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Never Seen a Bond Film, Need Recommendations
- Thread starter Ryuhza
- Start date
Lol that was The Man with the Golden Gun I think which sees a return of the cop from Live and Let Die Bond ran into.
The Man with the Golden Gun might be my least favorite Bond film of all. And that is extremely disappointing considering the fantastic Christopher Lee is the villain. There are plenty you could point to as being definitively worse, but at least they are goofy in a way that you can find something to like about them in a "so bad it's good" sort of way. But The Man with the Golden Gun is just so excruciatingly BORING that its mediocrity is an unforgivable sin.
All the Craig ones are different degrees of entertaining action film fluff.
From a purely historical perspective, Dr. No is worth watching.
The other actually good Bond films are From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and License to Kill. The least-worst Moore movie is The Spy Who Loved Me.
You can also cheerfully enjoy Goldeneye, but maybe less so if you didn't play the N64 growing up.
I hope this helps.
From a purely historical perspective, Dr. No is worth watching.
The other actually good Bond films are From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and License to Kill. The least-worst Moore movie is The Spy Who Loved Me.
You can also cheerfully enjoy Goldeneye, but maybe less so if you didn't play the N64 growing up.
I hope this helps.
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So I have now finished all of the Connery bonds until NSNA. Before diving into the Roger Moore Era and whatever that entails, I suppose I'll go over my thoughts on each film.
Thunderball:
This one had me excited at its start. The whole into sequence with the cross-dressing fight that destroys every piece of furniture (something I've noticed more and more going forward) in a very large room to the random jetpack escape was so over the top and dumb, I couldn't wait to see what happened next. But as for the rest of the film...
...eh. I found it to be kind of slow, and don't remember a great deal of the scenes. There was a part that turned the tables on James's magic dick, wherein he discovers that its powers of converting attractive women from evil to the side of good are of no use on the film's secondary antagonist. That was particularly funny to me, as I couldn't help but notice that the foiling of Goldfinger's plot in the previous film hinged on James disturbingly forcing himself on Pussy Galore, who is so swayed by this... move... that she secretly turns on Goldfinger and saves a bunch of lives. Woo-hoo, I guess. Anyway, I wasn't expecting them to reference it so directly. Most of the big action seemed to take place underwater, which--while I'm sure it was quite the achievement at the time--it was kind of messy and boring to watch.
In all fairness, halfway though the movie I had company over and so I was a little less focused on what was happening in the second half. But so far this has been my least favorite Bond film.
You Only Live Twice:
Hoo boy, this one. Geez louise, this one. Fucking goddamn hell, this one.
This one's intro was a pretty fun variation on the typical sequence of events following the opening (which is reminding me of the Simpsons's loosely structured couch gags), and I was enjoying the Japan tourism (though I have no clue how much of it was accurate). The plot remains mostly engaging but then there's this... this elaborate sequence where Bond has to pretend he's Japanese (complete with donning a wig and terribly unconvincing yellowface makeup), he has to have a pretend marriage, and gets all pouty when he's told that his fake bride-to-be is ugly. I don't think I've ever disliked the Bond character more than during this sequence. Don't get me wrong, what he does to PG in Goldfinger is more morally reprehensible, but then you stack that with him acting like such a pouty brat because his fake wife--that he is getting with as part of a cover for a mission that aims to prevent a war from breaking loose between the world's leading superpowers--is not a 10/10 A+ tinder babe, and it's just... no man, cut it out. Grow up.
It's even worse when he's about to meet his wife and the women are marching up the stairs and they look like average middle-aged Japanese women, and James responds with the 1960s visual equivalent of swiping left, until--miracle of miracles--the last one is mega kawaii and you can see the boner pop on his face. Anyway, I can fully understand why Connery was originally done with the character after this movie.
Nevertheless, let's press on.
It was neat seeing Blofeld for the first time, though it wasn't until Diamonds Are Forever that I realized this guy (or one of his doubles) is supposed to be the villain of the following two films as well. The big fight in the volcano base was pretty enjoyable as well, and Bond gets to use a rocket cigarette. What more do you want. Despite being more problematic, it was more entertaining to me than Thunderball.
Also, just found out that Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay. Would never have guessed.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
The clear cut black sheep of the Connery era, namely because it doesn't star Connery as bond, but one-time Bond, George Lazenby. My biggest issues with this film are the length (it is waaaaay too long, especially the intro), and the editing of the action (cuts everywhere. Like every fight scene is abridged to just the impacts). As for Lazenby... I didn't hate him. He's no Connery, but without a greater pool of Bonds to refer to just yet, I thought he was likable enough in the role. Cute little joke in the beginning, "This never happened to the other fella!"
