This weekend, the new James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” raked in a huge take of $67 million in America alone. For Scene-Stealers sitegoer Will Dawson, this is very exciting. He’s got a lot of favorite Bond movies, but has instead, for us he decided to create a list of the top 10 worst James Bond films from the franchise’s 46 years. Some of these movies, says Will, have their moments, but for the most part these are the Bond movies that there are just no excuses for. And he didn’t even include Timothy Dalton! I smell some controversy … If you have an idea for your own Top 10 list you’d like to submit, email me at eric@scene-stealers.com! Will’s list starts now:
10. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
The problem with this movie isn’t that the storyline or the supporting cast is bad, in fact, that is far from it. The story and the action sequences are actually some of the better ones in the entire series. Diana Rigg is a very intriguing Bond girl and Telly Savalas had probably the best characterization of villain Blofeld in the entire James Bond franchise. The film’s only problem can be surmised in two words: George Lazenby. The one-time only Bond’s acting is so wooden and unbelievable that you keep hoping Sean Connery is going to come in and save the day, but he doesn’t, leaving us with the mess that is Lazenby. Surprisingly, Lazenby wasn’t fired by the producers. He quit the role, claiming that Bond would become something of anti-authority figure for the Vietnam generation.
9. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
The third in the Pierce Brosnan Bond series suffers from not enough memorable moments. Robert Carlyle (one of my favorite actors) is used ineffectively as the villain, and although Sophie Marceau is pretty seductive as the other villain, it is Denise Richards who provides the film’s only memorable moments. (And by memorable, I mean extremely annoying!) She is Dr. Christmas Jones. Richards has not only has the worst Bond-girl name in the history of the franchise, but she is also one of the worst actresses to portray a Bond girl. Instead of coming off as sexy and stylish, she comes off trashy and bitchy. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only time an actress’ performance as a Bond girl has had mixed results at best. Really bad Bond pun:
Bond: “I’ve always wanted to have Christmas in Turkey.”
8. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
After Lazenby left the role, Sean Connery returned as 007 in this over-the-top outing that has a ridiculous plot, annoying Bond girls, and very bizarre villains. The plot of the film revolves around Blofeld (played this time by Charles Gray of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” fame) trying to put diamonds in his laser beam to destroy the world. Jill St. John is Tiffany Case, who is not only Denise Richards-annoying, but also has absolutely no chemistry with Sean Connery. Connery also seems to be bored in the role that made him a star; it’s probably a good thing that he took the money and ran. Note the strange homosexual underscores between the two Bond henchmen, Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint. Here is an example:
Mr. Kidd: Well, they’re both aboard, and I must say Miss Case seems quite attractive… [Mr. Wint glares at him]
Mr. Kidd: …For a lady. [pause]
Mr. Kidd: Heh heh heh heh!
7. Live and Let Die (1973)
The first Roger Moore movie on this list and certainly not the last, “Live and Let Die” combines plot elements taken from blaxpoitation phenomenon “Shaft” and southern-hick TV comedies like “Hee Haw”. The stunts are unrealistic even for a Bond flick (In one scene, Bond escapes by jumping on top of crocodiles!), and there are definite racial overtones and stereotypes (The villains are all black and Bond has to save a white woman from the clutches of the evil black men). Another horrible thing about this film was the introduction of Sheriff J.W. Pepper, a character that was created possibly to make the Bond series “less British,” which means “less snobby” in the eyes of American audiences. On the plus side, Jane Seymour (Oh, Dr. Quinn!) is incredibly hot as Solitaire and Paul McCartney’s theme song is pretty sweet.
6. Octopussy (1983)
This is the worst titled Bond movie of all time. In the film, Bond (Moore again) travels to India and encounters the title character on a manmade island where she trains women in “business.” I’m uncertain what follows next because the only thing I can remember are the numerous double entendres as Bond makes references to Octopussy’s name and wonders how she got it (According to her, it was because she had a fondness for octopi). Anyway, Maud Adams, who portrays our title heroine, is too stiff and lacks the vital chemistry with Moore that is needed in a Bond Film. However, this is Homer Simpson’s favorite James Bond movie as evidenced in this line from “The Simpsons”:
“You know what I like from you Brits, Octopussy. I must have seen that movie [pause]….twice.”
