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This is JAMES' SPECTRE COUNTDOWN BONDATHON 2015
For the first time I've decided to watch the films out of any chronological order. I'm gonna see how many I can get through before the release of SPECTRE and I'll be ranking the films as I go along.
I've put all the film names in a hat and I'll randomly select each one before watching. I was hoping for a good one to start but I guess I'll have to settle with....
1. Die Another Day (2002)
Now to watch the film - my thoughts to come later this morning....
I've been up and down on Die Another Day since its release 13 years ago. I remember seeing it in the cinema whilst still an impressionable teenager and loving it but when returning to it over the years I've baulked at all of the cringeworthy moments, of which DAD has plenty. It's hard to believe that this film was deemed worthy enough for the 40th anniversary of Bond.
Just a few thoughts whilst trying to watch this:
Gimmicky 3D bullet in the gunbarrel sequence should have told everyone from the outset how appalling this was likely to be.
The script just seems shockingly bad and not simply the dialogue given to Halle Berry - most of the big conversations between the central characters sound horribly contrived and as if they are trying to make everything as blatant and overtly OTT as they possibly can.
It’s an interesting move to have Bond captured and tortured at the beginning of the 40th anniversary of the series but it’s handled unsuccessfully. Bond would look much more unkempt after 14 months of torture and ill health and within minutes he’s back up on his feet again, stopping his own heart and plunging himself into the sea to escape. The torture itself is also poorly handled – being placed over the truly terrible title song from Madonna. If you're going to detract from the "yay, Bond saves the day" of the pre-titles so prevalent in the remainder of the series, do something more shocking and engaging!
Amidst all the overt references to the film’s history there are a couple of nice, subtle nods – the hotel Bond checks into in his dishevelled state in Hong Kong is called the Rubyeon Royale Hotel – (40 years; Eon; Casino Royale).
The moment that truly captures how bad DAD is, is of course the ice surfing sequence. It doesn't belong in something as prestigious as the Bond series, which prides itself in the ability to do stunt work for real, or in any film for that matter. What on earth were they thinking, seriously?!
I can see DAD being bottom of the list for me. On inspecting this film again, I honestly can't find anything worthy of praise. Even the fencing between Bond and Graves is marred by cheesy dialogue and bloody Madonna.
Time to move on with the next film for my review......
My next random selection is..... DR NO. Review to come.
Is it just me or is DAD a terrible film?
On this site? No, absolutely not.
And even in general DAD nowadays gets mentioned regularly as one of the 4 or 5 "worst" Bond movies.
I don't agree on your quite harsh verdict.
Everything up to and including the great fencing duel works perfectly in DAD. After that it goes downhill, especially in the over-the-top department.
The CGI is bad yes, but by no means is this the only Bond movie with bad special effects or obvious CGI.
As for believability, I buy Brosnan's 14 months torture anyday over Bond and Camille even surviving the free fall from the plane with the parachute opening like 1 second before impact. Or Bond being shot, falling to his certain death, drowning and walking around like nothing happened five minutes later.
If you look for it, and I suspect you did, you'll find things to complain about in all Bond movies.
But of course I respect your opinion. If you don't like it, everything seems bad. I get that.
Exactly. That's why during this Bondathon I locked away all the criticisms I've read about the films on these forums away and watch the film and switch off my brain to see if I enjoy the film or not.
What I love about Goldeneye is mainly the villains and parts of the dialogue. But the script is also its downfall, for example Bond's intro to Xenia where he orders the martini. Natalya is another example of a Bond girl who can stand on her two feet. I leave this one in the top 6 for Nostalgia's sake and also because I wish to maintain having each actor in the top 6 (but I'm not doing it for the sake of doing it, it's either going to be GE or TND in 5/6th)
1, The Living Daylights
2. Octopussy
3. From Russia with Love
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. Goldeneye
6. For Your Eyes Only
7. Tomorrow Never Dies
8. Dr No
9. The Spy Who Loved Me
10. Moonraker
11. Diamonds are Forever
12. Licence to Kill
13. Goldfinger
14. You Only Live Twice
15. A View to a Kill
16. The Man with the Golden Gun
17. Thunderball
18. Live and Let Die
A few unexpected rankings so far...Octopussy (6th to 2nd), Tomorrow (bottom tier to 7th), Moonraker (big boost), You Only Live Twice (out of bottom!)
