40 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

PLEASE READ: Firstly, thanks to all who have participated up to this point. If all goes to plan, I will eventually be making main page stories centering around reviews for each film, using several of the reviews from you all in these threads. The threads will stay open, so continue to post a review in the correct one if you haven't yet. The main page stories will move from Dr. No up to Die Another Day. All the threads are in this forum section - you just have to search back quite a few weeks for some of them.

Give a detailed review your favorite James Bond film.

#1 - The Spy Who Loved Me "It's Bond and Beyond!" You don't get any better than The Spy Who Loved Me in my opinion when it comes to James Bond films. It's pretty much got it all. Roger Moore is on top of his game as British agent James Bond, the bond girl Anya Amasova is a terrific ally and partner to Bond along the assignment, there is a collection of interesting villains, plus great locations, witty lines, a magnificent plot, and just an overall feel that makes this film a standout in the series. It's often that this is the Roger Moore film singled out as being the best, and is the actor's favorite also as many fans know. If Roger Moore was getting settled into the role in Live And Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun, then The Spy Who Loved Me is where he is in his prime. His age matches well with the character and the performance is very, very engaging. He really seems to be enjoying the film and it works well in the end. Barbara Bach's Anya Amasova was a change from some Bond girl's in that she took more of an active role as being a partner alongside Bond. The chemistry between both characters is good, and having Bond kill her lover, Sergei, in the pre-credits sequence was an inspired idea, as it leads to a good conclusion for Bond and Anya. Jaws, Karl Stromberg, and Naomi make up an all around good collection of villains for the film. Jaws is simply one of the most well known villains to Bond fans and non-Bond fans alike. I remember rewinding the scene where he uses his teeth to undo a lock in the first half of The Spy Who Loved Me the first time I saw the film. Naomi's playful wink to Bond before attempting to gun him down is also one of the best moments in the series. Period. Carly Simon's Nobody Does It Better is also one of those songs that both Bond fans and non-Bond fans know of well. It just works. And who can forget Bond 77? It's two hours of pure excitement, adventure and just everything James Bond. It really is the best.

[tdalton]

#1: The Living Daylights

The Living Daylights is, without question, the best Bond movie in the franchise's 40+ year history. It combines action, suspense, intrigue, interesting characters, and the best performance by an actor portraying James Bond.

Timothy Dalton was born to portray James Bond, Agent 007 of Her Majesty's Secret Service. He plays the role closely to how Ian Fleming wrote it on the page. The humor that plagued the series during the first half of Roger Moore's tenure is completely gone here, and the movie is better for it. It's just a shame that Dalton only got 2 films in the role, as he could have easily established himself as the best James Bond in the general public's eyes had he been given more time in the role.

The plot of The Living Daylights is very down to earth, which makes it a very appealing film. General Koskov and Brad Whitaker are very believable villians who are trying to carry out a variety of operations, none of which are unrealistic as we have seen in previous films like You Only Live Twice or Moonraker. Whitaker's arms dealings and Koskov's fake defection and plotting behind General Pushkin is something that could very well happen in any country, and is dealt with in a very realistic way by Her Majesty's government.

Mryam D'Abo establishes herself as one of the finest Bond girls in the series. She is not an unintelligent fool that many of the previous Bond girls (Mary Goodnight of TMWTGG comes to mind). She is a smart, strong, and independent woman who is thrown into the mix with 007, and does a surprisingly good job of holding her own, despite what one would think by taking a look at her. Her chemistry with Timothy Dalton is great, and it comes across as well as any relationship between Bond and a Bond girl in any of the previous films.

Locations play a very big part in TLD. Afghanistan provides a good backdrop for the Cold War espionage of the movie, as it is based around the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the rebels who are trying to resist the invasion. It works very well with Bond working with the opposition in order to bring Koskov down. Also, other locales are presented very realistically, as opposed to other places that have been previously visited.

The score is another high point in The Living Daylights. John Barry outdoes himself with this one, providing his best score of the series. The Pretenders' "If There Was A Man" is a great ending credits song, and a-ha provides one of the better title songs in the series.

