This list took far too
long to write. My bad.
You knew this was
coming, and not just because I mentioned it in my review of No
Time To Die. Way back in March/April 2016 I gave my personal
rankings of all the official James Bond movies. That was six years
ago and since then I've rewatched them all – yes, even Die
Another Day – and there's been a new movie released. So have my
opinions on these films changed in the past six years? Yes,
obviously! But how exactly have they changed? Did they rise or fall?
Which movies do I appreciate more? Which ones don't I like as much
anymore? And where does NTTD fit into all this? Let's find out!
Die Another Day
(position change from last time: -1)
Yep, six years later
and I'm still unimpressed. You remember how silly superhero movies
were in the 1990's? That's what Die Another Day reminds me of:
a film that's trying so hard to be cool but is too silly to take
seriously. The one good thing I can say about this film is that it is
very reminiscent of the 007 video games that were released around
that same time period, with the outlandish plots, fanciful gadgets,
and improbable action scenes – not to mention the bad CGI. This
might be an OK movie to watch when I'm feeling nostalgic for my
bright-eyed preteen years – so I guess you could say that I don't
hate it as much as I used to – but regardless Die Another Day
isn't a movie I feel like watching often.
Quantum of
Solace (-5)
The second Bond movie
of the Daniel Craig era takes a steep fall in my rankings since last
time for two reasons. The first is, as I've complained many times
before, it isn't always a pleasant movie to watch because of the
incomprehensible action scenes and the obnoxious editing. The second
is that there simply isn't much to this movie story-wise. The
development of Quantum of Solace's script may have been
affected by the 2007 Writer's Guild strike and it shows in the
lacklustre plot and the forgettable villains (although I did think
the ending was alright). What we end up with is a 106 minute sequel
to a 144 minute film that at the same time tries to be more than it
is with an unsuitably artsy direction and a half-baked environmental
message. The result is a messy flick that's just as confusing as its
title suggests.
Moonraker (same)
The reason I don't like
Moonraker much is because it has too much in common with Die
Another Day: the outlandish plot, lousy humour, and overall
campiness. Aside from that, Bond and Holly Goodhead have no
chemistry, Jaws is an unimposing bore, and the whole thing lacks
originality: the same tired 007 formula (and basically the same plot
as The Spy Who Loved Me) trying to chase after that Star
Wars popularity. The reason it's not last place is that Hugo Drax
does make for an fine villain and the film boasts some impressive set
design and special effects for its time.
The Man With
the Golden Gun (-5)
TMWTGG is another movie
that's taken a sharp dive in my personal rankings since 2016 which
doesn't surprise me at all. Aside from Christopher Lee's coolness and
the jaw-dropping corkscrew car jump there's really not much about
this flick to draw me back since most of the rest is lame comedy,
ripping off kung fu movies, and an uninspired performance by Roger
Moore. There's not much The Man With the Golden Gun does
better than any other Bond movie and as such it's a film I pretty
much only watch if I'm doing some sort of marathon or watch-through.
A View to a
Kill (+1)
Yeah, A View to a
Kill still isn't great but I don't view it quite as unfavourably
as I did before. My previous complaints haven't changed: the setup is
boring at first, the Bond chick Stacey Sutton is kind of useless, and
Moore is getting too old for this crap. But on the other hand I can't
help but admire how bizarre the whole experience is. There's that
weird genetic/steroid experimentation subplot, that over-the-top
firetruck chase scene, the obvious stunt doubles, and of course
Christopher Walken, who might just be the straight-up craziest Bond
villain ever. When I'm in the right mood for it A View to a Kill
can be an entertaining movie, but that doesn't make it a good movie.
Spectre (-9)
And
here we have the movie that's fallen the furthest in my Bond film
rankings: Spectre. In
some ways this was inevitable; when I did the previous rankings list
I had only seen Spectre
once and it was five months prior to the writing of that article and
thus I was mainly judging it based on my first impressions. But in
the five years since then successive viewings have really put this
film into perspective for me and now I think it's a pretty average,
unremarkable 007 film. Making Blofeld Bond's adoptive brother – and
then not going anywhere with it – was a boneheaded move. (Also how
am I supposed to take Blofeld as a serious threat when he wears
ankle-exposing pants, no socks, and shoes with no laces?) The romance
wasn't all that convincing, the plot is pretty standard, and the
action, while not bad, isn't very memorable. The one problem that I
believe has plagued every Daniel Craig-era movie is that they focus
on the continuity and world-building at the expense of making each
film complete in their own right. Aside from some great
cinematography, a dramatic theme song, and an expert performance from
Craig there isn't much about Spectre
that stands out to me.
