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@bondjames I see Campbell is over 70 now so it's extremely unlikely to see him again but yes bring him in at all costs! He's the reason GE is still in my top 6...he brings the best out of all the cast, which keeps GE afloat for me.
It's the attention to detail I love about CR, reminds me of the DN/FRWL days. In this day and age we don't need to see him powdering the suitcase and do everything that DN did to capture the essence of Bond, but CR showed us enough of his mannerisms in amongst the busy pacing. I hear there was a deleted/unfilmed scene where he uses his watch as a knuckleduster which was in the books. So even though they shook the formula up, I still get a Bond vibe.
I notice we share 7 of our top 10.
Yes, I totally agree. CR is impressive because it is a definite Bond film (more so than many others) without nearly any of the tropes. There is certainly an attention to detail with respect to the 'character'. Those small things, like smashing the Range Rover & throwing the keys away, the smirk after the bomber blows himself up, driving the Aston around the block just so he could feel how it drives before attending to Solange.....all great stuff.
I also noticed in this Bondathon, as you note, Campbell really knows how to get the best out of his actors. Craig is on a whole other level in CR compared to QoS and SF imho. In the latter films he has his moments, but he is unquestionably the total package in CR - total Bond. I think Brosnan was also best in GE (even though he was nervous in parts). In both GE & CR the supporting cast is near perfect. Campbell and Young are Bond gods as far as I'm concerned.
My GF review is just above your latest review and a while ago I would have agreed that GF is overrated.
Now strangely enough I enjoyed it immensely and every scene is iconic, actually this was the only movie in my current Bondathon where I couldn't press the pause button once even if I desperately had to take a leak by the end of the movie :)) where's an empty beer bottle when you need one :)) (nah...I'm too well mannered to do that...)
@BondJasonBond006, I know I'm in a minority when it comes to GF, and I'm not happy about that (I almost feel like I'm missing something that everyone else sees). I have watched it twice this year and both times I've felt the same way (a bit bored). I definitely agree....every scene is iconic and nearly all of them have been copied since in the succeeding films. I'll give it another go after SP comes out and see if I can turn my view around.
Dr No
Goldfinger
On her majesty's secret service
The spy who loved me
Licence to kill
Goldeneye
Casino Royale
Die Another Day( 40th anniversary film)
Skyfall(50th anniversary film)
Actually my next Bondathon its the box set i think Eon should make to get new people into the Bond franchise
First it has the best film or most important film of each actor: Sean Connery-Dr No, George Lazenby On her Majesty's secret service, Roger Moore- The Spy Who Loved me, Timothy Dalton- Licence to Kill, Pierce Brosnan- Goldeneye and Daniel Craig Casino Royale.
Then we get the extra essentials
Goldfinger- The film which changed everything in this franchise, adding it the Bond girls with exotic names like Pusy Galore, introduced us to the classic Bond Car ( The Aston Martin DB-5 ) and basically its the film which marked the difference between Ian Fleming's James Bond to EON's James Bond.
Last but not least the two anniversary flims Die Another day celebrating 40 years of the franchise and Skyfall celebrating 50 years.
Moore gives a really good Bond performance, including memorable moments like the scene at Tracy's grave, rejecting Bibi, and the car kick scene. Bibi herself was one of the film's biggest weaknesses - incredibly annoying and serving no good purpose. Luckily Melina Havelock is a very good Bond girl, especially with the revenge motive to give her character some depth. Kristatos was an average Bond villain; nothing really special, but far from bad. Columbo was a great supporting character! I really wish he had gotten more screen time.
People seem to be pretty divided on the film's PTS, which is one of my personal favorites in the series. Admittedly it's silly at times (yes the delicatessen line I know, I know), but I always find myself enjoying it a lot. Opening at Tracy's grave was a fantastic idea, and it's great to finally see Blofeld meet his overdue end. The film's soundtrack is pretty weak unfortunately, but I really like the title song by Sheena Easton. The big thing about the movie that works for me is the more serious, down to earth tone following Moonraker. It was really refreshing to see Moore get a simple, more classic-feeling Bond film after a string of over-the-top, sillier titles.
