39 replies to this topic

[Colossus]

When compared to other Bonds. He had the goodness of being in some of the best movies which envelops him too.

[SecretAgentFan]

Sure, he was the first and had an advantage in that. But overrated?

Never, my friend.

[x007AceOfSpades]

I agree SAF.

The day Mr. Connery dies, I will cry. Man is a legend.

[deth]

He's not overrated. He was the template for goodness sake!

[Jim]

Depends what you rate him as. He was never that good a milkman, true.

[Guy Haines]

No, not overrated. Rather, his successors are underrated in comparison. Wrongly, and no fault of theirs or Sean Connery's. One reason, I think, is a consensus amongst some film critics - those who can be bothered to "slum it" by actually missing a night in the art-house for a trip to the multi-plex - that Bond stopped being something worth watching when Connery quit the role, and that all else after is just the "same old same old" with someone else going around calling himself James Bond.

Admittedly, Daniel Craig has impressed some of the self same critics enough to warrant the title "The Best Bond Since Connery", but note, not "The Best Bond".

It is a pity this view still persists forty years on, because all the Bond actors brought something to the role and deserve better than tiresome comparison with the first, a comparison I would imagine Mr. Connery would also find tiresome and pointless.

All of us have our favourite Bond actors and Bond films - and some favourite films might not necessarily feature the favoured actor as 007 (OHMSS a case in point with me.)

Besides, unusually in the world of cinema and celebrity where many fans flock to see their idols on screen, the star of the Bond films has never really been the actor in the role but always "Bond, James Bond".

[Skudor]

Jim: That's not what Mrs Duncan said - she always looked forward to him coming.

On topic: Connery cannot be over rated. The man is more than a legend, he is the original and best James Bond.

[AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän]

On topic: Connery cannot be over rated. The man is more than a legend, he is the original and best James Bond.

And this is a fact.

[crheath]

Connery did have an advantage of being in the best movies but he was also the best Bond.
Could you see any other actor in the scene in Dr. No, shooting someone after saying, "that's a Smith and Wesson and you've had your six." Could anyone say, "shocking, positively shocking" better than him?

[Colossus]

I just do not want the series to be only hinged on him. Star Trek's captains are Picard who has every bit on Kirk even though Kirk was the original. He proved that one can equal and then be a regular challenger for "best" over the original. It is the same thing for me i like Trek over Next Gen but Picard over Kirk. Moore over Connery.

I think that the originality of him is what causes many to maybe consider him the one. When really, he is

Sure, he was the first and had an advantage in that. But overrated?

Never, my friend.

Fair play.

[Colossus]

No, not overrated. Rather, his successors are underrated in comparison. Wrongly, and no fault of theirs or Sean Connery's. One reason, I think, is a consensus amongst some film critics - those who can be bothered to "slum it" by actually missing a night in the art-house for a trip to the multi-plex - that Bond stopped being something worth watching when Connery quit the role, and that all else after is just the "same old same old" with someone else going around calling himself James Bond.

Admittedly, Daniel Craig has impressed some of the self same critics enough to warrant the title "The Best Bond Since Connery", but note, not "The Best Bond".

It is a pity this view still persists forty years on, because all the Bond actors brought something to the role and deserve better than tiresome comparison with the first, a comparison I would imagine Mr. Connery would also find tiresome and pointless.

All of us have our favourite Bond actors and Bond films - and some favourite films might not necessarily feature the favoured actor as 007 (OHMSS a case in point with me.)

Besides, unusually in the world of cinema and celebrity where many fans flock to see their idols on screen, the star of the Bond films has never really been the actor in the role but always "Bond, James Bond".

Yes Mr Guy the series just cannot be seen like all of the good stuff in the beginning while everything afterward are just some leftover appendages. Another one is the 60s really benefit from being the hottest with clothes, haircuts, cars while everyone afterward was busy trying to fight crappy fashion as much as world dominating badguys.

[Gt Munn]

I just do not want the series to be only hinged on him. Star Trek's captains are Picard who has every bit on Kirk even though Kirk was the original. He proved that one can equal and then be a regular challenger for "best" over the original. It is the same thing for me i like Trek over Next Gen but Picard over Kirk. Moore over Connery.

I think that the originality of him is what causes many to maybe consider him the one. When really, he is

Sure, he was the first and had an advantage in that. But overrated?

Never, my friend.

Fair play.

Please do not compare Bond to Star Trek.
Besides, in your reasoning, you are mentioning to completely different characters.
Not following your logic here.

