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
Craig continues to cement himself as the most cold-blooded and serious Bond, offering next to no quips and showing no mercy in this outing. Though I think he was even better in his Bond debut, I still think he gives a good performance here. Camille is a very original Bond girl in the sense that she's not much of a romantic interest, and rather just a partner to Bond through most of it. It's also nice she has her own story with the Medrano sub-plot. Dominic Greene isn't one of the better villains in the series, but I do think he's a little underrated, considering he's very easy to imagine as a real person. The supporting cast is mostly solid too, especially Mathis and Felix again.
I really like the film's PTS; it's a classic, fast-paced car chase sequence. Though I think "Another Way to Die" is a mediocre Bond song, David Arnold again does a very good job with the soundtrack. I particularly like the Opera House scene, and I know many others do. As I mentioned before, the film has a very dark and depressing tone - the most of any Bond film. Casino Royale could get pretty dark at times, but this film is more consistently glum. Personally I enjoy this, because it sets itself apart from the other films and provides a new experience. The movie is not devoid of problems, however. I know it's been said over and over, but some of the camera work is pretty dodgy; this especially stood out in the chase scene with Mitchell. The story could be a little shaky at times as well. I also wish Mr. White had more time in the movie; it's obvious he's a major player in his organization, so I feel like we deserved a couple more scenes with him involved. I should finally mention though that I really like the final part in Russia, which delivers a really good ending.
Quantum of Solace is a very different Bond film - one that many took a while to warm up to, and many others still don't like it. I don't consider it a favorite, but I do enjoy it, and appreciate many of the new things it tried out. It's far from perfect, but this Bond film is also far from a dud for me.
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. Casino Royale
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. Goldfinger
4. GoldenEye
5. Dr. No
6. The Spy Who Loved Me
7. Licence to Kill
8. Thunderball
9. From Russia with Love
10. For Your Eyes Only
11. Live and Let Die
12. Quantum of Solace
13. The Living Daylights
14. The World Is Not Enough
15. You Only Live Twice
16. Tomorrow Never Dies
17. The Man with the Golden Gun
18. Octopussy
19. Diamonds Are Forever
20. Die Another Day
21. A View to a Kill
22. Moonraker
Moonraker
This is one of the strangest entries in the series. It is actually quite decent until the moment Dolly shows up. Even then, if we take out Dolly from the equation, it is still a good entry until the moment they go to space. At that point there is no saving grace, it's pure cinematic manure 3:-O
For Your Eyes Only
I needed to clean the palate and this was the very best way to do it. I love, love, love this film :x . Yes, I know there are silly bits, but I still love it. I even like the soundtrack!
A lot has been said about this movie, so I'll say only this.
OHMSS is as perfect as can be. It starts as a true romantic movie, turns into an adventure and ends with action galore.
Lazenby's and Diana Rigg's chemistry is just fantastic.
The score, the Swiss Alps, Piz Gloria, the skiing scenes, the cast. Bloody brilliant.
Enough said.
The perfect ones
1. OHMSS
2. OP
3. FRWL
4. GF
The very good ones
5. FYEO
6. LALD
7. MR
8. TSWLM
9. DN
10. THUNDERBALL
11. YOLT
The good ones
12. AVTAK
13. TMWTGG
D grade
14. DAF
OHMSS was the entr'acte in my Bondathon. Having finished the Connery/Moore films, it's now on to the other 9 movies (Dalton, Brosnan, Craig) in random order as well.
QOS will make the start.
Daniel Craig is fully comfortable as Bond at this point, hammering out his third performance with ease. Though I still think he was at his best in Casino Royale, he's really good in this film, giving a little more humor (albeit dry) than before. Raoul Silva is one of the best villains of the series; he really brought a lot of life to the movie. Judi Dench also gets her best turn ever as M, as we get to see her character fully fleshed out for the first time. I liked Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, while I'm still pretty neutral on Ben Whishaw's Q. I enjoyed the rest of the supporting cast, especially Mallory and Kincade.
The PTS of the movie is pretty solid, although I don't think it's among the series' best. Adele's title song is one of my favorite Bond songs in the franchise, and I think Thomas Newman's score is a bit underrated. My main issue of the film is one thing - the sequence in London after Silva is captured really drags for me. For some reason it's not as exciting until Silva bursts into the courtroom. On the other hand, I know many people aren't crazy about the film's finale, which is my favorite part; the action is pretty intense, and I loved the isolation factor of the scenes in Scotland. I really enjoyed the locations they used, especially Scotland and Shanghai. I know many people feel let down that Craig might not have a typical, stand-alone Bond film, but to me this comes close enough. Granted there is some more emotional depth than usual, but it still doesn't connect with the previous Craig films other than Bond's relationship with M. It may not be as straightforward as something like Goldfinger, but I still think it's close enough. I liked the emotional aspects of it anyway.
