67 replies to this topic

[Byron]

1) DN
2) TB
3) FRWL
4) YOLT (What Harmsway said sums it up)
5) GF
6) DAF

[PrinceKamalKhan]

001) Thunderball
002) From Russia With Love
003) Goldfinger
004) Diamonds Are Forever
005) You Only Live Twice
006) Dr. No
007) Never Say Never Again

Sidenote: DAF, YOLT and DN have changed rankings for me many times and will probably change again. I love all 3 of them though.

However, TB, FRWL, GF and NSNA have stayed in their respective spots of 001,002,003 and 007 for many years.

[Harmsway]

I wouldn't say that I really dislike THUNDERBALL. The only Bond film I really dislike is THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. THUNDERBALL has its moments, for sure (e.g. Bond invited to Palmyra, the bathroom scene with Fiona, Bond turning up uninvited to Palmyra, the Junkanoo bits....). In fact, the best bits of THUNDERBALL are among the best bits of the entire series.

On the whole, though, I find the film meandering and sluggish, with far too much dead weight. A film of a handful of wonderful scenes surrounded by lots of dull scenes. Fun in places, but fatally flabby.

Mind you, I reckon that if I were ever able to see THUNDERBALL on the big screen, I'd walk away singing its praises as one of the best Bond flicks of all time.

The only difference between your and my opinions on TB is that you consider TB fatally flabby - and I think it still chugs along. At least you can recognize the golden moments in THUNDERBALL - there's a few of them along the way. It still has the best card playing scene in the series.

[Double-Oh Agent]

001) Goldfinger
002) Diamonds Are Forever
003) Thunderball
004) From Russia, With Love
005) You Only Live Twice
006) Never Say Never Again
007) Dr. No

[Colossus]

Who says this is the EON Connery Bond forum?
There have been serious attempts by other companies at making Bond films before, and surprisingly those have not just been average but pretty damn good and earned a spot in the Bond series. I count 2 of them part of the series, Casino Royale (1954) and Never Say Never Again (1983) (Not CR '67 that's a spoof) and in the Video Movie Guide which has become the most respected movie guide bible (de-throning Maltin's biased rubbish) in their 5-star rating system giving CR '54 **** and NSNA ****

[Double-Oh Agent]

Never Say Never Again would be around the bottom of my list, but it is still one very enjoyable film. IMO, it counts as a James Bond film.

I always count Never Say Never Again as a legitimate Bond film too. It's done faithfully to its subject matter (Thunderball)--which is, as we all know, a Bond novel--and it stars Sean Connery. That's enough for me. The TV and film spoof versions of Casino Royale, however, are another story.

Edited by Double-Oh Agent, 14 November 2005 - 10:03 AM.

[Qwerty]

Never Say Never Again would be around the bottom of my list, but it is still one very enjoyable film. IMO, it counts as a James Bond film.

I always count Never Say Never Again as a legitimate Bond film too. It's done faithfully to its subject matter (Thunderball)--which is, as we all know, a Bond novel--and it stars Sean Connery. That's enough for me. The TV and film spoof versions of Casino Royale, however, are another story.

I count them as well. They're not in the Eon series of course, but still James Bond. 23 films in total right now in my book, the new Casino Royale will be #24.

[james st.john smythe]

1. goldfinger 2. thunderball 3. dimonds 4. never say 5. uolt 6. frwl 7. dr ner

[DLibrasnow]

Ok, I'm a Never Say Never Again fan. 

So am I....I love Never Say Never Again. I know Loomis also enjoys this 1983 movie too...

[Stephen Spotswood]

1. From Russia With Love

2. Goldfinger

3. Dr No. (But with a caveat, this is the movie that started the silly formulizing of Bond into meglomaniacal villains out to take over--or destroy the world, and massive explosions to conclude it. Interestingly enough, they don't have the opening credits with the silhouettes of nekkid dancing women yet, but three blind mice. Believe it or not the book is even sillier with Dr. No being killed by Bond dumping a load of bat guano on him.)

Edited by Stephen Spotswood, 17 November 2005 - 05:46 PM.

[JKD68]

1. Dr. No
2. Goldfinger
3. FRWL
4. Thunderball- Why they had to speed up the camera I'll never know.
5. You Only Live Twice
6. DAF

[Lazenby880]

1) From Russia With Love

2) Thunderball

3) Goldfinger

4) Dr No

5) You Only Live Twice

6) Diamonds Are Forever

[double-O-Durg]

1)Goldfinger
2)Thunderball
3)You Only Live Twice
4) From Russia With Love
5)Dr No
6) DAF - i hate this one, its just cack

[Vanish]

1) Thunderball
2) You Only Live Twice
3) From Russia With Love
4) Dr. No
5) Goldfinger
6) Diamonds are Forever

That was a surprisingly quick and easy list to make... No second guesses.

[SecretAgentFan]

1) Goldfinger

because Connery was never a better Bond than here AND the story was exciting without being over the top

2) From Russia With Love

because it is the most serious spy thriller of all Bond films and Connery does a very human Bond who makes mistakes and pays for it

3) Never Say Never Again

because Connery never had as much fun with the role in all the others (even if the film sinks after Carrera

Edited by SecretAgentFan, 22 November 2005 - 01:37 PM.

[ChickenStu]

1. From Russia With Love
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. You Only Live Twice
5. Never Say Never Again
6. Thunderball
7. Diamonds Are Forever

[IndyB007]

Don't think I did this one yet...

1. From Russia With Love
2. Never Say Never Again
3. Doctor No
4. Thunderball
5. Goldfinger
6. Diamonds Are Forever
7. You Only Live Twice

[Dalton's Wendy]

1) Goldfinger

because Connery was never a better Bond than here AND the story was exciting without being over the top

2) From Russia With Love

because it is the most serious spy thriller of all Bond films and Connery does a very human Bond who makes mistakes and pays for it

I agree with your ranking, SecretAgentFan, and I think you've provided a great rationale for the position of each of your selections.

