NEW 2021 UPDATES ON 'Quick Big Mi6 Bond Ranking Game': JOIN IN, FOLKS!

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  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,128
    I have FYEO at #9 so sadly much lower than I would rank it. Quite surprised at this, as it’s a pretty solid entry with very few of the silliness of the 70’s outings.
    Moore in particular plays it quite straight and almost avuncular throughout.
    A pity it doesn’t rank higher.
    I’m thinking something like LTK or maybe LALD will be next. Possibly TB.
    I’ll prefer LTK as the other two are top 10 for me.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,205
    For Your Eyes Only is ranked 16th on my list, so I have it a bit lower than the average here.

    There's very little wrong with it, and it's a welcome change of tack after MR. It's just not one of my favourites.
  • FYEO was 14th for me this time, one ahead of YOLT. It would have been quite a bit higher but my most recent rewatch of it wasn’t quite as enjoyable. It has perhaps the finest collection of action stunt work in the series and I appreciate that it’s more grounded than what came before, but I had forgotten just how tonally uneven it is (probably the worst of Glen’s movies in that regard) and it almost feels like a collection of loosely related sketches at times than a cohesive narrative. From that lens the PTS didn’t actually feel quite so out of place this time around though! There’s plenty of really good stuff in the film, I just wish it were a bit more even of an experience.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Same as in the tournament thread. I used to rank it much higher, maybe due to nostalgia as it was my first Bond film and we all know what a thrilling experience that is. Sadly I now rank it much lower. What s good is very good, but its weak parts really drag it down.
  • Max_The_ParrotMax_The_Parrot ATAC to St Cyril’s
    Posts: 2,426
    What s good is very good, but its weak parts really drag it down.

    You’re right, it really needed more Max the Parrot ... :-?
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    What s good is very good, but its weak parts really drag it down.

    You’re right, it really needed more Max the Parrot ... :-?

    Definitely.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,108
    I think FYEO is the one Bond film that my opinion has changed the most about. I used to dismiss it as a lesser version of TLD. Inoffensive but also a bit forgettable.

    Now it has grown on me to the point that I've put it in 6th. It could have been 5th as well to be honest. It's a tight Cold War thriller, with great locations, fantastic action, funky music and fun characters. Carole Bouquet is a firm favourite here btw.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,473
    FYEO is a top ten film for me. Its strengh are obviously the action sequences. My favourite one is the rock climbing: there isn't another Roger scene with so much tension. Bond seems to be in real danger for once. Breathtaking. Great.
    The car chase and the ski chase are also outstanding action scenes and Columbo is one of the best allies. Topol plays him extremely likeable. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Bouquet. She acts like a piece of ice (if this makes any sense
    ;)
  • FYEO has yo-yoed a fair bit in my rankings over the years. I think at one point long ago, back before Craig even, I may have had it as high as #4. There's a lot to love: sharks, rock-climbing stunts, Locque, the 80s factor, that ski chase. But there are definitely some aspects that don't work too well. It has previously dropped fairly low for me (into the high teens) and now is pretty much roughly where it landed in this communal ranking, which is still very high quality Bond for me.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited April 2021 Posts: 6,275
    Benny wrote: »
    I’m one of the minority that places QOS lower than it achieved here. 23rd on my list. As with all Bond films I don’t hate it. But it doesn’t work for me on the whole. As a direct follow up to CR it has too many plot holes for my liking. Along with a poor script, “I can’t find the umm stationary. Will you help me look?”
    And an uninspired villains plot. I don’t think the Bolivian water supply matches that of Goldfinger contaminating the US gold supply with an atomic bomb.
    I’d rather a little more time were put into QOS and it could’ve been a decent film. One thing that does work for me is Daniel Craig. He’s been solid throughout his tenure.

    I agree. QoS is...not great. The editing is the obvious problem but many of the characters (save Bond and Camille) are severely underwritten.

    I am surprised that FYEO is so low because of all of its Fleming elements. But if I'm honest I enjoy OP a lot more than FYEO, as it appears that Roger did.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,837
    I had FYEO at number 8 (right below TSWLM, in fact).

    My appreciation for FYEO has consistently risen over the years and even the Bill Conti score – which I used to hate (with a passion!) now seems to work for me. I particularly like Moore’s performance here: mature and understated. And like many of you, I really like the character of Colombo (Topol: ♫ ….If I were a rich man ♫). BTW: its’ about time we have a real solid ally in a Bond film IMO.
    And dare I say it…..but I really like Carole Bouquet.

    MV5BMTM1MjAzODUyNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzAxNzczNA@@._V1_.jpg

    ….but to each his own. :))
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,128
    I really like Carole Bouquet in FYEO. She’s understandably only focused on avenging the murder of her parents.
    I like her drive and motivation, instead of being the normal Bond girl.
    Only when the mission and her own mission are complete, does she show any interest in Bond or letting down her guard.
    I think it would’ve worked if Bond and Melina didn’t get romantically involved. But it was an 80’s Bond film and that would’ve been too shocking for audiences at the time. Even the ending we get works for me.
    It’s got some great characters and a very good tense story. FYEO should be a top ten film IMO.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,108
    Great to see more Carole Bouquet support out there. Moving on to the next one:

    STARRING
    Timothy Dalton as James Bond 007

    WITH
    Carey Lowell, Robert Davi, Talisa Soto & Benicio Del Toro

    LICENCE TO KILL

    MUSIC BY Michael Kamen
    DIRECTED BY John Glen

    licence-to-kill-us-lobby-card-2.jpg

    Always thought LTK would appear to be more divisive, but with only three bottom 5's, of which one 23rd spot was its lowest finish, not many of our distinguished Academy seem to really dislike it.

