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Once again, love your thoughts on Dalton and LTK..., and Pam. She's an understated, yet really enjoyable partner for Dalton...
And, of course, being a fan of Skyfall, I was happy to see that this film, even with the faults that irked you in the past, has seen it bounce up your chart.
As I've said before, this makes for wonderful reading while I sip on my first coffee.
Great work!
25. Die Another Day
While I can't vividly remember the first time I watched DAD (I want to say it was just a chill occasion at home without much else going on), I know this one has ranked low for me since the beginning. I was a little kinder towards it years ago, but it has been cemented in my last-place spot for a long time now. If things were in a "business as usual" status with the franchise, I'd feel confident about DAD staying here, but I'm pretty scared of Amazon making this one look great by comparison! At any rate, I do like some things about DAD, and the first half in general isn't shabby, but just about everything from the ice palace on is pretty bad. At least I can laugh at some of its ridiculousness, especially when watching with a friend, but yeah, I feel pretty good about ranking DAD last, and have for a while now. I can't really recall any particularly memorable viewings of this one for me, unfortunately, so I'll just leave it at that for Brosnan's rough final outing.
24. Diamonds Are Forever
Now with DAF, I can distinctly remember liking it way more as a young lad than I do now. I recall loving the flashy Las Vegas setting, and the campy tone didn't bother me since it was only I believe the second Connery film I watched after GF. There are still things I like about the movie such as Wint & Kidd, the elevator fight, and the title song, but having grown older, this one has dropped a lot in my estimation. While it was unconditionally fun as a youth to watch, my many more recent watches have been a lot rougher. As a follow-up to OHMSS, it's disappointing on every level, and it's also an awkward outlier among Connery's other films that are more serious in tone (yes, there are some outlandish elements in YOLT for instance, but it still felt like it took itself more seriously). Pretty much everything after the Bambi & Thumper sequence is pretty dull to me. Though part of me wishes I could recapture that feeling of fun I got watching DAF as a kid, I'm totally at peace with it ranking so low now - it just makes sense to me.
23. The World Is Not Enough
Brosnan's third Bond adventure is another movie I enjoyed a lot more when I was young. I do have a clear memory of the first time I watched it, which was shortly before a big, life-changing (for the worse, sadly), out-of-state move. Bond would become one of my biggest comforts and favorite things in general during the hardships of and after the move. Anyways, TWINE in particular I thought was really awesome the first time I saw it, but it steadily fell lower and lower in my rankings through the years since, mostly on account of plain old disinterest. I think TWINE might be the most boring Bond movie collectively, especially since I just don't really care once Elektra is out of the picture. It's not all bad, though; I really like the title song, Valentin, and Elektra. Over time, TWINE has been pretty much all over my rankings - as high as Top 5 when I was first getting into the series, around the middle a few years later, and lately for a long while now near the bottom. As things stand, I find TWINE to be wasted potential, and though DAD is kind of a unanimously agreed upon misfire, it's TWINE that best encapsulates feelings of disappointment and frustration about how the Brosnan era should have been better to me.
22. Spectre
Speaking of frustration, that's one of the biggest feelings I get from SP, particularly throughout the cliched third act. When I first saw SP at the theater, I loved it without much reservation, and definitely suffered from serious "honeymoon phase syndrome." The more I thought about it and watched it later, the more I realized there were serious issues with it, namely the cheapening of Craig's past foes, weirdly languid action sequences, and a really uncreative, unbelievable sequence of events from the torture scene on to the end. Also, learning about what could have been from older script ideas, like the scrapped ski chase and masked ball, it feels like the final product could have been significantly more stylish and fun. I still like some stuff about the movie - Mr. White's inclusion, the PTS, the train fight, the SPECTRE meeting - but SP is definitely the weak link of the Craig era for me. Most watches of this one lately I just kind of dread, knowing how things end up. The whole thing just feels like it's trying to do things it shouldn't - forcing Daniel Craig to be more like "classic" Bond, taking away the grittiness that made him unique before, and shoehorning Blofeld and SPECTRE into his continuity while making his previous enemies feel less important in the process. It's not a terrible movie top to bottom or anything, but like TWINE, it's frustrating and wasted potential.
21. Moonraker
Finally, we're back to a movie I've mostly always felt the same about, that being that MR is a low-tier Bond film. It's been as low as my very bottom spot, in fact (I think, at least), but I have been a little more forgiving towards it in recent years. It's interesting, because it seems like the kind of movie I'd enjoy more as a kid with all the wild action and outer space stuff, but it's never really fully clicked for me. I can't remember exactly the first time I saw it, but I remember being underwhelmed at least. Something worth noting about all my bottom five choices is that I strongly prefer the first halves of all the movies, and they each go more off the rails as they progress. MR does benefit from an excellent score and some great action and spy content in the first half, but in addition to the silliness of the outer space stuff (I don't think Bond ever needed to go there, and I hope he doesn't again), there's some of the most notable, unfortunate examples of Moore era camp like the double-take pigeon or Jaws getting a girlfriend. I'm admittedly picky about campiness that does and doesn't work for me, but in any case, most of it in MR falls flat for me. It's got its strong points, but I don't foresee it ever going higher than like #19 or so on my list.