The biggest disappointments were Thunderball and Live and Let Die. The most unfortunate placement is TB as I love the score, dialogues and villains
What a breath of fresh air. The film series that we've come to know and love had to start somewhere and whilst there are some areas that needed polish (including some awkward green screen and clunky dialogue and overuse of the Bond theme), Dr No is otherwise a pretty perfect introduction. All the key elements are established; from Bond's iconic introduction at the Chemin de fer table, to the beautiful Ursula Andress emerging from the waves, to one of Bond's best allies, (the great Quarrel), the breathtaking Bond theme itself and Jamaica as the film's primary setting, this is a fantastic cocktail for Connery's debut.
Terence Young is always credited from interviews shortly before his death that the main ingredient for Dr No's success is "Sean Connery, Sean Connery, Sean Connery" but Connery was a novice. It was Young that licked him into shape and is the most responsible for bringing his amazing vision of Fleming's Bond to audiences.
One of the classiest entries in the series.
1. DR NO (1962)
2. DIE ANOTHER DAY (2002)
The next random pick from the hat is.... TOMORROW NEVER DIES.
Review to come....
I agree with your MR review and the editing points.
Thing about DAD with me is that I've always found the first 30-45 minutes to be decent enough to hook me in, only for the stupid movie to leave with its tail sagging between its legs by the end.
LALD
This is one of those Bonds that has its ardent defenders and those that believe it totally stinks and reeks of some of the worst qualities to come from the Roger Moore era. I fall in the former category. Do I love it? No, it doesn't possess the qualities of a Bond movie for me to think of it as a 'great' film, but till this day I still have lots of fun with it.
Obviously the big change here is the man playing 007. Moore is nothing like Connery. In almost every facet they bring different interpretations to the character. While you won't get any arguments from me as to how Moore measures up to Connery in terms of toughness, I honestly have enough fun with his performance and line delivery to enjoy the film. As good as Connery could be with the one-liners, Moore is the king of the zingers and double-entendres. He's nowhere near as tough, but I do like that very English, very gentlemanly style he brings to the role. Nowhere awe inspiring, but amusing nevertheless.
Solitaire, I've always found her interesting. She's not as strong willed and fierce as some of the other leading ladies, but the mysticism surrounding her character is cool, and hey, Jane Seymour is easy on the eye in ways few other Bond girls can match, so there is that.
What really gets me going in LALD are the villains and the score. Kananga, Baron Samedi, Tee-Hee, Whisper, this is a really fun collection of characters. Accusations of racism be damned. This crew is smart and well equipped. Bond falls into their traps plenty of time.
The score is to die for. early 1970s jazz/funk/soul with a 007 twist? Yes, please.
1-FRWL
2-OHMSS
3-GF
4-TB
5-LALD
6-DN
7-YOLT
8-DAF
What an odd Bond film. My memory of this movie's tone was, it turns out, far hazier than I thought. For whatever reason I recalled TMWTGG as just as funny as LALD, with Moore tossing quips left and right. That's not the case at all. In fact, apart from the scene in Beirut where he 'charms' the belly dancer, Moore doesn't really have many funny lines at all! As such, TMWTGG is kind of an outlier, in my opinion, in the Moore canon. The filmmakers do try to make him more serious this time around, which makes sense insofar as Bond is under the impression that a world class hit man is out to get him. I'd be pretty tense too!
It doesn't always work though. Like many before me have argued, the scene in which he threatens to break Maud Adams' arm just doesn't play well with Moore in the role. Connery, Dalton, maybe even Craig, but not Moore.
On the topic of Maud Adams, she doesn't feature nearly as much as I remembered. I like her here, but she certainly leaves a greater in fact a few later in OP. Christopher Lee, on the other hand, is a great villain. While I don't love his scheme of selling off the solex agitator very much, the sense of style he brings to the role is fantastic. With a better script (and better villain's plot), TMWTGG would have been truly great. Oh, and without Britt Ekland. Amazing body, no doubt about that, but man is she useless. It's a shame because only a couple of years before she was in The Wicker Man (co-starring Christopher Lee, ironically enough) and is actually decent in that.
The action also isn't as good here as it was in LALD. Moore just isn't very good when it comes to fisticuffs, yet they keep trying to make him engage in fights. The vehicular sequences fare a little better, especially the twirling car jump, but it's no Louisiana bayou boat chase.
1-FRWL
2-OHMSS
3-GF
4-TB
5-LALD
6-DN
7-YOLT
8-TMWTGG
9-DAF
Having started with Die Another Day I can safely say that I regard this film as a vast improvement. Of course it's only a middle of the road Bond adventure but the key thing is that it's entertaining and, dare I say, has perhaps the best pacing of all four Brosnan Bond films.
Positives for TND:
Great, engaging pre-titles sequence with a great pay off line from Brosnan to lead into the titles.