When it first came out, Skyfall ranked as high as #2 in my list. I have to admit with all the hype having died out, it's not as high as before, but it's still one of my favorites. This is a Bond film I'll watch and enjoy plenty more times to come.
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. Casino Royale
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. Goldfinger
4. GoldenEye
5. Skyfall
6. Dr. No
7. The Spy Who Loved Me
8. Licence to Kill
9. Thunderball
10. From Russia with Love
11. For Your Eyes Only
12. Live and Let Die
13. Quantum of Solace
14. The Living Daylights
15. The World Is Not Enough
16. You Only Live Twice
17. Tomorrow Never Dies
18. The Man with the Golden Gun
19. Octopussy
20. Diamonds Are Forever
21. Die Another Day
22. A View to a Kill
23. Moonraker
What a great Ranking List! And nice reviews too. =D>
- Thunderball
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Diamonds Are Forever
- The Man with the Golden Gun
- For Your Eyes Only
- The Living Daylights
- GoldenEye
- The World Is Not Enough
- Casino Royale
- Spectre
This way I've got an epic Connery film, a more light-hearted Connery film, a light-hearted Moore film, a more serious Moore film, both Lazenby and Dalton, I'll get the first modern Bond (GE), my first Bond ever (TWINE), the Craig reboot and finally the newest entry, being Spectre.
Conveniently I 'll cover every decennium of the classic era twice.
-Dr. No: Kept the same ranking, opinions on it are generally the same as before; great first Bond film, still one of the best.
-From Russia with Love: Also kept the same ranking, but I liked it more than before. Would have been #9 if not for a big surge by TB.
-Goldfinger: Rose to #3 due to SF dropping a couple places. I still view it as the quintessential Bond film that showcases all that the series is about.
-Thunderball: I think it was #12 last time, now at #9. Obviously the film has gone up in my opinion, but it's pretty much interchangeable with FRWL.
-You Only Live Twice: Used to be in my Top 10 at one point I believe, but it has slipped all the way to #16. No doubt this is the golden age's weakest feature, IMO. I don't dislike it, it's just not as good as I remember it.
-On Her Majesty's Secret Service: I can't remember if I posted it in the rankings thread, but this has been above SF for a while now in my ranking (#2). Superb Bond film that has only grown better and better with time.
-Diamonds Are Forever: Might be even lower than the last ranking, but the feelings are the same. Disappointing return for Connery; first Bond film I would consider to be on the weaker side.
-Live and Let Die: I like it as much as before, even though it dropped to #12. It's because of TB. Still has a chance of getting higher again in a future marathon.
-The Man with the Golden Gun: Dropped a place I believe. Definitely one of the weaker Bond films, but Christopher Lee saves it from being among the absolute worst.
-The Spy Who Loved Me: Longtime favorite, staying at #7. I think it used to be #5 at one point, but Dr. No and I think GoldenEye were the ones to pass it.
-Moonraker: Slipped from #22 to #23, overtaking AVTAK as my official least favorite Bond film. I feel pretty confident about this one staying in last for a long time.
-For Your Eyes Only: Used to be VERY low on my list. From my last ranking though, it was #9, and now fell a couple spots. FRWL and TB managed to surpass it.
-Octopussy: I think this one stayed the same. Opinions are all the same here - always has been in the bottom portion of my ranking. It has some bright spots, but it's just not my cup of tea overall.
-A View to a Kill: Escaped last place, thanks to Christopher Walken and the title song. Still one of the worst IMO.
-The Living Daylights: Jumped up a place in front of TWINE. I seem to like it more with every watch, but the final parts in Afghanistan hold it back from being any higher.
-Licence to Kill: Most unchanged, in ranking (still #8) and feeling. I love how unique and edgy this movie is.
-GoldenEye: Improved from #5 to #4. For me, this is just a highly rewatchable Bond flick with lots of fun; high point of Brosnan's career.
-Tomorrow Never Dies: I think it improved a couple spots. I had a good time watching it last time, even though it's still not a favorite. It's entertaining, but it has plenty of issues too.
-The World Is Not Enough: Maybe the most average Bond film in the series for me. Fell behind TLD, but I feel about the same about it; has its moments, but has its problems too.
-Die Another Day: Remained #21. It's one of the series' weakest titles for obvious reasons.
