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Ranking the Final Bond Films, adjusted for 2021
MakeshiftPython
“Baja?!”
Now that NO TIME TO DIE has come out, we’re finally at the point where we can actually compare Craig’s last film with his predecessors. They’re not exactly the finest hours for all the Bonds, but they are their farewells, even if unintentional in some cases. I guess I’ll kick off my ranking:
1. NO TIME TO DIE - Craig
2. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER - Connery
3. LICENCE TO KILL - Dalton
4. A VIEW TO A KILL - Moore
5. DIE ANOTHER DAY - Brosnan
Looking at this list I don’t think any could say these were the actors’ best films, though LTK does have a contingent of fans. I’ve said what I wanted about NTTD in its own thread, so I’ll leave it at that. I actually have DAF and LTK ranked super close, but in the end I picked DAF because I have more fun with that. LTK is just a dour film, it doesn’t even have a sequence as elevating as NTTD’s Cuba section. I do like the journey Dalton Bond goes through but I feel as beaten and battered as he looks after that truck chase. It’s no wonder GE felt like a shot in the arm six years later.
DAF gets a lot of flack, understandably. It’s campy. It’s not the OHMSS sequel fans wanted (and I think it’s unfair to slag this film for not being what it isn’t). Even though Connery is not the physical peak condition he was in the early part of his run, I absolutely adore his performance. He’s clearly having much more fun with the humor and still shows he has charisma to spare. The only real flaw as far as I can agree with is the Oil Rig climax. It sucks. And somehow Tiffany Case lost her brains when she put on that bikini. It’s too bad, because it had the potential of a big climax like the attack on Piz Gloria, but it looks cheap.
A VIEW TO A KILL is an odd one because I think it has a lot of GREAT separate elements. Great Duran Duran song. Walker is fun. Grace Jones is a great henchman, Bug the movie as a whole isn’t clicking, and at times is flat out embarrassing. Moore is still a pro despite his age, at least. Stacey Sutton has to be in the bottom of my Bond leading woman list. The actress is awful, and there’s no chemistry with Moore, who looks uncomfortable being paired with her.
And DIE ANOTHER DAY. To be clear I really dig the first half. It’s got Pierce Brosnan’s best performance as Bond by far. But once the invisible car is shown it’s like a descent to an icy hell with terrible dialogue, horrible CGI, questionable editing choices, Jinx is bad luck, etc. It’s too bad Brosnan ends on this note, because he really wanted and deserved better. But there we are.
1. NO TIME TO DIE - Craig
2. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER - Connery
3. LICENCE TO KILL - Dalton
4. A VIEW TO A KILL - Moore
5. DIE ANOTHER DAY - Brosnan
Looking at this list I don’t think any could say these were the actors’ best films, though LTK does have a contingent of fans. I’ve said what I wanted about NTTD in its own thread, so I’ll leave it at that. I actually have DAF and LTK ranked super close, but in the end I picked DAF because I have more fun with that. LTK is just a dour film, it doesn’t even have a sequence as elevating as NTTD’s Cuba section. I do like the journey Dalton Bond goes through but I feel as beaten and battered as he looks after that truck chase. It’s no wonder GE felt like a shot in the arm six years later.
DAF gets a lot of flack, understandably. It’s campy. It’s not the OHMSS sequel fans wanted (and I think it’s unfair to slag this film for not being what it isn’t). Even though Connery is not the physical peak condition he was in the early part of his run, I absolutely adore his performance. He’s clearly having much more fun with the humor and still shows he has charisma to spare. The only real flaw as far as I can agree with is the Oil Rig climax. It sucks. And somehow Tiffany Case lost her brains when she put on that bikini. It’s too bad, because it had the potential of a big climax like the attack on Piz Gloria, but it looks cheap.
A VIEW TO A KILL is an odd one because I think it has a lot of GREAT separate elements. Great Duran Duran song. Walker is fun. Grace Jones is a great henchman, Bug the movie as a whole isn’t clicking, and at times is flat out embarrassing. Moore is still a pro despite his age, at least. Stacey Sutton has to be in the bottom of my Bond leading woman list. The actress is awful, and there’s no chemistry with Moore, who looks uncomfortable being paired with her.
And DIE ANOTHER DAY. To be clear I really dig the first half. It’s got Pierce Brosnan’s best performance as Bond by far. But once the invisible car is shown it’s like a descent to an icy hell with terrible dialogue, horrible CGI, questionable editing choices, Jinx is bad luck, etc. It’s too bad Brosnan ends on this note, because he really wanted and deserved better. But there we are.
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Comments
Great send off for Commander Craig's version of Commander Bond.
2. Licence to Kill
The fantastic dynamic between Bond and Sanchez makes this film.
3. A View to a Kill
What with all it's conflicting elements - young vs old etc - this should have been a wonderful swansong for Sir Rog. Yet the film itself has the air of staidly familiarity.
4. Diamonds are Forever
What a bizarre little film. The 60's are over and Bond is trapped in a fever dream of the 70's.
