Controversial opinions about Bond films

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  • I don't like Connery. He was in two good movies, FRWL and GF, where he seemed to comfortable and enjoying himself in the role. From then on he always came across like he was doing the audience a favour by showing up and collecting his paycheck. I'm not all that gone on Moore either as 'Fleming's James Bond' but he was always far more watchable than Connery.

    I also think that Dr No is a very boring movie that ends just as it's about to get going.
  • Posts: 6,601
    Supes007 wrote:
    I don't like Connery. He was in two good movies, FRWL and GF, where he seemed to comfortable and enjoying himself in the role. From then on he always came across like he was doing the audience a favour by showing up and collecting his paycheck. I'm not all that gone on Moore either as 'Fleming's James Bond' but he was always far more watchable than Connery.

    I also think that Dr No is a very boring movie that ends just as it's about to get going.

    This man is NOT all wrong.
  • Supes007 wrote:
    I don't like Connery. He was in two good movies, FRWL and GF, where he seemed to comfortable and enjoying himself in the role. From then on he always came across like he was doing the audience a favour by showing up and collecting his paycheck. I'm not all that gone on Moore either as 'Fleming's James Bond' but he was always far more watchable than Connery.

    I also think that Dr No is a very boring movie that ends just as it's about to get going.

    The only movie I like Connery in is FRWL, other than I just don't see the appeal. He's quite low on my list of best Bond's.

    And yes, I've been preaching the fact that DR. No is overrated for some time now, glad to see someone agrees.
  • AliAli
    Posts: 319
    Dr. No is horribly dated nowadays. Easily my worst Bond film. Also, despite the love for OHMSS in these parts, I found it remarkably twee, far too long and, for 3/4 of it's length, utterly boring. Lazenby is also a terrible actor. And if that lot isn;'t enough, I prefer Moonraker to TSWLM!!! Take the Lotus out of Spy and it's a completely unremarkable film. The Egytian section was awful and the finale a complete anti-climax. Moonraker was just more fun.
  • Posts: 414
    001. Quantum of Solace is a better Bond movie than Casino Royale. Also, the title song, Another Way to Die is highly underrated. Casino Royale is an excellent reboot, but a little overrated.

    002. The World is Not Enough is Brosnan's best Bond movie. GoldenEye is overrated, and most of the love for that movie is misguided love based on the video game.

    003. Ursula Andress is not the best Bond girl. She's the first, and she did look great in that little white bikini, but put her next to Honor Blackman or Claudine Auger or any number of the later Bond girls and her beauty pales by comparison.

    004. Bibi Dahl and Stacey Sutton make it into my 20 favorite Bond girls. Christmas Jones makes it into the top 5.

    005. The Man With the Golden Gun is one of the best Bond movies of the Roger Moore era.

    006. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the worst Bond movies. It's long, dull, and Lazenby brings nothing new to the part.

    007. Purvis & Wade are underappreciated for their role in penning the Bond movies. TWINE had a great script. Flaws in DAD are a result of the producers continually asking for bigger and better Bond movies. When Casino Royale put more emphasis on plot and character development, Purvis & Wade kept the necessary traditional Bond elements in tact, while Paul Haggis and John Logan applied some spit and polish to their scripts, taking most of the love for the newest movies while Purvis & Wade are still unfairly hated.

  • 002002
    Posts: 581
    SlyFox007 wrote:
    001. Quantum of Solace is a better Bond movie than Casino Royale. Also, the title song, Another Way to Die is highly underrated. Casino Royale is an excellent reboot, but a little overrated.
    Disagree
    002. The World is Not Enough is Brosnan's best Bond movie. GoldenEye is overrated, and most of the love for that movie is misguided love based on the video game.
    Disagree but agree with The World is Not Enough being a good Bond Film
    003. Ursula Andress is not the best Bond girl. She's the first, and she did look great in that little white bikini, but put her next to Honor Blackman or Claudine Auger or any number of the later Bond girls and her beauty pales by comparison.
    Agree Personally the best Bond girl is Melina Havlock, Lois Chillies Diana Rigg, Eva Green and The Girl who played Wai Lin
    004. Bibi Dahl and Stacey Sutton make it into my 20 favorite Bond girls. Christmas Jones makes it into the top 5.
    Christmas Jones is one of my favourites but the other two arent exactly my cup of tea
    005. The Man With the Golden Gun is one of the best Bond movies of the Roger Moore era.
    it was an okay Bond film probarly not one of the best but it does have a lot of good things about it- Christopher Lee, The Car Flip, Roger Moore, The Duel in The Funhouse