20. Octopussy
I know that the MI6 Community has a much higher collective opinion of OP than me, but I have to be honest when I rank it low here. It's in the same boat as MR for me, really - too many cringy campy moments (Tarzan yell, clown Bond), and it's always been one of my least favorite Bond outings overall. Unlike MR, though, I have a couple more memorable viewing experiences of this one when I was younger. It was one of my dad's favorites, so he hyped it up when I first saw it with him (he loved the PTS and "fill her up, please" so much), and I had an old friend I kind of miss I watched this one with, along with a few others (I believe we also saw FYEO, TLD, LTK, and QOS together). I do think OP is a colorful, fun movie still, never boring, and it has the potential to rise perhaps a little higher someday, but I have never been able to see it as one of the "elite" Bond adventures that so many others do. Here's hoping my next Bondathon might at least bring it a little closer to that.
19. The Man with the Golden Gun
TMWTGG is one I've waffled on quite a bit, including even in recent years between a higher or lower spot in my ranking. I don't remember the very first time I watched it, but I do remember it being one of my favorites and most watched in general when I was a kid. What I've always loved about it and still do is the villains and their hideout; Scaramanga, Nick Nack, and the island are all very iconic and entertaining to me. There's not much else that really stands out in a positive way, though, but also not too much that I particularly consider "bad." I guess maybe I consider TMWTGG kind of an average Bond movie overall. I don't care for the title song or Goodnight very much, but Roger Moore and Christopher Lee together make the movie worthwhile. Something about it was still more overall exciting and fun when I was younger, and between both then and now it's probably one of my most-watched Bond movies, so I guess that still says something good!
18. A View to a Kill
I can understand why AVTAK usually ranks low on lists; it's definitely carried by its music and villains, but those elements truly do go a long way in my enjoyment of Moore's final Bond adventure (and also, I promise, the last of his movies to appear for a little while after this big, four-film stretch in my ranking!). At one point, AVTAK was stuck at the very bottom of my ranking, and I didn't find much enjoyment in it at all. Like TMWTGG, I regrettably can't recall my first viewing, but I just remember feeling like it was pretty dull in general when I was younger. While it's still far from perfect, I've grown a soft spot for it in recent times, and I think it'd be nice if it gained some more appreciation among Bond fans. Sure, Moore is too old for the role at this point, and some of the campiness is a bit much, but Zorin is an elite Bond villain, the title song and Barry's score are tremendous, and the stakes are high. AVTAK does feel like one that could potentially slip a bit lower again at some point, but there's plenty I enjoy about it to where I don't worry about it going too low again.
17. Tomorrow Never Dies
While films like DAF and TWINE used to be way higher up for me and went downhill, TND is a Bond film I used to consider one of the very weakest that I've come to enjoy and appreciate far more. Carver and his scheme have aged eerily well, plus Brosnan gives his coolest and best Bond performance I think, and the action is also super good (particularly the car and motorcycle chases). I do think the film starts to get a little "meh" in the third act, but there is enough strong content otherwise to not bring things down too much for me. I just remember feeling so bored when I first tried this one when I was a kid, and didn't really care for it for the next few watches either, but eventually it clicked in recent years that, "hey, this is actually kind of good!" Not quite "cream of the crop," but I do have great fun with TND lately.
16. You Only Live Twice
I did use to love YOLT more, and ranked it several spots higher as a kid, and though it has gone down a little since, I still very much enjoy it. I think it's probably one of my most-watched ones overall, as it just really scratches that itch for an epic-scale Bond classic featuring great things like Connery, SPECTRE, and the location of Japan. The elephant in the room is that Connery himself is clearly less into it than he was in his first four movies, and the pacing is a little rough in the middle parts of the movie, but it's still a very fun ride overall. I think the third act is one of the series' most explosive and enjoyable, and it's just always a pleasure to see Connery Bond and Blofeld finally meet after so much buildup. I have fond memories of watching this one when younger - mostly alone, but always having a good time. It might have a little flexibility in its ranking position, I suppose time will tell!
15. The Living Daylights
TLD has always kind of been a "middle" Bond film for me. It's got an outstanding PTS, a strong opening act, some really good action sequences, and great music, but what holds it back is weak villains and a lackluster third act. It's a shame, because it could have ranked pretty darn high for me if these things were different. As it stands, I still like it a lot, and it's got some really solid, classic Bond content in it. I believe it might have gotten about as high as #13 and low as #17 or so on my list, but overall, my feelings about TLD have mostly always been the same.
