Bond movie ranking (Simple list, no details)

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  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    edited May 2016 Posts: 10,591
    Well, since everyone else is posting, I may as well repost my ranking here:

    I still think there's a better spot for FYEO.

    1. Casino Royale
    2. Skyfall
    3. Goldeneye
    4. Goldfinger
    5. Spectre
    6. From Russia With Love
    7. The Spy Who Loved Me
    8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    9. The Living Daylights
    10. Quantum of Solace
    11. Live and Let Die
    12. Dr. No
    13. The World is Not Enough
    14. Thunderball
    15. Moonraker
    16. Octopussy
    17. Tomorrow Never Dies
    18. License to Kill
    19. You Only Live Twice
    20. A View to a Kill
    21. Die Another Day
    22. For Your Eyes Only
    23. The Man With the Golden Gun
    24. Diamonds are Forever
  • MansfieldMansfield Where the hell have you been?
    Posts: 1,263
    1. Casino Royale ↑1
    2. Goldfinger ↑1
    3. Skyfall ↓2
    4. From Russia With Love
    5. Dr. No
    6. Goldeneye
    7. For Your Eyes Only ↑1
    8. Tomorrow Never Dies ↑1
    9. The Spy Who Loved Me ↑4
    10. The Living Daylights
    11. Quantum of Solace ↑1
    12. On Her Majesty's Secret Service ↓1
    13. You Only Live Twice ↑1
    14. Octopussy ↑2
    15. Spectre ↓8
    16. Thunderball ↓1
    17. The World Is Not Enough
    18. Licence to Kill ↑3
    19. Diamonds Are Forever ↓1
    20. The Man With The Golden Gun
    21. Live and Let Die ↓2
    22. Die Another Day ↑2
    23. Moonraker ↓1
    24. A View to a Kill ↓1
  • It looks like Spectre has started to fall quite a bit on the rankings, six or seven months after its release.
  • Posts: 11,119
    I have been seeing "The Spy Who Loved" me in cinema in 4K Ultra-HD, thanks to @ggl007 (fanclub Archivo 007). What a wonderful experience it was. But........I have to be honest here. The film hasn't aged very well. Roger Moore is off course a marvellous, more suave and funny Bond. But at times the dialogue was way too tame, too simple....and actually quite boring at times.

    There were some highlights with regard to drama and personal background. Like that little moment in the Mujabe Club when Anya tells Bond he was married. Or when Anya swears to kill Bond after Bond reveals he killed her loved one. Quite tense scenes, but very scarce in amount.

    I personally think if "The Spy Who Loved Me" would be copy-pasted and if Bond was made much more simpler and less complicated, then people won't buy it anymore. One last thing, people really criticised the plot from the villain in "SPECTRE". But by jolly, creating an underwater world by destroying the worl with two atomic bombs is way way more ludicrous/ridiculous.

    Having said that, my updated ranking:

    Masterpieces!!!:
    01 --> 9.5/10 --> 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'
    02 --> 9.3/10 --> 'From Russia With Love'
    03 --> 9.0/10 --> 'Skyfall'
    04 --> 8.8/10 --> 'Casino Royale'
    05 --> 8.3/10 --> 'Thunderball'
    06 --> 8.0/10 --> 'Doctor No'


    Good films!:
    07 --> 7.7/10 --> 'SPECTRE' (NEW !!)
    08 --> 7.4/10 --> 'Octopussy'
    09 --> 7.4/10 --> 'For Your Eyes Only'
    10 --> 7.3/10 --> 'The Living Daylights'
    11 --> 7.1/10 --> 'Goldfinger'
    12 --> 7.0/10 --> 'Licence To Kill'


    Average films:
    13 --> 6.7/10 --> 'The World Is Not Enough'
    14 --> 6.5/10 --> 'The Man With The Golden Gun'
    15 --> 6.3/10 --> 'Quantum Of Solace'
    16 --> 6.1/10 --> 'The Spy Who Loved Me'
    17 --> 6.0/10 --> 'Diamonds Are Forever'
    18 --> 5.8/10 --> 'Moonraker'


    Fun stuff for us Bond fans, but as a standalone film bad and sometimes even stomach-turning!:
    19 --> 5.6/10 --> 'Live And Let Die'
    20 --> 5.5/10 --> 'Never Say Never Again' (non-EON)
    21 --> 4.8/10 --> 'Tomorrow Never Dies'
    22 --> 4.5/10 --> 'You Only Live Twice'
    23 --> 4.2/10 --> 'GoldenEye'
    24 --> 3.4/10 --> 'A View To A Kill'
    25 --> 2.8/10 --> 'Die Another Day'
    26 --> 1.2/10 --> 'Casino Royale' (non-EON)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    As if Stromberg's plan is any more ludicrous than Drax's "poison everyone, then repopulate the planet with only attractive people while I rule from space" idea.
  • edited May 2016 Posts: 11,119
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    As if Stromberg's plan is any more ludicrous than Drax's "poison everyone, then repopulate the planet with only attractive people while I rule from space" idea.