5. A View To A Kill (1985)
Moore’s last outing as Bond is just as difficult to watch today as it probably was back then (It came out two years before I was born.) From the out-of-place Duran Duran title song, to the final scene atop San Franciso’s Golden Gate Bridge, this movie is one giant mess. It certainly doesn’t help matters that Moore was pushing 60 around the time he was making this movie and looks out of shape and out of place as our hero. Christopher Walken is miscast as Max Zornin, a supposed Nazi superchild-turned-trained KGB agent. The convoluted plot revolves around trying to destroy Silicon Valley. And then there’s Grace Jones. Moore, not surprisingly, later regretted to having taken part in the production at all.
4. The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
Britt Ekland as the most obnoxious Bond Girl? Check. A villian with three nipples? Check. Hervé Villechaize (who you may know better as Tattoo from TV’s “Fantasy Island”)? Check. The reappearance of the obnoxious J.W. Pepper from “Live and Let Die”? Checkmate. This is a desperate and bad Bond movie. Moore’s second outing as Bond is so strange that I really don’t know what to think of it. On the one hand, it is unintentionally hilarious. On the other hand, it’s so damned weird. Just thinking about Christopher Lee taking off his shirt and revealing his third nipple makes me cringe. And seriously, “the Plane!! the Plane!” guy from “Fantasy Island” as a Bond henchman? What the hell?
3. Moonraker (1979)
Alright, I know it seems that I’m knocking Roger Moore unfairly, but I’m not. It just so happens that the majority of Bond Films that Moore were in were extremely corny and unbelievable, and this definitely is the most unbelievable of them all. Trying to cash in on the “Star Wars” phenomenon, the producers decided to put Bond in space, with horrible results. From meeting Lois Chiles, who portrays Dr. Holly Goodhead as though she’s merely reading her lines, to a battle between U.S. Space Marines and Hugo Drax’s henchmen, this movie is another great travesty in the history of Bond movies. Not even the reappearance of Jaws (Richard Kiel) from 1977’s “The Spy Who Loved Me” could save this movie from the cheesiness that characterized Moore’s absolute worst outing as Bond.
2. You Only Live Twice (1967)
This is my least favorite of the Connery Bond films mostly because this Bond film is the first bad movie in the series. There is too much gadgetry that serves no point, the Bond girls are completely unmemorable, and the plot involving Blofeld (this time played by Donald Pleasance of “The Great Escape” and “Halloween” fame) trying to use his laser to bring about world destruction is ridiculous. However, not any of these moments can compare to the one where Bond has to undergo plastic surgery to look like a Japanese local. Not only does Connery not even remotely resemble a Japanese person, but he also comes across as a dumb stereotypical Caucasian male trying to impersonate a person of Asian descent. Offensive? Oh, yeah. However, this was only the worst Bond movie until…
1. Die Another Day (2002)
From Madonna’s horrible title song, to Halle Berry’s messy performance as Jinx (Berry supposedly was to get her own franchise after “Die Another Day” was completed!), this movie is one giant stinking pile of shit. If you want to talk about all the things that are wrong about James Bond movies—well here they all are. Awful villains (including a man who has a diamond-incrusted forehead), an over-reliance on CGI (a car chase in a melting ice hotel), blatant product placement (including one close-up of a Norelco electric razor), and badly misused actors (examples include Pierce Brosnan as Bond, Michael Madsen as a Felix Leiter knockoff, and Madonna’s horrible two-minute cameo as—get this—a fencing instructor) make this the dismally worst one in the series. The good thing that came out of this crapfest was the complete reboot of the franchise— a new version of “Casino Royale” with Daniel Craig. This is also the last appearance of M’s secretary Miss Moneypenney, whose constant flirtatious tension with Bond was a regular feature of most Bond films. In “Die Another Day,” she is seduced by Bond … by way of virtual-reality glasses. How horrible. Truly a new low.
