Loved Christopher Lee as the villain in The Man With the Golden Gun. It was the first time where Bond almost never has the upper hand and he only beat him because of Scaramanga's ego. Has their been a worse attempt at humor in movies since Clifton James has appeared in this and Live and Let Die?
Movies:
1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia With Love
3. Live and Let Die
4. Thunderball
5. Dr. No
6. You Only Live Twice
7. The Man With the Golden Gun
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
9. Diamonds are Forever
Villains:
1. Scaramanga (The Man With the Golden Gun)
2. OddJob (Goldfinger)
3. Goldfinger (Goldfinger)
4. Donald "Red" Grant (From Russia With Love)
5. Largo (Thunderball)
6. Dr. No (Dr. No)
7. Blofeld (You Only Live Twice)
8. Blofeld (Diamonds are Forever)
9. Kananga (Live and Let Die)
10. Blofeld (On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
Girls:
1. Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress in Dr. No)
2. Tiffany Case (Jill St. John in Diamonds are Forever)
3. Goodnight (Britt Ekland in The Man with the Golden Gun)
4. Domino (Claudine Auger in Thunderball)
5. Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi in From Russia With Love)
6. Solitare (Jane Seymour in Live and Let Die)
7. Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman in Goldfinger)
8. Kissy (Mie Hama in You Only Live Twice)
9. Tracy (Diana Rigg in On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
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Return to “Ranking the Bond films”
- Tue Dec 08, 2015 2:46 am
- Forum: Movie-Specific
- Topic: Ranking the Bond films
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- Mon Nov 12, 2012 9:12 am
- Forum: Movie-Specific
- Topic: Ranking the Bond films
- Replies: 170
- Views: 101625
Re: Ranking the Bond films
Ooh, what a fun topic.
I love the old-school Bond films, but hate the newer one with their pathetic attempts at a serious, gritty style. Ian Fleming's novels were always casual pulp action novels that you could turn your brain off while reading, nothing more. I haven't seen Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, or Skyfall and frankly, don't intend to.
1. The Man with the Golden Gun
Great, amazing film that encompasses everything I love about the series. A hell of a theme song, exotic locales, crazy fight scenes, plenty of humor, and an awesome villain played by the great Christopher Lee!
2. Diamonds are Forever
Another fantastic Bond with many of the same elements, except this one stars Connery. Las Vegas has never seemed cooler, more interesting, and filled with intrigue than in this 70s film, and that's saying a hell of a lot.
For a movie that was radically different from Ian Fleming novel (I have read all of them), this had one of the better stories, too.
3. Moonraker
Phenomenally fun film that takes the audience all around the world, finally exhausting that, and showing off outer space. Hilarious ending, too.
4. You Only Live Twice
Just a badass action film, featuring some great scenes in Japan and a neat mystery. Very memorable Blofeld by Donald Pleasance as well.
Honestly, it's way better than the book.
5. The Spy Who Loved Me
Another one of those really cool Moore action comedies that shows off beautiful, exotic locales. Also the first appearance of henchman Jaws. Shame they only had him appear in two films.
6. A View to a Kill
Hated this as a kid, but really liked it as an adult. Perhaps my favorite theme of the entire series (who cares if it's by Duran Duran? It still rocks), great villain roles by both Christopher Walken and Grace Jones, and an awesome mix of various locales and fights, whether it's horse-riding in France, shoot-outs on the Swiss Alps, or blimps on top of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco! One downside to the picture is that the Bond girl might have been the worst one until Halle Berry.
Moore's last Bond film, and a fine end to the career of the greatest Bond ever. (I love Connery too, but Moore was BORN to play this role)
7. For Your Eyes Only
A flawed film; I loved it as a kid, but enjoyed it progressively less as I aged. A lot of very foolish scenes, including an absurd instance of Bond and company "capturing" cold-blooded killers instead of killing them.
Still...the first hour or so is tremendous fun, with a lot of inventive action scenes and a real mystery to it, similar to the short story that inspired it.
8. Thunderball
The best of the "faithful" Bond films, which followed the book reasonably closely. There are some awesome one-liners from Bond, and Jamaica is a great locale. However, they don't do Largo much justice as a villain, and there is too much "waiting around for things to happen" in this film. Still, it's solid fun.
9. Live and Let Die
Surprisingly faithful to the book, ("Diamonds are Forever" and "You Only Live Twice", both made considerably earlier, were radical departures) this would be Roger Moore's debut, and representative of what made him so great in the role.
