Worst Bond Movie

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  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,134
    BT3366 wrote: »
    DAD was on telly last night and I caught a bit of it by accident. The bit in the ice palace. It all seemed so cheesy.

    It’s an unpopular movie, not a disease. ;) DAD has some good moments if you give it a chance.

    To me, Octopussy commits the cardinal sin of the Bond film; it’s boring.
    That's a rare opinion I don't see expressed much. In particular what is boring to you?

    One of the things I enjoy about OP is it really moves, tons of action along with some good suspense sprinkled in there.

    It's also a proper Cold War spy film, only TLD and FRWL have that too.
  • DrClatterhandDrClatterhand United Kingdom
    Posts: 349
    Die Another Day by a country mile. The nadir of the series. An astoundingly terrible film. No other Bond film comes remotely close to its awfulness. I could have shat a better film.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    BT3366 wrote: »
    DAD was on telly last night and I caught a bit of it by accident. The bit in the ice palace. It all seemed so cheesy.

    It’s an unpopular movie, not a disease. ;) DAD has some good moments if you give it a chance.

    To me, Octopussy commits the cardinal sin of the Bond film; it’s boring.
    That's a rare opinion I don't see expressed much. In particular what is boring to you?

    One of the things I enjoy about OP is it really moves, tons of action along with some good suspense sprinkled in there.

    It's also a proper Cold War spy film, only TLD and FRWL have that too.

    What about FYEO?
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    edited June 2020 Posts: 3,262
    BT3366 wrote: »
    To me, Octopussy commits the cardinal sin of the Bond film; it’s boring.
    That's a rare opinion I don't see expressed much. In particular what is boring to you?

    One of the things I enjoy about OP is it really moves, tons of action along with some good suspense sprinkled in there.

    Agreed. I remember the first time I saw OP I thought the first half set in India was a little slowly paced(not enough to bother me but a little). However when the film goes to Germany in the second half I though it sped up considerably. Bond's race against time across East and West Germany to stop the bomb results in one of the fastest moving second halves to any 007 film IMHO. I would even say it's director John Glen's most exciting 2nd half to any of his films even though I consider TLD his best Bond film overall.

    Octopussy wrote: »
    BT3366 wrote: »
    LFS wrote: »
    Which Bond movie is the "worst" is quite difficult to measure. What makes a Bond movie "bad"? The plot, the settings, the villains? The direction? Or the Bond actor himself? But there certainly are many Bond movies which are just plain awful pictures. I would argue that almost half of the Bond movies are pretty disappointing.

    But if I have to pick one as the definite worst Bond movie, for me it has to be "The World Is Not Enough". Nothing works: It is a stilted gloomy, needlessly dark Nothing, held together by a completely uninteresting plot, which would be a little less annoying if everyone involved wouldn't take himself so goddamn seriously. Ian Fleming made the trivial seem exciting and the unlikely seem normal; his books are often "fantasy thrillers". Le Chiffre works because you suspect these kinds of people really exist somewhere. Dr. No, of whom you never suspect that, works because he is so in-your-face: he has claws as hands, lives inside a mountain and is obviously not of this world.
    Renárd in TWINE on the other hand is a man with a crazy, completely abnormal feature (no sensitivity to pain due to a bullet in his head), yet he's taken seriously at a kitchen sink psychology level and causes the opposite effect for the viewer: it makes him a bad Marvel figure. But this is just one of the horrible aspects of this movie.

    Michael Apted's "The World Is Not Enough" is not only the worst James Bond movie, it may be among the worst action movies of all time.

    Same here. A recent viewing confirmed this is just underwhelming and lacking all around.

    Agree. Bond & The Beautiful. Ugh.

    Ha ha! My nickname for TWINE is As The World Turns Is Not Enough. At least DAD felt less like a soap opera and more like a spy film(at least in its first half).
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    edited June 2020 Posts: 7,134
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    BT3366 wrote: »
    DAD was on telly last night and I caught a bit of it by accident. The bit in the ice palace. It all seemed so cheesy.

    It’s an unpopular movie, not a disease. ;) DAD has some good moments if you give it a chance.

    To me, Octopussy commits the cardinal sin of the Bond film; it’s boring.
    That's a rare opinion I don't see expressed much. In particular what is boring to you?

    One of the things I enjoy about OP is it really moves, tons of action along with some good suspense sprinkled in there.

    It's also a proper Cold War spy film, only TLD and FRWL have that too.

    What about FYEO?