    006. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the worst Bond movies. It's long, dull, and Lazenby brings nothing new to the part.

    mixed reaction- OHMSS is alright but agian it suffers from Padding, Lazenby's Acting except for the end in which he finally does feel like Bond but i have to say i enjoyed the PTS especially the gunbarrel music and Diana Rigg's Performance

    007. Purvis & Wade are underappreciated for their role in penning the Bond movies. TWINE had a great script. Flaws in DAD are a result of the producers continually asking for bigger and better Bond movies. When Casino Royale put more emphasis on plot and character development, Purvis & Wade kept the necessary traditional Bond elements in tact, while Paul Haggis and John Logan applied some spit and polish to their scripts, taking most of the love for the newest movies while Purvis & Wade are still unfairly hated.

    Completely Agree, Purvis and Wade have done alot of good Bond films look at TWINE, CR and Skyfall all of them are great bonds- only QOS and DAD suffer but QOS had the writers strike which most of the stuff was rewritten by Forester and Craig and DAD well the product advertising and The CGI and the producers are at fault there...maybe the casting of Halle Berry suffered the film

  • Supes007 wrote:
    I don't like Connery. He was in two good movies, FRWL and GF, where he seemed to comfortable and enjoying himself in the role. From then on he always came across like he was doing the audience a favour by showing up and collecting his paycheck. I'm not all that gone on Moore either as 'Fleming's James Bond' but he was always far more watchable than Connery.

    I also think that Dr No is a very boring movie that ends just as it's about to get going.

    I agree with you on DN but completely disagree on Connery.
  • edited January 2013 Posts: 153
    Supes007 wrote:
    I don't like Connery. He was in two good movies, FRWL and GF, where he seemed to comfortable and enjoying himself in the role. From then on he always came across like he was doing the audience a favour by showing up and collecting his paycheck. I'm not all that gone on Moore either as 'Fleming's James Bond' but he was always far more watchable than Connery.

    I also think that Dr No is a very boring movie that ends just as it's about to get going.

    But at least you got to give him credit for creating his own James Bond. And I think it's OK for him to feel some animosity to the series back then. Did you know that during the 60's, actors who star in James Bond parodies get a higher pay than Connery himself? If I'm in his shoes I'd feel the same way too.

    Anyway, about Dr. No... I got to disagree with you on that too. I think the film is an improvement over the book, and that's coming from me, a Fleming purist who prefers the novels over the films: I hate hate hate hate hate the Dr. No novel. But the film is a different matter altogether.
  • Posts: 6,601
    I like Connery, but giving him credit so much because he created the man - he was the first, so whatever he would have done with the character would count as the quintessential Bond. Not much to it - he did it well though and you can give him credit for that.

  • Germanlady wrote:
    I like Connery, but giving him credit so much because he created the man - he was the first, so whatever he would have done with the character would count as the quintessential Bond. Not much to it - he did it well though and you can give him credit for that.

    Exactly my point. I'm not saying Connery should be the best (he's my #2, actually), but he set the blueprint for the next actors to follow. Being the first doesn't equal to best of course. Actors who gave James Bond a well-rounded personality and edge, like Dalton, Connery, and Craig, are the ones who are undoubtedly worthy of being called the best. But that's just my opinion. Different folks, different strokes.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    Germanlady wrote:
    I like Connery, but giving him credit so much because he created the man - he was the first, so whatever he would have done with the character would count as the quintessential Bond.

