Rank the Bond films

[nutso42]

Today: Live and Let Die

Okay, let me begin with my complaints:
The extended dance sequences got really old really fast; the death of the main villain... you had him in a pool of sharks, why find some other (stupid) way to kill him?; the needless Lounge music version of the amazing Paul McCartney song; and sheesh, did everybody in this movie eventually turn out to be a henchman?

However, it did have some good points:
Jane Seymour
Roger Moore's first outing as Bond seemed pretty good
Jane Seymour
Paul McCartney's aforementioned title song
Jane Seymour
oh, and Jane Seymour

And does anyone else think this would make for a great OT photoshop?



OVERALL RANKINGS:
1. From Russia With Love
2. Goldfinger
3. Diamonds Are Forever
4. You Only Live Twice
5. Thunderball
6. Live and Let Die
7. Dr. No
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service


Up next: The Man With the Golden Gun!

[nutso42]

Today: The Man With the Golden Gun

Well, this was a great improvement over Live and Let Die. Christopher Lee's Count Scaramanga was possibly the best villain since Goldfinger.

I also really liked the dynamic of Bond going against just one man. Not a mastermind with an army, not a vast criminal network... just one guy with a gun.

Some parts didn't go so well (such as the Sheriff returning from the previous film), but even those moments weren't so bad, and were made up for very well, i.e. Bond's game of cat-and-mouse with Scaramanga.
Definitely the better of the Moore films I've seen so far. My ranking may change in the future, but for now, it's my third favorite.

OVERALL RANKINGS:
1. From Russia With Love
2. Goldfinger
3. The Man With the Golden Gun
4. Diamonds Are Forever
5. You Only Live Twice
6. Thunderball
7. Live and Let Die
8. Dr. No
9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service


Up next: The Spy Who Loved Me!

[jmattbassplaya]

If you're like me, you'll probably really enjoy the Spy Who Loved Me!

[carlos840]

Well, i just watched skyfall and really loved it.

I might even put Daniel Craig at my number one James Bond spot after seeing it.
I thought he really rocked.

[nutso42]

Today: The Spy Who Loved Me

Man, I am loving the Moore films a lot more than I'd expected I would. While I realize the Connery movies surely stay truer to the source material, Moore's movies are pure cinema.

The primary thing I liked about The Spy Who Loved Me is Bond takes on much more of a leader role. In numerous of the earlier films (i.e. Thunderball, You Only Live Twice) the climax involved two small armies attacking each other. Each time, Bond hung back and charged in halfway through the battle.
In this one, Bond is leading the charge in the submarine, and when they hit a wall (literally), he's the one who plants the explosives so they can finish the charge.

There wasn't really anything about this movie I disliked. Almost all the earlier movies had a "What the....?!" moment. This one was mostly free of that.
Plus, it was free of appearances by the redneck sheriff from the last two movies! For a while I was worried he'd be the new Felix Leiter or something...

OVERALL RANKINGS:
1. From Russia With Love
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. Goldfinger
4. The Man With the Golden Gun
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. You Only Live Twice
7. Thunderball
8. Dr. No
9. Live and Let Die
10. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

(yes, I did a little reorganizing. And yes, I put a Moore film above Goldfinger. Sorry.)

Up next: Moonraker!

[plankspanker13]

Originally Posted by nutso42

Some parts didn't go so well (such as the Sheriff returning from the previous film), but even those moments weren't so bad, and were made up for very well, i.e. Bond's game of cat-and-mouse with Scaramanga.

Sherriff JW is hilarious! He is the best comic relief character of all the Bond films.

It'll be interesting to see if you agree with me in thinking that Moonraker is the worst of them all.

[jmattbassplaya]

I knew you'd like it

Moonraker is also a lot of fun and was my favorite Bond movie when I was much younger, but it didn't seem to stand up as much once I got older.

[pbass6811]

Ok, I'm a bit confused...The thread was movies, but the poll was actors?

I'm going with actors, since I haven't seen the last couple of movies yet.

1. Pierce Brosnan-I really feel like he epitomized James Bond
2. Sean Connery-He built the franchise, BUT not quite as sauve
3. Roger Moore-Woulda been #1-except for Connery & Brosnan
4. Daniel Craig-He's an RPG in a gun fight, but he's cool.
5. Timothy Dalton-He never made me believe he was Bond
6. George Lazenby-Woulda beat Dalton, if he'd a done another

I'm gonna try to watch the Bond flicks and revisit this later on...

Peace

[CapnSev]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

If you're like me, you'll probably really enjoy the Spy Who Loved Me!

After much denial, and trying to convince myself Goldfinger was better, I am with you on this one. 'The Spy Who Loved Me' is the best Bond movie.

It has it all: the babe, Bond is great, gadgets, the villain with the underwater fortress, Jaws, ski chase, one-liners, etc.

[mrpackerguy]

The fact that Thunderball keeps dropping in your ranking just ain't right!

[nutso42]

Originally Posted by mrpackerguy

The fact that Thunderball keeps dropping in your ranking just ain't right!

That's the problem... everything from Dr. No upward was fantastic! But by having them at 7 and 8 makes it look like I didn't like them.

Perhaps it's because I had already seen Thunderball, but almost everything else is new to me?



So far, only Live and Let Die has been mediocre, and only On Her Majesty's Secret Service was disappointing.

[nutso42]

Okay, there's gonna be a delay on this... been trying to get through Moonraker, and it's not going too well.

I'll finish it tomorrow.

