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Rank the Bond films

Best James Bond actor?

  • Sean Connery

    Votes: 36 53.7%
  • George Lazenby

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Roger Moore

    Votes: 4 6.0%
  • Timothy Dalton

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Pierce Brosnan

    Votes: 9 13.4%
  • Daniel Craig

    Votes: 22 32.8%
  • John Turner

    Votes: 4 6.0%
  • Carrots

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    67
  • Poll closed .
A survey on Sound and Site concludes this to be the Best-To-Worst order.

1. Skyfall
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr. No
4. Goldfinger
5. Casino Royale
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
7. GoldenEye
8. Licence To Kill
9. Thunderball
10. The Living Daylights
11. For Your Eyes Only
12. The Spy Who Loved Me
13. You Only Live Twice
14. Quantum of Solace
15. Tomorrow Never Dies
16. The World Is Not Enough
17. A View To Kill
18. Live and Let Die
19. Diamonds Are Forever
20. Die Another Day
21. Octopussy
22. The Man With the Golden Gun
23. Moonraker
 
A survey on Sound and Site concludes this to be the Best-To-Worst order.

1. Skyfall
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr. No
4. Goldfinger
5. Casino Royale
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
7. GoldenEye
8. Licence To Kill
9. Thunderball
10. The Living Daylights
11. For Your Eyes Only
12. The Spy Who Loved Me
13. You Only Live Twice
14. Quantum of Solace
15. Tomorrow Never Dies
16. The World Is Not Enough
17. A View To Kill
18. Live and Let Die
19. Diamonds Are Forever
20. Die Another Day
21. Octopussy
22. The Man With the Golden Gun
23. Moonraker

I don't get 23, 22, 21, or 18 being that low. The rest, sure. But the other ones are definitely better than Die Another Day and Quantum.
 
Just read Casino Royale and then re-watched the movie. Wow did they take some liberty with the story. I can see adding in some more action scenes but the tone was very different I think. Think I preferred it before I read the book. Now I like Skyfall more.

I'm tempted to read the next book, Live and Let Die, and then watch that movie on the hopes that when it was made there wasn't such a pressing need for screenwriters to mess with things so much but that movie in particular was swept up in the Blacksploitation style of it's day and probably would be a letdown as well. Anyone read it? They are pretty short and I'm without a book right now.
 
Agreed with Brosnan comment. Best mix of goofy and deadly/smooth. I'm sure that varies by generation, though. I thought Craig was changing/reinventing Bond as reckless, and intentionally NOT trying to be the "same old Bond". I don't know that I liked it, but I can understand what they were trying to do.

You have a truly random collection of Bond movies watched. You started out rough, so let's get you to the good stuff.

Bonds you need to watch:

1. Dr. No (it's the "original" and somewhat slow but still ok)
2. Goldfinger (most say it's the best, and it's very entertaining for an old film and has some classic lines/villians/girls)
3. Diamonds are forever (same reasons as above)
4. Any of the Roger Moore films - Probably Moonraker or some other one with Jaws (to me they're all basically the same, so someone may have a better suggestion)
5. Either of the Timothy Dalton ones (there's only two but they're similar IMO) just so you can say you've seen his acting. They have a very 80's 90's feel if you like that.
5. Goldeneye (Probably my favorite or top 3. Has all the classic Bond elements, is somewhat interesting plot wise, great action, and was the ORIGINAL rebirth of Bond pre-Craig)

I put 5 and 5 again because I would say you could skip the Dalton ones if you wanted. Don't skip Goldeneye though.

Bonus watches would be:

Tomorrow Never Dies as it's just a fairly good one with most of the classic Bond themes/characters and it's easy to watch.
On her majesty's secret service - I thought it was boring, but it's the ONE appearance by George Lazenby as Bond
Never Say Never - Sean Connery came back for one more run as Bond. Again, just so you can say you're a true Bond fan, but not really the greatest film
The World is Not Enough - only if you like Brosnan as Bond.


"Never Say Never Again" is technically not a Bond film, right? It was awful anyways. SC should never have been in that. The last great one he was in was Diamonds are Forever.
 