One-liners, plenty of humor, inventive fight scenes, and fun locales. Colorful voodoo scenes aside, the story is a bit bland, and the action doesn't really pick until more than halfway into the film. However, it's still good fun.
10. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Honestly, a huge part of the reason it's this high is my love for the incredible theme song. But on another note, I absolutely love the book (perhaps my favorite of the entire series), and while not entirely successful, the movie adapted several elements of it well.
Lazenby, while no Moore or Connery, was still a decent Bond; he was easily the biggest, strongest, and most athletic of all the men who played the role, and probably the most handsome.
11. Goldfinger
Never understood the hype for this film, honestly. It's perfectly enjoyable, don't get me wrong; but it's just so much more bland and less entertaining than the films above it! Hell, I actually preferred the book; at least it explained who the fuck Pussy Galore was, and why the hell she was in Goldfinger's organization to begin with. (She was his niece, and had been raped by him as a young girl)
With the possible exception of the final fight against Oddjob, the action scenes mostly suck, and indeed, very little entertainment occurs. The golf game and card cheating, so exciting in the book, is noticeably more subdued and dull here.
12. The Living Daylights
I'm no fan of Dalton, but this was an enjoyable albeit forgettable action film. At least they understood what the audience was there to see.
13. From Russia with Love
Same exact comments for this as "Goldfinger", except the original book was pretty mediocre and drab, and this is actually an improvement.
Nevertheless, it lacks content and creativity, and several changes actually hurt the end result. (The ending to the book was its most thrilling and best part, as Bond appears to die. In the movie, the final fight is routine and dull, and Bond escapes unscathed)
14. Dr. No
A decent intro to the series, even if doesn't resemble its sequels very much. On the plus side, it might be the only movie that faithfully reproduces one of the best elements of the books.
Namely, the insane struggle and physical attrition Bond suffers at the end of the book, when captured by the main villain. In countless Bond novels, like "Moonraker", "Diamonds are Forever", and especially "Casino Royale" (the torture in the film adaptation was actually nowhere near as bad as what he actually went through in the book) he suffers incredible pain, torture, and only manages to escape by a miraculous, superhuman effort.
Oh, and Ursula Andress is the hottest Bond girl of all time, as well as one of the most stunningly beautiful women I have ever seen. And this is coming from someone that normally isn't into blonde or white girls that much.
15. GoldenEye
I absolutely despised this when I was younger, although I have come to appreciate it more as I grew up.
Brosnan was insufferable to me as an arrogant pretty boy in this flick, the exact opposite of what Bond should be. However, I do appreciate its use of humor, as well as possibly the last good Bond girl in the entire series. Sean Bean makes a great villain, and there are a few good scenes throughout.
The pacing of the film sucks, and the female villain was atrocious. Still, I repeat the line "filthy amateur" to this day. Overall, it's still an enjoyable experience.
16. Tomorrow Never Dies
Like "The Living Daylights", it's an enjoyable albeit forgettable action film. However, gone are the exotic locales, hence its lower rating.
17. Never Say Never Again (Does this count?)
HUGE drop in quality from 16. to 17. This is just an unnecessary remake of "Thunderball", and every character besides Connery sucks. Still, there are some wacky and fun scenes that save it from being a waste. I still laugh at the hilarious scene where a Bond villainess wants Connery to write that she was the best woman he ever had. At least they had a sense of humor, something notably lacking in the newer Bond films.
18. Octopussy
The first forty five minutes of the film are a lot of fun. Great, exotic locales, bizarre villains, humor, and good action scenes. All the hallmarks of the best Moore films. Unfortunately, it becomes confused and meandering after that, like they had no idea what to do. What follows is a rash of silly, lousy chase scenes, a confused story, and general tedium.
Still, I ranked it 50/100, which is barely T5 for me.
19. License to Kill
Oh boy, now we get to the real shit! No humor here, mailed-in action scenes, some nonsensical, boring plot with drug smugglers, and Dalton being about as entertaining as a wilted plant.
There are only two good parts to this movie. One is that the main Bond girl (with short hair) is a decent actress and an insanely hot woman. The other is that the first 30 seconds of Gladys Knight's theme are incredible. Unfortunately, after that, the song, like the entire movie, falls off a cliff.
20. The World is Not Enough
Good God, everything about this film sucks. From the insipidly idiotic "story", presented with no humor and dead seriously, to fucking Denise Richards, a former escort, playing a fucking scientist.
Not just a horrendous Bond movie, but legitimately one of the worst films I have ever seen.