    Both plans are quite ridiculous. Hence why both "Moonraker" and "The Spy Who Loved Me" are pretty low on my list, though TSWLM has more 'evergreen cult status'. At least Blofeld's plot in "SPECTRE" has a real-life component. "Nine Eyes" really exist. And although the execution of the villain's plot leaves a lot to be desired, it's at least way more realistic than putting an enormous space station out of the blue in outer space....or having this huge Atlantis somewhere at the shore of Italy. As if the United Nations, the USA and the NATO don't give a fuck :-P.

  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    @Gustav_Graves, surely you aren't organizing the rankings based too heavily on plot plausibility, I would assume? I'm not knocking the film, as it's one of my favorites, but OHMSS has an equally ridiculous plot, yet that made your #1 spot, so I can only surmise there are many other factors coming into play.
  • Posts: 11,119
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    @Gustav_Graves, surely you aren't organizing the rankings based too heavily on plot plausibility, I would assume? I'm not knocking the film, as it's one of my favorites, but OHMSS has an equally ridiculous plot, yet that made your #1 spot, so I can only surmise there are many other factors coming into play.

    I ranked them by taking into account complex drama, believable, intriguing dialogue and especially complex written characters. For me those are pivotal in every film. But also in a Bond film.

    The thing with "Moonraker" and "TSWLM" for me is: Pastiche wins from complexity, the visuals win from complex drama. And obviously that's what Bond is about as well. But at least three of Craig's four Bond films did that much better.

    I guess it's also personal taste. For me a Bond girl like Anya Amasova is just beauty and less content. Girls like Tracy, Melina, Vesper, Severine, hell even Madeleine, have way more gravita as characters.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    Definitely personal taste, because visuals only do so much for me. Take SF: all style, no substance. I need a bit more meat to my movie past it looking pretty.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    Out of curiosity GG, how did you change the font colour?
  • Posts: 11,119
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Definitely personal taste, because visuals only do so much for me. Take SF: all style, no substance. I need a bit more meat to my movie past it looking pretty.

    I think it's no style over substance. This is a prime example of substance over style. Or perhaps...both style and a lot of substance:


    I know Severine's role is small, but her role for me is way way more interesting and complex than, let's say, Anya Amasova. This scene is also referencing the Vesper-Bond dinner scene in "Casino Royale". Perhaps it's also the excellent acting of some of the films that I didn't see in TSWLM or MR.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited May 2016 Posts: 23,883
    The thing about evaluating art is it's all subjective anyway. It's true that TSWLM is a rather simple plot and very OTT, and yet it continues to have a very high ranking on nearly every Bond fan's list, including mine. I personally believe they executed on what they were trying to achieve in that film to perfection. For me, it is the purest and best form of grand entertainment in the Bond canon, with several classic & iconic moments. It's not meant to be deep at all.

    I don't personally think SP & TND came even close to achieving that level of perfection, given what they were trying to do, but again that's my opinion. TND in particular is usually ranked quite low in many Bond fan's list, with exceptions of course, & SP is polarizing even now, as the latest Bond film - when one would think it shouldn't be, due to the novelty factor impacting views positively.

    So imho, it's all about how it's executed. One cannot really 'copy and paste' (they actually tried that with many elements in TND).

    With art, it comes down to more than taking the elements and slapping it together. It's about how everything actually comes together. The end product, if executed properly, will be endearingly greater than the sum of its component parts.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,963
    I wish I saw SF how a lot of you do. It just does nothing for me in terms of a Bond film.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    @Creasy47, it's a very stylish film, and that's what impresses me about it. Visually stunning, and scenes like the one above give it some 'weight' too. There are many less than stellar moments, but overall, it's a stylistic masterpiece first and foremost, imho.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I wish I saw SF how a lot of you do. It just does nothing for me in terms of a Bond film.

    I wish you saw TND how I do!!! :))
  • Posts: 11,119
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I wish I saw SF how a lot of you do. It just does nothing for me in terms of a Bond film.

