It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Title Credits: GE - everyone agrees this is a standout credits sequence!
Main Villain: GE - this was by far Sean Bean's best role and Alec Trevelyan is probably my #2 Bond villain of them all (Zorin is #1) - it was such an awesome return to form after a series of un-Bondian villains during the Dalton years!
Main Bond Girl: GE - this is actually pretty tough because Honey is so iconic (and hot!) but ultimately Natalya is one of the most effective and resourceful girls of the bunch (and done right, without having to be "Bond's equal" and a butt-kicker)
Henchman: GE - two words - Xenia Onatopp. Onatopp? Onatopp.
Overall Plot: GE - I think DN is destined to lose this category until DAD (naturally) - investigating the death of Strangways and a plot of "rocket toppling" using some sort of radioactive water just isn't as exciting as a former Mi6 colleague coming back from the dead!
Dialogue: DN - GE has some memorable dialogue but DN essentially created "Bond dialogue"
Score: GE - I'm not really a fan of Serra's score (though I can't quite picture the film with a David Arnold score either) but it does have at least 2 really good tracks, like "Goldeneye Overture" (during that tense opening at the dam) and "We Share the Same Passions" (during the Monte Carlo casino scenes)
Settings: DN - GE has more variety in its locales and I really enjoy them all, but DN has that iconic Jamaican island flavor with a hint of danger that is hard to beat
Action: GE - [raised eyebrow] but of course...
Humour: DN - as with the dialogue category DN basically created "Bond humor" so it's hard to top it, even though GE has quite a few excellent quips as well. In any case only the Roger Moore films top the Connery ones in the dialogue and humor departments.
Cinematography: GE - this one is actually tough because Ted Moore really captures the beauty of Jamaica and the dangers lurking about, but I really dig Phil Meheux's work on GE - it has this "90s-noir" feel to it and it's easily the best shot film of the Brosnan era. Very unique! When the title credits spiral out into the DB5 speeding towards the camera that's one of the coolest shots in the entire series! I love how low to the ground that camera is when the DB5 rushes at it. It feels very retro - late 60s/early 70s! Think FRENCH CONNECTION or VIOLENT CITY/THE FAMILY or BULLITT.
Bizarre: DN - I guess this is close because of Xenia and an underwater satellite facility (concealed under a lake a la YOLT) but DN is the film that set the template for this sort of thing
Suspense: GE - MORE action! MORE suspense! MORE! MORE! As Tiger Tanaka might say it, I sound like a commercial :)
Minor Characters: GE - while I enjoy the minor characters in both films I think GE pips it because of a new M, a new Moneypenny (though no one can replace dear Lois), a new Tanner, a very funny Q ("don't touch that... that's my lunch"), and probably best of all Zukovsky! I like Mishkin too.
Glamour: DN - the Monte Carlo casino and surrounding environs look pretty glamorous and Pierce himself VERY elegant there, but you just can't beat the early 60s Bond glamour and Connery encircled in a shroud of smoke in a casino. Or a civilized dinner with the good Doctor, plus a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.
Bond Performance: DN - I think Pierce is great in GE, but Connery reigns supreme in his timeless debut!
GE: 10
DN: 7
Title Credits: GE
Main Villain: GE
Main Bond Girl: GE
Henchman: GE
Overall Plot: GE
Dialogue: GE
Score: GE
Settings: DN
Action: GE
Humour: GE
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: GE
Suspense: GE
Minor Characters: GE
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 4
GE: 13
Yep...about right.
Margin out of 100: (DN-GE)
Title Track: GE (25-75)
Tina Turner belts out a title on the order of Shirley Bassey.
Title Credits: GE (5-95)
Grand displays of symbolism that marks the triumph of the western ideology.
Main Villain: DN (55-45)
Two of the best, giving it to Dr. No due to the suspense around his identity.
Main Bond Girl: DN (60-40)
Natalya is one of the best new age Bond girls, but Honey is the standard.
Henchman: GE (10-90)
Onatopp is equal parts alluring and deadly.