Apart from Dalton's portrayal of Bond, the best thing about TLD is the fact that the action is very believable. The car chase is treated realistically, as opposed to Roger Moore's underwater adventures in TSWLM and the gondola ride he took in Moonraker. The pre-title sequence is the best one in the series, and its great to see Dalton doing some of his own stunts on top of the jeep. It was a great way to introduce the new James Bond (although its a shame that he wasn't allowed to take over for Octopussy or A View To A Kill).

As mentioned, Dalton has the best debut by any of the other 4 actors who portrayed Bond. He comes across very much the way that Fleming intended the character to be, and he seizes The Living Daylights and makes the film his own. Under John Glen's expert direction, TLD is a great Bond film (and a great film in general) and is by far the best film in the series.

Edited by tdalton, 11 April 2005 - 10:11 PM.

[SnakeEyes]

^^^^^What he said^^^^^

[YOLT]

From Russia With Love #1

[Qwerty]

From Russia With Love #1

Yes, but give a detailed review of why it is for you.

[Tarl_Cabot]

#1. From Russia with Love

Because it's a spy thriller! It's also totally plausible and yet still enormously entertaining. Sean Connery is in his prime. The locales, the supporting players, music just ooze coolness and classic cinema.The fight with Red Grant is legendary.Also that element of bizzare that Bond is famous for is apparent: We've never really seen middle aged, female lesbian villian henchman before. Only in a Bond film the spy world is full of charcaters where noone is who they appear to be.

[YOLT]

From Russia With Love #1

Yes, but give a detailed review of why it is for you.

I just enjoy it, highly. Thats my detailed review I am not a film-critique. If I enjoy it, I like it, no problem

[Qwerty]

Certainly that's fine, it's just these threads are for detailed reviews (to hopefully go on the main page). To each his own though.

[Scottlee]

#1 - The Spy Who Loved Me.

A mammoth, big-budget, well filmed, well cast Bond extravaganza that never ceases to entertain. This one has it all and more. From the opening ski jump to the sheer laughter invoked by Bond and Anya being caught in bed at the end, this film is a timeless gem. It has a classic, intriguing villain in Jaws, some absolutely gorgeous women (Bach and Munro), a great Bond car, a catchy soundtrack, beautiful locations (Epypt? Italy? Swoon), tense moments (Bond and Anya tailing Jaws on foot), great comedy that really comes off ("When one is in Egypt...."), and a peak-of-his-career performance from Roger Moore, who proved many people wrong with this film.

Edited by Scottlee, 14 April 2005 - 05:49 PM.

[DLibrasnow]

Okay, it

[Qwerty]

Terrific so far. Keep them coming.

[Janus Assassin]

No Fears No Limits No Substitutes.... GoldenEye


GoldenEye is not only my favorite James Bond films but it also my favorite action movie of the 90's. It had a nice Cold War feeling to it similar to From Russia With Love or The Spy Who Loved Me.


Brosnan's first- Pierce had an awesome debut as 007. His film is even better than Sean Connery's debut. He played the part excellently and his scenes with Alec Trevelyan are always fun to watch.

The Plot- IMO this has the best plot of all the Brosnan films in which it actually seems plausible. The locations are good as well ranging from Monte Carlo to St Petersburg to Cuba.

The girls- GoldenEye featured the best girls of the Brosnan era with Natalya and Xenia. Xenia is the best femme fatale since Fiona Volpe.

I could go on and on but I'm afraid I'll stop for now. I might post the rest rest later.

[Moonraker]

Diamonds Are Forever

A Great Bond film for Connery to go out with. The action sequences are very elaborate. Sean gives a decent preformance and has great one liners with Tiffany. Tiffany is a good bond girl, smart and sassy especially at the gas station seen. Charles Gray is decent blofeld not as good as the predecessors though. Wint & Kidd are great villians as well. The score is fantastic and Shirley Bassey's theme in magnificent sexy,dark and cool. Overall a great film my all fav. bond film.