Speaking of the beginning, it went on for way too long, for little apparent reason until the Countess returns later in the film, but even then it could have been cut down by a ton. Once we get to the meat of the plot in the research institute, things get a little more interesting and Bondy. I liked the snowy setting, and the prolonged isolation of the mission (he's doing it without MI6's blessing, and he's stuck in a private, heavily defended research institute atop a snowy mountain). It reminded me a lot of classic 007: Nightfire map, Skyrail, so there's a nostalgic bonus.
The skiing action escapes also had some issues where the compositing looked pretty bad (might be an HD thing), and some of the editing again didn't make sense (Blofeld, far behind James, looks at him through a pair of binoculars as he skis away. The film then cuts to a binocular overlay viewing James from... the side?) But it was still pretty fun.
The Countess becomes really awesome after they meet back up. A crazy getaway driver and all that good stuff. She is kidnapped, but manages to defeat her captors with no help from Bond, which was quite nice to see. Thus far the 'Bond girls' are usually relegated to saving Bond in a moment of need, presumably only able to act because Bond's attacker is occupied by Bond. So I was very dismayed when James honesty professed his love for her and intent to marry her, because I knew she was as good as dead. Granted, the movie almost had me second guessing myself when they show the whole marriage and everything, but then
(I'm not entirely unconvinced that Moneypenny is the one who tipped them off)
Oh, this is easily my favorite Blofeld. That voice.
Two mountain escapes felt a little bit like overdoing it (and really, Mr. Countess, what the hell was the rush?), but I didn't mind that much. Anyway, definitely still the black sheep of the era, between the new Bond, the pacing, and the editing/action, but not that bad, all things considered.
Lastly....
Diamonds Are Forever:
This one is a lot of fun, but holy shit, Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint destroyed me. Just... just... they're evil, right guys? Murderers that delight in the work. But get this, it's worse than that...
THEY'RE GAAAAAAY
"I must say, Miss Case seems quite attractive..."
"...for a lady."
*despicably gay glance*
*despicably gay chuckle*
Oh man... sorry, I just had to get this off my chest. I haven't seen a whole lot of old films (1970s and earlier, we'll say), and I've seen pretty much none which attempt to portray queer people until this one, and it was just so much worse than I could have imagined. It's meant to be funny, and I was laughing at these scenes, but I don't think it was for the intended reasons. These two are just unbelievable. Just look at that gif again. That was at the very end of the film, by which point I didn't think they could top what they had already done. Boy was I wrong.
Anyway, I just finished this one today, but I don't have a lot to say about it. Probably the campiest Bond thus far, from the get go. It moves fast and has a lot of fun sequences, and still felt really long despite being a half hour shorter than the last film. The diamond satellite laser effects were about as bad as anything I've seen in the series thus far, but it's kind of befitting for such a goofy weapon.
Like I said, not much to remark on off the top of my head. Next up, the Roger Moore era.
Thunderball:
This one had me excited at its start. The whole into sequence with the cross-dressing fight that destroys every piece of furniture (something I've noticed more and more going forward) in a very large room to the random jetpack escape was so over the top and dumb, I couldn't wait to see what happened next. But as for the rest of the film...
...eh. I found it to be kind of slow, and don't remember a great deal of the scenes. There was a part that turned the tables on James's magic dick, wherein he discovers that its powers of converting attractive women from evil to the side of good are of no use on the film's secondary antagonist. That was particularly funny to me, as I couldn't help but notice that the foiling of Goldfinger's plot in the previous film hinged on James disturbingly forcing himself on Pussy Galore, who is so swayed by this... move... that she secretly turns on Goldfinger and saves a bunch of lives. Woo-hoo, I guess. Anyway, I wasn't expecting them to reference it so directly. Most of the big action seemed to take place underwater, which--while I'm sure it was quite the achievement at the time--it was kind of messy and boring to watch.
In all fairness, halfway though the movie I had company over and so I was a little less focused on what was happening in the second half. But so far this has been my least favorite Bond film.
You Only Live Twice:
Hoo boy, this one. Geez louise, this one. Fucking goddamn hell, this one.
This one's intro was a pretty fun variation on the typical sequence of events following the opening (which is reminding me of the Simpsons's loosely structured couch gags), and I was enjoying the Japan tourism (though I have no clue how much of it was accurate). The plot remains mostly engaging but then there's this... this elaborate sequence where Bond has to pretend he's Japanese (complete with donning a wig and terribly unconvincing yellowface makeup), he has to have a pretend marriage, and gets all pouty when he's told that his fake bride-to-be is ugly. I don't think I've ever disliked the Bond character more than during this sequence. Don't get me wrong, what he does to PG in Goldfinger is more morally reprehensible, but then you stack that with him acting like such a pouty brat because his fake wife--that he is getting with as part of a cover for a mission that aims to prevent a war from breaking loose between the world's leading superpowers--is not a 10/10 A+ tinder babe, and it's just... no man, cut it out. Grow up.
