I edited my original list, got ride of the lame mathematical formula and did a quick review of each.
1. On Her Majesties Secret Service (1969, George Lazenby): A true masterpiece offering the best combination of remaining very faithfull to the Fleming material, character development, epic scope, down to earthness and action. Diana Rigg is an excellent Bond girl. In addition Lazenby gave an excellent portrayal as Bond regardless of what the naysayers think. The score is also top notch.
2. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977, Roger Moore): Another outing on an epic scale that still managed to show the best of Bond and had good character development. Good score and the title song "Nobody Does it Better" is the best of the lot. Agent XXX is one of the more intersting Bond girls. Jaws is the best henchman ever. Roger Moore at his best.
3. The Living Daylights(1987, Timothy Dalton): A serious, down to earth and very Fleminesque thriller that is absolutely perfect for Timothy Dalton and his portrayal. In spite of the serious tone it is still action packed and keeps you at the edge of your seat. A complicated plot no doubt but one that is interesting enough to follow and enjoy. The score by John Barry is the best of all the Bond films that compliments the epic and diverse scenery of the movie very well.
4. Goldeneye (1995, Pierce Brosnan): Brosnan shines in his debut and exudes confidence from the getgo, his best performance as Bond. Another epic tale with a captivating plot with 006 (Alec Travalean) as an excellent villan that knows Bond better than any other. Just about every action scene from the Dam pre credits sequence to the Antenna Dish finale is classic and a good music score and title song to compliment it. Once again combines the epic with the serious very well.
5. Goldfinger (1964, Sean Connery): This movie set the formula for the great Bond movies to come. The story is not always action packed but has a very compelling plot that keeps me very interested. The lazer beam scene is classic, the climax at Fort Knox and in the airplane is excellent. Oddjob sets the standard for all henchmen to come. Sean Connery's Bond at his best.
6. For Your Eyes Only (1981, Roger Moore): A serious Bond film that is the most Flemingesque of Roger Moore's films and it proves that Moore can indeed play Fleming's Bond. An interesting and down to earth plot still containing enough balance of action to keep me interested. It also still manages to have comic relief in the form of Blofeld's death and the talking parrot at the end. One of the best title songs and interesting sounding score overall.
7. Doctor No (1962, Sean Connery): Interstingly enough the first 007 film is #007 on my list. A good start to the series, the intro of Bond in the movie is classic and Connery gives strong performance. Jack Lord is also an excellent Felix Leiter. A plot faithfull to Fleming that is very interesting and never boring, the villan and climax to the film are also very good. Introduced the Bond theme and much else I love about Bond.
8. Live and Let Die (1973, Roger Moore): A strong start for Roger Moore in this one and exudes charm every bit as much as Connery. A movie that shows it can be both down to earth and funny at the same time. Solitare is a great Bond girl. Excellent title song and unique score. J.W. Pepper provides great comic relief without being campy or unrealistic. David Hedinson is also an excellent Felix Leiter.
9. From Russia With Love (1963, Sean Connery): A good film without a doubt but overrated IMO. The plot is a bit convoluted and less interesting than the other serious Bond films ranked higher. The train fighting scene is classic though and other action scenes are good to. Introduced the "007" theme song which I like. A somewhat weak but still classic ending. The movie also gets points for following Fleming very very closely.
10. Tommorow Never Dies (1997, Pierce Brosnan): A fun film with alot of Bond feel to it. The villan Eliot Carver is deliciously manipulative and interesting. The action scenes are top notch from start to finish and dont take away from the plot. One of the strongest Bond scores with a classic Bond feel, and both the title theme and end credits theme are excellent. Brosnan also exudes Bond in this one. On balance an average Bond film but since I am a Bond fan average is good.
11. A View To A Kill (1985, Roger Moore): I dont understand why some people hate this one so much. It is a fun film with alot of action and an interesting story. Christopher Walken as Zorin is an excellent villan, distrubingly psychotic. The locations in the movie are excellent and the action scenes are top notch. Roger Moore is not too old as Bond IMO, but it is good this was his last. The music score is very good and the main title theme is excellent. Another average for a Bond film but still good film.
12. Octopussy (1983, Roger Moore): A film that tries to combine the seriousness of FYEO with the comic relief of MR with mixed results but on balance a good Bond film. An interesting and fairly down to earth and realistic plot. Octopussy herself is one of the best Bond girls, IMO and is a perfect match for Moore's Bond. Moore gives a strong performance in spite of the clown suit scene which was still serious and well done. Good action sequences, score and title theme.