    True. Forgot about that one. As I do. For me FYEO is a bit vanilla, even though it doesn't commit the greatest sins. It's never quite as bad as, say, DAD or SP but it never really stands out either.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    BT3366 wrote: »
    DAD was on telly last night and I caught a bit of it by accident. The bit in the ice palace. It all seemed so cheesy.

    It’s an unpopular movie, not a disease. ;) DAD has some good moments if you give it a chance.

    To me, Octopussy commits the cardinal sin of the Bond film; it’s boring.
    That's a rare opinion I don't see expressed much. In particular what is boring to you?

    One of the things I enjoy about OP is it really moves, tons of action along with some good suspense sprinkled in there.

    It's also a proper Cold War spy film, only TLD and FRWL have that too.

    What about FYEO?

    True. Forgot about that one. As I do. For me FYEO is a bit vanilla, even though it doesn't commit the greatest sins. It's never quite as bad as, say, DAD or SP but it never really stands out as either.

    For me, FYEO plays like the best episode of The Saint never made but not one of the greatest Bond films as it's often called. When it comes to "down to earth" spy story type Bond films I prefer FRWL, OHMSS, TLD and CR to FYEO myself.
  • Posts: 1,917
    FYEO is like a stunt film with Fleming elements wrapped around it as an afterthought. An attempt to get an important device is also straight out of FRWL. One of the reviews of the time even led with the emphasis is on stunts instead of effects. FYEO is a complete polar opposite reaction to MR. Many of those stunts and settings are also variations from previous films such as OHMSS for the snow action and TB for underwater.

    You also get Grant and Oddjob variations with Loque and Kriegler. Colombo makes up for it a lot and Melina is a refreshing heroine in that she doesn't automatically fall for Bond's charms. But it's mostly about the stunts. I've seen FYEO called the most forgettable Bond film due to some of these elements.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,433
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    shamanimal wrote: »
    I can see how DAD is a mess, but I honestly remember coming out the cinema buzzing. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

    Good for you!
    I came out of a screening very depressed, especially thinking Brossa was going to continue as Bond and the franchise was going to continue in this vein!

    Whenever the series has gotten too fantastical it always becomes grounded as a response. YOLT begat OHMSS, MR begat FYEO

    I remember coming out feeling like I had just watched an entertaining romp. I was excited to see where the franchise would go because I wanted to see Pierce in a grounded adventure and there was no where else to go. A shame I never got to see that film as I think he had it in him to deliver a solid effort.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,134
    BT3366 wrote: »
    FYEO is like a stunt film with Fleming elements wrapped around it as an afterthought. An attempt to get an important device is also straight out of FRWL. One of the reviews of the time even led with the emphasis is on stunts instead of effects. FYEO is a complete polar opposite reaction to MR. Many of those stunts and settings are also variations from previous films such as OHMSS for the snow action and TB for underwater.

    You also get Grant and Oddjob variations with Loque and Kriegler. Colombo makes up for it a lot and Melina is a refreshing heroine in that she doesn't automatically fall for Bond's charms. But it's mostly about the stunts. I've seen FYEO called the most forgettable Bond film due to some of these elements.

    Back in 2002, Belgium's most renowned culture magazine came out with a special edition magazine all about Bond to celebrate the franchise's 40th anniversary. Going through the films, they gave each film some sort of nickname and guess what the one for FYEO was? The forgotten Bond.

    Now I read that magazine through about a 100 times so I remember what they said about each of the films:

    DN: the first Bond
    FRWL: the Cold War Bond
    GF: the archetypical Bond
    TB: the underwater Bond
    YOLT: the Japanese Bond
    CR67: the Bond parody
    OHMSS: the married Bond
    DAF: the Las Vegas Bond
    LALD: the voodoo Bond
    TMWTGG: the martial arts Bond
    TSWLM: the Jules Verne Bond
    MR: the space Bond
    FYEO: the forgotten Bond
    OP: the circus Bond
    NSNA: the dissident Bond
    AVTAK: the disco Bond
    TLD: the Afghan safe sex Bond
    LTK: the this-time-it's-personal Bond
    GE: the post-Soviet Bond
    TND: the Rupert Murdoch Bond
    TWINE: the Elektra Bond
    DAD: the 40th anniversary Bond
  • Posts: 7,430
    thedove wrote: »
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    shamanimal wrote: »
    I can see how DAD is a mess, but I honestly remember coming out the cinema buzzing. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

    Good for you!
    I came out of a screening very depressed, especially thinking Brossa was going to continue as Bond and the franchise was going to continue in this vein!