[SPECTRE ASSASSIN]

#1 From Russia with Love

The second Bond film in the series ranks in my top list of the 007 pics, and one of my favorite movies in general. Masterfully directed by Terence Young, and expertly written by Dick Maibaum, FRWL is the most grittiest and most suspenseful-packed to ever grace the cinema screen. The cast is top-notch, especially Robert Shaw, as SPECTRE killer Red Grant, who practically steals the show from the start, and Sean Connery's relaxed, rasping portrayel of James Bond is so good it puts Pierce Brosnan to shame. I just love everything about this film, it's so entertaining in every aspect that whenever I watch it, it brings me glee that day. It's that impact that makes cinema grand.

[trumanlodge89]

Licence to Kill.

This is about as close to perfect a Bond film can get, as far as I'm concerned. The action "set pieces" are original and very well done. The capture of Sanchez in the teaser is very slick, and I'm really surprised it doesn't get more recognition. The climactic tanker chase is just as good. Gritty, thrilling, and an awesome variation on the "normal" Bond car chases.

Timothy Dalton really comes into the role into this film. He has the internal conflict of James Bond that Pierce Brosnan wishes had. He has the edge that Moore never had. He only lacking the humor of Moore, but I am OK with the break from it. This movie is far more realistic than anything Moore ever did and it passes off as a much tighter movie. To me, Dalton IS Bond, whereas Moore is Roger Moore playing Bond.

Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto are both beautiful, and Lowell is probably the most underrated Bond girl in the series. Tough, smart, and for 85% of the movie, she is Bond's equal. She is integral to Bond's success. My only problem is the unnecessary additon of the love story between Bond and Bouvier. I know it is a Bond film, but I don't think Pam Bouvier would've been jelous of Lupe sleeping with James. As an operative for the CIA, shouldn't she understand that spys use whatever means necessary (at least in Bond's universe)?

Robert Davi is my second favorite villian in the series (behind Auric Goldfinger). His portrayal of Franz Sanchez is perfect. Intimidating and charasmatic, he lets Bond into his inner circle, in one of Bond's finest spy tactic. Sanchez is completely unsuspecting, so why not go right under his nose? This angle is so brilliant and plays out perfectly.

My only problem with this film is the ending. Bond hunts down and kills Sanchez, (not to mention destroy his organization) and comes very close to dying himself, and does this for his best friend, Felix. Wouldn't Bond be by his bedside. Those two are now both widowers, I would've been were much satisfied with a more melonchly ending to the film. Why would Bond be at a party? The whole film is very somber, the ending should be the same way.

Shot entirely in Mexico, the movie has a very Miami Vice feel to it. But I don't mind. Miami Vice fashon was at least very fun, and the colors of this movie were a nice change from the visually drab Living Daylights.

Licence to Kill: HIGHLY Underrated, and Very Very Good.

[Moonraker]

Omit my first review please(I was half awake when I wrote that)

Diamonds Are Forever is my all time favorite bond. It has all the right qualitys exciting locales, gorgeous women, incredible stunts, fantastic score & theme and of course Sean Connery. Sean Connery was great here a little overweight but still very charismatic and delivers a good performace(especially after his sleep walking in You Only Live Twice). Jill St. John is amazing with her witty lines, appeal, and attitude.People say her character is very dumb,but how the hell was she to know Bond had switched the tape, so she took her chance to save the world unaware he had already switched it.Also with the machine gun, She probably never fired one before so the kick is very powerful. But she is a great character her dialog is classic and her attitudes are cool and sarcastic especially at the Gas Station which I think is her best scene and of course she is very beautiful. Charles Gray isn't the best villian or Blofeld but he isn't the worst, he plays the role with impecible class and wit. Wint and Kidd are very interesting characters, and have very funny lines in a sadistic kind of way. The action scenes are very good especially the Elevator & the Bambi and Thumper fight. Both scenes are very original and are some of the highlights of the film. The car chase is very slick with it being night with Las Vegas lights all around. The score and theme are classic, very dark but very classy.Overall the film is great and many dislike it after the seriousness of OHMSS but it suceeded at what it was trying to do distant itself from it and bring bond back to its original form. A great film for Connery to go out on.