Tomorrow Never
Dies (+1)
Tomorrow
Never Dies moves up one spot mostly because other films moved
lower on this list. My opinion hasn't changed much. With mostly bland
settings, a lame-ass villain, and an overemphasis on all-out action
over intrigue and stealth, TND remains an average Bond film for me.
However there are still things about this movie that are enjoyable. I
like how Elliot Carver, as unimposing as he is, has a sense of
humour. While the film is very action-heavy the action scenes are
done rather well – my favourites are the car chase in the parkade
and the motorcycle chase in Ho Chi Minh City. While lacking in
chemistry with Bond, Wei Lin is still a kickass Bond girl. And while
it didn't amount to much I do like how the film tried something
different with Bond returning to a past lover. All in all, Tomorrow
Never Dies is a mixed bag that could've been better.
Octopussy (+3)
Probably
the biggest surprise as I made up this list is how much more I like
Octopussy than I did before. Repeat viewings have led me to
conclude that this one may not be as average as I once thought. First
off, India makes for a pretty unique and interesting setting – it
makes one wish more movies took place there! The assortment of
villains is excellent with the intimidating Gobinda, the slimy yet
smooth Kamal Khan, and the slightly unhinged General Orlov. The title
character is a splendid addition, arguably the best bond girl of the
Roger Moore films with their decent chemistry, and she's no slouch
either: with her henchmen, secluded lair, and self-defence skills she
could easily have qualified for a bond villain herself. Top it all
off with some cool stunt work, like with the fight scenes atop a
moving train or even atop a flying airplane! I was wrong before; this
movie ain't half-bad!
Dr. No (-1)
Coming
in at almost the same spot is the one that started it all: Dr. No.
When you compare it to the almost sixty years' worth of action movies
since it's easy to see this film as quaint and kind of campy. While I
must admit that there isn't much Dr. No does better than any
other Bond film it still has an undeniable charm to it, and the the
coolness of its main character – and especially his introductory
scene – still makes for a decent watch.
Diamonds Are Forever (+2)
I
never thought I'd say this but I think I like Diamonds Are Forever
more than Dr. No. It probably just took me a little bit to get
over the campiness of it all. I can now appreciate the film's (at
times) bizarre sense of tongue-in-cheek humour, this devious and
arrogant version of Blofeld (played by Charles Gray) has really grown
on me, and the assortment of villains is quite entertaining. Sean
Connery still manages to give one more magnetic performance as agent
007 and Jill St. John is a fun addition as Tiffany Case. All in all
Diamonds Are Forever is more enjoyable than I originally
thought and is serviceable entertainment. It's basically Austin
Powers but without the stupidity.
No Time To Die
Coming
in at 15th is the most recent Bond flick, No Time To
Die, and as you can see I'm a lot more reserved in my ranking of
the new film this time around. I think it's just because I'm a little
more cautious with how I've compared this against all the other
twenty-four movies. But that doesn't mean that I'm any less
enthusiastic about how I view No Time To Die. With some great
action scenes, dazzling cinematography, and fine characters NTTD is a
pretty good addition to the series and a suitable end to the Daniel
Craig era. If it weren't for Bond's out-of-character dialogue, the
villain's unclear goals, and the over-the-top premise this film would
have ranked even higher. For more detail, check out my full review
from October.
The Spy Who Loved Me (+1)
Not
much has changed with my opinions of The Spy Who Loved Me,
probably the most popular of the Roger Moore 007 films. As such I
really don't have much to say in addition to what I wrote back in
2016. It's a fine movie with good heroes, exhilarating action, a fun
story, decent theme song, but lacklustre villains. Good enough to
take it almost to the halfway point of this list.
