Detailed Bond Film Rankings

FieldsMan Edit: *My current ranking is lower on the page.*

Not my current ranking, but I just copied and pasted this from KTBEU. There's a been a slight reorder, but essentially my views are the same. And just wanted to kick this thread off.  :)

Tomorrow Never Dies | 10
Yes, nostalgia does play a part in why I rank it this high, but it isn't the only reason. It was my first Bond film, and no doubt FRWL and OHMSS are technically better films, but isn't a ranking just a preference anyway? Tomorrow Never Dies for me features a wide range of different characters to whom we can care for. I love the story (my favourite of the three WWIII Bond films - YOLT and TSWLM). I find it very interesting how they toy with the idea of how much influence the media has on the world - and it's true! Arnold provides his best score and I find it to be the most listenable out of the entire franchise. The action is well choreographed and shot, whilst being brilliant and original. The bike chase is fantastic stuff, starting on the grounds before taking to the roof!! The stunts are impressive, the performances are great and all this contributes to a fantastic Bond movie.

From Russia With Love | 10
The definitive Bond movie. My reasons echo most others except that the boat chase and helicopter vs Bond scenes don't bother me at all. Brilliant work from every one. And very faithful to the novel too! Rosa Klebb also ranks as one of my favourite villains.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | 10
The story is terrific, the score is outstanding, the stunts are breath taking and the locations are beautiful. Everything works well here, and the performances are mostly fantastic. Diana Rigg portrays my second favourite Bond girl and the romance between Tracy and Bond is a lot more believable than Bond and Vesper's in CR. Casting Lazenby was a daring move, but he proved himself and I really like his portrayal of Bond. Aside from a few awkward delivered lines, he did an impressive job.

Thunderball | 10
A wonderful movie. The cinematography is excellent. The scenery is magnificent. All performances are great, particularly from Palazzi, Celi and Connery. Auger did well with Domino (a lot better than Bassinger), but she needed a bit more energy. Still, a fantastic movie under the fantastic direction of Bond's best director.

For Your Eyes Only | 10
The introduction to the 80s proved to be the best of all of them. John Glen proves to be an able director, and his intentions for the franchise were admirable. I like how he wanted to bring Bond back to earth, and rightly so. We can actually care for characters in this Bond movie, as opposed to one or two characters from the 70s Bond films which turned Bond into a cartoon. I love how each character has there own story and they are all portrayed convincingly from their respective actors. Conti joins the crew and gives the franchise a fresh and fun soundtrack. Top marks for OO7 too, with Moore lending this movie his best and most convincing portrayal as James Bond.

The World Is Not Enough | 10
Again, a bit of nostalgia here and there, but after thinking about it alot, it does move up considerably in my rankings. It maintains the intrigue of Fleming's novels and the 60s Bond movies, whilst cleverly incorporating drama and espionage, sex and violence into this epic. Brosnan gives probably his best performance as James Bond, showing a humane side to the character. I feel it is most in line with Fleming, showing that people do make mistakes and re-establishing that Bond isn't a superhero. He is a man. Elektra King is one of my favourite characters in the series, played brilliantly by Sophie Marceau. I never really liked Renard, but my latest few viewings really opened me up to how sinister and believable this villain is (even if the bullet in the head seems a bit far fetched, Carlyle did very well with it).

Quantum of Solace | 10
What!? I like this more than Casino Royale?!? Yes, I do. This is what the 80s Bond films would have been like to be honest: an intelligent story (or stories in this case) with a great array of characters we can all care for under an artistic direction from Forster. The symbolism behind the mise-en-scene is fantastic, and I really applaud Forster for his efforts. I wouldn't complain if he returns. I'd welcome it. The action is well shot and choreographed, the characters are great and believable and the sets are amazing. Strawberry Fields is my favourite Bond girl too! Greene is also reminiscent of Kristatos, which in my opinion is a good thing. Arnold also provides his second best score.

The Living Daylights | 10
This has gone down a bit (originally at number 2) but I still love it, all the same. Dalton's debut is very smart, classy and has the cold war feel about it. All the characters are well played and written and the action is very good. I've never really understood this "Moore hangover" business. Kara is a lovely Bond girl and ranks in my top 10. Locations are excellent.

Goldeneye | 10
A great debut for Brosnan, though it doesn't feature his best performance as Bond. The characterisation of the supporting cast continues throughout the nineties too. Xenia Onatopp is a refreshingly awesome villainess though the best Bond girl goes to Natalya. I love the Cold War feel it has to it, and I love how we visit the different places in Russia. The score is rather good, and the cinematography is great too. Villains are excellent.

Doctor No | 10
The beginning of the franchise needs a place in the top 10. It features my favourite performance from Connery, capturing the essence of Fleming's character. I particularly like the scene at Pussfellar's club, when he interrogates the Photographer. I love the snobbiness and the arrogance he maintains. The film captures the intrigue of the novels splendidly and it just feels very cool. The introduction alone deserves to be in the top 10.

Will update the list after for the next 12. This does take a lot of time, doesn't it?  


Casino Royale | 9.8
This has moved down a fair bit, particularly after reading the literary version by Fleming. I really admire how the screenwriters updated the story to modern times, and I feel the plot is very espionage like and one of Fleming's strongest (out of the 5.5 that I've read ). While all the action is well shot, I think that it would have been better without some of the set pieces such as the Miami Airport sequence. I also would have preferred the literary ending as opposed to the cinematic piece we got at the end, but it was a clever idea and it still maintained an important character point for Bond. Score was quite good and the acting was great. Doesn't receive full marks for the different and somewhat weird characterisation of Vesper (a bit too snobby and irritating) and for bordering the torture sequence into a joke.

A View to a Kill | 9.8
A part for some action sequences that were treated in too much a light hearted fashion, I really enjoy this film. Moore gives his third best performance as James Bond despite his age. Stacey is a wonderful Bond girl - I really have no issue with her. She's believable. I doubt if you were hanging from the Golden Gate bridge with your current occupation, you would be screaming for the brave person you're with. The score is great, May Day and Zorin are brilliant villains, and the sets are magnificent.

Octopussy | 9.8
This is an excellent Bond film, yet disappointing too. After the brilliant and tonally consistent For Your Eyes Only, we get another Cold-Waresque plot which is handled nicely... except around some unwelcome and often exaggerated comedy that is very much out of place. The score was suitable, the acting was rather good all round (save for Wayborn's Magda), and Moore is great in the serious moments. And we have one of the best PTS. If we were deprived of the gorilla suit, the "live dead man" in the sack, the tarzan yell and the gags during the tuk tuk chase, we could have had a top 5 Bond thriller here. Pity.

Goldfinger | 9.5
A definitive Bond film? Yes, but only for the first half. Great acting, witty dialogue, intriguing characters, one fantastic score and wondeful stretches of pure Bondian goodness, such as the game of golf, DB5 introduction, Pussy's entrance, and of course, the Golden Girl. The PTS is magic too! This gets marked down for a rather slow and drab second half.

The Man With The Golden Gun | 9
I really wish this was higher, mainly for the locations, Moore's second best portrayal as Bond, Lee's brilliant Scaramanga and the low key plot. But too many comedic moments (which includes the infamous slide-whistle and Bond's need to squeeze a wrestler's arse) really hurt the film. Still, it features a grand sequence when Bond flies to Scaramanga's island, as well as the awesome Funhouse. I love the sets - from the retro kitchen, to the ship of the 45 degree angle. A script rewrite and pressure for Cubby and Harry to put Bond back into the espionage - not cartoonish - mindset, we could have had a great Bond adventure!

Licence to Kill | 9
Not really sure why this is here. We have some great Bond villains in Krest, Sanchez and particularly Dario, and some great stuntwork and action sequences, but it lacks the definitive Bondian feel. Pam is barely passable as a Bond girl (I prefer Lupe, as she looks better and is similar to Domino), but Dalton is great, and I like how they adapted Felix's "situation". Score is quite good.

You Only Live Twice | 8.8
This gets the edge above the last lot because it was sort of a prototype for Tomorrow Never Dies, as well as having that retro charm. I love Helga (though Fiona is better), and the sets are amazing - not just the volcano set, but I really adore Osato's office. I like the idea of Bond "dying" and I really like the Little Nellie sequence. Loses marks for some dodgy special effects and the almost pointless "Bond goes Japanese". Kissy is fine-ish. Her name isn't even said. The cinematography is lovely though, as is the score.

Diamonds Are Forever | 8.8
I like the darkly comical nature this film has, but I really would have preferred a faithful adaption. The novel was excellent. Though, with the film, there were even worse effects than YOLT. Tiffany started out well, though when she got captured, everything went down hill. I liked the idea of the Oil Rig aerial attack, but it could have been handled a lot better. Would have loved to have seen more of Amsterdam too. Car chase was quite good, and I love the dialogue. Score is amongst my favourites.

The Spy Who Loved Me | 8.8
OVERRATED TO SAY THE LEAST! But it stillk has some great aspects. Jaws is great here. I love the car chase, and the ski chase is brilliant. Anya is a fine Bond girl. I'm not really swayed by her [lack of] acting. Stromberg is a rather boring villain, but I love his demise. Sets were terrific, but prefer YOLT's. The score is fine. I rate this low because it drags a lot during the first half, some awkward cues (such as the music that plays when Bond finally dispatched Naomi - it really ruins the mood, IMO), and that stupid train fight. Oh and Moore is just Moore here. There was no Bond.

Moonraker | 8.5
A fantastic first 70 minutes or so. They should stayed on earth. Better still, should have just adapted the novel faithfully. I don't really like Goodhead. Whether or not her character was well written or not, she should have played Goodhead with more zest and with genuine class. "I'm sure I shall". Darling, say it convincingly. I want to cringe every time you say that. The location work with both Venice and Rio (and the Amazon) is great. Lonsdale is light years better than Stromberg. Moore, again was just Moore. Not Bond, which is why I love the 80s Bonds better. I prefer substance over style. So whether or not Glen's films weren't as pretty as the 70s Bond films, at least the stories were well written, and he hadn't better intentions than to just make Bond bigger and better. It seems Terence Young, Martin Campbell, Roger Spottiswoode, Peter Hunt, Michael Apted and Marc Forster have got it right so far, mixing both strong substance and great visuals into their films. Score was great, but still overrated.

Die Another Day | 8.5
Starts with a great premise. The idea of the North invading and ruling the South of Korea is great. Moon seemed like a lot of fun. I like how we see how Zao got his deformity. The PTS is outstanding and gripping. The titles sequence is awesome and I rather like Madonna's song. Halle Berry is thr worst Bond girl. Every line of her's is cringe worthy, except her "Read this, *****!" line, which I quite like for some reason. High points are the car chase, plot premise, PTS, fencing scene, Frost (quite like her back story too), scene in Hong Kong and Cuba (save Jinx's scenes). John Cleese was great as R and I love his and Bond's exchange. CGI was crap. And on that, had they cut the entire laser chase/parasailing sequence, it would have improved a lot. Score was quite good, though Arnold's weakest. Die Another Day was a missed opportunity. I'm planning on doing a treatment for what could have been over the Christmas holidays.

Live and Let Die. | 8.5
Odd. I put this below Die Another Day? Yup, because at least Die Another Day had a sense of exhiliration and fun. This is probably the boring Bond film. It does have elements of thrill in it, but it comes off as rather underwhelming. High points are the score, Jane Seymour, helicopter attack on Bond/Solitaire under the poppy fields, crocodile farm scenes and the bus chase. Rosie is annoying. The film looks drab too. New Orleans looked amazing in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and A Streetcar Named Desire. The boat chase is massively overrated. It's so dragged out that it loses the thrill, only to pick up again just before Adam meets his death.

Nice detailed ranking, Fieldsman. Someday, perhaps your nostalgia will give way to true quality ;-).

Nice colors, Tux :-)

It's spring break, and I'm lazing the day away. What better time to do my first EVER detailed ranking!

1. The Living Daylights - Timothy Dalton as the closest to Fleming's Bond I think the series ever gets. Dalton is my kind of actor. A large touch of the theatrical with just the right amount of subtlety. Suave, sexy, and nuanced, Dalton makes this film. He isn't the only reason why it's my highest ranked, thought he plays the biggest part. The plot keeps you intrigued til the end of the film. It's not a film to watch out of the corner of your eye, and no great film is! Kara is my favorite kind of Bond girl - innocent, mixed up in something bad and in way over her head. The film also has just the right amount of action, romance, and intrigue.

2. From Russia With Love - Connery at his best. Fleming adaptation at it's best. A great Bond girl (again, one of my favorite kinds of Bond girls). It helps that FRWL is my favorite Fleming novel. It is the classic Bond film in every way. The only way to reclaim the glory of FRWL would be to make Bond a period piece, and since that won't even happen, FRWL is a permanent fixture at #2 on my list.

3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Again, adaptation of Fleming material has a lot to do with the success of OHMSS. Lazenby totally works in the role, and Diana Rigg is a dream. It has a score to die for and has the most range of any Bond film.

4. Casino Royale - Casino Royale is a triumph in the modern Bond age. Daniel Craig makes James Bond a character that fascinates you, something that hadn't been as pronounced since Dalton's day. You can see so much going on beneath the surface, and you want to know more, yet the mystery keeps you going. Bond has changed with the times, but he is still the character we love.

5. For Your Eyes Only - Another great triumph in adapting Fleming, especially considering the plot is an amalgamation of two different short stories. The two are intertwined beautifully, and what results is the best Roger Moore Bond film. The plot is one of the most intriguing, and this is also one of Moore's best performances. It also boasts one of the best supporting casts. The few too-silly moments don't bring the film down. The best parts of FYEO are what shine.

6. Dr. No - A low production quality is all that keeps this film from being higher on the list. Connery brings one of his best performances as Bond, and you feel closest to the character in it's first outing. Bond is most fascinating when embroiled in a mystery, and Dr. No provides one of the best.

7. License to Kill - Dalton is back, and we see an even more compelling performance from him. We have some quite sadistic villains that match Dalton's intensity. The quality of the Bond girls is what keeps LTK from having a higher spot. Pam is inconsistent and Lupe is poorly acted.

8. Goldeneye - Brosnan's timidity at playing Bond displays itself as subtlety, something that is missing from his other Bond films. The ultimate betrayal of a fellow MI6 agent makes this plot one of the most memorable. Natalya is a great Bond girl another one of my favorite types - mixed up in a bad situation and in over her head.

9. Quantum of Solace - The pure beauty of the cinematography in this film is enough to warrant a high ranking, but when you add Craig, a creepy villain, and a very relevant plot, you have a great film to watch. The short running time and the seeming lack of plot development (Who is Quantum? I don't even think the writers know...) but when viewed as a greater mystery, the film works.

10. Goldfinger - One of the most iconic Bond films, it truly deserves such a status in the Bond world. Connery is still at the top of his game, and you have another great Fleming adaptation. The feeling that Bond is super-human and the precedence that seems to make for future Bond films is what makes it more of the middle of the pack for me.

11. Octopussy - It's the marriage of the OTT Roger Moore era with a truly great story and the mixture of elements that make Bond what it is - Adventure, excitement, glamour, and another great mystery. The film is just a little too OTT to be ranked higher.

12. Live and Let Die - Once my favorite Bond film, it fails to intrigue after repeated viewings. The best parts of Fleming's story are actually used in LTK. LALD keeps all the bizarre, and adds in action that tends to bore instead of compel.

13. Tomorrow Never Dies - TND boasts one of the most relevant plots, and it continues to be relevant in our media-saturated world. Brosnan is still believable as Bond, and the film has the best Bond girls of his era. The humor is great, but it's a paint-by-the-numbers Bond film. A few elements stand out, but it mostly just plays things by the rule book and doesn't try to be different.

14. A View to a Kill - A really fun Bond film that has some of the best action in the series. Roger Moore may be an old Bond, but he's still got it. Tania Roberts takes this one down a few notches with her pure annoyance, but I find MayDay to be underrated. She truly is an interesting character, and Christopher Walken was great casting as one of the most sadistic Bonds.

15. Moonraker - OTT actiong, OTT plot, OTT humor....This film just has a little too much. It certainly entertains, however.