14. No Time to Die
The newest Bond film, which is not really so new in general anymore, has settled into a middle spot in my ranking. I would say when I first saw it at the theater, I was just a little higher on it, so it's grown just a tad weaker in my estimation since then, but I still feel pretty positive about NTTD for the most part. I like that it feels like it's deliberately the opposite of SP; the action is certainly more exciting and intense here, and there are more chances being taken versus the mostly orthodox approach of SP, and Craig feels more at home with more things outside the box happening (I think both SF and NTTD do a fine job of balancing classic Bond elements with additional dramatic angles). Some of the execution is messy, and I can't say I fully love the way it ends, but it is a much more satisfying last movie than SP would have been for Craig. I happily caught it at the theater two extra times after my first watch, and I look forward to checking it out more in the future. Oh, and Safin's an underrated villain!
Well, this has gotten very long, and it's very late, so I'm going to have to take a break here for now. I'll get around to the rest later!
This reminds me that I never ended up finishing my rankings! I’ll have to get on that!
13. Quantum of Solace
One of my most unpopular / controversial Bond opinions is my love for QOS, and I have a rich history with this film. It was the first Bond film I got to see at the theater, so it's a nostalgic one, and it was a lower Top 10 film for me for a while. While I never adored it quite as much as CR, I always felt like it was a solid follow-up. I played the video game adaptation that came out, which was rather mediocre, but still, more memories! This one did dip in my rankings for a little while, but never got too low. I would say I've always enjoyed it for sure, and lately that enjoyment is creeping back towards the higher side. The brevity of the film is a strength I feel like; it's fast, intense, gritty, nasty, and heavily melancholic. It's got a lot of great, artsy touches and really good, fast-paced action that admittedly has some rough editing at times (my one little issue with the movie). Regarding the villains, their scheme, and the overall tone, it's the most "realistic" Bond film to date, and though it feels very emblematic of the dark, late 2000s, it still feels fresh and relevant now at the same time. Also, I'm proud to say that I wrote my final college paper about this film (themed about the environmental stuff) and got a high grade! I've watched QOS many times, and it remains a special, unique Bond film to me that I hope will get more love from the masses in time. Oh, also, this one's got one of my favorite Bond scores - David Arnold's very best I believe, saved for last.
12. For Your Eyes Only
The biggest outlier of the Moore era, FYEO, is a Bond film that has gone up and up for me since first seeing it. Like with several of these, I can't perfectly remember my very first watch, but I do remember being mostly bored and disappointed by this one in my younger years. At the time I guess I couldn't appreciate Roger Moore doing a more grounded, serious Bond movie, but for a while now that's the biggest reason why I love it! It's been a great watch for years now, and safely in striking distance of the Top 10. Granted, the villains and the soundtrack are not some of the series' finest, but I'm a fan of the title song, Moore's performance, Melina, Columbo, and the classic-feeling plot. I suppose it's objectively one of the more vanilla movies in the franchise, but I just love it for standing out so nicely in Moore's era for its straightforward, serious manner. And I don't care what all the haters say, I love the PTS in this movie! Very satisfying and fun. Happy this one has gone up so much from childhood to adulthood in my ranking.
11. Live and Let Die
Now we jump from Moore's most serious Bond outing to what I think is his funniest, his debut LALD. This one's fluctuated a little bit in my rankings, though it's never fallen too low, and I can truthfully say I've always enjoyed it a lot. My first few viewings were when I loved it the most, then in the middle it dropped a tad just because I lost a little bit of interest, and lately for a while again I'm pretty high on it. I think it's one of the most unique entries of the series, and it has a stellar lineup of characters including Solitaire, Felix, Quarrel Jr., and an impressive lineup of villains highlighted by Kananga, Tee-Hee, and Baron Samedi. Not a bad soundtrack, either, to go with a legendary title song. There's just a few hiccups with the pacing between the middle and end I feel like, but I love the film on the whole. It's one of my brother's favorite ones. Should be a very fun watch again together next time!
10. Licence to Kill
Between Timothy Dalton's two Bond films, I've always been partial to his second. I can vividly remember the first time I watched this one with an old friend, who was the person who first introduced me to James Bond (not the other friend I mentioned in my OP section), and we both agreed at the time LTK's one of the best ones. We just loved how much action it had; at the time as kids it was more appealing than, say, the more slow-burn Connery entries. Also, I've always loved a good revenge story, so LTK ticks that box rather nicely. Sanchez is an elite villain, and the story is simple but compelling. Though my #13-10 spots in my ranking feel very close to one another, I feel comfortable putting this one at the top, because I think I have the least issues with it. It's just ever so slightly below that feeling of "iconic / legendary" that the following nine movies on my list have. Anyways, my feelings about LTK have always been very positive, and I think it's one of the most rewatchable and entertaining movies of the series. Dark, action-packed, and cathartic.
9. The Spy Who Loved Me
My favorite Moore Bond, TSWLM, is one of my most nostalgic Bond films, because it was a serious comfort film for me when I needed it. Going back to my TWINE section, very shortly after the life-changing move, I got violently ill and was bedridden for a while, and TSWLM was the Bond movie I happened to choose next at the time. I can still remember lying in bed feeling like I was going to die, but my spirits being boosted tenfold by the energy and fun of this movie. Roger Moore's charm, the fantastic locations of Egypt and Sardinia, the groovy 70s-tastic soundtrack, the menacing yet endearing Jaws, and explosive action all appealed to me so very greatly, and still do to this day. I feel like TSWLM is one of the greatest examples of a truly over the top, epic-scale Bond film. I don't believe it's ever been lower than #9 on my list, and it feels as safe as ever inside my Top 10. It's just that this series is so good, there are still 8 more movies I like just a little more!
