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
Catching up with some of the Bond's in the lower regions of my Bond list. I do enjoy this whenever it gets a rare viewing. Moore is too long in the tooth but he's still good value in this, and his chemistry with Macnee is spot on. It's a shame the makers didn't play to Moore's age because it's just jarring when he's intercut with a stuntman.
The 'Inside AVTAK documentary' on the bluray is one of the most interesting of the lot.
DAF next. Which definitely doesn't get much play time in my bluray player...
I cant recall now how many times I've watched this, but its very few! After this watch its going to settle in the lower half of my rankings! It is good, but there is a lot wrong with it, ( and no, I dont consider the ending part of that, I firmly believe it works for the film!) Craig is excellent, though at times his acting is a little off. My judgement on Blofeld is that they either should have made him the main villain or leave him out altogether! The first half of this moves at breakneck speed ( particularly the pts!!) but it does have too many scenes later that could be cut out! Cary Fukanaga does a good job at helming, but the action scenes seem to end before they begin, if that makes any sense!! It looks fabulous too! Zimmers score does not impress! All in all, am still as perplexed with this Bond movie, as I was the first time I viewed it, and it seems it will remain so!
Good write up mate. I thought you would grow to like it more!
I had my 10th viewing the other day and for all its faults I absolutely love it! The film never feels like it's runtime for me. Really well paced. I rather like the score. (But I hope Arnold returns when a new film eventually gets made!)
Thanks mate! I dunno, its a curio, NTTD, my last watch was pretty good, ( looks great in 4k!) but I dont think its going to be a firm favourite in the future! Lots of good stuff in it, and agree, its very well paced, but it doesn't come close to either CR or QOS for me!
Oh I agree. CR and QOS are Craig's best by a mile. They're never far from my bluray player!
Moonraker
Lazy writing for sure, but epic in all its other facets: music, cinematography, locations and with probably the best Ken Adam sets ever. Just turn your brain off and enjoy the old-fashioned spectacle.
No Time to Die
Matera and Cuba are top-notch, Jamaica is pretty decent as well. Then they decide to kill off a few staple characters, either unceremoniously or with a lot of sugar, but none of them make sense and all of them are supercontrived.
Spectre
On one hand, this is Craig's one and only straightforward Bond film with a good mystery and gorgeous locations. On the other hand, even for this one a personal connection has to be invented, and it's the most ill-advised one yet .
Die Another Day
I'm a melancholic person and this outrageous descent into absurdity has all my nostalgia bells going off. It's basically an early 2000's Bond video game, with fine cinematography, lots of gadgets, crazy sets, a techno score, dodgy CGI and juvenile puns.
The World Is Not Enough
Much like its successor definitely also a nostalgic entry for me, though unlike its successor I fail to see what's wrong with it. I'd say it has Pierce's most meaty 007 performance, a phenomenal Sophie Marceau, some fine stunt work and a fairly well-written plot.
The Man with the Golden Gun
Admittedly not perfect, in fact heavily flawed really, but inhabited by unforgettable characters - Scaramanga, Nick Nack and the Swedish Bondgirl duo - and situated in wonderful East Asian locations, this one has always agreed more with me than with most other fans.
You Only Live Twice
Suitably epic and beautiful, with a 60's travelogue feel throughout. It's also hilariously outrageous with its spacecraft hijackings and with Bond being turned Japanese in a highly questionable scene. A film so over-the-top could have worked better with its tongue slightly more in its cheek.
Though MR and SP are personal guilty pleasures!
Well, TSWLM will be next ;)
The characters for me improved upon TSWLM (I don't mind Jaws, for me, Chang is the henchman there, he's underrated), Holly Goodhead, Hugo Drax, and Manuela, they're all great, fleshed out and more believable in their roles.
This is the film that best highlights Moore Bond's humanity in the centrifuge scene and in Rio after he saved Manuela from Jaws, he's also more comfortable in his performance, compared to TSWLM where he's a bit stiff and lacking in emotions or expressions.
I really it enjoyed it this time around. I had it ranked second from last on my last marathon but I would definitely rank it higher this time around. Overall a very enjoyable flick. Underrated, even by myself.
It's the first time I've seen it in a few years and it really struck me how jarring the tone shifts from inept American cops to massacring mine workers.
It was time for Roger to go, but he just managed it for one final adventure, his age didn't really bother me too much. He's not a physically imposing Bond like Connery or Craig, but he never was, so it's all fine.
Tanya Roberts isn't that bad either. I blame the writers for her part more than Roberts herself. Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are still great villains, I only wish more time was spent with them.
Some of those shots of San Francisco at night were really beautiful.
Overall, I think it gets an unfair beating. Far from a great Bond film, but a fine entry.
Haha, never thought of it that way. Imagine if delayed effects from the concussion manifested themselves at the worst possible time.
-General, in that cannon there's a bo-bo-bo-bo-bo...
-What?!
-General, this man is either drunk or crazy.
-Bo-bo-bo-bo-
(Bomb blows up, everybody dies. The end.)
