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do people change their favorite Bond ?
Do people usually stay with their first Bond actor they had when started with the series or they use to change maybe twice ?
I'm asking this because I've read some comments how some fans they used to be huge Brosnan fans but once they read the novels they changed to Dalton or Daniel Craig. Or when they were younger they used to like Moore but latter changed to Connery?
I'm asking this because I've read some comments how some fans they used to be huge Brosnan fans but once they read the novels they changed to Dalton or Daniel Craig. Or when they were younger they used to like Moore but latter changed to Connery?
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I have three favourites, all neck and neck.
Connery, Dalton and Craig. All three outstanding Bonds, then
Moore, his best performances for me are FYEO, OP, and AVTAK
The last may not be his best film, but I liked how he played Bond
Lazenby ( with only one film,I think he did a great job and had potential)
Brosnan, I like Pierce, just because he's last doesn't mean I dislike him
but he had weaker movies, pitty because like Lazenby the talent was there.
I saw OP in 1984 when aged 10 at the cinema and was deeply impressed.
I did see AVTAK at the cinema too but it didn't do much for me, but I became a fan of Roger Moore and was watching every episode of The Saint I could catch on TV.
In 1987 when I saw TLD I became a huge fan of James Bond and I like Timothy Dalton very much. LTK on the other hand did nothing for me, I found it way too brutal.
By 1990 I had seen all the Bond movies and Roger Moore was my favourite with Dalton a close second.
In 1995 it changed drastically. Goldeneye was released when I was 21, I believe the right age to fully enjoy a Bond movie. I was blown away and it was and will ever be my favourite Bond movie.
Pierce Brosnan is simply perfect as James Bond and he was absolutely the right thing for the nineties.
Back then (1995-2002) Brosnan was my favourite by far, then Moore and Dalton.
Later with the releases of DVD's when I finally saw the Bond movies in a proper way (bigger TV set, sound system, DVD quality) I found a new love for the Dalton movies.
Since circa 2005 Timothy Dalton is my favourite actor, closely followed by Brosnan, closely followed by Moore.
Connery, as much as I respect what he has done, comes 4th.
QOS, but over viewings, it seemed to keep getting better. :)) I'd also like to
Point out that although Pierce Brosnan comes bottom of my list, I in no way
Dislike or Hate his films, it's just the way my list has ended up. ;)
If you have 6 fine actors and have to rank them one has to finish last.
The same goes for 23 fabulous movies. It is crowded at the top and lonely at the bottom.
I really like LALD, but it is No 21 in my ranking. There just happen to be 20 movies that are a bit better. ;;)
As a child my favourite was Moore. Then in 1988 when I became a fan 'proper' and got all the films and the Fleming novels and finally saw the The Living Daylights, Timothy Dalton became my favourite Bond before he'd even smuggled Koskov out of the country.
Then in the wilderness years I'd watched OHMSS so much I reflected that Lazenby was actually an efficient 'Fleming' Bond. Dalton brings a touch of Fleming to the films but in many respects it's Lazenby I can more easily picture when re-reading the novels.
Daniel Craig has brought an element of masculine resourcefulness and assurance from the Fleming Bond that has long since been lacking since Connery and yet I remain wistful for the Dalton era so at present it's a dead heat between Dalton and Craig.
Brosnan is my least favourite Bond by a country mile and I can't see anyone ever taking that position from him, unless Craig's successor proves to be a nightmare.
So that leaves Connery whom isn't a bad Bond by any means but has always been kept off that top spot by one person or another!
Now, he's been overtaken by Sean Connery, who firmly holds the #1 spot. The change occurred as I matured and realized what Sean brought to Bond. It's more subtle, and perhaps lost on a younger person who may appreciate the spectacle of Roger's late 70's escapades or Pierce's 90's work, but as I became an adult, Sean's rugged charm became more and more apparent, and he's certainly more credible as a hard spy than Roger or Pierce.
Daniel Craig sold me the minute he appeared as Bond in CR, and sealed the deal with the nutcracker scene in the same film (tremendous piece of acting from him there). He's in a three way tie with Moore & Dalton for the #2 spot at the moment, but will likely move past both with SP.
Lazenby is next in line, and I think he will always stay at 5 for me, just because he only did one film, but it was a really good one.
Brosnan is at #6, because someone has to be there and sadly, in this case it fell on him.
---
So to summarize, I think Connery will always be on top for me, Brosnan always at the bottom, and Lazenby always at 5 due to the sole outing.
It's 2, 3, & 4 that will keep rotating between Craig, Moore & Dalton and where it's interesting. Dalton has the best batting average, and Moore the worst, with Craig in the middle.
Now I still have quite a strong soft spot for him but I admit his legacy doesn't seem particularly great in comparison to most of the other actors.
