It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
PTS: SP
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: TB
Main Villain: TB
Main Bond Girl: TB
Henchman: TB
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB
Score: TB
Settings: TB
Action: TB
Humour: TB
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: TB
Suspense: TB
Glamour: TB
Minor Characters: TB
Bond Performance: TB
SP : 2
TB : 16
I really enjoyed Spectre, even have it in my top ten at present. But Thunderball beats it in nearly every aspect for me. I'm finding the 60's Bond's are really elevating at the moment in my rankings. They truly are fantastic films.
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: TB
Main Villain: TB
Main Bond Girl: TB
Henchman: TB
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB
Score: TB
Settings: TB
Action: TB
Humour: TB
Cinematography: TB
Benign Bizarre: TB
Suspense: TB
Glamour: TB
Minor Characters: TB
Bond Performance: TB
TB 18
SP 0
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: TB
Main Villain: SP
Main Bond Girl: TB
Henchman: SP
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB
Score: TB
Settings: TB
Action: SP
Humour: TB
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: TB
Suspense: SP
Glamour: TB
Minor Characters: TB
Bond Performance: TB
TB 12
SP 6
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: SP
Main Villain: SP
Main Bond Girl: TB
Henchman: TB
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB
Score: TB
Settings: TB
Action: SP
Humour: TB
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: SP
Suspense: TB
Glamour: TB
Minor Characters: TB
Bond Performance: TB
TB 12
SP 6
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: TB
Main Villain: SP
Main Bond Girl: SP
Henchman: TB (I'm counting Fiona)
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB
Score: TB
Settings: TB
Action: SP
Humour: TB
Cinematography: TB
Benign Bizarre: TB
Suspense: SP
Glamour: TB
Minor Characters: TB
Bond Performance: TB
TB 13
SP 5
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: SP
Main Villain: TB
Main Bond Girl: TB
Henchman: TB (Fiona)
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB
Score: TB
Settings: TB
Action: SP
Humour: TB
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: TB
Suspense: TB
Glamour: TB
Minor Characters: TB
Bond Performance: TB
TB 14
SP 4
Title Track: TB - Not really a difficult decision.
Title Credits: TB - One of Binder's best and not Kleinman's best.
Main Villain: TB - I can't choose between them but the fact that multiple Oscar winner Christoph Waltz can only tie with the perfunctory Largo means he's underachieving so I'll give the nod to the Italian.
Main Bond Girl: SP - Domino is the dullest Bond girl of all time. Yes she's certainly her shaggable but I think Madeline would give you a far better time in bed and could hold an interesting conversation afterwards.
Henchman: TB - I'll echo others here and say if it's Fiona she gets the nod.
Overall Plot: TB - Neither are great but at least TB's holds together more coherently.
Dialogue: TB - Quite close again but just shades it.
Score: TB - Stop wasting my time with this question. Newman is winning f**k all on my watch.
Settings: SP - I'm not the biggest fan of Bond films that are stuck in one place the whole time.
Action: SP - Close but TB just has too much of the same. It nearly steals it at the death for the hanging onto the hydrofoil stunt but then the Hinx fight is head and shoulders above anything TB has to offer.
Humour: TB - The Shrublands scenes alone win this.
Cinematography: SP - It's not Deakins but the Rome scenes are very nicely done.
Benign Bizarre: SP - The definitive SPECTRE meeting aside I'm not sure there's too much else in TB. SP has a good SPECTRE meeting, the torture scene and Blofeld with no socks.
Suspense: TB - Do I really have to decide this one? Both have no suspense at all. I'll give it TB for the Junkanoo chase and climax on the dance floor.
Glamour: SP - I just don't find the way the Bahamas is presented in TB that exotic whereas the Rome scenes are dripping with opulence.
Minor Characters: SP - Mr White shines and does more on his own than Derval, Lippe and Pinder combined.
Bond Performance: SP - Sean had started winding down by now. Even though SP is probably Dan's weakest performance in the role he showed in the Hinx fight he is still pretty committed to the role.
TB - 9
SP - 9
I thought it was looking bleak for SP but a late run that saw it take 6 out of the last 8 to snatch its first point.
I know I'm an anomaly on here in thinking TB is a dismal drudge of a film and this exercise illustrated to me the problems inherent with both films.
TB has some very good parts but is less than the sum of them. SP's parts are less good but it somehow coalesces into a more watchable whole.