It's even worse when he's about to meet his wife and the women are marching up the stairs and they look like average middle-aged Japanese women, and James responds with the 1960s visual equivalent of swiping left, until--miracle of miracles--the last one is mega kawaii and you can see the boner pop on his face. Anyway, I can fully understand why Connery was originally done with the character after this movie.
Nevertheless, let's press on.
It was neat seeing Blofeld for the first time, though it wasn't until Diamonds Are Forever that I realized this guy (or one of his doubles) is supposed to be the villain of the following two films as well. The big fight in the volcano base was pretty enjoyable as well, and Bond gets to use a rocket cigarette. What more do you want. Despite being more problematic, it was more entertaining to me than Thunderball.
Also, just found out that Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay. Would never have guessed.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
The clear cut black sheep of the Connery era, namely because it doesn't star Connery as bond, but one-time Bond, George Lazenby. My biggest issues with this film are the length (it is waaaaay too long, especially the intro), and the editing of the action (cuts everywhere. Like every fight scene is abridged to just the impacts). As for Lazenby... I didn't hate him. He's no Connery, but without a greater pool of Bonds to refer to just yet, I thought he was likable enough in the role. Cute little joke in the beginning, "This never happened to the other fella!"
Speaking of the beginning, it went on for way too long, for little apparent reason until the Countess returns later in the film, but even then it could have been cut down by a ton. Once we get to the meat of the plot in the research institute, things get a little more interesting and Bondy. I liked the snowy setting, and the prolonged isolation of the mission (he's doing it without MI6's blessing, and he's stuck in a private, heavily defended research institute atop a snowy mountain). It reminded me a lot of classic 007: Nightfire map, Skyrail, so there's a nostalgic bonus.
The skiing action escapes also had some issues where the compositing looked pretty bad (might be an HD thing), and some of the editing again didn't make sense (Blofeld, far behind James, looks at him through a pair of binoculars as he skis away. The film then cuts to a binocular overlay viewing James from... the side?) But it was still pretty fun.
The Countess becomes really awesome after they meet back up. A crazy getaway driver and all that good stuff. She is kidnapped, but manages to defeat her captors with no help from Bond, which was quite nice to see. Thus far the 'Bond girls' are usually relegated to saving Bond in a moment of need, presumably only able to act because Bond's attacker is occupied by Bond. So I was very dismayed when James honesty professed his love for her and intent to marry her, because I knew she was as good as dead. Granted, the movie almost had me second guessing myself when they show the whole marriage and everything, but then
(I'm not entirely unconvinced that Moneypenny is the one who tipped them off)
Oh, this is easily my favorite Blofeld. That voice.
Two mountain escapes felt a little bit like overdoing it (and really, Mr. Countess, what the hell was the rush?), but I didn't mind that much. Anyway, definitely still the black sheep of the era, between the new Bond, the pacing, and the editing/action, but not that bad, all things considered.
Lastly....
Diamonds Are Forever:
This one is a lot of fun, but holy shit, Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint destroyed me. Just... just... they're evil, right guys? Murderers that delight in the work. But get this, it's worse than that...
THEY'RE GAAAAAAY
"I must say, Miss Case seems quite attractive..."
"...for a lady."
*despicably gay glance*
*despicably gay chuckle*
Oh man... sorry, I just had to get this off my chest. I haven't seen a whole lot of old films (1970s and earlier, we'll say), and I've seen pretty much none which attempt to portray queer people until this one, and it was just so much worse than I could have imagined. It's meant to be funny, and I was laughing at these scenes, but I don't think it was for the intended reasons. These two are just unbelievable. Just look at that gif again. That was at the very end of the film, by which point I didn't think they could top what they had already done. Boy was I wrong.
Anyway, I just finished this one today, but I don't have a lot to say about it. Probably the campiest Bond thus far, from the get go. It moves fast and has a lot of fun sequences, and still felt really long despite being a half hour shorter than the last film. The diamond satellite laser effects were about as bad as anything I've seen in the series thus far, but it's kind of befitting for such a goofy weapon.
Like I said, not much to remark on off the top of my head. Next up, the Roger Moore era.
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Think you're going to enjoy the Roger Moore films because the camp cranks up to 11 at points.
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Oh yeah, I could definitely see recognizable aspects of these movies in later films I'd watched much earlier. Sometimes I consciously knew it was from Bond, even without having ever seen a proper Bond film. It's really cool to finally see the original thing, and I often find myself enjoying it or impressed by it more than I thought I'd be.