[cvheady007]

The best James Bond film IS From Russia With Love.

Goldfinger is a great film, but it is a copout for those that have not seen the rest of them...there was a poll once where like 100% of those who had seen at least one James Bond movie had seen Goldfinger....but From Russia With Love is the best. For one, Connery is the best James Bond there could ever be - no one could ever top him. Brosnan is #2 but has yet to have a great script (though Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and all but the last 20 minutes of Die Another Day were good), Dalton is #3 but did not have enough charm, Moore is #4 but without the killer inside that James Bond truly is, and Lazenby didn't do enough to prove himself (but OHMSS was a CLASSIC), but none hold a candle to Sean Connery. Therefore, the best James Bond movie would have to fall in the hands of Sean Connery, and From Russia With Love is IT.

Opening sequence? Bond is killed by an enemy spy (sure, it's fake, but it makes for good cinema). Plotline - Our hero must recover an important tool for future espionage. Bond Girl - Tatiana Romanava - simply put, she is drop-dead gorgeous. Buddies - No better than the Bond-like Kerim Bey - what a stud! Enemies? Gee - Red Grant is tough stuff, but you also have Blofeld, Kronsteen, and Klebb. And, have you read the book? Bond DIED - sure, they won't do that in the movie, and the books clouded it as a "sickness", but From Russia With Love scratches me where I itch.

What more can you want?

The next best thing could be Pierce Brosnan as James Bond 007 in Ian Fleming's Casino Royale..........hmmmmmmmmmm.....one can only dream.....

[K1Bond007]

Goldfinger!

One of the rarest times in cinema history that someone can actually say the film is better than the book. Instead of breaking into Fort Knox to steal all the gold, an unfeasible plot which is in the novel, Auric Goldfinger breaks into Fort Knox and attempts to detonate a nuclear warhead so as to increase the value of his gold. Goldfinger has the introduction of the Aston Martin DB5, Bond's most famous car which is later used in Thunderball, GoldenEye, a small cameo in Tomorrow Never Dies, and is the basis for the car in Die Another Day (ejector seat). The action, the gadgets, the soundtrack, the first theme song to be performed by Shirley Bassey (and her best)-- Goldfinger is essentially the mold for every future James Bond film.

Edited by K1Bond007, 29 April 2005 - 09:33 PM.

[Qwerty]

Good timing - that will be added into the next main page for Goldfinger.

[K1Bond007]

Good timing - that will be added into the next main page for Goldfinger.

Coool.

[Genrewriter]

1. Octopussy: I've always been amazed by how well this film works. Roger Moore delivers a stellar performance and Louis Jourdan and Steven Berkoff make great bad guys. What makes the film work as well as it does is the seamless, gradual shift in tone. For the first hour or so it's fairly lighthearted, a little like Moonraker but the humor is done a little bit better and placed in more appropriate spots. As soon as the film introduces us to Octopussy however, the tone slowly shifts to a more serious one as Vijay is killed and the threat of the bomb comes into play. John Glen keeps the tension up quite well as he builds to the defusing scene, not even letting the sight of Bond in clown attire take away from the threat. Once the bomb is defused we relax a bit more as Bond wraps it up with a nice raid on Kamal's palace and a breathtaking plane finale. At the risk of sounding like a cliche, this is truly Bond's all time high.

[Tuxedo wearing Bond]

Goldfinger. The movie that hightened the James Bond craze to it's unbelievable poularity. From unzipping the scuba gear to reveal the tuxedo, to the bone-crunching and tense fight scene between Bond and Goldifinger, the film stays slick and stylish. The Aston Martin DB5 is beautifully crafted to rightfully become one of the most famous cars in the world, and nobody can forget the conversation about it between Bond and Q. The laser Table scene has become one of the most famous scenes in cinema history. You can see Sean Connery with a tense face, while Frobe maintains an evil smirk. And not forgetting Jill Masterson lying on the bed with a fully golden body. Pussy Galour was wonderfully played by Honour Blackman, and in my opinion, is one of the best Bond girls. Oddjob is perhaps the best henchman out of all the Bond films, and the fight scene between him and Bond was superb. Sean Connery gives an amazing performance as James Bond agent 007, giving him a slick, and calm style. Guy Hamilton may have changed Bond into slighty tongue in cheek, but the film maintains reasonably faithfull to the novel. Shirley Bassey sang the main title song perfectly and it fitted well with the film. Not to meantion John Barry's unforgettable score. Brilliant. A good majority of the world has seen Goldfinger, and if you haven't, there must be something wrong with you!

