Last Bond Movie You Watched

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  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited May 2014 Posts: 5,080
    As always, I'm really happy to see some love for what I see as one of the stronger entries of the franchise.

    I can appreciate the criticism that the film gets, but I can never understand why it comes out last on Rotten Tomatoes (36%!). I mean, really? Have they actually seen Die Another Day?
  • Shockingly enough, @MayDayDiVicenzo, Die Another Day was relatively warmly received by the critics upon its release. It somehow managed to be the second-best received of Brosnan's.
  • Posts: 19,339
    Yes i remember seeing someone reading the film section in the Sun newspaper on the train one day at it had a double page spread and the film critic gave it 4/5 stars... (*) (*) (*) (*)
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    barryt007 wrote:
    Yes i remember seeing someone reading the film section in the Sun newspaper on the train one day at it had a double page spread and the film critic gave it 4/5 stars... (*) (*) (*) (*)

    Well, that's the Sun for you!
  • The Living Daylights

    It's a fine Bond movie, but I fear that it's somewhat overrated around these parts. The film has its strengths, to be sure: the series is at its most realistic since From Russia With Love, and Dalton is at his best as a hard-edged secret agent searching Bratislava for Kara, when he tells Saunders (the entire Saunders mini-arc is well done) about how he'd welcome being fired, and when he holds a gun to Poushkin, ready to shoot. The PTS is also very well done, and I am unduly fond of the car chase through the mountains. Necros' two fights, against the unnamed MI6 member and Bond, were both among the better ones in the series. The romance between Bond and Kara is also one of the sweetest, most believable in the series, and might just be the best not to end tragically.

    The films weaknesses come in many shapes and sizes: First of all, the villains (except for Necros) are some of the worst in the series. Koskov is a jokey, hammy buffoon, and Whitaker is just a mess. Even the name is awful. How did we ever get from Dr. Julius No to Brad Whitaker? The plot is also far too complicated; even the more serious Bonds like FRWL, FYEO, and CR were relatively intuitive. Dalton's also less-suited to the comedy bits that were left over from Moore, his "Bond, James Bond" here is horribly misused, and his angry expression after Saunders' death is almost laughable. Finally, it makes no sense to have Gogol be so accepting of the Muhajideen, considering they are quite literally at war, but that's the price of having Gogol in it.

    All in all, it retains its place right in the middle of the series at #12 of 23.
  • edited May 2014 Posts: 11,189
    THANK YOU =D> You've got it round about the same spot as me on your list.

    Its got a good solid film but not quite the masterpiece some fans say.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited May 2014 Posts: 40,976
    Thank you, everyone.

    @Benny, apologies! I was thinking that you loved the film when I got toward the end of it, and had I not just done one of my longer lists, I would've done it for OP. Didn't figure anyone but one or two people read that, anyway. I plan on doing a Bondathon again very soon, so I'll make sure I do the ones I've yet to do. I just want to watch the rest now and pay attention.

    I watched TLD (terrific PTS, one of my favorites) and LTK tonight. TLD wasn't as great as I recalled, but it has a lot of moments and high points, and it's still very good. LTK is as fantastic as it has always been. One superb Bond film.

    Now I'm on to one called 'Goldeneye.' I guess this one is alright...

    ;-)
  • Posts: 11,189
    I think there are a lot of excellent scenes in TLD but chunks of it do drag a bit for me.
  • edited May 2014 Posts: 3,566
    Creasy47 wrote:
    I watched TLD (terrific PTS, one of my favorites) and LTK tonight. TLD wasn't as great as I recalled, but it has a lot of moments and high points, and it's still very good. TLD is as fantastic as it has always been. One superb Bond film.

    Sorry , but I'm a bit confused here, @Creasy. Is TLD not as great as you recalled, or is it as fantastic as it always has been? And how do you feel about LTK, anyway? :-O
  • edited May 2014 Posts: 11,425
    Creasy47 wrote:
    Thank you, everyone.

