37 replies to this topic

[Qbranchtech]

There has been a lot of discussions about "Top 5" or "Best" Bond girls over 22 movies. Let's flip this over and talk about the mindbogglingly bad/wasted/useless ones? Either due to limited screen time or just bad characterization or acting, I think 3 is a good number to start with.


Tiffany Case - falling into the water from the oil platform while firing a gun. Has a ditzy quality to her.
Strawberry Fields - did nothing to advance to story except get shagged by Bond and die horribly.
The Countess in FYEO - did nothing to the story either...

[Daylights]

The absolutely worst Bond girl ever: Britt Ekland in TMWTGG.
Second place: Denise Richards in TWINE.
Not quite sure about the third place, but for now I'll say Jill St. John in DAF.

[plankattack]

I'm going to throw two names in here that I have no doubt will come up again and again.

Mary Goodnight - I know her bungling is supposed to add some humour and but there comes a moment where she defies belief. Who is doing the hiring at MI6? Ronald MacDonald? Useless character.

Stacey Sutton - A character that adds nothing but being "the Bond-girl", played by an actress of dubious talent.

The third?

Well, Kissy Suzuki in the film-YOLT, has always beeen a WTF character. Basically dropped in after Aki bites the bullet (or string, perhaps) so that SC has someone to snog. An absolute waste of space considering the source material.

Edited by plankattack, 15 December 2008 - 04:13 PM.

[dogmanstar]

Oh, I definately think Halle Barry is the worst--"Yo Mama!"

I'd have to think about the other two.

[Publius]

Strawberry Fields - did nothing to advance to story except get shagged by Bond and die horribly.

I strongly disagree. She was one of the most well-used Bond girls for that reason alone. When Bond realizes what his single-minded focus (whether revenge or duty) has cost this girl, the first innocent whose death he's been responsible for, he is taken aback in a way we have never seen from Craig's Bond (indeed, probably any Bond).

M's comment to him after he sees her lifeless body was surely running through his mind when he later confronts Yusef, whose treatment of women eerily mirrors this Bond's darker side (and classic cinematic Bond, for that matter). There's a reason Bond goes right back to M instead of escaping, after disabling her men, to tell her that Fields died bravely assisting him with this mission of grave importance, to say nothing of when Bond tosses Greene the motor oil in the desert.

Well, Kissy Suzuki in the film-YOLT, has always beeen a WTF character. Basically dropped in after Aki bites the bullet (or string, perhaps) so that SC has someone to snog. An absolute waste of space considering the source material.

Agreed. And a shame, too, because Mie Hama was such an adorable, endearing actress.

[danielcraigisjamesbond007]

I can't tell you my three worst Bond Girls. I can give you my seven worst ones:
Mary Goodnight (TMWTGG)
Pam Bouvier (LTK)
Jinx (DAD)
Strawberry Fields (QoS)
Dr. Holly Goodhead (MR)
Stacy Sutton (AVTAK)
Kissy Suzuki (YOLT)

All of these girls were really unnecessary to the entire story, in my opinion. It just felt like their characters were poorly written and handled.

Edited by danielcraigisjamesbond007, 15 December 2008 - 07:30 PM.

[007.5]

The most useless 3 were:

Tiffany Case
Mary Goodnight
Stacey Sutton

[sharpshooter]

Strawberry Fields - did nothing to advance to story except get shagged by Bond and die horribly.

I strongly disagree. She was one of the most well-used Bond girls for that reason alone. When Bond realizes what his single-minded focus (whether revenge or duty) has cost this girl, the first innocent whose death he's been responsible for, he is taken aback in a way we have never seen from Craig's Bond (indeed, probably any Bond).

M's comment to him after he sees her lifeless body was surely running through his mind when he later confronts Yusef, whose treatment of women eerily mirrors this Bond's darker side (and classic cinematic Bond, for that matter). There's a reason Bond goes right back to M instead of escaping, after disabling her men, to tell her that Fields died bravely assisting him with this mission of grave importance, to say nothing of when Bond tosses Greene the motor oil in the desert.

Yes, indeed. Fields was not useless or wasted. My only gripe is that her airtime could have been expanded before her untimely demise.

