129 replies to this topic

[dogmanstar]

Isn't it obvious? Casino Royale 1967

And, yes, I'm joking. But it was disappointing, no?

[Safari Suit]

It was disappointing, no; I'd heard it was unwatchable so I was surprised by how funny I actually found it.

1. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

I can't even remember if I saw this before or after I saw OHMSS, but what a disappointment in hindsight. Aside from the thrown-together PTS, this film completely ignores the emotional ending of its predecessor. Strike one. Not only do we not receive a revenge story like we deserve, but we are also given a complete 180 of that idea. Strike two. Then there's the cross-dressing Blofeld. Strike Three.

DAF takes place in a completely different universe than its immediate predecessor. I think the filmmakers quite consciously ignored the existence of OHMSS when they were making this one.

I believe the PTS is meant to suggest that Bond has finally caught up with the Blofeld that escaped at the end of YOLT - not the Blofeld who killed his wife.

We're even introduced to Bond in Japan, where we last saw him (in his Connery incarnation).

Indeed, I'd be interested to know if there was anyone here who saw DAF on it's original release and, even though all marketing indicated it would be nothing of the sort, was disappointed in it specifically because it wasn't a revenge story following on from OHMSS...

... and if so if the literally thousands of revenge fantasies since then in any way made up for it

[dogmanstar]

Really Safari Suit, you found it funny? You must give me the name of your oculist!!!!

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

Really Safari Suit, you found it funny? You must give me the name of your oculist!!!!

I thought it was funny too.

[DR76]

And, yes, I'm joking. But it was disappointing, no?

I didn't think that CASINO ROYALE '67 was disappointing. I rather liked it a lot and found the story easy to follow . . . until the last fifteen or twenty minutes.

[[dark]]

From my experience, Quantum of Solace, I suppose, but only because Casino Royale set the bar so damn high. Quantum of Solace still ranks in the upper tier of Bond films, and had it've come at any other time, I'd look more kindly upon it, but as a direct sequel to Casino Royale, it's a disappointment.

More broadly, though, I'd imagine Never Say Never Again has to take the cake as the most disappointing Bond flick. Think about it: Sean Connery returns as James Bond and that's the end result?

[sharpshooter]

More broadly, though, I'd imagine Never Say Never Again has to take the cake as the most disappointing Bond flick. Think about it: Sean Connery returns as James Bond and that's the end result?

To each his own, but I’m not disappointed by NSNA. It’s not as bad as people say. I think it's better than certain official Bond films. It has some good aspects going on. Especially Fatima Blush and Maximillian Largo. I like the new take on Q Branch as well. Not to mention moments of pure gold, notably the doorman scene. I think the good outweighs the bad.

Granted, it’s got poor music and editing, Basinger is weak and we’ve seen most of the action before in Thunderball, but when Connery is on screen, it works. He still had the charm, especially in his line delivery. And he has some great lines to deliver. He didn’t let the side down. It’s a bonus performance that we otherwise wouldn’t have. For that alone, I like it.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I didn't think that CASINO ROYALE '67 was disappointing. I rather liked it a lot and found the story easy to follow . . . until the last fifteen or twenty minutes.

Really? Even with scenes missing and reshuffled around to form a frankly-incoherent and unlinear mismash?

[dunmall]

for me it was the man with the golden gun, I was born in 82 so really I became a Bond fan during the 90-95 hiatus, during which time I sought out all the movies on TV and VHS and the one I could never find was Golden Gun.
So in my mind i built up this idea that it must be fantastic and wonderful film.
Now when the rereleased all the movies on VHS for the release of GoldenEye I could finally see it!!

Well I was 13 and thought it was the most boring Bond film ever, even now while I appreciate parts of it I still rank it fairly low on my list of Favs.

[Safari Suit]

Really Safari Suit, you found it funny? You must give me the name of your oculist!!!!

It's in the free-form surrealist tradition of post-war, post-vaudville British comedies like The Goon Show (with the obvious Peter Sellers link), with a touch of the psychedelia-tinged silliness and wierdness you often find in cartoons of the time (especially Pink Panther cartoons), and in a way this style is a predecessor to the Monty Python et al wave of comedy. These are all things that, for my sins, I find funny, so yes CR67 raised the odd chuckle and kept a smile on my face. Don't get me wrong, I don't love the film, I don't even own it currently*, but I did find it quite funny.