    @Benny, apologies! I was thinking that you loved the film when I got toward the end of it, and had I not just done one of my longer lists, I would've done it for OP. Didn't figure anyone but one or two people read that, anyway. I plan on doing a Bondathon again very soon, so I'll make sure I do the ones I've yet to do. I just want to watch the rest now and pay attention.

    I watched TLD (terrific PTS, one of my favorites) and LTK tonight. TLD wasn't as great as I recalled, but it has a lot of moments and high points, and it's still very good. TLD is as fantastic as it has always been. One superb Bond film.

    Now I'm on to one called 'Goldeneye.' I guess this one is alright...

    ;-)

    The PTS of TLD is a mini-masterpiece and the whole Prague sequence is fantastic. One of the pinnacles of Bond movie making.

    There are elements of the film that have not aged particularly well (Tim's wardrobe mainly!), but overall a very enjoyable movie. In my top five.

    On a side note, tried to watch GE the other day and had to turn it off after 5 mins.
  • Posts: 12
    The last Bond film I watched was Diamonds are Forever. It was one of the few that I hadn't seen because I heard so many bad things about it. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be given all the negative stuff I heard, but it wasn't great either. I'd say it's definitely the worst of the Connery Bonds, but there were some parts I liked such as the car chase (despite the awkward two wheel car flip continuity error) and the Howard Hughes angle they took. I'm reading the novel now and obviously it's completely different aside from the fact that Bond uses the Peter Franks alias at the beginning. I'm enjoying the novel a lot more. I have to think that if they kept more elements from the novel that it might have been a better film.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    johntitor1 wrote:
    I have to think that if they kept more elements from the novel that it might have been a better film.

    This goes for all the 70s films except TSWLM.
  • Posts: 4,762
    Octopussy

    It's funny, I used to absolutely hate OP- when I first bought it on DVD about four years ago and watched it, I was not a fan. I found it to be boring and cheesy, what with the Tarzan yell, the gorilla suit, the clown suit, etc. However, as of about probably two years ago or so, I've completely changed my opinion. It's one of the best Bond movies! I always have trouble following some elements of the plot, such as the Fabrege egg and Kamal's involvement with Orlov's plan, but nonetheless, it is an extremely compelling and interesting plot that is filled with terrific Soviet intrigue and espionage. And how about that backstory to Octopussy herself with Major Dexter Smythe? It's little things like that which go a long way for Bond movies. I honestly cannot fathom why I ever found OP to be boring, because frankly, it is one of the most action-packed Bond adventures out there! There's really not a single action sequence in the movie that I dislike, except perhaps some of the more corny portions of the Indian taxi chase. Even so, it's not enough to ruin the scene for me. Another thing OP has in its favor, which might go unnoticed more often than not, is some truly colorful characters- Kamal, Gobinda, General Orlov, Octopussy, Mishka and Grishka, Magda- that all contribute in some way to making the movie quite memorable. And Roger's performance? Absolutely spot on! I don't think I'd ever noticed it before. I never thought he did poorly in OP, but his performance hit a new high with me on this viewing. The cinematography for the Indian locations also found new favor with me this time, and probably because I just picked up the Ultimate Edition DVD the other day, so it was quite a vast improvement over my old Special 007 Edition. The only element of OP that I'm never too sure on is the soundtrack. It's by no means awful, but I can't put it far past mediocre. I suppose it's just the fact that nothing particularly stands out, but I will say this- having just watched TSWLM the other day, I appreciate OP's soundtrack being at least fitting to the movie!