I just love this movie, and this time I was even more impressed with the strength of the plot. It's such a compelling story and especially culminates so well by the time you reach the train sequences. You really feel the depth of SPECTRE's plot and the danger Bond must increasingly feel. Connery does a great job of showing that nervousness as Bond recognizes the cards are stacked against him, an intriguing glimpse into the vulnerable humanity of Bond that so many movies in the series ignore.
Another obvious strength is the characters. Along with an excellent Connery performance is a superb ensemble of villains; Klebb and Grant are as classic as they come. Kerim very well may be Bond's quintessential ally, and Tanya certainly contends for the same superlative among the Bond Girls. Truly the only drawbacks to FRWL are the relative lack of action for the movie's first half (though I appreciate the impact there for plot-building) and the somewhat drab locations, especially considering Dr. No's Jamaican landscape before it. FRWL will consistently rank as my second favorite Bond adventure right behind GE.
Anyway, those scenes which I described in depth in the other thread, really passed by us in very few seconds tonight, so it really takes closer scrutiny (like analysing the scenes by progressing gradually on a PC) to actually see where they were filmed, as I did in the other thread.
Other than that special interest, I once again found OP just as mediocre as I always considered it. Last fifth or so of my ranking.
I'm all with you on that. Permanently the best Bond movie ever.
Agreed with you on OP.
It's a Bond film mishmashed together with a convoluted plot that's somehow gets boring (convoluted plots do really bores me, another violators of this were TLD, DAF and NTTD, and maybe even TWINE too).
It's also too over the top (might be even moreso than MR), where it took too far with the circus thing, Bond in jungle, the racial (cartoonish) stereotypes regarding Indians, octopus, a female group (no problem with them, but) wearing weird costumes, living in a big, grand Palace, also not just that, but half of the characters there wore weird costumes.
The weapons felt lame and they're like playing (Octopussy's dart gun looked like a children's toy 😅, then so the weapons of her henchwomen).
It's almost like a fairytale with an action in it.
Then you have Bond in full Dr. Doolittle role as he interacted with the animals (Tiger and Snake, or maybe even the spiders), the symptoms was shown early in FYEO with Parrot, but here, it went full max, and the whole jungle chase scenes in particular felt like it's almost the closest we could've seen Bond joining Jumanji.
it's almost too colorful for a Bond film (and that's not a good thing), it's almost a film made for children, it's a film that would've been more fitting for Spy Kids.
It's more like Austin Powers than a Bond film.
It's a Bond film that keeps dropping down in my rankings (will post my new rankings soon).
Yep, I keep giving it a try, andI keep being baffled on how much praise it gets! This is the 4K disc, and though it looks good ( in places!) Its still deathly dull to watch. Little excitement in its two hour plus runtime, its the same few scenes I enjoy, most of the pts, Bond stalking Patrice in Shanghai, ( though I hate the fight sequence!) and the real highlight for me, Bond turning the tables on Silva ( a varying performance from Bardem) after the duel, the only time I felt like I was watching a Bond film. The rest is pretty meh! Oh, the climax played a bit better for me this time, particularly on the frozen lake, though I detest the whole booby trap nonsense, Home Alone indeed! I've watched all of Craigs Bonds in 4k, except CR, saving the best for last!
Many people are seeing the flaws of this film now, especially the plot which if you think about it was undercooked and not polished.
Even the decisions of some characters like Q putting Silva's laptop in the motherboard of MI6 computer, Bond bringing M to his house (didn't he know that Silva's following him and could even possibly follow him to his house), even Severine herself, like why to wait Silva and have her tied up? When she could've made her escape earlier on?
Then Moneypenny, M forced her to take the shot, and she did, but when she shot Bond why M put Moneypenny in office? After all, it's her fault, so she should give Moneypenny a second chance, right?
Not that I'm going to start defending SF, but regarding your point about bringing M to his house, that was intentional as he wanted to be one step ahead of Silva, though it was a daft idea, as Bond didnt know Kincaid was going to be there, so his plan was to take on Silvas gang with just himself and M (who's not a very good shot as she states!)
So, yes, that's still.
I think this film where they've started to made Bond a bit fool, really.
Like, his decisions were rushed and not much initiative.
So not knowing if Kincaide was there, he brought M to his house, and put her life more in danger, when he could just hide her somewhere else where Silva couldn't find her, and have Bond bait Silva to follow him to his house.
Maybe hide M in Turkey, to where he had also used to hide with Tonia Sotiropolou to recover from his bullet shots.
Or why not call Felix Leiter to protect M, while he's dealing with Silva?
* The excitement that I've felt while watching this film was like first time watching it, even if I've seen it a long time ago, this film felt like very new to me everytime I'm watching it, like it's always fresh.
Actually, it's been a while since I've seen this film,and upon rewatching it, the charm is still there like how I've first watched it.
* The PTS was good, I liked the action scenes in there, and the build-up of mystery, but the film will get better from there.
* The middle section in Piz Gloria was creepy, the atmosphere and all, especially when Blofeld's voice was echoing to brainwash those girls, it's creepy.
* I really liked the Piz Gloria scenes, there's a humour (I've laughed at some moments, it's fun and entertaining), but there are some tight scenes, where it kept me in my seat because of tension, and it's creepy because of how Blofeld's voice commanding those women to do his plan.