Eric is the Editor-in-Chief of Scene-Stealers.com, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and contributor for The Pitch. He’s former President of the KCFCC, and drummer for The Dead Girls, Ultimate Fakebook, and Truck Stop Love . He is also the 2013 Air Guitar World Champion Mean Melin, ranked 4th best of all-time. Eric goes to 11. Follow him at:
{ 110 comments }
I would have to say that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is hands down the worst Bond movie to date. I don’t want to see Bond cry. Then Die Another Day would be my #2. Denise Richards is terrible. There is a line at the end of the movie where Bond says, “I guess it’s not true what they say, that Christmas only comes once a year.” I stood up in the theater and booed.
Great to see a Bond story up on Scene Stealers, nice work.
Being that there are only around 20 films overall, I’m saddened that we can even make a 10 worst list 🙁 (Indicated by the sad face). I’m even more saddened that I would put the most recent film on it. Then we can take off OHMSS (one of my favorites).
i’m not sure i agree with the order, but i definitely agree with the movies.
I forgot about the “The christmas only comes once a year line” in World Is Not Enough, otherwise that would have probably replaced the “I Wanna have Christmas in Turkey” line.
Matt- Your disappointment in the new one has me mystefied. Yes, some of the action was choppy and the plot was labyrinthine, but overall, I thought it was a great continuation of the new Bond idea. You really think it was worthy of a Top 10 list of worst Bond films?
Oh come on! People just love to hate “Die Another Day”, but it’s a regular Bond movie. I like Madonna’s title song, I like the opening credits (first time ever that they contribute to the story), and the whole absurdness of the movie was just expected (it’s 007 after all!).
And I would say “Moonraker” was rather funny, but I saw it when I was about 13 years old. It was fun to see how the producers wanted to copy “Star Wars” (as they are trying to copy “The Bourne Ultimatum” now).
To me, the worst movies of the Bond franchise are “Diamonds are Forever” (I couldn’t stand 20 minutes of this crap!), “Dr No” (how did that start a successful series when it was THAT bad?), “License to Kill” (poor Benicio Del Toro), and “Quantum of Solace” (it just isn’t a Bond movie AT ALL!).
I do understand why you think “Die Another Day” is just a regular Bond movie, I too liked the opneing credits. I just feel that Madonna’s title song was too out of place and I felt that Halle Berry was miscast as the Bond girl. I also feel that they were running out of ideas on “Die Another Day” and this represents why should always have a good idea instead of relying on gadgets and CGI, which is what they did on “Die Another Day”
It’s hard to argue with most of your choices. It’s surprising not to see a Timothy Dalton movie somewhere on the list considering he is usually considered to be the black sheep of the franchise. However, at this point, I’ve read many compelling arguments indicating that Roger Moore was the worst Bond overall, despite having a few good entries.
According to a few 007 fan sources “Never Say Never Again “is a choice that might deserve a place on this list as well, but I wouldn’t know since it is one of the few I have never seen.
Personally, I found “The World Is Not Enough” to be worse than “Die Another Day” by quite a lot. There are some things to like about Brosnan’s final Bond adventure. And all those things exist before he goes to the Ice hotel and the movie just becomes absurd beyond belief. The scenes that took place in Korea were exciting, as was the stuff that occurred while Bond was rogue (minus Modanna). Then we have the scene with Bond and Q (I miss Q) going over his new gadgets amongst famous props from the old movies. All of this added up to the invisible Aston Martin (the epitome of absurd gadgetry). After that scene there isn’t really anything left and that can be defended sanely, but all of that fun should at least elevate Bond 20 out of the one spot.
Thank you for saying good things about Quantum of Solace. It´s a very good movie. Once you see it a second time, it gets even better!
((I don´t see what people don´t like about Timothy Dalton. It was a more violent, more intense Bond (until Dany Craig came in, of course). – – This is a comment on the introduction to the list.))
As for the list itself, brilliant. I would only change it a tiny bit, placing OHMSS on number 2. And then all Roger Moore movies. hahaha
a week late and a Dalton short…
The best description I’ve ever heard of the Timothy Dalton movies was that his face looked like he was trying to solve complicated math problems in his head the whole time he’s onscreen. Very true. . .
Eric, I mentioned that ten is a lot of films to put on a worst list considering it’s like half of them. I’m not saying Quantum was THE worst, but I think it was in the weaker half.
I think it mostly depends on what you want out of a Bond film.
