Your “Unpopular” Views on James Bond…
08-22-07, 10:37 AM
#52
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Based on most of the comments here, I thought I would share my "unpopular" view:
I love all the Bond films from Dr. No to Die Another Day. Some are better than others, but even the worst of the bunch (The Man with the Golden Gun/A View to a Kill) have redeemable features that at least make them watchable. Every actor from Connery to Brosnan has done a fine job playing Bond in his own way. And there's nothing wrong with saying you enjoy escapist entertainment. (Unlike Casino Royale, which appears to have contempt for the rest of the series and comes across as less official than even Never Say Never Again.)
I love all the Bond films from Dr. No to Die Another Day. Some are better than others, but even the worst of the bunch (The Man with the Golden Gun/A View to a Kill) have redeemable features that at least make them watchable. Every actor from Connery to Brosnan has done a fine job playing Bond in his own way. And there's nothing wrong with saying you enjoy escapist entertainment. (Unlike Casino Royale, which appears to have contempt for the rest of the series and comes across as less official than even Never Say Never Again.)
08-22-07, 03:17 PM
#54
Well IMO the best actors playing Bond have been
1. Daniel Craig
2. Sen Connery
3. Pierce Brosnan
4. Roger Moore
I am not even counting Lazenby. I watched OHMSS last weekend and found it terrible. Only good thing was the last line of the opening credits (This never happened to the other bloke.) I know that a lot of people still think that Connery was the best Bond, and From Russia with Love and Goldfinger are still two of the best Bond movies, but i felt that the other Bonds he did fell flat. Craig brings a menace to the character and a more human side. He has really made me interested to see the next Bond films.
I do agree to some extent that License to Kill (outside of Casino Royale) was the best Bond of the last 20 years. The villains were not particularly charasmatic (Strange because Robert Davi usually plays a pretty good Baddie and well i guess Benicio was just too young), but the storyline was more believable to actually different than Blofeld/Drax/Zorin et al stealing a Nuclear bomb and holding the world to ransom or whatever. It didn't have much in the way of gadgets and Timothy Dalton played Bond well in the movie. I was not a fan of the Living Daylights however. I think that the Pierce Brosnan movies were generally terrible. Goldeneye was ok...but nothing more. The rest were just horrible.
1. Daniel Craig
2. Sen Connery
3. Pierce Brosnan
4. Roger Moore
I am not even counting Lazenby. I watched OHMSS last weekend and found it terrible. Only good thing was the last line of the opening credits (This never happened to the other bloke.) I know that a lot of people still think that Connery was the best Bond, and From Russia with Love and Goldfinger are still two of the best Bond movies, but i felt that the other Bonds he did fell flat. Craig brings a menace to the character and a more human side. He has really made me interested to see the next Bond films.
I do agree to some extent that License to Kill (outside of Casino Royale) was the best Bond of the last 20 years. The villains were not particularly charasmatic (Strange because Robert Davi usually plays a pretty good Baddie and well i guess Benicio was just too young), but the storyline was more believable to actually different than Blofeld/Drax/Zorin et al stealing a Nuclear bomb and holding the world to ransom or whatever. It didn't have much in the way of gadgets and Timothy Dalton played Bond well in the movie. I was not a fan of the Living Daylights however. I think that the Pierce Brosnan movies were generally terrible. Goldeneye was ok...but nothing more. The rest were just horrible.
08-23-07, 02:32 AM
#57
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Originally Posted by jeffkjoe
You Only Live Twice is the best James Bond movie.
Certainly one of the very best.
Brosnan's first 3 Bonds were excellent action-thrillers.
08-23-07, 07:41 AM
#58
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Originally Posted by grim_tales
Brosnan's first 3 Bonds were excellent action-thrillers.
08-23-07, 09:14 AM
#59
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I do enjoy the escapism of the Bond movies. I did laugh quite a few times during a recent viewing of Diamonds are Forever with a few of the scenes that seemed to have been used in the Austin Powers series. The non-moving German accented gent doing the countdown brought a smile to my face.
08-23-07, 10:14 AM
#60
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The cat that played Blofeld's cat in For Your Eyes Only was the best one.
Plus Blofeld in that movie, by contrast, was a dork. He should have have crashed the helicopter immediately. Stupid ass. (This may not be an unpopular opinion.)
Plus Blofeld in that movie, by contrast, was a dork. He should have have crashed the helicopter immediately. Stupid ass. (This may not be an unpopular opinion.)
Last edited by Kudama; 08-23-07 at 10:19 AM.