I almost saw all of the films this year, just need the last 2 Pierce films and a rewatch of Craig's films. Oh boy these film are really representative of their time. I think that was half the fun of watching these old Bond film, just noticing things that wouldn't fly in today's culture XD. I mean when they made Bond Japanese that was just downright shocking.
Anyways these are the films I've liked so far:
Sean:
Goldeneye
Thunderball
George:
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (also watch the Bond documentary on Hulu after this to get a more in depth experience about the Actor playing bond in this one, Its really good.)
Roger:
The Man with the Golden Gun
The Spy who Loved Me
Moonraker
Timothy:
The Living Daylights
License to Kill
Pierce:
Goldeneye
Craig:
Casino Royale
Skyfall
Sean was a solid first Bond but man his films haven't aged well. George was too good for the world of Bond. I would say Roger had a pretty solid line up of films (the man has the best charisma over every other Bond so far), I'd say the rest of his films are worth watching at least once, his definitely the best Bond of the Golden era. Timothy was surprisingly good, a shame he didn't get to make anymore. Pierce so far has been solid, definitely very action led.
Anyways these are the films I've liked so far:
Sean:
Goldeneye
Thunderball
George:
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (also watch the Bond documentary on Hulu after this to get a more in depth experience about the Actor playing bond in this one, Its really good.)
Roger:
The Man with the Golden Gun
The Spy who Loved Me
Moonraker
Timothy:
The Living Daylights
License to Kill
Pierce:
Goldeneye
Craig:
Casino Royale
Skyfall
Sean was a solid first Bond but man his films haven't aged well. George was too good for the world of Bond. I would say Roger had a pretty solid line up of films (the man has the best charisma over every other Bond so far), I'd say the rest of his films are worth watching at least once, his definitely the best Bond of the Golden era. Timothy was surprisingly good, a shame he didn't get to make anymore. Pierce so far has been solid, definitely very action led.
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Yesterday I rewatched Dalton's films, and they were better than I remember.
I would recommend:
Casino Royale (seriously fantastic)
A License to Kill
Moonraker (cause it's a silly ass movie but I enjoy it)
Goldfinger
Goldeneye
I would recommend:
Casino Royale (seriously fantastic)
A License to Kill
Moonraker (cause it's a silly ass movie but I enjoy it)
Goldfinger
Goldeneye
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Yeah. And there's just not a lot of space for much of any acting to occur. The action is slowed down, the faces and other distinguishing features are heavily obscured, and any sound is greatly muffled. It's just not an easy thing to make work.
Oh it's faaar too late for that! I've already engorged myself on Connery's Bond, with a dash of Lazenby to keep it emotional.
But yeah, I'm going chronological. I'll get to Dalton in about 7-8 more movies.
Yeah, I noticed that when I was looking up the next film. I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it now or afterwards. I suppose now would be better, while OHMSS is still fresh in my mind.
Yes, its better to it see right after OHMSS, the actor goes in depth about things that happen in the set, mostly just funny stuff.
What's great about From Russia With Love is that it's a proper old fashioned spy story in the best sense, microfilms, attache cases, it's all there and Robert Shaw's Red Grant was a great "Anti-Bond".
Dr. No, man with the golden gun, goldfinger, live and let die, from Russia with love, GoldenEye and skyfall.
Each one of these films has an aspect of what everyone thinks of James bond from cars gadgets, one liners, concepts and characters, so I would go with them.
Each one of these films has an aspect of what everyone thinks of James bond from cars gadgets, one liners, concepts and characters, so I would go with them.
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All the love for Casino Royale has me very intrigued. I just wish the Craig Bonds were available to stream somewhere with a subscription. Buying movies outright is a scary, antiquated notion.
You put MwtGG and L&LD ahead of Spy who Loved Me and FYEO?
Puzzling...
You could rent it. Not sure if its available for rental on any streaming services, but it looks like Netflix's DVD/Blu-Ray service has it.
Oh there is no order to those. But those two are some of my favorites. Also Christopher Lee and his gimmick gun are awesome.
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I do have one of those, but I haven't been there in ages, and between that and other family members borrowing my library card (and potentially building up some fines), my info is a mess.
Yeah, maybe I'll see about temporarily upping our plan to get check the Craig Bonds out. Ah well, still about 12 movies before then, and it's taken me a month just to watch 7. I'll figure something out.
I'm so glad to see someone day this. Eric Serra got unduly shit on by Bond purists for far too long. Other than the poor choice for the closing credits, the rest of Goldeneye's soundtrack is sublime.