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Nah...OP is much better.
I'll trust your totally non-biased opinion on that :-P
Hahaha my reputation precedes me,alas !!
You've no one to blame but yourself!!
Now it’s time to revisit all the Bond films in chronological order and watch them on blu-ray for the first time. Have been looking forward to this for quite a while. Hope I can end this journey with B25 in cinemas.
After every rewatch I’ll post my thoughts and rate the films for all those typical aspects that define James B.
As one does when watching Bond chronologically, one starts with Dr. No.
Always considered DN as a good Bond film and an essential first entry that paved the way for the rest of the franchise. Never realized it was this great however. Sean Connery is absolutely marvellous in his first outing: stylish, confident, eloquent and funny.
DN benefits greatly from its tight plot, vibrant colours, eye-popping sets, unforgettable characters, witty dialogue and exotic atmosphere.
My ratings for DN:
James Bond: 5
Sir Sean is so good here I wonder how this could possibly be bettered. What I also like are the smaller spy moments. His routine with the powder and that piece of hair or when he checks the bottle of vodka for poison.
Bond girls: 4
Villain: 5
Henchmen/women: 4
I’d say sexy Taro, crazy photographer lady, the three blind asssassins and sneaky Dent are massively underrated henchmen/women.
Allies: 4
Quarrel is such a nice fellow, one really sympathizes with him. Also, Jack Lord is the coolest Felix ever.
MI6: 4
Plot: 4
Gunbarrel & title sequence: 4
Sets & locations: 5
Awe-inspiring what Ken Adam could do with such a tight budget.
Cinematography: 5
Ted Moore’s excellent use of colour gives the film a marvellously exotic atmopshere. Wish I was there.
Pre-title sequence: /
Climax: 4
Vehicles & gadgets: 3
Action: 3
Dialogue & humour: 5
Music score: 3
Original songs: 3
Costumes & attire: 5
Fabulous Anthony Sinclair tailoring there, Sean.
Snobbery: 4
Ian Fleming: 5
Total: 83%
Current ranking:
1. Dr. No (1962)
Licence To Kill is one of those films I like - the action/stunts and villains are top notch but unfortunately it lacks the class and visuals to rise any higher. So it sits comfortably, and proudly in the lower middle.
08. For Your Eyes Only (+2)
09. Tomorrow Never Dies (+2)
10. Moonraker (+2)
11. Goldfinger (-2)
12. Live and Let Die (-4)
13. Diamonds are Forever (+1)
14. Licence to Kill (+1)
15. The Man with the Golden Gun (+2)
16. Thunderball (+6)
17. The Spy Who Loved Me (-4)
18. Die Another Day (+1)
19. A View To A Kill (-3)
20. You Only Live Twice (0)
21. Quantum of Solace (+2)
22. Skyfall (-4)
23. The World Is Not Enough (+1)
24. Spectre (-3)
The next 007 films are top tier. I would be very surprised if any of them aren't above FYEO.
DN FRWL OHMSS OP TLD GE CR
Seems like they only have OHMSS, DAF, OP, AVTAK, LTK, DAD and the Craig films. Really, really odd because when I borrowed DAD, the copy was taken from the 50th anniversary box set. Maybe a private donation from someone who didn t like those films? Or the rest of the films have vanished somehow.
Always been one of my favourites and it didn’t disappoint. I’d say, together with The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, it’s the ultimate Cold War thriller of the sixties. Almost on all levels the equal of its predecessor but for the very first time I think I prefer DN now. That’s by an extremely small margin mind you. But after these viewings I’d say I would prefer Honey over Tania and Dr. No over Klebb. No harm done, of course, this one is still a great outing.
FRWL’s ratings:
James Bond: 5
Bond girls: 3
Daniela gets the job done, but I used to be a bigger fan of hers.
Villain: 3
Klebb is admittedly a nasty piece of work and while I think she makes a good villain, I don’t think she would make my upper half.
Henchmen/women: 5
Grant, Kronsteen, Morzeny and Krilencu are all brilliant in their own right.
Allies: 4
”I have had a particularly fascinating life.” Great character.
MI6: 4
Plot: 4
Gunbarrel & title sequence: 4
Sets & locations: 5
Istanbul, Yugoslavia and Venice. Need I say more? Great set for the chess game too and I love that underground reservoir with the pillars.
Cinematography: 5
Pre-title sequence: 4
Climax: 3
The boat chase is ok, but it’s no masterpiece.