[Quincy]

Christmas Jones
Mary Goodnight
Jinx

[Qbranchtech]

Yes, indeed. Fields was not useless or wasted. My only gripe is that her airtime could have been expanded before her untimely demise.

While I agree Bond and M's exchange at Fields' death body added a new dimension to Bond himself, it fails to elevate the character of Fields while the actress was still on screen. Besides, we are talking about Bond girls while they are alive on screen, not after they have expired here. So, for me, her short onscreen time with little to do with the story aside from comic relief (at least Solange gave away a key plot point innocently enough before being tortured to death offscreen) made her rather wasted. As I mentioned in other threads there could have been a lot possibilities and still not losing her innocent bystander status:

1)Is she a Quantum agent or not?
2)She could have been the mirror to Bond's innocence before meeting Vesper, just as Camille mirrors his vengence after meeting her
3)Her name reveal could have added more to the Greene party

Yes, I almost completely forgot about Goodnight and Christmas Jones. Diffusing a nuclear bomb with a HP Jornada? Come on!

Edited by Qbranchtech, 16 December 2008 - 05:42 PM.

[Mister Asterix]

Besides, we are talking about Bond girls while they are alive on screen, not after they have expired here.

No, we’re talking about their time on screen, alive or dead. Fields death is made more poignant by her short screen time while alive.

[DR76]

1. Honey Ryder - She did nothing for the story of DR. NO. All she did was make an entrance and look good while wearing a bikini. Yes, she led Bond and Quarrel to a hiding place on the island. But that didn't last very long. Frankly, I found her character to be irrevelant, despite Ursula Andress' solid performance.


2. Plenty O'Toole - She fail to do anything for the story of DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, except get thrown out of a window by gangsters and end up dead in Tiffany Case's pool. And she was portrayed by a BAD ACTRESS. Sorry Ms. Wood, but you certainly were in this film.



3. Solitaire - I was wary about adding her to this list, considering I have been such a big fan of Jane Seymour for years. But for me, Solitaire has been one of the most useless and annoying of the Bond women. Seymour's performance in LIVE AND LET DIE was pretty good, but it did not really help the characterization of Solitaire. All the character did was predict Bond's arrival in New York and San Monique. After that, she spent most of the movie either rebuffing Bond's flirtations, weeping or wallowing in her satisfaction of having sex with Bond. A very passive character. Too passive for my tastes.



3.

Edited by DR76, 16 December 2008 - 07:33 PM.

[danielcraigisjamesbond007]

Yes, indeed. Fields was not useless or wasted. My only gripe is that her airtime could have been expanded before her untimely demise.

While I agree Bond and M's exchange at Fields' death body added a new dimension to Bond himself, it fails to elevate the character of Fields while the actress was still on screen. Besides, we are talking about Bond girls while they are alive on screen, not after they have expired here. So, for me, her short onscreen time with little to do with the story aside from comic relief (at least Solange gave away a key plot point innocently enough before being tortured to death offscreen) made her rather wasted. As I mentioned in other threads there could have been a lot possibilities and still not losing her innocent bystander status:

1)Is she a Quantum agent or not?
2)She could have been the mirror to Bond's innocence before meeting Vesper, just as Camille mirrors his vengence after meeting her
3)Her name reveal could have added more to the Greene party

Yes, I almost completely forgot about Goodnight and Christmas Jones. Diffusing a nuclear bomb with a HP Jornada? Come on!

Qbranchtech, let me see if I can try to answer some of your questions about Agent Fields:
1) No, Agent Fields was not a Quantum member. Agent Fields only worked at the British Consulate in Bolivia. M even mentions that Fields just worked in an office, proving that she didn't know anything about Quantum. So, no, Fields was not a Quantum member.
2) You may have a point with #2. I didn't notice that after having watched QoS the first time. But, that does make sense.
3) I think that Strawberry Fields was only a throwback to the Flemingesque names (i.e. Pussy Galore).

Hope that helps!

[tim partridge]

AVTAK:

Jenny Flex
Papillon Soo Soo


Why is the sub driver called "Kimberly Jones" in the credits, anyway? Until the internet I had no idea who this character was suppose to be.

Not a Bond girl, but Scarpine was a bit of a chocolate teapot as well.

[plankattack]

Not a Bond girl, but Scarpine was a bit of a chocolate teapot as well.