    Not sure this is strictly true. He could have really cocked it up. As it happens he didn't. He was definitive and set a very high benchmark. My Grandfather always relays his story of seeing Dr.No and being blown away at how Connery was the man he read about in the books. There will always be people who like him and those that don't, but you can't really give the guy enough praise IMO. I grew up with Moore, I love Dalton, I think Brosnan did and Craig is doing a sterling job but no one embodies the traits of Fleming's creation more than the big man.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Just because Connery is the first Bond in history isn't why I find him quintessential. With any character that has multiple actors playing him, each actor has their chance to make the role their own, and make their interpretation legendary. Just because Sean was first doesn't mean George, Roger or so on couldn't create the end all be all version of Bond each Bond from that point afterwords would analyze to improve their performance. But still, after 50 years and 5 actors succeeding him, Sean is still the one we look to for the Bond blueprint. Not because he was first, but because he embodied Bond the best with a wonderful mix of cold brutality, suave control and out of this world confidence.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    Not because he was first, but because he embodied Bond the best with a wonderful mix of cold brutality, suave control and out of this world confidence.

    I agree with this. His interpretation could have become diminished over the past 50 years but as it happens it still feels definitive.

  • SuperheroSithSuperheroSith SE London
    Posts: 578
    Hello everyone. I'm sure this topic has been done before but I'm brand new here so I thought I'd offer some controversial opinons to "shake things up" as M might say. Please feel free to harshly disagree with the following:

    1. I love AVTAK, including the "California Girls" moment. The rest of the PTS is very serious so I love this little moment of absurdity. Also, Max Zorin is probably my favorite Bond villain after Red Grant.

    2. Jaws is a bad character in BOTH MR (of course) AND TSWLM. He's terrifying in his introduction when he smiles at Stromberg, as well as during the murder of Fekkesh (which is one of the most disturbing death scenes in the entire series, mainly because it has a long, ominous build up) but after that he becomes a complete buffoon and every fight scene he is in with Bond is slow, boring, and poses no threat because we always know that BOTH of them will be okay. I know most people like Jaws in TSWLM but I think he's disappointing in both films.

    3. QOS is the worst Bond movie of all time. I didn't think any movie would remove TMWTGG from that spot but Marc Foster managed to do just that. Horrible editing, uninteresting story...the list goes on. I almost felt like crying in my seat in the theater in November of 2008.

    4. LTK is a great Bond film. Everything works here: the bare bones plot, the villainy, Dalton, incredible action sequences.

    5. The ski stunt in TSWLM is overrated. I'm not saying it isn't impressive but I don't think it is the best stunt in the series, as many people seem to believe. Mainly, it didn't require any great precision, like the car jump in TMWTGG. I think that even a somewhat forgotten stunt like the car in Paris driving across the back of the bus is technically much more impressive.

    6. Another Bond film in my top seven would be TND. I think it is easily Brosnan's best (although GE is very good, too). It is one of the most entertaining Bond movies and one I can watch again and again.

    7. While I don't consider NSNA an actual Bond film I find Rowan Atkinson hilarious and one of the few high points of the movie.

    Well, there you have it. Feel free to trample all over this. :)
    1. I love AVTAK but not the California Girls bit. in My top 007
    2. I think they mucked him up after Max Kalba's death.
    3. VERY BAD but not the worst. The theme (I am dead) saved it for me.
    4. I agree. In my top 007.
    5. No. Just no.
    6. A good Bond film but not in my top 007.
    7. Yes
  • SuperheroSithSuperheroSith SE London
    Posts: 578
    SlyFox007 wrote:
    001. Quantum of Solace is a better Bond movie than Casino Royale. Also, the title song, Another Way to Die is highly underrated. Casino Royale is an excellent reboot, but a little overrated.
    Disagree but not with the song
    002. The World is Not Enough is Brosnan's best Bond movie. GoldenEye is overrated, and most of the love for that movie is misguided love based on the video game.
    GoldenEye is overrated but TWINE isn't the best
    003. Ursula Andress is not the best Bond girl. She's the first, and she did look great in that little white bikini, but put her next to Honor Blackman or Claudine Auger or any number of the later Bond girls and her beauty pales by comparison.
    Agree
    004. Bibi Dahl and Stacey Sutton make it into my 20 favorite Bond girls. Christmas Jones makes it into the top 5.
    Disagree completely
    005. The Man With the Golden Gun is one of the best Bond movies of the Roger Moore era.
    Disagree although I would've put agree 10 years ago
    006. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the worst Bond movies. It's long, dull, and Lazenby brings nothing new to the part.
    NO!
    007. Purvis & Wade are underappreciated for their role in penning the Bond movies. TWINE had a great script. Flaws in DAD are a result of the producers continually asking for bigger and better Bond movies. When Casino Royale put more emphasis on plot and character development, Purvis & Wade kept the necessary traditional Bond elements in tact, while Paul Haggis and John Logan applied some spit and polish to their scripts, taking most of the love for the newest movies while Purvis & Wade are still unfairly hated.
    Don't understand who you are taking about

  • Posts: 147
    :D
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited August 2013 Posts: 17,801
    chrisisall:
    Here are mine:
    DN is better than FRWL.
    OHMSS is NOT in my top five Bond movies.
    DAD is watchable if I'm in the proper mood.
    I favour Brosnan over Craig.
    SF is not nearly as good as CR & QOS.
    TMWTGG is a good movie, and JW is funny in it.
    TSWLM is NOT Moore's best Bond film.
    Tell us yours & be open to criticism!

    Murdock:
    Here's my small list.
    Connery is Overrated.
    Brosnan is Excellent.
    Craig is the Best Bond.
    The Living Daylights isn't as good as everyone says it is.
    The Man With The Golden Gun is worse than Diamonds are Forever.

    chrisisall:
    Murdock said:
    "The Living Daylights isn't as good as everyone says it is."
    Of course not; it's much better.
    Okay, it might be that you're correct here, but when I watch it, it glues me to the screen like no other Bond movie. To me, it's magic despite the pedestrian film direction.

    SirHenryLeeChaChing:
    Just off my head without too much forethought-
    1. LTK is a top 5 Bond entry.
    2. Hugo Drax is not a great villain, and even worse than Gustav Graves.
    3. GF is the still the greatest Bond film to date (many still agree yes, but it seems fashionable to disagree nowadays in favor of FRWL and other entries).
    4. GE is not Brosnan's best acting performance.
    5. OHMSS is not a top 5 Bond film and Lazenby is highly overrated.
    6. Brosnan is still better than Lazenby.
    7. David Arnold is a solid composer who should be invited to return.
    8. J.W Pepper is a great character.
    9. Severine is a former sex slave with a mind of her own.
    10. QOS is a much better film than the likes of DAD, MR, TWINE, DAF, and TMWTGG, and has it's merits.
    Agreed about TLD, disagree that Brosnan is an excellent Bond and Craig kills him on screen. FRWL a better film than DN, TWWTGG is not a good Bond movie, and SF is better than QOS.

    Murdock:
    I don't dislike or hate [TLD], but everyone says it's this modern marvel that refreshed Bond for the 80's when it's just a typical Bond film. It has some great moments but the bad moments weigh it down and spoil it for me. It's villains are terrible stock Moore era villains. The humor is stupid. The cello case sled scene is worse than California Girls in AVTAK. It a decent flick but not a top Fiver.

    Sammm04:
    Dalton Is the Worst Bond.
    Moore is the Best Bond.
    QOS is the worst Bourne, sorry Bond Film.
    Bond Films have changed too much.
    Maybe the first three would be accepted by some not on this forum, but on this community those are probably very controversial opinions.

    Perilagu_Khan
    1. DAF is a classic Bond picture.
    2. GF is vastly overrated.
    3. LTK is a top four Bond entry.
    4. Newman's SF score is the best Bond score since GE.
    5. Professor Joe is a great character.
    6. Carley Simon's title track is somewhat overrated.
    7. Sheena Easton's title track is somewhat underrated.
    8. Gun's PTS is the best in series history.
    9. Elliot Carver is the best Bond villain in series history.
    10. Outside of DAD, OP is the lousiest official Bond flick ever made.

    thelivingroyal
    1) Brosnan was a great James Bond.
    2) LTK is not only better than TLD but my favourite film of the series.
    3) YOLT is my favourite Connery film.
    4) Lazenby did a good job in OHMSS and was not only the right choice but also better than Connery would've been at that time.
    5) TWINE is a great film.
    6) NSNA is a very good send off for Connery and is better than quite a few of the EON films.
    7) The Lotus is the best Bond car, cooler than the DB5.
    8) Naomie Harris was wooden in SF and Sam Bond was a much better Moneypenny.
    9) CR and FRWL aren't as great as everyone says.
    10) DN is one of the weaker Bond films.
    11) OHMSS has a brilliant soundtrack but it's not Barry's best.

    SirHenryLeeChaChing:
    Disagree with [Sammm04:] views on Dalton and QOS. Sir Rog has his fair share of supporters and that's not controversial. Bond films though have to change with the times, sometimes OTT fantasy is in fashion, right now that level of frivolity isn't. These things are cyclical, I'm sure one day that Moore-like films such as we got in Brosnan's era will reappear.

    StirredNotShaken:
    1: Licence To Kill is a top five Bond. #4 for me on my list.
    2: LTK also has the best ending of any Bond film ever, winking fish statue aside.
    3: GoldenEye has a great score with the exception of two or three pieces.
    4: Hugo Drax is a terrible villain.
    5: Gray's Blofeld is the worst villain in the entire series history.
    6: Koskov was a great villain, very enjoyable and memorable.
    7: Brosnan is, by a mile, the worst part of GoldenEye.
    8: Lazenby is better than Connery overall, though Connery's best performance is probably on par or better than Lazenby's.
    9: Goldfinger is colossally overrated.
    10: The tanker chase in LTK is the best action sequence in the entire series.
    I'll leave it at ten for now.


  • edited August 2013 Posts: 3,494
    Just stopping by to say I won't be back due to a severe case of GE soundtrack induced nausea. I even have a doctor's note advising against it :))

    See ya elsewhere!
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Just stopping by to say I won't be back due to a severe case of GE soundtrack induced nausea. I even have a doctor's note advising against it :))

    See ya elsewhere!

    Serra isn't for everyone. ;)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,801
    I even have a doctor's note
    Well be needing to see that to avoid the absence mark on your report.

    Seriously, I just watched GE two nights ago, and Serra's score wasn't gut-wrenching or anything, just not...really good.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    I think Serra's score has to be considered as a part of the film, not as a standalone composition. Its cold, metallic sound fits the film better than either an Arnold score or a Kamen score could have IMO. It plays very well in the background when the tension peaks. I agree that certain tracks, like the car chase with Bond and Xenia, are strangers in the land of Bond music, but on the other hand, I get a warm 90s feeling out of those. The casino music actually comes off as pretty Barry-esque IMO.

    I know that Serra isn't for everyone, but I've never had issues with the music as featured in the film. On CD, it's a bit different. A certain Serra fanship is required for that I suppose. ;-)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,801
    DarthDimi wrote:
    The casino music actually comes off as pretty Barry-esque IMO.
    Yes, that was really good stuff.... actually, I found myself not minding the score at all, and the metallic 'phong' musical effects were interesting. Still, when TND came out, the Barryesque chords absolutely thrilled me!
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    chrisisall wrote:
    Still, when TND came out, the Barryesque chords absolutely thrilled me!

    Agreed. TND was a departure from the GE coldness too so another musical tone was much needed. ;-)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,801
    9. Elliot Carver is the best Bond villain in series history.

