112 replies to this topic

[kissarmy71]

Of all the Bond films, one of my least favorites is "You Only Live Twice".  Bond in disguise as Japanese just doesn't look right... The Bond girls aren't that interesting and although I love Donald Pleasance..I really don't like him that much in this film.  I find this one to be my sleeper of the Connery movies....  What is your least favorite Connery Bond movie?

[DamnCoffee]

Used to loathe You Only Live Twice. It's definitely the weakest adventure of the 1960's, without a doubt. It has a decent first half though, it's just let down by an awful climax and Sean Connery not being bothered. It's a lot better than Diamonds though. Diamonds Are Forever may be fun, but atleast You Only Live Twice tried to do something different, in the first half anyway. 

Edited by DamnCoffee, 09 March 2013 - 05:09 AM.

[tdalton]

My least favorite Connery film would probably come down to either Goldfinger or Diamonds are Forever.

[jrcjohnny99]

Easily DAF;

a few solid moments in Amsterdam and Vegas but overall the whole thing is just silly;

Makes Moonraker look like Casino Royale.

[Turn]

YOLT by a large margin for me.

 

I know a lot of people love the spectacle of the film and it has numerous reasons to like it. I'd be insane to deny the true star of the film, Ken Adam, or John Barry's score or the cinematorgraphy and Japan seeming like a different planet altogether. But for the classic era, something just seems missing. Although he's at the center of it all, Bond just seems less involved, kind of just shuffling about from one point to another.

 

We've talked here many times about the films containing many scenes that make no sense or being illogical. YOLT seems to have more than its share.But many defend it on the basis of being pure spectacle.

 

I know DAF will likely get the most flack in this thread, but it's one of my sentimenal favorites since it was the first Bond film I saw in the cinema when it was new. And I've been fascinated all over again by the Blu-ray release. Ironically I think YOLT was one of the first Bond films I saw in the cinema on one of the rereleases. The film just doesn't do it for me.

[FlemingBond]

Diamonds Are Forever, and it's not even close.

[Hockey Mask]

YOLT. No doubt.

[SecretAgentFan]

Even my least favorite Bond film is still terrific entertainment for me. Still, this is the ranking of my least favorite Connery-Bonds:

 

1. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (the first half is terrific but the second half drags immensely)

2. THUNDERBALL (the caper sequence at the beginning and the last third of the film feel too long for me)

3. DR.NO (once Bond is in Dr.No´s hands it´s a bit predictable)

4. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (Bond getting a weird wig and marrying and then dropping everything on the way is hilarious but also dull)

5. GOLDFINGER (the long sequence of Bond being held captive drags a bit)

6. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (a bit too much in love with the wink-wink through it all)

7. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (uh, nothing bothers me here)

[Professor Pi]

YOLT. No doubt.

 

Agreed, but have you double checked the rankings in your signature?

 

Tried watching this two weeks ago and couldn't keep my eyes to the screen.  The set designs and music score earn an A+, and I like Aki, but everything else gets a D or an F.  Roald Dahl gets a lot of blame for this script.  This movie has essentially been remade twice (Spy, MR) and Mike Myers has ripped it to death.

[jrcjohnny99]

Ya know, I'll change my answer from DAF to NSNA;

For some reason when we talk about Bond stuff on here, I just dont count NSNA. 

It's just not a Bond film in my eyes.

But, if for the sake of this we ARE counting it, then it beats the official ones hands down;

a complete mess from start to finish.  

[Hockey Mask]

Forgot about NSNA. I'm changing too.

[Walecs]

I never liked You Only Live Twice.

But when I read the novel, I hated it even more.

[plankattack]

YOLT

Used to love it, with its 60s spymania sheen, outstanding title song and soundtrack, and the volcano set.

But at the end of the day, the lead looks bloated and uninterested, the action flat and uninspired (the exception of the overhead shot of the roof at Kobe docks), and the pacing is flaccid and slow for middle third-plus. Rhythm and pace have always been the bane of the Bonds (though they suffer more due to the multiple viewings that we fans are more than happy to give), but YOLT is the first and worst offender.