16. Thunderball - I'm supposed to love this film, but I don't. The underwater scenes bore, and Connery looks bored. Some great femme fatales, however. Not my favorite Fleming novel, which may have some weight in my low ranking of TB.

17. Diamonds Are Forever - See Moonraker.

18. The Spy Who Loved Me - Barbara Bach is unforgivable, and the film bores. I'm not a huge Jaws fan, either. For some reason I can't hate this film, though. Must be Roger.

19. The Man With the Golden Gun - Biggest snooze fest of Moore's era, but his acting performance saves the film.

21. Die Another Day - It's bad. It's a spoof. Halle Berry is cringe-worthy. The first half of the film is watchable, but it goes downhill fast.

21. You Only Live Twice - Connery is truly bored at this point, no doubt about it. The plot is a snooze, so you can't blame him, and the OTT elements are too tired to entertain. I can't watch it. No redeeming qualities.

22. The World is Not Enough - Unwatchable. The plot could have worked but doesn't. Brosnan at his worst. Denise Richards is a joke. The attempted jokes in the movie aren't. A bad video game.

I hope you all are sitting down.

1. Casino Royale (2006) - 10/10
I somehow knew, even after seeing some Bond films drop and rise for this new list, that the battle for number one was still going to be between Goldfinger and Casino Royale. But in the end, by that much, Casino Royale retains the number one spot on my list. Firstly, there is Daniel Craig, who is second only to Sean Connery in my mind. From the very first frame we see him in, Craig simply is James Bond. But this Bond is a little tougher than the rest; Craig’s Bond is a true killer, one who almost seems to get a hint of pleasure from it. He doesn’t go into anti-hero territory, but it is enough to see there is a different kind of working going on in this Craig’s Bond’s mind. This trait is something I think only Craig possesses and is truly a phenomenal one. The believability in Craig’s Bond is something I also admire. Where some Bonds didn’t emasculate some of Bond’s traits, Craig nails all of them. But Casino Royale doesn’t stop at a fantastic Bond. The rest of the cast is great, as well. Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd is one of my favorite Bond girls in the series. Le Chiffre is played subtly by Mads Mikkelsen, but his last moments are incredibly menacing. Mathis is a strong “ally”, as well. The action scenes are not only some of my favorites in the series, but some of my favorite of all time, barring no film. And then there is that torture scene. I’ve noticed over the years that it often gets some bashing from people who would’ve preferred the book’s version. But to me, Casino Royale’s torture scene (despite being dissimilar from the book) takes the cake for my favorite scene in a Bond film. It’s brutal, terrifying and uncomfortably funny all in one; I truly can’t think of any other scene in any movie for that manner that has had me more on the edge of my seat. Casino Royale is not only my favorite Bond film, but my personal favorite film of all time.

2. Goldfinger (1964) - 10/10
Goldfinger is pure, classic Bond and memorable scenes are countless. The film has an immensely strong supporting cast with Gert Frobe as Goldfinger (one of the series’ best villains), Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore (one of the series’ best girls) and Harold Sakata as Oddjob (the series’ best henchman). And then there’s Sean Connery. What a Bond he was; the best, that’s for sure. What Goldfinger also had that some other Bond films botched was the exact right amount of camp. Yes, it’s preposterous that Oddjob can withstand a gold brick to the chest and Bond wears a tuxedo under a wetsuit, but it’s all in the film’s personality. Some Bond films (like Diamonds Are Forever or Moonraker) pushed camp into self parody, but for some reason Goldfinger’s camp is stylish to me. (The film’s personality is similar to that of Raiders of the Lost Ark). Accompanied by the franchise’s best score, that incredible Aston Martin, brisk pacing, and some of the best one liners in film (“No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”) Goldfinger is not only the best classic Bond film, but one of the greatest films of all time.

3. From Russia With Love (1963) - 9.5/10
When the casual filmgoer thinks James Bond, they might not immediately think “realism”. But From Russia With Love is just that, a realistic spy thriller. And a thriller it is: Sean Connery is as great as Bond as he was in Dr. No. Bond girl Tatiana is a little more than a girl Bond picked up for the ride (like in Dr. No) which is a nice change. From Russia With Love had double the budge Dr. No had and it shows; the cinematography and locations are incredible. Kerim Bay should also go down as Bond’s best ally; his death is truly a powerful moment. Oh, and the fight on the Orient Express with Grant? Bond’s best fist fight of the entire series. Not only is From Russia With Love a fantastic Bond film, but a marvelous and thrilling spy caper as well.

4. Dr. No (1962) - 9/10
The first and subtlest James Bond film adventure is far from unexciting. First mention goes to Sean Connery, who is the best James Bond in my mind. He is so natural and smooth, one might think he was born to play such a role. (With his best scene in this film being the execution of the poor yet deserving Professor Dent). Villain Dr. No is also one of the series’ strongest villains; he is low key, but carries a chilling persona. Ursula Andress as the series’ first Bond girl is a success too. She is not just eye candy, and despite tagging along for the ride, she is very resourceful. The plot development of Dr. No is also very satisfying, what starts as missing persons case turns into a world threatening endeavor. I’ve always liked that evolution. Despite having a considerably lower budget than the rest of the Bond films, Dr. No has always been the little film that could in my mind and pushes far beyond what it should have been capable of, which makes me appreciate it all the more.

5. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) - 9/10
I had always convinced myself that George Lazenby was a substandard James Bond. But upon watching OHMSS again, I was surprised to see how wrong I was. Sure, Lazenby is not the best Bond; his acting ranges from serviceable to solid to great, but I can say I was actually fairly impressed with his performance. And the very last scene, with a dead Mrs. Bond lying in her husband’s arms may be the most tragic, emotional and powerful scene in Bond film history. Adding to that, the rest of OHMSS is near perfect; the supporting cast is one of the best casts in a Bond film (Tells Savalas as Blofeld and Diana Rigg as Tracy were spot on), John Barry’s soundtrack is phenomenal and the production values and cinematography shine. The editing of the movie is an acquired taste and some of it still baffles me, but that aside, OHMSS was the Bond movie I was most mistaken about.

6. Thunderball (1965) - 8.5/10
Sean Connery’s best Bond performance comes in Thunderball. Don’t get me wrong: from Dr. No to this film, he was spot on, but his Thunderball performance always stood above the rest for some reason. His mannerisms and lines (“Wait until you get to my teeth”) are delivered with stark perfection. Most of the supporting cast is strong too with a special nod going to Luciana Paluzzi’s femme fetal Fiona Volpe. Domino is only slightly less interesting, but still a good Bond girl nonetheless. Largo is a fine villain, and hey an eyepatch can make anyone look evil, right? In terms of plot, Thunderball is fairly standard with the topic being nuclear blackmail. But the investigation type of style Thunderball takes makes it quite interesting. The underwater scenes are actually very well shot and while the last underwater battle goes on for a little too long, a fist fight on a runaway yacht brings the energy right back in. Once again, a strong outing from Connery and the gang.

7. The Living Daylights (1987) - 8.5/10
For a long time, I had thought of The Living Daylights as routine and rather bland, but this recent viewing has proven how wrong I was. Daylights is a well paced film; just when you start to think the movie is slowing down, something else happens to jolt you back into the action. Speaking of the action, some of the best action pieces are featured in this film, with my favorite being the thrilling and unique cargo net fight. And then there is Timothy Dalton, who gives a strong first performance as James Bond. Dalton is good on the dramatics, adding some dark elements that Moore never had. And while Dalton balks an occasional throw away one liner, the rest of his performance makes up for it. Just the presence of a younger Bond in Dalton (as compared to his predecessor) adds energy that some of the later Moore entries (especially A View to a Kill) were missing. Then there is the rest of the cast, who are all strong (minus John Terry as Felix Leiter). Even the villains, who I thought I had a dislike of, work out fairly well. The plot jumps around a bit and remains low key throughout, but is not meaningless (like The Man with the Golden Gun) and not inane (As I had once thought). The one scene that has always irked me and perhaps prevents Daylights from being a spot higher on this list is that cello case sled scene. It has never sat with me right; I always thought it was a hangover from a Moore film. Apart from that slip, The Living Daylights is a superior, underrated Bond film that owes much of it’s strong suits to Mr. Timothy Dalton.

8. Quantum of Solace (2008) - 8/10
If there is any one thing Quantum of Solace owes everything to, it is Daniel Craig. He is not necessarily the film’s “saving grace”, but he does for sure help Solace in being a very good Bond picture. The fact is that Craig is simply great in the role. A special mention, I think, needs to go to the scene featuring Bond and Mathis on a plane to Bolivia. (A scene I think is criminally underrated.) This scene features James Bond who, for the first time in the entire series, is visibly inebriated. The scene is quick and Craig says little, but the exchange between Mathis and Bond is so pure and meaningful. Just looking at Bond in this scene gives you a sense of the pain that he has bottled up, and it makes for a powerful moment. The cast of Solace is above average; Camille is a fine girl, she isn’t really all too memorable, but she gets the job done, regardless. But I found that the character of Fields to be more of a worthy Bond girl. Had the roles been switched (with Fields being the main Bond girl and Camille having only 10 minutes of screen time), I feel that Solace’s leading ladies might have been stronger. Villain Dominic Greene goes the same way; he isn’t all menacing, but he does a good job portraying the man he is supposed to: a slimy, bent business man. The action scenes, when you are able to pay full attention to them, are strong too. Though none of them live up to the brilliant opening car chase that finishes four minutes into the film. Quantum of Solace suffers mainly for the overly subtle (is that an oxymoron?) plot. There just isn’t enough there for a Bond picture. The theft of Bolivia’s water is too down to Earth and too pedestrian for me. It hurts the film a good deal, but the rest of Quantum of Solace is very good, and too good to put any lower.

9. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - 8/10
Up until Moonraker was made, The Spy Who Loved Me easily had the most ludicrous plot. But despite venturing dangerously near self-parody, The Spy Who Loved Me, similarly to Goldfinger, uses its camp as a style (mostly). Roger Moore has vastly improved since The Man with the Golden Gun, and is even able to portray dark humor convincingly. (“What a helpful chap.” - Moore’s best moment as 007; but it also helps that the writers have finally started realizing Moore’s “strengths”.) As far as the rest of the cast goes, Stromberg and Jaws make a pretty good evil team. Barbara Bach, on the other hand is as mediocre as they come; she holds back this film from being great. But I can really appreciate The Spy Who Loved Me’s beautiful sets and environments. The interior of Liparus is as fantastic as it is grand, as is Atlantis, Stromberg’s massive underwater house. Bond’s new tricked out Lotus is also a truly worthy gadget and ranks among Q’s best. Oh, and Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better” is the best Bond theme as far as I’m concerned. As silly as the film’s story is, The Spy Who Loved Me is great fun and realizes its own camp without being too overtly superfluous.

10. GoldenEye (1995) - 8/10
Ask me my opinion on GoldenEye a month ago and I would’ve told you it was one of my top four Bond films, without hesitation. So it comes as a surprise to me to see GoldenEye so “low” on my list. Let’s get a few things straight though: GoldenEye is still a strong Bond picture. The action is truly top notch, with a special mentions going towards the tank chase throughout St. Petersberg and the ending fist fight between Bond and 006. The supporting cast is strong throughout, too. Natalya is a strong, intelligent Bond girl and is very well played by Izabella Scorupco. Xenia Onatopp is a truly unique character as well; Famke Janssen is great in the role as she makes Xenia disturbing and attractive at the same time. And Sean Bean plays an excellent villain in Trevelyan. (One of my favorite villains in the Bond films.) But the one obstacle that holds GoldenEye from being a great, near perfect Bond film comes as a huge shock to me: Pierce Brosnan. Upon watching again, I found Brosnan stiff and rather bland. He didn’t really play the part like anything; Connery started off the role and was the established Bond, Moore was a sillier Bond, Dalton was a darker Bond and hell even Lazenby was unique in his mannerisms. Brosnan is just there; he rarely says his lines with emotion or flair of any kind in GoldenEye. It also doesn’t help that Sean Bean upstages Brosnan in every scene they’re in together. Apart from looking good in a tux and having some physicality, Brosnan is tragically (gulp) forgettable. GoldenEye is a good Bond film but...and I’d never thought I’d say this...Pierce Brosnan prevents it from being great.

11. You Only Live Twice (1967) - 7.5/10
Almost immediately upon viewing You Only Live Twice, you can tell some of the charm from his first four movies is missing from Sean Connery. That being said, Connery is still a strong Bond here and the movie itself gives you plenty to look at. While the rest of the cast is concerned, they got Blofeld mostly right with Donald Pleasance, and Bond’s ally Tiger is a worthy one. Some issues lie with the Bond girls, though. Bond’s first girl, Aki was only half interesting to begin with yet things pick up when she is unpredictably killed. We then get a replacement (Kissy Suzuki) who turns out to be the least memorable Bond girl of the series. It’s obvious the writers didn’t care much for her; she is in the movie for roughly thirty minutes and isn’t even named until the end credits. But most of the action is good, despite some laughable special effects. A note to filmmakers: if you need to fake the majority of an action scene, or any scene for that matter, it isn’t worth doing. (I speak of the “Little Nelly” helicopter fight and the scene where Blofeld’s rocket lands in his volcano, two scenes that have not aged well at all.) And yes, that volcano base is just ridiculous in nature, but I’ve always found it inventive; the set itself looks beautiful too. You Only Live Twice is preposterous and sometimes bloated, but come on: its still Sean Connery.

12. License to Kill (1989) - 7.5/10
As License to Kill is the first Bond movie I ever saw, I have developed a soft spot for the film. And while the film is very strong in certain parts, it becomes a little confused in others. The film begins off fairly brutally, with poor Felix Leiter being mauled by a Shark at the hands of Robert Davi’s brilliantly played villain, Sanchez. And while the next twenty minutes that follows is just as serious and dramatic, we then get a silly bar fight scene that kind of loosens tensions. This type of back and forth motion is repeated throughout the film. Secondly, but less of a detriment is the obvious lack of production value. I know the budget was lowered for License to Kill, but does that excuse something like the super boring cinematography? Bashing aside, there are, in fact, many positives in License to Kill. Timothy Dalton once again gives a good performance in his last turn in the role, Robert Davi (as mentioned before) plays a great villain, and his sidekicks (Krest and Dario) are also worthy henchman. Both Bond girls are serviceable, but Bond ends up with the right girl at the end so it all works, I guess. And of course the action is superior, with a special nod going to the ending tanker chase. Dalton for sure deserved at least one more Bond film, but License to Kill isn’t the worst picture to depart on and is still a fairly worthy entry.

13. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - 7/10
After watching Tomorrow Never Dies, I gratefully realized that Pierce Brosnan had improved over the bland character he was in the otherwise near perfect GoldenEye. But Tomorrow Never Dies, despite being mostly enjoyable, is on autopilot for nearly the whole film. The plot of the film takes an old recycled Bond plot and gives it a new, unique twist; a man attempts to start a war (yawn) to increase his cable TV ratings (Interesting!). And main villain, Elliot Carver, is played brilliantly by Jonathan Pryce; he is one of the best recent Bond villains for sure. The film’s Bond girls aren’t particularly memorable, but they get the job done regardless. The first half of Tomorrow Never Dies, which contains a brilliant execution of the quirky Dr. Kaufman by a vengeful Bond and a car chase with Bond in the back seat, is considerably better than the second half, which is small bits of plot followed by constant machine gun fire and explosions. What Tomorrow Never Dies lacked was substance. About halfway through the film, TND seems to ask the audience to turn off dtheir brains and shift attention to the fireballs. It’s a lazy fallback, and Tomorrow Never Dies ultimately ends up in shoot-em up territory. (Granted, the film does the shoot-em up thing as well as that genre can ever be done.) Overall, Tomorrow Never Dies is popcorn munching fun, but I usually expect a little more from a Bond film.