8. GoldenEye
It's not exactly a hot take to name TSWLM as my favorite Moore Bond or GE as my favorite Brosnan Bond, but it is what it is. Brosnan's first film is barrels of fun, all the way from one of the series' greatest cold opens to the epic finale at the satellite. One hot take I can give regarding GE is that I love the soundtrack, which seems to be near universally considered one of the series' weakest. I love the music, the villains, the action, and Brosnan's performance in this movie. Nothing negative to say really about any of the films from #9 onwards, just a bunch of legendary Bond greatness. Like so many others, I also played the famous N64 videogame, which has a truly magnificent multiplayer mode. My brother and I would have Oddjob vs. Jaws matches for the novelty and hilarity of the height difference and how cheap and easy it made things for Oddjob (don't worry, we took turns being the other character). Anyways, great game aside, the movie was and still is fantastic; it's one of my most watched ones, and has always been one of my favorites since first seeing it.
7. Goldfinger
Like so many other Bond fans, I fell in love with GF the first time I saw it, and though it has fallen a few spots in my ranking from near the very top, I still think it's one of the series' very best entries. Connery is in top form (he was in all of his first four films), the villains are great and iconic, the music is terrific, the action's great, etc. - all the elements you want from a Bond film are here. It has its reputation as the quintessential Bond film for a reason. It reinforced a few of the Bond tropes that started in DN and FRWL and established others, and it feels like the first "movie"-styled Bond versus its low-key, more novel-esque predecessors. While my preference has swung towards that in my older years, I still value GF greatly and get lots of enjoyment from it whenever I see it. Not much else to say, here, really - it's always been an easy Top 10 Bond film for me!
6. Dr. No
The one that started it all! Surprisingly, DN is a movie I've always loved; you'd think the slow pace and lack of consistent action would have made it harder for me to enjoy as a young one, but I remember always really digging this one. Connery was never better than in his first turn here, and to this day Honey Ryder and Dr. No are among the greatest Bond girls and villains respectively. As an adult, my fondness for the movie has only gone up; it probably would have been around #10 or so as a kid, but it's been dangerously close to a Top 5 spot for a while now. I've seen it a lot, and I simply never tire of it. I love the focus on story, mystery, and spying over bombastic action; it feels so refreshing given how the films of this series usually are. Not that there's anything wrong with spectacle and explosions, but being more sparing in those helps make earlier Bond films like this and FRWL feel special in a good way. It might be considered a bit plain and primitive by some, but I earnestly think DN really is one of the best movies in this series still.
5. Skyfall
I can still joyfully remember being absolutely blown away when I saw SF at the theater. I was a lot younger, and after all the uncertainty with the series after QOS, it was such a relief and pleasure to see Bond rebound so strongly with SF. When it first came out, I ranked it as high as #2 I think, and though the initial hype is dead, I still think it's one of the series' very best movies. The story is super captivating for me, I was a big fan of the emphasis on M, Silva is one of the very best villains, and the locations and cinematography were top-notch. It really struck that perfect balance between feeling like a classic Bond film and a new Bond film, reintroducing some of the beloved tropes of the series that weren't present in CR and QOS while offering some extra drama and deconstruction of Bond's character. Craig pulls it all off so well, and everything around him in the movie is up to speed. I know this film has got its detractors, but it's still worth the hype to me, and deserves its critical and financial success in my eyes.
4. From Russia with Love
For so many years, I was a GF over FRWL kind of Bond fan, but that has definitely changed in my most recent years as I've matured. I'm ashamed to admit it, but this film ranked pretty low for me as a kid, and I can only blame a weak attention span or something like that. While my watches of this one back in the old days were sort of dull, now they're nothing but fantastic! If you're looking for a straightforward, no-BS, great spy thriller from the Bond series, you can't do better than FRWL. The story, characters, music, locations, and sparing but effective action (there still really isn't a better fight scene in the series than Bond vs. Grant on the train) are all absolutely on point here. There's a wonderful Hitchcockian vibe to the affair, and having read the Fleming novels after first seeing all the movies, I really appreciate how faithful this movie is to its source material compared to many of the other ones. I feel like SPECTRE as a villain organization was never done better than they were here; you already got solid buildup of them from DN, you have the big bad Blofeld in the shadows here for the first time, and most importantly a colorful cast of henchmen with very different personalities and abilities that all pose different but serious threats to Bond. It's still got its moments of humor, but FRWL tonally feels like the darkest and grittiest of Connery's legendary run of Bond films. An instant classic all around, no doubt.