You've said it all!

[Obiwan]

1. From Russia With Love
2. Thunderball
3. Goldfinger
4. Dr.No
5. You Only Live Twice
6. Diamonds are Forever

[TheBritishEnd]

1. Goldfinger
Connery never looked better and the film laid the blueprint for the series. Guy Hamilton did depart from the more serious tone that Young had started, but the story still came first.

2. From Russia With Love
On any given day it switches with Goldfinger, but it really all comes down to Connery's performance. Here, he still hadn't quite gotten Bond's cockiness down. (Compare the way he humbly interacts with Q to his performance in GF.) Hands down, one of the best plots in the entire series. I love that the bad guys just wanted to kill 007.

3. Diamonds Are Forever
My favorite of Connery's 'older Bonds'. I love the confidence in Connery's portrayal, which somehow even makes his vengeance (or lack of) for Blofeld seem believable. Witness his reaction to finding Tiffany in his bedroom. He knows he's the "condemned man", so he immediately strips naked! Whereas Jason Bourne would be calculating his options, Bond will usually just waltz into the trap. Connery is also a dirty old man here, delivering some of his more risque one-liners, while even being a card-carrying member of The Playboy Club! (Ironically, he only beds one woman.)

4. Thunderball
Connery was in great form, despite beginning to show his age. What ultimately brings this one down a notch for me is that it's overly long. Other than that, it really is a prime example of Connery's era.

5. Dr. No
Another of Connery's films to lack all of the usual Bond 'trappings'. This one feels closest to one of Fleming's paperbacks sprung to life, as Bond seems more like a hard-boiled 50's spy at times. A solid start, but ultimately not as much fun as what followed.

6. You Only Live Twice
If Connery hadn't seemed so tired in the role, this one would probably rank above Dr. No. But he does, and the whole film feels longer than it needs to be. However, it does effectively add the finishing touches to the Bond blueprint, from the over-the-top lair to creating an original storyline.

7. Never Say Never Again
Aside from the badly dated videogame sequence, this one just gets better with age. I really love the whole idea of Connery as an older 007. Unfortunately, the fact that it's stripped of the series' hallmarks really does kill it for me.

Edited by TheBritishEnd, 28 November 2005 - 06:04 AM.

[Blue07]

1 Diamonds are Forever
2 From Russia With Love
3 Goldfinger
4 You Only Live Twice
5 Dr No
6 Thunderball
7 Never Say Never Again

Dismayed to see so many people have DAF at the bottom of their lists. I guess it isn't pure Bond and very cheesy but I've always found it great fun and immensley watchable. What do so many people dislike about it?

[Qwerty]

What do so many people dislike about it?

The finale is quite a letdown compared to many of the Bond films before it.

[mrs007_ppk]

1. Golfinger: Love it
2. Thunderball
3. Dr. No
4. From Russia with Love
5. Diamonds are Forever: When I was little this was my absolute favorite
6. You Only Live Twice

Edited by mrs007_ppk, 01 December 2005 - 11:22 PM.

[MarcAngeDraco]

1) Dr. No
2) From Russia, With Love
3) Goldfinger
4) Thunderball
5) You Only Live Twice
6) Diamonds Are Forever

(For the record, I consider NSNA to be a Bond movie, but I keep it separated from the EON Films. I don't consider CR '67 to be a Bond movie, I consider it to be a spoof. And lastly, I don't consider CR '54 to be a Bond movie, but rather a "made for TV" Bond.)

Having said all that, if I were to rank NSNA on the list above it would likely slip between 4 and 5.

[ACE]

Does anybody match each other exactly?

If so, Bond Snap!

[Mr Malcolm]

1. YOLT - I'm also going to have to agree with what Harmsway said. I just never get tired of watching this one! And I really, really want to go to Japan!

2. Goldfinger - He's the man! Nuff said.

3. FRWL - Best full-on spy thriller of the 60's, and still great today.

4. Thunderball - my first ever Bond film. It does go on a bit, but there's just so much quality overall that I can't complain.

5. DAF - Not as bad as it's often made out to be. If it had had a better final confrontation, it'd be a belter.

6. Dr. No - Entertaining enough, although a bit plodding at times, IMHO. And I HATE that bit with the spider in the bed!

7. NSNA - I'm not a fan of this at all, I have to admit. It just looks cheap, and just isn't fun, overall.

[Doctor No]

1. From Russia With Love
2. Goldfinger
3. Dr. No
4. Thunderball
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. You Only Live Twice
7. Never Say Never Again

My top four favorite Connery Bond films move around, so any one of them could be my favorite on any given day. Today it appears to be From Russia With Love.

[james st.john smythe]

1. the best. gf
2. tb
3. daf
4. nsna
5. yolt
6. frwl
7. dr no

[007.5]

From Russia With Love
Dr No
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds Are Forever
Thunderball

Thunderball is a boring Bond film - an underwater documentary with gadgets. By the time of DAF, Connery just wasn't trying anymore but the earliest signs of his sleepwalking can be see in TB. FRWL has the grit and intrigue of a Cold War thriller and is one of my favourite Bond films.

[Andrew]

1. From Russia With Love
2. Thunderball
3. Dr. No
4. Goldfinger
5. Diamonds Are Forever
6. You Only Live Twice

I thought I should update my list...

1. Thunderball
2. From Russia With Love
3. Dr. No
4. You Only Live Twice
5. Goldfinger
6. Never Say Never Again
7. Diamonds Are Forever

As you can see You Only Live Twice has jumped up dramatically in my ranking.