Ranking the Bond films

[ShogunRua]

Finally got around to watching Skyfall.

It was a lot better than I expected, and in fact, is the best Bond movie since the Moore era. If I could re-do my rankings, I would have it tied for 7th all-time with "For Your Eyes Only". In fact, that's a really good comparison; both are flawed yet highly enjoyable Bonds that do one or two things extremely well.

[ShogunRua]

I watched Skyfall today. Action was decent but I didn't get the plot about why Bardem let himself be captured. Why was it necessary that he be captured?

Supposedly to get closer to M, but honestly, just to be more dramatic.

And Moneypenny wtf? Why invent a backstory about her being a field agent before she becomes M's secretary? It was kind of stupid and unnecessary.

Because feminism. Don't you know that Moneypenny has to be a strong, ass-kicking woman in her own right, not just "window dressing" or whatever the feminist term de jour is? And yes, I realize that's monumentally disrespectful to secretaries, who provide a vital and important service in any organization, but since when has feminism been logical or consistent?

And movie was a little too serious.

That's quite the understatement!

Actually, since I wrote that post in December of 2012, I have re-rated Skyfall several times, and it's always been lower than the last one. I like it less and less the more I think about it. It's a mediocre, forgettable action film with a shitastic lead, wonderfully gorgeous choreography, and a decent but unexceptional performance by Bardem.

It's now 17th in rankings behind Tomorrow Never Dies and ahead of Never Say Never Again and Octopussy. However, if I had to choose one to rewatch, I would easily take either of the latter two over Skyfall.

[Ocelot]

Casino Royale
Goldfinger
Skyfall
The Spy Who Loved Me
Goldeneye
The Living Daylights
Moonraker
Dr. No
From Russia with Love
Licence to Kill
Quantum of Solace
Live and Let Die
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Tomorrow Never Dies
Never Say Never Again
Diamonds Are Forever
You Only Live Twice
Octopussy
Die Another Day
The World is Not Enough
Thunderball
The Man with the Golden Gun
For Your Eyes Only
A View to a Kill

Most of them are basically the same movie, and the top five or six are the only ones I'd call good. I watched all of them in the past year or so and a lot of the difference in opinion has to just come down to when someone saw them.

[ShogunRua]

Most of them are basically the same movie, and the top five or six are the only ones I'd call good. I watched all of them in the past year or so and a lot of the difference in opinion has to just come down to when someone saw them.

No, it's more to do with what someone wants out of their action film.

[Pickpocket]

I'm planning on watching and rewatching all of these in order starting today. Planning on one a day until completion. Just finished Dr. No. I'm gonna rank the villains, the movies and the girls. Should be fun

Movies:

1. Dr. No

Villains:

1. Dr. No

Girls:

1. Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress)

[Pickpocket]

Also I loved this hilarious piece of acting from Connery upon seeing Ursula Andress

[VinegarBob]

1. Casino Royale (2006)

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2. All the other ones

I don't really get why the Bond movies are so popular. Some of them are okay for killing a couple of hours, but most are garbage. I had high hopes for the franchise after Casino Royale but QoS, while technically proficient, and interesting in that it was looking like a straight up revenge flick, ended up being pretty dull and featured one of the worst villains of the whole series. Skyfall was decent, I suppose.

A good villain is one of the keys to a good Bond film, and Mads Mikkelsen was spot on in Casino Royale. I quite liked Michael Lonsdale as Hugo Drax in Moonraker, but the film itself sucked balls. The emphasis on stupid gadgets, double entendres and extraneous bimbos made the films with Moore the weakest of the lot. Auric Goldfinger was fun, and that film was one of the better entries. Nothing to write home about though.

I would rate Daniel Craig as the best Bond by far - both in terms of acting ability and portraying Bond as he was intended - a no-nonsense bastard who would do anything to get the job done. Roger Moore was the worst, and the ones he was in got so dumb they lapsed into parody. And the problem with Moore is that I just can't take him seriously in a fight against anyone. Sean Connery was tough but cheesy as fuck. Brosnan was okay, but the Bond movies he did were boring generic action flicks. Dalton never had a chance, with the terrible entries he was part of, and Lazenby just seemed really out of place.

Hopefully Spectre is decent, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Stewball]

Hopefully Spectre is decent, but I'm not holding my breath.

I wouldn't. It's the weakest opening ever (acro-copter ad nauseum), the bimbo-in-chief isn't even that good looking, Waltz as the bad guy is not on screen that much and when he is he's just working hard at becoming a cliche, the theme song was meh, and the story was completely uninspired. In fact, I'm having a hard time remembering why I even gave it a 6.

[Pickpocket]

I don't really get why the Bond movies are so popular. Some of them are okay for killing a couple of hours, but most are garbage. I had high hopes for the franchise after Casino Royale but QoS, while technically proficient, and interesting in that it was looking like a straight up revenge flick, ended up being pretty dull and featured one of the worst villains of the whole series. Skyfall was decent, I suppose.

We live in a time where fat and/or pathetic shitheads like Seth Rogen, Michael Cera and Jay Barachel are shoved down our throats as leading men. You can't see why Bond is appealing? An alpha good looking guy banging tons of hot women, living an awesome life and literally has a license to kill whoever he wants and you can't see the appeal? No matter how much they try to force pathetic beta males down our throats, people will always be attracted to a strong masculine presence. Women especially love Bond.

[VinegarBob]

You can't see why Bond is appealing?

I was talking about the movies, not the character. I can see why a lot of people find the character appealing, yes. Although personally speaking I find alphas to be the most tiresome people to be around and interact with.