LMAO (insert applause icon here)

[Qbranchtech]

1) No, Agent Fields was not a Quantum member. Agent Fields only worked at the British Consulate in Bolivia. M even mentions that Fields just worked in an office, proving that she didn't know anything about Quantum. So, no, Fields was not a Quantum member.

Thanks, I know that even before going into the film. My point is that from Bond's perspective, he has encountered a turned UK Treasury agent - Vesper Lynd. Then quickly followed by another Quantum agent in MI6 - Mitchell. Even White mentions that they have people everywhere. So it would have been logical to assume anybody from MI6 that Bond encounters out of the blue at an airport who refuses to disclose what she does to be a little suspicious. Yet, Bond never checked her id or get her to fess up a little about her motivations at all. For all he knows she could have killed her while they are in bed. Yet Bond just completely trusted her not knowing anything about her at all. That's very strange in terms of character development.

Edited by Qbranchtech, 18 December 2008 - 07:26 PM.

[Harmsway]

The worst?

Elektra King. Poorly written and horrendously acted. Nowhere else is a Bond girl quite so insufferable.

[Judo chop]

The worst?

Elektra King. Poorly written and horrendously acted. Nowhere else is a Bond girl quite so insufferable.

And to think just how low the bar was already set for her!

Do you despise Marceau as an actress across the board, Harms, or is her performance in TWINE really that much of an underachievement for the lady? I think her character is insufferable in a situational sense, and it’s unnecessarily dramatic and pouty (like the rest of the film) but I’ve seen worse, more inept performances in the Bond films. Many, I’d have to say. As a matter of fact you don’t even have to remove TWINE from the DVD player to find one.

I laugh when I think of you watching TWINE, Harms. It’s already a painful experience for me for certain, but I can’t imagine the suffering if I thought that Marceau’s acting was actually worse than Richardson’s.

[Blonde Bond]

Mary Goodnight
- competent character in the books, a bubblehead on the film.

Plenty O'Toole
- I'm plenty. Plenty O'Toole.
But of course you are.

I sure wouldn't mind of re-tooling her though.

The Countess from FYEO

[plankattack]

The worst?

Elektra King. Poorly written and horrendously acted. Nowhere else is a Bond girl quite so insufferable.

And to think just how low the bar was already set for her!

Do you despise Marceau as an actress across the board, Harms, or is her performance in TWINE really that much of an underachievement for the lady? I think her character is insufferable in a situational sense, and it’s unnecessarily dramatic and pouty (like the rest of the film) but I’ve seen worse, more inept performances in the Bond films. Many, I’d have to say. As a matter of fact you don’t even have to remove TWINE from the DVD player to find one.

I laugh when I think of you watching TWINE, Harms. It’s already a painful experience for me for certain, but I can’t imagine the suffering if I thought that Marceau’s acting was actually worse than Richardson’s.

Come on, TWINE-bashers, play fair. I agree watching Marceau is hard work, with that accent that seems to switch European countries like a backpacker with a rail pass, but is her character that insufferable? She's the villain after all.She's allowed to be a little crazy. Is Walken's maniac behaviour in AVTAK (and accent, come to think of it) any less offensive?

[Judo chop]

Is Walken's maniac behaviour in AVTAK (and accent, come to think of it) any less offensive?

Actually, if anything I think Walken underplayed it. AVTAK really could use a shot in the arm and there would have been a great oppotunity for an injection.

I guess I don't really see 'crazy' in her performance. I just see cheese and ham. It'd have been nice if she did have an unstable quality behind her eyes.

But again, I don't think her performance is that horrible.

[Harmsway]

The worst?

Elektra King. Poorly written and horrendously acted. Nowhere else is a Bond girl quite so insufferable.

And to think just how low the bar was already set for her!

Do you despise Marceau as an actress across the board, Harms, or is her performance in TWINE really that much of an underachievement for the lady?

I haven't seen much of Marceau outside of THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. I've seen BRAVEHEART. I don't really like her in that, either.

I think her character is insufferable in a situational sense, and it’s unnecessarily dramatic and pouty (like the rest of the film) but I’ve seen worse, more inept performances in the Bond films. Many, I’d have to say. As a matter of fact you don’t even have to remove TWINE from the DVD player to find one.