For Your Eyes Only (+1)
Since
2016 I've rewatched For Your Eyes Only multiple times and I've
decided that this movie is awesome – dumbass opening scene
notwithstanding. The outlandish plots of previous films were reigned
in to tell a more down-to-earth story with more believable action
scenes and a compelling bond girl in Melina Havelock. But what I've
really grown to appreciate are this film's locations: Greece and the
Italian Alps are fascinating places to set a spy film, and seeing
Bond partake in winter sports never gets old. All in all, FYEO is an
excellent entry in the 007 series, one that you oughtta watch!
Live and Let Die (same)
Six
years later and here I am still convinced that Live and Let Die
is the best of the Roger Moore era 007 films. It remains the most
different of the Bond movies and if the whole
British-secret-agent-in-a-blaxploitation-movie thing isn't your cup
of tea then I understand but for me this is a welcome change of pace
and it serves as an enjoyable first outing for Roger Moore in this
series. In spite of – or possibly because of – its uniqueness
Live and Let Die proved that the 007 series was capable of
going on post-Connery and it continues to entertain to this day.
The Living Daylights (-3)
The
Living Daylights is unfortunately one of those films that's
noticeably dropped in my rankings since last time. I say
unfortunately because this is a film that I still very much like.
Timothy Dalton's ruthless performance as Bond is a welcome change of
pace, the settings (Cold War Central Europe, Afghanistan) are awesome
and appropriate for the movie's period (1987), and I appreciate the
(mostly) more serious tone. The only downside is that I've become
more aware of the lack of a strong villain character; Whitaker and
Koskov aren't all that intimidating or threatening. It's true that
there are a few more 007 films that I've grown to appreciate more,
but nevertheless The Living Daylights still manages to capture
my attention every time.
The World Is Not Enough (+3)
Starting
off the Top 10 of my list is The World Is Not Enough, a movie
that gets better every time I see it. This one has all the things
that were great about the Pierce Brosnan era: the one-liners, the
over-the-top gadgets that verge on being silly, the henchman with a
gimmick, Bond's personal drama, and some tongue-in-cheek
self-awareness (Denise Richards is a nuclear physicist – just go
with it). You've also got some memorable side characters – M, the
new Q, Zukovsky, Robinson, Bullion – some exciting action scenes,
and even a female villain, a rarity in this series. I'll admit that
sometimes it seems that the over-the-top nature of the action and
plot can sometimes conflict with the seriousness that the film tries
to go for – something that the later Craig-era films did better –
but The World Is Not Enough is still a great underrated
Brosnan-era Bond film.
Thunderball (same)
Remaining
at number nine is the 1965 classic Thunderball. Please excuse
this brief description but there's not much I can say about it that I
haven't already. It was a good movie then and it's a good movie now.
'Nuff said.
License to Kill (+2)
In
a move that surprises me, License to Kill has replaced The
Living Daylights as my preferred Timothy Dalton Bond film. As was
the case with the latter film this one continues acknowledging the
trends of its time period – the War on Drugs, hyper-violent action
films, explosions, televangelists – and plays them off of Dalton's
intense and cynical portrayal of Bond and it works so much better
this time around, even if it does every so often seem like the film
is grasping at the coattails of Scarface. The story of Bond's
revenge for what happened to the Leiters is a welcome deviation from
the typical 007 plot. It also helps that it has a compelling pair of
Bond girls as well as some of the series' best action scenes ever
(how could one forget that tanker truck chase scene?). License to
Kill is a Bond film for the ages.
You Only Live Twice (-1)
This
is the movie you go to when you want some all-out, high stakes action
from the classic 007 entries. You Only Live Twice has it all:
exotic locations, threatening villains, ninjas, exciting action, and
dazzling set design: you know, all the things that Austin Powers
copied. Really the only thing YOLT is missing is some memorable Bond
girls and a little more vitality to Sean Connery's performance; these
things could have elevated it to #4. But as it is You Only Live
Twice is still makes for an excellent spy adventure.