3. Thunderball
I've said it many times before, but TB is the best hybrid of book and movie-styled Bond that we've gotten on screen to date. Also, to retell a story that's probably either on this thread or elsewhere on this site, but this is the first Bond movie I ever watched, and it was decided on a coin flip with my friend, the one who got me into Bond that I also later watched LTK with. Looking at a list of Bond movies, I picked the title that sounded the coolest to me, which was TB, and he picked GE, and of course it was TB that ended up winning the flip. Funnily enough, at the time I was underwhelmed with TB; I didn't hate it or anything, but I had a hard time really getting into it like I hoped I would. For a while, it was actually my least favorite Connery Bond film, but over the years it has shot all the way up to my Top 5, and has seen the most drastic improvement of any of the films on this list except for perhaps the next one. I think Connery is at his absolute coolest in the film, the exposition and action are well-balanced, SPECTRE is very well-used again, and Domino is handily the best Bond girl of the Connery era. John Barry's soundtrack is also really impressive here, kicking off what I think was his peak of Bond soundtracks (TB, YOLT, & OHMSS). I also affectionately refer to TB as the "blue razz / blue raspberry" Bond film for all the blue coloring associated with it thanks to all the underwater stuff. I just adore everything about this film. TB and FRWL have gone back and forth as my favorite Connery movie a lot, but for now I'm going to side with the more unconventional pick of the two.
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Though the amazing OHMSS has held my #2 spot for a long time, it used to be one of my least favorite Bond films as a kid. I was once a Lazenby hater and thought the film was weird in an unappealing way, but I've since seen the light and am a Lazenby truther and embrace all the movie's quirks, which help make it so unique and great! I think Telly Savalas is the best Blofeld we ever got, and Diana Rigg as Tracy is still the best Bond girl of all time. Lazenby's performance is vulnerable and human, the snowy settings are a huge visual plus, and Barry's soundtrack here is his magnum opus. It's just a film that really fires on all cylinders and is amazingly rewatchable. So many have said it's a Connery performance instead of Lazenby away from being the best, but I have to disagree. The film would feel so different and not necessarily better if Connery was the lead in it, as he and Lazenby are such different Bonds and the material I think was likely better suited to Lazenby's style. As you all can see, the 60s Bond films really dominated on my list, with the exception of a still respectable middle placement for YOLT; it really was the series' golden age!
1. Casino Royale
What has always remained consistent since I first watched it is that CR is my favorite James Bond movie. It was unlike anything else I'd ever seen when I saw it, and I saw it at a pretty young age, so it was pretty intense and dark for me at the time (to this day nothing's quite as rough as the torture scene from this movie compared to everything else in the series), but boy did I love it all so much. The hard-hitting action and heart-pounding David Arnold score really make CR feel like the most "dangerous" Bond movie, which is something I hope can be recaptured in a Bond movie again. Craig's performance in the movie is perfection, reinventing the character his way while still being a fully believable James Bond. The sinister villains, great Bond girl in Vesper, and enthralling story are all there too. The PTS and ending scene are both absolutely the best in the series for my tastes as well. I love this whole series, but nothing captured my imagination and still rules quite the same way as CR to me. Hail to the king!
2. Thunderball. This film is a slowburn, light on action. That's fine with me. The film's two parts have an appealling claustrophobic setting: Bond at Shrublands and then on Nassau. The lack of "space" adds to the suspense. And no Bond film has sharper dialogue. Bond's sexual encounter with Fiona is also a highlight: one realizes that there were fireworks here but they eventually gave in to their roles.
3. Goldfinger. A classic. Like many of my favorite Bond films, this one's lack of pure action allows Connery's more suave, sophisticated Bond to come to the surface. And of all Bond films, this one's setting in Kentucky is the most unusual. Seeing Bond sip a mint julep is a thing of pure joy.
4. Casino Royale. This one has tumbled a little in my rankings, and I think parts of it have not aged well, but no Bond film has a better plot. (Its second half is well-adapted from the novel.) This is DC's best performance as Bond, deeply flawed and vulnerable in ways we had never seen in Bond before.
5. From Russia With Love. The only Bond film with two clear and separate tracks: Bond seeing the lektor and Bond being pursued (unbeknownst to him). Our impression of trains, as iconic trope in Bond films, started here.
These top 5 are pretty well set. They might move around within this top 5, but they are consistently my five best. There is a slight drop to the next ten films, which are more or less at the same level for me.
6. Diamonds Are Forever. Is this the sixth best Bond film of all time? No. But is it my sixth favorite? Yes. It's also my #1 guilty pleasure. By all measures or standards, this Bond film could be considered one of the worst. I get that. But damn...is this movie a Bond acid trip or what? I mean, elephants playing slots, Bond riding a moon buggy, a pair of oddball homosexual hitmen, Connery in a pink tie? It all hooks me every time.
7. On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I have never quite warmed to Lazenby but the film is nonetheless stellar, with epic ski chases and villain lair second to none. Telly Savalas is the best Blofeld.
8. Live and Let Die. I still think that Moore's best film was his first one, a glaring departure stylistically from Connery's 60s films. McCartney's title song makes that clear really quickly. Yes, the film traffics in racial stereotypes, but it is also an homage to the blaxploitation films of the time.