DAF isn't the greatest film by a long stretch, but it does have some terrifically witty script and SC actually looks awake. And it's his performance that also NSNA from the "least favorite" for this particular fan.

[quantumofsolace]

lots of good stuff in YOLT but there is too much bad stuff

some of the editing ,the pissed off Connery, the out of her depth Mie Hama

 

a shame as it's almost great

[freemo]

Probably YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE.

 

But most of the other Bonds should probably be stoked with a "least" movie this good. Beautful music, beautiful sets, beautiful cinematography. Sometimes you just have to let art wash over you.

[Belmont]

YOLT by a large margin for me.

 

I know a lot of people love the spectacle of the film and it has numerous reasons to like it. I'd be insane to deny the true star of the film, Ken Adam, or John Barry's score or the cinematorgraphy and Japan seeming like a different planet altogether. But for the classic era, something just seems missing. Although he's at the center of it all, Bond just seems less involved, kind of just shuffling about from one point to another.

 

My least favorite Connery outing is YOLT as well, and you've nailed why this movie is such a conundrum. So many ingredients are in place and firing on all cylinders, and the film is full of unique sights and sounds to behold. Sadly, not only is Bond not involved enough as a character, but it's clear that Sean Connery couldn't be bothered to muster even a glimmer of usual Bond sparkle.

 

I get why people love the spectacle, and depending on the day, I can still be swept away by it. But most of the time these days, I find the whole experience about as empty as Blofeld's hollowed out volcano lair.

[Grard Bond]

I'm always saying that NSNA is a terrible Bondmovie and I almost never watch it, but when I watched the blu ray a couple of months ago I must admit that it was a lot of fun to see again.

Although for me it's Connery's weakest Bondinstalment, I love it more then QoS, or even AVTAK, or the two Dalton movies.

[BoogieBond]

There's not much between DAF and Doctor No for the least favourite for me. Although DAF is oddly very watchable despite its silliness and fluff.

[DominicGreene]

I'm always saying that NSNA is a terrible Bondmovie and I almost never watch it, but when I watched the blu ray a couple of months ago I must admit that it was a lot of fun to see again.

Although for me it's Connery's weakest Bondinstalment, I love it more then QoS, or even AVTAK, or the two Dalton movies.

 

Delete my post please.

Edited by DominicGreene, 10 March 2013 - 02:53 PM.

[Grard Bond]

I'm always saying that NSNA is a terrible Bondmovie and I almost never watch it, but when I watched the blu ray a couple of months ago I must admit that it was a lot of fun to see again.

Although for me it's Connery's weakest Bondinstalment, I love it more then QoS, or even AVTAK, or the two Dalton movies.

 

Delete my post please.

Meaning?

[Odd Jobbies]

Diamonds Are Forever.

 

Connery looks as if he's boards (although a board Connery is still a treat) the story writing is pretty pedestrian. The finale is very weak indeed. Worst of all of throws away everything they built in OHMSS. After initially ma-handling the bikini girl by the pool (pre-credits) Connery never seems angry, nor sad about his wife's death - he never seems to be out for revenge. They've swept Lazenby under the carpet, throwing the baby out with bath water.

 

It does, however, have great villains, some great one-liners ("named after your father?) and a great theme tune. But these great elements just go to make what's left all the more frustrating.

[Iceskater101]

Diamonds are Forever is awful in my opinion..

[ChristopherZ22]

Diamonds are Forever is awful in my opinion..

I never liked the last 20 minutes of Diamonds Are Forever. I think the battle on the oil rig is dull and slow compared to more memorable battle scenes in earlier Bonds like the great underwater battle in Thunderball or the ninja fight in You Only Live Twice. I also hate Bond's fight with Wint and Kidd on the cruise ship. However, I do enjoy the first 90-100 minutes of Diamonds Are Forever. I enjoy the elevator fight, Bambi and Thumper, the chase through Vegas, and that silly moon machine. During those first 90-100 minutes, however, DAF seems to be having fun with itself and Connery is more interested than he was in YOLT. There was once this user called Freemo (Luke Freeman) who was Australian, used his World Is Not Enough DVD as a coaster (he hated TWINE), and compared me to a vacuum cleaner (nevermind why). Anyway, I am mentioning Freemo because Diamonds Are Forever was his favorite, probably because he believed it was a lot of fun. My point is that it's a lot of fun, until those last dull 20 minutes. If it wasn't for those last 20 minutes, I too would have called it one of the most fun overall and may have ranked it quite high.

[AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän]

Diamonds Are Forever definetely. Wint & Kidd are the films saving grace though.

[Guy Haines]

NSNA. I think it was a comeback too far. As far as the portrayal of Bond is concerned, for me it seemed like "Connery playing Bond playing Connery". Plus, when one considers the ideas they had for a rival Bond film, even within the legal constraints of the Thunderball case, it seemed a bit ordinary on release. And I missed the Bond style music in the background - Michel Legrand's jazz influenced score just didn't cut it for me.

[Connerybond]

For me it has been always DAF.  Having read a few Bond novels of Fleming including DN, its  appearance in the big screen, and watching Bond

was one of my 2 best memorable experiences of life.  For that reason only, I treasure the memory of  watching DN on the big screen where Bond came alive; even today, I  take pleasure explaining to my son about  my thrill in watching it on the first day of its release in 1962, and to do that how I had to set aside a few pounds from my miserly university grant.   Connery should not have agreed to do DAF-he looked old in 1971 when I first watched him in the big screen as usual on the first day of its release to the public.  He should have faded away  after YOLT.

[Professor Pi]

I think it's fair to say that even the producers weren't happy with DAF's finale.  Originally, Richard Maibaum had scripted a boat chase across Lake Mead in which Bond rallies the casino owners' regatta into forcing Blofeld over the Hoover Dam.  Alas, no such regatta of sailboats exists and it was too expensive to replicate.  So there was the oil rig after which Bond was to chase Blofeld's bathosub in a weather balloon to a salt mine where he meets his demise in a salt granulator!  That ending seemed too lengthy so they opted for just the oil rig.  There was supposed to be a battle with frogmen who jumped from helicopters into the water (as on the poster), and the rig's legs were mined with explosives.  Unfortunately, the explosives accidentally went off early so nothing went according to plan.  However, cameras happened to be rolling and that's what we see.

[Odd Jobbies]

I think it's fair to say that even the producers weren't happy with DAF's finale.  Originally, Richard Maibaum had scripted a boat chase across Lake Mead in which Bond rallies the casino owners' regatta into forcing Blofeld over the Hoover Dam.  Alas, no such regatta of sailboats exists and it was too expensive to replicate.  So there was the oil rig after which Bond was to chase Blofeld's bathosub in a weather balloon to a salt mine where he meets his demise in a salt granulator!  That ending seemed too lengthy so they opted for just the oil rig.  There was supposed to be a battle with frogmen who jumped from helicopters into the water (as on the poster), and the rig's legs were mined with explosives.  Unfortunately, the explosives accidentally went off early so nothing went according to plan.  However, cameras happened to be rolling and that's what we see.

Fascinating info, thanks for filling us in. If you've any more i'm all ears

NSNA. I think it was a comeback too far. As far as the portrayal of Bond is concerned, for me it seemed like "Connery playing Bond playing Connery". Plus, when one considers the ideas they had for a rival Bond film, even within the legal constraints of the Thunderball case, it seemed a bit ordinary on release. And I missed the Bond style music in the background - Michel Legrand's jazz influenced score just didn't cut it for me.

 

 

All true, but.... it has the best Bond retort of all the films IMO:

 

 

Fatima Blush  jet skis onto the floating bar, straight into Bond and says,

     

          "....I made you all wet."

 

Without missing a beat, Bond replies,

     

          "Yes, but my martini is still dry".

 

 

It doesn't get better than that  

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 24 March 2013 - 07:46 PM.

[Professor Pi]

And a close second would be "there was this girl from Philadelphia."

[Dustin]

All this helps me remember I actually liked NSNA pretty much at the time.