James Bond films, from best to worst!

[manymade1]

Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die and Man with the Golden Gun were all done by Guy Hamilton, who despite directing Goldfinger, I think his later Bond films were kind of bland (Although Live and Let Die has it's moments). They were trying to capture the Goldfinger magic again so much, they almost made the villain Goldfinger's brother out for revenge.

It's crazy how some of these Bond directors go from making some of the best entries in the series to some of the worst. (i.e Mendes) Terrence Young (Dr. No, From Russia, and Thunderball) and Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale)are probably the two exceptions.

Still haven't seen Spectre.

Wish I could say the same.

[Pinsir]

I happened to watch "Spectre" for the first time this weekend. I would definitely rate it "okay" at best. I enjoyed some of the callbacks and action sequences. Dave Batista made a great, Oddjobbish, goon. But Craig and Waltz seemed bored and the whole secret backstory for Blofeld was like something out of the third Austin Powers.

I did feel that Spectre (as in the organization) felt immensely overbearing and powerful in the film, I did legitimately think, "Well, how is he going to beat these people?" Which I almost never do in any sort of media. However, that reveal just felt incredibly unnecessary. I guess because Skyfall had a personal element to it and was successful, they thought something like that would work again.

Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd are probably the weirdest, most dated villains in the franchise, and that's saying something. If you wanted to know how Archie Bunker's son in law Michael "Meathead" Stivic would do as an assassin, there you have it.

They are apparently the only homosexual James Bond characters though! Well, maybe the main villain from Skyfall was too...oh boy!


Out of curiosity, is anyone else watching/watched these films on Cravetv?

[ChrisIII]

It's interesting that all the 80's Bonds were pretty much by the same guy, John Glen. One of the things he kind of did was keep Gogol and Frederick Grey (Who debuted in "Spy who Loved Me") around as supporting characters until The Living Daylights. This kind of helped keep a bit of continuity in the later Moore era and Dalton's first film. However, Moore perhaps should have retired after "Eyes". An older Bond sort of works in Octopussy because Maud Adams was around 40 at the time and was more believable as the love interest with the aging Moore; Tanya Roberts, on the other hand....

His films also all have James being startled by birds.

[Mark Trail]

I did feel that Spectre (as in the organization) felt immensely overbearing and powerful in the film, I did legitimately think, "Well, how is he going to beat these people?" Which I almost never do in any sort of media.

That was actually part of the problem for me. They were SO powerful that the ending didn't really make a lot of sense. Basically, we are led to believe that Bond and M just had to say "C was really a bad guy and this Blofeld character is a criminal genius," and suddenly this extremely powerful organization that obviously had high ranking officials from nearly even nation in the world would be brought down?

However, that reveal just felt incredibly unnecessary. I guess because Skyfall had a personal element to it and was successful, they thought something like that would work again.?

I've thought all of Craig's Bond movies had too much of a personal element to be honest. I like my Bond as a spy/assassion doing what he does because it's his mission, not because he's out for revenge, etc.

[Cyke]

^They're actually in the book, although way less campy.

Yes, I'm aware of that, but their movie incarnation is the one that's more known and thus more worthy of a facepalm.

That was actually part of the problem for me. They were SO powerful that the ending didn't really make a lot of sense. Basically, we are led to believe that Bond and M just had to say "C was really a bad guy and this Blofeld character is a criminal genius," and suddenly this extremely powerful organization that obviously had high ranking officials from nearly even nation in the world would be brought down?

I did feel that Spectre (as in the organization) felt immensely overbearing and powerful in the film, I did legitimately think, "Well, how is he going to beat these people?" Which I almost never do in any sort of media. However, that reveal just felt incredibly unnecessary. I guess because Skyfall had a personal element to it and was successful, they thought something like that would work again.

I liked Spectre overall (though I agree it's a weaker entry in the franchise), but I had the same thought as you two. They're powerful and turn out to be the Big Bads behind four straight movies, so big that even Quantum is just a subsidiary, and yet they're taken down as routinely as any other villain. What should be a global conspiracy and the most powerful syndicate ever is wrapped up a little too neatly; especially since we had the meeting scene where the heads of major crime organizations from a considerable number of countries was assembled and were outright scared of Blofeld. What is he paying them for?

They are apparently the only homosexual James Bond characters though! Well, maybe the main villain from Skyfall was too...oh boy!

Oh, I am definitely counting Silva as queer. And I liked his character, too. He makes Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd look like overgrown kiddie amateurs.

[Dr Quinch]

In my mind there are two Bonds - there's "Book Bond" and "Movie Bond". I see them as two separate fictional characters.

Book Bond is a burned out assassin who relies on drugs and alcohol to hold himself together long enough to complete his missions. When he's not being beaten up by thugs or tortured by sadists he's being betrayed by women or watching them die. Book Bond is aware that there is something psychologically abnormal about himself and does not expect to have a normal life or a happy ending.

Movie Bond is a swashbuckling technicolour superhero with an arsenal of sci-fi gadgets who always gets the girl, never gets his suit rumpled, always has a jaunty quip at the ready when despatching an opponent.

I can appreciate both characters but Movie Bond is the guy I've wanted to be since I was seven years old.

For the last ten years or so it seems there has been a deliberate effort to turn Movie Bond into Book Bond and IMHO the films have gradually become less interesting and less unique as a result. I don't think the Daniel Craig films are bad (except for QoS) but I do think it's kind of sad that the Bond films seem to be made exclusively for adults rather than the whole family now. It makes me wonder where the next generation of Bond fans is going to come from.