Brosnan looks better as Bond this time around. He seems more polished and more comfortable in the role in his second go around.
Bond and Paris Carver works fairly well in my opinion – despite the fact that Teri Hatcher is not the most convincing actress, you can still believe that she and Bond had a relationship once. (That being said, I would have loved someone of the calibre of Monica Belucci at this stage in the Bond series).
As already suggested, the film has much better pace than Goldeneye. The first two thirds of the film are largely excellent and very engaging – it’s only in the final act where Bond becomes John McClane that the film becomes a little too outlandish for its own good.
David Arnold brings a vibrant, energetic, Barry-esque score to the film – the orchestration for the post-titles sequence with the sea drill and HMS Devonshire and the hotel multi storey car park are fantastic.
Wai Lin is an excellent ally for Bond – Yeoh and Brosnan have great chemistry.
One of my only real negatives for the film is the very hammily written Elliot Carver. Jonathan Pryce is a more than competent actor, I just don't believe in the character.
Aside from this, this is a very competent Bond film.
My order of preference so far:
1. Dr No (1962)
2. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
3. Die Another Day (2002)
Next up for review will be.... OCTOPUSSY
Review to come....
Yeah, I really like Arnold's work in TND. Generally I think he was a good composer during his tenure, but his best work in the franchise is his first film.
Thank you. For as long as I can remember, they've always been in the number 1 and 2 positions.
Following a lacklustre pre-title and title sequence, the post-credits sequence with the assassination of 009 in Berlin is one of the most atmospheric sequences in the Bond canon.
I always find myself smiling at the way Bond behaves in the auction sequence at Sothebys – nice low key introduction to the motivations of the film’s villain, Kamal Khan here as well.
Bond and Robert Brown’s M – terrific chemistry together on screen.
Bond goes to India – for the first time in the series. Needs to return. Such a vibrant looking country.
Great ally in Vijay. Despite not getting a great deal of screen time, the death of Vijay is a difficult scene to watch. Bond’s reaction to the death of his ally is also subtle but well handled.
Moore and Maud Adams working together again – great on screen chemistry.
Moore strikes a fairly good balance between campy and more serious interpretation of Fleming’s character this time around. Compare Bond playing around in Q’s lab in India with his one to one with Orlov on the train. His performance is not as strong as in FYEO but it’s still good.
The scene with the bomb in the circus tent is tense enough and so Bond dressed as a clown disarming the bomb with seconds to spare doesn't detract from the tense scene in my opinion. Never really had a big problem with this.
The finale seems a little rushed and a bit anticlimactic, despite the fact that Q is involved and gets more screen time on the whole this time around which is always nice to see.
Ultimately, Octopussy has gone up in my estimation over the last couple of viewings. I don't think it'll ever make my Top 10 of Bond but it's certainly lucky number 13.
Rankings so far: *
1. Dr No (1962)
2. Octopussy (1983)
3. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
4. Die Another Day (2002)
* - it's purely coincidence that my rankings are all in release order so far - this is bound to change with the next review or two.
Ok, next up in my Bondathon comes..... THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
Would you put Die Another Day above Casino Royale in your ranking?
Some observations from the film:
Tacky, OTT flamboyance of the pre-titles fun house sequence – only good thing is to show off how good a villain Scaramanga is.
Nick Nack is irritating from the outset.
Title song is a bit embarrassing though not the worst in the series, surprisingly. The titles created by Maurice Binder are vibrant and colourful though.
Bond’s treatment of Miss Anders in the hotel room; a little harsh even for Bond with a woman he’s just met. As Maud Adams often states in interviews about the film, the producers seemed to be struggling in this film on the most effective way for Moore to play 007. Ultimately Moore’s 007 is the charmer.
Scaramanga largely remains a lurking danger until the last 45 minutes of the film. This makes the moment Bond meets him for the first time a great sequence.
M is particularly bad tempered in this film with Bond and with Q.
First half of the film is generally good – from the moment Bond is taken to “school” and we get Sheriff J W Pepper again, the film loses its thread for a while. It picks up again as Bond meets Anders at the boxing ring to find she has been shot and he meets Scaramanga but then there is a ridiculously long car chase played largely for comedy with J W Pepper joining Bond.
That car stunt – one of the most impressive in the series, is marred by the inclusion of the slide whistle sound effect.
Scaramanga showing Bond around his island and the showdown in the fun house are a good if uninspiring climax to a below par Bond adventure.
Christopher Lee's Scaramanga is one of Bond's best foes in the series.
To summarise, if you're looking for fun, Golden Gun gets top marks; if you're looking for sincerity and top class Bond, it lies low in the rankings.