Vehicles & gadgets: 4
A little overlooked in this department. The Bentley, the Rolls, the Citröen and even a fine looking boat near the end.
Action: 4
Dialogue & humour: 5
Music score: 3
Original songs: 3
Costumes & attire: 5
Snobbery: 5
“Red wine with fish.”
Ian Fleming: 5
Total: 83%
Current ranking
1. Dr. No
2. From Russia with Love
A fine collection of films to look forward to :)
The only problem is ranking them!
If that’s your top 007, I’d say it’s a strong one :smile:
Meanwhile I’ve revisited Bond #3 Goldfinger. On many levels a highlight of the series with unforgettable characters and iconic scenes galore (pun slightly intended). It’s no secret I love golf and it’s great to have my favourite character in fiction sharing that passion.
GF excels throughout its first half and it has a great showdown at Fort Knox, but I strongly dislike the Kentucky ranch scenes. The mint julep conversation is excellent, the rest of it is a rather boring and lifeless affair in my mind. For the first time during this Bondathon I struggled to get through a certain part. The ‘turning’ of Pussy made me crinch too. Also, after Jamaica and the Balkans and with the Bahamas and Japan coming up, I find Kentucky a rather colourless place to be. A pity, because the rest of the film is excellent.
GF’s ratings
James Bond: 4
Sean Connery is pitch-perfect in DN and FRWL, in GF I’d say he’s great but not on the same level as the previous two films. Perhaps he just works better with Young than with Hamilton.
Bond girls: 4
Pussy is great but let’s also not forget the Mastersons. Love the both of them.
Villain: 4
Henchmen/women: 4
Allies: 2
Cec Linder is my least favourite Felix.
MI6: 4
Plot: 3
Gunbarrel & title sequence: 4
Sets & locations: 4
The Fort Knox set is a definite 5/5, but Kentucky ranches, diners and car demolishers drag this score down.
Cinematography: 3
Pre-title sequence: 5
Vintage 007, one of the very best!
Climax: 3
Vehicles & gadgets: 5
Action: 3
Dialogue & humour: 5
Music score: 3
It’s fine but a bit too bombastic for my taste.
Original songs: 3
I do like this song, just not one of my favourites.
Costumes & attire: 4
Snobbery: 5
Dom Pérignon, brandy and mint julep discussions, a nice game of golf and Bond appears to be a car enthusiast as well.
Ian Fleming: 4
Still a lot of Flemingness, though the Young films are the epitomes of that sort of thing.
Total: 76%
Current rankings
1. Dr. No
2. From Russia with Love
3. Goldfinger
I do love the Bombastic score/song, not for everyday listening but it's so...Bond.
At this rate, I assume YOLT will be 4th :-P
Possibly ;)
Just out of curiosity, which were the ones you liked and which were the ones that bored you @Vinther1991?
TB is what I consider archetypical 007 at its very best. Mysterious in the first half and spectacular in the second, with Sean Connery in top form, a French beauty by his side, an equally beautiful Italian femme fatale, a sinistre faceless Blofeld and an eye-patched Nr. 2 scheming against the Western World, an exotic location brought to us in colourful widescreen cinematography, Ken Adam sets, John Barry music, a recognizable title song, the DB5, a jetpack and stylish attire for both the male and the female cast.
Furthermore I always liked the underwater scenes, though I was anxious that maybe this time, like for so many fans, they would bore me for the first time. Fortunately however I was as thrilled by the great aquatic action as I have always been. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll write down my ratings and go for a swim.
THUNDERBALL
James Bond: 5
Connery and Young, I suppose this combination speaks for itself.
Bond girls: 5
Always had a soft spot for Claudine Auger. Not only beautiful but more layered than any other Connery Bond girl.
Villain: 5
Sinistre unseen Blofeld and eye-patched Largo with a pool of pet sharks, great stuff.
Henchmen/women: 5
Is Luciana Paluzzi the sexiest woman in the history of James Bond? Ovviamente, si.
Allies: 5
Rik Van Nutter delivers a more than acceptable Felix, second only to Jack Lord in my book.
MI6: 5
Lee and Maxwell are as good as ever and we get Desmond’s best scene with Sean.
Plot: 4
Gunbarrel & title sequence: 5
Always liked Sean’s gunbarrel more than most and the title sequence here is a lovely bit of underwater imagery.
Sets & locations: 5
When we’re not in some brilliantly designed Ken Adam set, we’re in the Bahamas.
Cinematography: 5
Impressive work by Ted Moore, top 5 in the series surely?
