Unanimous Opinions on Bond Films

edited March 2013 in Bond Movies Posts: 40
The Bond fan community is home to a lot of strong opinions, one's least favorite film is often another's most treasured. One's favorite Bond Girl is often hated and despised by others. Thats the beauty of the Bond franchise though.

But what are some opinions on Bond films that you feel are, for the most part, unanimously agreed on by most James Bond fans? Although I've been a Bond fan for many years, I'm still new to the boards so I could be wrong on some of these but here are some opinions that I feel I never hear disagreements over or casting choices/character portrayals that are never spoken bad about.

Casting Choices

1 - Judi Dench as M

2 - Eva Green as Vesper

3 - Diana Rigg as Tracy di Vicenzo

4 - Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny

5 - Desmond Llewelyn as Q

General Opinions

1 - The PTS of Diamonds are Forever is an unsatisfying followup to the end of On Her Majesty's Secret Service

2 - Shirley Bassey did great things for the franchise

3 - Everyone loves the James Bond theme

4 - Honey Ryder is one of the most beautiful Bond Girls

What are some other opinions that are unanimously agreed on? And if I'm wrong on some of the ones I mentioned, please let me know.
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Comments

  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    I think it's impossible to find unanimous opinions on Bond films, however I agree with all the ones you listed.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited March 2013 Posts: 13,355
    There are some that don't approve of Judi Dench as M or Eva Green as Vesper but apart from that you're right.

    The problem is, they are so vauge, even the public would agree with these choices. They say nothing about us as 'fans'.
  • edited March 2013 Posts: 12,837
    John Barry is the best composer. I'm not sure anyone would argue with that.

    I also can't think of anyone who thought Connery was a bad Bond. Overrated maybe, but I've never heard anyone say he was a crap James Bond.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited March 2013 Posts: 12,480
    This is tricky; really unanimous is probably impossible. But I agree so far with what has been mentioned, including Connery and Barry.

    What else we can all agree on? I offer:

    a) A gun barrel is needed somewhere. ;)

    b) The James Bond theme (M. Norman) should be somewhere in a Bond film, not just at beginning or end, I mean during scenes (a little or a lot is up for debate, but I think we all want it in the movie).

    c) Christopher Walken's Zorin in AVTAK was a very good villain indeed. I don't think I have heard anyone say anything negative about that portrayal.




  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Things I haven't heard criticized:

    1.) Sean was a great Bond; the blueprint.

    2.) Tracy (Diana Rigg) was great as a Bond girl in regards to her special affect on/relationship with Bond.

    3.) Timothy Dalton gave a great Bond performance in his 2 films and was ahead of his time.

    4.) FRWL is a classic Bond film.
  • Posts: 7,653
    Things I haven't heard criticized:

    3.) Timothy Dalton gave a great Bond performance in his 2 films and was ahead of his time.

    Really, you must be leading a sheltered life I guess. There are those that adore TD and those that do not and I have read those opinions on both sides. So criticized yes, and Unanimous No way Jose.

    TD is just too controversial to get no critism.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    edited March 2013 Posts: 11,139
    The db5 is THE defenitive Bond car.

    Honey coming out of the water and Jill in gold paint are the 2 most iconic Bond girl moments.

    The hack and slash editing of QoS was an overall failure.

    OHMSS is the best soundtrack of the series.

    Connery's introduction of saying the name is the best and had the most cultural impact on global society.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    SaintMark wrote:
    Things I haven't heard criticized:

    3.) Timothy Dalton gave a great Bond performance in his 2 films and was ahead of his time.

    Really, you must be leading a sheltered life I guess. There are those that adore TD and those that do not and I have read those opinions on both sides. So criticized yes, and Unanimous No way Jose.

    TD is just too controversial to get no critism.

    I said "I" hadn't seen it criticized, not you or anyone else, and didn't imply that nobody ever on the face of this earth criticized Timothy as Bond in any way, shape or form.
  • X3MSonicXX3MSonicX https://www.behance.net/gallery/86760163/Fa-Posteres-de-007-No-Time-To-Die
    edited March 2013 Posts: 2,635
    Why everyone keep saying that DAF is a bad film? I see that Connery was a bit older, obviously, but the film was not That bad. The only worst part of the whole movie for me is that Blofeld's "death" on the end wasn't satisfying.

    ----

    And it's rare (I said rare, not completely impossible) for me to find out many people saying that DN was a bad film, either Connery was the worst Bond ever.

    Many people also say that Brosnan saved the franchise and even made many people - like me - to get deeper in the series, and turn into fans.

    I also agree with @DarioOnatopp, that the James Bond theme is adored by every single fan.

    Agreeing with @Brady about FRWL being classic. Well i mean, Every single Bond film from the 60's are classics. But mainly FRWL, yes.

    Shirley Bassey made the Best Bond themes ever. My personal favourite's Goldfinger.

    Desmond was obviously the best Q. Cleese made a great job, but he only did 2 films, so that is hard to be choosen.