[Scott Taylor]

License to Kill felt the most like "Book Bond" than any of the others, to me. And it was one brutal movie. The books are decent, but fairly generic. You could just as easily read anything by LeCarre and get the same kind of story. Movie Bond absolutely became something greater than its parts.

My favorite movie bond, viewing the movies as pure spy fantasy, is Roger Moore. He played the camp the only way camp should ever be played, and most of his movies are pretty darned fast-moving and entertaining.

Favorite Bond movie - For Your Eyes Only. Because its got a beautiful woman who is also a partner, some of the best action sequences, a decent villain, and great spy fantasy stuff.

Worst Bond movie - Casino Royale. Because we don't watch James Bond movies to see Bond get tortured by six hour gambling games, giving himself heart therapy, and getting repeatedly punched in the balls.

[Cyke]

Can I just take a moment to state my admiration of Judi Dench's M? It's a rare and wondrous thing for an actor to survive an out-and-out reboot, but comparing M in the Brosnan and Craig films is an interesting experiment seeing he same actor in the same role in very different atmospheres. In particular, Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day seem almost quaint in comparison to the four Craig films where M is concerned, and her no-nonsense attitude holds up against an increasingly darker and more modern world with each movie. It's sometimes hard to believe that M in TND is played by the same actor in the grim and almost hopeless Skyfall, holding her own in a massive shootout. There's a very good reason why Dench was brought over, and even brought back for a post-humous cameo.

Movie Bond is a swashbuckling technicolour superhero with an arsenal of sci-fi gadgets who always gets the girl, never gets his suit rumpled, always has a jaunty quip at the ready when despatching an opponent.

I only found out about this in hindsight (actually, maybe an interview with Roger Moore?) that Daniel Craig was really the very first Bond to be grievously hurt in a movie. It's something I expect in a Die Hard or Lethal Weapon movie, but I hadn't really considered Bond's inherent invulnerability up until that point was made. Even as harsh as the Timothy Dalton movies were, he was never really harmed in a life-threatening way (as opposed to poor Felix Leiter).

[Dr Quinch]

I actually quite enjoyed Casino Royale (2006) in spite of my preference for a more lighthearted Bond. I tell myself that it's actually a prequel to Dr No.

[GizmotheStark89]

Casino Royale
License To Kill
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Spy Who Loved Me
From Russia With Love
Goldeneye
Skyfall
For Your Eyes Only
Moonraker
Thunderball
The Living Daylights
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World Is Not Enough
Dr. No
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Everything else.

[Siddon]

I generally like the Bond films, You Only Live Twice is actually my favorite, my least favorite in The World is Not Enough

[manymade1]

For the last ten years or so it seems there has been a deliberate effort to turn Movie Bond into Book Bond and IMHO the films have gradually become less interesting and less unique as a result. I don't think the Daniel Craig films are bad (except for QoS) but I do think it's kind of sad that the Bond films seem to be made exclusively for adults rather than the whole family now. It makes me wonder where the next generation of Bond fans is going to come from.

Skyfall's tone is the ideal tone of the Bond films. It has the flawed hero elements from the books but also keeps the fun, campy action that Bond is synonymous with.

[Cyke]

Skyfall's tone is the ideal tone of the Bond films. It has the flawed hero elements from the books but also keeps the fun, campy action that Bond is synonymous with.

To me, the H2H fight in silhouette strongly reminded me of the best Bond title sequences. It was a pretty ingenious idea to mix the classic with the modern (giant screens, glass architecture, etc) for that one scene.

Speaking of which, what's everyone's favorite title sequence and/or song made for a Bond movie? Intro, credits song, whatever. Worst?

[Gray Lensman]

To me, the H2H fight in silhouette strongly reminded me of the best Bond title sequences. It was a pretty ingenious idea to mix the classic with the modern (giant screens, glass architecture, etc) for that one scene.

Speaking of which, what's everyone's favorite title sequence and/or song made for a Bond movie? Intro, credits song, whatever. Worst?

Favorite song is The World is Not Enough.

[ChrisIII]

I felt Skyfall and Spectre were both sort of headed towards the more traditional Bond-reintroducing the supporting cast apart from M and Tanner, for instance, as well as the more elaborate gadgets.

As for SPECTRE, I seriously doubt we've really seen the end of the organization, or of Blofeld (Although this might all depend on whether Craig stays or not, or whether they'll reboot again). In the Connery films (and Lazenby) the organization was often defeated, but had many 'arms', and Blofeld always seemed to escape in some fashion anyway. Of course there's FYEO where he's apparentally finished off for good, but he also "died" at the beginnings of Diamonds Are Forever, so had they not started from scratch with the continuity that could've been a loophole to bring him back (although they didn't get the rights back in time of course).

I'm guessing if they plan to continue the storyline and Craig stays, Bond 25 could possibly involve Blofeld escaping, killing Madeline perhaps, which causes Bond to go back to the job (It's a bit vague whether he 'quit' or not at the end). I've mentioned it before but perhaps it could be based in part of the novel of You Only Twice, where Bond and Blofeld had their final confrontation book wise, and he sort of gets revenge for Tracy (Unlike "Diamond's" rushed and vague opening sequence).

It even could have a title that would fit with the last two movies: SHATTERHAND (Blofeld's alias in the book).