I think Richardson's Christmas Jones is pretty poor, but she's mostly harmlessly awful. She's a joke of a supporting character that just goes bad. But Marceau's the centerpiece of the whole flick, and she's absolutely intolerable.

I laugh when I think of you watching TWINE, Harms. It’s already a painful experience for me for certain, but I can’t imagine the suffering if I thought that Marceau’s acting was actually worse than Richardson’s.

I agree watching Marceau is hard work, with that accent that seems to switch European countries like a backpacker with a rail pass, but is her character that insufferable?

Yes.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I agree watching Marceau is hard work, with that accent that seems to switch European countries like a backpacker with a rail pass, but is her character that insufferable?

Yes.

I agree with Harmsy; Sophie Marceau's performance in this movie, along with Denise Richardson's idiocy and the simpering uselessness of Dame Judy Dench, are what quickly let down my high expectations for this film when I first watched it. If it's on TV, I change the channel; it's just bad, and not in a good sense...

[Kristian]

1. Mary Goodnight - Completely. Useless. Air. Head.

2. Strawberry Fields - While she served a purpose later, I am appalled at how little dialogue and screen time Forster allowed her.

3. Honey Ryder - It amuses me to no end that this women gets the Best Bond Girl vote all the time, when all the heifer did is walk out of the sea. Totally overrated.


And in defense of Christmas Jones she directly impacted the plot by inadvertently allowing Renard to escape with the bomb and providing Bond with assistance in getting it back.

And Stacey Sutton, while awfully played by Tanya R., did have a purpose in the plot.

And although I liked Bibi Dahl, I almost added her to the list above, but realized she delivered in that brief fight scene at the end by knocking the gun out of Erich's hand. Plus she really was a bright spot in the movie. You could tell that even in 1981, the Broccolis were trying to court the younger crowd with Lynn Holly Johnson - who did a good job. That's the equivalent of casting Denise Richards in a Bond movie. But at least Lynn was far more believable as a skater.

[Turn]

I'm amazed nobody's mentioned Lupe Lamora (Talisa Soto) of LTK yet. Terribly written, terribly acted. I didn't find her attractive, nor worth can I understand the trouble Sanchez got into going after her. Nothing about this character made her worth the time of day.

Stacey Sutton - again, poorly acted and beyond bland. Helps push an already sub-par Bond film that much lower.

Hard to pick a third. Kissy in YOLT doesn't do a whole lot aside from rejecting Bond's advances and then easily falling for him. I'll give her that she's one of the more independent girls as far as helping in a fight, but she's just boring.

[Sakhalin]

Kissy literally ran around the mountain wearing a white bikini and white flats the entire time. That's pretty much all I remember about her, other than her name not being mentioned once in the movie. But she doesn't make it to my list of the most useless Bond girls.

Jinx - While I don't think she was completely useless, the character was just lame. What kind of secret replies "Yo momma!" when asked who sent her? But then again the whole movie for me was kind of...blah

Paris Carver - Goes from "Bond I hate you" to making love to him in just a few scenes. The only thing she did was tell Bond a way to get into the facility; a way Bond probably would have figured out eventually once he got there. In fact, probably the first place he would try even if she didn't tell him.

Helga Brandt - Lmao. She didn't do ANYTHING and got offed halfway by piranhas.

[Jose]

I'm amazed nobody's mentioned Lupe Lamora (Talisa Soto) of LTK yet. Terribly written, terribly acted. I didn't find her attractive, nor worth can I understand the trouble Sanchez got into going after her. Nothing about this character made her worth the time of day.

I agree.

[trs007]

JINX, Stacey Sutton and Ms Fields

[O.H.M.S.S.]

Stacey Sutton (A View to a Kill)
- screaming all the time and being helpless.
Wai Lin (Tomorrow Never Dies)
- the combination with Bond does not work.
Christmas Jones (The World Is Not Enough)
- well, she is a nuclear scientist.

[Scottlee]

Jinx - Awful all the way through, more because of the actress than the character.

Tiffany Case - Starts off okay but soon descends into a boring character.

Wai Lin - Too comic book for my liking with very little in the way of characterisation. I'm tired of the 'Bond's equal' thing.