Overall Plot: DN (60-40)
For lacking source material, Goldeneye delivers mightily, though falls just short in narrative.
Dialogue: Tie (50-50)
Incredible dialogue between Bond with M, Zucovsky, and Trevelyan match the heavyweight dialogue of Dr. No.
Score: DN (55-45)
The weakest link of both films, giving a narrow edge to Dr. No for an abundant use of the 007 theme.
Settings: GE (45-55)
St. Petersburg is the difference maker, otherwise very comparable.
Action: GE (25-75)
Martin Campbell has an eye for action, starting with the leap in the PTS.
Humor: GE (40-60)
An area that would become natural and common to Brosnan's Bond.
Cinematography: GE (40-60)
For the first time in a long time, it felt like the Bond series broke visual ground.
Benign Bizarre: DN (75-25)
"He had two glaring eyes, a short tail and pointed wings."
Suspense: DN (70-30)
Suspenseful to the very end: Consider we first hear his voice and later only see his shadow before getting the full unveiling.
Minor Characters: GE (40-60)
Both are very stacked; GoldenEye has debatably the best supporting cast.
Glamor: DN (60-40)
Connery set the tone for everything to follow, Brosnan brought in a new generation.
Bond Performance: DN (75-25)
Connery at his best provided the blueprint for everything that followed, particularly Brosnan's first outing in which he had yet to mold the role into his own.
DN (8) (46-54) (8) GE
No wonder why these two are always in contention for the 5th slot in my rankings; they are both essentials in the franchise.
Title Credits: GE
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: GE
Henchman: GE
Overall Plot: DN
Dialogue: DN
Score: DN
Settings: DN
Action: GE
Humour: DN (Sergeant, make sure he doesn't get away)
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: GE (For the pen twirling scene)
Minor Characters: DN (I dislike Boris so much that this one is going DN almost by default)
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 12
GE: 5
Title Credits: GE
Main Villain: GE
Main Bond Girl: DN
Henchman: GE
Overall Plot: GE
Dialogue: GE
Score: DN
Settings: DN
Action: GE
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: GE
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: GE
DN: 8
GE: 9
Wow! Looks like our very first Bond Performance going to GE! Now, I personally think Pierce was excellent in his debut (in fact I think it’s his best performance in the role) but Connery’s debut in DN is just so iconic and peerless. You just can’t forget that Sir Sean did it first - there was no template to follow. He was basically groomed in his performance by Terence Young (who was very Bondian in his lifestyle) but he had no one else to emulate. In comparison Pierce can’t help but have images of Connery and Moore in his head as he does his debut, no matter how much he’d like to make the role his own. He knows the audience expectations. I certainly don’t envy Pierce or anyone else making their debut. It’s gotta be nerve wracking. In a way Sir Sean had it easier. He was creating something from scratch. There were no audience expectations. All he had to go on was what Fleming wrote on the page, what Maibaum wrote, and the coaching of Terence Young. The rest was magic - Connery magic!
Brosnan was the jack of all trades master of none when it came to Bond. In some areas he came close to the greatness of Connery and in other areas, such as the portrayal of danger, severely lacking. Often it’s more appropriate to blame the script than it is his acting, as exemplified by DAD and some of his post-Bond work. For me, GE was in many ways the opposite of DAD for Brosnan. He knew exactly what he wanted to do with the role but it was handcuffed by the worst script in the franchise. Compared to GE, which had so much depth to the script, offering nuances that clearly blend a mix of Moore and Dalton undertones, but he was markedly unsure of himself and let it just fly onto the screen. It’s a good performance in my book, top half to middle of the pack at least, but I wonder how he would have approached it had that been his fourth film instead of his first.
Regardless, I respect his opinion even if he sees it differently. At least they didn’t 17-0 the score (always appears to be in very poor taste without sufficient justification, imho).
In general I agree that Connery is the best Bond overall but I do think that he grew more confident in the role in FRWL.
I do feel that judging Brosnan's GE performance against Connery's DN performance, I personally feel the need to give it to Brosnan. (It wouldn't be the case if I was judging their performances as a whole throughout their respective tenure).