Edited by Tuxedo wearing Bond, 06 May 2005 - 05:50 PM.

[00-FAN008]

#1 - GoldenEye

It's everything a James Bond film should have; an action-packed opening sequence, a new line of cool gadgets, a chase scene... with a tank! Not to mention, perhaps one of the greatest James Bond villians of all time; 006. It's a James Bond stew. Pierce Brosnan looks damn fine in a suit, a tux... overall, he looks fine in the shoes of 007. It will be hard to find a better replacement.

Tina Turner also has a wonderful opening song that sets the mood of the film very well. Although I've heard people say that some of the music by Eric Serra doesn't suit the film, I would have to disagree. It suits the film very well, like the "GoldenEye Overture", which is very reminiscent of the scene in which Alec confronts Bond in the statue park. Like the film GoldenEye, Serra's music is dark, powerful, and enjoyable overall.

GoldenEye's conclusion in in league with From Russia With Love's train fight sequence. This is another area where Serra's music fits in so well; it perfectly reflects the intensity of the situation. I also thought that the satelite dish was the ideal location for the climax. It honestly could not have been any more exciting.

The only real thing lacking in GoldenEye would have to be use of the BMW Z3, James Bond's new car. We only get to see it a few times, and when we do get to see it, the fancy new missiles Q has installed are not exposed to blow up any bad guys. Even though James Bond never uses the Z3 in any action sequences, we were still happy to see the return of the Aston Martin DB5, as well as an exciting tank chase sequence, which is perhaps one of the greatest moments in Bond cinematic history.

[Double-Oh Agent]

#1 -- Licence To Kill

After 15 official films, EON decided to do something different with #16, a change which would be more in line to suit the particular talents of the fourth James Bond, Timothy Dalton. What they got was a tightly written revenge thriller filled with lots of action but one that is generally regarded as having failed to excite critics and fans. What I think, however, is that they captured Ian Fleming's creation the best of any movie in the series and I consider it to be, along with Octopussy, the most underrated films in the entire canon.

The reasons for LTK's box office failure, I believe, are three-fold. 1) Audiences were not prepared for an ultra-serious James Bond, especially in the wake of the Roger Moore era. 2) A lot of strong films came out around the same time as LTK such as Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade and Lethal Weapon 2. And 3) the publicity and advertising campaign for LTK was horrendous--easily the worst of the series--and capped off by an extremely uninspiring and un-Bond like movie poster. All of which served to undermine a truly great film. But on to the review.

The bad: For all it's greatness, I will admit that Dalton's Bond was probably a bit too serious in the role as he focuses all his energies on achieving his goal. However, this is a revenge movie as he goes after the man who maimed his best friend so it is perfectly understandable. This is the same type of intensity we should have gotten for Diamonds Are Forever, at least from the point when Bond learns that the man who killed his wife Tracy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, is still alive. Talisa Soto as Lupe Lamora is pretty, but her acting is not so good while Caroline Bliss' Moneypenny is given little to do other than hold back tears. Bond also gets a little repetitive in continually telling Pam and Q to go home while the truck wheelie is a little difficult to believe.

