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This time around, the film was just slightly more enjoyable than last time, which isn't saying much. Horrible theme song, the movie itself tends to drag, and most of the sequences do nothing to impress me. It's a mess. However, some of my favorite Roger Moore one-liners are in this (he seems much more brutish and intense this time around, which I enjoy), and the late, great Christopher Lee is ever-so-excellent as Scaramanga. The finale isn't too shabby, even though I can't shake those "mannequins" that are obviously humans. Overall, Roger Moore and Christopher Lee deliver, but the rest of the film doesn't.
2015 Bondathon Ranking:
1.) DN
2.) LALD
3.) FRWL
4.) TB
5.) OHMSS
6.) GF
7.) DAF
8.) YOLT
9.) TMWTGG
The lack of Bond theme (which is used only once in full and very briefly in the PTS and during Stacey's house fight) and the overuse of Duran Duran's song (which is marvelous, but that doesn't excuse the fact it's used everywhere in the score with just a couple of variations) also make it somewhat inferior.
Ranking:
01. OHMSS
02. FRWL
03. DN
04. FYEO
05. TMWTGG
06. TSWLM
07. GF
08. MR
09. OP
10. DAF
11. TB
12. LALD
13. AVTAK
14. CR '54
14. NSNA
15. YOLT
16. CR '67
This was my most satisfying viewing of this film to date, I had a blast for a large part of the film. Everything from the PTS until Bond gets knocked out by Nick Nack at Hai Phat's residence is great stuff; Bond's interrogation of Lazar, Bond confronts Andrea, the fight with the goons in Saida's dressing room- it all makes for good viewing. Everything that I dislike about the film (apart from one or two scenes) happens in one long sequence (from the karate school until JW gets pushed into the water by an elephant), so once you get all the crap out of the way, it begins to get it's momentum back and I can enjoy the film once again.
I don't really need to say anything about Lee as Scaramanga, because his iconic performance has been talked about at length before, apart from that he is without a doubt a top five Bond villain.
Moore is excellent as always, giving quite an intense performance in some scenes and he shows that Bond can be a cold bastard- the scene with Andrea in the hotel springs to mind.
Goodnight can be annoying at times and is certainly incompetent, but then again, not all Bond girls need to be superwoman. I always liked Ekland's delivery of the "someone locked me in a boot" line.
I love Maud Adams as Scaramanga's mistress Andrea- I think that the "kept woman" aspect of her character is handled much better here than Domino in Thumderball. Her death is both quite saddening and chilling.
Nick Nack makes for a meddlesome henchman, and is fun to watch. The Scaramanga-Nick Nack duo are the benign bizarre element of he film.
The score is somewhat underrated- it's exotic and fits with the setting perfectly. It can be ominous and tense, such as the scoring of the scenes in Scaramamga's funhouse, building the tension right until Bond turns around and puts a bullet in dear old Francisco.
On the negative side of things, what could have been one of the greatest Bond film stunts is marred by that ridiculous sound effect and by JW's presence- his arse is the first thing we see after the stunt. Nonetheless, I can appreciate what an impressive piece of stunt work it is.
Also, Kra is an absolute lame and sleazy "character" who I'm not really sure why he has to be in the film. What the hell is the point of his presence?
And with that final remark, onwards with THE SPY WHO LOVED ME.
EDIT After further contemplation, I've decided to move DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER above THUNDERBALL.
Mayday's Bondathon Summer 2015: The run-up to SPECTRE
-ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969)
-FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)
-GOLDFINGER (1964)
-LIVE AND LET DIE (1973)
-DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971)
-THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (1974)
-THUNDERBALL (1965)
-YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967)
-DR. NO (1962)
Yet another fantastic Moore outing, which is definitely one of my favorites. It's great all around, minus the soundtrack being a little ill-fitting and porn-sounding at times. Great theme song, great cast (especially our first look at Jaws), with some beautiful locales and a wonderful Bondian finale. The death of Stromberg also might be one of my favorite in the series, with how brutal and blunt it is. Overall, this is one wonderful addition to the series!
EDIT: Swapped the positions of OHMSS and TB.
2015 Bondathon Ranking:
1.) DN
2.) LALD
3.) FRWL
4.) TSWLM
5.) OHMSS
6.) TB
7.) GF
8.) DAF
9.) YOLT
10.) TMWTGG
Along with that beautiful looking base jump, of sorts. Very impressive and well executed.
