Need your help: Rank the James Bond movies
01-14-07, 06:39 PM
#1
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
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Need your help: Rank the James Bond movies
So, I have never seen any James Bond movies before, and I have decided that I would like to try and watch them.
Which ones are the best, and which are the worst? I did a blind buy on the Ultimate Editions: Volume three, because I got a good deal on it, but it hasn't shipped yet.
Any fans want to rank them for me?
Which ones are the best, and which are the worst? I did a blind buy on the Ultimate Editions: Volume three, because I got a good deal on it, but it hasn't shipped yet.
Any fans want to rank them for me?
01-14-07, 07:49 PM
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Well, lucky for you, I just finished watching all of the Bond Ultimate Edition DVDs and ranked them. Keep in mind that people's tastes differ when it comes to Bond. There are generally two types of Bond flicks: the grittier and more serious ones (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Licence to Kill, etc.) and the bigger, more crowdpleasing ones (Goldfinger, The Spy Who Loved Me, etc.). Your preference may depend on whether you want a good "Bond" movie or just a good movie. Here's my ranking of them. But it's all a matter of opinion.
01. From Russia With Love (1963)
02. Casino Royale (2006)
03. Goldfinger (1964)
04. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
05. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
06. The Living Daylights (1987)
07. GoldenEye (1995)
08. Thunderball (1965)
09. Dr. No (1962)
10. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
11. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
12. You Only Live Twice (1967)
13. Licence To Kill (1989)
14. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
15. The Man With the Golden Gun (1975)
16. Octopussy (1983)
17. Live and Let Die (1973)
18. Die Another Day (2002)
19. Moonraker (1979)
20. A View to a Kill (1985)
21. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
01. From Russia With Love (1963)
02. Casino Royale (2006)
03. Goldfinger (1964)
04. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
05. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
06. The Living Daylights (1987)
07. GoldenEye (1995)
08. Thunderball (1965)
09. Dr. No (1962)
10. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
11. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
12. You Only Live Twice (1967)
13. Licence To Kill (1989)
14. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
15. The Man With the Golden Gun (1975)
16. Octopussy (1983)
17. Live and Let Die (1973)
18. Die Another Day (2002)
19. Moonraker (1979)
20. A View to a Kill (1985)
21. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
01-14-07, 09:40 PM
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If I had to rank 'em, it would be something like this. I'll try and add in some comments later:
TIER ONE (genuine classics, all of them):
* From Russia with Love
* Goldfinger
* Thunderball
* The Spy Who Loved Me
* License to Kill
* Goldeneye
TIER TWO (entries that are highly enjoyable, but something or some things holds them back from being classics)
* You Only Live Twice
* On Her Majesty's Secret Service
* Moonraker (no, seriously!)
* For Your Eyes Only
* The Living Daylights
* Tomorrow Never Dies
TIER THREE (efforts that range from somewhat bland to reliably average)
* Dr. No
* Live and Let Die
* The Man with the Golden Gun
* Octopussy
* The World is Not Enough
TIER FOUR (Sweet Jesus! Just plain bad all around...only Bond devotees need apply)
* Casino Royale (Original Flavor)
* Diamonds Are Forever
* Never Say Never Again
* A View to a Kill (strangely enough, this probably has my favorite title sequence out of all the Bonds)
* Die Another Day
By the way, if anyone has Comcast on Demand, I noticed they're playing all the Bond films, from Dr. No to License to Kill (including Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again), in the Encore channel section until March. I don't think you have to be a subscriber in order to view them.
TIER ONE (genuine classics, all of them):
* From Russia with Love
* Goldfinger
* Thunderball
* The Spy Who Loved Me
* License to Kill
* Goldeneye
TIER TWO (entries that are highly enjoyable, but something or some things holds them back from being classics)
* You Only Live Twice
* On Her Majesty's Secret Service
* Moonraker (no, seriously!)
* For Your Eyes Only
* The Living Daylights
* Tomorrow Never Dies
TIER THREE (efforts that range from somewhat bland to reliably average)
* Dr. No
* Live and Let Die
* The Man with the Golden Gun
* Octopussy
* The World is Not Enough
TIER FOUR (Sweet Jesus! Just plain bad all around...only Bond devotees need apply)
* Casino Royale (Original Flavor)
* Diamonds Are Forever
* Never Say Never Again
* A View to a Kill (strangely enough, this probably has my favorite title sequence out of all the Bonds)
* Die Another Day
By the way, if anyone has Comcast on Demand, I noticed they're playing all the Bond films, from Dr. No to License to Kill (including Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again), in the Encore channel section until March. I don't think you have to be a subscriber in order to view them.
01-14-07, 11:02 PM
#4
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally Posted by Applejack
So, I have never seen any James Bond movies before, and I have decided that I would like to try and watch them.