It seems to me that after World is Not Enough and Die Another Day people realized that Bond was getting crap. This was mostly because those films are two hour long glossy commercials for watches and vodka. I realize the old films had some of that in them but it seems like the franchise was getting more and more ridiculous. To remedy this they took out every gadget, every over-the-top villain quirk, every bond one-liner..etc. I realize they wanted to go with the realistic ‘tortured bond’ angle, but when you take out any acknowledgment of the ridiculous situations Bond gets into, it seems even more unreal than the old quirky films. In short, they took out the fun element of Bond for those of us that need more than a bloodbath to have fun in a film. I realize that in 2009 you’re not going to go back and make another Goldfinger, but I don’t think the approach they’ve gone with in Quantum is the answer.
I dig both Dalton movies enough. And I must say that the free-fall sequence at the start of Moonraker is pretty much enough to salvage it for me (barely). And I’ve always liked The Man With the Golden Gun, ridiculous though it is.
Great list, though.
What people are not understanding about Quantum of Solace is that it´s not the definite version of Bond. It´s a Bond that´s still getting to know himself and to measure his strength and his control over his emotions. He´s still not the Bond we used to know, because he´s still young and hurt. I bet the next movie, now that he´s found his peace of mind from the Vesper affair, he will be more relaxed, funnier and less violent. He´ll be more like the true Bond next time.
In Quantum he was just angry. Very angry.
And I didn´t think any of the chase sequences were unreal. People squeaked when Bond didn´t die after the free-fall. But I had a cousin who fell just like him – and my cousin´s parachute didn´t even open at the end – and he didn´t brake a bone!
The reason I didn’t put any Timothy Dalton movies on the list was because I feel that Timothy Dalton was a very underrated James Bond, maybe even ahead of his time. In fact, before Daniel Craig came along, Timothy Dalton was probably the closest version to what Ian Fleming had in mind when he wrote the novels. Plus, it was interesting to take the series in a different direction after Roger Moore had retired. Also, the reason “Never Say Never Again” isn’t included is because it is not an official James Bond movie in that it wasn’t produced by Albert Broccoli’s EON productions.
Timothy Dalton was definitely underrated as Bond. I was just surprised he wasn’t on your list because most people that I’ve come across really despise him, but I’m glad you left his films off your list.
Renata Ventura- I agree completely, “Quantum of Solace” is kind of like another prequel. That is what disappointed me about the movie, after they finally played the infamous music at the end of “Casino Royal” I thought that Bond was Bond and the next movie would show Craig playing the character we know and love but with his excellent spin on the material. That being said, I enjoyed Solace and will happily await the next entry. Also, the action scenes were fun enough, but there were too many of them and the editing was so tight that some became difficult to enjoy.
I loved Dalton. I think The Living Daylights might be one of the best. He was dark but they still had all the elements that made the movies fun.
And as far as the Bond Begins approach to looking at Quantum, I can see where you’re coming from. I understand Bond had to have started out a little screwed up; who wouldn’t be when your on-the-job training involves killing dozens of baddies every day? Having said that, why do I have to watch that for two full films? They could have shown his unstable beginnings in Casino and got on with the fun stuff by now. Look at what they did with the old films when Bond’s wife is murdered in front of him. There was definitely some brooding through at least a few of the films, but they didn’t let that overshadow the fun Bond is having. Growing up I wanted to be Bond in the worst way. Had this new Bond been the one I grew up with I wouldn’t have that. I dunno…I’ll watch Quantum again.
Here are my ratings of your picks:
10- SHIT
9- OK
8- SHIT
7- GOOD
6- SHIT
5- GREAT
4- INCREDIBLE
3- GREAT
2- GREAT
1- THE MOST GOD AWFUL PIECE OF SHIT OF ALL TIME
(WHEN I SAY RATINGS, I MEAN OF THE FILM NOT YOUR LIST)
Die Another Day is one of the worst movies of any kind I’ve ever seen. It is the dumbest plot of any Bond movie. I can never get past the redheaded North Korean bad guy.I kept asking if that was the redheaded American good guy from Band of Brothers. Since when can North Korean generals visit Iceland without anyone in NATO noticing? The dialing sword fight/ karate match on a plane that was engulfed in flames was too much….until they escaped in a helicopter that happened to be on board.Did that plane have wooden floors? Just absolutely awful.