13. Moonraker (1979, Roger Moore): Another film that is unfailry picked on IMO. It has silly an unrealistic elements sure but in spite of that it is an epic Bond film with a story that literally takes you out of this world. It is a fun watch and those who are science fiction fans like me will find it enjoyable. It actually has a plot as opposed to being over the top with anything. The return of Jaws is a plus in spite of the silly moments. It also has a good score and title theme.
14. The World Is Not Enough (1999, Pierce Brosnan): A movie with a thrilling pre-credits sequence and a plot with great character development but somehow gets old on repeat viewing (those who know how often they show it on SPIKE TV here in the US might know what I mean). Pierce Brosnan gives a great peformance that shows Bond's complex emotions towards Elektra King's betrayal. A film that has alot of good moments in it but less enjoyable to watch all the way through over and over again as better films, a mixed bag but still good. An excellent title theme and a good score are also a plus.
15. Thunderball (1965, Sean Connery): Thunderball is a Connery classic but it is far from perfect. It is a fairly down to earth story with plenty of action moments and the SPECTRE sub-plot but it also drags on at times and even outright boring in parts, such as the health resort scenes and most of the middle of the movie. It makes up for the slow parts by having a thrilling finale with the excellent underwater battle scene and the fight on the super fast boat with Largo. The main title theme is weak but the score especially near the end is good.
16. You Only Live Twice (1967, Sean Connery): The weakest of the first five films. The movie starts out a bit slow and get slower towards the middle with Bond getting "married" in Japan but alot of it is made up for in a thrilling climax in the volcano. Donald Pleasance is an excellent Blofeld, the best IMO. The first Bond film with a huge sci-fi like scope but these parts are the best parts of the movie, otherwise the plot is hard to follow unless you are either very familiar with the movie or watch it all the way through and then it isnt really very intersting until the end.
17. License to Kill (1989, Timothy Dalton): This film feels too much like a late 80's B action flick and not a James Bond film. Timothy Dalton does very well with what he has to work with though and prevents the film from feeling too un-Bond, also the scenes with Q and the return of David Hedinson as an excellent Felix Leiter contribute to the Bond feel that does exist. A film that unsuccessfully tried to add in OHMSS elements IMO. In spite of the serious tone there is one corny element and that is Wayne Newton as the cult leader guy. Sanchez made a decent villan though. The title theme is mediocre and the score is not very good, only the parts that include the Bond theme are decent. The serious Flemingesque elements common in a Dalton film prevent it from being at the very bottom.
18. Diamonds are Forever (1971, Sean Connery): A very cheesy film that is the silliest of them all, even moreso than Moonraker IMO. Many elements of this film are very corny and the movie's best redeeming quality is the comic relief that comes from the many silly moment from the boiling mud pit that the faux Blofeld falls into in the pre-credits to the hillarious death scenes of Mr. Went and Mr. Kid. The Blofeld in this movie is a redeeming quality but again mostly for comic relief such as the bathosub scene at the end. Sean Connery also doesnt look so good in this movie, he is no longer the suave handsome man we were introduced to in Dr. No just 9 years earlier.
19. The Man With The Golden Gun (1974, Roger Moore): The weakest of the Roger Moore films but through no fault of his own. The movie plot is often boring and uninteresting in spite of having its moments here and there. Alot of elements are just wrong such as Goodnight being the dumbest Bond girl ever, the dated mid 70's feel, the terrible theme song that is made worse by the score througout the movie that consists mostly of orchestral renditions of said terrible theme song. The good elements of the film besides Moore are Christopher Lee giving an excellent portrayal of the villan TMWTGG, Maud Adams who is killed off too soon, Nick Nack for comic relief and the return of J.W. Pepper also for comic relief.
20. Die Another Day (2002, Pierce Brosnan): A movie that starts out with such promise as a serious film about the timely issue of North Korea is so dissapointingly wasted. The film deteriorates as it goes on and goes in so many different far fetched directions. A virtual reality holodeck, an invisible car, space lazers, gene therapy, psychadelic light mask dream machines, Bond surfing a Tsunami wave that is the most unrealistic stunt by far ever in a Bond film that makes Bond seem more like superman than a secret agent, rip offs from so many other Bond films. Over the top action scenes and as one who loves action scenes in Bond films that is saying alot. Special effects over character development, no balance at all. The theme song by Madonna is the worst ever IMO and besides the music in the pre-credits sequence and a few brief spots here and there the score is pretty forgettable. The only redeeming quality of the movie is Pierce Brosnan who gives an excellent portrayal of Bond as always. Also I dont hate Die Another Day, I dont hate any Bond film, I like them all, just some more than others, I still find it enjoyable to watch in its own way and I dont mind watching it at all.
Edited by Chicago103, 16 February 2006 - 08:56 PM.
