Last Bond Movie You Watched? 1.0

Heh. All that tailing stuff was shot in Miami.

Heck, around Fort Knox is pretty much just country. Empty shopping centers. And a ton of pizza places, oddly.

Thunderball

I love what is there, if not how it's all assembled. Could have been tightened. I love basically everything up to and including the casino stuff. After that it feels like a rough cut to me. It sputters around. It's always good, it just doesn't seem ideally put together. And the underwater battle, I'll have to dodge bullets for saying this, is a mess to me.

Interesting, the BD has the mono track without Pinder's manta ray line. The UE DVD had it.

1. GOLDFINGER
2. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
3. DR. NO
4. THUNDERBALL

That's pretty much how I'd rank the first four films, although FRWL and GF are still at a tug-o-war for me. I probably enjoyed TB the most when I rented it and had the stereo on for the first time. It was very cool and left a big impression on me (immediately after I finished watching, I was on the phone annoying my then girlfriend when I would sporadically speak with Connery's accent). Over the years, yeah, it's a mess that needed tightening. Wish the fallout between Young and EON hadn't occurred. They didn't give him enough credit back then.

Thunderball has so much going for though that Goldfinger ultimately lacks... a return of exotic locations (Kentucky has got to be one of the most boring locales in Bond), exotic femme fatales, and a dangerous Bond. All of this, plus the return of Young, elevate Thunderball over the most iconic Bond film for me. I may be in the minority on this, but I find the underwater battle royale in TB less sleep-inducing than the raid on Fort Knox.

I won't deny that TB has its merits and some advantages over GF, but the latter comes off more well rounded and ultimately I find Auric Goldfinger a more interesting villain than Largo. It's just a better made film.

GOLDFINGER is slicker and more concise, but strangely empty. I consider THUNDERBALL to be the quintessential Bond movie, precisely because it is flawed, and contains all of the highs and lows of the series - not in the DAD "something for everyone" sense - but as a consequence of its production history. It's the only Bond screenplay that Ian Fleming (partly) wrote, and conceived first and foremost as a film. For all of those reasons it will always be the pinnacle of cinematic Bond. Unbeatable.

I too rate TB over GF, and it's not even close. While GF is much less than the sum of its parts, TB possesses a menace, a mystery and an urgency that vaults it very close to the pinnacle of all Bond films. GF is a lightweight effort in comparison.

I understand those criticisms perfectly and don't deny the logic of them. I'm ranking by how I prefer the films personally. I still think GF works very well, though. It's not hard-hitting or anything, but all the elements come together for me in a way that almost no Bond film matches. It functions very well. I also like it's spirit and tone.

Is Kentucky a great locale? As a local I can say no first hand. But it can't really be helped seeing as it's where Fort Knox is.

In terms of the interplay between characters? That's one place where TB shines, and outshines GF on a number of fronts.

I think GF does it's OTT thing very well. It's like a big toy to me. It's fun, it's brisk, and it's well-crafted.

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Entertaining, but at the same time very underwhelming. I've said it for years, drop the solex agitator plot and focus more on Bond vs Scaramanga and you've got something great to work with. For me all the best scenes involve Lee. That lunch where they discuss their professions and how they are not too dissimilar. Once he's killed off the rest of the climax is just dead for me, I might as well shut it off by then.

Also, I didn't notice this until now. The ending of the duel makes no sense at all. One moment Scaramanga is waiting with the Bond mannequin the missing fingers within his sight, then Bond under the stage where he drops his gun, then we see Scaramanga in the same spot still waiting and then moments later he starts to move around, only within like maybe ten seconds after he starts moving the mannequin becomes Bond and shoots Scaramanga dead. No wonder Scaramanga looked so shocked when he died, that scenario is impossible and the only exploitation is that Bond has magic powers. Not sure why I never caught this before. Bond films often stretched logic, but this was a little too far to stomach, even for a movie that features a flying car and Bond fighting a midget.

1. From Russia with Love
2. Goldfinger
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
4. Dr. No
5. Thunderball
6. Diamonds Are Forever
7. Live and Let Die
8. You Only Live Twice
9. The Man with the Golden Gun

For the record, I have no problem with GF's Kentucky location. And neither did Fleming.

PS--The flying car in Gun was based on reality. This vehicle was actually invented, although its designers were ultimately killed when the car came unhooked from the wings while in flight.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

I too rate TB over GF, and it's not even close. While GF is much less than the sum of its parts, TB possesses a menace, a mystery and an urgency that vaults it very close to the pinnacle of all Bond films. GF is a lightweight effort in comparison.

As well as what you mention, TB can boast the sexiest atmosphere of any Bond movie.

Salomé wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

I too rate TB over GF, and it's not even close. While GF is much less than the sum of its parts, TB possesses a menace, a mystery and an urgency that vaults it very close to the pinnacle of all Bond films. GF is a lightweight effort in comparison.

As well as what you mention, TB can boast the sexiest atmosphere of any Bond movie.

Yes, I think that's safe to say. I'd probably rate CR second in that category, although a fairly distant second.

NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN

Why must two THUNDERBALL adaptions squander their potential? Instead of just being bloated like it's predecessor, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN is too long, badly paced, and suffers bouts of terrible writing. Despite Brandauer running circles around most of the Bond villains and Connery being athletic again, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN is a dreary watch.

1. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE 5/5
2. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE 5/5
3. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY 5/5
4. GOLDFINGER 4/5
5. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME 4/5
6. DR. NO 3/5
7. OCTOPUSSY 3/5
8. LIVE AND LET DIE 3/5
9. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER 3/5
10. MOONRAKER 3/5
11. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE 3/5
12. THUNDERBALL 2/5
13. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN 1/5
14. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN 1/5

At least I laughed during GOLDEN GUN.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Salomé wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

I too rate TB over GF, and it's not even close. While GF is much less than the sum of its parts, TB possesses a menace, a mystery and an urgency that vaults it very close to the pinnacle of all Bond films. GF is a lightweight effort in comparison.