01-14-07, 11:39 PM
#8
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Rizor and GreenVulture's lists are pretty good guides of the best and worst Bonds, though Vulture putting Moonraker at such a high ranking is a little suspect.
But even the worst Bonds have their good points. Die Another Day starts out somewhat strongly. Diamonds Are Forever and A View to a Kill have good theme songs and might be enjoyed as camp. Try to watch them all.
But even the worst Bonds have their good points. Die Another Day starts out somewhat strongly. Diamonds Are Forever and A View to a Kill have good theme songs and might be enjoyed as camp. Try to watch them all.
01-15-07, 12:12 AM
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For the Connery era, watch the following:
Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
Skip the rest. You Only Live Twice tried way too hard to top Thunderball, and ended up being almost laughable. And by the time Diamonds Are Forever rolled around, Connery was looking old, fat, and bored. Plus the movie sucked.
Definitely watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service. One of the finest films in the series.
For the Roger Moore era, watch:
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
For Your Eyes Only
The middle three of Moore's run were his best. Live and Let Die is IMO the worst Bond movie ever. Not to mention badly dated. The Man With the Golden Gun had a good villain in Christopher Lee's Scaramanga, but the rest of the film was weak. Octopussy is the 2nd worst in the series IMO. And A View To a Kill, while not as bad as many make it out to be, is still a mediocre Bond flick.
For Timothy Dalton's brief run, I guess you could watch The Living Daylights to see his debut, but frankly I think it's a really boring film. I've never understood why the fans love it so much. It has one of the worst villain tandems in the entire series. In fact, Joe Don Baker was such a weak heavy that the producers had no qualms about bringing him back as Bond's ally two movies later.
You should absolutely watch Licence To Kill. Whereas The Living Daylights is overrated, Licence To Kill is criminally underrated. People complain that it's too different from other Bond movies, but that's what makes it so great. The producers had become way too lazy and adherent to the formula the previous decade.
With Brosnan, just watch GoldenEye. It's a great debut for the guy, but it's all downhill from there before crashing and burning with the dreadful Die Another Day.
And definitely watch Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. It completely rejuvenated the series.
Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
Skip the rest. You Only Live Twice tried way too hard to top Thunderball, and ended up being almost laughable. And by the time Diamonds Are Forever rolled around, Connery was looking old, fat, and bored. Plus the movie sucked.
Definitely watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service. One of the finest films in the series.
For the Roger Moore era, watch:
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
For Your Eyes Only
The middle three of Moore's run were his best. Live and Let Die is IMO the worst Bond movie ever. Not to mention badly dated. The Man With the Golden Gun had a good villain in Christopher Lee's Scaramanga, but the rest of the film was weak. Octopussy is the 2nd worst in the series IMO. And A View To a Kill, while not as bad as many make it out to be, is still a mediocre Bond flick.
For Timothy Dalton's brief run, I guess you could watch The Living Daylights to see his debut, but frankly I think it's a really boring film. I've never understood why the fans love it so much. It has one of the worst villain tandems in the entire series. In fact, Joe Don Baker was such a weak heavy that the producers had no qualms about bringing him back as Bond's ally two movies later.
You should absolutely watch Licence To Kill. Whereas The Living Daylights is overrated, Licence To Kill is criminally underrated. People complain that it's too different from other Bond movies, but that's what makes it so great. The producers had become way too lazy and adherent to the formula the previous decade.
With Brosnan, just watch GoldenEye. It's a great debut for the guy, but it's all downhill from there before crashing and burning with the dreadful Die Another Day.
And definitely watch Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. It completely rejuvenated the series.
01-15-07, 01:03 AM
#10
En vacance
Well first see every '60s Bond in order, after all they are the meat and really the best in the series (something had to launch a franchise still ongoing): Dr. No (62), From Russia with Love (63), Goldfinger (64), Thunderball (65), You Only Live Twice (67), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (69). Because with the first 70s Bond the tone immediately shifts to more light-hearted campyness (good in its own way but not to be the representations of a Bond movie)
Watch out for Thunderball though, overlong, the most boring of the 60s ones (still above the non-60s ones), since the director left without much editing supervision essentially disowning it since the producers were being too pushy in the creative process after the success of Goldfinger.
You Only Live Twice is one of my favorites and is required viewing, one of the greatest title songs ever by Nancy Sinatra, the travelogue Japan locales, the epic scope, the gorgeous cinematography by the guy who did Lean's epics, the best onscreen Blofeld by Donald Pleasence, etc.
Watch out for Thunderball though, overlong, the most boring of the 60s ones (still above the non-60s ones), since the director left without much editing supervision essentially disowning it since the producers were being too pushy in the creative process after the success of Goldfinger.