Dalton and Craig in my opinion also beat Connery in DN with their initial Bond debuts.
Brosnan did a fantastic job in GE and I have no qualms about giving him my vote. Connery always gets his praise but on this occassion I have to disagree with the majority of the board. That's all part of what makes this community so engaging.
I’d have to go back and check what I voted for (since it was probably a year ago), but I agree with the sentiment Connery grew more confidence in the role for FRWL. He’s very raw in DN, which is why I think a large contingent of the members consider it first (or at least second) in just performance. The first three are all so close (though, each with distinguishing features) that their rank can be affected purely based on the viewers mood, imo.
Impossible to disagree with this.
Title Track: DN ("Surrender," on the other hand...)
Title Credits: DN
Main Villain: DN (Carver is underrated, and in some ways prescient, but come on.)
Main Bond Girl: DN
Henchman: DN (Dent against the least inspired Red Grant clone is easy.)
Overall Plot:DN
Dialogue: DN
Score: TND
Settings: DN
Action: TND (There's a whole lot of it.)
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: TND (throwing Dr. Kauffman a bone)
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
14-3 for Dr. No. Well, that was a route. I wasn't expecting TND to do so poorly, as I actually enjoy it quite a bit, but it just kept coming up short. Let's see if it can do any better by you.
Title Credits: DN (close call)
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: TND (I like a girl who can hold her own)
Henchman: DN (R.J. Dent - one of the series absolute best)
Overall Plot: DN
Dialogue: DN (Bond's intro; "You've had your six"; Dr No dinner scene; "Fetch my shoes.")
Score: TND
Settings: DN (great use of Jamaican locations. In TND, I only really enjoy the PTS setting)
Action: TND
Humour: TND (don't recall much humour in DN)
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: DN (great, memorable characters here: Mr Jones, Felix, Quarrel, Miss Taro)
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN (have to give it to Sean, nailing it on his first go. Broz did great though)
DN: 12
TND: 5
Title Credits: DN
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: TND
Henchman: TND (both are near the bottom for me)
Overall Plot: DN
Dialogue: DN
Score: TND
Settings: DN
Action: TND
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 12
TND: 5
Title Credits: DN
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: DN
Henchman: DN
Overall Plot: DN
Dialogue: DN
Score: TND
Settings: DN
Action: DN
Humour: TND
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 15
TND: 2
Title Credits: DN
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: DN
Henchman: DN
Overall Plot: DN
Dialogue: DN
Score: DN
Settings: DN
Action: TND
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 16
TND: 1
Title Track: TND
Title Credits: TND
Main Villain: TND
Main Bond Girl: TND
Henchman: TND
Overall Plot: TND
Dialogue: TND
Score: TND
Settings: TND
Action: TND
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: TND
Minor Characters: TND
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 5
TND: 12
Title Credits: DN
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: DN
Henchman: DN
Overall Plot: DN
Dialogue: DN
Score: DN
Settings: DN
Action: TND (TND is an action movie, DN isn't)
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 16
TND: 1
Title Credits: TND (slickly done)
Main Villain: DN (Julius wins this. Pryce is too petulant for me and doesn't have many memorable scenes certainly nothing to compete with DN's disembodied voice scene giving the tarantula to Dent or DN's dinner scene with Bond and Honey.)
Main Bond Girl: TND (In purely iconic terms Honey and Wai Lin are at opposite ends of the spectrum Michelle yeoh doesn't have much romantic chemistry with Brosnan but she is a proactive character and excellent in the action scenes.)
Henchman: DN (I prefer Dent's slimey presence and classic death scene than Stamper's Aryan henchman archetype.)
Overall Plot: DN (classic Fleming versus plotting for exclusive broadcast rights in China)
Dialogue: DN (by some stretch)
Score: TND (Arnold's Barry nods and Surrender woven into the score. This score rocks along)
Settings: DN (I prefer to be underneath the mango tree than anywhere in TND.)