21. Die Another Day
I spoke too soon; this is even worse. An abomination in every way. There are only a small handful of videos (not even films, but videos) that I rank worse than this garbage. Here is my mini-review;
"The worst in the Bond franchise.Blatantly rips off the previous films not as an homage,but lack of ideas. Billions of plot holes, with the villain magically becoming a different person, or a terrorist plot that makes no sense, all played seriously, with none of the humor previous entries had.Also has nauseatingly boring, horribly choreographed "action scenes". And let's not forget the least sexy Bond girl ever,Halle Berry,or as my friend called her,"the black midget with pubic hair on his head". "
***
Overall though, the Bond series is (was?) pretty awesome. While I would call only 1 or 2 of the films legitimately "great", an amazing 16/21 of those that I have seen were at least "enjoyable" (ranked T6 or higher for me), and only 3 were genuine shit.
I love the old-school Bond films, but hate the newer one with their pathetic attempts at a serious, gritty style. Ian Fleming's novels were always casual pulp action novels that you could turn your brain off while reading, nothing more. I haven't seen Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, or Skyfall and frankly, don't intend to.
1. The Man with the Golden Gun
Great, amazing film that encompasses everything I love about the series. A hell of a theme song, exotic locales, crazy fight scenes, plenty of humor, and an awesome villain played by the great Christopher Lee!
2. Diamonds are Forever
Another fantastic Bond with many of the same elements, except this one stars Connery. Las Vegas has never seemed cooler, more interesting, and filled with intrigue than in this 70s film, and that's saying a hell of a lot.
For a movie that was radically different from Ian Fleming novel (I have read all of them), this had one of the better stories, too.
3. Moonraker
Phenomenally fun film that takes the audience all around the world, finally exhausting that, and showing off outer space. Hilarious ending, too.
4. You Only Live Twice
Just a badass action film, featuring some great scenes in Japan and a neat mystery. Very memorable Blofeld by Donald Pleasance as well.
Honestly, it's way better than the book.
5. The Spy Who Loved Me
Another one of those really cool Moore action comedies that shows off beautiful, exotic locales. Also the first appearance of henchman Jaws. Shame they only had him appear in two films.
6. A View to a Kill
Hated this as a kid, but really liked it as an adult. Perhaps my favorite theme of the entire series (who cares if it's by Duran Duran? It still rocks), great villain roles by both Christopher Walken and Grace Jones, and an awesome mix of various locales and fights, whether it's horse-riding in France, shoot-outs on the Swiss Alps, or blimps on top of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco! One downside to the picture is that the Bond girl might have been the worst one until Halle Berry.
Moore's last Bond film, and a fine end to the career of the greatest Bond ever. (I love Connery too, but Moore was BORN to play this role)
7. For Your Eyes Only
A flawed film; I loved it as a kid, but enjoyed it progressively less as I aged. A lot of very foolish scenes, including an absurd instance of Bond and company "capturing" cold-blooded killers instead of killing them.
Still...the first hour or so is tremendous fun, with a lot of inventive action scenes and a real mystery to it, similar to the short story that inspired it.
8. Thunderball
The best of the "faithful" Bond films, which followed the book reasonably closely. There are some awesome one-liners from Bond, and Jamaica is a great locale. However, they don't do Largo much justice as a villain, and there is too much "waiting around for things to happen" in this film. Still, it's solid fun.
9. Live and Let Die
Surprisingly faithful to the book, ("Diamonds are Forever" and "You Only Live Twice", both made considerably earlier, were radical departures) this would be Roger Moore's debut, and representative of what made him so great in the role.
One-liners, plenty of humor, inventive fight scenes, and fun locales. Colorful voodoo scenes aside, the story is a bit bland, and the action doesn't really pick until more than halfway into the film. However, it's still good fun.
10. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Honestly, a huge part of the reason it's this high is my love for the incredible theme song. But on another note, I absolutely love the book (perhaps my favorite of the entire series), and while not entirely successful, the movie adapted several elements of it well.
Lazenby, while no Moore or Connery, was still a decent Bond; he was easily the biggest, strongest, and most athletic of all the men who played the role, and probably the most handsome.
11. Goldfinger
Never understood the hype for this film, honestly. It's perfectly enjoyable, don't get me wrong; but it's just so much more bland and less entertaining than the films above it! Hell, I actually preferred the book; at least it explained who the fuck Pussy Galore was, and why the hell she was in Goldfinger's organization to begin with. (She was his niece, and had been raped by him as a young girl)
With the possible exception of the final fight against Oddjob, the action scenes mostly suck, and indeed, very little entertainment occurs. The golf game and card cheating, so exciting in the book, is noticeably more subdued and dull here.