    Spring 2014 Bondathon Ranking

    1. GoldenEye
    2. License to Kill
    3. A View to a Kill
    4. SkyFall
    5. Octopussy
    6. Diamonds Are Forever
    7. The Man with the Golden Gun
    8. The Spy Who Loved Me
    9. The World is not Enough
    10. Dr. No
    11. You Only Live Twice
    12. Thunderball
    13. The Living Daylights
    14. Live and Let Die
    15. Die Another Day
    16. Moonraker
    17. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  • edited May 2014 Posts: 4,762
    Tomorrow Never Dies

    High points:

    -Great pacing
    -Brosnan's performance
    -Elliot Carver
    -Cinematography
    -Soundtrack
    -Action sequences

    Low Points:

    -Wai Lin and Paris Carver
    -Little breathing room between action sequences
    -Lame title song

    More high points than low points; TND always stands as a favorite!


    Spring 2014 Bondathon Ranking

    1. GoldenEye
    2. License to Kill
    3. A View to a Kill
    4. SkyFall
    5. Tomorrow Never Dies
    6. Octopussy
    7. Diamonds Are Forever
    8. The Man with the Golden Gun
    9. The World is not Enough
    10. The Spy Who Loved Me
    11. Dr. No
    12. You Only Live Twice
    13. Thunderball
    14. The Living Daylights
    15. Live and Let Die
    16. Die Another Day
    17. Moonraker
    18. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited May 2014 Posts: 40,976
    @BeatlesSansEarmuffs, I edited my post, I meant to say LTK at the end, not TLD.

    @Getafix, turned GE off after five minutes because you couldn't handle how fantastic it was, right? R-right?...

    :D
  • Posts: 1,596
    Truly cannot understand how someone can hate GE.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Truly cannot understand how someone can hate GE.

    Some people don't like to be taken for a ride. ;)
  • Thunderball007Thunderball007 United States
    edited May 2014 Posts: 306
    The last James Bond movie that I watched is Thunderball!

    It is my favorite (or definitely in my top 3) of the 007 films! I love everything in Thunderball! It is very exciting, and the pacing is either gradual or intense. I must say that Nassau is so exotic and lovely! Everything in this location is stunningly gorgeous!!! The Thunderball theme by Tom Jones is a classic! Sean Connery is the super confident 00 Agent in this adventure (Sean Connery is my favorite 007). The under water sequences look wonderful! Thunderball also feels like the most epic of the James Bond missions!
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,801
    I just watched my new Blu Ray of TLD, and WOW was it cool! My favourite Bond movie lookin' sharper & more detailed than ever... one thing I noticed this time around though, that Afghan jail was pretty darn clean. A little more grime would've not been amiss.
    I immediately ordered LTK on BR...
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    @Birdleson, watching TND right now, finished GE earlier today. I think we were pretty close to one another in this Bondathon we were having. I think I'm going to stop after DAD, I've done way too many Craig Bondathons or just watched the Craig films in general.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Well again, I'm glad you managed to change it up and add a little spice to it this time around. I'll have to give that a go in the near future. Like I said last time, I might go backwards (which I guess will mess with the timeline, so perhaps not). We'll see. I have to finish TND, then it's TWINE and DAD for me and I'm finished. I'm ready to move on to my other, non-Bond movies after having pure Bond a few days in a row and nothing else. Lots of new movies I'm eager to get to.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    I bet it's entertaining, though. I've bought a lot of new movies that I haven't seen in a while recently - and some of them are blind buys - so I'm eager to dive into those, but I want to go through my collection in ABC order, as not to neglect anything. It'll take a long while, looking forward to updating the 'Last Movie You Watched' thread in a few days. Hopefully I start watching the rest of the Brosnan films early tomorrow so I can finish DAD before I go to bed.
  • Posts: 11,425
    00Beast wrote:
    Octopussy