-Casino Royale: Kept it's #1 ranking as my favorite Bond film. Never gets old, love it the same every time I watch it.
-Quantum of Solace: I think it was also #13 the last time I ranked it. I enjoy it sufficiently, even though it's far from perfect. This one's interchangeable with TLD.
-Skyfall: Has fallen from #2/3 to #5. I love it nearly as much as before, like I said the segment in London before Scotland dragged for me. But the film is still one of my favorites.
1. OHMSS
2. OP
3. FRWL
4. GF
5. FYEO
6. MR
7. TSWLM
8. LALD
9. DN
10. THUNDERBALL
11. YOLT
12. AVTAK
13. TMWTGG
14. DAF
I have started the Dalton/Brosnan/Craig Bondathon and I've watched so far:
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS - QUANTUM OF SOLACE - THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
TLD
Has always been one of my favourites and it was the Bond movie that made me a Bond fan! So even if I try to rank this objectively it will always not be entirely possible for me as there are too many glorified romantic memories connected with it.
Nonetheless if I look at it as objectively as I can I believe this is a Top 10 Bond movie and certainly the best one of the 1980's.
Dalton is bloody perfect in every way. The story is believable and gripping, Maryam d'Abo has great chemistry with Dalton. Krabbé is a treat to watch, ruthless but hilarious at the same time, great acting.
The movie delivers everywhere, the score may just be the best of the whole series, the locations are great, the humour is right and perfectly balanced to the more serious scenes. The end-game in the air freighter is spectacular and never over-the-top.
QOS
The movie itself is a great, fast-paced action spectacle. The main problem is it doesn't feel like a Bond movie and while it does look beautiful the direction and editing must be the worst in the series. Overall the Bond-less feel is unforgivable and prevents QOS from being in the upper half of the ranking. Re-watchability 100% though.
TWINE
One of the great advantages of watching the Bond movies in random order is to get a sometimes totally different view on a movie. Seeing my least favourite Brosnan movie as the first one it this Bondathon made me realise that TWINE isn't that bad after all. Sure, the direction is the worst besides QOS but Brosnan shines here and has many great moments. The movie is very enjoyable and even great sometimes up to the twist when Elektra shows here true face and kidnaps M.
Renard is dull and having him in an end-game isn't that exciting, just annoying. The sub sequence isn't very interesting somehow.
TWINE starts with one of the best PTSs ever, has a first great half and then becomes boring and annoying. P+W showed how bad they are at scripts here, and of course they had to recycle the worst part of it for Skyfall, go figure.
Ranking so far:
1. TLD (a no-brainer really)
2. TWINE (by a hair better than QOS, because at least it feels like a proper Bond movie and you can't argue with the PTS being one of the very best and a great first half of the movie).
3. QOS (damn, what a great movie, but as Bond it fails miserably which is unforgivable)
Ranking order so far:
Casino Royale
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Licence to Kill
For Your Eyes Only
Quantum of Solace
The Living Daylights
The World Is Not Enough
Diamonds Are Forever
Octopussy
This is probably my most watched Bond film. There are times in one's life when you need that film that will cheer you up, put you in a good mood, etc. For me OP is that film. It's not the best Bond film, it's not my favourite, it just holds a special place in my heart :) I'm well aware of the silly moments but deep down, hidden underneath Tarzan yells and orangutan suits there's a thriller for those who are willing to search for it. This should have been Moore's last outing, he would have gone out with a blast. I like to think that when Moore's Bond retired he went in search of Octopussy and they lived happily ever after :x
A View to a Kill
Oh dear, this is such an odd one! Moore was definitely too old by now and that face lift didn't help, at all... Funny enough it's not actually a bad film by itself! The story is interesting, there are some really fascinating characters (yes, I'm including May Day here), but the whole things falls a bit flat :( It doesn't help that Stacey is one of the most obnoxious Bond girls in the entire franchise.
The Living Daylights
One of my all time favourites :D Apart from the absolutely dated "friendly talibans" (someone should have told them just because they were fighting the Russians that didn't mean they were any good) it's a pretty amazing film! Amazing performances as well appart from two that really get in my nerves, Moneypenny and the "boat girl". But those are minor peeves, all in all this is a awesome! Plus, it has one of my favourite soundtracks in the franchise!
License to Kill
You know that person you know who, in theory, has every quality to be your best friend but for some reason there's no spark? LTK is my Bond-film equivalent. I mean, I love the story, I love the cast (apart from some very minor pet peeves 'cough' Moneypenny 'cough'), I love Dalton but I simply don't love the film! One thing I know, for me it's the cheapest-looking Bond film of all times. Dalton deserved better, much better.
