I read David Walker's DVD review of Casino Royale at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=25117 and...
He had me going there for a while, but when he stated that " On Her Majesty's Secret Service ranks as one of, if not the best Bond film" he lost me. There was a reason George Lazenby only played Bond once, he could'nt act wet if he fell out of a boat. And who did they come up with to play his super villain Blofeld? Telly " Kojak " Savalas...Please....Goldfinger is the best Bond film ever...best theme song, best villain, best second villain " Oddjob " and lest we forget the best character name ever Pussy Galore...

This all comes down to personal preference but I have to disagree here:

From the IMDB: Lazenby quit the role of Bond right before the premiere of his only film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), citing he would get other acting roles, and that his Bond contract, which was fourteen pages thick, was too demanding on him.

Yeah, but that's just, like, your opinion, man!


-ringding-

If Goldfinger, and the Goldfinger template are all that you want or consider a Bond film to be, then odds are you are going to hate CR.

I have high hopes for this one - and I'm going to see it on Sunday, so I'll find out if it meets those expectations.

If Craig can do in this decade what Dalton did in the 80's (take a series that had become too cartoonish and bring it back a little closer to reality with a harder, darker edge), then he will be viewed as a success.

I liked the Brosnan Bond films, but Die Another Day's second half was a joke - and not all that funny.

Casino Royale looks like the Anti-Die Another Day, and that's a good thing, just like For Your Eyes Only was a VERY good thing following Moonraker.

(And, for the record, my favorite Bond movies are Dr. No and Licence To Kill.)

I would judge On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Lazenby's pereformance or his status in the Bond world. OHMSS is one of the best stories in the series, and apretty compelling movie. I wouldn't rank it #1, but it's pretty high on my list, top 5 even.

Just saw this movie and im a huge Bond fan. I own all the movies and have seen them all at least twice. From Russia with Love being my favorite. This movie is exceptionalyy well done. Though Conry will always be Bond. This may very well be the most complete Bond movie to date. This is probably due to the fact that what happens in this movie explain why James Bond is the way he is.

The Dalton films made the more films look outrageously overblown.

The Brosnan films were outrageously overblown.

This film makes the Dalton films look outrageously overblown, IMO.

I guess that's why I liked it so much.

-ringding-

Is this thread really necessary when there was already a Casino Royale thread a few posts down?

yes, a min. of 4 threads per major release, i think it is law in alabama or something...

I don't like Bond films even a little bit but this one looks good. I won't take the time to see it in a theatre but I'll check it out on DVD.

amazing movie

I can't see today's 24 and under crowd enjoying this movie though.

Good thing for them I'm 25 then; I loved it.

These "DVD Talk review of..." threads are automatically generated when someone clicks on a link in the review. The review system has no way of knowing if someone's already started a thread directly through the forum.

As for Craig's performance those websites that bashed him while the movie was being filmed owe him an apologie.

I don't follow? I'm 23, I thought the movie was fantastic. My friends (18 - 22) shared the same sentiment. Actually, most of the people I know these days don't even like Bond, having grown up with the overtly cartoony Brosnan ones.

This was a great start in what is (hopefully) going to be a more serious series of movies.

Let's get one thing clear. The Brosnan Bond films all sucked major balls.

There is only room for improvement here.

I loved it. The fresh start and fresh face are exactly what was needed to get this series back on track, IMO.

Wrong. GoldenEye was superb. Not coincidentally, Casino Royale has the same director.

Wrong again...there would be no more Bond films if it wasn't for Brosnan. He brought life back into the franchise.

Agreed! Goldeneye was excellent (as is Casino Royale), but the Brosnan films dropped off quickly thereafter.

Wrong again....those films were light on script, heavy on over-the-top action and bad acting, and basically popcorn films that made the franchise look ridiculous.

Viewing them, you don't think, "hey I am watching a bond film" you think "im watching a crappy action film with Pierce Brosnan."

Buuuuuuuut...at least it helped create the best Nintendo 64 game of all time. And one of my favorite first person shooters ever

Oh, and I loved Casino Royale.

= J