14. The World Is Not Enough (1999) - 7/10
I often find that The World Is Not Enough gets much criticism, and one that seems to be a constant complaint is something along the lines that Brosnan’s acting is “soap opera worthy”. But in all honesty, I never could see it. While Brosnan isn’t part of my top 3 Bonds, he is far better than his wooden interpretation of Bond a la GoldenEye. What The World Is Not Enough really suffers from the most are two things: Denise Richards and and the formulaic nature of the whole picture. The film starts off more than promising, with one of the best pre-title sequences in the series. The action scenes that follow, however, cannot match the excitement of that boat chase. It’s not only the action scenes that feel formulaic, though, the plot does as well. It all ultimately ends up featuring the villains attempting to nuke Istanbul to increase their profits. If that sounds kind of familiar, it should (See: Goldfinger, A View to a Kill). The World Is Not Enough does have its perks, though. I’ve always enjoyed something about the actual “look” to the picture itself, it is something I can’t really explain, though. Valentin is one of Bond’s greatest allies, and the idea to bring him back was great. Added to that, his death scene ends up being a powerful one. I don’t mind Elektra King; she’s not the greatest femme fetal or Bond girl for that matter, but she doesn’t come near Denise Richards, who is as unconvincing as she is busty. She is for sure one of my least favorite Bond girls. The World Is Not Enough is pure formula, and while I can enjoy that formula (being that it comes from my favorite film series), the film is a little too safe for its own good.

15. Octopussy (1983) - 7/10
Yet another surprise to me comes with Octopussy; a film I thought I vehemently disliked ended up being better than I remembered. Many things in this film work; Roger Moore, despite being noticeably old gives one of his better performances as Bond. It was smart for the producers to go with a slightly older Bond girl in Maud Adams; not only is she good in the role, but she is more believable being attracted to a 55 year old Moore. The villains are worthy and contrast each other well, with General Orlov being slightly over the top and Kamal Khan being much more subtle. What holds Octopussy back is the outright cheesiness and silliness which is, forgive the pun, at an all time high. The very first thing that comes to mind is the inexcusable inappropriate George of the Jungle wail when Bond vine swings through a jungle. (The hot air balloon was pretty dumb, too.) Yet while the rest of Octopussy continues to be more light hearted, most of the film is very solid. And a special mention needs to go to the scene where Bond (fully dressed in clown gear) defuses a nuclear bomb with seconds to spare. Crazily enough, that scene is one of the tensest in a Bond film. Not long ago, I would’ve thought anyone crazy putting Octopussy over For Your Eyes Only, but Octopussy ends up winning for having more of a personality, if anything. Octopussy is silly, but is somehow still enjoyable. My guilty pleasure.

16. Live and Let Die (1973) - 7/10
Roger Moore’s first film is an extremely dated, yet fairly solid picture. Jane Seymour as the naive Solitare is Moore’s best leading lady, and main villain Kananga is played with some nice flair by Yaphet Kotto. Tee Hee and Baron Samedi might be the most underrated lackeys of the series also. But I did have more of an issue with bumbling J.W. Pepper than I remembered. Every time he started to talk I silently prayed for him to shut up. He also half ruins an already too long boat chase (which was in dire need of more musical score backing it up). It was also during the boat chase where I felt Live and Let Die start to drag. And then there is Sir Roger. To me, he played the role conservatively, a neither here nor there affair. He isn’t poor by any means but some actors (Connery and Craig) established their superiority in their very first scenes. (Despite Moore’s complete Bond character not being fully present in LALD, we do get plenty of his trademark eyebrow.) So Live and Let Die has JW Pepper and runs long, but as a whole it is still a modestly entertaining piece.

17. For Your Eyes Only (1981) - 7/10
I was slightly disappointed after re-watching For Your Eyes Only. A movie that I thought was a clear cut above many, ended up being elementary. There is nothing seriously wrong with this film, it’s just that there’s nothing seriously fantastic about it, either. For Your Eyes Only is simply another Bond picture. That being said, the movie does have some advantages. Firstly is the stunt work and action, which is truly top notch. From Bond’s car chase in a Citroen to the thrilling ski chase, FYEO handles it’s chase sequences well. I also cannot help but love Bill Conti’s undeniably dated 80s score. And as the score is one of the few more unique things in the film (and series), I can enjoy it even more. The supporting cast is fine, overall. Melina as the main Bond girl works, but I’m not sure why Bond had to have sex with her at the end; not once in the film is there even the slightest hint to a love story. And while Julian Glover and Lynn Holly Johnson (especially the latter) seem out of place, Topol makes a good ally. For Your Eyes Only is no doubt better than the film it followed, but is too routine overall and nothing more than above average.

-------------------THE LINE OF SHAME-----------------------

18. Diamonds are Forever (1971) - 5.5/10
I think I know what the makers of Diamonds are Forever were trying to do: recreate Goldfinger. After all, Sean Connery was back and Guy Hamilton, director of Goldfinger, was back in the directors chair, too. DAF pretty much tells the audience “This movie is just like Goldfinger because it’s silly and witty! And look, its Sean Connery!” Diamonds are Forever is all about camp, something Goldfinger admittedly had. But while Goldfinger used camp as a style, Diamonds are Forever uses camp as a gimmick. OHMSS was such a different film from the ones that it followed that it may have scared the filmmakers and public to think Bond was going down some sort of different path. So the result was Diamonds are Forever; a film that thought it was going back to the “ throwback days of Connery”. What it really was, however, was a cartoonish caricature of that Connery era. Add that to bad acting from nearly everyone except Sean Connery and a bare bones plot you go pretty low. What even made it worse was the buzz kill this film generated after such an exciting end to OHMSS. The fight in the elevator between Bond and Franks is a good one, but other than that, Diamonds Are Forever is soulless and simply boring.

19. Moonraker (1979) - 5.5/10
The first half of Moonraker (barring the Bondola) is actually great. Classic scenes are aplenty: the centrifuge, Bond’s pheasant hunt and a truly chilling implied mauling of one of Drax’s female aides come to mind. Even Sir Roger Moore is at the top of his game, here. However, it goes without saying that once Jaws falls in love, the movie begins a giant downward spiral. By the time Bond rides a horse to the Magnificent Seven theme (I don’t get it, either), I was almost turned off completely. And while outer space is concerned: the way it was done was fine, but by the time space is presented in the film, it just adds another layer of silliness that I can’t handle. What really pains me is how great the first half was and how quickly it becomes lame. Yet ever since I’ve been a Bond fan, I’ve put Moonraker in dead last place, no exceptions. I’ve realized, though, I cannot simply ignore the strong first half of this film, and it is for that reason it has wedged itself about of the dreaded last place position. As you can see however, Moonraker is still fairly close.

20. Die Another Day (2002) - 5/10
I never have liked Die Another Day. So it was coming as a surprise to me while viewing that the first hour of the film was actually fairly solid. We get a cool pre-titles hovercraft chase, Bond is taken prisoner for 14 months and a kick-ass sword fight. For that one hour, I thought I had been mistaken about Die Another Day, and that my criticisms were unfounded. Then Halle Berry became a major character. Then came along the invisible car. And then the script becomes entirely comprised of one liners and puns. They’re not good ones liners and puns mind you, they are cringe worthy ones which pour out of every major character’s mouth. The only saving grace in Die Another Day’s second half is a fun gadget car battle. But apart from that action scene, the film’s second half might very well be the worst second half in a Bond film. Die Another Day simply gives up. But the film kicks you when you are down; the CGI is the worst I have ever seen in a professional motion picture. Coming from as big of a budget this film had, I find it fully unacceptable to have visual effects that quite frankly look straight out of a old generation PlayStation 2 game. And Halle Berry is just terrible. She, in my mind, is clearly the worst Bond girl of the entire series. Yes, Die Another Day does have some good scenes, but they all pretty much are eclipsed by an embarrassing, awful second half.

21. A View to a Kill (1985) - 5/10
Bless Sir Roger Moore for playing James Bond seven times over 12 years. But my God was he old looking in A View to a Kill. This was also the case (to slightly lesser extent) in For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy, but because those films were interesting enough (more or less) to pull your attention away from Moore’s age, and they get some slack. But there is nothing interesting in A View to a Kill. The movie itself seems as tired as Roger Moore probably did while filming. It feels so processed and manufactured, almost as if it were made by a machine. The cinematography looks bland, and the action is either super lame (the fire truck chase, the paris car chase) or fake looking (all of the fist fights). It doesn’t help that the stunt doubles are incredibly obvious, either. Moore is also twenty years too old for his leading lady, played by a very unconvincing Tanya Roberts. And that love scene between Bond and May Day still gives me shudders just writing about it. The two things that save A View to a Kill from the scrap heap is Christopher Walken, who plays a pretty good villain and makes the the scenes he’s in more bearable and John Barry’s excellent score. Apart from that, this film is lifeless, overtly silly and wholly unmemorable. Oh, and let’s not forget about that lame beach boys gag, too. (Sigh.)

22. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) - 4/10
Upon viewing The Man with the Golden Gun, I was surprised to find that I actually disliked it more than previously thought. Apart from Christopher Lee’s fine portrayal of Scaramanga, nothing in the film works. Starting with the plot: it’s a mess. It has to do with the monopolization of solar energy...I think. And while Scaramanga was a bad person, was his mission really all evil? If I heard right, he was to shake down the gas companies with his solex device and sell solar power. And the result? Maybe he’ll increase the world’s gas bill by a few bucks. Oh my God, what a travesty. The Man With the Golden Gun’s plot is easily the sloppiest, least interesting plot in a Bond film. (Leagues under Quantum of Solace.) Roger Moore has actually gotten worse since LALD; he tries to be menacing in scenes, (the trigger-less rifle scene and twisting arm scene) but he just doesn’t sell it to me. Some of it even comes off as stiff and near amateurish acting. And oh yeah, J.W. Pepper returns. And oh yeah, Bond gives a sumo wrestler a wedgie. And oh yeah, that slide whistle with the car jump. (The worst moment in Bond film history.) There are so many lame scenes in Golden Gun with not one, single memorable scene to counteract. The result is the lamest, dullest and worst James Bond film ever made. I don’t think they even tried with this one.

The "line of shame" represents a large gap between the films above and below the line. For Your Eyes Only is just one spot above Diamonds are Forever, but the line of shame implies a far larger gap.

Anyone else want to do a detailed Bond ranking? Chang? Colly? Gravity's Silhouette? Sellina?

Only three rankings so far? :affraid:

FieldsMan wrote:

It seems Terence Young, Martin Campbell, Roger Spottiswoode, Peter Hunt, Michael Apted and Marc Forster have got it right so far, mixing both strong substance and great visuals into their films.

Excruciating as always, FieldsMan. Cheers.
j/k

SJK91 wrote:

11. You Only Live Twice (1967) - 7.5/10
...come on: its still Sean Connery.

You make a strong case... which is valid only before viewing the film. =p

lalala2004 wrote:

9. Quantum of Solace - The pure beauty of the cinematography in this film is enough to warrant a high ranking, but when you add Craig, a creepy villain, and a very relevant plot, you have a great film to watch.

All good points.

Here's my ranking, with notes. I go into more detail on some of these based on how recently I've seen them, or how recently I've reviewed them.

PART 1
SATCHMO BLOWS HIS HORN

01. The Living Daylights
Timothy Dalton is the Bond to beat in a performance that touches on everything the character should be: intelligent, professional, uncomfortable with living easily but burnt-out from living dangerously. Bond's romantic nature in this film is a point of contention for some, but I love it. It perfectly balances his otherwise bitter persona. He is a tempted yet cautious lover, and for good reason - falling for a woman can interfere with his job. And it's great to see that play out on screen when, after Bond spends time with Kara instead of finding Pushkin, the villains see fit to kill Saunders. Add some eyecatching locations, an old-school sense of adventure & espionage and a tendency to avoid cliches, and you've got the best Bond by a mile.

02. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
George Lazenby as Bond is worse than an Australian model at his first acting job. But he's more than made up for by the series' best villain (Savalas, whose mix of condescension and physical menace is chilling), love interest (Rigg, who has sharp eyes and beautiful... earlobes), action and score. It's a very human film as well, with lots of little moments adding up to make the characters believable. The film's humanity makes a great stepping stone to buying the ultimate fantastical Fleming plot: Blofeld has the ability to induce total infertility whenever he chooses, wherever he chooses, via Christmas gifts handed out to his angels of death. Peter Hunt brings an almost art-house sensibility to his direction, and the result is bold, exciting and evocative.

03. From Russia, With Love
Scene after wonderful scene follows in this one, moving at a lightning pace and weaving sex and danger together effortlessly. Sean Connery is a man very much focused on his job, and Bond is the quintessential Imperial agent fighting abroad with all his derringdo. He's aided by the series' most likeable ally, is forced to sleep with a beautiful woman, and curiously has his life saved by a psychotic assassin... only to find said assassin wants to take Bond's life himself. All this, set to a John Barry score that can be thundering, haunting or whimsical. What's not to like?

04. Dr No
Bond is more of a detective in this one - which is refreshing in retrospect - and there's a lot of simple vulnerability to him that would soon vanish. He's more of a casual, down-to-earth talker, and he more openly displays anger and fear. He's more human, as well - in what other film can you see Bond put on a pop song and sit down to play solitaire while waiting to kill someone? Apart from the Dalton films, this is the one in which I connect with Bond the most. The film is right at home in Jamaica, Fleming's go-to spot for both himself and his character. And just about every element is measured correctly: the humour's dark and dry, and Bond is in danger throughout. The villain is driven by hubris, a classic Bond device if there ever was one, and his and Bond's dinner conversation is some of the series' best combat. My biggest issue with the movie is its sudden adoption of cartoony trappings near the end, eg. Bond being placed in a pain endurance test that's inexplicably escapable.

05. Licence to Kill
I always prefer a Bond adventure where our hero is out of his depth and makes a mistake or two, and this story affords him those vulnerabilities. He works his way toward the villain from the ground up, maintaining a cover and driving the story & action pieces through his own initiative. He's also constantly in potential mortal peril when pitted against a creative gallery of rogues, headed by an intelligent, powerful & violent villain. For all this film's flaws, few Bond outings come close to its success in these areas. What exactly are its flaws, you ask? Bond's desire for revenge isn't made as believable as it should be, and the dark territory the film wanders into isn't explored enough. The villain also ends up lacking a very noteworthy scheme. It must be said, however, that Dalton and Davi do the absolute best with what they're given.

06. Thunderball
Some say Diamonds Are Forever is the funniest Bond film. But they're wrong. It's this one. Connery does his best comedic readings, such as 'Could it be the front door bell?' and 'She's just dead'. The script is packed with smart cheek, particularly in Bond's interactions with M, Q and Domino (who is one of the few Bond girls I find genuinely beautiful). And here we move onto the film's second strength: its sexuality. Bond relaxes Patricia's tensions, arrogantly walks into Fiona's trap, and sucks sea-spines from Domino's foot. It's also brimming with atmosphere: the photography is saturated and earthy, and John Barry provides a moody, gorgeous and violent score. What are the film's problems? It cribs a lot of style from its predecessor, Goldfinger. I don't frown on this practice out of principle, but I find that this particular story suffers from it. Bond gets on to Largo's case immediately, persecuting him like he did Goldfinger, but for no good reason; in turn, Largo practically lets Bond get away with murder. The film also descends into gimmickry too often, the pre-titles sequence being most offensive. My other complaint is that the editing is messy - there are ugly studio inserts, repetitive and/or unnecessary scenes, and sequences cut together questionably.

07. Goldfinger
This was my go-to Bond for the longest time - to me, it was Bond. Barry's simultaneously tense & playful music, Ken Adam's fantastic sets, and the greedy, cheating, larger-than-life title villain who enjoys a world filled with golden clothes, rooms, vehicles and blondes. The Q-Bond dynamic is at a series best, with Bond mostly awed by the gadgets and Q being the one who annoys us. 007 snooping around at Auric Enterprises is perfect Bond espionage, and it climaxes with a great car chase, crash & interrogation. After this, unfortunately, all the air is let out of the film... and it's only halfway finished. It doesn't recover until the end, where Fleming's original naff plot of a Fort Knox robbery is brilliantly fixed. It's just too bad the writers couldn't dream up something better than Bond's success being dependent on a lesbian joining the good side after a really good bang.