As well as what you mention, TB can boast the sexiest atmosphere of any Bond movie.

Yes, I think that's safe to say. I'd probably rate CR second in that category, although a fairly distant second.

CR is positively sterile, unless you count a shirtless Putin on steroids as sexy.

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Well damn, that looked SPECTACULAR on blu. Now that they restored this one to its original look, it looks more 70s than ever, in a good way. So it's Sir Rog's most popular and I can see why as it's a pretty well made spectacle and it's entertaining. It's a remake of YOLT no doubt, but here it feels like there's a bit more urgency and Moore is certainly giving the better performance. I still don't see the appeal of Barbara Bach. The villain is still weaksauce, and is taken out by Bond about two minutes after he enters his water fortress. Of course it's really Jaws that steals the show. Overall, I don't really feel this is Roger Moore's best film. It's more ambitious, but not all of it works for me.

1. From Russia with Love
2. Goldfinger
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
4. Dr. No
5. Thunderball
6. Diamonds Are Forever
7. Live and Let Die
8. The Spy Who Loved Me
9. You Only Live Twice
10. The Man with the Golden Gun

You Only Live Twice

The biggest spark of life is the cat going berserk.

1. GOLDFINGER
2. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
3. DR. NO
4. THUNDERBALL
5. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

A VIEW TO A KILL

A movie that's so 80's it hurts. Computers everywhere, Russians running wild, Nazi's, cars that look like boxes on wheels, Duran Duran and a title sequence made largely of neon paint. It might be because of the movie that proceeded it, but I had lots of fun with A VIEW TO A KILL. One of the few post Connery Bond films that have Bond actually sticking to a cover story instead of announcing "I'M A SECRET AGENT SENT TO DESTROY YOU" at the top of his lungs like usual.

1. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
2. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
3. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
4. GOLDFINGER
5. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
6. DR. NO
7. OCTOPUSSY
8. LIVE AND LET DIE
9. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
10. A VIEW TO A KILL
11. MOONRAKER
12. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
13. THUNDERBALL
14. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
15. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN

Past Me wrote:

On Her Majesty's Secret Service
From Russia With Love
For Your Eyes Only
Goldfinger
Thunderball
Dr. No
The Spy Who Loved Me
You Only Live Twice
Live And Let Die
Diamonds Are Forever
Moonraker
Octopussy
Never Say Never Again
A View To A Kill
The Man With The Golden Gun
.

My top 4 remained consistent, then complete anarchy on the rest of the list. I wonder what Past Me would have thought at having THUNDERBALL so low and A VIEW TO A KILL so high.

I used to hate A VIEW TO A KILL, but now I kinda like it. I like NSNA as well. I'll take it over a handful of EON films. Just for sheer enjoyment. It looks like crap.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

I used to hate A VIEW TO A KILL, but now I kinda like it. I like NSNA as well. I'll take it over a handful of EON films. Just for sheer enjoyment. It looks like crap.

I used to be able to enjoy NSNA, but not right now. It's slow, the music is crap, and half the time Connery looks like he pities the whole production. NSNA is like the lazy kid who has occasional flashes of brilliance, but those moments are too few and far between to override the general malaise.

I think i just described myself.

Octopussy

People who think TWINE is inconsistent should watch this Bond film, because tonally, it's not sure where it wants to be. I think if a lot of the jokes were out of it, it would have been top five material.. There is enough enigma and intrigue (in the script and performances) to be up there with the 60s films, which is complimented wonderfully by Barry's score. Moore provides a solid performance, though not quite as good as his performance in FYEO. I liked Kamal Khan a lot more this time. Interesting how my 2012 Bondathon has seen me appreciate the villains a lot more than what I used to. And the last 30 minutes or so are definitely up there with the most exciting of the series, including the stuff with Mischka and Grischka (a very interesting pair of villains), the train fights, the car chase, the clown-countdown, Octopussy's raid on the Monsoon Palace and the plane fight, it's definitely thrilling stuff.

I like the symmetry in this film. The bookends of the film have Bond involved in breathtaking aerial stunts: first escaping the action, and then chasing it. You also have an agent escaping a circus, ultimately leading to his death in one of the series' most intriguing sequences, and then Bond undercover in clown attire, entering a circus to prevent millions of deaths.

Anyway, not Moore's best film, but definitely not his worst. I feel like putting LALD above it, purely because I enjoyed it a lot this year and more than the majority of OP, but damn that last 30 minutes really impresses me.

2012 Ranking:

From Russia With Love
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Thunderball
Dr.No
For Your Eyes Only
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Octopussy
Live and Let Die
The Man With The Golden Gun
Diamonds Are Forever
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker

FieldsMan wrote:

Octopussy

People who think TWINE is inconsistent should watch this Bond film

Gladly. While OP is certainly inconsistent with its comical aspects and suspense, a lot of them are done better than whatever TWINE attempts.

Nah. The "inconsistencies" in TWINE aren't detrimental.

I'm not saying they fit together better in OP than TWINE, I'm saying they're done better. The only sin OP does that's bigger than TWINE's is the Tarzan yell, but that's about it.

How are they "done better"? The gags in TWINE are no where near as tasteless and goofy as those in OP. They're more restrained.

FieldsMan wrote:

How are they "done better"? The gags in TWINE are no where near as tasteless and goofy as those in OP. They're more restrained.

Probably too restrained. TWINE's humor is just flat out dull, like everything else about it.