    It's funny, I used to absolutely hate OP- when I first bought it on DVD about four years ago and watched it, I was not a fan. I found it to be boring and cheesy, what with the Tarzan yell, the gorilla suit, the clown suit, etc. However, as of about probably two years ago or so, I've completely changed my opinion. It's one of the best Bond movies! I always have trouble following some elements of the plot, such as the Fabrege egg and Kamal's involvement with Orlov's plan, but nonetheless, it is an extremely compelling and interesting plot that is filled with terrific Soviet intrigue and espionage. And how about that backstory to Octopussy herself with Major Dexter Smythe? It's little things like that which go a long way for Bond movies. I honestly cannot fathom why I ever found OP to be boring, because frankly, it is one of the most action-packed Bond adventures out there! There's really not a single action sequence in the movie that I dislike, except perhaps some of the more corny portions of the Indian taxi chase. Even so, it's not enough to ruin the scene for me. Another thing OP has in its favor, which might go unnoticed more often than not, is some truly colorful characters- Kamal, Gobinda, General Orlov, Octopussy, Mishka and Grishka, Magda- that all contribute in some way to making the movie quite memorable. And Roger's performance? Absolutely spot on! I don't think I'd ever noticed it before. I never thought he did poorly in OP, but his performance hit a new high with me on this viewing. The cinematography for the Indian locations also found new favor with me this time, and probably because I just picked up the Ultimate Edition DVD the other day, so it was quite a vast improvement over my old Special 007 Edition. The only element of OP that I'm never too sure on is the soundtrack. It's by no means awful, but I can't put it far past mediocre. I suppose it's just the fact that nothing particularly stands out, but I will say this- having just watched TSWLM the other day, I appreciate OP's soundtrack being at least fitting to the movie!


    Spring 2014 Bondathon Ranking

    1. GoldenEye
    2. License to Kill
    3. A View to a Kill
    4. SkyFall
    5. Octopussy
    6. Diamonds Are Forever
    7. The Man with the Golden Gun
    8. The Spy Who Loved Me
    9. The World is not Enough
    10. Dr. No
    11. You Only Live Twice
    12. Thunderball
    13. The Living Daylights
    14. Live and Let Die
    15. Die Another Day
    16. Moonraker
    17. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

    Great to see another convert to OP. One of my personal favourites. Packed full of classic moments (and I'm not talking about the tarzan bit).
  • edited May 2014 Posts: 11,425
    Birdleson wrote:
    TOMORROW NEVER DIES

    It's falling a spot to #20. Previously I would defend the first half of this picture, but this time I had serious problems throughout. Possibly the worst dialogue in the franchise. Senseless, over choreographed, nauseatingly routine, loud action scenes. Not unique to this film, but definitely pushed to a maximum level, is the incessant automatic weapons fire. It is nearly endless, and Bond apparently has some kind of teflon coating because he doesn't even seem to be concerned, and rightfully so. They just pour bullets at him, from all directions, just can't seem to hit him. So why is it even there? If anything, the tension decreases when such fireworks become the norm.

    I like the sets. I still liked the scenes in his hotel room with Paris (alive scene and dead scene), the PTS was decent, but that really is about it.

    All that's left in my latest journey through the Bond films is GOLDENEYE. After that I'm going to try putting them away until some time around July of next year and then run through the series again leading up to Bond 24. Going to be rough. I'm sure I'll still check out any that happen to come on television.

    Hardly a classic, but far and away the best Brosnan entry IMO. Although that's not arguably setting the bar very high, it does have a couple of genuinely enjoyable moments. Brosnan seems more at ease in this one than GE, and the swift pace helps prevent it slipping into the coma-inducing tedium of TWINE.
  • edited May 2014 Posts: 11,189
    OP is pretty goofy at times but I can't help but find it my "guilty pleasure" Bond film.
    The film has a strange mix of some pretty dark moments (Bond watching as Kamahl's men disposing of two bodies in a freezer) and some very silly ones (the tennis nods, the shot of Bond inside a crocodile).

    Also, is it me or could the PTS easily have Leslie Nielsen in it?
  • Posts: 11,425
    BAIN123 wrote:
    OP is pretty goofy at times but I can't help but find it my "guilty pleasure" Bond film. Also, is it me or could the PTS easily have Leslie Nielsen in it?