08. Casino Royale
Here we have the 'Bond Begins' angle approached three different ways: 1. Bond's life-long views haven't quite been solidified yet, 2. Bond has yet to acquire his totems, and 3. Bond is a rookie. The first, of course, comes from Fleming, and is briefly touched upon in the film. The second is a rather superficial way to develop the character, meant for casual fans who think that a tux and martini are all you need to be Bond. I find it rather appalling, myself; for a film returning to Fleming, I'd prefer to see the character as a human and not as a checklist of items. The third approach is utter balls and results in a tedious, badly-written relationship between Bond and M. It should've been dropped as soon as Daniel Craig signed on. Speaking of Craig. His look is rather plain - but if you happen to catch his eye, there's definitely something there, whether it be sex or death, charm or danger. The film's got a great plot (thanks to a Fleming framework) and overflows with iconic moments (eg. the PTS, free running, car crash, torture) the way the films haven't since the '60s. For me, its biggest flaw remains its score. Arnold simply highlights the film's most obvious visual and emotional content, adding nothing and oftentimes even reducing potential impact. With a better soundtrack, this would rise in my rankings. But does anyone at EON remember when Bond music actually mattered?

09. GoldenEye
There are two things that make this one sink - the adolescent rivalry between 007 and 006, and Pierce Brosnan's barely-there Bond. It's just his Mrs Doubtfire character again! But what do I like about the film? The action rarely upstages the story and is paced strongly, aided by a score that is both thrilling and atmospheric. A chilly atmosphere also persists through the use of shadows. The two leading ladies are the foxiest we've seen since the '60s; in fact, the entire cast is one of the series' strongest. And for all of Brosnan's weediness and fanboy overacting, he does bring an enjoyable energy to the role.

10. Moonraker
Beautiful nonsense. This film's main virtue is displayed in one of my favourite scenes from it - the Amazonian python fight. After Bond kills the snake, Drax says: "Mr Bond, you defy all my attempts to plan an amusing death for you." Delightfully campy and self-aware, the film also boasts Roger Moore's smoothest performance and his most attractive girls. And with great final series contributions from Bernard Lee and Ken Adams, it almost feels like the last of a certain breed of Bond outings.

11. Quantum of Solace
I am split almost 50/50 on this one. The film relies too much on its predecessor while also trying to explore new territory; it's a tug-and-pull that leaves both angles underdeveloped. Fortunately, there's so much style in the colours & direction that I almost forget to care about the plot. David Arnold produces his first Bond score I wouldn't replace - the action tracks are his usual tiring, workmanlike output - but everything else is genuinely good for once. Daniel Craig as Bond is again great, never taking his eye off the ball, offering up lots of dark humour and showing off the haggard edges of Bond's psyche. A scene of Bond drunk was long overdue for the series. And Mathis this time is much better written and played by Giancarlo Gianinni... it's a damn shame they killed him off. The self-referencing death of Fields is what sinks the film for me. Only two films into the reboot and they're already on a nostalgia-hunt - quit stroking yourself in public, EON, it's not becoming. There's not even a fresh spin put on the old scene; rather, the Goldfinger scene is recreated and then subtracted from, with nothing present like Barry's chilling 'golden girl' motif. The comic Fields is killed off for drama's sake... then wrung like an old dishrag by Judi Dench's ridiculous M to juice all the feminist goodness from her (as if it's Bond's fault that she died). Bleh. How can a moment so horrible sit alongside such outstanding stuff as the Tosca sequence?

12. Octopussy
I've only seen this movie once, but it's definitely up for a re-watch. It's like the inverse of The Living Daylights: it's got both good espionage and cartoony goofiness, but more of the latter than the former. A PTS that's nothing but fun, followed by an atmospheric, tense sequence in which an operative disguised as a clown is knifed in the back while trying to run a Faberge egg to a British embassy (how could a description of that scene not intrigue you?). A few things about the film bother me. The plot gets terribly confusing, and I don't care for the stupid Goldfinger rip-offs (Gobinda crushing dice, Bond wearing an animal disguise on his head while swimming... there's more, I can't remember them). The action that follows the climax (of Bond defusing a nuclear bomb at a circus!) is tiresome and boring. But, like Moonraker, I can't stay mad at this movie long. It just tries so damn hard to please. It's also good to see Moore matched with a relatively mature leading lady.

13. Diamonds Are Forever
Guy Hamilton returns for this one, obviously because the producers wanted something like Goldfinger again. It doesn't quite work. I'll give the film one thing - just like Hamilton's previous entry, it only gets worse as it goes. I find no pleasure in the girls. I don't think Wint and Kidd are funny. There are spots of enjoyment here and there ('There's something I'd like you to get off your chest', elevator fight, Bond's cremation). But I find this one best viewed as a comedy of errors. I mean, the showdown between Bond and Blofeld consists of Bond sitting in a crane, lifting Blofeld's submarine up and swinging it around. Can you believe that shit? You better. Even the little star grafted onto the sky in the film's last shot looks like garbage. The soundtrack, however, is a slice of Bond heaven and is far more enjoyable as a 007 product than the film it was written for.

14. A View to a Kill
It sounds like Roger Moore, it looks like Roger Moore... wait a minute. It doesn't look much like Roger Moore. Nice try, but the facelift isn't helping. I can only watch this as a parody, with a really awesome score. There's no other way for me to enjoy it, as the film consists almost entirely of lazy recycling of better Bond outings. And it's just not worth worrying about, because there's no potential anywhere in the whole mess. It just moves from hilarity to hilarity, whether it be Bond snowboarding to 'California Girls', or destroying an atrocious miniature of a helicopter, or banging a girl a third his age on a submarine disguised as a glacier. And that's just the pre-titles sequence!

PART 2
SATCHMO PLAYS THE BLUES

15. The Man With the Golden Gun
The kind of Bond you pick up from the bargain bin. It's easy to forget why the series was ever popular when you see Roger Moore squeeze a sumo wrestler's arse. Every once in a while an interesting idea pops up, like Goodnight resisting Bond's advances, but it gets shuffled away so we can move onto something like a flying car. The million-dollar assassin idea is full of potential, but this is lost when it's revealed he isn't targeting Bond. But he did steal a device which can solve the '70s energy crisis. So Bond goes after that. He doesn't retrieve it, though. Thrilling. He can't even protect Andrea when she asks for help. 'No need to fear, James Bond is here!' Yeah, sure. Maud Adams and Nick Nack do get my approval. I can hardly even recommend the soundtrack for this one, though. I mean, it's alright. But that's about it.

16. Live and Let Die
Jane Seymour's pretty hot, and the stretch from Kananga raging on her to Bond torching the crocodile farm is great. But what else have we got here? Hmm... Another of Guy Hamilton's patented Psychopath Bonds, with boring Bond-lite Moore? Check. Low-rent look and humour? Check. Autopilot rehashes of previous Bonds (Bond inspecting hotel room, 'say goodbye to Felix', 'what happened to Kananga?', Tee-Hee train fight)? Check. No John Barry? Check. My friends, we have a winner. And it's not this film.

17. For Your Eyes Only
So it's grounded. So what? A film that was supposed to appeal to adults in the wake of Moonraker, but instead turned out utterly colourless and compromised. At least Drax had that whole bemused air of superiority going on. What can you say about Kristatos? That he never went back on a deal? Fire up your TV dinners folks, it's that day of the week again! Tune in to see Roger Moore do a series of chase sequences and Fleming vignettes with no interesting characters or story to string it all together. The few bright spots include Bond himself (with Moore getting to play an older version of Young's Bond) and some great action.

18. Tomorrow Never Dies
There's some enjoyable enough pastiche here. We get a playful Q scene, Bond getting under the bad guy's skin, and a gadget-filled car chase. The rest of the film's content is boring or, at worst, offensive to Bond fans. We know from the beginning what the villain is up to and so does Bond... so about an hour into the runtime, all that's left are endless inconsequential action pieces peppered with precious one-liners. The film's colours change from a blend of warm tones and sleek black & white to the washed-out, haphazard colours of Saigon and the dull, metallic look of a stealth boat. Suddenly, Bond is no longer the main character, and focus is placed instead on a mysterious (read: entirely undeveloped) female agent with her own Q-Branch. The other Bond girl is just as terrible: she's a former flame of Bond's who got 'too close', but we never learn how she did this. And we're just supposed to swallow it. I mean, come on, we're talking about everyone's favourite emotionally-detached womanizer here! A few positives - Pierce Brosnan gives his best performance as Bond (he's put on some weight, cut his hair and calmed down since his overenthusiastic turn in GoldenEye, and he's yet to turn Bond into a showcase for community-theatre acting), and Jonathan Pryce as the villain tries so hard to entertain that you can't dislike him.

19. You Only Live Twice
Has more in common with contemporary Bond parodies than the otherwise excellent series produced in the '60s. There's no good story to enjoy here, but that sacrifice isn't even capitalized on when the movie turns out zestless and grossly lazy. Until 1967, Bond was escapist fantasy for adults - and for kids, it was a glimpse into an exciting, forbidden world. Bond in 1967: a cynical product no longer for adults, but a good way to amuse the kids for an hour before they fell asleep. Watching it fills me with an apathy almost like poison. Especially excellent was that Asian 'actress' who threatened to commit suicide if she wasn't cast and then ended up playing a nameless thing that stumbled around like a child in a bikini. I have never admired the hollowed-out volcano set; I guess if you're impressed by excess, this is the Bond film for you. Otherwise, skip it and buy the soundtrack.

20. The Spy Who Loved Me
So slow, so impressed with itself, and the humour is like something your grandma would laugh at. Stromberg's like someone your grandma would date, and Barbara Bach's like someone your grandpa - your blind grandpa - would ogle. The ski jump, titles sequence and song are the only highlights. Okay, I admit. Last time I tried watching this, I turned it off after Max Kelba let Jaws kill him. I just couldn't stand it. Your grandparents might like it, though.

21. Die Another Day
Seems like it was written by a rabid fan who's obsessed with Bond, but doesn't understand him at all. Or maybe two rabid fans. And they can't write, either. Unless you happen to want a script fashioned entirely from one-liners. I have no clue why these guys were ever hired again. They think it's dandy to have Bond captured and tortured for fourteen months, then, upon his trade for a nobody, have M declare that Bond's freedom came at too high a price. Shocking. As are the film's crass sex scene and showy American sadism. It's the most disgraceful Bond movie, but at least I can laugh at its atrociousness. And hey, it's got that awesome bit where Bond flips his car with the ejector seat. That's an homage done right... amongst about thirty failed attempts.

22. The World is Not Enough
Definitely a bad film, but also a daring one. EON tried releasing their Bond product without Bond in it and, sure enough, the public didn't notice the character's absence and handed over their money. Very devious. What's even more devious is that there are now people who actually think this is what Bond's all about. From the script's sleazy innuendo, to the pointless action seemingly assembled from B-footage, to the horribly-realized villains, to the sterile documentary locations and cinematography, to David Arnold trudging through his thinnest orchestral-techno sludge, this one's balls on every level, Bond or otherwise.

FieldsMan wrote:

Anyone else want to do a detailed Bond ranking? Chang? Colly? Gravity's Silhouette? Sellina?

Hmmm...well, I'll start on it this week and I'll post them Labor Day Week (September 5th, 2011)

Damn that 'edited by' tag!

I'm starting out my rankings with Live and Let Die through License To Kill and then will do a follow up with the post-6-year-gap films, and then Connery & Lazenby.

I've broken the films down into 14 categories/elements that I think are essential or unique parts of a Bond film, with "Intangibles" being the 15th category which incorporates contributions to the series that may not fit in elsewhere. The scale is from 1-10. Here are the overall ratings for the Moore/Dalton films:

FILM	OVERALL SCORE	AVERAGE RATING PER CATEGORY
LALD	125	8.33
TMWTGG	73	4.86
TSWLM	119	7.93
MR	117	7.80
FYEO	102	6.8
OP	138	9.2
NSNA	65	4.63
AVTAK	108	7.2
TLD	135	9.00
LTK	62	4.13

LIVE AND LET DIE
James Bond 8
Bond Girl 8
Villain 8
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction (10)
Pre-Title Sequence 8
Titles & Song (10)
Plot (5)
Locations (6)
Stunts & Action 8
Supporting Cast (9)
Music 8
Writing 8
Intangibles (9)
Gadgets (10)
TOTAL SCORE 125 8.33

Summary: Regardless of what some people may think about the direction the films took under Moore, LALD is at least entertaining and almost never boring. It's a very colorful film (no pun intended) with a great supporting cast of characters, excellent musical score and title song by Paul McCartney and Wings and Roger Moore giving one of his most even-handed performances. The plot isn't necessarily up to the usual Bond standards, but it can be forgiven because the film makes up for it on so many other levels. The film has also one of the rare villains that actually scared me as a kid: Baron Samedi.

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
James Bond (5)
Bond Girl (3)
Villain (5)
Henchman/Henchwoman (6)
Direction (2)
Pre-Title Sequence (5)
Titles & Song (2)
Plot (1)
Locations 8
Stunts & Action (7)
Supporting Cast (7)
Music (7)
Writing (5)
Intangibles (5)
Gadgets (5)
TOTAL SCORE = 73 4.86

Bad in almost every way a film can be bad. Roger Moore regresses in the role, and though Britt Ekland is beautiful to look at, her character isn't even interesting enough to label a "sidekick". With the tone this film set, it might've been better off killing Goodnight and letting Bond escape with a free Andrea Anders. Nick Nack is no physical threat, but his pint-size stature provides some light comic relief. Other than the location work of finding those rock islands in Thailand, just about everything else on this film is below standards; way below standards. In fact, Moore, Llewelyn, and Lee all seem miserable. The only one appearing to have any fun is Clifton James.

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
James Bond (10)
Bond Girl (5)
Villain (5)
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction 8
Pre-Title Sequence (10)
Titles & Song (10)
Plot (6)
Locations (6)
Stunts & Action (7)
Supporting Cast 8
Music 8
Writing 8
Intangibles 8
Gadgets (10)

Total Score 119 7.93

Good, but over-rated. Roger Moore comes into his own in this film, but has to work twice as hard to compensate for Barbara Bach's performance in order to get audiences to buy into the relationship. Bach is easy to look at, but has almost no film presence. Ironic how fans who love to criticize A View To A Kill as a remake of Goldfinger are so quick to ignore how 'Spy' is essentially a remake of You Only Live Twice.

MOONRAKER

James Bond (7)
Bond Girl (9)
Villain (5)
Henchman/Henchwoman (7)
Direction (5)
Pre-Title Sequence (10)
Titles & Song (10)
Plot (7)
Locations (10)
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (9)
Music (10)
Writing 8
Intangibles (5)
Gadgets (5)

Total Score = 117 average rating 7.8
Direction gets a failing grade in this film because it went places with the humor that it just didn't need to go. Jaws is misused in the film, as is just about every other actor, but there's still so much to recommend it that the good parts more than compensate for the bad.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
James Bond (6)
Bond Girl (6)
Villain (4)
Henchman/Henchwoman (4)
Direction (7)
Pre-Title Sequence (5)
Titles & Song (10)
Plot 8
Locations (10)
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (7)
Music (7)
Writing 8
Intangibles (5)
Gadgets (5)

Total Score:102 6.8
Not one of the more memorable Bond films, but maybe that was to be expected after trying to escape the gravitational pull of Moonraker. Carole Bouquet is nice to look at, but dull as dishwater cornbread. The villains are run-of-the-mill and generic, though Erich Kriegler is semi-interesting as a henchman in the Red Grant mold. Stunts and action were some of the best in the series, and the variety of locations is outstanding. The film offers driving stunts, diving stunts, rock climbing, snow skiing...too bad the PTS is lame.


OCTOPUSSY
James Bond (10)
Bond Girl (10)
Villain (10)
Henchman/Henchwoman (4)
Direction (9)
Pre-Title Sequence (10)
Titles & Song (10)
Plot (10)
Locations 8
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (10)
Music (10)
Writing (10)
Gadgets (7)
Intangibles (10)

Total Score: 138 9.20

One of Roger's best performances in a series that had increasingly left James Bond behind as a supporting character to all the craziness. Roger also gets one of his best co-stars in Maud Adams, but the villain and supporting cast are all great as well (Kabir Bedi doesn't get much to do as a loyal servant/henchman). Beautiful song expertly matched with some of Maurice Binder's best title work. Movie could have gotten a perfect ten if it didn't have the Tarzan yell or Bond in clown make-up.


NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
James Bond 5
Bond Girl (1)
Villain 10
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction 2
Pre-Title Sequence n/a
Titles & Song 1
Plot 3
Locations 8
Stunts & Action (5)
Supporting Cast 8
Music (1)
Writing (3)
Gadgets (5)
Intangibles (3)

Total Score 65 average category score 4.64

A VIEW TO A KILL
James Bond (5)
Bond Girl (5)
Villain (10)
Henchman/Henchwoman (4)
Direction (6)
Pre-Title Sequence 8
Titles & Song (10)
Plot (10)
Locations 8
Stunts & Action (6)
Supporting Cast (6)
Music (10)
Writing (10)
Gadgets (5)
Intangibles (5)

TOTAL SCORE: 108 7.20
A jarring mixture of new, younger and fresher versus old, tired, and staid. You've got Duran Duran, Tanya Robert, Grace Jones, Allison Doody, Dolph Lundgren, and Christopher Walken (all or most under 40 years of age) clashing with Moore, Brown, Maxwell, Llewelyn, Keen and Gotell. The movie had the most senior citizens in a film that year not named COCOON. The film has big ideas and big stunts, but unfortunately a lot of that stuntwork looks dodgy at best because Moore was too difficult to double at that age. The perfectly good quarter-car chase is essentially an eye sore because it's too obvious that it's not Roger Moore.


THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
James Bond (10)
Bond Girl (10)
Villain (5)
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction (10)
Pre-Title Sequence 8
Titles & Song (7)
Plot (7)
Locations (10)
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (10)
Music 8
Writing (10)
Gadgets (10)
Intangibles (10)
TOTAL SCORE 135 9.00

An almost flawless film; maybe the only mistake in the movie was the throwaway scene where Kamran Shah crashes Kara's coming out party fully dressed in combat gear; it was a set up for a joke that, while it got big laughs, was done and over with in 3 seconds. Dalton's best performance as Bond, and very romantic to. You *feel* the romance and Kara's relief at the end when she spots Bond in her dressing room. Also shows that you can have a good, old-fashioned romance and attraction between Bond and a woman that doesn't end with "Oooh James, keep it in. Don't take it out. It feels so good." :(


LICENSE TO KILL
James Bond (5)
Bond Girl (5)
Villain (5)
Henchman/Henchwoman (2)
Direction (1)
Pre-Title Sequence (5)
Titles & Song (0)
Plot (2)
Locations (5)
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (3.5)
Music 8
Writing (3.5)
Gadgets (4)
Intangibles (3)

TOTAL SCORE 62 4.13

Worst Bond film.....evah. Awful direction, awful writing, awful acting. Under intangibles I'd include the fact that the location scouting team failed to capture the glamour and natural beauty and locations of Mexico that they could have in order to turn the place into some third-world, generic, fictitious banana republic.

The Brosnan Films:

Film	Total Score	Avg.Cat.Rating
GE	120.5	8.03
TND	95	6.33
TWINE	104	6.93
DAD	123	8.20

GOLDENEYE
James Bond (5)
Bond Girl (10)
Villain (10)
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction (7)
Pre-Title Sequence (9)
Titles & Song (7.5)
Plot (8.5)
Locations (5)
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (9)
Music (7)
Writing (8.5)
Gadgets (9)
Intangibles (5)

Total Score: 120.5 Avg.Category rating: 8.03
Intangibles = Bad idea to introduce the Z3 and then have it do nothing. Brosnan is a bit stiff in this film...but the rest of the cast is top-notch and fun to watch. The musical score is a bit too funky for it's own good at times, but it does have it's moments. Daniel Kleinmann's credits get a 10 rating, but the song is a zero, which gives the overall Song & TItles category a 5 rating.

TOMORROW NEVER DIES
James Bond (6)
Bond Girl (7)
Villain (5)
Henchman/Henchwoman (5)
Direction (6)
Pre-Title Sequence 8
Titles & Song (7.5)
Plot (8.5)
Locations (5)
Stunts & Action (9)
Supporting Cast (5)
Music (5)
Writing (6)
Gadgets (7)
Intangibles (5)
TOTAL SCORE: 95 average score: 6.33

Brosnan improves but the rest of the film does not. Yeoh is a decent Bond Girl, but nowhere near as good looking as almost any of the ones who have come before her. Pryce gets some good one liners in the film, but his role could have been played by just about anyone, and Stamper is a huge dud of a henchman.

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
James Bond (7)
Bond Girl (3)
Villain (10)
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction (10)
Pre-Title Sequence 9
Titles & Song (6)
Plot 8
Locations (4)
Stunts & Action 8
Supporting Cast (5)
Music (6)
Writing (6)
Gadgets (7)
Intangibles (5)

Total Score:104 Average category rating 6.93

Much better entry than what it is given credit for. The acting across the board is excellent, with particularly good performances by Marceau, Carlyle and Dench.

DIE ANOTHER DAY
James Bond 8
Bond Girl (7)
Villain (10)
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction 8
Pre-Title Sequence 10
Titles & Song (5)
Plot (9)
Locations (6)
Stunts & Action (9)
Supporting Cast 8
Music (10)
Writing 8
Gadgets (10)
Intangibles (5)

Total Score: 123 Average category rating 8.2

Some spotty f/x in a few places and a scene or two that nearly crosses over into camp can't ruin what is one of the most entertaining and engaging Bond films; it's certainly Brosnan's best performance (just watch his confrontation with Graves after discovering that he's actually Colonel Moon), as he's much more natural and down to earth even as everything around him is a bit crazy). Toby Stephens is one of the great, underrated villains of the series; he oozes smarm, petulance and disgust with every sneer, look and word spoken. Rosamund Pike is more than up to the task as the cold, aloof double-agent.

The issue about giving points by various categories is that I think it skews the overall picture by equating things like gadgets and plot, or Bond and the henchman. A few years back, I tried a formula where I rated things like plot and direction out of 10 points, other aspects 5 points, and some 2.5.... or something like that.

GeneralGogol wrote:

The issue about giving points by various categories is that I think it skews the overall picture by equating things like gadgets and plot, or Bond and the henchman. A few years back, I tried a formula where I rated things like plot and direction out of 10 points, other aspects 5 points, and some 2.5.... or something like that.

Fair points. However, when I first began posting to BOND AND BEYOND I ranked my films in a general order from best to worst in a differet sub-forum and then walked away from it. I then read in this thread a few weeks later someone asking me to do a detailed ranking of the Bonds and, to my surprise, without taking a second or third look at my other list, I have found that this list of detailed rankings closely follows my general order list; meaning that the individual elements that make up a persons like or dislike of a Bond film are closely tied to their overall like or dislike of the film.

For example, there are a few serious flaws with DIE ANOTHER DAY, but the car chase between Bond and Zao, Rosamund Pike's presence, and Toby Stephens/Pierce Brosnan's performances are such huge advantages to the film that it compensates for the problems and the film ends up being the best of Brosnan's four.

Personally, I don't think this rating system skews the films too far one way or the other. That's also why I put in the Intangibles element, which you can use to quantify your problems or admiration for the film if there is no category for something you feel strongly about. Example: The Intangible rating for GOLDENEYE was 5 because the film brought on the BMW Z-3 and then gave it nothing to do other than serve as a crass marketing tool and free advertising for BMW.

My rankings may be fine-tuned a bit as I finish them up today or receive suggestions, but I think overall that it has been a helpful, useful tool for people such as myself who like to look at hard data sometimes in place of long reviews (which, as you have seen from some of the other threads I've started, I'm quite capable of; I can turn out a 10,000 word essay on the first draft of TND like nobody else).

Film	Total Score	Avg.Cat.rating
DN	100	7.69
FRWL	119	7.93
GF	129	8.6
TB	143	9.53
YOLT	93	6.2
OHMSS	103	6.86
DAF	116	7.73

Connery is at his most impressive and interesting as Bond in his first three films, then you can see the fatigue setting in ever so slightly by Thunderball, and then he's just sleep-walking in YOLT. If it weren't for Diana Rigg and Ilse Steppat, there would be little else to watch OHMSS for. And for as silly as DAF can be at times, it has some of the most quotable dialogue and has great villains in Wint, Kidd, Bamber and Thumper, as well as Charles Gray's Blofeld. Tiffany Case and Plenty O'Toole make 4 great contributions to the series.

DR.NO
James Bond 10
Bond Girl (10)
Villain (10)
Henchman/Henchwoman (2)
Direction 8
Pre-Title Sequence n/a
Titles & Song n/a
Plot 8
Locations 8
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (10)
Music (7)
Writing (7)
Gadgets (5)
Intangibles (5)

Total Score = 100 Average Category rating = 7.69

FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
James Bond 10
Bond Girl (7)
Villains (10)
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction 10
Pre-Title Sequence 10
Titles & Song 5
Plot 10
Locations 5
Stunts & Action (6)
Supporting Cast (9)
Music (4)
Writing (9)
Gadgets (7)
Intangibles (7)

Total Score = 119 average score = 7.93

GOLDFINGER
James Bond 10
Bond Girl (10)
Villain (10)
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction 5
Pre-Title Sequence 10
Titles & Song 10
Plot 10
Locations 8
Stunts & Action (5)
Supporting Cast (5)
Music (7)
Writing (9)
Gadgets (10)
Intangibles (10)

Total Score = 129 average category rating = 8.6

THUNDERBALL
James Bond 7
Bond Girl (10)
Villain (10)
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction 10
Pre-Title Sequence 10
Titles & Song 10
Plot 10
Locations 10
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (10)
Music (10)
Writing (10)
Gadgets (9)
Intangibles (7)

Total Score 143 average score 9.53

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
James Bond 5
Bond Girl (0)
Villain (5)
Henchman/Henchwoman (5)
Direction 6
Pre-Title Sequence 5
Titles & Song 5
Plot 5
Locations 5
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (10)
Music (10)
Writing (6)
Gadgets (9)
Intangibles (7)

Total Score 93 average score 6.2


ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
James Bond 5
Bond Girl (10)
Villain (0)
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction 7
Pre-Title Sequence 4
Titles & Song 4
Plot 8
Locations 9
Stunts & Action (10)
Supporting Cast (10)
Music (10)
Writing (7)
Gadgets (4)
Intangibles (5)

Total Score 103 average score 6.86

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
James Bond 5
Bond Girl (10)
Villain 8
Henchman/Henchwoman (10)
Direction 6
Pre-Title Sequence 5
Titles & Song 10
Plot 10
Locations 6
Stunts & Action (7)
Supporting Cast (10)
Music 8
Writing 8
Gadgets 5
Intangibles 8

Total Score = 116 Average Category rating = 7.73

Perfect Bond films

1. For Your Eyes Only - I have the rather heterodox opinion that Fleming was a much better short story writer than he was a novelist, and FYEO and "Risico" are two of his best short stories. They are seemlessly married here with a great script that finally has Bond directly up against the Soviets. Babs and company should study Melina as an example of how a Bond girl can be tough and resourceful while still maintaining her feminimity (which makes here far more appealing than the endless train of "Bond's equals" in the last twenty-plus years). The action is superb and exhilarating to watch, and Bill Conti manages the great feat of making a great Bond score that is totally out of Barry's long shadow and that further pumps up the action.

2. From Russia with Love - A perfectly cast and directed movie. Terence Young's direction is the best of the entire series. Notice how well he tracks Grant moving from train window to train window, stalking Bond, for instance. Pedro Armendariz is wonderfully ebullient, suprisingly so since he was dying of cancer at the time. All in all, the movie manages to be tremendously suspensful, exotic and still full of humor - a combination we have not seen from this series in a very long time. John Barry's score is wonderfully portentous.

3. The World is Not Enough - I recently reread all of Fleming's works and rewatched all the movies and found this film shooting up in my rankings. While its focus on Bond's emotions has lead in very questionable directions in the last ten years, this movie keeps a fine balance between sensitivity, brutality and humor. Brosnan is surprisingly like Fleming's Bond - able to cold-bloodedly shoot Davidov and yet fall for Elektra. And, dare I say it, Purvis and Wade here seem to have a better understanding of love than Fleming did. Fleming's attempts at having Bond really be involved with a women (in CR and OHMSS) always fell totally flat, which probably isn't a surprise given Fleming's own checkered love life. Bond just suddenly decides to marry Vesper and Tracy, and neither woman is given much characterization (both are seemingly just there to fall in love with Bond, and vice versa). In TWINE, we get Bond falling for Elektra because he feels sympathy for her, and thinks they share a history of unexpressed pain and loss. Unlike Vesper's betrayal, Elektra's is more effective, particularly given the venom she puts into it. She is given a complex inner life that makes her a great Bond girl and a great villainess. The simultaneously exotic and slightly seedy post-Soviet atmosphere of the film is perfect as well.

4. The Living Daylights - This film may be the closest we ever get to seeing Fleming's world portrayed on screen. Dalton is magnificent here. He manages to helm a genuinely fun and adventursome film that has almost literary qualities about it. Is Bond just using Kara while they are in Vienna, or is he developing feelings for her? Is Bond really on the verge of quitting his job, or is he just trying to piss off Saunders? The film, and Dalton particularly, give Bond a complexity he rarely has in the movies. This is notable especially since much of Fleming's characterization of Bond comes from Bond's inner thoughts (I personally believe that this shows the influence of 'noir' writers Fleming was fond of, like Raymond Chandler, but I can't prove this). The feat of making a film that combines Cold War realities with Kiplingesque "boys own adventure" is also no mean feat. John Barry's score is wonderful. So much for an old dog not being able to learn new tricks!

5. Never Say Never Again - Yes, I love a movie many people don't even consider a Bond film. It always amazes me how people will bitch endlessly about EON and then ignore NSNA simply because it isn't "official" (whatever that means - McClory had every legal right to make it). The film takes risks and goes in interesting directions. MI6 is run by an incompetent bean counter. Bond is getting old and is seemingly unwanted. Q has almost no money to work with. The villains may be among the best in the series (at least the best not named Red Grant). Fatima Blush is a wonderful combination of misandry and nymphomania. Klaus Maria Brandauer is perfect as Largo - alternately jealous and contemptuous of Bond. The conflict between Bond and Largo for Domino in TB was barely played out, and in the end was swamped by all the acquatic action. In NSNA it takes center stage. I've also always found this movie incredibly easy to watch - it doesn't have the dull patches EON films tend to have either in their beginning or their end.

Near-perfect films

6. Diamonds are Forever - There are some problems with this film - Guy Hamilton's horrid editing makes it impossible to figure out how the heck Plenty got killed at Tiffany's house, for instance. But for the most part, this movie is a great combination of the bizarre, the witty and the slightly nihilistic. Much of the film, including the title song, expresses a kind of world weariness that is reflected in the desert locale and the almost affectionate way Bond and Blofeld talk to each other. They are almost like Batman and the Joker in The Dark Knight - resigned to endlessly playing out their parts until the ending of the world. Tom Mankiewicz's script has some of the sharpest dialogue I have ever heard outside of the theater. Kidd and Wint, Bambi and Thumper and Willard Whyte keep things on a plane of existence that is slightly and enjoyably surrealistic.

7. GoldenEye - I've loved this film since it came out. Martin Campbell gave the film a unique look that was a nice change of direction, and acknowledging the changes in the world since Bond's 60s heyday was a wise move, particularly since the film wisely adheres to the Bond movie formula while subtly mocking it. Getting Sean Bean, Robbie Coltrane, Famke Janssen, Alan Cumming and Judi Dench all in one picture was brilliant casting (even if Dench has become a very questionable influence on the series in recent years). Heck, they even have actors of Michael Kitchen's caliber in minor roles! A weak score hurts the movie, and I can't help feeling the film went a little too far in mocking its own main character.