Goldeneye
GE was my first Bond film in a theatre. I was 12 and already a (short) life-long Bond fan but that day sealed it. I even remember what I was wearing that day! But let's talk about the film, which is great. Natalia is one of my favourite Bond girls until this day (Natalia rocks \m/ ) and it has one of the best cast ensembles of the franchise. There are some really odd things that don't make sense but as I usually say, it's not a Bond film if it doesn't have a couple of plot holes. The soundtrack is a bit meh but it's still a solid entry.
Tomorrow Never Dies
Such an underrated entry! Really nice story, a couple of brilliant casting choices (Michelle Yeoh and Vincent Schiavelli). Unfortunately, bad acting started showing up as well, something that would plague the Brosnan era. And how is it possible that Brosnan managed to sound half-decent in Danish but couldn't managed a couple of German sentences without sounding like he was reading them for the first time! Major pet peeve, that and the slo-mo in the end.
The World is Not Enough
Aka the-film-that-had-the-potential-to-be-great-but-instead-is-a-soap-opera-episode. I loved this film when I first watched but that was it, I think this was the tipping point in Brosnan's tenure and it would only go down from here. The story is incredible, I love it, it's the execution that leaves something to be desired. As Brosnan became more and more confortable with the role something strange happened, he let himself go. I was by this point the biggest Brosnan fangirl that ever lived but even I could see it. It wasn't constant, thank goodness, but the ill omens were there: he was doing poses when shooting (I call it the Zoolander-effect), he was overacting his more dramatic lines, his accent finally took flight to some unknown geography. No, I shall not complain about the pain face, I have fond memories of that face! And what is it with Brosnan's Bond snogging dead women? Denise Richards made a "touching" homage to Stacey-the-geographer (EDIT: geologist) and share with her the title of most obnoxios Bond-girl ever. John Cleese, bless him, should never have come close to a Bond set! Only the magnificent Sophie Marceau and Robbie Coltrane save the boat. I must sound very critical, it's just that this had so much potential. In the end I wouldn't call it bad, just meh.
Die Another Day
Every few years I force myself to watch this. I think every Bond fan should embrace the franchise as a whole, good moments and bad ones. I still hate it, it makes me sick :-& What were they thinking? ~X( At the time it was released I had such a shock that I didn't watch any Bond films for about a year :( It's not all bad, of course, the soundtrack (expect title song) is pretty good, Frost is a decent Bond girl, I actually what like what Toby Stephens did with his not so great character. I can only imagine when the first cut of the film was show, what was the reaction? They must have known this was Bond-manure, right? I like to think so. But it was too late to go back... The best thing about DAD? It caused a revolution in the Bond franchise...
I'll be back tomorrow with the film that changed it al and renewed my faith in Bond, James Bond.
The fourth movie of my Dalton/Brosnan/Craig Bondathon (TLD-QOS-TWINE-SF).
After the 6th watch I can see past the plot holes, the stupid flashlight scene and Q.
Silva on the other hand still is like an Austin Powers character, "Mommy was very bad" and his behaviour against Craig tied to a chair are ridiculous and cringe-worthy. Also his glass-prison scene is just bad including CGI on his face.
The only time Bardem shines is in the church scene where his acting talent can be seen.
Skyfall's first 70 minutes are great, sometimes a bit more action couldn't have hurt, but overall almost perfect.
The island would have made the perfect villain's lair, but it is just wasted.
Moneypenny is great, Q is not.
The cinematography simply is the best in the series!
I think, with a better villain (like Alec Trevelyan for instance) Skyfall could have entered my Top 5 if additionally the end-game would have been Bond-esque which it sadly is not in SF.
Sometimes it doesn't take much to elevate a movie to greatness.
My ranking so far:
1. TLD
2. SF
3. TWINE
4. QOS
That as well /:)
I don't speak Danish, so I couldn't really evaluate that. Obviously Brosnan and languages don't get along too well. But I don't want to bash Brosnan, I love the guy, he was "my" Bond :)
You can have him.