08-23-07, 10:26 AM
#61
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally Posted by Kudama
Plus Blofeld in that movie, by contrast, was a dork. He should have have crashed the helicopter immediately. Stupid ass. (This may not be an unpopular opinion.)
08-23-07, 10:48 AM
#62
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Originally Posted by GoldenJCJ
With the exception of of Casino Royale [and License to Kill]...all the Bond flicks are boring as hell.
08-24-07, 09:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Hiro11
Yeah, I've never really understood the hatred for The World is Not Enough and Tommorow Never Dies. Both are way better than, say, Octopussy.
08-25-07, 03:21 PM
#65
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Okay, here goes:
* Every Sean Connery Bond film is dull as hell and extremely overrated.
* Moonraker and Octopussy are two of the best Bond films.
* A View to a Kill *is* the best Bond film.
* Christopher Walken was the best Bond villian.
* Roger Moore's Bond films were the most entertaining.
* Every Sean Connery Bond film is dull as hell and extremely overrated.
* Moonraker and Octopussy are two of the best Bond films.
* A View to a Kill *is* the best Bond film.
* Christopher Walken was the best Bond villian.
* Roger Moore's Bond films were the most entertaining.
08-25-07, 07:52 PM
#66
DVD Talk Legend
I don't know if these are "unpopular" opinions by this point... but they are certainly mine so if you don't like them go pound sand. 
Anyway...
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a fine story wrecked by a former editor/first time director, a second-act which is very poorly paced, and a weak performance by George Lazenby which really drags the movie down. On the other hand, the 3rd act of the film is better than any other 3rd act in any other Bond movie, period.
2. Dr. No is often "beyond reproach" due to its status as the "first" Bond movie, setting the mold if you will, but Honey Rider was a weak character and the "Dragon" was one of the most retarded creations ever committed to screen.
3. From Russia With Love is the Best Bond Movie. Period. Rosa Klebb was one of the best evil henchmen. Robert Shaw was a cold, calculating badass. And Bey was the best Bond ally ever.
4. Goldfinger is one of the best Bond films, but it is still a bit overrated. He spends half the movie as a prisoner, the other half reactive instead of proactive.
5. If you trimmed the underwater action scenes severely in Thunderball, it would have been the best Bond film (or at least second to FRWL)
6. You Only Live Twice has a fantastic finale, but the rest of the movie is just dreary and tired. Even Connery looks bored out of his freakin' mind.
7. Live and Let Die isn't as bad as people say it is. It has cringeworthy moments aplenty (drink everytime a black guy says "honky") but it's still a fun, briskly-paced flick.
8. For Your Eyes Only is a dismal bore. Moonraker was ridiculous but at least it was fun.
9. Octopussy is also a hoot, even if the plot don't make a lick of sense.
10. Someone should have smacked Kevin McClory repeatedly until he gave up the rights to Blofeld and stopped his idiotic attempts to remake Thunderball (anyone remember Warhead 2000?)
11. A View To A Kill was just as awful as everyone says it was. Maybe even worse.
12. The Living Daylights is one of the best Bonds ever, maybe even Top 5. It's only hamstrung by some lightweight villains. Timothy Dalton in that film was absolutely fantastic and, IMHO, the best Fleming Bond ever.
13. License To Kill is pretty good but is hamstrung by its relentless grim tone and some of THE WORST ACTING IN THE HISTORY OF THE BOND MOVIES (worse than Rosie Carver in LaLD). Not Dalton, mind you, just everyone else around him (with the exception of Davi).
14. I used to think Goldeneye was weak and Tomorrow Never Dies was the best of the Brosnans. Now I think they all kinda blow, with the exception of Goldeneye is the best of them (and its still pretty average). Brosnan was good but he was hampered by some pretty awful scripts. TND had great action and not much else. TWINE was an unmitigated bore with the worst Bond Girl since Tanya Roberts. DAD started out fantastic and turned into crap the minute the Invisible Car showed up.
15. The best Bond song is still "Live and Let Die", but that's hardly unpopular.
Anyway...
1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a fine story wrecked by a former editor/first time director, a second-act which is very poorly paced, and a weak performance by George Lazenby which really drags the movie down. On the other hand, the 3rd act of the film is better than any other 3rd act in any other Bond movie, period.
2. Dr. No is often "beyond reproach" due to its status as the "first" Bond movie, setting the mold if you will, but Honey Rider was a weak character and the "Dragon" was one of the most retarded creations ever committed to screen.
