I liked the premise of the relatively recent one with Murdoch-like character who created his own news.

[Bluey]

Originally posted by Wicked Lester

e) Not a big Brosnan fan though Tomorrow Never Dies was better on a second viewing.

Goldeneye revitalised the Bond films for me. Connery and Moore were getting a bit old for it.

TND was bit off - the villain wasn't that crash hot.

Die Another Day did a surprising amount of new things too, so it is up there.

Dr No is a personal favourite. For non-fans, Sylvia Trench was the first character to say:
"Trench, Sylvia Trench."

Bond is just a big copycat with the "Bond, James Bond" line.

[Falchoon]

Originally posted by GFC MAD!


10 - THE SPY WHO LOVED ME - Often described as Moore's best, it get my vote as a goody just because it has Jaws! Did not grab me as much as LALD, but it has the underwater lotus and sext Barbara Bach, and non-stop action. 7-10



Any movie that has a Cortina in a car chase gets my vote.

[sussudio]

my favourite bond film is From Russia With Love...that fight scene between Connery and Shaw on the train is one of the best movie fights I've ever seen. no music, no sound effects...just two guys going at it in close quarters. this is followed by Goldfinger. I've noticed that in the earlier 007 flicks, Bond didn't need any fancy ways of killing villians, e.g. in Goldfinger, all he did was throw the bad guy into a bathtub then chuck an electric lamp in.

Connery is my favourite of course, but in contrast to the views of many, I rate Dalton to be my second favourite. this is because Dalton portrayed Bond as he appeared in Ian Fleming's novels - a cold, calculating assassin for the British Government. no time for pithy one liners or schmoozing with the ladies, Dalton's dark and brooding 007 was a big hit with fans but a flop with the general populace.

Brosnan's OK...I reckon that Goldeneye was his best film, although the opening sequence was a bit far fetched - how the hell could he have caught up to the plummeting plane? but the rest of GE was excellent. TND was good as well, esp. for the luscious Terry Hatcher and Michelle Yeoh, but things really soured with TWINE....I mean, Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist, and Vulcan from Australian Gladiators as Elektra's bodyguard??? c'mon!!!! TWINE really turned me off DAD....I am waiting for the DVD of this one, rather than seeing it at the movies :D

Moore really made Bond into a pansy-ass comic character. Moonraker totally sucked! And I hate how he turned 007 into a know-it-all smartarse....having knowledge about the chemical formula of an orchid, to locating an obscure Amazon river tribe, to disarming bombs, to operating every machinery known to man. Not at all in keeping with Fleming's novels, where 007 was quite knowledgeable about a lot of things, but for many other things, he had to improvise, and he survived through wits, improvisation, and sometimes through pure luck. we all know that for all the Bond films, Bond never dies, but at least we have to believe that he could be hurt or killed - more evidence of this in the earlier fims than the later films.

it was interesting to note that Sam Neill tried out for the part in OHMSS and actually rated quite highly with Brocoli and the other producers....imagine if he had gotten the part?? :D It was funny seeing him say "Bond James Bond" in one of the screen trials in the DVD.

[knuckles]

Originally posted by sussudio
it was interesting to note that Sam Neill tried out for the part in OHMSS and actually rated quite highly with Brocoli and the other producers....imagine if he had gotten the part?? :D It was funny seeing him say "Bond James Bond" in one of the screen trials in the DVD.

Ian Botham also was asked to cast - be thankful he didn't get the gig.


BTW, hackorama OZ actor, Andrew Clarke of Estreet fame, was pretty much offered the role, post Moore. Knocked it back b/c he didn't want to be typecast. Good move. As he has had such a fruitful and diverse career since.

[Grendel]

With you Sussidio, Dalton was a great Bond imo too. Cold, killing was just a means to an end with him.

Best Bond is Connery though. Was perfectly cast at the time in his physical prime, had the charm, attitude etc.

Moore? A couple of highs (LALD, FYEO) but the rest.. (Lee as Scaramanga was a great under-rated villian though).

Lazenby did an okay job on OHMSS I thought. Probably could have kept going and did at least as well as Moore did.

Brosnan? In a word, no. Just doesnt have 'it' for me. Looks as dangerous as he did in Remington Steele, to thin, to old, to 'proper'. If they wanted an Irishman for the job they should have made Sean Beans 00 the 00SEVEN.

Best film of the franchise? YOLT mainly because Pleasance was so good as Blofeld.

Worst, MWTGG (worst song too).

Best song, Goldfinger easy.

Best bird, Diana Rigg (probably cause I kept thinking Mrs Peel... hmmm Mrs Peel).

[Zombie]

So who is going to be the next bond then?

http://ia.imdb.com/media/imdb/01/I/19/68/22m.jpg

or

http://www.geocities.com/colappreciation/gallery/coltigerland23.jpg

or

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1290000/images/_1292583_bonds300.jpg

:eek:

[crudbucket]

007 could be Trent Croad, with Kevin Sheedy as "M", James Hird as Miss Moneypenny and Wayne Jackson as Blofeld....

[Grendel]

Originally posted by Zombie
So who is going to be the next bond then?


Im a fan of Colin Farrell, think he would go okay in the role.

I can see them casting Ben Affleck though. You can hear the Yanks "goddam past time we had a real AMERICAN Bond anyway"! :D

[TheMightyDons]

Personally, my favourite Bond was Tomorrow Never Dies. It can probably be put down to my age (teenager) but I found it awesome. Second would be Goldfinger, third would probably be From Russia with Love. For me, Brosnan is #1 on my Bond list, ahead of Connery. Don't know why, just like him more. Didn't mind Dalton, Moore was okay without being brilliant and Lazenby was absolutely shocking. I couldnt even finish watching OHMSS he was that bad!
Best villain - tough call, but it's Blofeld for me, then Auric Goldfinger.
Best Bond girl - Denise Richards :D
Best song - Madonna's Die Another Day