You Only Live Twice is one of my favorites and is required viewing, one of the greatest title songs ever by Nancy Sinatra, the travelogue Japan locales, the epic scope, the gorgeous cinematography by the guy who did Lean's epics, the best onscreen Blofeld by Donald Pleasence, etc.
Last edited by FRwL; 01-15-07 at 03:46 AM.
01-15-07, 01:14 AM
#11
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by Doughboy
For the Connery era, watch the following:
Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
Skip the rest. You Only Live Twice tried way too hard to top Thunderball, and ended up being almost laughable. And by the time Diamonds Are Forever rolled around, Connery was looking old, fat, and bored. Plus the movie sucked.
Definitely watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service. One of the finest films in the series.
For the Roger Moore era, watch:
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
For Your Eyes Only
The middle three of Moore's run were his best. Live and Let Die is IMO the worst Bond movie ever. Not to mention badly dated. The Man With the Golden Gun had a good villain in Christopher Lee's Scaramanga, but the rest of the film was weak. Octopussy is the 2nd worst in the series IMO. And A View To a Kill, while not as bad as many make it out to be, is still a mediocre Bond flick.
For Timothy Dalton's brief run, I guess you could watch The Living Daylights to see his debut, but frankly I think it's a really boring film. I've never understood why the fans love it so much. It has one of the worst villain tandems in the entire series. In fact, Joe Don Baker was such a weak heavy that the producers had no qualms about bringing him back as Bond's ally two movies later.
You should absolutely watch Licence To Kill. Whereas The Living Daylights is overrated, Licence To Kill is criminally underrated. People complain that it's too different from other Bond movies, but that's what makes it so great. The producers had become way too lazy and adherent to the formula the previous decade.
With Brosnan, just watch GoldenEye. It's a great debut for the guy, but it's all downhill from there before crashing and burning with the dreadful Die Another Day.
And definitely watch Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. It completely rejuvenated the series.
Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
Skip the rest. You Only Live Twice tried way too hard to top Thunderball, and ended up being almost laughable. And by the time Diamonds Are Forever rolled around, Connery was looking old, fat, and bored. Plus the movie sucked.
Definitely watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service. One of the finest films in the series.
For the Roger Moore era, watch:
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
For Your Eyes Only
The middle three of Moore's run were his best. Live and Let Die is IMO the worst Bond movie ever. Not to mention badly dated. The Man With the Golden Gun had a good villain in Christopher Lee's Scaramanga, but the rest of the film was weak. Octopussy is the 2nd worst in the series IMO. And A View To a Kill, while not as bad as many make it out to be, is still a mediocre Bond flick.
For Timothy Dalton's brief run, I guess you could watch The Living Daylights to see his debut, but frankly I think it's a really boring film. I've never understood why the fans love it so much. It has one of the worst villain tandems in the entire series. In fact, Joe Don Baker was such a weak heavy that the producers had no qualms about bringing him back as Bond's ally two movies later.
You should absolutely watch Licence To Kill. Whereas The Living Daylights is overrated, Licence To Kill is criminally underrated. People complain that it's too different from other Bond movies, but that's what makes it so great. The producers had become way too lazy and adherent to the formula the previous decade.
With Brosnan, just watch GoldenEye. It's a great debut for the guy, but it's all downhill from there before crashing and burning with the dreadful Die Another Day.
And definitely watch Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. It completely rejuvenated the series.
Thats pretty much spot on how I feel about the movies. I think One movie from each Bond really stands out from each era.
01-15-07, 01:23 AM
#12
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Here's how I'd rank them:
Goldfinger
Goldeneye
From Russia With Love
Casino Royale
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Spy Who Loved Me
Dr. No
Thunderball
Live and Let Die
The Man with the Golden Gun
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World Is Not Enough
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds Are Forever
Die Another Day
Moonraker
The Living Daylights
For Your Eyes Only
Octopussy
Licence To Kill
A View to a Kill
But yeah, watch them in order.
Goldfinger
Goldeneye
From Russia With Love
Casino Royale
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Spy Who Loved Me
Dr. No
Thunderball
Live and Let Die
The Man with the Golden Gun
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World Is Not Enough
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds Are Forever
Die Another Day
Moonraker
The Living Daylights
For Your Eyes Only
Octopussy
Licence To Kill
A View to a Kill
But yeah, watch them in order.
Last edited by GuruTwo; 01-15-07 at 01:26 AM.
01-15-07, 12:10 PM
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Personally, even bad Bonds are still fairly watchable and entertaining. Just not as good as good Bonds. The only exception I find is "Diamonds are Forever". Perhaps it gets tolerable after a while, but it's the only one of the 21 that I find barely watchable. I think most of it comes from the Wint & Kidd characters that I despise. Otherwise, lame story, Bond isn't a good fit for Vegas, Connery is out of shape, seems to have aged 15 years since his last one and is definitely coasting. That's not to say it doesn't have its moments, but I find them to be few and far between.