Casino Royale
When Craig was cast I was very disappointed. I hadn't recovered my Bond mojo after the disaster that was DAD and Craig, whom I had never heard about, seemed like the last drop. I did not follow the production and I have no recollection of watching the trailers. Still, the day it was released there I was, as usual, with the family, waiting to watch the newest Bond film. How wrong I was! Within the first few minutes I was hooked and I knew Bond was back. I have said many times that CR is my least favourite Craig Bond and it remains this way. Don't get me wrong, it is still far better than anything in the Brosnan era and I, the inveterate Brosnan fan-girl had to admit that even if all was left of the Craig era was his first few minutes, he was still a better Bond than Brosnan ever was. I have my problems with the film and find a lot of scenes particularly cringe worthy (the dinner jacket and dinner jacket is one of my least favourite exchanges in the entire franchise). The end scene sealed it for me, I was converted to the church of Craig Bond! A specil note to the supporting cast (top notch) and to the soundtrack, in my opinion one of the very best in the series.
Quantum of Solace
I have a soft spot for this film. I think that even with its many problems and limitations it's nearly perfect! Craig is perfect, as usual, as is the supporting cast, Arnold's soundtrack is excellent, photography is outstanding, I just wish it was a bit longer and that some of the footage hadn't been left on the floor of the editing room.
Skyfall
I write this review as I watch the final moments of the film and what a film it is! Craig is, as usual, perfect and now stands slightly above Connery as my favourite Bond :) Supporting cast perfect? Check. Brilliant photography? Check. Great title song? Check. Is it the perfect Bond film? Far from it, but I don't think that is possible. Still, this film is amazing and one of my favourites.
Final thoughts: If I can say one thing is that whether more serious or move camp I LOVE Bond films with all my heart and enjoy the variety the franchise has to offer. I'm looking forward to SPECTRE with the same sense of antecipation I had back in 1995 and with the joy of seeing the series in such good shape :) See you soon, Mr Bond!
Sandy will return with SPECTRE.
For Your Eyes Only
Even though we get a "Blofeld" moment at the beginning of the film which I guess can be out of place in the Moore era, but yet I liked that continuity it brings to the series. I like the whole helicopter stunt, it was done well, but Blofeld being such a big antagonist to Bond, shouldn't have been disposed so easily. I guess with the rights issues, this is all they could do. Aside from that, this happens to be my favorite Moore Bond film. I like the characters, the mystery, the locations. Both Italy and Greece are wonderfully displayed here especially Greece which I have some fondness for even though I have never been there. I guess it's the culture or maybe because the Olympics originated here. Speaking of Olympics, I really enjoyed the winter Olympics and it's nice to see those being displayed here and in OHMSS. Both of those films took advantage of those settings and I like that winter action of FYEO is like an update version of the one in OHMSS. I like it a lot and there was less green screen on Moore here than there was for Lazenby which is a plus. The car chase at the beginning was great, the climbing stunts at the monastery was good as well. The Bond girls were good, I like Melina, Bibi was annoying but fine - I always laugh when Kristatos hits her near of the film. Despite most people not liking the Bill Conti soundtrack, I love it especially in the action scenes. It's just fun. Overall, I give this fim a B+.
Casino Royale
After seeing most of the Brosnan films in the theater, this was the first one that I did not. I had actually lost interested in Bond after the Brosnan era - I really liked PB and I enjoyed his movies - GoldenEye being my favorite. I don't remember if I was aware of Bond being recast, or that they got the rights to the novel. So it wasn't until Quantum of Solace was about to come out that I finally saw this film. Even then, I think I rented from Netflix, but it was sitting in my living room for like ever until I decided to watch it, and boy did I love this film. Watching it again last night, it still holds up for me. The action, the characters, DC, the locations - all of them were that classy Bond that I remember from watching the Connery films. Yeah, they had changed a few things - no Moneypenny or Q, not many gadgets, Bond is kinda rough on the edges, but it works for me. I think I remember this movie better than the other 2 DC films cause I had watched most of its scenes so many times. Definitely my favorite DC films so far, barring Spectre which I have yet to see, and Skyfall which I haven't seen since I saw it in theaters. We'll see if that changes after this weekend. A
1. SPECTRE
bloody good movie, Daniel Craig delivers his best.
2. Spectre
best PTS ever, best chase sequence ever (plane/cars), best explosion ever (villain's lair)
3. SPECTRE
awesome just awesome, best cast ever, Waltz is mesmerizing, Q is Desmondishly good
4. Spectre
Craig is so freaking cool that it's freezing. Monica Bellucci, hot damn, Monica Bellucci!
I admit it's hard to rank them but as it is a Bondathon I'll give it a try...
It's a tie between all four, I'm afraid.
One less member who ranks GE first. Thank you, Sam.
Worse than Connery's Japanese?
I wouldn t know. Don t speak much Japanese.
To be fair, it isn t the easiest language to master for an Irishman I guess.
They were two of a kind. I always imagined this as well. Great write up.
@Birdleson Thunderball.