*Mind you, if the US edition with the Barry Nelson version included or the special edition with making of and commentary had been released in the UK I probably would have it by now.

[Bucky]

probably you only live twice. in terms of the visuals and the music it is great but when it comes to the story it is just disappointing that this was the one where they decided to deviate greatly from the book.

[jaguar007]

My first big letdown was NSNA. C'mon back in 1983 SEAN CONNERY was BACK as BOND! ....oh.

My second big letdown was LTK. After how impressed I was with TLD (Best Bond since the 60s), I felt letdown with LTK.

Same with QoS, CR became my new favorite Bond movie and QoS was a poor follow up.

I should clarify that these are not my least favorite Bond movies, but they are the ones that I were most looking forward to that disappointed me.

The other one I should add would be GoldenEye. After a 6 1/2 year hiatus, I was looking forward to the return of Bond. I went to the World Premiere, was 10 feet away from Brosnan, spoke with Femke Janssen, it was a once in a lifetime experience. All that build up and the movie left me feeling rather flat.

[Manta ray]

Which Bond film disappointed you the most? It doesn't have to be the worst, just the one that you had high expectations for that weren't met.

For me, it's definitely DAD, TWINE, Moonraker.

[Q's Tie Collection]

Oddly, I didn't have high hopes for Die Another Day, so although it is one of my least favourite films of the series, it doesn't grab the dubious honour of being 'Most Disappointing'.

Quantum of Solace, as many have already stated on here, was a crushing come-down after the dizzy heights of Casino Royale. Whatever excitement I had going into the cinema had drained almost completely from me by the end of the film.

The most disappointing of all for me though was Licence To Kill. I loved The Living Daylights and throughly enjoyed Timothy Dalton's take on the role of James Bond. Licence To Kill felt ALL wrong to me. Dalton was good but the movie seemed tacky, unglamorous, overly violent, and I got the odd sensation that Bond was guest-starring in another's film (a little like that time when inexplicably Tom Selleck's Magnum appeared in an episode of Murder She Wrote).

Drifting from Fleming is one thing, but drifting from the essential elements that make up a Bond movie always leaves me disappointed.

Edited by Q's Tie Collection, 08 March 2010 - 12:07 PM.

[dodge]

QOS by a landslide. Even the worst of the previous films had had their delights. Even MR and AVTAK, two of my least favorites, offered some good, rousing fun. I can even rewatch them with pleasure. But the memory of QOS is simply too terrible to allow another viewing.

[FredJB007]

For me, its a no-brainer. DIE ANOTHER DAY.
Anticipation......the 40th Anniversary film, Halle Berry,
Bond captured in N. Korea- then the bottom falls out...........

[Loomis]

QUANTUM OF SOLACE, no question.

I was hoping it'd be a work of true greatness, like CASINO ROYALE. But it wasn't.

It wasn't even very good at all.

[Bucky]

is it strange that after reading this thread i have a desire to go watch quantum of solace again right now?

Edited by Bucky, 10 March 2010 - 06:52 PM.

[Shaun Forever]

QOS is the only Bond film to ever let me down.


Baring in mind, I was a teenager growing up with the Brosnan films, so they entertained me, and I always left the cinema happy, probably would be different, if say I were a bit older back then.

[MrKidd]

Anything Brosnan by a mile. How crap

And Quantum.

[AMC Hornet]

The trick to enjoying any movie is in not having preconceived expectations. The media will hype any franchise entry as "the BEST ever!" because that's their job.

Just before King Kong was released in 1976, Dino de Laurentis' studio released a little film called The White Buffalo, with the promise "You won't believe your eyes!" What I couldn't believe was their gall, nor that I had parted with four bucks to see this white elephant.

Being a cynic as a result, I never pay attention to promises of anything being "the BEST ever!" I make up my own mind, after I've seen the film.

That said,

AVTAK, followed by LTK, but only because you wouldn't expect such entries after the films that preceded them.

[jwheels]

Diamonds are Forever, followed by A View to a Kill. Funny how they are the last movies of their respected actors.