The only exception I find is "Diamonds are Forever". Perhaps it gets tolerable after a while, but it's the only one of the 21 that I find barely watchable. I think most of it comes from the Wint & Kidd characters that I despise. Otherwise, lame story, Bond isn't a good fit for Vegas, Connery is out of shape, seems to have aged 15 years since his last one and is definitely coasting. That's not to say it doesn't have its moments, but I find them to be few and far between.
01-15-07, 01:28 PM
#14
Banned by request
You said you picked up the Ultimate Edition volume 3. Watch all of that. It will show you why Connery was the best Bond (before Daniel Craig) with From Russia With Love, the best Bond film before Casino Royale. It will show you how underrated George Lazenby was with On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It will show you why Roger Moore was such a terrible Bond with Live & Let Die and For Your Eyes Only (some people really like this one, but I can't figure out why). And it will show you how good Brosnan could have been if the rest of his films were as good as Goldeneye. After that I'd recommend seeing the rest of the Connery films (even the bad ones are worth seeing), The Spy Who Loved Me (the only truly good Roger Moore Bond film), and the two Dalton films. Make sure you do all this before Casino Royale leaves the theaters, then go see Casino Royale.
01-15-07, 01:41 PM
#15
Suspended
From my personal hormono-meter, when I was a teenager:
1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr. No (I saw that one later, when I was past my peak.)
(The films without Connery don't count.)
1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr. No (I saw that one later, when I was past my peak.)
(The films without Connery don't count.)
01-15-07, 02:07 PM
#16
Moderator
The Bond I enjoyed most was On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Connery:
From Russia With Love
Dr. No
Thunderball
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds are Forever
Moore:
The Spy Who Loved Me
Octopussy
For Your Eyes Only
The Man With the Golden Gun
Live and Let Die
Moonraker
A View to a Kill
Dalton:
License to Kill
The Living Daylights
Brosnan:
Goldeneye
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World is Not Enough
Die Another Day
Connery:
From Russia With Love
Dr. No
Thunderball
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds are Forever
Moore:
The Spy Who Loved Me
Octopussy
For Your Eyes Only
The Man With the Golden Gun
Live and Let Die
Moonraker
A View to a Kill
Dalton:
License to Kill
The Living Daylights
Brosnan:
Goldeneye
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World is Not Enough
Die Another Day
01-15-07, 03:24 PM
#17
DVD Talk Gold Edition
I'd also have to rank these on a tier system, although my absolute fave is From Russia with Love
TIER 1: The Bonds I can't live without
From Russia with Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Spy Who Loved Me
Goldeneye
Casino Royale
TIER 2: I like all of these but they don't achieve greatness
Dr. No
You Only Live Twice
Live and Let Die
For Your Eyes Only
The Living Daylights
Licence to Kill
TIER 3: Take em' or leave em'
The Man with the Golden Gun
Octopussy
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World is Not Enough
TIER 4: Why God, why?
Diamonds Are Forever
Moonraker
A View to a Kill
Die Another Day
TIER 1: The Bonds I can't live without
From Russia with Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Spy Who Loved Me
Goldeneye
Casino Royale
TIER 2: I like all of these but they don't achieve greatness
Dr. No
You Only Live Twice
Live and Let Die
For Your Eyes Only
The Living Daylights
Licence to Kill
TIER 3: Take em' or leave em'
The Man with the Golden Gun
Octopussy
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World is Not Enough
TIER 4: Why God, why?
Diamonds Are Forever
Moonraker
A View to a Kill
Die Another Day
Last edited by Cartload; 01-15-07 at 03:27 PM.
01-15-07, 03:50 PM
#18
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by rw2516
I'd watch them all in the order they were made.
01-15-07, 04:01 PM
#19
DVD Talk Limited Edition
I'm not much help with Roger Moore Bonds as I don't really watch those (well, anymore)...but I do know to avoid "A View to a Kill" and "Moonraker".
Awful, awful stuff. Same goes for "Diamonds are Forever".
These are the best of the best of the best (sir!)
"From Russia With Love"
"On her Majesties Secret Service"
"Goldeneye"
"Casino Royal"
But I'd honestly watch them in order just to find out which ones you feel belong in the lesser rankings.
Awful, awful stuff. Same goes for "Diamonds are Forever".
These are the best of the best of the best (sir!)
"From Russia With Love"
"On her Majesties Secret Service"
"Goldeneye"
"Casino Royal"
But I'd honestly watch them in order just to find out which ones you feel belong in the lesser rankings.