Pre-title sequence: 4
Climax: 4
As I said, I love the underwater scenes and the climax, in my eyes, is a gorgeous spectacle.
Vehicles & gadgets: 5
DB5, jetpack and underwater vehicles!
Action: 4
Dialogue & humour: 5
Amongst the better written dialogue and humour in the franchise.
Music score: 4
One of my favourites from John Barry.
Original songs: 4
Costumes & attire: 5
Snobbery: 4
Ian Fleming: 5
A mostly loyal translation from book to screen.
Total: 93%
Current rankings
1. Thunderball
2. Dr. No
3. From Russia with Love
4. Goldfinger
My favorite Connery film.
I really enjoy Dr No and Connery puts in an assured performance in his first outing. If anyone new to the Bond movies started with this, seeing such a performance and such a great spy movie, they would give be confident in that what follows will be great.
@007_MJH Upon my latest review I was very impressed with DN too.
I do my rankings judging the film as a whole. It would be too difficult if I do it in parts, or only judge the sections we like, etc!! If I did like that like, the PTS of TWINE alone is better than a few entire Bond films
Me too, watching TB in two parts had more to do with a lack of time. I’ve watched it as a whole many times before and I’ve always liked it. This time though, forgive the pun, it blew me out of the water ;)
YOLT, MR, NSNA and TND I see as guilty pleasures.
The remaining movies I did not really appreciate.
Shame about the Moore films but you definitely have good taste.
Definitely a very fine list even though Moore is a bit underrepresented. I like the inclusion of both Dalton entries and TWINE in particular.
Pulled in Godfinger at the weekend which is never anything short of an absolute delight. How good is the voice dubbing of Gert Frobe? The line delivery is superb.
Tania Mallet was an awful actress. Was she dubbed?
Anyway, an undisputed classic.
Goldfinger SC3
On Her Majesty's Secret Service GL1
Skyfall DC3
From Russia With Love SC2
Tomorrow Never Dies PB2
Live And Let Die RM1
Dr No SC1
The Living Daylights TD1
Casino Royale DC1
GoldenEye PB1
The Spy Who Loved Me RM3
The Man With The Golden Gun RM2
For Your Eyes Only RM5
Licence To Kill TD2
Thanks both of you! I am not the biggest Moore fan. I think he did a decent job, the movies just weren't so much for me. But I see I forgot For Your Eyes Only, that is a good one. So he has one I love (TSWLM), another I enjoy (FYEO), a guilty pleasure (MR), and 4 I don't really like.
TWINE surprised me a lot on the latest viewing. The action scenes are kind of weak, but the drama is absolutely up there with the very greatest in the series, even though it has a useless Denise Richards. It has 5 compelling characters, which is more than most other films in the series have.
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
James Bond: 3
Bond girls: 2
Never been the biggest fan of either Aki or Kissy.
Villain: 3
Pleasence is ok really, but Savalas is more of a thread, Gray is funnier and Dawson is more mysterious. Sure beats the hell out of Waltz though.
Henchmen/women: 3
Helga Brandt is no Fiona but she’s a good henchwoman in her own right. Osato isn’t bad either, but boring Hans drags this section down for sure.
Allies: 4
Tiger and Henderson!
MI6: 4
Not the best of Q scenes in my mind, but M and Moneypenny excel.
Plot: 3
The ridiculousness of the plot isn’t the biggest problem, it’s moments like the wedding and disguising Bond as an Ama fisherman that drag the plot along while not adding much to it
Gunbarrel & title sequence: 5
Fabulous Maurice Binder work and a nice black-and-white gunbarrel.
Sets & locations: 5
Ken Adam sets and Japanese landscapes and castles!
Cinematography: 4
Pre-title sequence: 3
Climax: 4
Vehicles & gadgets: 5
A cigarette that can save your life, a useful little safecracker and a stunning Toyota 2000GT
Action: 4
Dialogue & humour: 4
Music score: 4
Original song(s): 4
Costumes & attire: 4
Snobbery: 5
Russian caviar and Peking duck discussion, Russian wodka politely accepted by 007 even though it is stirred, saké at the right temperature, the obligatory Bollinger and a somewhat disappointing Siamese wodka.
Ian Fleming: 2
The snobbery notwithstanding, this is the first one that really breaks away from the pages.
Total: 75%
Current rankings
1. Thunderball
2. Dr. No
3. From Russia with Love
4. Goldfinger
5. You Only Live Twice