Action: TND (TND is action set pieces welded together. The opening, the bike chase, the remote control car)
Humour: DN (I like the gallows humour of DN)
Cinematography: DN (TND looks good but the way the early 60s Bonds were captured is marvellous)
Benign Bizarre: DN (not too much in TND while plenty of weirdness in DN)
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: DN (quarrel and Felix win this alone)
Glamour: DN (it doesn't get much more glamourous than Connery in the casino)
Bond Performance: DN (Connery at the height of his powers)
DN: 13
TND: 4
DN is top six bond film - TND near the bottom of the pile.
Title Track: TND (40-60)
If it was the Bond theme alone, this would go to DN, but it isn't.
Title Credits: TND (30-70)
A fine sequence put together by Kleinman--not his best, but certainly in the pantheon.
Main Villain: DN (65-35)
Carver is perhaps the best Bond villain of his era, but mishandled to muddy the chance for brilliance by Jonathan Pryce.
Main Bond Girl: DN (70-30)
Wai Lin is a strong character with some shining moments, but overall the moments of chemistry between her and Bond are far and few between.
Henchman: DN (60-40)
This should be a larger margin since Stamper is one of the worst, but Professor Dent is only a slight upgrade.
Overall Plot: DN (65-35)
If not for the clumsy execution, particularly in the final act, TND would be viewed in more prestige than merely ahead of its time.
Dialogue: DN (65-35)
The Brosnan era has receding dialogue quality with each film--still some great lines, but with lesser consistency than those found in GE.
Score: TND (20-80)
The heir apparent stakes his claim at the score--and to the tune of something walking the line between greatness and predictable.
Settings: DN (75-25)
I feel like there could be more to marvel at for the locations of TND.
Action: TND (30-70)
The backseat driver sequence is one of my favorite from the entire franchise.
Humor: TND (25-75)
A wealth of moments shared by many of the cast.
Cinematography: TND (30-70)
Some spectacular shots from the MiG dogfight to the deep sea dive and the South China Sea.
Benign Bizarre: TND (20-80)
"According to Eastern philosophy, the body has seven different chakra points. The Energy centers, like the heart, or genitals. The purpose of these implements is to probe those organs, inflicting the maximum amount of pain whilst keeping the victim alive for as long as possible."
Suspense: DN (85-15)
TND leaves little to the imagination.
Minor Characters: TND (45-55)
Largely due to the performances of M and Q; the latter really shows an affection for Brosnan's Bond like no other.
Glamor: DN (60-40)
TND checks the boxes that were (largely) formed by DN.
Bond Performance: DN (70-30)
Brosnan is markedly more comfortable in the role with a tone that suits his delivery.
DN (9) (50-50) (8) TND
Peering at this one through my nostalgia lenses. TND was my first Bond experience and quite an enjoyable one to launch me into the others.
Title Credits: TND
Main Villain: TND
Main Bond Girl: TND
Henchman: TND
Overall Plot: DN
Dialogue: DN
Score: TND
Settings: DN
Action: TND
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: TND
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 9
TND: 8
DN has suffered in the Bond elements games for me because the formula wasn't perfected yet. DN ranks quite a few higher than TND, but by the elements TND made it very close.
Title Credits: TND
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: TND
Henchman: DN
Overall Plot: TND
Dialogue: DN
Score: TND
Settings: DN
Action: TND
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: TND
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 11
TND: 6
Title Credits: TND - rather creative one by Danny Kleinman.
Main Villain: DN - honestly I used to hate Jonathan Pryce's soooo OTT performance as Carver but these days I really love it! Lol, go figure. No other Bond villain has risen in my rankings as much as Elliot Carver. That said, he still can't touch the iconic Doctor No!
Main Bond Girl: DN - Honey is iconic, whereas Michelle Yeoh is just a generic kick-butt heroine action star from Hong Kong which is a turn-off for me. I prefer independent women in the vein of Natalya in GE instead of Wai Lin or Jinx.
Henchman: TND - this is for Dr. Kaufman alone who is bloody BRILLIANT!! I agree that Stamper is an inferior Red Grant clone. Necros was a much better clone.