My Bondathon rankings so far:
1. Dr No (1962)
2. Octopussy (1983)
3. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
4. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
5. Die Another Day (2002)
Next up, from slapstick to sincerity, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE.
Wow. Never have I enjoyed this film as much as I did upon the most recent viewing. At one point like many this was my least favorite Bond and while it still is near the bottom, there was a lot more I enjoyed.
I always remember the pre-title being good and then it going off the deep end right after the trade, but there is a lot of good stuff here from Bond and M's interaction as Bond is being set up as a double agent works. The gene therapy transformation is outlandish but fun like Blofeld's clones. Love all the ice palace stuff. Where this movie succeeds is getting something out of their on location scenes. Much of Brozzer's era seems studio bound and has no identity as it jumps from indistinct location. However, DAD highlights London, Hong Kong, Cuba, and Iceland very nicely.
The strange fast pan/fast zoom in cuts dates the film, but in an enjoyable way. The Aston Martin vs. Jaguar car chase was great. The invisible feature of the car never bothered me as it does many. Many other gadgets are implausible or impractical.
Yes the script goes too far with puns, over referential of past films, and some hit or miss jokes. Jinx was weak, but Berry was not nearly as bad as I thought she was in previous viewings. It mostly was attributed to the bad dialogue she was given at times, though her delivery I still find off at parts.
Stephens is campy as Graves, which takes away from the conclusion when the movie ties back to the more serious beginning part with General Moon. The film suffered a bit like TMWTGG did without being able to strike a good balance between the serious and silly.
And of course the bad CGI and effects are really what marred this film. I do wonder if in time we appreciate it more in a nostalgic way in that it will remind of us the late 90s and early 00's when everyone thought CGI was the ONLY way to go and tried to take it to the maximum.
The one part that declined in my view was Madonna's theme. I use to be okay with it and could get down to the techno, but it really lacked a punch along with the title sequence.
Overall though an enjoyable viewing with a new outlook on the final Brozzer adventure.
Moose's 2015 Bond Rankings
Films
1.) Dr. No
2.) Tomorrow Never Dies
3.) Die Another Day
4.) The World Is Not Enough
Villains
1.) Elliot Carver
2.) Dr. No
3.) Gustav Graves
4.) Elektra King
Bond Girls
1.) Wai Lin
2.) Honey Rider
3.) Jinx
4.) Christmas Jones
Henchmen
1.) Professor Dent
2.) Zao
3.) Renard
4.) Stamper
Honestly I'm dreading TWINE, but DAD is also something I'm not quite looking forward to at the moment, so you've helped ease my fear. The others I can't wait for.
I'm going to get through these two first (with as open a mind as possible.....I'll try to focus on what positives I can find) and will report back.
Sean Connery is just perfect as 007 the whole way through; completely cool and on-point. The film also features one of my favorite supporting casts in a Bond film, with Jack Lord's Felix and Quarrel being two great sidekicks. Honey Ryder is a classic Bond girl, and Dr. No himself is one of my favorite villains in the entire series. I love his "I never fail" attitude, and he's totally Bond's equal in how calm and collected he is. The final showdown between the two is brief, but still very entertaining. The action may be sparse compared to Bond films today, but I never found myself bored; the story was always plenty interesting to me.
I also really loved the whole island scenery. Crab Key remains one of my favorite main locations for a Bond film. I have to mention, like many others, the scene with Bond killing Professor Dent is an absolute highlight. The dinner scene with Dr. No is also one of my favorite parts. Honestly, the only noticeable detractor for me was a mediocre soundtrack (barring the main Bond theme of course). Also, the "MI7" line from M was a bit distracting, but no biggie once I learned about the history of it. Overall, Dr. No is still extremely enjoyable for me, and I have little doubt it will remain high in my rankings.
FoxRox's 2015 Bondathon Ranking
1. Dr. No (obviously :P)
The 6th film under review in my Bondathon was OHMSS.
This takes number 1 spot so far on my list. Almost everything about this film - from the style, the adaptation, the characterisation, the score - is perfect. Lazenby is a vastly underrated addition to the Bond family. It's difficult to say whether I would have preferred to see Lazenby's DAF or a 3rd Dalton film in a parallel universe because Dalton is my favourite Bond.
Some thoughts about the film:
Brilliant pre-titles -holding back the reveal of the new Bond's face until he utters the immortal line to Tracy.
Title sequence - one of John Barry's finest themes for the series - electric - and the most brilliant, evocative title design from Maurice Binder. Perfect start to the film.
Lazenby excellent at hand to hand combat scenes – fighting the men on the beach in the pre-titles is terrific.