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: TB
Main Villain: TB
Main Bond Girl: TB
Henchman: TB
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB
Score: TB
Settings: SP
Action: SP
Humour: TB
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: TB
Suspense: TB
Glamour: SP
Bond Performance: TB
TB: 13
SP: 5
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: SP (Very close here. Maybe I like tentacle porn?)
Main Villain: TB (I actually quite like Largo, whilst Waltz is just doing his usual shtick)
Main Bond Girl: SP
Henchman: TB (I'm going with Fiona on this)
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB (Very close again, but I have to it to TB for sheer quotability)
Score: TB (Uhm, duh?)
Settings: SP
Action: SP (the Hinx fight wins this one automatically)
Humour: TB (“Since you're here, would you mind giving me something to put on?”)
Cinematography: SP (close as well)
Benign Bizarre: SP (I was going to give this one to TB but Hinx's nails and Waltz's chicken legs take this)
Suspense: TB (Young, Barry, Hunt all combine to produce one the most tense situations in Bond lore, over Fiona's death; a nail-biting scene, in which Hitchcock would be proud)
Minor Characters: SP (Mainly because of Mr. White)
Glamour: SP (as the @Wiz said, Rome exudes opulence, and the rest of SP is pretty glamorous, too. I mean Bond has his ivory dinner jacket pressed on board on train!)
Bond Performance: TB (Close – Craig is superb, but nothing can defeat Conners in his first four Bond performances. I have issues with both SP and TB, but the performances by the two leading men carries me through both films)
TB: 9
SP: 9
Well, fancy that. TB is just slightly ahead in my rankings, but SP is very close, as evidenced by this thread.
Title Track: TB (Not even close. TB's title track may be the best of 'em all.)
Title Credits: TB (Slight edge to TB. I love the blue and the green.)
Main Villain: TB (Largo is a bit of a weakling, but you gotta love Celi and the eye-patch.)
Main Bond Girl: SP (Domino is the most overrated Bond girl of them all.)
Henchman: SP (Like most of these matchups, very close indeed.)
Overall Plot: TB (Another close one, but TB's cataclysmic and linear plot lends the film much of its epic nature and its menace.)
Dialogue: TB (Bond's repartee with Fiona and Largo is terrific.)
Score: TB (As if there was any doubt. This may be Barry's most undeservedly underappreciated Bond score.)
Settings: SP (The Bahamas are tremendous, but otherwise TB's settings are unremarkable. Mexico City, Rome and North Africa give SP a decisive edge.)
Action: SP (I love the final undersea battle, but otherwise, this is a weakness for TB.)
Humour: SP (A coin toss. Neither is a real thigh-slapper.)
Cinematography: SP (Few of the old films fare well against the newer ones in this category.)
Benign Bizarre: TB (Another coin toss. Since I gave the last one to SP I'll give this one to TB. Or maybe it's the dog taking a Junkanoo stoonk that is the dif. Either way, both are excellent in this respect.)
Suspense: TB (Too bad SP's London coda is rather generic and uninspired.)
Minor Characters: SP: (I like Kutze and Lippe, but I like C and Mr. White even more.)
Glamour: TB (James Bond in the Bahamas in 1965; it doesn't get any better than that.)
Bond Performance: TB (Bond is at peak cool in this one.)
TB: 10
SP: 8
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: TB
Main Villain: TB
Main Bond Girl: SP
Henchman: TB
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB
Score: TB
Settings: SP
Action: SP
Humour: TB
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: SP
Suspense: TB
Minor Characters: SP
Glamour: SP
Bond Performance: TB
TB: 10
SP: 8
Title Track: TB
Title Credits: TB
Main Villain: TB
Main Bond Girl: TB
Henchman: TB
Overall Plot: TB
Dialogue: TB
Score: TB
Settings: TB
Action: SP
Humour: SP
Cinematography: TB
Benign Bizarre: SP
Suspense: TB
Minor Characters: TB
Glamour: TB
Bond Performance: TB
TB wins 15-3.
Title Track: TB (by default. Not a fan of writings on the wall and tom Jones delivers his with gusto. And it's a 60s bond theme - is there a bad one?)
Title Credits: TB (by default - SP's weird me out...but maybe that's a good thing?)
Main Villain: TB (largo is pretty solid. I like celi's underplay of the role. Blofeld is disappointing in SP - I prefer TB's!)
Main Bond Girl: TB (domino is a little doe eyed innocent but her dialogue and chemistry with Connery serves her well. Sedoyux is an actress I like but I didnt buy her chemistry with bond. Personal taste I guess...but that's why we're here.)
