The roger moore era was always my favorite.
My fav Bonds through the years fit the age that I saw the movies. I loved Moore, but he was the first Bond I saw and as a kid, I didn't get that it was campy, it was just cool - I took it all at face value. Brosnon had more edge than Moore, but his films were summer blockbusters more then spy thrillers, so it was great for me as a comic book geek teen since I wasn't looking for "realism." Then I came back around to watching Connery when I was an adult because he was the most adult and I could appreciate something less comic-booky.
I grew up in the Moore era--TSWLM is one of the first movies I went to as a teenager, and I have a real soft spot for Moonraker because of that as well
Its just one of the reasons I don't directly compare Bond eras or really get into "who was the best bond" type discussions. The actors played Bond so differently comparisons are difficult. In the end I like all Bond movies--even Never Say Never Again has its charms, but in each actor's oeuvre I may like one more than other
Goldeneye, as most have said, was the best of the Brosnan films. At the time I saw it I thought Peirce was a great Bond, but that Goldeneye was entertaining but wasn't a top-tier 007 flick; I was convinced the subsequent films would be better. However, I found TND didn't entirely work for me, despite having some good things in it, TWINE felt strangely bland, and DAD was a film worth watching only for the great sword-fight, arguably the only good bit of the film (IMO).
These days I think GE is one of the better Bond films, and that Pierce feels a little lightweight in the role.
You know, for years I considered Moonraker to be the absolute worst Bond film. But when I rewatched it a few years ago, I found myself liking it more and more. Now I think the worst would probably be Diamonds are Forever, though I respect Connery for it as he donated his entire salary for that movie to charity.
No knock against Crow, but I think Lang would've been a better fit
The descent into Star Wars cash-in, by James Bond of all series, totally sank that movie for me. However, Idk if I'd say it's the worst. Pretty far down on my list, though
True but that was a signature for several Bond Movies:
LALD has blaxploitation elements
TMWTGG is a bit of a rip-off of the Kung-fu movies popular at the time
Hell, I’d argue that LTK is a Miami Vice ripoff in some ways too
While Moonraker may be the most blatant in this regard, its certainly not alone in using elements of other genres popular at the time
I actually prefer Lang's Surrender to Crow's Tomorrow Never Dies. Felt more...Bond-esque. I've grown to like TND, as I think the idea was to evoke Shirley Bassey a little...but I still think Surrender is better overall.
EDIT: Let me add since I decided to listen to it again (lol really like that song): actually Lang's version is more reminiscent of Bassey than Crow's so...it'll always be a big wtf other than Crow was a rising star at the time, maybe.
Last edited by Nate Grey; 04-19-2021 at 03:06 PM. Reason: praise for k.d. Lang
I did a rewatch of the whole Bond series last year and I definitely think that, while Brosnan was a good Bond, his films were collectively the worst for an actor playing the role. All of the Bonds have had at least one dud during their tenures (minus Lazenby, of course, but one flick does not a tenure make), but for me at least, Brosnan's films really suffered by being elements of their time and trying to incorporate the 90s action vibe into a Bond movie. Goldeneye is okay (actually liked it less than I remembered enjoying it), while I think the best of Brosnan's films is Tomorrow Never Dies...good action sequences, a solid villain, a cool-as-hell partner agent in Michelle Yeoh. The World is Not Enough really leans into the 90s of it all and does a disservice to most of the actors, especially Marceau and Carlyle (as others have said). Die Another Day? YIKES. Easily the Batman & Robin of Bond films and possibly my least favorite of them all (definitely prefer some of the go-to hated ones like Moonraker to this). The only good thing about it was Rosmund Pike, and even that's a fleeting enjoyability. The fact they were talking about a Halle Berry Jinx spinoff when they had Michelle Yeoh two movies back just boggles the mind.
EDIT: Actually, Dalton didn't really have what I'd consider a dud, thinking about it. License To Kill is a bit so-so (loved Living Daylights) but it isn't nearly as bad as a Quantum of Solace or You Only Live Twice. It's a decent mid-range Bond movie. Honestly, Dalton maybe aged the best for me in the rewatch of these.
Last edited by Kaijudo; 04-19-2021 at 05:27 PM.
I didn't like Living Daylights tbh. But LtK was good.
I had no idea Halle Berry was considered for a spinoff