The good: Robert Davi is fantastic as Franz Sanchez, my favorite villain in the series. Just by looking at him, you know he means business. He is a definite threat to Bond--probably second of all the villains in the series to GoldenEye's 006. I love how Bond uses Sanchez's strength (valuing loyalty over money) and using it against him. Benicio Del Toro is terrific as Dario. It is his second major role which gave a hint at the stardom that was ahead of him. The other henchmen are great too, in what is possibly the best collection of villains, top to bottom, of any film in the series. Alejandro Bracho as Perez, Guy de Saint Cyr as Braun, Don Stroud as Heller, Anthony Zerbe as Milton Krest, Everett McGill as Ed Killifer, and Anthony Starke as William Truman-Lodge--all give memorable performances. And what can I say about Prof. Joe Butcher? As played by Wayne Newton, he steals every scene he's in, bless his heart. He's very funny and effective in his role.

David Hedison makes a nice return as Felix Leiter and he delivers in a great scene when Sanchez feeds him to the shark. Carey Lowell is beautiful, sexy, and fun as Pam Bouvier, my all-time favorite Bond girl. She's tough and can take care of herself without competing with Bond. She works well with Dalton and the two have good chemistry. Lastly, we have long-time Bond regulars Robert Brown as Miles "M" Messervy and Desmond Llewelyn as Geoffrey "Q" Boothroyd returning and both are great. Brown gets his best scene as "M" during his meeting with Bond on Key West while Llewelyn gets his most screen time of any film in the series and it's a joy to see him every minute. Good ol' Uncle Q.

The plot is good as is Bond's infiltration of the villain's organization. In addition, Sanchez's drug smuggling plan and the front for ordering the drugs is clever. Michael Kamen's score is different but serviceable as is Gladys Knight's title song although with a title like Licence To Kill, I have no idea why the producers went with a ballad instead of another rock'n'roll song such as A View To A Kill and The Living Daylights by Duran Duran and a-ha, respectively. To me that would have made more sense.

The stunts are incredible in this film. From Bond roping the plane in the pre-titles sequence to his underwater escape from Krest's frogmen to waterskiing behind the plane and climbing aboard before takeoff, it's all good. However, my favorite bits are those involving the tanker truck chase, a sequence of (trunk) stunts that have never been surpassed or equalled. And the fight with Sanchez at the climax is particularly gritty with the villain meeting a suitably appropriate end at its conclusion.

Virtually everything works in Licence To Kill. It's fun and suspenseful and as close as one can get in the films to Ian Fleming's literary James Bond--and that is high praise indeed. The Living Daylights may have used it as its tagline, but it is in Licence To Kill that really shows Bond at his most dangerous.

[Qwerty]

Wow Double-Oh Agent! It's been great to see more reviews in these threads, I noticed you've been writing alot! !

[Double-Oh Agent]

Wow Double-Oh Agent! It's been great to see more reviews in these threads, I noticed you've been writing alot! :tup:!

Well, they're fun to do and once you get started, it's kind of tough to stop. Hope you liked them. I'd be willing to do some on the books too but I've only seen threads for John Pearson and Christopher Wood. Is there a place for critiquing Ian Fleming, John Gardner, and Raymond Benson's books also?

[Hitch]

Cracking post, Double-Oh Agent.

My favourite Bond film? I like to think it hasn't been made yet. Sorry, Qwerty.

[Qwerty]

Cracking post, Double-Oh Agent.

My favourite Bond film? I like to think it hasn't been made yet. Sorry, Qwerty.

Hey, that's a good reason.

No biggie.

[Qwerty]

Wow Double-Oh Agent! It's been great to see more reviews in these threads, I noticed you've been writing alot! !

Well, they're fun to do and once you get started, it's kind of tough to stop. Hope you liked them. I'd be willing to do some on the books too but I've only seen threads for John Pearson and Christopher Wood. Is there a place for critiquing Ian Fleming, John Gardner, and Raymond Benson's books also?

Very glad for your enthusiasm!

I, and I'm sure other members, would love to see more of your reviews.

In the mblbc.gif Blades Book Club, we read a new book every two months and then review and discuss it. Feel free to review any of the past read books in that club HERE.

I have written a complete "Looking Back" series on the John Gardner series, feel free to review any and all of his books found listed HERE. for any others, you're welcomed to bump up some old review threads or start your own!

[Double-Oh Agent]

Thanks for the info Qwerty. I'll try to start on them in the near future after I get my second wind.