Although the silliness isn't entirely eliminated (ex: the parrot), it's a lot lesser and doesn't do as much to bring down the film's quality like many others in the Moore era. It feels a lot closer to the original '60s run, so I liked that a lot. Though it's fallen a couple places since my last ranking, I still really like For Your Eyes Only, and to me it's undeniably one of the stronger Moore films.
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. Thunderball
6. From Russia with Love
7. For Your Eyes Only
8. Live and Let Die
9. You Only Live Twice
10. The Man with the Golden Gun
11. Diamonds Are Forever
12. Moonraker
Part 1 of 5
Connery/Lazenby era
Dr No
This one was not as great as I remember it being but it was still a fun movie. I think I just had to be in the mood for this particular one. It's one of the more slower Bond outings and the action wasn't as thrilling as other outings but the locations and the characters are great. DN also has one of my favorite lines of the franchise, "That's a Smith&Wesson and you've had your six."
From Russia With Love
My favorite Connery outting as Bond and it has one of the most attractive Bond girls in the franchise. I love just about everything about this film. This is one of the few Bond films that I get really invested in all of our characters. The only thing I think I would change is, put the boat chase before they get on the train. That way the film can wrap up much faster after Red Grants death.
Am I the only one who thinks Grant looks quite a bit like Daniel Craig?
Goldfinger
My second favorite Connery film as Bond. While not perfect it was the film that got me into Bond as a teenager. Every time I watch this film it makes me think, "This is the epitome of what Bond is." Everything from the looks, style, gadgets, and that beautiful car. There will probably never be another Bond film quite like this one.
Thunderball
I really don't have much to say about this one. I've never really been into Thunderball as so many fans have been. It's not terrible but not great either. The locations are beautiful and the underwater shots are well done, even if the fight goes on a bit too long at the end.
You Only Live Twice
I always loved this outing but this past time I didn't enjoy it quite as much. I don't think that had anything to do with the movie itself, but rather me ready to move onto Moore's Bond. The music and girls are the best parts of this movie. I'll have to this this one another chance when I'm not doing a Bondathon.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
I always really liked this Bond film but this time I wasn't able to enjoy it as much. I think watching them in order has taken its toll because I found myself missing Connery and really hating Lazenby in the role, even though I never really enjoyed him anyway. I really think Bonds relationship with Tracy would've been more powerful and emotional had we seen Connery still as Bond. We would've went through all these movies with Connery and finally saw him in love, only to have it taken away. Still though, I like the story, with or without Connery. It by far had the worst Bloefeld.
Diamonds are Forever
It was refreshing to me to have Connery back for this one. I've never been a big fan of DAF but this time around I found myself really enjoying it, so much so that I think I'm going to have to move it up in my rankings.
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Thunderball
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Dr. No
Diamonds Are Forever
Dalton's first outing, this was the first James Bond movie I saw at the cinema; a treat for my 14th birthday. Watched it last night as the latest Bond movie watched in the run up to Spectre. I have to admit, back when I watched it in the cinema, I thought this was brilliant and, over time, getting older, I don't feel it has the same impact as it did then. I think it's a decent first for TD but, on watching it last night, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
I've said before that, prior to providing a ranking in the "Bond Movie Ranking (Simple List..........) thread that I will watch all the movies first, including Spectre I think as well. After that, my next Bondathon will be done in the order that I have them in my ranking and see if anything changes. My ranking will be done on the basis of how much I enjoyed each movie during the Bondathon I'm on with now.
You are a man of good taste.
Go for it. Watch whatever Bond film you see mentioned on this board. They all get a mention close to every day.
I think I will do this! More and more I think about it the more I get excited for it. I like the idea of watching a Dalton then a Connery and then Craig. The mixup is nice.