5. Die Another Day
Bronsan has an ownership to his role as 007. Shame that his best performance is mired in this movie.
2. No Time to Die
3. Diamonds are Forever
4. A View to a Kill
5. Die Another Day
The challenge that finale films face is that they're derivative of earlier films. An actor's first film introduces a lot of new elements, and if it's successful, the company wants to replicate that again. And by the 4th-5th+ film in, it gets derivative.
Dalton didn't get enough films for any tropes to be firmly established yet, so of course his 2nd film will be fresher than most actor's 4th-7th films.
No Time to Die is B+ or A tier.
Diamonds, AVTAK and Die Another Day are all D tier.
2 NTTD
3 DAF
4 AVTAK
5 LTK
6 DAD -I actually do think it s his best
DAF,AVTAK,LTK and DAD are close together in my rankings. NSNA would have been at the bottom.
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. No Time to Die
4. A View to a Kill
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. Die Another Day
2. NTTD (#8)
3. LTK (#19)
4. AVTAK (#23)
5. DAD (#24)
6. DAF (#25)
NTTD
DAF
AVTAK
DAD
Not in a position to rank NTTD amongst the other 24 yet, still too fresh, with the exception of this list where I think I can say it's below LTK for me (which is top 5) and above DAF (which I have in the 15-17 range).
2. NTTD
3. LTK
(Huge divide)
4. DAF
5. AVTAK
6. DAD
2. Licence to Kill
3. No Time to Die
4. A View to a Kill
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. Die Another Day
1 is my only current top 10 entry, but 2 and 3 are right on the cusp, plus interchangeable. AVTAK is an underrated mid-level film for me. 5 and 6 are my least favorites in the franchise.
2. OHMSS
3. AVTAK
4. DAF
5. NTTD
6. DAD
2. LICENCE TO KILL
3. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
4. A VIEW TO A KILL
5. NO TIME TO DIE
6. DIE ANOTHER DAY
And we really including OHMSS on this list too...
2. No Time to Die
3. Diamonds Are Forever
4. Never Say Never Again
5. A View to a Kill
6. Die Another Day
LTK
Huge gap
The biggest gap imaginable
DAD
DAF
AVTAK
1) LTK
2) NTTD
3) DAF
4) DAD
5) AVTAK
2. NTTD
3. AVTAK
4. DAF
5 DAD
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. Licence To Kill
I included OHMSS because it falls that way on my overall ranking anyways. Either way, No Time To Die has taken my top spot. My favourite Bond of all and by default the best "final film" on my personal ranking.Then, after a marginal drop in quality...
4. Diamonds Are Forever
5. A View To A Kill
6. Die Another Day
Although I suppose if we were to count NSNA as Connery's true final Bond film then that would fall beneath Die Another Day.
2. Licence to Kill
3. A View to a Kill
4. Diamonds are Forever
5. Die Another Day
6. Never Say Never Again
I was tempted to include You Only Live Twice but I didn’t want to rank that and not Majesty’s, as it is difficult to rank that as a farewell.
1. No Time to Die
2. Licence to Kill
3. Diamonds Are Forever
4. A View to a Kill
5. Die Another Day
6. Never Say Never Again
2. No Time To Die
3. Die Another Day
4. Licence To Kill
5. A View To A Kill
DAD is terrible but it’s fun to watch in a “what were they thinking?” kind of way. So it’s bumped up to number three.
DAF is my personal favourite Bond film anyway
Including YOLT would mean we’d also have to include the three John Glen films with Roger Moore and SP, as each film was made without the certainty of Moore/Craig coming back.
But YOLT was Connery’s last film for a period. He left and subsequently came back after someone else played Bond. As for Roger and Craig to quote Daniel Craig “he never left” despite them thinking they weren’t going to come back. If Pierce Brosnan was to come back and play Bond in Bond 26 would you just get rid of DAD from this list?
Don't tease.
Alright, there's no need to make threats here.
Craig easily went out on the best finale film. I have it ranked as his third best film.
License To Kill
I’ve never been a fan of the “rogue Bond” and always felt this movie could of easily changed the name of the characters and starred Schwarzenegger or Stallone. However it’s still a great movie and I always tend to watch it after The Living Daylights.
Die Another Day
I know it’s practically blasphemy to not have this one at the bottom of almost any list but I generally have a great time every time I watch this. I recognize that DAD goes off the rails and into crazy town in the last bit but I enjoy it. Sorry not sorry.
Diamonds Are Forever
I go back and forth on this one. Some viewings I enjoy it and others I don’t.
A View To A Kill
This one is currently sitting at the very bottom of my Bond ranking list. It’s honestly brought down by Moore’s age. I can’t seem to get past it. His last should’ve been For Your Eyes Only or Octopussy and AVTAK should’ve been Dalton’s first, thus making it a better film that would go up a few spots on my ranking.
DIE-MONDS ARE FOREVER???
…
No?
Ok.