Moonraker
Thankfully, this is the last Moore outing that I really don't care for. There's a lot of fun to be had here, but sadly, most of it falls flat for me. There's not much in this to really excite or interest me, and it spends most of the running time boiling down to a very cheesy, dull (yet scientifically accurate ;) ) finale. Jaws is one of my favorite henchmen in the series, so it's nice seeing him - albeit with an awkward, out-of-the-blue love interest. I wish I had more positive things to say, but as I stated, it all falls flat and is mostly dull to me. Thankfully, TMWTGG was just slightly better this time around, knocking it out of a last-ranked position now that I've sat through MR once again.
2015 Bondathon Ranking:
1.) DN
2.) LALD
3.) FRWL
4.) TSWLM
5.) OHMSS
6.) TB
7.) GF
8.) DAF
9.) YOLT
10.) TMWTGG
11.) MR
Not just Connery's worst performance, but the worst Bond performance in all Bond films films.
Thanks for that retrospective, LALD is one of the few Bonds that no-one has a strong opinion on and its overall rank is spread quite evenly
Perfection. This one doesn't need to be watched in any certain mood, because I'm always up for it. I love everything about this movie, and nothing immediately comes to mind that is dislikable, even after just finishing it for the umpteenth time. Thought I'd take longer to knock DN off the #1 slot, but I always forget just how much I love this movie.
2015 Bondathon Ranking:
1.) FYEO
2.) DN
3.) LALD
4.) FRWL
5.) TSWLM
6.) OHMSS
7.) TB
8.) GF
9.) DAF
10.) YOLT
11.) TMWTGG
12.) MR
FYEO is also a top five Bond flick for me, too! Always great to see appreciation for Moore's finest outing.
:D
BUT, it doesn't kill the flow of the movie for me. There's too much there that impresses me for that disco beat to turn it into something negative. Much like that awkward porn music we get from the chase scene between Bond and Xenia in GE: as bad of an addition as that is by Serra, I still like his work and the film is perfection to me. Doesn't take away anything.
I love it.
It's funny you should write that. I was definitely a Bond fan as a child, my mother having introduced me to the films when I was very young. I continued to love Bond for several years, but when I was a teenager and very young adult, my fandom waned somewhat. 1999-2005 (post-TWINE, which I remember liking a fait bit in cinemas) was a period during which I just didn't really care for the series as much as before. Admission: I didn't even see DAD theatrically.
CR was what put me back on the Bond bandwagon and I haven't looked back since. In fact, it's become my favourite film franchise, period.
I love the LALD score too.
Moose's 2015 Bondathon Rankings:
Brief Prologue: My rankings are based purely on what I enjoy and what entertains me most. In HS and College, I focused on what I tried to defined as objectively good cinema as many of our generation does. As I continued to watch movies, I started to go against this mindset as the definition is constantly changing and I don't necessarily enjoy what the consensus to believe as good cinema. Thus, my rankings have changed drastically over recent years. I expect to get a lot of criticism over some of my rankings, but I welcome it as I would have criticized it myself just a few years ago.
Dr. No: The one that started it all. What I enjoy most about DN is the simplicity and basics of this film. I always love when Bond is being sneaky and stealthy. When he takes a piece of hair and puts it over the closet doors, or staking out at Miss Taro's apartment playing cards while waiting for Dent. These elements really put you in the picture and make you feel part of the spying going on.
The plot moves along briskly and never drags at any one point for me. The introductions of Leiter, Quarrel, Pussfeller and the rest are all beautifully done, capturing Jamaica's exotic side. Love the Jump Up club with the music, I find myself watching the extras/locals dancing and finding something new each time.
Dr. No as a villain is solid, but his lack of screentime and quick death prevents me from putting him as an elite villain. No denying the dinner scene was great stuff to chew on and Wiseman does a wonderful job.
This is the coolest Connery's Bond will be. Maibaum's script along with Young's style that influenced Connery's portrayal made him a certified badass all throughout the film.
Ken Adam displays his brilliance on a limited budget. With more resources for more elaborate design, his future sets will surpass what is shown here. This takes nothing away from the work here though which is highlighted by Dr. No's lair.
Honey Rider has some obviously iconic moments but I find her a middle of the pack Bond girl.
The action scenes leave much to be desired. Some of this comes from the limited budget, but FRWL and GF will ramp up the action significantly with only a year or two elapsed from this film. One of the biggest points of bother for me is when Bond is leaving the airport it looks like he is being followed for real and not using rear screen projection. Later during the car chase they use rear screen. Couldn't they have shot this scene without the rear screen? I like the bit where Sean is shaking the steering wheel back and forth.
DN was at one point in my Top 5. I believe as I move through my Bondathon that this will be dropping a few spots but nevertheless, this is still a very solid Bond entry in my eyes.