As a casual viewer, I have personally only seen six Bond movies, but I am interested in getting everyone elses opinions. Which one(s) should I watch next?

The six I've seen are (ranked from favorite to least):
1 - From Russia With Love
2 - Skyfall
3 - Thunderball
4 - The Spy Who Loved Me
5 - Die Another Day
6 - Quantum of Solace


What's your opinions?

Suggestions for next:
1. Dr. No
2. Goldfinger
3. Diamonds are Forever
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. Live & Let Die
6. The Living Daylights
7. Casino Royale
8. see the rest ...

Few comments: there are so many ways to rate the movies in the franchise. we could discuss best chases, best gadgets, best villain, most like the book, best girls, and best cars.

It's because of Bond that the Aston Martin is my dream car. We just watched a Top Gear special the other night about the cars. I knew most of it already but Richard Hammond actually drove a Lotus (different model) into water and it worked. Kind of cool and the wife loved it.

I grew up watching these moves with my dad. For me Roger Moore is important because he was the start when I was a kid. But the Connery ones as well as Dalton are important. I actually liked Dalton but the movie scripts weren't the best. It was during the Miami Vice days ... ugh.

The first Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again are not actual franchise movies so you can see them at your caution.

I just watched Diamonds Are Forever again the other night. It's been awhile since I saw that. The beginning when he first meets Tiffany Case is a gem (pun intended).

Sadly, I thought Johnny English (Reborn) was better than Quantum and that's not saying much other than Rosamund Pike is in both.

I have all the movies to-date and the wife understands my love for the franchise. I also have all the books (including non-Flemming). Stick with it; great entertainment.

Anyways, we haven't seen SkyFall yet. I have heard many say it's not very good. But for me this is the one occasion that my dad and I still get to do together. Every couple of years we go to see the new Bond flick during the Thanksgiving weekend. Sadly, this may be the last year we can do this (he's aging and ill) but that's what the franchise means to me. I'm sure many others have memories from childhood.

I hope they continue to make the movies and get it right. I still think Clive Owen would have been better than Craig.

It's impossible to rank them and satisfy all.

Just see them all and enjoy ...
 
Sadly, I thought Johnny English (Reborn) was better than Quantum and that's not saying much other than Rosamund Pike is in both.

Rosamund Pike is wonderful.... :cool:

Anyways, we haven't seen SkyFall yet. I have heard many say it's not very good

Everybody I talked to loved it. I quite enjoyed it myself, but as I said before I'm more of a casual fan.
 
I've grown up with Bond, since I was 13 when the first film came out. Someone said earlier that Conner IS Bond, and that sums it up for me. He looks the part according to the books (I've read all of the Fleming books) and was such a good actor that he established the franchise.

My favorite is From Russia With Love. Great actors in Connery and Robert Shaw, good action, a decent plot that actually made sense, and it did NOT have all those damn gimmicks and tech toys. Personally, I think the tech stuff became excessive and was a real distraction in too many movies. I am delighted that they got rid of that crap in Skyfall, which I really enjoyed.
 
Connery
Craig
Bosnan
Dalton
Lazenby
Moore
Niven


Connery will always be the quintessential Bond to me because he coined the role but Craig is the most believeable. He is human. His vulnerability makes the fact that he is a cold blooded killer even more apparent. I liked Brosnan better than Moore. In fact I stopped watching Bond in theaters after the second Moore film.. That whole Jaws thing got almost Roadrunner Coyote like to me. Way too campy. I liked all of the Craig films.
 
Well ... finally got to see SkyFall ...

I honestly thought it was one of the worst movies yet. There were so many holes in the plot. One minute he's shot and the next thing you know they figure out that only three possible assassins use that type of metal and the specific one they need is in Asia. I don't want to give anything away.

I'll just say this ... it was more of a combination of Bourne & Dark Knight type of movie vs. a traditional Bond film. It was like watching a bad video game. I'm 40 yrs old. Surely, they can find people that can write something better than this stuff? I'll do it.