    It has a few very loyal fans too. It collected one gold medal, one bronze medal and came in 4th on one more occasion. Other than that, 8 more top 10 spots and 11 more top 15 finishes were noted as well.

    LTK ended up with 154 points in total.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,553
    'His bad side is a dangerous place to be.'

    It's fascinating to watch Bond turn Franz 'all about loyalty' Sanchez against his own men. Not to mention Bond smoking cigarettes. This one usually hovers around 10th place on my list, but never right on, until now.

    Dalton got two epic sniper scenes - something I hope to see again soon.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Another that it always somewhere in the middle. Good, not great.
  • Slazenger7Slazenger7 Gothenburg, Sweden
    Posts: 1,344
    #18th place. It’s more like a Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, True Lies kind of action movie than a Bond movie. Sanchez is a great villain though.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,157
    #11 for me, simply because there are 10 films in the series that I rank higher. Nevertheless, LTK is one of my favourites in the series, a bold and dark film that the world clearly wasn't ready for yet in '89 but has come to appreciate, it seems, in recent times. Dalton remains my favourite Bond as well, and his portrayal of the character in this film, though arguably a slight bit controversial, feels extremely close to Fleming. I love the action in the film as well as the revenge story. The bar fight and Q's field trip (a different film within this film) are unfortunate lows for me. But overall, I'm a fan of LTK.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,128
    It’s #14 for me. Though at any given time it could go higher. Certainly not lower. I always feel guilty placing it as a middle entry, but then I look at those above it.
    A very good and enjoyable Bond film .
  • Posts: 7,407
    Way too low! (How is bloody GE not appeared yet???)
    One of the best in the series! A solid story, well told, Dalton and Davi are tremendous foils, Carey Lowell wonderful, great theme song from Gladys Knight and the best action sequences since OHMSS!
    Disappointed it hasn't got into the top ten, though I suspected it the way things are going!
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,157
    Mathis1 wrote: »
    Way too low! (How is bloody GE not appeared yet???)
    One of the best in the series! A solid story, well told, Dalton and Davi are tremendous foils, Carey Lowell wonderful, great theme song from Gladys Knight and the best action sequences since OHMSS!
    Disappointed it hasn't got into the top ten, though I suspected it the way things are going!

    Hold on, now, no need to get personal. ;-)
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,473
    @Mathis1 You don't understand the praise for GE while I don't understand the love for TB.
  • LTK was 13 for me, one place above FYEO as well. I’ve warmed a lot on this film over the years, I initially didn’t care for it much at all. It still gets a bit dull for me in the middle, and I wish it had a little more budget behind it, but the opening and closing acts are pretty phenomenal and I like it as a brutal little detour from the typical Bond film. It’s be nice if we got an atypical Bond film again in the near future, I’ve always wanted an almost horror film tinged Bond film, like the creepy aspects of LALD dialed up to the extreme.
  • Posts: 7,407
    @Mathis1 You don't understand the praise for GE while I don't understand the love for TB.

    I wouldnt be a massive fan of TB myself!
    But still find it watchable and Connery is at the height of his powers! GE though...ugh...I'll save my rant until it comes up!!
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    LTK? Too high for me, had it at #20. It feels like a regular US-action movie on a budget. Just does not tick the right boxes for me.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,108
    I absolutely love LTK. In fact, it was me who put it first. My favourite Bond film, possibly my favourite film all together.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,553
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    it was me who put it first. My favourite Bond film, possibly my favourite film all together.
    Bless your heart!
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,205
    I love Licence To Kill. It has steadily climbed up in my estimation the last few years and likely will continue to do so. It's currently my #8.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,275
    I had LTK at #9. Now that OHMSS is getting its due praise, LTK along with TLD are the films in the series most ripe for a "second look" by the general public.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,837
    I had LTK at number 15, so I regard it a little less favorably than most of you.

    In its’ favor is a great performance by Dalton and Kamen’s score is one of the best IMO. That said, I found some of the violence somewhat gratuitous (*), and the less said about Talisa Soto’s “Lupe” the better. While I can certainly appreciate LTK, it is rarely the Bond movie that I insert in the DVD player on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

    That said, I think that a major factor in the film’s poor box office (US) was LTK misfortune to be released in a summer that brought us: “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (5/24), “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier” (6/9), “Ghostbusters II” (6/16), “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” (6/23), and…oh yes…”Batman” (6/23) followed by “Lethal Weapon 2” (7/7). Poor LTK just got lost. Every other summer (since 1977) had seen the release of a Bond movie and I think that general audiences may have simply taken 007 for granted.

    I’ve often wondered how the Dalton era would have played out if EON had taken “a year off” and done more to hype Dalton.

    ** “…well it was never made for six and seven-year olds…” - says me in my best Dalton voice!!!
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    edited April 2021 Posts: 1,711
    I love LTK and have it at number 2.
    I think it would have worked better as Dalton's third film though. It was a pretty big departure from the usual Bond fare, and as such, it might have been good for audiences to get to know Dalton in more than one conventional Bond film before twisting things as much as they did. Don't know how much that would have helped US box office, but it would feel more natural to do it that way.

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