Dr. No
This is my first time watching these movies on blu-ray since I got them and the quality is amazing! Dr. No looked very beautiful and the images were so clear and crisp. I watched the restoration video that was on this disc and it's amazing the things they can do to restore these films. Anyways, I think I liked Dr. No better this time around that the first time. I thought then it was kinda boring, but this time I was entertained. I still think Dr. No and the whole nuclear plant to stop missiles is kinda silly and over the top. Also for some reason I always chuckle when Dr. No spells out SPECTRE - it just seems like a mouthful. I wish the fighting and action sequences were a bit better, maybe because I'm so used to watching modern action films. B
From Russia With Love
Probably my favorite Connery film, I like because it's more down to Earth, simple gadgets, great villain, good allies, and espionage. I always laugh at the scene where at MI6 there are listening to Bond interview Tatiana about the lektor, and the look on Moneypenny's face when she's like "do you love me James" and all that stuff is really funny. We also out glimpse of No 1 and his cat and I thought he sounded like Sean Connery when he was talking about the fighting fish. A
Thunderball
I didn't like this movie much the first time and I kinda feel the same this time around. Actually during this viewing I realized that I really didn't like the pacing of the film and that scenes didn't flow well from one to another. I also noticed the dubbing was awful in certain scenes and is something that became obvious to me for most of the film. I liked Largo and Fiona. I did like that whole scene at SPECTRE headquarters and this time the No. 1 didn't sound like Connery. Connery was fine, but I thought it was weird that his performance/appearance reminded of me of the one in Never Say Never Again even though this movie came out before that. C
Next, You Only Live Twice....
Roger Moore is pretty good as Bond here, even though he's obviously getting old for the part. Octopussy is a decent Bond girl, but I didn't like Magda at all. Kamal Khan was actually a good, campy Bond villain, and Gobinda was a memorable henchman. On the other hand, I never much cared for General Orlov. I thought Vijay was a really good sidekick character, and Q had a particularly good turn in the film. As for M, Robert Brown is my least favorite actor to play the role, and I miss Bernard Lee a lot already.
The PTS is pretty entertaining, although very silly. The soundtrack was fine, just not one of Barry's more memorable Bond scores. I do enjoy All Time High as the main song. The big issue I have with the film is just how silly it gets; for me, the Tarzan yell is just as bad if not worse than the slide whistle in The Man with the Golden Gun. There's also several other moments like the clown suit and the "sit" line, and all of them just make me groan. Other than that, the only real problem with the film for me is simply not being as enjoyable as most of the others. I don't hate the film at all; I just happen to prefer most of the series' other entries. There are plenty of things I still liked in the film.
Octopussy was never one of my favorite Bond films, and not much really changed in this marathon watch. I simply prefer my Bond to be more serious, so it's natural that this isn't my cup of tea. Still, I admit I'm entertained through most of it, so I can't judge it too harshly!
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. Thunderball
6. From Russia with Love
7. For Your Eyes Only
8. Live and Let Die
9. You Only Live Twice
10. The Man with the Golden Gun
11. Octopussy
12. Diamonds Are Forever
13. Moonraker
Moore is too old for the part, and his performance here isn't one of his most remarkable. Stacey Sutton is probably the worst Bond girl in the series for me, and I'm no fan of May Day either. On the bright side, Christopher Walken gives us a great Bond villain in Max Zorin, who could be a Top 10 Bond villain for me upon this rewatch. I also liked Chuck Lee - a semi-underrated sidekick in the franchise if you ask me. Tibbett was also a decent side character.
The PTS unfortunately is probably my least favorite in the series; it came off as a watered-down version of The Spy Who Loved Me's PTS. Barry's score is pretty good, and the title song by Duran Duran I like a lot. There's just several factors of the movie that I don't like, including Moore's age, the main Bond girl, and the general story. The film just doesn't grab me like most other Bond films do, and the things I do particularly like about it are limited. It's not a film I rewatch outside of marathons.
In the end, this has always been one of my least favorite Bond films. And it probably always will be. BUT Christopher Walken and Duran Duran's title song save it from being in last place on my list!
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. Thunderball
6. From Russia with Love
7. For Your Eyes Only
8. Live and Let Die
9. You Only Live Twice
10. The Man with the Golden Gun
11. Octopussy
12. Diamonds Are Forever
13. A View to a Kill
14. Moonraker
The dreaded AVTAK is next in my Bondathon (finished TMWTGG last night).
Then TB and OP and my Connery/Moore Bondathon is complete.
FYEO and LALD where the biggest surprises for me and I definitely treated them unfairly in my rankings so far.
Viewing the movies not chronologically has quite an effect on how I perceive the movies. Never thought it would make such a difference.
FYEO and LALD are Moores best films and his best performances. He's more Bond and less Roger in them.
Yes, and in fact both may end up being my two favourites of Moore at the end of my Bondathon.
I tried, I really tried. After LALD surprising me that much and lifting the fog of prejudice against it from my eyes I though the same may happen with TMWTGG.