    About Judi Dench, not everyone liked her performance as M. She was great but everyone wanted a male M for the role. I loved her, and for me she's the second best M (Bernard Lee earns first place).
  • X3MSonicX wrote:
    Why everyone keep saying that DAF is a bad film? I see that Connery was a bit older, obviously, but the film was not That bad. The only worst part of the whole movie for me is that Blofeld's "death" on the end wasn't satisfying.

    No one said DAF was bad. I said that I think it was generally agreed that the revenge of Tracy's death was handled poorly in the PTS.

    And as far as Timothy Dalton goes, the opinion of him on this board is pretty high but I've seen a lot of James Bond rankings that bash him. Not that those should be taken seriously...

    And who dares say something negative about Eva and Judi!
  • X3MSonicXX3MSonicX https://www.behance.net/gallery/86760163/Fa-Posteres-de-007-No-Time-To-Die
    Posts: 2,635
    No one said DAF was bad. I said that I think it was generally agreed that the revenge of Tracy's death was handled poorly in the PTS.

    Oh. Well, I know that and I think i might agree, but i don't remember seeing any sight of him trying to get revenge for Tracy, although the attempt to kill Blofeld in the beggining says that for itself.
    And as far as Timothy Dalton goes, the opinion of him on this board is pretty high but I've seen a lot of James Bond rankings that bash him. Not that those should be taken seriously...

    Tim made a great Job. He's now my 3rd Best Bond. He needed to make 2 more films, '91 and '93. I don't understand why didn't he earn more chances, i think that LTK is underrated because of its "gore" scenes, but i don't see any problem with them. However I may see that by '89 they really didn't accept that kind of agressivity specially in a Bond film, and i can't understand why.
    And who dares say something negative about Eva and Judi!

    Unfortunately there are many people that doesn't likes both. As i said above, Judi did an excellent job, but many people wanted a male M.

    About Eva Green, just like @Brady, for me she was exceptionally excellent. But i don't know, not everyone liked her performance.

    =====

    Oh, I forgot to tell my opinion about Lois Maxwell. As Moneypenny, she did an excellent job, And for many original Fans, she's the best Moneypenny that was ever casted. I don't think that I'd ever find a fan that hates her, she brought the... Love, for many Bond films.

    I can obviously say that I'm not an original fan. My favourite Moneypenny is Samantha Bond.

    -

    There are many unanimous opinions about Bond films, but those are hard to be found. Unfortunately, there are people who doesn't likes one, two, three of the Bond actors (i liked all of them), or some Bond girls (The worst ones for me were Jynx, Xmas Jones, May day and Octopussy) and even Bond films (for me, the worst were DAD and Octopussy - Didn't please me that much, it had some horrible scenes). We need to think very much to choose many unanimous opinions on Bond films. Most parts of the world say a little quote that could fit in this thread, that "Not even God pleased everyone".
  • Aziz_FekkeshAziz_Fekkesh Royale-les-Eaux
    Posts: 403
    Wow, lots of hate for OP there; I personally think that OP is a good later Moore film and Maud Adams plays perfectly off of an aged Roger (unlike in, say, AVTAK).

    The only things here I can say are "universal" are the JB theme and Desmond as Q. Everything else, for me, is up for debate, including Judi, Shirley, and even Dalts.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    X3MSonicX wrote:
    Oh. Well, I know that and I think i might agree, but i don't remember seeing any sight of him trying to get revenge for Tracy, although the attempt to kill Blofeld in the beggining says that for itself.
    And that is why the film is absolute tripe.
  • X3MSonicXX3MSonicX https://www.behance.net/gallery/86760163/Fa-Posteres-de-007-No-Time-To-Die
    Posts: 2,635
    X3MSonicX wrote:
    Oh. Well, I know that and I think i might agree, but i don't remember seeing any sight of him trying to get revenge for Tracy, although the attempt to kill Blofeld in the beggining says that for itself.
    And that is why the film is absolute tripe.

    Maybe it is. It doesn't have the strongest scenes for the whole franchise, but it's not ridiculous like OP. DAF is not that remindable when you think about Bond, or a classic Bond film, but it was good, For Me and maybe another couple of fans.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    And that is why the film is absolute tripe.
    This here is why my visits to this site are now waning; Hate on DAF for its goofy, but love SF for its nonsense?
    If DAF is tripe, so is SF.
    Simplistic entertainment is just that, fun. To expect or demand 'realism' from a Bond movie is to invite disaster.
    Yeah, MR was too far, but the pendulum swings both ways.

    OHMSS was excellent period entertainment; DAF was as well, but to demand a serious and detailed continuity there is just daft IMO.

    It's show business.