[nutso42]

Today: Moonraker

Wow. Just... wow. Maybe my expectations were too high after The Spy Who Loved Me, but this one was... just not very good.
It seemed like they took everything that worked well before, and threw all of it against the wall hoping something would stick.
Oh, and threw in a little Star Wars as well.

I realize this was done due to the recent success of Star Wars, and they were trying to capitalize on it, but sheesh... soldiers popping out of a space shuttle for a laser battle?
I spent most of my time on TalkBass while watching this.

And my goodness.... how many speedboat races will they put Roger Moore through?!

I did not like this movie.

But it did have this, it's saving grace.


OVERALL RANKINGS:
1. From Russia With Love
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. Goldfinger
4. The Man With the Golden Gun
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. You Only Live Twice
7. Thunderball
8. Dr. No
9. Live and Let Die
10. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
11. Moonraker


Up next: For Your Eyes Only!

[nutso42]

Today: For Your Eyes Only

Once the opening credits on this movie began, one thought crossed my mind:
"This is the first Bond movie of the 1980's, isn't it?"

Well, this one was a welcome change after Moonraker... a kinda average story, with reasonably good acting and story, but nothing really memorable.
Seriously, that's the only thing I have to say about it. Nothing particularly bad, nothing particularly good.

Was there anything I missed? If so, please enlighten me.

OVERALL RANKINGS:
1. From Russia With Love
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. Goldfinger
4. The Man With the Golden Gun
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. You Only Live Twice
7. Thunderball
8. Dr. No
9. For Your Eyes Only
10. Live and Let Die
11. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
12. Moonraker


Up next: Octopussy!

[jmattbassplaya]

Haha, so I'm guessing all your moves so far, but the real question will be A View to a Kill. I absolutely loved that movie, but it seemed to be universally hated by people. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it.

[nutso42]

Today: Octopussy

Wow, how did I go four days without visiting TB? And didn't even notice?

Anyway, Octopussy: At the start of this movie, I had one request... please, no speedboat chases or ski chases. They've done that so much, please just a break for one movie!

And I got it!

Overall, the movie was reasonably well paced. Some bits dragged on, but not often. I'll admit, the sequence of Bond jumping from the car to the train, and the subsequent fight, may be one of the best scenes in a Bond movie yet. IMO, of course.

The villain was a little unmemorable (crazy Russian soldier... where have we seen that before?), but the increased screen time for Q was a welcome addition.

OVERALL RANKINGS:
1. From Russia With Love
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. Goldfinger
4. The Man With the Golden Gun
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. Thunderball
7. Octopussy
8. You Only Live Twice
9. Dr. No
10. For Your Eyes Only
11. Live and Let Die
12. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
13. Moonraker


Up next: A View To a Kill!

[nutso42]

Today: A View To a Kill

What the heck makes people hate this movie? This was pretty good! I mean sure, it's not the best one made, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd heard. Let's review the complaints:

"Roger Moore was too old". Actually, he looked like he was in better shape than he was in Octopussy.

"Grace Jones is badly wasted". Shoot, she had more screen time than Tanya Roberts! And every scene she was in her character was pretty pivotal.

"The story line is ridiculous". Uh, seriously? A corrupt businessman trying to monopolize the industry through excessive destruction. Where have we seen that before? Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Live and Let Die. And let's not forget they've had much more absurd villains (in particular, Moonraker's whole plot).
And Christopher Walken was a great villain. I wish he could've returned in another film.

My overall feeling towards A View To a Kill is that, while not perfect, it deserves much more credit than it's gotten. Especially for Tanya Roberts.

OVERALL RANKINGS:
1. From Russia With Love
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. Goldfinger
4. The Man With the Golden Gun
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. Thunderball
7. A View To a Kill
8. Octopussy
9. You Only Live Twice
10. Dr. No
11. For Your Eyes Only
12. Live and Let Die
13. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
14. Moonraker


Up next: The Living Daylights!

[nutso42]

Today: The Living Daylights

Timothy Dalton's first outing has me impressed. While a total switch from Roger Moore's lighthearted approach, Dalton initially had me shocked. Focused, determined, and not at all jolly (at least, not until later in the film).

This movie was very similar in tone to From Russia With Love, which as you can see in all these posts, is my current favorite Bond film. I liked the conflict between Russia, the insurgents, MI-6, and the two lead villains.
Which brings me to another point: I loved how it had you guessing at a few occasions who actually was the villain.

Main complaint would be Joe Don Baker's lack of screen time. Also, the sledding-on-a-cello-case scene was a bit dull, but otherwise, this was fantastic! Really looking forward to Dalton's next movie now!

OVERALL RANKINGS:
1. From Russia With Love
2. The Spy Who Loved Me
3. The Living Daylights
3. Goldfinger
4. The Man With the Golden Gun
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. Thunderball
7. A View To a Kill
8. Octopussy
9. You Only Live Twice
10. Dr. No
11. For Your Eyes Only
12. Live and Let Die
13. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
14. Moonraker


Up next: Licence To Kill!

[jmattbassplaya]

It's nice to see you give A View to a Kill and The Living Daylights such high regards! I've always enjoyed those two and could never understand why so many people seem to dislike them.

[nutso42]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

It's nice to see you give A View to a Kill and The Living Daylights such high regards! I've always enjoyed those two and could never understand why so many people seem to dislike them.

I'm really looking forward to Licence To Kill... and a little bummed that it'll be the only other one with Timothy Dalton.