GoldenEye (-1)
After
six years of no 007 films this one comes along and totally breathes
new life into the series. GoldenEye has it all: a
pulse-pounding opening scene that brilliantly introduces us to the
new Bond actor, an expertly-crafted tone throughout, a riveting
ensemble of villains, a proficient Bond girl in Natalya Simonova,
some intense fight scenes, a high stakes villain plot, and a cool,
confident debut performance from Pierce Brosnan. In addition we're
treated to likeable new supporting characters who would turn up in
successive films, such as Valentin Zukovsky, Jack Wade, and Judi
Dench's M. I don't even mind the much-maligned scoring. GoldenEye
was the near-perfect start of a new era for 007 and for many
filmgoers it made the series matter again.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (-1)
I
still think On Her Majesty's Secret Service is an upper-tier
Bond film and I watch it frequently enough – after all, it's the
closest the series has to a Christmas movie. The action is intense by
1960's standards, the locations are dazzling, the score sets the tone
excellently, and the performances are all great... except I find that
my appreciation of George Lazenby has diminished slightly. “Same
ball park as Connery?” Yeah right. Lazenby wasn't terrible –
especially for a first-time actor – but he didn't exactly have the
nuance and attention to detail we'd see with other 007 actors. It
also didn't help that his lone 007 film demanded a lot from him as
far as emotional displays goes. Despite this OHMSS can be enjoyed by
just about any action movie fan.
From Russia With Love (+3)
Much
like with The World Is Not Enough, From Russia With Love
is a film that only gets better every time I watch it. FRWL is twice
as thrilling as its predecessor, with a lot more tension – assassin
Red Grant posing as Bond's associate on the Orient Express – but
still some neat action scenes like the fight at the gypsy camp and
the speed boat chase. Sean Connery is on fire in this film building
upon the coolness established in Dr. No – and with a
surprising amount of intensity too. Casting is also on point with the
ensemble of villains we get to see, as well as Daniela Bianchi
playing Tatiana Romanova. In many ways From Russia With Love
is the film that really established the 007 series' look and method
going forward, the one against which all successive films would be
compared. And with a movie like this I'd say they set the bar pretty
high.
Skyfall (same)
I'd
say that Skyfall is easily the most popular Bond film of my
lifetime: the one that plays on TV all the time, the one that
everybody saw when it was in theatres, the only film of the series to
have grossed over a billion dollars at the box office. For a lot of
my friends this is the only Bond film they've ever seen. And if
you're only ever going to watch just one 007 movie (what the hell is
wrong with you?) then Skyfall is a very good candidate. Not
only does it have the exciting edge-of-your-seat action moments, a
fine story, a outstanding villain, gorgeous cinematography, and top
notch performances from Judi Dench and Daniel Craig, but it also has
the advantage of not being bogged down by continuity; unlike the
other Craig-era films you can watch this one on its own and not miss
anything important. But for those of you who do pay close attention,
you'll be pleased at the multitude of subtle references to the past
Bond films in this 50 year anniversary adventure. All in all, Skyfall
is a fitting tribute to one of action cinema's greatest franchises
and is one of the very best this series has to offer. My appreciation
for it has only grown, but alas not enough to put it past the next
film on this list.
Goldfinger (same)
Five
years later and I'm still trying to come up with something unique to
say about Goldfinger. It's regarded by many to be the best in
the series and for good reason. Connery's performance as James Bond
is spot on and cool and you can tell he's having a blast playing this
character. The cocky but clever Auric Goldfinger, the domineering
Oddjob, and the graceful, no-nonsense Pussy Galore make up what's
arguably the series' most memorable supporting cast. The action and
stunts are spectacular and give us just the right amounts of suspense
balanced against just the right amount of levity. Top it all off with
an unforgettable theme song, eye-catching sets, and brilliant villain
scheme and you've got one hell of a 007 movie. With this third entry
the series had now fully hit its stride, making Goldfinger the
(gold) standard that all subsequent Bond films would be measured
against.
Casino Royale (same)
That's
right, my top three movies didn't change at all from last time.
Coming in at number one is that Bond film that I can't stop talking
about on this blog: Casino Royale. You're probably sick of me
gushing about how gripping the opening scene is, how cool the credits
sequence is, how riveting the action is, and how pitch-perfect the
acting is. Since 2016 I've come to appreciate other aspects of Casino
Royale like its beautiful photography and the character
progression of Bond. It also has unquestionably the best romance of
the series (yes, even better than Spectre & No Time To
Die). In the mid-2000's people were unsure of whether the 007
series needed a reboot, but looking back I believe it was the correct
choice – for better or worse – and Casino Royale was a
great start to a new era of Bond. I eagerly await the day another
film in this franchise can approach this one's excellence. (I mean I
know there was Skyfall but... you know what I'm saying.)