9. Dr. No. This has moved up in recent months. Like Thunderball, this film's setting pens us in, and like Bond, we feel there is no escape. Islands can do that. My only quibble: not enough screentime for Joseph Wiseman.
10. No Time to Die. A controversial selection. I applauded the artistic choice at the end. It took guts. And now, with EON gone, it also makes sense. The film suffers from other plot elements, like Safin's odd relationship with Madeleine (this could have been played to better effect)...But it's a grand film; well-paced and well-directed by Cary Fukunaga.
11. You Only Live Twice. The film's plot is preposterous. But...who cares? We buy into all of it. Many scenes are a nod to Japanese monster films of the era,
12. Spectre. As disappointing as this film is/was, it still has enough going for it to get into this level of my rankings. It's hard to dismiss an epic PTS, a great re-imagining of a Spectre meeting, and a truly terrific train fight.
13. The Spy Who Loved Me. This was the first Bond film I saw in theaters. What struck me then, as it still does today, is its contrasts: snow-capped mountains, sands of Egypt, a lair at sea. Like all great Bond films, this one comes with a great and memorable henchman.
14. Quantum of Solace. The writers strike hurt this film, which went into production without much of a script. Poor Marc Forster did what he could and the results are uneven. But three distinct sequences stand out: the chase with Mitchell, the fight with Slate, and the entire Opera scene. The use of the Cerro Parannal in Peru is a brilliant move, as well. Note how Forster plays with the metaphor of water.
15. Licence to Kill. Another guilty pleasure, of sorts. The production design here, like its predecessor, is cheap-looking for the era. But this time it works. Robert Davi's Sanchez is an underrated villain.
Now for another separation. The next group of films is step below. They're films that certainly have their moments.
16. The Man With the Golden Gun. Not sure what I find so appealing in this film. But there is no Moore film that fits an era like this one. After all, the AMCs drop us into early 70s like nothing else.
17. The World Is Not Enough. Pierce's best Bond film. Whereas Christmas Jones was a liability two decades ago, I am no longer bothered by her appearance. The film works. And Pierce is at his most relaxed in the role, perhaps aided by his work in The Thomas Crown Affair, which he filmed just prior.
18. A View to a Kill. I don't care that Rog is too old and that his stunt double is visible in half the scenes. He still plays the part with a wink and a nod; meanwhile, Christopher Walken is dead serious. The contrasts are brilliant.
19. For Your Eyes Only. If not for Bibi Dahl and a terrible Bill Conti score, this would rank higher.
20. The Living Daylights. Dalton is fine as Bond, a precursor to Daniel Craig. But the material isn't there, and neither is the production design.
21. Goldeneye. One of the best opening sequences ever. But the momentum isn't quite sustained.
22. Octopussy. I want to like this more. Magda is the most underrated Bond girl of all time. Ah heck, as I write this I want to move the film up a few spots. Then again, I hear the "Tarzan yell" and want to vomit.
23. Tomorrow Never Dies. It's not a "bad" film by any measure; it's just not all that memorable.
And then for the bottom two, which belong there.
24. Die Another Day. Bad all the way around: a face transplant plot that combines DAF and Face/Off and an odd, unnecessary appearance by Madonna, to boot.
25. Moonraker. The only Bond film that I can't stomach watching, despite two great scenes (the death of Corinne, and the alley scene when Jaws is in costume at Carnival). From the moronic PTS (faces in butts), to the Jaws love interest, to the use of the Close Encounters theme...it is all a disaster. I appreciate that many fans like it for it's camp; but unlike DAF, the camp here doesn't work for me at all.
i really enjoy reading your appraisals
Skyfall ahead of Moonraker is unforgivable.
Thus:
The Top Five
LTK. Excellent PTS with narrative economy abound, grand theme, superb plot direction, two great Bond girls, an all-time great villain (with good henchmen), excellent chase sequences which prioritise plot but don't skimp on spectacle, the correct use of M and Moneypenny, Q's finest hour (it works because of Llewellyn) and a top-notch Bond motivated personally, not dutifully.
A true series high.
FRWL
Possibly the most important Bond movie, and best adaptation to boot. It posits what is a naive, guided Bond into the murky realm of international espionage. Excellent villains. Red Grant permeates the picture, adding real menace and culminating in a classic fight, and introduces Spectre without invocations of Dr Evil.
It's not only the tension, but the vibrancy and effusive performances of the support cast. We care about Kerim Bey, and his sons. Lotte Lenya is awesome as Klebb (the film deserves detraction for portraying homosexuality as a deformity), with Vladek Sheybal responsible for the greatest death of the series.
TSWLM
It's just great fun, isn't it? Everything about the fun just sings. Jaws, the locations, the ludicrous plot, the soundtrack, even Bach's acting. All of it. Obviously riffing on the Goldfinger Effect but doing so with brio, panache and style. Yes. It's better.