Henchman: SP (Hinx is a brilliant henchman - the best of the Craig era and my personal favourite since necros in TLD)
Overall Plot: TB (TB has a good countdown scenario and a great set up. Doesn't always execute it swiftly but the plot is solid. SP's third act is the worst since DAD)
Dialogue: TB (Connery with any chracter from Felix to largo to domino to Fiona - brilliant stuff.)
Score: TB (Barry over Newman any day)
Settings: TB (SP has some crackers but bond in Bahamas is iconic)
Action: SP (SP's PTS alone has more action better delivered than TB)
Humour: TB (the banter between villains and bond is expertly crafted and delivered)
Cinematography: SP (no roger Deakins but pretty awesome)
Benign Bizarre: SP (title sequence, spectre meeting, Hinx eye gouging)
Suspense: SP (I actually think both are a little lacking in this but the opening half hour of TB is laborious and TB's underwater battle kills the suspense so gotta go for SP)
Glamour: TB (one of the reasons I watch TB is for the 65 zenith of bond mania)
Minor Characters: SP (Hinx, Q, Mr White - TB only has Fiona)
Bond Performance: TB (close - I love Craig's performance - he's actually aiming for Connery cool but he's against the last great Connery performance as Bond.)
TB: 11
SP: 7
What is the next head-to-head going to be?
PTS: SP
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: YOLT (I have an odd soft spot for the volcanoes)
Main Villain: YOLT (Pleasance's Blofeld is iconic, although there's a fair argument he's overrated)
Main Bond Girl: SP
Henchman: SP
Overall Plot: YOLT (I'm not sure SP has a plot, and YOLT's was good enough they did it three times)
Dialogue: SP (the script is considerably worse than previous Bond installments)
Score: YOLT
Settings: SP (very close, I love the way they used Japan)
Action: YOLT (doesn't get much better than the volcano fight)
Humour: SP
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: YOLT
Suspense: YOLT (mostly because of the default against picking SP here)
Minor Characters: SP
Glamour: YOLT
Bond Performance: SP (YOLT is far and away Connery's worst performance)
Spectre's best performance yet doesn't quite earn it a win but does allow it to pull into a 9-9 tie with You Only Live Twice. Let's see if it fares any better on your scorecards, shall we?
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: YOLT
Main Villain: YOLT
Main Bond Girl: SP
Henchman: YOLT
Overall Plot: YOLT
Dialogue: YOLT
Score: YOLT
Settings: YOLT
Action: YOLT
Humour: YOLT
Cinematography: YOLT
Benign Bizarre: YOLT
Suspense: YOLT
Minor Characters: YOLT
Glamour: YOLT
Bond Performance: YOLT
YOLT: 16
SP: 2
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: YOLT
Main Villain: SP
Main Bond Girl: YOLT
Henchman: SP
Overall Plot: SP
Dialogue: SP
Score: YOLT
Settings: YOLT
Action: SP
Humour: SP
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: YOLT
Suspense: SP
Minor Characters: SP
Glamour: SP
Bond Performance: SP
YOLT: 6
SP: 12
PTS: SP
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: YOLT
Main Villain: SP
Main Bond Girl: SP
Henchman: SP
Overall Plot: SP
Dialogue: SP
Score: YOLT
Settings: YOLT
Action: SP
Humour: SP
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: YOLT
Suspense: SP
Minor Characters: YOLT I really like Tiger.
Glamour: SP
Bond Performance: SP
YOLT: 6
SP: 12
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: YOLT (Just superb, and very, very subtle)
Main Villain: SP
Main Bond Girl: SP (I like Aki but...)
Henchman: SP
Overall Plot: SP
Dialogue: SP
Score: YOLT
Settings: YOLT
Action: YOLT
Humour: YOLT
Cinematography: YOLT
Benign Bizarre: YOLT
Suspense: SP (two of the least suspenseful Bond movies, but I'm going to give this one for the SPECTRE meeting)
Minor Characters: SP
Glamour: YOLT
Bond Performance: SP
YOLT: 9
SP: 9
A tie. Just like with TB.
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: YOLT (a close one)
Main Villain: SP (pleasance is the more underwhelming Blofeld)
Main Bond Girl: SP (Aki's good, but Madeleine is very good)
Henchman: SP
Overall Plot: SP
Dialogue: SP
Score: YOLT
Settings: SP (Very close. Japan is superb, but the Rome/Austria/North Africa combo is better.)