I honestly do not like Craig as Bond. He was horrible.

I'm glad that things ended the way they did with "M". I cannot say more but the whole path they were taking was getting stupid. By the way it's the same ol' story at the beginning between Bond & "M" (when played by Dame Judi Dench).

The only good thing to come out of that movie that I look forward to in the next movie is the actress playing Moneypenny. She was great for various reasons (stole every scene she was in).

Also, the guy that played the villan was really.

I really, really wanted to like this one ... but I just can't. I was torn and the other people I was with were split down the middle. Those that haven't really seen a lot of Bond flicks loved it. Those that know the Bond series intimately were horrified at the crap they put out for a movie.

I really am thinking about writing to the Broccolis to ask for my $$ back.

Also ... Albert Finney playing a Scotsman? Oh, the horror was my wife's reaction (she's from Scotland). The guy is supposed to be the Ghillie. Horrible casting on that one (no offense to Albert Finney - it just didn't work).

ps - If it all goes kaboom ... why are there still lights in the tunnel? You'll know what I mean when you see it.

Save your $$ rent Goldfinger and enjoy a good story.
 
I must agree with jamis and some of his points about the movie as a whole, although I love Craig as the Bond he played in Casino Royale. We just aren't seeing that Bond in the next two, largely because of plot issues. I still think abandoning the SPECTRE story line was a mistake, and the whole ruse with M was pointless. I don't want to spoil it, but those who have seen the film know what I mean.
 
I'll just say this ... it was more of a combination of Bourne & Dark Knight type of movie vs. a traditional Bond film. It was like watching a bad video game. I'm 40 yrs old. Surely, they can find people that can write something better than this stuff? I'll do it.

I honestly do not like Craig as Bond. He was horrible.

I really, really wanted to like this one ... but I just can't. I was torn and the other people I was with were split down the middle. Those that haven't really seen a lot of Bond flicks loved it. Those that know the Bond series intimately were horrified at the crap they put out for a movie.

While it wasn't the best, I'd put it far from being the worst, nor one that only new fans liked (I grew up loving the Bond franchise).


Also ... Albert Finney playing a Scotsman? Oh, the horror was my wife's reaction (she's from Scotland). The guy is supposed to be the Ghillie. Horrible casting on that one (no offense to Albert Finney - it just didn't work).

As a Scotsman, I didn't see the problem. He played it well and isn't that far in general character from the stereotypical farmers and game keepers I knew growing up a small rural town.

Was it an issue that Bond is meant to have been Scottish, yet all but one actor has been English, Irish or Australian?
 
Was it an issue that Bond is meant to have been Scottish, yet all but one actor has been English, Irish or Australian?
While James Bond was Scottish, he grew up in Pett Bottom in Kent since age eleven and attended Eton College in Berkshire.

Connery is a Scot, Lazenby is Australian, Moore is English, Dalton is Welsh, Brosnan is Irish, and we're back to an Englishman in the role.

I've never really seen an issue with this and any of the characters except Lazenby.
 
tplyons said:
While James Bond was Scottish, he grew up in Pett Bottom in Kent since age eleven and attended Eton College in Berkshire.

Connery is a Scot, Lazenby is Australian, Moore is English, Dalton is Welsh, Brosnan is Irish, and we're back to an Englishman in the role.

I've never really seen an issue with this and any of the characters except Lazenby.

Forgot Dalton was Welsh, my bad. Wouldn't imagine you'd lose the accent completely from age 11. My point was more that its not a problem either way, neither was the casting of Kincade, IMO.
 
Okay, so I've recently gotten ahold of all the Bond films on DVD (so, everything but Skyfall). I'm going to be watching one per night until I've seen them all. Every day I'll update my list of favorites-to-least.

I've only seen a handful, but I'll treat them all as if I've never seen them before.

So, Dr. No was last night (obviously). I really liked it, but the main villain was underused.
I was also impressed by Miss Taro. She seemed to be the Bond girl that had the most impact on the story.


OVERALL RANKING
1. Dr. No


Up next: From Russia With Love!