But it hasn't. TMWTGG seems to be a lot like LALD just less good.
What strikes me the most is that TMWTGG strangely feels like an episode of The Avengers in places. The whole setup with the maze is soooo Peel and Steed and you almost expect them to pop up suddenly.
And quite frankly it would help the movie.
Christopher Lee is iconic in his role and only because of him that movie is not a complete disaster. Of course Roger Moore is great as usual but that's just not enough.
Maybe Fantasy Island did hurt that movie in retrospect. But I can't help but feel that Nick Nack is strangely misplaced from Fantasy Island to Scaramanga's Island.
The boat chase scene (again with Sheriff Pepper) is a mere shadow of the greatest chase scene ever in the franchise happening in LALD!
Even Pepper whom I love dearly seems to be redundant in that movie.
To make matters worse Goodnight is probably the worst MI6 employee ever at least up to imbecile Q in SF.
She might look the part but she's just annoying from start to finish.
Maud Adams on the other hand is one of the good things in this movie! And thank God they made her Octopussy later on.
Pluses: Christopher Lee, some of Moore's best moments and Maud Adams.
Negatives: pretty much anything else, made for TV feel.
I'm afraid I have to place this near the bottom.
1. FRWL (the epitome of a Bond movie)
2. GF (iconic from start to finish)
3. FYEO (down to earth not too silly action suits Moore the best)
4. LALD (the second two thirds of that movie are just perfect, the first third almost)
5. MR (somehow too silly, if highly entertaining)
6. TSWLM (horrible score, I never liked that underwater station, just looks fake, otherwise ok, great iconic scenery in Egypt)
7. DN (Connery sexy as hell, Syliva and Honey Rider just make this movie highly re-watchable, but in the end something's missing)
8. YOLT (perfect endgame sequence but the rest is somehow a bit dull)
9. TMWTGG (disappointing follow up to LALD and without Lee it would be at the bottom)
10. DAF (too silly, too cheap looking, only the lift fight saves this from being a total disaster)
Timothy Dalton is still my least favorite Bond, but that sounds so much worse than it is. I really think every Bond actor did a good job, and Dalton is plenty serviceable in the movie. Kara Milovy is a good Bond girl. On the other hand, I wasn't a fan of any of the villains this time around; Koskov, Whitaker, and Necros all felt average at best for me. The film also has my least favorite Felix in the series. However, I thought Saunders and Pushkin were great side characters.
The PTS is one of my favorite parts; I find myself very entertained every time during that sequence. I'm neutral on the title song by A-Ha, but I really liked the score by Barry; though I wish he had done more, this was a good one to go out on. One of the film's big issues for me is that most of the scenes in Afghanistan dragged, until the finale in the plane anyway. It doesn't ruin the movie, but it does take a toll on the overall pace. Two standout scenes in my eyes (other than the PTS) are the car chase and the amusement park sequence; the part with Saunders going down is a great bit of acting from Dalton.
I see The Living Daylights as a very solid Bond movie. I'm not ready to rank it above older favorites just yet, but it seems like every time I watch it the more I like it. It's not a personal favorite, but it's still one I enjoy watching now and then.
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. The Spy Who Loved Me
5. Thunderball
6. From Russia with Love
7. For Your Eyes Only
8. Live and Let Die
9. The Living Daylights
10. You Only Live Twice
11. The Man with the Golden Gun
12. Octopussy
13. Diamonds Are Forever
14. A View to a Kill
15. Moonraker
Time is ripe for a Bondathon! In preparation for the release of SP I will be watching all 23 official released in chronological order, starting today.
Well, let's wait for my review of TLD, it's currently my No 2 movie.
TLD is great, one of my personal favourites, it's one of those I'm most looking forward to revisit.
I guess you mean the German version of the James Bond Collection with the Bonus Blu-ray disc in it and the book with the poster arts?
The packaging is indeed a disappointment compared to the Bond 50 box but I think we (people in the German-language region) should be thankful for that Bonus Disc because we are the only ones in the world that got the Everything Or Nothing Documentary and the two new features on the Disc. :D
Looking forward to thoughts on TLD. Still #1 for me after this marathon but OP is very close. I think it's the serious parts of TLD (Koskov "defecting" at the beginning, milk bottle scene, Bond&Pushkin) that keep it above OP...for now.