Action: SP (another close one)
Humour: SP (neither has a strong comedic element)
Cinematography: YOLT (some of the best cinematography of the old Bonds)
Benign Bizarre: SP (a category in which both excel)
Suspense: YOLT
Minor Characters: SP (Max Denbigh is wildly overlooked and underrated)
Glamour: SP
Bond Performance: SP (sleepwalking Sean turns in perhaps the worst Bond performance of them all)
YOLT: 5
SP: 13
PTS: SP
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: YOLT
Main Villain: SP
Main Bond Girl: SP
Henchman: SP
Overall Plot: YOLT
Dialogue: SP
Score: YOLT
Settings: SP
Action: SP
Humour: YOLT
Cinematography:YOLT
Benign Bizarre: SP
Suspense: YOLT
Minor Characters: YOLT
Glamour: SP
Bond Performance: SP
YOLT: 8
SP: 10
A win for Spectre.
Title Track: SP
Title Credits: YOLT
Main Villain: YOLT
Main Bond Girl: SP
Henchman: YOLT (Helga)
Overall Plot: YOLT
Dialogue: YOLT (but close, since both are subpar)
Score: YOLT
Settings: SP
Action: SP
Humour: YOLT
Cinematography: SP
Benign Bizarre: YOLT
Suspense: YOLT
Minor Characters: YOLT
Glamour: SP
Bond Performance: SP (but close again)
YOLT 10 - 8 SP
Well, a lot of people think YOLT is a big drop in quality from the first four. I think it's better than TB, myself, although the latter does better by category.
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: S
Main Villain: YOLT (I liked Waltz a lot, but come on)
Main Bond Girl: S (If they'd not been stupid and made Aki just the sole Bond girl, this result might be different)
Henchman: S (duh.)
Overall Plot: S (duh.)
Dialogue: S
Score: YOLT
Settings: S
Action: S
Humour: S ("No. Stay.")
Cinematography: YOLT (Jesus is this ever difficult. Probably the two best films in this category, maybe add Skyfall in there too. But at the end of the day, I have two words for you: Rooftop. Fight. The greatest cinematographer of all time did this film and it shows.)
Benign Bizarre: S
Suspense: S
Minor Characters: S
Glamour: S
Bond Performance: S (Not even close.)
YOLT: 4
S: 14
Title Track: YOLT (classic, ethereal Barry song)
Title Credits: YOLT (I like the music and titles together - dreamy sequence without being amazing)
Main Villain: YOLT (both Blofelds but the scriptwriters handling of him in SP is a major issue for me - and with that sort of handicap Pleasance trumps on iconic looks alone)
Main Bond Girl: SP (tough one - I really, really don't like the way they use Sedoyux - but kissy is pretty anonymous despite her swimming strength and the whole marriage section of YOLT is one of my least favourite parts. Aki is better than both Madeline and kissy but falls in to minor character category)
Henchman: SP (Hinx by a long, long way - Helga Brandt's plan is weapons grade idiocy and she is a Fiona volpe clone. It irritates me that someone so incompetent is so high up in the Spectre organisation.)
Overall Plot: SP
Dialogue: SP
Score: YOLT
Settings: YOLT
Action: SP
Humour: SP
Cinematography: YOLT (I'm in love with that helicopter one shot of the rooftop fight - magnificent)
Benign Bizarre: YOLT
Suspense: SP
Minor Characters: YOLT (Tiger, Dikko and Aki trump mr white)
Glamour: YOLT
Bond Performance: SP
YOLT: 9
SP: 9
Tie time.
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: SP
Main Villain: YOLT
Main Bond Girl: SP
Henchman: SP
Overall Plot: YOLT
Dialogue: SP
Score: YOLT
Settings: YOLT
Action: SP
Humour: SP
Cinematography: YOLT
Benign Bizarre: SP
Suspense: YOLT
Minor Characters: YOLT
Glamour: SP
Bond Performance: SP
YOLT 8 - 10 SP
Title Track: YOLT
Title Credits: YOLT
Main Villain: YOLT
Main Bond Girl: YOLT
Henchman: YOLT (I always liked Helga Brandt)
Overall Plot: YOLT
Dialogue: YOLT
Score: YOLT
Settings: YOLT
Action: YOLT
Humour: YOLT
Cinematography: YOLT
Benign Bizarre: YOLT
Suspense: YOLT
Minor Characters: YOLT
Glamour: SP
Bond Performance: YOLT
SP: 1
YOLT: 17
I'm actually not the greatest fan of YOLT, but when you break it down into its parts, it really excels.