It's mundane, yet I've felt the threat and danger.
* I liked the interaction between Bond and M in here, even in the scenes where Bond was a bit angry, there's still a respect to him, he's still respecting him as his boss (the scene where Bond asking M to attack Piz Gloria to save Tracy is an example of this, there's still a respect between an employee and the boss), I don't liked how Bond disrespected his boss in these recent films (the way Craig's Bond interacted with M, very disrespectful, especially in No Time To Die and SPECTRE, even the way Bond broke into M's house in Skyfall and Casino Royale, not a fan of that, I wish we could get back to the scenes where Bond respect M as his boss, not mocking towards him or shouting at him), here, in OHMSS, I can almost see the literary Bond with the way he interacted with M.
Actually, what Bond did to M in Licence To Kill was also a bit disrespectful (I know what's his fighting for, and his reason), but still he could've done that with still a respect for M, actually he did end up lucky though in the end, because M still revived his Licence in the service.
* Bond and Tracy's relationship was really affecting, they're like Romeo and Juliet, from the moment they've met, there's a great connection and exciting chemistry, and the high point of it was in the barn, it's sweet and cute seeing them together.
I liked the scene where Tracy saved Bond's life when she showed up in that skating rink.
* This is the film where it's like almost an art house one (hear it, Sam Mendes?), it's probably the first modern Bond film in technical sense.
* It's also a combination of humor (I've laughed many times), I've felt the tension, there's a thrill, and there's the romance, and a horror tone (in the Piz Gloria scenes).
* Lazenby's Bond was full of intense, I think he's great in this, I think his Bond was a bit realistic compared to others (except Craig), but there's that intense in him, I really felt what he feel, when he's scared, I've felt pity and sympathy for him, and when he's with Tracy, there's that closeness that I've felt too, and when he's in action scenes, those are intense and tight, I think Lazenby carried that well, he worked in this.
I find him to be a lot better than both Brosnan and Moore, he's fourth in my Bond Actor rankings (quality wise), he's better than the reputation he's given for, the thing is, for me (as I'm watching the film) that the complexity was natural in him.
* The score also helped, I love it, it accompanied the intense scenes and action (I don't mind the James Bond theme playing in the Piz Gloria attack, it's fun, it made the action scenes fun, but at the same time, thrilling).
It's a film with a combination of all feelings, it's almost like a rollercoaster ride of watch.
* The cast are great (and yes, Lazenby is included), they're all great in this.
* This is the film that I can watch and watch, it gets better with each watch.
So, by far, OHMSS is the one that passed my criteria in all aspects, it's a complete rollercoaster ride of a Bond film to me, emotionally.
I'm afraid, but no one could dethrone this film at my no. 1 (my favorite Bond film).
Tripartite for October, as the next in my list would be for re-evaluations:
The Spy Who Loved Me, SPECTRE, and hopefully, Diamonds Are Forever, would they hold up in rewatches, would my criticisms of them soften now? Let's see.
Then December, another glorious Bond screening again, (again, hopefully) with From Russia With Love and Dr. No.
Still my number 1 Bond movie. Watch it every Christmas and look forward to it like its a Premiere!
Thanks @Mathis1
I'm glad that it's also your favorite, cheers to us! 😊
This has to be a fake dog ? :)>- They probably got it from a shop there who sell "funny" stuff (props etc)...... :))
Dr. No (1962)
I never watch this film without leaving feeling entirely satisfied. It's not only a wonderful thriller, but it's also the perfect movie to introduce the world to James Bond.
Although dated (obviously) it's still a slick, fast moving thrill ride. With a lower budget than later entries it's devoid of any large-scale action or stunt work. In its place we get a tight thriller, where Bond has to rely on his wits in order to succeed.
Sean Connery is absolutely first class in the lead role, and every time I watch this film, I pick up little nuances of the character, that I may not have noticed before.
It was only recently I noticed Bond offer his lighter to M, when M is looking for a match.
Or slipping the doorman at Le Cercle a note on the way out.
It's little things like this that later films miss, and I think it's these little facets that really help build the film and character.
The rest of the cast is similarly solid, Ursula Andress is a stunner as Honey Ryder, Joseph Wiseman a menacing first villain, with little screen time he leaves his mark, for all villains to follow.
One of the biggest plus points for me, aside from the cast and story, is the lush location of Jamaica. The beautiful colours of this movie make it look better than it should on the low budget that was afforded the filmmakers.
I love this film, more and more every time I watch it, an almost faultless film for me.
Agreed, @Benny Dr No is a Jewel of a film. How they had so much about the style and essence of Bond from the off always amazes me. Nice write up.
Without the budget to waste on spectacle and gimmicks, gives freedom to tell a damn fine story, which features Connery at his virile best. Superb!
Just watched Quantum of Solace. Brutal, bleak, brisk and highly effective. I think it's the best looking of Craig's films. If one can look past the hyper editing, one can find a little gem of a film, with the plot taking a back seat in order to focus on Bond's emotional journey. I rate QoS so highly now, that's it's comfortably in my top ten.