8. Dr. No - The weaknesses here (other than Peter Hunt's overly choppy editing) can mostly be chaulked up to the infant stages the series was in (and the fact that Monty Norman is, for the most part, a terrible excuse for a composer). The movie has a refeshingly hard-boiled quality about it that is nice to revisit from time to time. If I didn't rate this film higher, it's mostly because it doesn't ever wow me like films 1-7 frequently do. On the other hand, I really can't think of any cringe-worthy moments either (other than perhaps Bond telling Quarrel to "fetch my shoes"). The film is thoroughly competent.

9. Octopussy - The combination of Cold War and Kipling is not as seemless here as it is in TLD, but it's not too far behind. This film has it all - great action in exotic locales, Cold War action (with some real tension involved - with a great scene where Bond desperately tries to convince people of mortal danger while disguised as a clown - great irony there) and beautiful women. Unfortunately, the bits don't totally join up. Kamal Khan's plot always seems a bit tenuously connected to General Orlov's plot, and it took me too many reviewings to totally work out what their entire scheme was. Still, a very good movie overall.

10. Live and Let Die - The boat chase, while great, goes on way too long, and George Martin, while a competent composer, is no John Barry. Still, the film is a real romp. It manages to feel totally Bondian while throwing Bond into the most un-Bond like circumstances. People rightly comment that MR and DAD are too sci-fi to be Bond, but somehow in LALD we have voodoo that is actually real, a white character who must somehow get to the bottom of what an all-black organization is doing and the most over-the top Southern caricature this side of Deliverance, and somehow it all works! I suppose, given how Fleming's novel is probably one of his best works, that of its elements had been included here. But given that those elements were well-used in the 80s films, I won't complain too much.

Fun and entertaining, but with numerous problems

11. The Man with the Golden Gun - On the one hand, Roger Moore gives a wonderfully underrated performance here. He's known for being too jokey or campy, but he has a satisfyingly cruel vein about him in this film. The sureallistic element (including everything from Nick Nack to the inside of the Queen Elizabeth) is put to good use. But the whole movie is supposed to be a duel of champions, and that duel is far too short and poorly done. The fun house is fine, but Guy Hamilton (in another of his terrible directing/editing choices) cuts the end up so much I still can't figure out how Bond swtiched places with the dummy without Scaramanga or Nick Nack noticing. And did Scaramanga really have a Bond dummy with a LOADED Walther PPK?!? An unfortunate end to a mostly very good movie.

12. You Only Live Twice - On the negative side, this movie is as absurd as they come (then again, so was Fleming's tremendously atmospheric but ultiamtely weird novel). The whole idea of Bond becoming Japanese (cribbed from Fleming) is laughable, as is the idea of a toy helicoptor destroying many full-sized models. But the movie does everything with such a sense of fun (a great relief after the pretentiousness of TB) that I can't help enjoying myself. I also find the climax of this movie the tensest and best done of any Bond film. There are no side-plots. Everything (the ninjas, Bond, Blofeld, Hans, the SPECTRE capsule, the US generals in the Pentagon) all builds to a crescendo based around one and only one thing - can Bond prevent World War III? This climax is so well done that Shane Rimmer's overdone line-reading ("The enemy!!!! It's blown up!!!!! I repeat, the enemy has blown up!!") never makes me laugh, as it ought to.I feel the release of tension I should feel at the end of every Bond movie. I suppose this film has had questionable effects on the future direction of the series, in spite of its entertainment value.

13. Moonraker - Not much I can say here that hasn't been said before. This movie is almost more absurd than YOLT, as if that were possible. Only the extraordinary pre-credits and the centrifuge scene keep it from totally degenerating into total camp mode. But it manages to just stay above that level. Just. I suppose I enjoy this movie because its uniformity of tone makes it so sprightly and fun to watch. I still practically die laughing when Jaws meets his girlfriend, and Tcahikovsky starts swelling up in the orchestra. And that, I suppose, counts for something.

14. Goldfinger - Again, what can I say here that hasn't already been said. Is this film overrated? Yes. Is it fun to watch? Yes. It perches almost exactly at the middle of my ratings, and as the Ur-Bond-movie, I'm sure it doesn't give a damn what my opinion is of it. This movie will continue to be the movie every man and woman on the street claims is the best ever as long as there are men and women around (on the street or otherwise).

15. Tomorrow Never Dies - This film has a great first hour or so. The pre-credits is pure fantasy, but still well-done fantasy. The carpark scene is one of the most inventive action sequences in recent memory. And Carver's character (and especially the nature of his villainry) is both frighteningly prescient and a nice updating of the usual rogue generals and industrialists we usually get for villains. Wai Lin also manages to be a "Bond's equal" without being obnoxious (or incompetent) about it, as Jinx would five years later. Unfortunately, after the car park scene, the movie degenerates into endless action. The action comes so fast that there is no time to process it, and becomes a mind-numbing blur. The fact that much of the action involves endlessly shooting machine guns with infinite ammo is not a plus either.

Not great, but certainly watchable if I'm in the right mood

16. The Spy Who Loved Me - There's some great material here. The Egyptian sequences are particularly evocative, and the mutiny of captured submariners is probably the best mass-battle in the series' history. Unfortunately, I find the movie to overall be very inconsistent. I actually prefer MR to TSWLM because the former manages to keep a consistent tone, while TSWLM goes all over the place. The humor tends to be of the overaly broad MR variety, which is fine, but how do we gel that with Bond dropping Sandor off a roof, or using Felicca as a human shield, or pumping an entire magazine into Stromberg? It just seems like after the disppointing box office of TMWTGG, Cubby decided to release a greatest hits album packaged as one movie.

17. Licence to Kill - Bad cinematography. A horrible soundtrack. A glum, one-note-performance by Dalton, whose complex inner life from TLD has been abaondoned in favor of a mindless fiaxation on revenge that is more American action-flick than Fleming. A whiny Bond girl we are expected to simultaneusly take seriously as a tough CIA pilot (if she really were tough, whe wouldn't have to whine so darn much). What's to like? Well, the back to basics approach does lead to some good action sequences. The moment when Bond is out of air and surrounded by enemy scuba divers, only to spear gun and barefoor surf his way onto a float plane and out of trouble is a wonder to behold. And as bad as John Glen's direction mostly is, the tanker truck scene is marvelously composed and filmed, and ALMOST makes up for the glum product that's preceded it. While most of the cast are rather poor, Robert Davi shines, as does Wayne Newton and the fellow who played yuppie Truman-Lodge.

18. A View to a Kill - If it weren't for the amusing role-reversal between Bond and Sir Godfrey at Chantilly, I would find the first hour of this movie, with its pointless meanderings to the Eiffel Tower and racehorse tracks, totally unwatchable. Fortunately, things pick up in San Francisco, where the screenwriters start showing some competence. For all the hate thrown at Tanya Roberts over the years, I find her to be (along with Walken) one of the few indisputable bright spots of the movie. She makes a wonderful contrast with Walken's character. She is the hard-worker with an empty house - not because she is a yuppie who bought a house she can't afford, but because she had to sell the furniture. Zorin is a force of destruction, raiding companies (like Stacy's), shooting his own men and flooding his competitors. He's both a proto Patrick Bateman and a great modernization of the Fleming villains whose plots mirrored their characters. It is appropriate that the corporate raider Zorin plans to literally destroy his competitors. Unfortunately, these happy conceits do not come early enough or strong enough to totally save the movei for me. They merely make it watchable.

19. Die Another Day - When I first watched this movie, I hated it with a passion. It has managed to just slightly creep up my rating since then. Every time I rewatch it, I notice things I like I hadn't noticed before - the tension Bond feels in Moon's compound, the effective torture scenes, the amusing sight of Bond waltzing into a luxury hotel in wet pajamas, the atmosphere of Cuba. And I start to wonder - did I misjudge this movie? Is it a classic and I just didn't notice before? Then Hale Berry appears, and the movie tanks for a while. Then it perks up again, and then she reappears. And so on (rinse, wash, repeat). The fact that MGW and Babs spent (wasted) significant time trying to get a Jinx film made shows how delusional they've become in the absence of Cubby.

20. Thunderball - This low ranking will probably raise many hackles, but I have simply never enjoyed this film. It's too long and too pleased with itself. The most minute actions (like Largo retrieving the bombs or Quist reporting back to Palmyra) are shown in excrutiating detail, as if these moments were meant to be digested as serious spy craft. The moment that really gets me is the elaborate scene where Quist is disarmed by Bond. Bond apparently has a tape recorder to hear the foot steps of elephants like Quist. And he punches Leiter for almost saying '007', and then says '007' himself! None of this would matter at all if the film had a lighter touch. Plenty of other Bond movies have had numerous mistakes. But TB seems so convinced of the importance of its proceedings it never stops to consider how silly they really are (or how silly the entire Fleming model of spying - using your real name and enjoying fast cars and faster women - would actually be in the LeCarresque real world of spying). And for me that is an almost unforgiveble sin. Only Connery's assured performance and the greatest line in the entire series ("Do you mind if my friend sits this one out? She just DEAD!") save this for me.

Bottom of the barrel - at least as Bond films - I really dont ever want to watch them ever again

21. Casino Royale '54 (The Barry Nalson one) - With two exceptions, I am a big fan of Fleming's writing. However, for some reason, when he turns to romance (in CR and OHMSS), Fleming totally loses me. It's as though he has no idea how or why real adults fall in love. Worse, it's in these same two novels that Fleming's gift with prose fails him. I've been known to stay up until early in the morning turning the pages of LALD or MR. I love the evocative, mature writing of FRWL, GF and YOLT. But the prose of CR and OHMSS is cluttered and hard to get through. The brand names start dropping from the sky like hail, until they pummel me into submission, and I start skipping over whole paragraphs. Worse, in CR, the structure of the novel is extremely weak. To be fair, it was Fleming's first novel. But his usual strengths (outsized villains, grotesque henchmen, macabre locations, page turning thrills, and exciting climax) are all missing here. We have some set up, a brief card game, a drawn out torture scene that only happens because of the incompetence (later revealed to be the treachery) of Vesper, who was of no help to Bond at all in the first place, and then some meandering romance stuff where Bond randomly decides to marry Vesper before she kills herself. This TV program follows the first two-thirds of the book pretty closely, and there's nothing wrong with it per se. Peter Lorre is certainly a better LeChiffre than Mikkelsson, for instance. But in the end, it's just a quick card game involving almost pure chance (in most Bond films, Baccarat scenes are played quickly as a way to show Bond's almost superhuman luck - to show that he's a sort of modern-day trickster god - here it's taken seriously, which is absurd. The idea that any Secret Service would send an agent to waste money on such an endeavor is laughable, and proof that Fleming was engaging in some sad persoanl fantasies - trying to win back the money he lost playing some Nazis in Lisbon during the war). In both the novel and the TV program, the torture scenes run longer than the card game, and are equally hard to read or watch, not just because of how graphic they are (Bond gets the piss taken out of him in every novel) but because of how pointless they are. I found this chore to sit through, and the book a chore to read (and I just, painfully, reread it last night).

22. Quantum of Solace - This one's a shame, because it had some real potential. It has a stripped down Bond (sans gadgets) doing some actual spying in locales where spies might actually go (as much as I love the traditional Bond settings, I'm pretty sure little spying goes on in casinos in real life. It might go on in third world countries with unstable governments, though). The cinematography is beautiful and brings the different locales across well (pity that Haiti is actually Panama and Bolivia is actually Chile). The Camille character has some strength to her that is interesting. But the whole thing just gets bogged down at every turn. It's bogged down by being the sequel to CR, which means it can't stand on its own. It's bogged down by the horrid editing that makes the car and boat chases totally incomprehensible, It's bogged down by its weird political agenda, which is so comically misguided that no one bothered to tell the screenwriters that Bolivia has plenty of water, thanks to being located right next to Lake Titicaca . . . It's bogged down by Forster's pretentious direction, by Craig's glum performance (so glum it makes Dalton in LTK look charasmatic) and by the now totally past-its-sell-date Bond/M Fruedian relationship. As a result, David Arnold's best effort (by far) is totally wasted on this movie, which not only has little impact but feels the need to throw attempted rape scnes in, just to make itself as thoroughly unpleasant as possible (as if Dominic Greene's face and Elvis' haircut weren't painful enough).

23. Casino Royale '67 (The David Niven one) - Well, it's not really a film, is it? It's more a collection of loosely tied together vignettes. Some of the vignittes are actually funny (especially Woody Allen telling his executioners that, "My doctor says I can't have bullets enter my body at any time!"), but they are so random and bizarre that they lose their impact as time goes on. The whole movie is mostly a cautionary tale for would-be filmmakers as to how money can ruin a film. CR '67 had too much money, and they used it up and then some, and the result was a chaotic mess (actually one could say the same thing about QOS . . .). Burt Bacharach's score is marvelous though.

24. Casino Royale '06 (the Daniel Craig one) - I actually enjoyed this movie when it came out, but I was still recovering from the initial shock of DAD at the time. This movie is the main reason I don't go to theaters anymore, because I don't trust my first impressions. The more I watched this film, the more I came to dislike it. It starts with Craig, who not only doesn't look like Bond (the blonde hair is not as noticeable as the crag-like face and bat ears) but doesn't act like Bond either. The movie seems to deliberately turn Bond into some sort of thug. When Dryden is killed in the PTS, there is a quick shot of a picture of Dryden and his family. It's as though Campbell (who flirted dangerously close with disliking Bond in GE) has begun to full-on loathe the character in this film. It's the PTS, for crying out loud, and we're already trying to make Bond out as some sort of mindless killer. Bond's complete lack of response to Solange's death is particularly loathesome. Our hero has become a sociopath. Campbell's normally sure-handed direction also starts to fail. Notice how he keeps cutting from one angle to another during the fight on the crane, or when Bond or Parkour Guy are in mid-jump. What's with that? Why the slo-mo during some of the Parkour scenes? The movie is entirely too long and feels like 2-3 movies that were badly spliced together by an assistant director of Godzilla films at Toho Studios. This meandering pace (which exists in the novel) makes the film seem far longer than it really is.

25. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - This will certainly not be a popular pick, as it's become de rigueur to praise OHMSS as a masterpiece (when even the radio hosts on NPR "know" that OHMSS is good Bond film, then I know we have something of a cultural trend on our hands). However, I just don't see what is so great about this film. The novel was pretty awful too. I have a feeling that whereas Conan Doyle tried to kill Sherlock Holmes off when he tired of the character, Fleming tried to force his hero to fall in love, marry, and lose his wife as quickly as possible - as if he were trying to punish Bond for having to write a new novel every year. The central relationship with Tracy doesn't work in the novel or in the film, mostly because she is such an undeveloped character. Fleming seems to deliberately make Bond totally exhausted from his ski run (which is out of character for him) solely so that she can rescue him and put him in her debt. And MI6 suddenly develops scruples about doing undercover commando jobs because of . . . Swiss neutrality?!?!?! (in the novel) or because . . . the United Nations said so?!?!?! (in the film). What the hell? This is a stupid plot contrivance solely so that Bond has to get Draco's help, thus placing him more in Draco's debt, etc., blah blah. Tracy never so much falls in love as becomes emotionally dependent on Bond. In the novel she even puts on make-up "especially fo him" (as though she were some sort of child). In the film we are treated to the spectacle of Diana Rigg acting as though her only purpose in life is to bear George Lazenby's chuildren [barf]. The film does at least give Tracy some more backbone than she has in the book, and avoids letting the 50 something Blofeld escape Bond on the bob run (probably the worst sequence Fleming ever wrote, including the absurb dialogue Bond yells at Draco's men while they are in a Mexican stand-off with Blofeld's thugs - "The big one! He's getting away!!" - who wrote this, a two year old?). On top of these problems, Lazenby is too inexperienced an actor to be convincing, either as Hilary Bray, or as a professional agent, or as a man in love. He gangles about looking overly large and harmless - not at all the cruel man with the scar and the comma of hair Fleming described so many times. In fact, one of Draco's men (the fellow who tells Bond, "it seems you've lost something . . , we'll give it to you outside") looks more like Bond than Lazenby does. It's a wonder to me they didn't cast him (or 60 zillion other men able to play the part) instead of Lazenby. People claim Lazenby looked good in fights. That may be, but since Peter Hunt uses laughable Batman editing and ridiculously loud punching noises in all his fights, I really can't tell. And even if the fights are good, I still have no idea who the hell those men trying to kill Bond in the PTS are working for, so why should I care? I'll stop here before I compound this rant. I've more than explained that I don't like this movie, and why. Feel free to ignore me or to comment, but please do not take offense at my opinion (that's all it is, after all).