It's Roger Moore's finest hour, this. It all comes together for him after two curious performances ribbing on Sir Sean. Conscientious, brave but altogether deadly. His 'what a helpful chap' line is his Bond's crystallisation. Could watch this over and over and never be disappointed.
OHMSS
Atrophied somewhat by self-referencing and awkward product placement, this entry is a rebuke to the preceding Goldfinger Effect trio. An all-time, possibly pinnacle, Bond girl later wife and her awesome Dad. Telly Savalas is a bolshy Blofeld and we have a vulnerable, prone bachelor Bond. It probably shouldn't work, but it absolutely does.
It works because of its sheer bravery: it makes no bones about wanting to smash what was a tired albeit winning formula. New Bond meant new opportunities and the narrative's insistence on love, not lust, elevates this entry into orbit.
GoldenEye
This was the toughest call because of the tight competition, but its winning argument is an anomaly: recovery. Recovering the series and itself from what is a disjointed PTS and Shirley Bassey-lite (I mean lite) theme tune into a smart, stylish and opulent action thriller better than those it clearly imitates.
The support cast are superb. Dench, Kitchen and Samantha Bond nail it. A winning return for Joe Don Baker. The plot thickens up and insures itself against incoherence neatly, allowing characters room to breathe and develop. The finale is fantastic. But top marks has to be the rivalry between 006 and 7.
That's my top five. Coming up next is the nearly quintet. The Quintet of Solace.
Five top Bond movies in no particular order (besides 6-10) which almost made the top cut, but, for reasons best unknown to this author, did not. Please be reminded the synopsis are not exhaustive.
Here we go:
Goldfinger
I know, I know. How can anyone rating GF outside the top one be taken seriously? Well, it's just that for a film which demands we accept spectacle over brain, its best scene, and possibly of the entire series, is the scene which cuts away all such nonsense insists a very lucky Bond use his wits.
Superbly scripted and gloriously directed, the film nosedives in Kentucky, culminating in a poorly judged, even for its time, borderline rape scene. The implausible Fort Knox scene lifts it somewhat, but the obvious model aircraft crashing into the sea is a fitting epithet. Could have been much more despite being much more.
Casino Royale
The first hour is as good as a James Bond movie, especially in the modern age, could get. Strong opening hour contender. Craig the greatest debut. Brilliant characterisation, two sensational chase sequences, daring, and succeeding, at originality with a whole lot else. So, what happens?
It's the third act. It's woeful. Veers off from
Top Bond into dodgy romcom territory with a twist which doesn't either land or crash. What's worse is it segues into QOS and despite this author not usually accepting criticism of one film based on a sequel, it's hard to see where else it could have gone. The first hour saves it.
The Living Daylights
See above. What works works. Great debut, good plot, well built and delivered with good dialogue, characterisation, stunts, soundtrack et al. Green Four fight, General Pushkin rocks like Gibraltar and Kara is exquisite.
A few gripes. Kamrin Shah is blah. The teaming up with the Taliban to win the Great Game. Armoured mujahideen at a Viennese opera house mingling with invading Commies. Bond spanking Moneypenny, who swoons. Kara being an exquisite plot device Bond arguably gaslights (no such language as Afghan Timbo, you cad) and decent, albeit textbook, villains.
Dr No
Aye, it's the original, the trendsetter which paved the way and changed film as we know it. Plus, it's a quality film on its own merit: plot/character driven with all the right distractions.
It's just falls flat whenever the eponymous villain reveals himself. Who the heck puts a human sized air-vent in a prisoner's cell, one which allows access to their diabolical lair? Metal hands? The film is built on a simmering tension which ultimately falters, but has it where it counts in many other departments.
LALD
The first Bond movie to blend the 007 lore with athwart box office trends, LALD is a punchy, fast thriller which delivers on its dialogue if not its characters. Some sing, whilst others remain hollower than Baron Samedi's stricken skull. There's more than enough to choose from.
A solid debut for Rog but not to his strengths. Bourbon, Mardi Gras, voodoo, frantic ties and boring Solitaire being saved from racist tropes, but it's got enough juice in the tank to let it live. Excellent soundtrack and smart direction are key.
.
Apart from, you know, the fact that as a scriptwriter (or anyone else for that matter) you can't look into the future either.
Moonraker
Easily the most ludicrous of Bonds, it 'objectively' belongs nearer to the bottom than the top until, of course, you just go with it.
Because, when you do...
AVTAK
Ibid.
Also, Christopher Walken, alongside Mayday, is an all time great villain. The key is not the casting, it's the plotting. We know he's a maniac, so all of the myriad holes in his munificent nonsense are instantly exonerated allowing Walken carte blanche. Silva, take note.
Octopussy
Another one which the objective types don't get, or won't, is this godawful pearler from the John Glen era. Having purged themselves of Moonraker's slapstick with the po-faced FYEO, we're pack to peak-Rog. We have Bond tell tigers to sit, dress as a clown, yell like Tarzan and hot lashings of everyone's favourite demented strawberry, General Orlov, in all his splendour.