    Whenever the series has gotten too fantastical it always becomes grounded as a response. YOLT begat OHMSS, MR begat FYEO

    I remember coming out feeling like I had just watched an entertaining romp. I was excited to see where the franchise would go because I wanted to see Pierce in a grounded adventure and there was no where else to go. A shame I never got to see that film as I think he had it in him to deliver a solid effort.

    And i was ecstatic when i heard he wasnt coming back! Each to his own!!
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    edited June 2020 Posts: 9,041
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    BT3366 wrote: »
    DAD was on telly last night and I caught a bit of it by accident. The bit in the ice palace. It all seemed so cheesy.

    It’s an unpopular movie, not a disease. ;) DAD has some good moments if you give it a chance.

    To me, Octopussy commits the cardinal sin of the Bond film; it’s boring.
    That's a rare opinion I don't see expressed much. In particular what is boring to you?

    One of the things I enjoy about OP is it really moves, tons of action along with some good suspense sprinkled in there.

    It's also a proper Cold War spy film, only TLD and FRWL have that too.

    What about FYEO?

    True. Forgot about that one. As I do. For me FYEO is a bit vanilla, even though it doesn't commit the greatest sins. It's never quite as bad as, say, DAD or SP but it never really stands out either.

    What's wrong with vanilla (the original)? I must say that for me, FYEO has been my favourite Roger Moore Bond film most of the time, sometimes (but nowhere near always) being substituted by TSWLM. In the meantime I'm a little confused. My guilty pleasure (from when I was an 18-year old) of LALD and my relatively new-found obsession with MR come in the way. Leaving basically two layers of Roger Moore films I like more and I like less (none of them is really bad, and frankly none of them is really good).

    The first group for me is LALD, TSWLM, MR and FYEO. That's chronological, not preferential.

    The other group, of course, is TMWTGG, OP and AVTAK. The latter being the lowest on my rating list, but surprisingly the one that I - at the moment I'm writing this - would consider re-watching the most. Go figure.
  • Agent_47Agent_47 Canada
    edited June 2020 Posts: 330
    For me it has to be A View To A Kill. It feels tired, out of ideas and entirely on autopilot, this could still work but everything in the film just feels like a final wheeze from a tired era. The film feels much longer than its runtime would suggest.

    I could throw much of the same criticism at Tomorrow Never Dies which is currently in my top 10, the difference being that I find TND to be an energetic romp, AVTAK not so much.

    AVTAK also holds the distinction of being the only Bond film I've fallen asleep watching, multiple times sadly. Strangely enough though, I do not hate this film, it's just such a sigh of a Bond film that it ends up at the bottom.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited June 2020 Posts: 7,551
    BT3366 wrote: »
    DAD was on telly last night and I caught a bit of it by accident. The bit in the ice palace. It all seemed so cheesy.

    It’s an unpopular movie, not a disease. ;) DAD has some good moments if you give it a chance.

    To me, Octopussy commits the cardinal sin of the Bond film; it’s boring.
    That's a rare opinion I don't see expressed much. In particular what is boring to you?

    One of the things I enjoy about OP is it really moves, tons of action along with some good suspense sprinkled in there.

    I didn't realize anyone responded to my comment. :P Maybe it's just a personal thing for me, but for whatever reason I find it convoluted and my mind just glosses over it; maybe I'm an idiot but I've seen it many times and would have trouble coming up with a concise rundown of what happens in it. I don't particularly like Kamal Khan or any of the supporting characters really (except Octopussy, ironically, and maybe Orlov). Fallen asleep during it more than once; it's always the film I dread most in my marathons (but since my most recent marathon, it's possible I dread AVTAK more).
  • Posts: 1,917
    BT3366 wrote: »
    DAD was on telly last night and I caught a bit of it by accident. The bit in the ice palace. It all seemed so cheesy.

    It’s an unpopular movie, not a disease. ;) DAD has some good moments if you give it a chance.

    To me, Octopussy commits the cardinal sin of the Bond film; it’s boring.
    That's a rare opinion I don't see expressed much. In particular what is boring to you?

    One of the things I enjoy about OP is it really moves, tons of action along with some good suspense sprinkled in there.

    I didn't realize anyone responded to my comment. :P Maybe it's just a personal thing for me, but for whatever reason I find it convoluted and my mind just glosses over it; maybe I'm an idiot but I've seen it many times and would have trouble coming up with a concise rundown of what happens in it. I don't particularly like Kamal Khan or any of the supporting characters really (except Octopussy, ironically, and maybe Orlov). Fallen asleep during it more than once; it's always the film I dread most in my marathons (but since my most recent marathon, it's possible I dread AVTAK more).