1. From Russia with Love - Bond at its peak. Can't beat Connery, Young, Maibaum, Hunt, Barry, ect.
2. Goldfinger - Grand, iconic, fun! Probably the most accessible Bond film.
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Despite a weak lead in Lazenby, it's really great.
4. Dr. No - Wish it were closer to the book, but despite that it's really the quitessential Bond and it has Connery's best performance.
5. Casino Royale - Like DN, wish it were closer to the book, but it's good as modern Bond gets and Craig's great.
6. Thunderball - Possibly the sexiest Bond film. Great locale, girls, writing, Young directing. Just needs a re-edit.
7. The Living Daylights - Dalton is flat out fantastic and it's the best film of the 80s.
8. GoldenEye - A solid fun Bond adventure, and I love Eric Serra's score.
9. For Your Eyes Only - Back to basics, Moore's most Fleming performance and hey, I dig Conti's score. Suck it.
10. Moonraker - Shameless, and I love it for it. Fantastical Bond at its best.
11. Diamonds Are Forever - Weak climax, but it gets by with great writing, an engaged Connery, Jimmy Dean, Jill St. John and Lana Woods' tits.
12. Live and Let Die - Primarily an action film but a fun one with great characters.
13. Octopussy - Decent Cold War plot, could have been a nice send off for Moore, alas...
14. Licence to Kill - Dalton is great, but the film doesn't live up to his talent. More than ever John Glen should have been fired.
15. Quantum of Solace - More than ever Forster and Haggis should have never been hired. But Craig's good and it's got some nice scenes.
16. The Spy Who Loved Me - Well made spectacle, though the writing is all over the place and Barbara Bach is a bore.
17. You Only Live Twice - Gilbert, Barry, Young and Adam really carry this one, everything else seems to be in a coma.
18. A View to a Kill - Love Walken and Jones, and Moore is good despite his age. But again, John Glen shoulda been fired.
19. The Man with the Golden Gun - Clashing of writers = a real mess of a film. It's only carried by its color and Christopher Lee's presence.
20. Die Another Day - First half is good, then it becomes a trainwreck once it shifts to Iceland.
21. Tomorrow Never Dies - A total soulless bore. My first Bond film ever, and I feel zero nostalgia for it.
22. The World is Not Enough - An idiot picture, and a snooze.


Comparing it to the last ranking I made:

1. FRWL
   
2. GF
   
3. TB
   
4. OHMSS
   
5. DN
   
6. CR
   
7. TLD
   
8. QOS
   
9. LTK
   
10. OP
    
11. FYEO
    
12. MR
    
13. DAF
    
14. LALD
    
15. TSWLM
    
16. GE
    
17. YOLT
    
18. TMWTGG
    
19. AVTAK
    
20. TND
    
21. DAD
    
22. TWINE
    

Having posted the rankings I compared to my last one (2012-14) and will show the current one with how much they've shifted. As with 2012, the addition of a new Bond film has offset them a tad.

(ranking change in brackets)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (0)
From Russia With Love (0)
The Living Daylights (0)
Licence To Kill (0)
Dr No (0)
Thunderball (+3)
For Your Eyes Only (0)
Octopussy (0)
Skyfall (-3)
Spectre (New Entry)
Goldfinger (-1)
Diamonds Are Forever (+3)
Moonraker (-1)
You Only Live Twice (0)
Live and Let Die (-4)
Goldeneye (-4)
Casino Royale (0)
The Spy Who Loved Me (-4)
A View To A Kill (+1)
Die Another Day (+1)
Tomorrow Never Dies (-4)
The World Is Not Enough (-4)
Quantum of Solace (-1)
The Man With The Golden Gun (-1)

looks worse in aspects but a lot sit on the same /10 score.

10/10- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
9/10- Dr No, From Russia With Love, The Living Daylights, Licence To Kill
8/10- Thunderball, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, Skyfall, Spectre
7/10- Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Moonraker
6.5/10- You Only Live Twice Live and Let Die, Goldeneye, Casino Royale
6/10- The Spy Who Loved Me, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day
4/10- Quantum of Solace
3/10- The Man With The Golden Gun

10/10- as near perfection as can be
9/10- Excellent, verging on that perfect score. Things tie in together -soundtrack/plot/acting/etc or the Bond in the case of Dalton.
8/10- still very good, solid, sure some faults but nothing major
7/10- tiresome in their way, a bit skew-whiff and stupid but somehow with moments that are very good or good
6.5/10- in the middle of the above or dull, nothing here or there film.
6/10- Neither here, nor there. Plodding, insipid in parts but maybe the odd moment that's good, quite good.
4/10- dire, going down fast
3/10- help

in certain cases films were edged before others rather than in chronological order. FRWL behind TLD but ahead of LTK.


By Bond:

Connery:
Dr No
FRWL
Thunderball
Goldfinger
DAF
YOLT

Moore
FYEO
Octopussy
Moonraker
LALD
TSWLM
TMWTGG

Brosnan
Goldeneye
TND/TWINE/DAD

Craig
Skyfall
Spectre
CR
QOS

Looking at my spreadsheet with all this guff, it's embarassing how the rankings were in 2007 (pre-QOS et al) and the ratings.

But what the Hell

pre-2007 rankings

OHMSS
TLD
TSWLM
LTK
FYEO
Goldfinger
Octopussy
FRWL
YOLT
CR
TND
TWINE
VTAK
LALD
Thunderball
DAD
Dr No
Moonraker
DAF
Goldeneye
TMWTGG

rating wise, they remain as they are now though TMWTGG was on 3.5/10, DAD 3/10, Goldeneye 4/10, and Diamonds 5/10

In 2007 TLD jumps to 9.5/10 but it's DAD that is cause for concern. 3/10 in 2007, it's risen to 6/10 now, going up one by each ranking. I'd post the whole thing but the formatting goes skew-whiff and I've spent more time than I should've.

Your 2007 ranking... Goldeneye so low, TND and TWINE in the middle... And directly after CR's release, it's only a middle-of-the-road affair. Interesting that TND held up around the same spot 10 years later but CR starts there 1 year later...

I'm one to talk. My first post in this thread is bonkers with the placement of QOS, CR. Though, not a lot has changed in the years since. Top 5 is more or less the same, GE, DAD shot up a few spots, TLD down maybe one or two.

You've inspired me to do a detailed ranking myself to update it 8 years on so when I have a spare hour or so...

I won't lie, the 2007 bit makes me wince. I can't believe I had things where they were. TSWLM in particular.

Get cracking with your detailed one, Fields. I would do one again but in spite of ploughing through a fair bit this side of Xmas, I don't honestly see it changing massively. Spectre might well drop down but I'm not rushing to watch it anytime soon. Skyfall maybe. My views on my last rankings haven't changed.

Actually CR might be lower. For whatever reason it properly winds me up thinking about that film.

1. Tomorrow Never Dies



Smooth, sleek and deftly updates the franchise. While perhaps a little heavy handed on the explosions, it encompasses what James Bond is about, just in a modern world. The Bondian tropes of Fleming's novels inform its structure, alluding to the source material in tone and conventions. The sex drips off the screen (Bond's tryst with Inga, Paris's dress slipping off to reveal her lingerie, Arnold's music, the sexual tension between Bond and the girls - even Moneypenny, which harkens back to Sean and Lois). The danger is there in spades (staging a fight in a soundproof room, Carver's death, the Kaufman scene-- the girl's dead, a hitman waits for Bond and all underscored not just with Arnold's apt music, but a prerecorded news report announcing Paris's death alongside an "unidentified man" (is Carver referring to Bond or to Kaufman, just in case?). There's humour, in part due one of the most quotable screenplays in the series. There's a sense of bizarre (in the aforementioned Kaufman scene, Stamper himself, the ostentation of Carver, newspaper apparel on the CMGN waiters, etc.) There's local colour (admittedly more so in Saigon than Hamburg, but the German setting is very fitting. Staging the bike chase amongst the every day Vietnamese market gives you a taste, not only of local traffic, but customs and dangers. The outdoor showers, Wai Lin's "bike shop" charade, the natural wonder of Ha Long Bay, etc.). There's geopolitical/social commentary in exploring the power of the media AND capturing a modern Britain - both which render this a somewhat timeless entry to the series. There's charisma in the form of Pierce Brosnan's Bond, so you believe Paris and Wai Lin are drawn to our man. Carver is also superbly written and performed by the excellent Jonathan Pryce, who has some of the best lines as a deranged yet charismatically articulate villain.

The action is choreographed and filmed excellently, all varied, always exciting, with esteemed cinematographer Robert Elswit creating perhaps the smoothest adventure that a gentleman spy should be involved in. Combined with Arnold's brilliant score (and in my top 5 in the series) it's a perfect entry in the series.

Top marks for James Bond himself: Pierce Brosnan is as deadly and brutal as he is charismatic and charming: the modern day Sean Connery. Bonus points for the character moments/introspection peppered throughout (at the airport, after the party).

2. From Russia With Love



The most effective and well crafted of Bond films. The perfect Bond film. Exceptional cast, gorgeous cinematography and music. Fantastic Bond film and an exciting spy thriller.

3. Goldeneye



Perhaps the most atmospheric of Bond films since FRWL. GE is a popular Bond film, so I won't bang on about how great the the villains are (they are), or how brilliantly crafted the PTS is (or all the action for that matter, because it is), or what a stroke of genius it was to cast Judi Dench as M (again, it was). While all the conventions of a great Bond film are there and all done exceptionally well, what I also really dig about this are: Bond being in the USSR (Britain's true enemy and we have a portion set during the Cold War, while exploring a new yet still dangerous Russia), the script (the dialogue crackles but it's supported by a well written story. It weaves together all the tropes of Fleming's works just in a 90s world. There's sex, danger, charm, humour, bizarre, colour and geopolitical commentary: this is what separates Bond from others and all facets are down superbly. One way it achieves this is through Serra's score, which amplifies the danger- the horrors of the Soviet era that still haunts the modern world- as well as being suitably romantic and lush ("The Same Passions", "What Keeps You Alone").  And what's more: finally Bill Tanner's back and he's Bond's friend!

4. Thunderball



A gorgeous gallery of Bond women, a deeper insight into SPECTRE as an organisation, a simple plot complicated by the trappings of international intrigue, a script as sharp as Bond’s teeth with Connery even sharper, sex dripping off Barry’s score and Moore’s cinematography - the latter especially drawing you into a holiday to the Bahamas. If this film doesn’t encapsulate ‘travelogue’ I don’t know what does.

The danger has consequences, which brings a somewhat grandiose adventure back down to earth. Bond himself gets a flesh wound, brother Derval’s death isn’t something Bond is happy about sharing to Domino, the threat of the stolen atomic bombs summons all 00s, a grander briefing room (expertly designed again by Ken Adam) and organically drawn MI6 scenes with all the regulars doing what they would do.

There’s certainly a reason why this is the peak of Bondmania. Much of that can be attributed to Young capitalising on the Goldfinger formula but with the same focus as his first two (even if FRWL is the tighter film overall).

5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service



Like GE and FRWL, this one’s biggest strength is its sense of atmosphere and style. It builds effortlessly as a love story and Bond’s pursuit of Blofeld combine and culminate in some high stakes, thrilling ski action (which I have a boundless affinity for). OHMSS may very well be Barry’s best Bond score (and the one of his I return to most). Featuring my favourite Bond girl, my favourite ally and my favourite Blofeld (though Pleasance is up there, too), it demonstrates well drawn characters. Hunt not directing another Bond film is one of the series’ biggest mistakes. So much visual flair to create ambient spectacle in the Swiss/Christmas Bond film and it’s a perfect marriage to the deft work he does with his actors. Lazenby’s performance is actually very good. His biggest strength is his physicality, even in non-action sequences. His arrogance is perfectly exploited and creates electric chemistry with all the women he shares the screen with (even Moneypenny, and these moments make for some of my favourite with her). And for Hunt to elicit such presentness in the proposal scene and upon Tracy’s death, it’s a testament to his innate ability as an actor and Hunt’s fine work as a director.

Honestly, this and TB are just as good as each other. However the ’65 edges out just because of Connery.

6. The World Is Not Enough



One of the most interesting stories of the series; still topical in its place today, and how character driven it is. A lot of credit goes to Sophie Marceau who is tasked with carrying the majority of the film. Perhaps the most complex of characters to be in a Bond film, she epitomises intrigue, enigma and utter beauty. One of the true femme fatales of the series. Other positives include the atmospheric post Cold War feel of the film, a flawed anti-hero in Brosnan's Bond, an interesting dynamic between the two main villains, Arnold's score and the return of Zukovsky! And perhaps the most exciting pre-titles sequence in a Bond film!

7. Dr. No



The first, and frankly, one of the best. While Goldfinger is attributed to being the film that set the 'formula' for the rest of the series, I contrarily believe it really started with Dr. No. Young's blend of sex, danger, mystery, bizarre and humour make for an exciting film and perhaps it also benefits from being a film made so close to its literary counterpart that it feels authentically like a Fleming novel. So many striking images too, with Bond and Honey’s respective introductions, Dent’s visit to Crab Key, Bond assassinating Dent, etc.

8. For Your Eyes Only



A tight, atmospheric, Cold War thriller that intertwines some of the very best of Fleming and pits Bond up against the Soviets for the first time. With a tense, intriguing plot, thrilling action sequences and a brilliant score, it stands as one of the best in the series. Plus, Moore, Topol and Julian Glover add a touch of old school class that elevates the film as high as St Cyrils!

9. The Living Daylights



I remember discovering this as a kid. It became my most watched Bond film, along with TND and OHMSS. It was my number 2. Part of me wishes it's still there because it's that good. It's an incredible Cold War thriller, beginning with Fleming's short story and in true Bondian fashion, escalating to something far wider reaching. Dalton is Ian Fleming's James Bond here. John Barry's final score is one of the series best... The only thing that stops this from getting higher these days is the stiff competition-- and, if I'm completely, totally, absolutely honest... there are just a couple of tiny moments where Dalton struggles with the one-liners/charm and it's compounded by the fact that Brosnan had the role but needed to let it go. And while Dalton and d'Abo have great chemistry, I feel Brosnan would have taken it to another level.

10. Goldfinger



Classic Bond. Iconic Bond. The first half is flawless. The second half maybe could be the tiniest bit tighter in the edit and with a little more focus in some scenes (why brief the gangsters?) but a minor detail in an exceptionally plotted script. Even better is its execution. Barry's big band sound always gets the juices going after the title song - Into Miami is such a pleasurable vignette. Connery is still having a blast and because of it, so are we. I've always liked Pussy Galore but I've really come to like her so much she's probably in my top 5 Bond girls. Goldfinger's in my top 5 villains and Oddjob is brilliant henchman. It's really the trifecta in terms of supporting cast. So many iconic images - the Golden Girl, the reflection in Bonita's eye, the ejector seat (brilliant idea for the Bond/Q dynamic to be a tense one!), the laser scene, the golf game, the Fort Knox interior - oh Ken Adam is every bit of the Bond film's success as Sean Connery.

What else do you say to defend your point on a perfect Bond film? Don't worry, I'm sad it's this low too. Any of the top 10 could be number 1.

