The Best Bond Movie Posters

Drax wrote:

Prince Kamal Khan wrote:

My favorite of all:

Same. I like the DAF and TMWTGG ones very much as well.

I'm sure you'd like them even more if they looked like this, GL. I mean Drax ;)-

Makeshift Python wrote:

His head looks like it was pasted on someone else's body.

He always did have an inflated opinion of himself.

As mentioned in the 'sun is shining' thread, I picked up a t-shirt with this on it over the weekend -

So often Bond films were provided with terrific illustrations marred by pointlessly overwrought compositions and downright amateurish typography; a hallmark of MGM sending illustrators to do a designer's job. There were and are exceptions, of course—one can certainly be a good designer and a good illustrator—but they are just that: exceptions to an unfortunate rule. The aftermath of this unfortunate trend is the overworked, under-thought, poster we see so much of today. Built in Photoshop, but taking composition and typography lessons from the work of illustrators who were bad at both of those things (but good at illustration).

Makeshift Python wrote:

One trend I wish that would change in the movie posters since 1987 has been how the teaser posters were always better than the theatrical ones.

That was pretty often the case before 1987, too. Posters that require less type are naturally a better platform for illustrators who can't employ good typography. Also, since teaser posters were crafted earlier in the production timeline, they usually had less film material to feel the urge to squeeze in and muddle the composition; circumstance forcing better design.

Two examples of illustration-era Bond teaser poster that beat the pants off their theatrical counterparts:
• Thunderball
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service

They're both Italian, as luck would have. Those guys had their act together. Also, while not a teaser, this is easily in the top ten posters ever crafted for James Bond (a delightful exception to the rule of overwrought theatrical posters):
• A View To A Kill (British One Sheet)

Just bought a print of this for a meager £4.99 and,whilst it's not strictly a Bond poster, it's iconic in it's own right. 8)

Drax wrote:

I like the DAF and TMWTGG ones very much as well.

I used to have the main DAF one on my wall as a teen, but then a friend (actually a Moore fan, so I guess he couldn't have truly been my bud) pointed out that Connery was drawn much shorter than the girls on either side of him. He thought it was funny, but it just made me study the pic harder, and I decided the Connery face actually was closer to John Saxon's in the poster. Poster kind of lost its luster for me at that point.

I just found this Japanese poster for DAD. It's not great by any means, but it's definitely out there, and much more interesting than what us Westerners got.



A sort of fish-eye lens effect.

It's striking...Definitely got more to it than our ones as you say. Seem to remember getting a free copy of the poster when I brought the DVD.

I like the old posters which feature a caricature of Bond, immersed in the mayhem and glamour of the film, especially TB, YOLT, OHMSS, DAF, LALD, TMWTGG. Never liked TSWLM poster as that blonde guy doesn't look like either Bond or Moore. Moore I thought looked far more Bond fierce in LALD and TMWTGG posters than he actually did in the films. MR wasn't a bad poster. It's in the right spirit, but Moore doesn't look quite as fierce as he did in LALD or the TMWTGG posters. Actually he looks too much like his real self.

After MR though, I'm not quite as impressed with the posters, although AVTAK was in the spirit of the old posters, with Bond in classic pose against the Golden Gate bridge.

Chang wrote:

Yes, that one is my all-time favorite. Too bad it wasn't used here in the United States. The American one-sheet was quite dull and a total rip-off of FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.

Quote :

Again, better than the American version, but also meant to make it look as though Teri Hatcher had the leading Bond Girl role, or at least as prominent a role as Michelle Yeoh, even though there was a huge disparity in screen time.

I prefer the painted, drawn artwork of yesteryear, but I realize that it's never going to happen again, and that Photoshop is the present and the future.

The other trends I wish EON would get away from are colorless, minimalist posters. Think about the great "Christmas" colorful, lively Golden Gun poster, or Roger Moore hanging from the Eiffel Tower aiming at the viewer for the AVTAK teaser poster, or Bond aiming at Zorin's airship while on the Golden Gate bridge. Those posters were beautifully rich in color, action-packed and moving. Look at today's posters:



and




There's no fantasy in the two Craig posters. The women look serious and downright dour at times. The QOS poster is simply two people walking in a desert. It could be anybody. Craig looks like he can't be bothered to wear his tie (yes, I know it's the desert and it's hot), but they did the same thing with him in the CR poster. In both posters there's almost no color, particularly in the CR poster; it's mostly different hues and shades of blue.

Compare them to this:


and this:


The Craig posters aren't even in the same league or conversation as the Moore, Brosnan, Dalton or Connery posters.

Well, I do still quite like this one:



That said, all the other Craig Bond posters have been very disappointing.

Gravity's Silhouette wrote:

I prefer the painted, drawn artwork of yesteryear,

Me too! Those were the best, escapist and fun. Made one excited about seeing a Bond movie. Now we get various depictions of dour Dan.

Gravity's Silhouette wrote:

No matter how low my standards fall, I still can't believe that was the best they could come up with. A dull piece of nothing, much like the film.

I like these.

Underrated!

DavidSomerset wrote:

Underrated!

Hurts my eyes I'm afraid.

The bad 80's magazine shot of the girls they decided to slap on in box form is comical. Flames combined with a plain white background just looks cheap. Dalton looks terrible with that hair and outfit. Crass and ugly work, especially when compared to the previous film's poster IMO.

And there was this, too -



Yeah ... crap again.

Teaser campaign was much better. IMHO -

Blunt Instrument wrote:

And there was this, too -



Yeah ... crap again.

Teaser campaign was much better. IMHO -

I really didn't mind them! - certainly not as bad as the TND or DAD posters.

http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/collecting_spoke_art_prints.php3?t=&s=&id=03157

2 New Anniversary Posters

I really like that pool one!

Er... no.

Well now at least I know what Bond would look like as a 60's Saturday morning cartoon....which I never wanted to know.