    Going by my own experience, AVTAK would fit that. As I have OP as my favorite Moore film, AVTAK is such a steep drop and for years ranked as my least favorite until TWINE came along.

    When it comes to boring, that stretch from where Bond arrives in San Francisco up until roughly the firetruck chase is at the top of my list of the longest most uneventful stretch in a Bond film, just slow-moving and forgettable, punctuated with unexciting action scenes. Not that the firetruck chase makes up for it, but at least there's some energy, which is sunk by unnecessary comedy and Tanya Roberts.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    edited June 2020 Posts: 4,585
    It comes down to how much of the film is watchable compared to how much is unwatchable.

    While there are bad moments in AVTAK, this is all balanced out by Walken, Grace Jones, a terrrific baddie sequence on board the dirigible, Barry's score, Duran Duran, Patrick MacNee, and a pretty cool final fight atop the Golden Gate Bridge.

    Similarly, OP, FYEO, TND, and TWINE all have elements that keep me from saying it's a bad Bond film.

    On the surface, DAF is in the running for the worst, but it is the only Bond film that I view as complete camp. Take it for what it's worth. It's not trying to be anything else and for that, I love it.

    The only two films that are tough for me to watch are DAD and MR. The latter just contains too few watchable, enjoyable elements for me to sit through. As outrageous as the series has always been, nothing reaches the drudgery of MR.



  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,589
    There is no bad Bond film
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    GoldenGun wrote: »

    Now I read that magazine through about a 100 times so I remember what they said about each of the films:


    AVTAK: the disco Bond

    The disco Bond? In the mid-1980s? :?

    Agent_47 wrote: »
    For me it has to be A View To A Kill. It feels tired, out of ideas and entirely on autopilot, this could still work but everything in the film just feels like a final wheeze from a tired era. The film feels much longer than its runtime would suggest.

    I could throw much of the same criticism at Tomorrow Never Dies which is currently in my top 10, the difference being that I find TND to be an energetic romp, AVTAK not so much.

    AVTAK also holds the distinction of being the only Bond film I've fallen asleep watching, multiple times sadly. Strangely enough though, I do not hate this film, it's just such a sigh of a Bond film that it ends up at the bottom.

    Agreed. AVTAK held the distinction of being my pick for nadir of the series(at least until TWINE and QOS came along later) for many of the same reason. It's watchable but definitely the weakest and least inspired Bond film up to that point in the series, i.e., 1985. Thankfully, TLD with the underrated Dalton was right around the corner.
    BT3366 wrote: »
    Going by my own experience, AVTAK would fit that. As I have OP as my favorite Moore film, AVTAK is such a steep drop and for years ranked as my least favorite until TWINE came along.

    When it comes to boring, that stretch from where Bond arrives in San Francisco up until roughly the firetruck chase is at the top of my list of the longest most uneventful stretch in a Bond film, just slow-moving and forgettable, punctuated with unexciting action scenes. Not that the firetruck chase makes up for it, but at least there's some energy, which is sunk by unnecessary comedy and Tanya Roberts.

    I remember watching AVTAK once with the audio commentary and the thing that struck me about the California section was how much it seemed like I was watching a standard mid-1980s action show of the same time period like The Fall Guy or Matt Houston rather than a truly epic Bond film. As critical as I am of the 1985 Bond film I will admit I've always enjoyed the fire truck chase since it did make this tired entry come to life for a few minutes.

  • Posts: 12,473
    After yet another Bondathon, my vote remains Die Another Day. The dialogue reaches an all-time low, the CGI is awful and distracting, and the entire second half is just a noisy disaster that grows worse and worse by the second. No Bond film is a total loss by any means though; I actually really enjoy most of DAD's first half, particularly the opening in North Korea and the sword fight. The bottom 3 Bond films for me - DAF, DAD, and SP - are the only 3 entries that I have serious issues with.
  • Posts: 7,430
    FoxRox wrote: »
    After yet another Bondathon, my vote remains Die Another Day. The dialogue reaches an all-time low, the CGI is awful and distracting, and the entire second half is just a noisy disaster that grows worse and worse by the second. No Bond film is a total loss by any means though; I actually really enjoy most of DAD's first half, particularly the opening in North Korea and the sword fight. The bottom 3 Bond films for me - DAF, DAD, and SP - are the only 3 entries that I have serious issues with.