[orlandobond]

I saw DAD at the Royal Premiere in London's Albert Hall, the setup of the 40th anniversary, the appearance of Dalton and Moore joining Brosnan onstage was exhilarating..and then the film. The walk afterwards to the hotel was the quietest group you could imagine, sheer dismay. Looking back, we suspected to be disapointed due to the uneveness of all the Brosnan films. Which was unlike the experience of Quantum of Solace, we wanted to love it and while, there are some good set pieces, it was the most disapointing for so much talent to not deliver.

[Brannigan]

I don't understand the dislike of QOS. It might have come off as a more action oriented Bond movie then we'd hoped. but its far from the worst of the series. I see it almost as what DAF should have been: a revenge flick. I actually like some of the scenes in QOS, such as the Opera scene: I think it is well done and the suspense is very good. I was let down a little bit by this movie after CR, but I've been let down by other Bond movies far more.
That said the most disappointing Bond film for me is YOLT. It seems so cheesy and fake I wish they would redo it completely and make it closer to the book.

[DaveBond21]

I saw DAD at the Royal Premiere in London's Albert Hall, the setup of the 40th anniversary, the appearance of Dalton and Moore joining Brosnan onstage was exhilarating..and then the film. The walk afterwards to the hotel was the quietest group you could imagine, sheer dismay. Looking back, we suspected to be disapointed due to the uneveness of all the Brosnan films. Which was unlike the experience of Quantum of Solace, we wanted to love it and while, there are some good set pieces, it was the most disapointing for so much talent to not deliver.

I remember getting some warning about DAD before seeing it. I'd recently discovered James Berardinelli's reviews of the previous 19 Bond movies, and so the day before I was due to see the film, I checked out his review. In the first sentence I saw the word "train-wreck" and decided not to read any more.

It was still a disappointment - especially after such a good first hour - but not as much as it would have been if I hadn't been pre-warned.

[Double-Oh Agent]

While I really doubted that Bond 22 could be anywhere as good as the great Casino Royale, I nevertheless was optimistic for Quantum Of Solace. Unfortunately, QOS fell far below my expectations. From the excessive use of shaky-cam and the super-quick editing to the death of Rene Mathis and Bond's totally out of character callous treatment of his body, clearly make this, to me, the most disappointing Bond film.

[Glenn]

Like so many others, the most disappointing for me is Quantum of Solace. Not the worst, but the most disappointing. The story line was actually good (the idea of Quantum being interested in Bolivia hinted at the possibilities that they were moving elsewhere in the world - "This is the world's most precious resource"). Equally the action scenes were good. What spoilt the film for me was the shakey cam and the poor editing skills displayed by Marc Forster - and all because he is an "art" director. I wanted to see Daniel Craigs expressions and not have to pause or slow down the dvd to see how he reacts when his Aston is getting slammed around. I wanted to see the stunts and explosions, and not have to play the dvd in slow motion. And that is why the film is a disappointment.

I wasn't to disappointed with Licence to Kill or The World is not Enough because, despite both being weak films, the expectation was that there would be another one in two years time. The expectation was the same for Quatum of Solace...but now?

And the other reason that Quantum of Solace disappoints is that I set my expectations to high after Casino Royale.

[Zorin Industries]

Once again.....Marc Forster is NOT an "art director" nor were any "poor editing skills" on display.

Different is not the same as bad.

[Aris007]

QoS with a mile. I really expected so much from this, but it turned out to be a complete let-down. I've only watched it once in DVD and I don't think I will for a long time!

[Glenn]

Once again.....Marc Forster is NOT an "art director" nor were any "poor editing skills" on display.

Different is not the same as bad.

Then I would have to disagree with you. "Different" when it doesn't work, when the audience fails to visualise what is happening on screen without repeat viewings, is "bad".

And if you do not like "art director" then what monniker would you prefer? "Character director" ? That would also work. But he most certainly isn't "action director". The shakey cam method may work for up close and personal stories like Cloverleaf or Blair Witch Project, but the effect ruins broadcanvas stories such as Quantum of Solace or Jason Bourne.

He may very well be a brilliant director, but the choice for shakey cam and extreme editing was, in my opinion, a mistake, and thus made Quantum of Solace a disappointment.

Edited by Glenn, 08 June 2010 - 11:47 AM.