    I wish you saw TND how I do!!! :))

    TND. I loved it when I was still a brainless kid....But now? Ugghhh.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789

    TND. I loved it when I was still a brainless kid....But now? Ugghhh.
    Pistols at dawn then....
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Definitely personal taste, because visuals only do so much for me. Take SF: all style, no substance. I need a bit more meat to my movie past it looking pretty.

    I think it's no style over substance. This is a prime example of substance over style. Or perhaps...both style and a lot of substance:


    I know Severine's role is small, but her role for me is way way more interesting and complex than, let's say, Anya Amasova. This scene is also referencing the Vesper-Bond dinner scene in "Casino Royale". Perhaps it's also the excellent acting of some of the films that I didn't see in TSWLM or MR.

    I agree. An amazing performance...
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Severine is about the only good "substance" scene in Skyfall. The rest is a bloody mess, either boring as hell, idiotic (plot holes) or downright silly (Silva).

    It's like you look at a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift. But when you open it a pair of old socks look at you.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    He's very popular with me.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Severine is about the only good "substance" scene in Skyfall. The rest is a bloody mess, either boring as hell, idiotic (plot holes) or downright silly (Silva).

    It's like you look at a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift. But when you open it a pair of old socks look at you.

    But I would think that you'd have to acknowledge that Silva is an immensely popular villain among both fans and the general audience.

    I don't say SF is not popular, I just find it incredibly overrated. Maybe one of the most overrated movies ever.

    Silva would have worked in the Brosnan-era. He is somewhat similar to Gustav Graves or Elliot Carver. OTT and silly dialogue and overacting galore.
    In Skyfall it just didn't fit. At least imo. It's all so serious and zero self-irony and then comes this clown...with CGI faces.
    I really prefer any other main villain, couldn't think of any that would rank below Silva. Even Blofeld in DAF is more believable, at least it fits the rest of the tone of DAF.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I like Blofeld in DAF too, and Carver, and Graves as well. I must be easy to please, or like the OTT chaps.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    edited May 2016 Posts: 4,116
    SF is one Bond @BondJasonBond006 and I don't agree but that's ok. I liked Silva although he should have stayed controlled at the ending and not lost his temper. And to find out he was just suicidal was a huge letdown although I get it.

    Zorin and Carver great villains too. And Scaramanga.. great villains in search of a better film.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I get the point about Silva's tone, but I actually found he balanced out the film. If he hadn't played it that way, SF may have been too dark. I found myself looking forward to his continued OTT appearances to balance out the weightiness of the rest of it (Tennyson etc.).
  • MansfieldMansfield Where the hell have you been?
    Posts: 1,263
    Silva's character is explained and captured terrifically by Bardem. He was explained to be an agent who had a wider variety of skills than Bond. Not to mention he feels a divine sense of purpose from surviving his suicide attempt in prison. This provides him with an appropriate amount of arrogance that other characters can't faithfully pull off due a lack of development. He views himself as superior to Bond and indestructible, though not literally making him delusional. If anything, his flare for the dramatic is more justified than any of the classic villains save a few who have similar development in the film, such as Grant.

    How is that not top quality villain?
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I actually liked that last scene. He wanted to do it, but couldn't. He realized their fates were intertwined and needed her to put them both of out of his misery.

    Ideally I would have preferred some hand to hand between Bond and him, rather than the knife in the back, but it was worth it just for his expression as he turned around. Classic.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    bondjames wrote: »
    I actually liked that last scene. He wanted to do it, but couldn't. He realized their fates were intertwined and needed her to put them both of out of his misery.

    Ideally I would have preferred some hand to hand between Bond and him, rather than the knife in the back, but it was worth it just for his expression as he turned around. Classic.
    I loved it too. I found it to be extremely tense. It gets me every time.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    To me I loved Silva's OTT personality, but I liked that he kept his cool ...pushing his men seemed out of character to me.
  • edited May 2016 Posts: 1,817
    I used to not like Silva. Now he is unique. Especially after Waltz... now that was boring.
  • Posts: 11,119
    Severine is about the only good "substance" scene in Skyfall. The rest is a bloody mess, either boring as hell, idiotic (plot holes) or downright silly (Silva).

    It's like you look at a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift. But when you open it a pair of old socks look at you.

    Yeah, and no one seems to mind how Drax got that insane space station up and running. That's not a plot hole. It's a frikkin' 'plot black hole'.
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