    DAD is still coming last in most lists in the Bond ranking thread! Yeh, its downright unwatchable for me, am not buying into this 'excellent first half hour' nonsense thats been bandied about! It doesnt put a foot right for me! I can tolerate DAF,just about, and i still find SP watchable!
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    edited June 2020 Posts: 4,585
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    After yet another Bondathon, my vote remains Die Another Day. The dialogue reaches an all-time low, the CGI is awful and distracting, and the entire second half is just a noisy disaster that grows worse and worse by the second. No Bond film is a total loss by any means though; I actually really enjoy most of DAD's first half, particularly the opening in North Korea and the sword fight. The bottom 3 Bond films for me - DAF, DAD, and SP - are the only 3 entries that I have serious issues with.

    DAD is still coming last in most lists in the Bond ranking thread! Yeh, its downright unwatchable for me, am not buying into this 'excellent first half hour' nonsense thats been bandied about! It doesnt put a foot right for me! I can tolerate DAF,just about, and i still find SP watchable!

    Put 1,000 Bond fans in a room, and you'll find 1,000 different opinions. LOL.

    That is the key in a 58-year-old franchise. With 24 films, 6 actors, and countless locales, there is something for (or not) for everyone.

    (I'm with you, as disappointing as SP was, I'd still; watch it over a lot of other Bond films, if for no other reason than Craig being in it.)

  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited June 2020 Posts: 7,551
    I always find myself enjoying Spectre, despite constantly imagining how much better it could have been. On my list of Bond films I'd like to watch, it's usually high. I for one love all the Blofeld stuff. The brother stuff is bad, but to me it's in the background when Waltz is on screen.
  • Posts: 7,430
    I always find myself enjoying Spectre, despite constantly imagining how much better it could have been. On my list of Bond films I'd like to watch, it's usually high. I for one love all the Blofeld stuff. The brother stuff is bad, but to me it's in the background when Waltz is on screen.

    Yes, it was a really bad idea, but it doesnt stop me from enjoying a lot of scenes in it, and agree, Craig is always top notch for me, am really going to miss him as Bond! He has been excellent throughout!
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,551
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    I always find myself enjoying Spectre, despite constantly imagining how much better it could have been. On my list of Bond films I'd like to watch, it's usually high. I for one love all the Blofeld stuff. The brother stuff is bad, but to me it's in the background when Waltz is on screen.

    Yes, it was a really bad idea, but it doesnt stop me from enjoying a lot of scenes in it, and agree, Craig is always top notch for me, am really going to miss him as Bond! He has been excellent throughout!

    Agreed. It has great scenes, great sartorialism, great bond moments.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    One Bond film lost every single match it was in in the Bond film ranking tournament: NSNA.
  • Posts: 7,430
    One Bond film lost every single match it was in in the Bond film ranking tournament: NSNA.

    Did it go up against DAD?
    Its a movie that I have learned to appreciate more over the years. OP stomped all over it the year it was released, I thought it was a huge disappointment, and was no match for EONs film.
    Nowadays, it still has major flaws, but I would easily watch it over any of Brossa entries!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    One Bond film lost every single match it was in in the Bond film ranking tournament: NSNA.

    Did it go up against DAD?
    Its a movie that I have learned to appreciate more over the years. OP stomped all over it the year it was released, I thought it was a huge disappointment, and was no match for EONs film.
    Nowadays, it still has major flaws, but I would easily watch it over any of Brossa entries!

    Yes, all of them.
  • Posts: 7,507
    I refuse to even watch NSNA. Its very existence insults me!
  • Posts: 1,917
    jobo wrote: »
    I refuse to even watch NSNA. Its very existence insults me!

    Care to explain why? Is it a McClory thing, a huge TB fan, work for Eon?
  • Posts: 7,430
    NSNA has some good stuff in there. Connery for starters, yes, much older, but still effortlessly cool, Barbara Carrera is wonderful as Fatima, stylishly shot by veteran Douglas Slocome and the motorbike chase is fun and the opener is great (though they messed up by putting the titles over it!)
  • edited June 2020 Posts: 12,473
    I seldom am in the mood to watch NSNA. I've only seen it the whole way through twice. It has its moments, but given that it's essentially an inferior edition of TB, I always go to TB instead. Along with CR '67, I don't think about it near as much as the official EON films either. Almost all the EON films are better (DAD is really the only one I'd say for me that may be lower).
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