    No need to feel guilty about this one. The daft comedy bits in the first half seem to have convinced some fans that it's not worthy of serious consideration as a top notch Bond movie. But the second half more than makes up for any supposed failings at the start. (Although, I have to admit, I really enjoy a lot of the silliness).
  • edited May 2014 Posts: 11,189
    I think its very flawed but the goofy tone doesn't take up all of the film.

    Although I do find it very entertaining I don't think I'd quite call OP "top notch". Its #10 on my list at the moment. Stuff like the auction, Bond and OP, the train sequence, Bond frantically disarming the bomb and of course Kamahl Kahn give the film some class and make up for the silly bits.
  • Posts: 11,425
    BAIN123 wrote:
    I think its very flawed but the goofy tone doesn't take up all of the film.

    Although I do find it very entertaining I don't think I'd quite call it "top notch". Its #10 on my list at the moment. Stuff like the auction, Bond and OP, the train sequence, Bond frantically disarming the bomb and of course Kamahl Kahn give the film some class and make up for the goofy bits.

    Most of the films are flawed in some way. I'd only put two or three in the flawless category. By top notch I meant top ten. I also have it hovering around the bottom half of my top ten movies.
  • AceHoleAceHole Belgium, via Britain
    Posts: 1,731
    The Living Daylights

    It's a fine Bond movie, but I fear that it's somewhat overrated around these parts. The film has its strengths, to be sure: the series is at its most realistic since From Russia With Love, and Dalton is at his best as a hard-edged secret agent searching Bratislava for Kara, when he tells Saunders (the entire Saunders mini-arc is well done) about how he'd welcome being fired, and when he holds a gun to Poushkin, ready to shoot. The PTS is also very well done, and I am unduly fond of the car chase through the mountains. Necros' two fights, against the unnamed MI6 member and Bond, were both among the better ones in the series. The romance between Bond and Kara is also one of the sweetest, most believable in the series, and might just be the best not to end tragically.

    The films weaknesses come in many shapes and sizes: First of all, the villains (except for Necros) are some of the worst in the series. Koskov is a jokey, hammy buffoon, and Whitaker is just a mess. Even the name is awful. How did we ever get from Dr. Julius No to Brad Whitaker? The plot is also far too complicated; even the more serious Bonds like FRWL, FYEO, and CR were relatively intuitive. Dalton's also less-suited to the comedy bits that were left over from Moore, his "Bond, James Bond" here is horribly misused, and his angry expression after Saunders' death is almost laughable. Finally, it makes no sense to have Gogol be so accepting of the Muhajideen, considering they are quite literally at war, but that's the price of having Gogol in it.

    All in all, it retains its place right in the middle of the series at #12 of 23.


    You raise some valid points, both for and against. But I still don't see how people rate LTK over TLD - I have watched both back to back (in both 'orders') and still find TLD far more satisfying & entertaining. LTK has a far better villain, but other than that...
    TLD's Pre Title Sequence, the initial set up of the plot (sniper scene) and the safe house chapter are some of the series' absolute highlights i.m.o . It's only let down by the naff main adversarie(s) (Necros excluded).
  • edited May 2014 Posts: 11,425
    Totally agree. TLD is the better Bond movie overall. LTK has the better villain perhaps, but Necros is an excellent henchman and while Davi is definitely good, I've always wondered if this type of villain is really right for a Bond movie. He is pure evil sadist, but in a very realistic way. The acting is great and he imbues the character with total believability, but I do think the Bond villains require just a little touch of the fantastical, otherwise the fun can become a little lost amongst the seriousness.

    LTK has always felt to me, a little overly serious for a Bond movie. It has some enjoyable sequences and I think still feels more like a Bond film than all the Brosnans, but it rings a slightly off key note for me, that in many ways heralds the loss of purpose and direction that was to characterise the following decade.

    I have no doubt that the end of the cold war had something to do with this.
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