I currently put Craig at #2 and Dalton at #3. (I'm a fan of the more serious, Fleming style Bond.) Brosnan, Moore and Lazenby follow in that order. I was never a fan of Roger's humorous take on Bond, and Lazenby just isn't a strong enough actor for my tastes. He was fine in the action sequences, but weak in delivering dialogue. Heck, his lines as "Sir Hillary Bray" had to be dubbed by another performer! That ought to tell you something...
Pierce has been my favorite since 2002 when i watched him in Die Another Day in theaters and i thought no one will be better than him, of course i said so without even watching any of the previous Bond actors.
When i first saw Craig i thought this no Bond.
He is not handsome, funny or good at getting woman, i thought he is another action star with the nsme of Bond.
Now that im aware of Fleming and have seen all the previous actors im still with Pierce as my favorite though in a tie with Sean Connery. Honestly i don't see myself with another favorite who is not Pierce though with all your stories it makes me doubt just a little that maybe in 20 or more i might say something else.
But now i say i will always be faithful to Pierce as my favorite of all time along with Sean Connery of course
While I agree he's quite a rugged fella, I have to say, I was mighty impressed with his quick seduction of Solange in CR. I hadn't seen that kind of quality work since the days of Moore.
Now, if only he'd stayed to finish the job before moving onto the Miami airport........
One of the great missed opportunities in a Bond film, for Bond, and the anticipating audience as well.
You don't have to doubt your love for Brosnan just because on forums Brosnan gets bashed so hard.
That doesn't reflect reality. If a representative survey would be made I'm pretty sure, Lazenby, Dalton and Moore would finish last.
Connery would win without a shadow of a doubt.
And Craig and Brosnan would get 2nd and 3rd place. Or the other way around.
I said this before, Brosnan gets the most heat from outspoken Craig fans.
It's always like a competition with them. As if Brosnan could take away something from Craig.
In 20 years you will not feel differently but I can guarantee you that the Brosnan era will be regarded on the same level as the Moore or Craig era. All 3 actors are different and they had different kind of Bond movies.
Well i dont doubt my love for him, what i wonder if i will stay with the same favorite the rest of my life seing how many here have changed their favorite Bond actor throughout their whole time they have been Bond fans.
But im not ashamed at all that i love pirece and right now i say he will always be my favorite along with Connery.
But i just sometimes wonder if in 20 years or so i could change my mind which is very unlikely since even though half of the Bond fans have changed their minds on their first spot the other half stay forever with the Bond they saw first so i think will be my case.
But outside of the Bond franchise i've changed my favorite movie, actors and actresses many times. Lol
That's one aspect I wasn't sure about either going into CR either but Craig really surprised me and knocked it out of the park in that scene. He had a certain manly assertiveness and confidence that was lacking since the Connery days.
Nothing like Connery who looked all natural!
Who said anything about his muscles? I'm talking about his acting performance.
Seriously speaking, I grew up in the Brosnan era and admired the man. It's sometimes funny to me when I read threads that said Brosnan didn't have much stage presence. I always believed in his character more than any to charm the ladies. He did suave like it was going out of style.
I hate to admit I was one of the "blonde Bond" people back in 2005-06 when Craig was given the role. Casino Royale largely proved my opinion false, but I still held a small part inside of me that he wasn't a great Bond and rather it was just a great film until Quantum Of Solace. He proved to be Bond in that one for me and I've had him as my favorite ever since.
Was I sad when I found out they let Pierce go? Absolutely, but I didn't allow that to alter my opinion of his successor. I mean this respectfully: I feel like this community is way too riddled with preconceptions to really enjoy new and different eras or ideas. It could just be a false perception, but I kind of feel like I get to know a lot of people just through the discussions here. It seems kind of sad that some people are unable to accept different creative visions. At least, I couldn't imagine going into a theater and critiquing the most novel things about a film.
Maybe it has something to do with why each of us watches film, particularly Bond. For me its to be taken to a different place, which is partially why I am so fond of deep performances. The more palpable a Bond is to me, the more I enjoy it. Craig obviously isn't everyone's favorite Bond, but I don't think I'm sparking any controversy by saying he puts the most into the character. Craig doesn't even have to say things and it can be felt. When I came to understand that, I felt like a fool for ever doubting him even though I was young. For anyone to say he isn't Bond is pretty laughable -- that's just code for saying I refuse to accept the guy. That's like saying you walked out of the Lord of the Rings trilogy because Frodo isn't portrayed as an older gent (unless my Middle Earth mythology memory is failing me and hobbits have a gift of slow aging as well).
I should also say that the reason why I called myself by this name is because Dench's M is the one link that held the series together as @Birdleson has keenly pointed out in numerous discussions between my first Bond experience in Tomorrow Never Dies and Skyfall, the most recent film. If anything, she means just as much to Bond as Bond himself perhaps for me.
Honestly speaking as a Brosnan fan, his films aren't going to age well. Especially when it comes to the end of his tenure, they are significantly lacking in substance. That doesn't mean any of us should enjoy them any less. It is a very sure bet though that Brosnan will mostly be appreciated for continuing the series into the 21 century successfully when the modern, Western world had very little enemies.
