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
FRWL, great as it is, but does have certain plot holes and altogether seems to skip over some relatively important scenes due to a tight filming schedule. The editing saves it, but it's still easy to notice that some characters suddenly have information, or other loopholes that are otherwise unexplained.
Casino Royale is just straightforward action and fun, while still managing a strong plot and a tug at the heart. All around great film.
For instance, I feel the 'best' movie *could* be TND, from a completely well-rounded & fun entertainment perspective... FRWL from a purely cold-war spy movie perspective... TSWLM from a balls-out comic book movie perspective...
However, my movie-making instincts simply point to CR as the best movie in general... and I seem, so far, to be seeing some measure of agreement here.
The story of " boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl" is here in this film. The irony of how Bond's violent past catches up with him and claims his new bride. Despite his having saved the world he cannot save his wife from the violence he brings with him.
Finally Tracie dies just when she felt she had a reason to live: she has a future now. It would not be until CR 39 years later before Bond was ever taken so seriously....
I rank CR and LTK close seconds to OHMSS
I'm not sure that I agree with that. To my way of thinking, OHMSS is one of the best stand-alone films in the canon. It could almost be considered the first 'reboot' of the Bond series...
What plot holes?
I think it would come off as more of a drama/love story than a spy movie if you hadn't seen any other Bond films, but I think it still works by itself.
As for those who picked CR, I think that our present obsession with it is a bit predictable and convenient. If this website had been around back in 1995 or ’99 even, I’m sure that people would have been prattling on about how GE was the best all-around Bond film yet and that it very well might go down in history as the best Bond ever. True objectivity is impossible unless you’re a robot who can live outside the bonds of time. Sure CR was great and it may very well go down as one of the best Bond films ever made, but one must always be mindful of the present, and what unconscious thoughts may be blinding you from something truthful. So yes, thinking as objectivly as I can I would also most likley go with CR. However I prefer to know where I stand and make judgments from the fiber of my emotional sole. Give me TB and GF any day!
For the thriller/drama genre, I'd have to go with Casino Royale.
If not GE, my next pick would have to be CR. It just feels like a near perfect film every time I watch it, with so many great moments and elements.
That's interesting, objectively speaking. Goldeneye is a pretty solid film altogether. I personally would say, objectively speaking, it doesn't have a strong lead, but it's a tight little film.
I just don't feel like you get into Brosnan's character of Bond. To me, he's the most forgettable performance in that film. But that doesn't make it a bad film. Objectively, it's a good film, worth the time, that fits as comedic, thrilling, dramatic, and just fun.
I believe FRWL is as best one can get. It has an amazing story by Fleming, one of the greatest Bond performances by Connery, superb acting by Bianchi, Shaw, Lenya, Armendáriz, as well as the MI6 regulars M and Monepenny. Plus Blofeld unseen is the most menacing of them all. The fights are rough, the action is great, the locations are exotic... The Orient Express is a classic sequence. The music is very good as well as the photograph and editing. I can't complain about anything.
Close to be best are OHMSS and CR... and perhaps I'll say SF but I have to wait until the excitement passes a little in order to rewatch it more coldly and objectively, as M would say.
As for which Bond movie is simply the "best" movie, I guess I'd go with one of three: From Russia With Love, Casino Royale, and Skyfall, with an honorable mention to On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Each of those I thought, is well shot, well acted, tightly plotted, and remains true to its own internal structure throughout.
But what we can do with the Bond film, is try to see them, without paying attention to the fact that they are Bond film. hence, the only thing that matte becomes (for me) how good a thriller it is.
Very few Bond film can be judged as Thriller or Spy movie only, the reason being that most of them are doing some self-irony, and develop extraordinary things which can only happen in a Bond movie.
Then, the only films, in my opinion, which can assessed only as thrillers are FRWL, OHMSS, CR, maybe TWINE. The other pay too much tribute to each other, or too much time doing bondian stuff.
Goldeneye. First movie in the cinema when i have a minimum/nothing experience of Bond. It be a very good action movie, whyle of course tradional things you discover later on make it more pleasure to watch.
Tomorrow Never Dies
Licence To Kill
Die Another Day. DAD get a hugh boxoffice.
Casino Royale. As said before, CR is movie for the none Bond fans whyle QOS be a movie for the fans. Biggest problem be Pierce Brosnan goodby and DC introduction be a violence one (I don't know how some people feels when there saw LTK but when i saw CR i feel it a litle bit think what people must have feeling with LTK), this movie work better as 16+/R movie and mabey LTK in 1989 too. LTK have the luck it now a les violence movie, CR almoost double the violence. Other things in CR are done better in OHMSS and Twine. M les infect the story as in Twine (QOS/Skyfall) because she not realy get the change for it and there relation ship look normal, mabey a bit more as in GE/DAD and as standalone that wil not a problem.
The World Is Not Enough.
Older movies:
Dr No, Goldfinger,On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Live and Let Die, TMWTGG, TSWLM, FYEO, OP, AVTAK and TLD.
From Russia With Love and QOS are a bit dificult: Both need the previous movie whyle Dr No not realy need FRWL, QOS need CR. But FRWL and QOS also have both a kind of open end.
And the answer to which is the best film? FRWL. Obviously.
Favourite Bond is a tough one. As well as FRWL, I really enjoy GF, OHMSS, TSWLM, and TLD. Having favourites is all about being subjective however.
Having siad that, I do think you can make a strong objective argument for FRWL being the best film in the series. The fact so many people have named it here shows there is something of a consensus as well.
Definitely not the best film in the series, but still very entertaining, IMO.