Overall Plot: TND - for all the flack the film gets I actually find the plot quite brilliant and timely and particularly relevant today, especially with the power of the media. It's basically YOLT/TSWLM updated for modern times and the media angle works extremely well in this regard!
Dialogue: DN - TND has some great lines but DN is classic!
Score: TND - no contest, Arnold's best score!!
Settings: DN - can't beat Jamaica
Action: TND - obviously, even if they do overdo the action quite a bit here.
Humour: DN - can't beat that cutting 1962 Bond humor
Cinematography: DN - I enjoy Robert Elswit's cinematography, especially the way he captures the South China Sea locale, but Ted Moore's work on DN and that Jamaican flavor is too iconic!
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN - TND is pretty generic in the suspense department, DN is dripping with suspense.
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN - no contest!
Bond Performance: DN - Brosnan is in great form here but he ain't no Connery!
DN: 12
TND: 5
Title Credits: TND
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: DN
Henchman: DN
Overall Plot: TND
Dialogue: DN
Score: TND
Settings: DN
Action: TND
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: TND
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 11
TND: 6
Title Credits: TND
Main Villain: TND
Main Bond Girl: TND
Henchman: TND
Overall Plot: TND
Dialogue: TND
Score: TND
Settings: DN
Action: TND
Humour: TND
Cinematography: TND
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: TND
Minor Characters: TND
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 4
TND: 13
Title Credits: TND
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: TND
Henchman: TND
Overall Plot: DN
Dialogue: Tie
Score: TND
Settings: DN
Action: TND
Humour: TND
Cinematography: TND
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: TND
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 8
TND: 10
Hmmm... DN IS the better film though.
Title Track: DN
Title Credits: TWINE (I've always had a soft spot for this one, for some reason.)
Main Villain: DN (Elektra is a great concept and pretty good execution, but the OG takes this one easily)
Main Bond Girl: DN
Henchman: DN
Overall Plot: DN (Again, the central idea is great, but the execution falters.)
Dialogue: DN
Score:TWINE
Settings: DN (TWINE has some good ones, but they're so dreadfully bland)
Action: DN (The PTS and the ski chase do their best, but they come just short.)
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN (As mentioned above, it's all so bland.)
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: TWINE (this is a sop for Desmond Llewellyn's last performance)
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
Another romp for DN, which wins by 14-3, an identical scorecard to last time around. Can TWINE pull off the miracle upset, or is it, too, destined to fall? Let's see how you rate them!
Title Credits: TWINE (oiled-up women. What's better than that?)
Main Villain: DN (No explanation needed)
Main Bond Girl: TWINE (both don't get much to do or say, so I'm just judging on looks here)
Henchman: DN (who was the henchman in TWINE? Gabor? I have to ask because he was so forgettable)
Overall Plot: DN (simple, mysterious espionage caper - how I prefer my Bond)
Dialogue: DN (the dinner scene alone is better than anything in TWINE)
Score: TWINE
Settings: DN (mostly boring scenery in TWINE, and I prefer Bond in the tropics anyway)
Action: DN (close one here - seems big stunt action isn't always better. TWINE's PTS is the film's highlight)
Humour: TWINE
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN (Dr. No's metal hands/spider room/dragon tank Vs Renard's painlessness/Elektra's earlobe)
Suspense: DN (lots of suspense here - something modern Bond is lacking)
Minor Characters: DN (Prof. Dent alone trumps anyone in TWINE. Then you have Jones, Taro etc.)
Glamour: DN (Le Cercle/Dr. No's living room Vs L'or Noir)
Bond Performance: DN (other than the occasional snappy remark, Sean nails it first time)
DN: 12
TWINE: 5
Title Credits: DN
Main Villain: DN
Main Bond Girl: DN
Henchman: DN
Overall Plot: DN
Dialogue: DN
Score: TWINE
Settings: DN
Action: DN
Humour: DN
Cinematography: DN
Benign Bizarre: DN
Suspense: DN
Minor Characters: DN
Glamour: DN
Bond Performance: DN
DN: 15
TWINE: 2