Moose's 2015 Bond Rankings
1.) Dr. No
Yet another classic Moore outing for me. It's engaging, it's intense, and it's riddled with lots of great scenes, stunts, and we're given a lot of villains and henchmen for Bond to dispose of. I still think the whole 'circus rescue' after the actual circus finale is a little forced and doesn't make sense in the scope of things, but the horse chase and plane battle makes up for it. In fact, I think the whole circus rescue, especially with Bond trying to convince everyone of the Bond, is the most intense moment in all of the Bond films. I know what happens, but it still gets me worried every time I see it. Wonderful movie!
2015 Bondathon Ranking:
1.) FYEO
2.) DN
3.) LALD
4.) FRWL
5.) TSWLM
6.) OP
7.) OHMSS
8.) TB
9.) GF
10.) DAF
11.) YOLT
12.) TMWTGG
13.) MR
I know - it's awesome! I'm starting closer to the Spectre premiere, probably sometime next month.
I'll have a new averages compilation when spectre comes out. I've found that there are slight differences between the fan sites (eg lots of 1st place for ltk @ CBn post 2012) and the films can be split into about four tier levels.
I'd be interested to see @Creasy47's final list since it hasn't been posted in the rankings thread before
Someone pointed out that Moneypenny asks for a diamond in a ring, one movie after Tracy is murdered. There is zero reference to the previous movie apart from a tenuous PTS. Continuity has never been a strong point of the series. This has the worst special effects too, moreso than the rear projection of TB, parasail of DAD and freefall of QoS.
Having said that, it's a hoot to watch.
1. OHMSS
2. FRWL
3. DN
4. DAF (may move to 3rd)
5. GF
6. YOLT
7. TB
Moore at his best. The production team at their best. Bond at its best.
Marvellous. An absolute pleasure to watch. No pretences- this film to me is Bond and I have no shame in saying it, despite the rather OTT nature of the film. If I might say so, it's even "underrated" amongst the Bond fandom. For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy, and even Live and Let Die, are Moore flicks that seem to be placed higher on many Bond fan's ranking than TSWLM, which I find surprising in the latter's case and Octopussy's (although I love all three).
Although I don't care for some scenes in Cairo (I.e. the fight with Sandor), once it gets to Sardinia, it's full steam ahead. My favourite Bond film car chase also ensues here, thrilling as it always is. The PTS is my favourite of the series. The Liparus interior is my favourite Ken Adams set. The action, the score (criminally underrated- Hamlisch does a great job as a one time composer), Jaws, the locations- all magnificent. Stromberg is a satisfying villain, not one of the best, but satisfying. The weak link, however, is Bach as Agent XXX. She maintains the same monotonous tone throughout the film, and her lines fall flat a lot of the times. Quite a dull performance, actually. It particularly stuck out with this viewing, whereas I usually remain indifferent.
Of course, TSWLM's plot is very similar to YOLT, but there's no doubt about it- it's executed much better in TSWLM.
Everybody working on this film put absolutely everything they had into- from Maurice Binder to Ken Adams, from the stunt coordinators to the chap who is left wide eyed by the sight of Triple X in the shower (seriously, that look of his when he just closing the door is absolutely hilarious), this film remains as impressive today as it was to the audiences back in 1977.
Will it knock OHMSS from its reign as my top Bond film as it has ever since I first watched it?
Mayday's Bondathon Summer 2015: The run-up to SPECTRE
-ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1969)
-THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)
-FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)
-GOLDFINGER (1964)
-LIVE AND LET DIE (1973)
-DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971)
-THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (1974)
-THUNDERBALL (1965)
-YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967)
-DR. NO (1962)
Not quite- OHMSS is pretty much perfect to me, whereas there are some scenes in TSWLM that niggle me- but still, an impressive showing for TSWLM.
I've always enjoyed this and never understood the hate. I don't find Roger to look as old in this as I always thought he did, but the obvious usage of stunt doubles in some questionable scenes does take me out of the experience. Stacey Sutton is probably my least favorite Bond girl in the series, and her overacting really does ruin a good bit of scenes, as well. The soundtrack is great, the finale is intense, Tibbett is a fun ally, Christopher Walken plays a great psycho in this, and I'll admit it, I love May Day in this, from her intensity and overall scary physique to her switching sides and saving the day. Overall, a good entry!
2015 Bondathon Ranking:
1.) FYEO
2.) DN
3.) LALD
4.) FRWL
5.) TSWLM
6.) OP
7.) OHMSS
8.) TB
9.) AVTAK
10.) GF
11.) DAF
12.) YOLT
13.) TMWTGG
14.) MR