11. Skyfall



Finally a Daniel Craig entry that both feels like a James Bond film and a latter Fleming novel. Here, the drama feels organic as opposed to manufactured as it does in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, and it's testament to the superior script written by Purvis, Wade and Logan. The writing is perhaps the film's biggest strength, with dynamic characters such as Severine, who feels like she's been written by Fleming himself, and M, who makes for a much more interesting, imperfect character. Of course, this also extends to Bond himself, whose inner conflict alludes to the Bond of Fleming's You Only Live Twice. However, considering the impressive ensemble in Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Albert Finney and Berenice Marlohe, Daniel Craig seems a level below the rest. That said, it's a marked improvement over his previous efforts. The other letdown is Thomas Newman's clinical score. Despite a few tracks, such as Shanghai Drive, Komodo Dragon and Tennyson, it sounds too sterile to enhance the visuals and story. Bond music needs to be robust, colourful and melodic. A score akin to John Barry's On Her Majesty's Secret Service or Thunderball, or David Arnold's Tomorrow Never Dies would have edged this one a little closer to perfection. That aside, it's the most exciting Bond film since the 90s, elevated by a sharp script, excellent performances from the supporting cast, and some of the strongest cinematography ever committed to film.

12. Octopussy



Features one of the best villainous plots but also relentless (though short) gags. I adore Octopussy. It could have been so much more but it's still great fun. John Glen's biggest contribution to the series I feel is bringing is bringing Bond back down to earth and reintroducing the human component to the writing. Characters now have histories, relationships, more complexity than they did in the 70s. Because of that it automatically outranks the likes of TSWLM, which I feel this is most comparable to. Because the greater focus on story, the throughline is never compromised and most of the gags become cosmetic. Edit them out and you're only really shaving of the ends of certain scenes.

A great assortment of villains, interesting Bond girls (one the daughter of a Major Smythe from Fleming's short story - ingenious way of incorporating source material), excellent action and-- in another way to outrank TSWLM-- a lush, enigmatic score from John Barry to match Octopussy herself— a perfect Bond film is there. While it's a missed opportunity to stage the entire film in Germany, once we do touch down in Europe, Cold War intrigue evolves into pulse-pounding suspense and action which becomes the ultimate second half, complete with a ticking bomb, thrilling action, sense of bizarre, unbelievable stuntwork, a scantily clad, yet empowered women. Sound familiar? Sounds just like James Bond! Always leaves me feeling totally satisfied with Octopussy, even if it does need some, erm.. shaving.

13. A View to a Kill



Get's an unfair rap this one. Moore turns in arguably his most focused and grounded performance as Bond - his age is inconsequential (and I think he looks better here than in OP anyway). The film has a very classy, classical feel - especially the Chantilly scenes - Bond meeting Stacey is one of my all time favourite scenes in the franchise. It's a weird movie - and that isn't out of place with James Bond - in particular Fleming's Bond. May Day is an extraordinary henchwoman (my favourite henchman, actually), Christopher Walken provides one of the best Bond villains in Max Zorin, and Stacey Sutton is an overwhelmingly underrated Bond girl. She sexy as hell and believable as an innocent girl caught up in the world of James Bond. She's probably my favourite Moore-era heroine.

Some say the 80s Bond films were creatively bankrupt - but there is so much originality and fun here that I find it hard to agree. OP just edges out because of the stronger story. That might change tomorrow. And then change back the next day.

14. Die Another Day



Really doesn’t deserve the bad rap. Like the Bond films surrounding this one in my ranking, I find most of the issues with DAD are cosmetic. Omit the parasurfing scene and it doesn’t make a difference to the story. Redesign the robo-suit so it’s “still a briefcase” and it feels more grounded. Rework the dialogue (or revert it from Tamahori’s rewrite to Purvis and Wade’s efforts) and it will sound a lot better. Use miniatures or refine the technology for the Antonov sequence and it’ll look more convincing. As for the Aston, since it’s based on real technology, I can buy it. And since we’ve already had a submersible vehicle, why does camouflage seem so outlandish to some?

That aside, this features an excellent performance by Brosnan. He always gives it his all. There’s a world-weariness and cynicism to his portrayal, which seems to be from his torture in NK, and it hangs with him throughout the film - even in Iceland - and it’s a facet I find particularly Flemingesque. His scenes with Frost, Raoul, Chang and M demonstrate the great story buried beneath the surface flaws. Bond exposing the mole within MI6 while Col. Moon wants to invade South Korea are intriguing story elements; it’s good to see Bond up against communists. Arnold’s score is melodic and full of interesting motifs. Colourful music for a colourful world. Similarly the ice palace and biodome are beautiful sets. Cuba lends the film with the travelogue component and Los Organos lends a good touch of bizarre.

It feels like a Bond film because the components so evident in Fleming’s books are there. It feels like an old-school spy thriller mixed with an outlandish Bond adventure. And most of all, it’s still fun.

15. You Only Live Twice



The only weak link of the 60s (comparatively speaking), yet it’s still an enjoyable entry. Not entirely happy with placing this as low as it is, but truth be told, this is interchangeable with DAD, AVTAK and OP. It features some of the finest cinematography in the series and my favourite production design too. Osato’s office and, of course, the Volcano lair particularly are fantastically designed by the masterful Ken Adam. The climactic assault is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a Bond film. Barry provides some of his very best work - Capsule in Space needs a special mention. Connery has flashes of inspiration but also some very bored moments - the absolute worst is his Moneypenny scene. That aside, it’s still Connery, and bored Connery is still solid. I enjoy how the space scenes are rooted in Cold War rivalries, and more so, how the emphasis of Japanese culture from Fleming’s book is continued for the film. I just wish it was integrated into the film more seamlessly.

A lot of comparisons made between this and TSWLM for its structural similarities, but this will always out-rank the ’77 film for its 60s charm, better music and production design, while also being the first (and in essence, more original).

16. The Spy Who Loved Me



Aside from a lack of focus in Egypt, the "motivation" for Stromberg, the sub plot with Anya and Barbara Bach herself, there's not a lot wrong here. It comes at a perfect time in the series for a big celebration of James Bond, bringing the Russians back into the fold (albeit sugar coated), with exceptional set pieces and a more than capable director for large scale adventures. The set up is an update on YOLT, so not entirely original, but provides for a more grounded tale than the '67 film. The first few scenes after the credits suggests a greater naval component, however it's lost until the final act. Had Gilbert restrained the extensive goofiness in Egypt and in its place, developed the sub plot with Anya, I'd place this higher. Where the tension should crackle between Bond and XXX, we actually forget Bond is responsible for her lover's death. I'd also give a more political/mature motivation for Stromberg (who's clearly been rewritten from Blofeld. Blofeld pitting the superpowers against each other to benefit SPECTRE would have played out much better than a man wanting "a world beneazth ze zea". Keep Jurgens though. He oozes supervillainy) and recast Anya (Faye Dunaway was interested!), this would be top 5.

17. Licence to Kill



Angry, blood-thirsty James Bond in sometimes low-key, ordinary locations isn’t (necessarily) my idea of James Bond, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it for the rest of the Bondian elements LTK retains. It’s the less than glamourous/exotic scenes staged in hospitals, police stations, unremarkable bridges, taverns, etc. that make this less than memorable visually, and somewhat unlike the exciting nature of James Bond’s world. While there are flashes in between these of unimaginative moments, it picks up once we hit Mexico, mostly because of the riveting dynamic between Bond and Sanchez. Bond outwitting Sanchez, and the careful planning Dalton’s Bond displays shows that the film makers were really trying to explore the idea of the James Bond we know in a personal situation, and it does marry well here. However, I still prefer the Bond in a professional capacity therefor contributing the lower ranking.

Pam used to be one of my least liked Bond girls, however like Holly’s goodhead, I’ve warmed to her. Perhaps in part because along with a beautiful body and flawless face, she’s perhaps the only Bond girl 007 doesn’t need to rescue (even if overall Wai Lin is more compelling and convincing). What grates is her ingratiating covers she puts on, particularly as Ms Kennedy. Soto, as Lupe, has her moments and is very lovely to look at but her acting isn’t her strongest asset.

A closing mention to the exceptional villains (Sanchez, Krest, Dario— even Killifer), Kamen’s score (his Bond theme rendition is perfect for LTK, and his quieter and romantic cues are fantastic, too) and the integration of Fleming’s work to create an original story (Zerbe perfectly captures the essence of Fleming’s Krest, Leiter’s mauling is well done). I also have to add that I sometimes find it unconvincing the dynamic created between Bond, Felix and Della. Not only do I find it hard to believe that 007 would be Leiter’s best man, but she “loves” Bond, as if they’ve spent years getting to know each other. Anyway. Full review coming soon for this one.

18. Moonraker



Excellent production values, better writing for the villain, a more competent "Bond's equal" in the brilliantly named Holly Goodhead, a John Barry score, Roger at his most Moore and a narrative that develops at a smoother pace than it's immediate predecessor make this an enjoyable entry. Embrace the gags and you'll have fun, which is all Moonraker asks of you.

19. Diamonds Are Forever



The funniest script in the series, Connery happy to be performing in a comedy, Jill St John the sassiest of Bond girls (at least until the oil rig, but then she’s just nice to look at), the most humorous of Blofelds, Plenty O’Toole, one of Barry’s best scores (Diamonds Are Forever as an instrumental is such a pleasurable experience. Airport Source and The Whyte House are examples of a period with better music), the Vegas setting, excellent production design the benign bizarre in spades… So much is great. But it’s all stitched together with the thinnest of stories, and for that, it’s placed as low as it is. A more faithful adaptation of the book could have helped end Connery’s era on the high he really deserved.

20. The Man With The Golden Gun



Bond on the hunt of a world-class hitman who's supposedly out to kill Bond is a great idea, and for a few scenes following M's briefing, we see some focus. It never seems to escalate beyond that, even with the inclusion of the Solex Agitator, which appears to be remnants of a separate film. Only at the end (not throughout) does it converge somewhat successfully when Scaramanga mention he intends to profit. It doesn't seem all that absurd for Scaramanga to venture into this business deal as he never wanted to kill Bond in the first place. It's a script that needs work, hence it's low placement.

But I'll be damned if I don't enjoy this. There's something very low-key about it, which adds so much ambience and intrigue, especially in the first half. Bond's "arrest" by Hip is very atmospheric, created by the tight edit, exceptional score and lush photography, culminating in that fantastic Queen Elizabeth set. Britt Ekland makes Goodnight likeable, and she does a good job performing her. Problem is, Goodnight shouldn’t be ditzy but it's hardly Ekland's fault. The fact M asks Bond to work with her makes me question his competence! Chris Lee is tremendous - it's a shame he wasn't used for a more dynamic character, despite Scaramanga being quite memorable in his own way.

I enjoy the iconography of the film. You can say what you will about the script's competence on the whole, but one can’t deny that the film makers createed such ambient, iconic moments and characters.

Questionable idea for JW Pepper to return, but his "holiday" (probably his wife's idea) creates so much humour and tension that it's actually sort of ingenious. And that car chase. Awesome. Squeezing butt cheeks? Not so much.

21. Live and Let Die



Leisurely storytelling makes for some very cool moments but the downside it’s not very compelling overall. Sir Rog is effortlessly cool walking around underscored by Martin’s exceptional score (the film’s biggest strength in my opinion) but it’s not enough to grab this viewer when compared to other films in the series. Similarly, Jane Seymour is great but the character is a little vanilla. There’s a great collection of villains - I think Yaphet Kotto is excellent. The ‘Did you touch her?’ scene is one of the best in the film, because so much happens in terms of plot and character, making up for a rather thin two thirds of the film. Some great humour in the film, which helps. Never warmed to this one like others and boggles it’s often regarded as one of Moore’s best

<------------------------------ NASA would go here.

22. Quantum of Solace



Action sequences aside, the cinematography is a huge improvement on its predecessor. It's colourful with some striking shots and is perfectly accompanied by Arnold's score. Story-wise, just as vacuous as CR and SP however it has the good sense to be well under 2 hours. There's some decent characters - I still like Arteron's Strawberry Fields, Medrano seems villainous enough, Almaric is an inspired choice for a villain and I probably like Greene more than the character warrants, and Camille seems to be a sexier version of Melina. Bond himself seems a little more grounded than the previous film, but still not close to where Bond should be. Overall, the erratic editing, paper thin story and moral groundstanding prevent their decent efforts to reintroduce colour to the series.

23. Spectre



The opening sequence is technically impressive but inherently as reckless as Craig-Bond demands. The cinematography is a step down from SF, but it has its moments. Bautista as Hinx is the sole highlight amongst the cast, finally giving Craig a classic henchman to face off against. But aside from a few awesome scenes, the writing isn't there. The film is loosely connected together and the entire film appears to hinge on a half-assed 'twist' that doesn't do anything. Further, it wasn't necessary at all, and the world's greatest threat in Blofeld shouldn't be because of daddy issues, and shouldn't be Bond's (foster) brother. It's ludicrous. And while Madeleine Swan shows promise in her first scene, the writing of her and Bond's 'love story' is just as laughable as Bond and Vesper's in Casino Royale. Still, good to see Bond in a more traditional kind of Bond film, with lairs and gadget laden cars and all that, but I wish the writing was there to support it. Bellucci is wasted and has no chemistry with Craig. The worst part: Waltz is perfect for the role of Blofeld but not for whatever was written in SP.  

24. Casino Royale (2006)



No good. They stripped it back so much that it merely registers a blockbuster. The colour of the James Bond films and novels has been dulled, and the grading cheapens the appeal. Bond is a thug here - the whole rookie 00 angle is as redundant as it is stupid, least with a 38 year old in the role. Further, Bond's a naval officer - there shouldn't be a period in his life after joining the navy where he needs to 'mature'.

It's woefully written. The narrative is poorly structured and the dialogue is clunky. You could rid of the entire first hour and it wouldn't change the film all that much. In fitting with Craig's James Bond, the first hour is simply self indulgent, reckless, and one note. Bring the film forward to M's briefing and Bond meeting Vesper and it's immediately a leaner, more focused film. There's a reason why Fleming started his novel at the casino, and a reason why he didn't write in a superfluous personal journey for Bond to go on as he enters the 00 section. It would have been much more efficient to start the film with Bond earning his 00 status, then moving onto the story proper. Then there is also the rushed love story between Bond and Vesper. The time spent in the first hour of the film should have been used later to develop the central romance as Bond recovers, which would have made the betrayal all the more painful and engaging for the audience. Right now, it's all too contrived, and for a film that wants complete intellectual and emotional investment in it's story, it doesn't warrant it. Hence why I rate the likes of Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker higher - they ask less of the audience, and deliver on what they promise. And where Bond films can usually fall back on good music, despite the great title song (and titles sequence), this can't. It's by far Arnold's blandest score.

Well, that's a tour de force Fields. I salute you sticking to your own formula in terms of how you rank your films. Good little read. Exceptional.

Thanks Hilly. Took a little longer than that hour I rather foolishly suggested so glad someone took the time to read through it.

Indeed, do agree about Brosnan in DAD. I might not be his biggest fan but something about his performance, particularly from the start to his escape on the ship/the hotel at HK, feels better than others he did. His Bond finally seemed to come around and that makes me quietly pine for a Brosnan CR (which to me has elements that are right out of a Brosnan Bond film) and back with Campbell would've been good (and yes, the ol' pain face during the drugged scene). The sword fight is a favourite in that film, his expression when he tries the gun anyway in spite of being told the clips gone or whatever.

Somehow missed your reply.

There's a great swagger to his physicality but also to his tone. The way he bounces off Peaceful in the hotel room is so effortless. Even his enjoyment of Miranda by the car in Iceland, and as you say, when he discover Miranda's the mole.

I'd wager the CR script would have been a quite different to Craig's version had Brosnan been in the role, and I think that would have extended to the poison. Considering Zukovsky used the walking stick gun, that probably wouldn't be lifted from the book but perhaps another disguised firearm. Had Campbell directed it, hopefully it would have felt more like Goldeneye than Bourne-lite.

I like the detailed breakdown though I kept scrolling thinking hmm... interesting to see DAD at a good number but where's LALD...oh no...nooooooooo                  

One day...one day...at least everyone here appreciates the Mank trilogy and doesn't deride all the films from the 70's and 80's like the rest of the uncultured Net...

But I would disagree on one point: As much as I despise CR06 and the other two....SP was criminally awful and belongs at the bottom of any list because it is not just a terrible series entry but a terrible film period.

Ha I knew you wouldn't appreciate LALD being where it is.

And cut me some slack, HGTB! SP is still at 23...