3. From Russia With Love is the Best Bond Movie. Period. Rosa Klebb was one of the best evil henchmen. Robert Shaw was a cold, calculating badass. And Bey was the best Bond ally ever.
4. Goldfinger is one of the best Bond films, but it is still a bit overrated. He spends half the movie as a prisoner, the other half reactive instead of proactive.
5. If you trimmed the underwater action scenes severely in Thunderball, it would have been the best Bond film (or at least second to FRWL)
6. You Only Live Twice has a fantastic finale, but the rest of the movie is just dreary and tired. Even Connery looks bored out of his freakin' mind.
7. Live and Let Die isn't as bad as people say it is. It has cringeworthy moments aplenty (drink everytime a black guy says "honky") but it's still a fun, briskly-paced flick.
8. For Your Eyes Only is a dismal bore. Moonraker was ridiculous but at least it was fun.
9. Octopussy is also a hoot, even if the plot don't make a lick of sense.
10. Someone should have smacked Kevin McClory repeatedly until he gave up the rights to Blofeld and stopped his idiotic attempts to remake Thunderball (anyone remember Warhead 2000?)
11. A View To A Kill was just as awful as everyone says it was. Maybe even worse.
12. The Living Daylights is one of the best Bonds ever, maybe even Top 5. It's only hamstrung by some lightweight villains. Timothy Dalton in that film was absolutely fantastic and, IMHO, the best Fleming Bond ever.
13. License To Kill is pretty good but is hamstrung by its relentless grim tone and some of THE WORST ACTING IN THE HISTORY OF THE BOND MOVIES (worse than Rosie Carver in LaLD). Not Dalton, mind you, just everyone else around him (with the exception of Davi).
14. I used to think Goldeneye was weak and Tomorrow Never Dies was the best of the Brosnans. Now I think they all kinda blow, with the exception of Goldeneye is the best of them (and its still pretty average). Brosnan was good but he was hampered by some pretty awful scripts. TND had great action and not much else. TWINE was an unmitigated bore with the worst Bond Girl since Tanya Roberts. DAD started out fantastic and turned into crap the minute the Invisible Car showed up.
15. The best Bond song is still "Live and Let Die", but that's hardly unpopular.
Last edited by Hokeyboy; 08-26-07 at 07:46 AM.
08-26-07, 11:37 AM
#67
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I haven't seen a Bond movie since Moonraker and nothing I've read in this thread makes me eager to change that. Oh, and Daniela Bianchi was the hottest Bond girl.
08-26-07, 02:45 PM
#68
DVD Talk Limited Edition
You kinda dodged the bullet there by not actually seeing "A View to a Kill"
If I could go back and unwatch that movie, I'd do it twice to make sure it's gone for good.
(Not really an unpopular view)
If I could go back and unwatch that movie, I'd do it twice to make sure it's gone for good.
(Not really an unpopular view)
08-28-07, 07:41 PM
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Moonraker is surprisingly well put together and drips with quality, even though you could sneer at the overblown sci-fi theme that was pulled off pretty well without destroying the movie (I thought the fully fledged sci-fi tone was pulled off very well in Dr. No, You Only Live Twice, The Man With Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me and Tomorrow Never Dies, to a lesser extent. It was only suckily done in Die Another Day).
08-28-07, 07:56 PM
#72
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I wouldn't be too harsh on Brosnan - Die Another Day was the only genuine stinker, while the other three were mostly enjoyable affairs that were only "bad" due to their rather formulaic nature and lack of effective bad guys or interesting world threatening plots.
08-28-07, 08:02 PM
#73
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
1. For your eyes only- one of the best bond films (they had to tone it down quite a bit after moonraker).
2. Diamonds are Forever- you can tell that this film inspired Austin Powers quite a bit (look at the guards uniforms on the oil rig/secret base at the end). Horrible..
3. OHMSS- The best bond girl- Lazenby in a kilt.
4. Carole Bouquet- best bond girl...even with the moustache.
2. Diamonds are Forever- you can tell that this film inspired Austin Powers quite a bit (look at the guards uniforms on the oil rig/secret base at the end). Horrible..
3. OHMSS- The best bond girl- Lazenby in a kilt.
4. Carole Bouquet- best bond girl...even with the moustache.
08-29-07, 01:14 PM
#74
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Originally Posted by Cancer Man
I wouldn't be too harsh on Brosnan - Die Another Day was the only genuine stinker, while the other three were mostly enjoyable affairs that were only "bad" due to their rather formulaic nature and lack of effective bad guys or interesting world threatening plots.
I completely agree; they would have been fine action films if they weren't Bond films.