Great villains, beautiful locations and a luxurious John Barry soundtrack make up for a tepid pts/theme, whilst the race to disarm the device is electric, terrifying, tense, brutal and, above all, entertaining. Troublesome Indian stereotypes and terrible casting with the ladies, but, well, who really wants to be objective?
Three which defy caregorisation.
Next up is the middling Bonds.
In no particular order:
Thunderball
The Goldfinger Effect in full swing. With an intergenerational audience to please, spectacle
was ultimately expected to overcome plot, not that plot wasn't important.
This is the first result. A mish-mashed thriller or convoluted thrills, stifled villains, awkward sexual politics and unrealised characterisation in which things blowing up and the baddies having eyepatches reign supreme. The underwater sequences are rightly criticised. Has its moments, but...
You Only Live Twice
The Goldfinger Effect again. Bond is bored, Tiger is toothless, Kissy gets Pissy. Fatigued and fatiguing, everything feels dependent upon gratuitous spectacle. The special effects, possibly jaw-dropping for their age, are terrible to watch back especially when there's no further meat on the bones.
Also, Donald Pleasance has a few great lines but his Blofeld, it....I don't know if it's the film, his casting or what, but it doesn't work somehow. Luckily, OHMSS eschewed the Goldfinger Effect for a heartbeat, but YOLT was in need of a jolt.
For Your Eyes Only
See, Bibi's much maligned, but she actually encapsulates this film fairly well. Expertly shot with some superb scenes and that special rarity: a quality companion for Bond; this was an attempt to mature and ripen ol' Rog and, literally, bring Bond back to earth after Moonraker.
However, underneath, immaturity prevails. The mountain ascent, country chase, sinking of St Georges, keel-hauling are all awesome scenes (there's plenty more besides), but it all culminates with Bond sleeping with a woman old enough to be his adult daughter and Margaret effing Thatcher talking to a parrot (not from her cabinet). Just not there yet.
The World Is Not Enough
A film which is constantly reappraised as an under-rated masterpiece but is actually anything but. Stunt casting, over acting, under acting and mediocre action set-pieces do not revive its stilted dialogue or plodding pace. It's just not very good.
Narrowly avoids a place on the list of shame for one reason, alone: it's so unremarkable I can't be bothered to bring it up again later.
Skyfall
Another film rated as one of the greats but has a plot so wilfully incoherent, with established characters acting like total wallies for no good reason, it really belongs in mid-table at best.
Well cast and shot, with some grand moments to saviour but still easily the most over-rated entry in the entire series.
Spectre
Another beautifully shot entry, with an excellent colour scheme, which suffers from some poor decision- making: Bond and Blofeld's brotherhood is a serious mis-step and underwhelming chase sequences.
Has its moments but are too few and far between. The M, Tanner, Moneypenny, Q foursome are not fantastic, whereas Denbigh is Dominic Greene level bad. Waltz is uninspiring.
No Time To Die
No Time To Die but plenty of time in which to go for a sleep. It's too long and has too many characters. Paloma doesn't linger fair play but the aforementioned quartet of solace sadly do.
Killing Felix and Bond off is, again, terrible
decision making. It doesn't really work and feels like an opportunity to create a 007 Universe based on these extraneous characters. Some hit, some miss.
DAF
An offensively shit sequel to OHMSS which is neither camp nor corny, it's just shit.
TMWTGG
If I genuinely have to explain what is terrible about this codpiece....
One or two good lines and Christopher Lee (though he is terrible in it). Frankly godawful.
Tomorrow Never Dies
Makes me wish today would. One of the rare films in which I hope Bond gets ruthlessly murdered.
Judi Dench and Vincent Schiavelli rock, but absolutely nobody else does. Probably doesn't belong in the doldrums but I can't be bothered to reassess it.
Die Another Day
You know why.
There you have it, folks. I forgot QOS, but that's for the best.
They're not distinct, either.
Sure they are, just don't be simplistic about it. Describing TLD as 'Bond teams up with the Taliban' is incorrect.
Someone like this guy was also part of the Mujahideen: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Shah_Massoud
He was against fundamentalism, believed in democracy, fought the Taliban and was killed for it. Claiming the above puts him in the same bracket as those he opposed.
(If you care to read that Wiki you'll notice some similiraties with Kamran Shah)
If TLD's last third is too slow for you, that's fine. But 'Bond teams up with the Taliban.' is not a valid argument.
TLD's final third is good. Assertive action, quality soundtrack and a bit to do for Kara. It's just that Bond teams up with the, well, he teams up with a controversial band of rebels who later became the tal...later became something else.
Also, the link you gave me didn't mention anything about aiding British spies and Czechoslovakian cellists stopping corrupt Commies indulge in private enterprise. Just joking. It was an enlightening read.
Art Malik, I remember, said he'd be 'marked for life' by certain idiots as he appeared in True Lies. Though released much later than TLD, I doubt he had radical jihadism in mind for Kamran.
So, such valid criticism is hereby stricken from the record, but not the point about The Great Game. It's apt (ish).