12. The Living Daylights
I'm no fan of Dalton, but this was an enjoyable albeit forgettable action film. At least they understood what the audience was there to see.
13. From Russia with Love
Same exact comments for this as "Goldfinger", except the original book was pretty mediocre and drab, and this is actually an improvement.
Nevertheless, it lacks content and creativity, and several changes actually hurt the end result. (The ending to the book was its most thrilling and best part, as Bond appears to die. In the movie, the final fight is routine and dull, and Bond escapes unscathed)
14. Dr. No
A decent intro to the series, even if doesn't resemble its sequels very much. On the plus side, it might be the only movie that faithfully reproduces one of the best elements of the books.
Namely, the insane struggle and physical attrition Bond suffers at the end of the book, when captured by the main villain. In countless Bond novels, like "Moonraker", "Diamonds are Forever", and especially "Casino Royale" (the torture in the film adaptation was actually nowhere near as bad as what he actually went through in the book) he suffers incredible pain, torture, and only manages to escape by a miraculous, superhuman effort.
Oh, and Ursula Andress is the hottest Bond girl of all time, as well as one of the most stunningly beautiful women I have ever seen. And this is coming from someone that normally isn't into blonde or white girls that much.
15. GoldenEye
I absolutely despised this when I was younger, although I have come to appreciate it more as I grew up.
Brosnan was insufferable to me as an arrogant pretty boy in this flick, the exact opposite of what Bond should be. However, I do appreciate its use of humor, as well as possibly the last good Bond girl in the entire series. Sean Bean makes a great villain, and there are a few good scenes throughout.
The pacing of the film sucks, and the female villain was atrocious. Still, I repeat the line "filthy amateur" to this day. Overall, it's still an enjoyable experience.
16. Tomorrow Never Dies
Like "The Living Daylights", it's an enjoyable albeit forgettable action film. However, gone are the exotic locales, hence its lower rating.
17. Never Say Never Again (Does this count?)
HUGE drop in quality from 16. to 17. This is just an unnecessary remake of "Thunderball", and every character besides Connery sucks. Still, there are some wacky and fun scenes that save it from being a waste. I still laugh at the hilarious scene where a Bond villainess wants Connery to write that she was the best woman he ever had. At least they had a sense of humor, something notably lacking in the newer Bond films.
18. Octopussy
The first forty five minutes of the film are a lot of fun. Great, exotic locales, bizarre villains, humor, and good action scenes. All the hallmarks of the best Moore films. Unfortunately, it becomes confused and meandering after that, like they had no idea what to do. What follows is a rash of silly, lousy chase scenes, a confused story, and general tedium.
Still, I ranked it 50/100, which is barely T5 for me.
19. License to Kill
Oh boy, now we get to the real shit! No humor here, mailed-in action scenes, some nonsensical, boring plot with drug smugglers, and Dalton being about as entertaining as a wilted plant.
There are only two good parts to this movie. One is that the main Bond girl (with short hair) is a decent actress and an insanely hot woman. The other is that the first 30 seconds of Gladys Knight's theme are incredible. Unfortunately, after that, the song, like the entire movie, falls off a cliff.
20. The World is Not Enough
Good God, everything about this film sucks. From the insipidly idiotic "story", presented with no humor and dead seriously, to fucking Denise Richards, a former escort, playing a fucking scientist.
Not just a horrendous Bond movie, but legitimately one of the worst films I have ever seen.
21. Die Another Day
I spoke too soon; this is even worse. An abomination in every way. There are only a small handful of videos (not even films, but videos) that I rank worse than this garbage. Here is my mini-review;
"The worst in the Bond franchise.Blatantly rips off the previous films not as an homage,but lack of ideas. Billions of plot holes, with the villain magically becoming a different person, or a terrorist plot that makes no sense, all played seriously, with none of the humor previous entries had.Also has nauseatingly boring, horribly choreographed "action scenes". And let's not forget the least sexy Bond girl ever,Halle Berry,or as my friend called her,"the black midget with pubic hair on his head". "
***
Overall though, the Bond series is (was?) pretty awesome. While I would call only 1 or 2 of the films legitimately "great", an amazing 16/21 of those that I have seen were at least "enjoyable" (ranked T6 or higher for me), and only 3 were genuine shit.