“This never happened to the other fella” – a line that’s never particularly bothered me; delivery is fine; supposed to be tongue in cheek nod back to Connery and it works.
Diana Rigg remains one of the most impressive Bond women in the series. Despite any problems there may have been whilst filming, Rigg and Lazenby are very believable as two strangers who meet and begin to fall in love with each other.
Another brilliant ally in Marc Ange Draco; he sparks off Lazenby beautifully.
Relationship between Bond and M and Bond and Moneypenny is perfect in this film.
Louis Armstrong – We have all the time in the world – perhaps the most perfect song for a blossoming relationship.
Some firsts in the series – Bond seen in his office, when he decides to resign from HMSS, and Bond visits M at his home Quarterdeck.
Bond as Sir Hilary Bray – voice dubbing is distracting but the location (Schilthorn, Switzerland) is breath-taking.
Some of the best action sequences in the series - particularly the aerial assault on Piz Gloria
Best ending (despite it being so sombre and raw) to a Bond film to date.
I have very few niggles with this film. As a child, growing up with the Bond series, I knew that Lazenby was practically ignored by Bond fans and critics so I'd never given OHMSS the time of day but this really is a stellar Bond film, showcasing Bond as action man and "real" man.
My rankings so far:
1. OHMSS (1969)
2. Dr No (1962)
3. Octopussy (1983)
4. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
5. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
6. Die Another Day (2002)
The next film under the microscope in my Bondathon will be.... FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
FRWL is perfect. There is honestly nothing bad that I can say about it.
Some observations:
There are some great firsts in the series - the pre-titles sequence and separate title sequence - both ingenious and also the first of a number of occasions where the audience are led to believe, for a few moments, that Bond has been killed. Also the first scene in the series for Desmond Llewellyn and the first appearance (though only in partial body shots and voiceover), of chief antagonist Blofeld.
Title design by Robert Brownjohn – one of the most effective and simplistic in the series.
Probably the greatest ensemble cast in the series – Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Vladek Sheybal….. – superb set of villains.
Kerim Bey – the single best ally to Bond in the series.
There is ultimately a classiness to this film and it feels like a true espionage story akin to the Fleming novels themselves, before the gadget laden adventures to come in the next 3 films.
Connery looks comfortable in the role second time around and plays it perfectly.
From the moment Bond sets foot on the Orient Express mid way through the film, the story shifts up to a higher gear. The moment Kerim is killed and Bond meets Grant, the film reaches some of the best scenes in the whole series.
The showdown between Bond and Grant is one of my favourite scenes in the whole series and probably the best edited scene in the Bond canon.
It's going to take something extraordinary from the remaining 16 films to watch in the series to top this fantastic film.
My rankings so far:
1. From Russia with Love (1963)
2. OHMSS (1969)
3. Dr No (1962)
4. Octopussy (1983)
5. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
6. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
7. Die Another Day (2002)
Up next for review is.... LIVE AND LET DIE
There are moments within Live and Let Die that I like but they are literally that...moments. The scene where Bond is interrogated by Kananga/Mr Big is a highlight as is Ross Kananga's crocodile jump but largely the film seems like it's recycling tried and tested methods from previous films.
From a narrative point of view, the film seems to be a mirror of Dr No. Both Connery and Moore are introduced 8 minutes into their respective debuts, both films have Bond being tailed from an airport, we have the less charismatic and unmemorable Quarrel Jr in LALD and the much more memorable Quarrel (Snr) in Dr No and we also get to see Bond's home in both actors' Bond debuts.
Something that the film definitely does have on its side is the title sequence from Maurice Binder, which is one of the most striking in the series and Paul McCartney and Wings’ song is one of the top Bond theme songs.
The most striking character in a hit and miss line up of villainy is Geoffrey Holder's Baron Samedi who sadly gets shamefully little screen time.
Roger Moore is a capable Bond and comes across as especially misogynistic in his handling of both Rosie Carver and Solitaire.
I guess the film came at a difficult time for the Bond series; I believe the producers didn't really know what to do with Bond at this time.
I'm disappointed, in summary, because I've always generally enjoyed Live and Let Die, but on closer inspection I would say it's one of the weakest Moore films when considering all the elements. I'm actually starting to prefer Golden Gun over LALD, mainly due to a stronger villain and a more confident performance from Moore in the former.
My rankings so far:
1. From Russia with Love (1963)
2. OHMSS (1969)
3. Dr No (1962)
4. Octopussy (1983)
5. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
6. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
7. Live and Let Die (1973)
8. Die Another Day (2002)
Up next in my Bondathon is ..... YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE