Bond Movie Pairings

edited March 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 16
My friends and I will all be home from college this summer, and as always we're going to watch the series over the break. I couldn't stand the thought of watching them in order again so I paired them up by similar plot/theme/etc. We're gonna watch 1 pair every day, probably in a random order.

Here's what I came up with. Has anyone done something similar, and if so which movies did you put together?

Dr. No
Live And Let Die (villain shrouded in superstition, no Desmond as Q, debut of an actor)

From Russia With Love
For Your Eyes Only (similar plots)

Goldfinger
View To A Kill (same plot)

Thunderball
Never Say Never Again (original and remake)

You Only Live Twice
Tomorrow Never Dies (similar plots)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (odd one out, it could be separate or attached to another pair)

Diamonds Are Forever
Die Another Day (diamond powered space lasers)

Man With The Golden Gun
World Is Not Enough (solar power/oil pipeline)

Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker (same plot)

Octopussy
Goldeneye (cold war backdrop)

Living Daylights
Licence To Kill (Timothy Dalton)

Casino Royale
Quantum Of Solace (Daniel Craig)
«1

Comments

  • Posts: 2,491
    nice i like how you paired them.i would paired MR and DAF and TSWLM with FRWL too but that is just mine oppinions :)
  • Posts: 11,189
    I think GE and CR would be quite a good pair. Both "reboots", both see a new actor in the role for the first time and both were done by Martin Campbell.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    I'll give it a try.

    DN/FRWL (Keep the two original classics together)
    GF/AVTAK (AVTAK was loosely based off of GF)
    TB/OP (Both deal with nuclear weapon threats)
    YOLT/LALD (Both had their novels butchered)
    OHMSS/CR (Both deal with the tragic loss of someone Bond loved)
    DAF/MR (Both are equally absurd)
    TMWTGG/TWINE (Both plots revolve around energy sources)
    TSWLM/TND (Both involve naval confrontations)
    FYEO/GE (Both involve equipment involving spying)
    TLD/LTK (Both have Dalton)
    DAD/QOS (Both aren't funny and the CGI leaves a lot to be desired)

    This was harder than I thought.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    TB/MR. Both each actor's 4th. Both superconfident cool extravaganzas involving parade scenes and a final battle between an army of good guys versus an army of bad guys in a setting without oxygen(underwater in TB/outer space in MR).

    YOLT/OP. Both each actor's penultimate official film. Both set in Asia. Both have Cold War-era WWIII plots. Both feature a lead character who is first seen taking a care of a pet with his/her face concealed from the viewer until Bond meets him/her for the first time.

    OHMSS/TLD. Both debut films for the actor. Both involve serious romances for Bond. Both are very faithful to Fleming source material.

    CR/TND. Long epic Bond film followed by a short fast moving action emphasized one.

    GF/TMWTGG. Both Guy Hamilton films involving gold.
  • Posts: 1,856
    Okay why is goldeneye007 the ONLY one who has put the two part james bond together.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited March 2011 Posts: 2,629
    Because the rest of us thought it would be too obvious and we're trying to be creative.
  • Posts: 1,856
    Okay if you where a network executive with space with two bond films and one is QoS what would you play first?
  • Can Quantum can stand on it's own though? I really don't think so. It has a lot of references to Casino Royale. Even though I watched CR before seeing Quantum for the first time I still was a bit foggy on the connection.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    edited March 2011 Posts: 3,262
    Quoting goldeneyeOO7:
    Can Quantum can stand on it's own though? I really don't
    think so. It has a lot of references to Casino Royale. Even though I watched CR
    before seeing Quantum for the first time I still was a bit foggy on the
    connection.
    I'd say aspect that was yet another of QOS's many weaknesses. The best Bond films and even the entertaining midrange ones can stand on their own.
  • Posts: 1,497
    I like to keep the pairings in the same era:

    DN/GF: No particular reason: Just early Connery fair--both entertaining

    FRWL/TB: Continue on the Spectre plot line

    YOLT/DAF: Seems like a natural succession

    OHMSS: Agree--the one good standalone

    LALD/TMWGG: they go together like two peas in a pod

    TSWLM/MR: Two Lewis Gilbert directions--big, over the top...

    FYEO/OP: Both are down to earth cold-war esque thrillers

    Just skip AVTAK altogether, or watch it on it's own

    TLD/LTK: a great pairing--an evening with Timothy Dalton as Bond

    GE/TND: two good action flics
    TWINE/DAD: if you want to bother

    CR/QOS: an obvious pairing

  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    TMWTGG/MR :-c
  • Posts: 4,762
    Nice topic! This is a fantastic idea for the summer!
    Hmm...now let's see...

    Dr. No and From Russia with Love- kind of feels like the original and the sequal thing, mentions Dr. No in From Russia with Love, both have Sylvia Trench, both have SPECTRE

    Goldfinger and A View to a Kill- both villains want to increase their business by shutting down the competition

    The Spy Who Loved Me and The Living Daylights- two of the most action packed movies in the series

    Diamonds Are Forever and Die Another Day- villains get what they want through use of a laser satellite of doom

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service and For Your Eyes Only- ending of first and beginning of second are connected, both have a "back-to-basics" approach, both not many gadgets or humor

    Thunderball and Moonraker- both have a larger-than-life element, and both focus on one major location (underwater/space), both were extremely successful in the box office

    Live and Let Die and License to Kill- both deal with drug dealers, both have David Hedison as Felix Leiter

    You Only Live Twice and Octopussy- both have Cold War threats, both are bigger and more outlandish than their predecessors

    The Man with the Golden Gun and The World is not Enough- not really sure, but they'd just seem to go together

    GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies- Pierce Brosnan's best

    Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace- Daniel Craig's only two as of now
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    DN – GF

    FRWL – TB

    Two fast paced, two leisurely paced. Conners peak.

    LALD – TMWTGG

    Both helmed by Hamilton, both featured Moore, both have a gritty, urban feel to them, both have a surprise after the main climax, namely an attack by the henchman.

    GE – CR

    Both directed by Martin Campbell.

    MR – DAD

    Fourth actors’ appearance, both OTT.

    YOLT – TND

    Both have a villain trying to start world war 3, classic followed by the marvellously updated version.

    DAF – AVTAK

    Seventh heaven for two icons. A more urban feel; Las Vegas and San Francisco.

    OHMSS – TLD

    Both debut movies for their actors, and both, IMO, featured the most believable romances.

    Spy - FYEO

    Both seem to fit together, both have the Lotus.

    OP - TWINE

    Both have their flaws, but love them both!

    And to cap it all…. LTK - QOS
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Posts: 4,520
    Casino Royale / Quantum Of Solace / Goldeneye / The World Is Not Enough

    Why this be intresting:

    Imagine Casino Royale be the follow up of LTK. It wil look lie he must try to get his 007 back after he lose it in LTK and also must proof this with a new job. Goldeneye jump 9 years in time and have a older Tanner, whyle QOS have a younger Tanner.

    It wil look like QOS maintitle predict what happend 2 movies later: The fall of Mi6 in Twine.

    The King family story stil wil be a new thing Bond discover about M as in the original order but the feeling be a litle bit difrent with the Mother story between M and Bond because it is now After CR/QOS, suport by a extra movie in between make Twine the 4th movie not the 3th. and also the end of Twine wil give you another feeling. In the light of Vesper and the earlier violence in CR and dry Bond in QOS.

    Moneypenny and Q are not in CR/QOS, if Goldeneye be number 3 it look like there finaly return and also in Goldeneye M said something about the coldwar in the dinosaur line. This dinosaur line it wil look like she means what he did in CR and Charles be introduced in Twine.

    James Bond will return in Tomorrow Never Dies.
  • Posts: 4,762
    That's a neat concept, M_Balje! I may try that sometime.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    edited June 2011 Posts: 3,262


    GE – CR

    Both directed by Martin Campbell.

    MR – DAD

    Fourth actors’ appearance, both OTT.

    YOLT – TND

    Both have a villain trying to start world war 3, classic followed by the marvellously updated version.

    DAF – AVTAK

    Seventh heaven for two icons. A more urban feel; Las Vegas and San Francisco.

    OHMSS – TLD

    Both debut movies for their actors, and both, IMO, featured the most believable romances.
    All of those would work well together for the reasons you mentioned.

    I would add:

    OP/TLD-Both mid 1980s Cold War Bonds, both feature John Barry scores, both feature a villainous combo of a renegade Soviet general and a partner-in-crime who are involved in smuggling, both feature 2 of the most believable Bond/Lead Bond girl romantic combos.

    OHMSS/AVTAK-The youngest Bond actor apperance ever(age 29) followed by the oldest Bond actor apperance ever(age 57). Both feature snow action and John Barry scores, both have the leading lady kidnapped by the villain and Bond must come to her rescue, both have Bond take on the alias of a stuffy gentleman to spy on the villain at his estate.

    CR/TND-The longest of the modern epic Bonds followed by a fast-moving, more action-oriented shorter one. Both feature Bond with a girl who's a serious romantic involvement but ends up dead. Both feature David Arnold's 2 best Bond scores.

    TB/DAF-Both have Connery, Blofeld, Felix Leiter, an odd SPECTRE henchmen duo(Yanni and Vargas/Wint and Kidd) casinos and song lyrics by Don Black, great chemistry between Bond and the leading lady, Bond roughing up a female enemy agent in the PTS(although in TB, "she" turns out to be a he).
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited June 2011 Posts: 13,355
    CR/TND-The longest of the modern epic Bonds followed by a fast-moving, more action-oriented longer one. Both feature Bond with a girl who's a serious romantic involvement but ends up dead. Both feature David Arnold's 2 best Bond scores.
    Tomorrow Never Dies isn't long at all. In fact it's one of only six Bond films to run under the two hour mark.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    edited June 2011 Posts: 3,262
    Mistype about TND corrected.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    I was thinking about doing a Bondathon in the lead up to Bond 23, but I need help. I want to pair them up into Bond movie pairings i.e.


    and for PKK, OP – TLD.

    I thought:

    DN – LALD
    GF – Spy
    LTK – QOS
    TB –MR
    OP – TLD
    AVTAK – DAD
    YOLT – TND
    OHMSS – FYEO
    GE – CR
    TMWTGG - DAF
    FRWL – TWINE (my favourite against my former fav).


    If you noticed, no actor has followed it up with consecutive films i.e. no Moore back to back, and I tried to have different decades, to encompass the different flavours that Bond has gone through.

    Any ideas, would be greatly appreciated...

    ;-)
  • Posts: 4,762
    @royale65: I like the DN-LALD pair. Both of them have a surprising amount of similarities.
    -Both have villains with a doctor title
    -Both feature an ally named Quarrel (father and son)
    -Both show Bond at his house, the only two times in the series
    -Both lack Desmond Llewelyn as Q
  • Posts: 1,497
    Rethinking this...

    Some films just go better together in style. I mostly attribute this to direction.

    I think DN and FRWL is a great pairing. Both have a younger Connery earning his marks. Both still have a bit more of a subdued feel. Both feature Sylvia Trench. Terrence Young. Spectre...etc.
  • Posts: 4,762
    @JBFan626: Yeah, I watched DN and FRWL as a pair the other day. Great double feature!
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    Thanks @00Beast

    - Both set in Jamaica
    - Both have a supernatural elements; dragon/tarot respectively
    - A more low key adventure
    - Lead actors debut



    :)

    Im unhappy about AVTAK – DAD and TMWTGG – DAF. Any suggestions?

    Maybe DAF - AVATK; both the last films of their eras

    TMWTGG - DAD; first half bad, second half great, and Vice versa?



  • Posts: 4,762
    @royale65: I'd probably match up Diamonds Are Forever and Die Another Day. Here are some similarities:
    -Both feature diamonds as a key role in the plot
    -Both feature the main villain using a deadly space weapon to achieve their goal, powered by lots of diamonds
    -Both feature Bond's assumption that the main villain is dead, and then he returns later on in the movie
    -Both are the last movie for their Bond actor (if you don't count Never Say Never Again)
    -Just a little thing here, but Graves' diamond logo is the same shape of the window found in Slumber's funeral home. Look for it, it's really neat!
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service and For Your Eyes Only- ending of first and beginning of second are connected, both have a "back-to-basics" approach, both not many gadgets or humor
    You gave me an idea. As arguably bad as the PTS for FYEO was, it's a lot better as a revenge on Blofeld PTS was than the DAF PTS.

  • Posts: 4,762
    @Kerim: Glad I could help! Hahaha. Yes, if only DAF had utilized the revenge aspect more than it did. Though I've always found it strange why the pre-title sequence of FYEO even featured Blofeld at all. I would have thought they were content to leave Blofeld's fate a mystery at the end of DAF. It seems kind of random to have him pop up ten years later, and with nothing more than a helicopter to carry out his revenge on 007. It seems to me that Blofeld could do a little better than that!
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    I was thinking about doing a Bondathon in the lead up to Bond 23, but I need help. I want to pair them up into Bond movie pairings i.e.


    and for PKK, OP – TLD.
    Thanks!
    I thought:

    TB –MR
    OP – TLD

    YOLT – TND
    OHMSS – FYEO
    GE – CR
    TMWTGG - DAF


    If you noticed, no actor has followed it up with consecutive films i.e. no Moore back to back, and I tried to have different decades, to encompass the different flavours that Bond has gone through.

    Any ideas, would be greatly appreciated...

    ;-)
    I definitely think TLD, GE, or MR would make a great pairing with DAF. TLD and GE are both lead Bond actor debut films while DAF was a "re-intro" for Connery.

    DAF and TLD's PTSs go together for me(both feature a "movie star" entrance for Bond, feature him toughing up enemy agent(s), and a "Bond, James Bond" introduction to a beautiful girl in a bikini). Also, in both DAF and TLD, Bond has only one onscreen female conquest who he meets early in the film and is with him for most of the adventure.

    Both DAF and GE feature a plot where the villain is "killed" in front of Bond in the PTS. Bond's investigations lead to his believing the main villain is a mysterious unseen figure(Willard Whyte in DAF/Janus in GE) only to have it revealed that it's the villain who was supposedly dead. The villains in both use a satellite to attempt to assault a major Western capital(Washington in DAF, London in GE).

    MR and DAF would work. They bookend the 1970s. Both feature cocky American heroines who aren't initially impressed with Bond. Both feature outer space, John Barry music, humor and Shirley Bassey theme songs.

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service and For Your Eyes Only- ending of first and beginning of second are connected, both have a "back-to-basics" approach, both not many gadgets or humor
    You gave me an idea. As arguably bad as the PTS for FYEO was, it's a lot better as a revenge on Blofeld PTS was than the DAF PTS.

    Along these lines, when I showed OHMSS to some friends who hadn't seen it before, I showed them the FYEO PTS immediately afterwards. It helped bring some closure on the events of OHMSS and allowed them to leave the world of 007 on a happier note.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    Thanks gentleman! You have certainly given me food for thought…

    To which end;

    CR – TB both feature Bahamas;

    Spy – GE both feature a formulaic driven Bond films, where the fantasy is levied out by some introspection.

    @PPK, OP - TLD they both seem to fit; cold war backdrop, John Barry music, touching romances, both have strong lead performances.



    :)
  • Posts: 4,762
    Live and Let Die and License to Kill

    -both feature David Hedison as Felix Leiter
    -both feature the main villain as a drug dealer
    -both feature fictional cities (San Monique and Isthmus)
    -both Bond Girls want to get away from the man that runs their life
    -and on a funny note, LALD has no Q at all, but LTK has Q's biggest screen time!
  • Posts: 4,762
    I did a double feature of Dr. No and Moonraker not too long ago, it was really fun!
Sign In or Register to comment.