    Wow, talk about off the reservation... are you serious here? Personally, Carver's one of my favourites... maybe even top five or six now that I think on it. :-?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    chrisisall wrote:
    9. Elliot Carver is the best Bond villain in series history.

    Wow, talk about off the reservation... are you serious here? Personally, Carver's one of my favourites... maybe even top five or six now that I think on it. :-?

    Yes, Carver was more of a classical Bond villain, wasn't he?
  • In no particular order:

    1. Both Ursula Andress and Eva Green have oddly shaped heads.
    2. The Living Daylights is wildly overrated on here.
    3. Goldfinger and GoldenEye have managed to suffer from overrated/underrated syndrome whereby so many people call a movie overrated that it manages to become underrated (the reverse is also true, see above)
    4. Carver was a very good villain and his kung-fu bit with Wai Lin was hilarious.
    5. Quantum of Solace isn't bad.
    6. Dominic Greene was a great character, if not much of a Bond villain
    7. Elvis would have been a pretty good henchman without the toupee.
    8. Pre-capture, Tiffany Case was a great Bond girl
    9. Nick Nack is awful
    10. Another Way to Die and The Man With the Golden Gun are tolerable songs.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited August 2013 Posts: 18,281
    In no particular order:

    1. Both Ursula Andress and Eva Green have oddly shaped heads.
    2. The Living Daylights is wildly overrated on here.
    3. Goldfinger and GoldenEye have managed to suffer from overrated/underrated syndrome whereby so many people call a movie overrated that it manages to become underrated (the reverse is also true, see above)
    4. Carver was a very good villain and his kung-fu bit with Wai Lin was hilarious.
    5. Quantum of Solace isn't bad.
    6. Dominic Greene was a great character, if not much of a Bond villain
    7. Elvis would have been a pretty good henchman without the toupee.
    8. Pre-capture, Tiffany Case was a great Bond girl
    9. Nick Nack is awful
    10. Another Way to Die and The Man With the Golden Gun are tolerable songs.

    Many points I agree with there, @Soundofthesinners. I see a definite link between AWTD and TMWTGG, too. The one inspired the other somewhat, in my view.
  • Dragonpol wrote:
    In no particular order:

    1. Both Ursula Andress and Eva Green have oddly shaped heads.
    2. The Living Daylights is wildly overrated on here.
    3. Goldfinger and GoldenEye have managed to suffer from overrated/underrated syndrome whereby so many people call a movie overrated that it manages to become underrated (the reverse is also true, see above)
    4. Carver was a very good villain and his kung-fu bit with Wai Lin was hilarious.
    5. Quantum of Solace isn't bad.
    6. Dominic Greene was a great character, if not much of a Bond villain
    7. Elvis would have been a pretty good henchman without the toupee.
    8. Pre-capture, Tiffany Case was a great Bond girl
    9. Nick Nack is awful
    10. Another Way to Die and The Man With the Golden Gun are tolerable songs.

    Many points I agree with there, @Soundofthesinners. I see a definite link between AWTD and TMWTGG, too. The one inspired the other somewhat, in my view.
    How do you figure?
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    edited August 2013 Posts: 9,117
    3. Goldfinger and GoldenEye have managed to suffer from overrated/underrated syndrome whereby so many people call a movie overrated that it manages to become underrated

    I'll give you this. GF seems to get a lot of, if not actual hate, then certainly ambivalence given that its the film that guaranteed the series longevity and is packed with great scenes and iconic moments. I'm guilty of it myself sometimes but I think it's important to always respect GF even if it is flawed and not as great as the general publics perception would have you believe l.
    7. Elvis would have been a pretty good henchman without the toupee.

    I think you are the first person I have ever seem defending Elvis which is brave or insane depending on how generous you are feeling. Naturally I'm not feeling generous and I think you are batshit mental.

    Elvis is complete and utter bollocks as a henchman - and that has nothing to do with his syrup.
  • Posts: 2,402
    Just gonna re-state one of mine, that LTK has the best ending of any Bond film ever.
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