Make no mistake, maybe it's just my own impression, but Moore's films don't age well either. I really like Roger Moore, but I usually just think his films are not as interesting. It doesn't take anything away from him, he was a legend. I don't think I'm alone in this opinion either, but I will still enjoy his movies when I see them (just not to the same extent as others).
The Bonds that age the best are the ones that are true to the period and the character to some degree. To me, those are Connery, Dalton, and Craig. I often clash with Daltonites on here because at least in my perception they are not very open to the positives of Brosnan and generally come across as being the original reset Craig is now, which kind of makes it seem like these films aren't that good or special (as if it matters who did it first or better, because in my opinion they are a bit different anyway). But I can also understand how they see things fans of other eras post because Dalton has the lowest popularity in terms of what he could pull at the box office when it was his gig. No doubt his films look stronger as time goes on.
I haven't made a post in the "Craig films will be a fad" thread, so this might as well count towards my opinion on that. No they won't be a fad and it's pretty simple why. The guy has a way of carrying himself that makes you feel what he feels and helps you to understand what it would be like to be him. He will be praised by the majority for as long as people are talking about this franchise. I don't envy his successor.
To have portrayed Bond. So I can happily!y watch all the films, all
the time. :)
Your long post above might just be the best thing I have read on this site. =D>
I just watched Die Another Day 2 times, once within my Bondathon and a second time in great detail to do the report on it for the thread Bond by numbers.
I've always loved this movie and it is my No 10 Bond movie, MR is my No 12.
I'll never understand why so many people dislike DAD, it was absolutely spot on in 2002 with the kind of movies that were made at that time.
Having seen it twice within 10 days I realise that the rewatchability of DAD for me is 100% as is GE or TLD or OHMSS or CR.
And don't start with the CGI, people who dislike DAD because of that are prejudiced. I don't mean you of course, just saying.
As for MR I have similar feelings, those complaints about it being silly because of the space sequence or such extremely minor things like the pigeon I will never understand.
MR is pure fun to watch, it has the best dialogue of a villain and Moore was at his best in it.
Even still I'm less of a Die Another Day critic than most here. I don't get too turned off by the CGI. I naturally wish it had a more grounded sequence, but it's not a deal breaker for me. Honestly, the most ludicrous thing is the final battle in the plane. The suit with the lightning coming out of it really takes me out of the film. Though, I don't know if it's the voltage itself or the fact that Bond doesn't lose consciousness. It's definitely one of the few action scenes where my analytical mind gets in the way of my enjoyment.
Just to emphasize my stance on Die Another Day, I actually really like the invisible car. Even more since I read an article several years ago that focused on a team of engineers who developed the very idea depicted in the film with tiny cameras on the other side transmitting an image to the corresponding view. It was a bit clunkier than the model in the film, but it just goes to show that sort of thing is possible. They utilized it pretty well in the film too. Even casual fans remember the car sequence as the defining moment of that installment.
The pigeon never really bothers me too much. The space sequence does take my emotional investment out of the film, not solely because they go into space, but I think the story takes a nosedive there. One of the few bright spots there is when Bond pleads to Jaws that he is just a cog in Drax's plan and how he doesn't really fit in with his ideology. But it's bookended by a lot of corny stuff that probably wasn't necessary to make it a good film.
Those two just don't do it for me, even with the one being a Brosnan picture. For the longest time as a teenager The World Is Not Enough was my favorite Bond film and I still keep it in the top half of my rankings despite seeing its shortcomings. It's hard to even talk about it objectively because I hold such an affinity for it. The big difference for me is that I can get immersed in it, whereas I cannot in Die Another Day.
i guess we are the only ones here who loved Die another day and yes it had some bad CGI moments but it was one of the most fun Bond movies to watch.its for me one of the most rewatchable Bond movies for me.
And I don't Pierce's chemistry with Halley was as horrible as many say it was and funny hoe many complain on their chemistry because non of the Bond girls have spken so nicley aboyt him as Halley did in her episode of Inside the actor's studio.
She said Pierce made her have hope again on the opposite sex and she he was really there for her.
She really loved working with him so it's impossible they didn't have chemistry when she can only say great things about him.
But on the other hand there is a rumor he didn't get along with Teri Hatcher and inthought their love scene in tomorrow never dies is one of the sexiest i ever seen.
I don't get the hate for Jinx either. Halle Berry and Rosamund Pike might just be the best Bond girl duo ever!!
Berry and Pike and Berry and Brosnan had extremely good chemistry on film.
All are a perfect match together.
I think that some people just need another argument to convince themselves how bad DAD is.
To say Halle Berry's performance wasn't good in DAD is ridiculous too. This comes only because Halle Berry did win an Oscar shortly before DAD was released and people judged her by that performance in Monster's Ball. As if those two movies could even be compared.
Well anyway, people in general need something to hate and bash. DAD is the welcome victim there ;)