  • Aziz_FekkeshAziz_Fekkesh Royale-les-Eaux
    Posts: 403
    But to get a movie featuring a joke Blofeld, an overweight and non-plussed Bond, an incoherent story, goofy special effects, and Z-movie movie direction is an insult after the epicness of OHMSS.
  • X3MSonicXX3MSonicX https://www.behance.net/gallery/86760163/Fa-Posteres-de-007-No-Time-To-Die
    Posts: 2,635
    Good to see that you guys love OHMSS. I thought that Lazemby's era wasn't respected here.
  • Posts: 2,189
    Can we all agree that Goldfinger is the quintessential Bond movie, and that Luciana Paluzzi was the best fem fatale as Fiona in TB?
  • Aziz_FekkeshAziz_Fekkesh Royale-les-Eaux
    Posts: 403
    Doubt it.
  • X3MSonicXX3MSonicX https://www.behance.net/gallery/86760163/Fa-Posteres-de-007-No-Time-To-Die
    Posts: 2,635
    Goldfinger is another classic. Brought up to the history of the cinemas and the history of the Bond movies, one of the best and most famous villains ever.
  • Can we all agree that Goldfinger is the quintessential Bond movie, and that Luciana Paluzzi was the best fem fatale as Fiona in TB?

    Yes and yes. Although GF was my first, so I'll always have some sort of special love for it. But Luciana's performance as Fiona was nothing short of amazing.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    edited March 2013 Posts: 28,694
    chrisisall wrote:
    And that is why the film is absolute tripe.
    This here is why my visits to this site are now waning; Hate on DAF for its goofy, but love SF for its nonsense?
    If DAF is tripe, so is SF.
    Simplistic entertainment is just that, fun. To expect or demand 'realism' from a Bond movie is to invite disaster.
    Yeah, MR was too far, but the pendulum swings both ways.

    OHMSS was excellent period entertainment; DAF was as well, but to demand a serious and detailed continuity there is just daft IMO.

    It's show business.


    No, to you it is nonsense. Comparing Skyfall to DAF is just an absolute insult to the former. Skyfall is full of intelligent symbolism and powerful eloquence while DAF is everything you wouldn't expect a diamond to be: imperfect, lusterless, chipped to no end. It is an absolute disgrace to the film that came before, in which there was so much promise set for the future of the franchise. I, or nobody else who love Skyfall are demanding any kind of supreme realism from the Craig era as you so wonderfully misinterpret time and time again. These films are not Oscar bait and will never have tight scripts with absolutely no plot holes or head scratching moments, and we understand that. The great thing about the Craig era is that you can have little hints of realism yet get the same amount of escapism where you see amazing things that can only happen in the world of Bond. We don't expect to see only things that can happen in reality, and are fully open to any and all fun that the films bring, which Skyfall does. It seems that you, someone who says realism shouldn't be in a Bond film has been criticizing the film for just that: its lack of so called plausibility. Take your own advice and have fun with the film instead of nit-picking every single thing it contains. It did what DAF failed so miserably at: keeping a consistent tone that didn't compromise itself or the previous films in its era while still having fun and giving us a kind of thrill that only Bond can.
    Can we all agree that Goldfinger is the quintessential Bond movie, and that Luciana Paluzzi was the best fem fatale as Fiona in TB?

    FRWL is more worthy of that title in my mind. It beats GF without the DB5, and all the Bond trademarks that started in 1964.
  • Posts: 61
    How about some paragraph breaks, jesus. DAF is just as worthy as "Skyfall" for different reasons. We need more comedy in Bond films today.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    How about back on topic?
    Are there any other things we can consider to be unanimous amongst us fans?

    Maybe one more from me: The theme song is important and should be incorporated throughout the film, however subtly.
  • Posts: 61
    There is not much that can be "unanimous" other than one thing-

    James Bond is here to stay, and we'll still be having adventures with him in a hundred years time.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    I do hope that's true. :) A big part of my culture, for sure.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    How about back on topic?
    Are there any other things we can consider to be unanimous amongst us fans?

    Maybe one more from me: The theme song is important and should be incorporated throughout the film, however subtly.
    As long as you stick to 'fans' then you can find a few unanimous opinions. Certainly I have never seen much to suggest any ill feelings towards Desmond llewellyn, John Barry and Lois Maxwell for example.
    Outside of fandom and it all changes.
  • Posts: 19

    doubleoego wrote:

    The hack and slash editing of QoS was an overall failure.

    I liked the editing in QoS especially in the PTS, just saying
    But definitive I would have to agree with a previous post and your post that:
    The db5 is the iconic bond car
    The gun barrel should be in the movie in some form or another Y
  • Posts: 498
    sandn119 wrote:
    doubleoego wrote:

    The hack and slash editing of QoS was an overall failure.

    I liked the editing in QoS especially in the PTS, just saying
    But definitive I would have to agree with a previous post and your post that:
    The db5 is the iconic bond car
    The gun barrel should be in the movie in some form or another Y

    I too liked the editing.

  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited March 2013 Posts: 13,978
    The only unanamous opinions I can think of are Desmond Llewellyn & John Barry. I can't ever recall anyone saying anything negative about either.

    There are a few opinions which come close (Connery, Craig, GF, the DB5), but with just my feelings alone towards each one, alone, makes them not loved by everyone.
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