[s.a.s. Malko]

In my opinion what makes Connery so outstanding special is his dangerous aura and his huge machismo. He wasn´t the greatest actor back then but I can´t think of any actor in the early 60s who could have played the character of Bond so cool, dangerous and sexy like him. So, no, not overrated. In these days I´d say not even valued enough. There would have been no Bond since 1963 in cinema when they had Roger Moore as the first. And I say this as a big Fan of him, FYEO being in my Top Five and all.

[Iceskater101]

I don't believe he is overrated. He was the one that provided the background of who James Bond is. I mean he is definitely one of my favorites. He just did a good rendition of the character.

[AMC Hornet]

Leonard Hofsteader:

I like Trek over Next Gen but Picard over Kirk.

Sheldon Cooper: "Correct."

[NVT]

When you're the first it's difficult to be called the last.

[FredJB007]

Overrated, are you serious?

[S K Y F A L L]

I never thought of it before but for what its worth Connery is the only Bond actor to have won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Untouchables.

[Connerybond]

Connery , overrated? He is the Bond, the first and always. Ever since I read the book Dr NO in 1958 and watched the Bond in the big screen in 1962, Connery is the quintessential Bond.

[Redneck007]

Connery is not overrated. He defined the cinematic James Bond.

[SPECTRE ASSASSIN]

I want to hear Colossus give his actual reasoning WHY Connery is overrated. For my 2 cents, his performances weren't all consistent. Going through the motions through the latter part of TB and nearly all of YOLT. Yes still the defenitive Bond and not perfect, but definitely not overrated.

[FOX MULDER]

Sean Connery IS James Bond.

The rest play him...

[Iceskater101]

So who is your favorite bond then? ^

[plankattack]

No, not overrated. Rather, his successors are underrated in comparison. Wrongly, and no fault of theirs or Sean Connery's.

Spot on. How can the man who created the cinematic Bond be overrated? Is he Fleming's Bond? Well, that's not the question. But he's not overrated.

The others unfortunately, are underrated. And because SC created a character (the cinematic Bond is not the literary Bond in the truest sense), the others don't have the option of originality, so they are trapped in the paradox of trying to do their own thing but then getting tagged with the "not as good as Connery" label.

I agree with Silhouette in that DC probably comes close - he is the character, whereas I always have the sneaky suspicion that Laz, Sir Rog, and Brozza (and I love all six) can be caught playing the character. TD, great actor that he is, doesn't have the indefinable celluloid star quality that SC had, but DC does seem to have it

That being said, with SC always looming large, the others never get evaluated out of his shadow, so they are, unfairly I must stress, always underrated.

SC - no.

[QOS4EVER]

Sean Connery had the ruthlessness whilst still being well dressed and professional, of course with the occasional lady, but I always thought lacked the darkness of an assassin.

Roger Moore was one of the worst with the cheesiest stuff.

Timothy Dalton was okay for the step between.

Pierce Brosnan had a certain flair, and a fairly believable assassin but suffered from over-cheesiness and sometimes ridiculous gadgets.

Daniel Craig is the most believable assassin whilst still being suave and Bond.

[FOX MULDER]

Sean Connery had the ruthlessness whilst still being well dressed and professional, of course with the occasional lady, but I always thought lacked the darkness of an assassin.

Pierce Brosnan had a certain flair, and a fairly believable assassin but suffered from over-cheesiness and sometimes ridiculous gadgets.

Daniel Craig is the most believable assassin whilst still being suave and Bond.

Except Bond isn't an assassin. He's a spy.

[The Shark]

Counter-intelligence agent.

[chrisisall]

So who is your favorite bond then? ^

Dalton: an assassin with a conscience. Like Fleming's Bond.

[triviachamp]

These over/underrated threads bore me since they are inherently based on subjective judgements of what others think. Is OHMSS still underrated? Or just outside of the fanbase? Is it overrated among the fanbase now? At what point does Moonraker become overrated and FRWL underrated?

That said he is so overrated. Neil was so much better.

[Peckinpah1976]

On topic: Connery cannot be over rated. The man is more than a legend, he is the original and best James Bond.

And this is a fact.

No that's an opinion, no matter how widely held it is.

Connery was great for the series at the time and had terrific style and was hugely charismatic in the role BUT you could make the make case that he was miscast and then there are the (IMO) phoned-in post-Thunderball performance that dent his legacy.