I always considered A View To A Kill to be the worst Bond film. And even though I wasn’t a big Timothy Dalton fan, I did like the two Bond films he made. I even put Licence To Kill on my top ten best Bond films list.
As for Quantum, it was a good Bond film and I would never consider it to be horrible. But its definitely not a memorable one. The action scenes were cool but the whole Bourne-like look to the scenes overstayed its welcome. However, Daniel Craig, in my opinion, is the best Bond we’ve had since Connery.
I don’t think very many people would describe Quantum as “horrible”. It just felt really down after Royal, the first movie set the bar too high, maybe we should aim a little lower.
For me, the worst of the lot is OHMSS. Yes, some of the Brosnans were pretty bad, and some of the Moores, too, but OHMSS was unforgivable in this sense: James Bond should never, ever, ever marry someone. For me, it ruins the character, demystifies him way too much. (That applies to the older movies, not the reboot, which is carefully being realistic about Bond’s attitudes.)
Having said that, I really can’t disagree on any of these picks. Sure, 10 is a big chunk of the total, but these aren’t (obviously) all terrible films, just the ten worst.
I have grown up on Bond my entire life. The first movie I can remember seeing in a theater was Goldfinger ( My all time favorite Bond movie and favorite Bond- Connery).
No doubt the worst Bond film of all time hands down is On Her Majestys Secret Service. You can sense a gloomy shadow hanging over the entire film, sorry plot line and the worst Bond ever ( Lazenby, what were they thinking?).
The next worst Bond flick has to be A View to A Kill- How old was Roger in that, eighty? Grace Jones looks plastic, Christopher Walken looks like he’s out of a bad sketch on Saturday Night Live. Roger Moore wasn’t a bad Bond, he should have given it up, say, after For your Eyes Only?
Timothy Dalton was not that bad of a Bond, and his films have stood up rather well ( one of the best action scenes in a Bond movie come from Licence To Kill near the end- the plane scene.
Pierce did a god job too, Goldeneye and Tommorrow Never Dies were excellent, and as Moore he should have given up his ppk that that.
Connery was Bond, and all the others have just filled in.
I think OHMSS is the best of the series, this is partially because of the Change of lead actor, I’m not sure Sean Connery would have played as well in it, it’s like the previous entries in some ways but also is an entirly new direction in actually being a near full adaptation of Ian Flemings original source novel and that’s a Plus. It also contains, until perhaps 1995’s Goldeneye, the most, and most intense action scenes of the series. It certainly sets the benchmark for the latter films.
I agree with all the other Choices, especially Moonraker.
The first 5 to 10 minutes are awesome, My fav Bond action scene and stunt of all time…. James Bond can defy the laws of gravity by free-falling faster than everyone else! Especially when the Bond theme comes on Just as Jaws flys into shot… yep that was the theme song moment!
But the rest of the movie is Shithouse. The opening sequence is fantastic but it makes the rest of the movie pretty boring and absurd.
Once again let me point out that
Fleming’s Bond does get married and Tracy gets shot at the end, OHMSS is one of the only Bond films that can be classed in the field of “Adaptation”.
I Guess OHMSS is a Bond-flick for fans of the original Novel series.
The thing is, Richard Collins, that just because a movie is true to the source material doesn’t mean it’s a good movie. Perhaps the source material is ineffective as well. But yeah, if you read the novel and were happy with it, you’d be happy with the movie. I haven’t read the books, because I think of the movies as less adaptations of books and more stand-along action adventures.
George Lazenby comes across as aloof and un-inspired in OHMSS. Moonraker was not the worst Moore/Bond, I still say On A View To A Kill will go down as one of the worst ever in the series. Dr. No and Thunderball-Classic!
To each their own opinion I guess. I like 90% of the Bond movies so I guess that’s why I disagree with a lot of your choices. I definitely agree with Die Another Day though. Some of the stupid innuendo dialogue could fit into an Austin Powers movie. Halle Berry aside from being eye candy was terrible and Madonna was definitely out of place. Complete crap!
Quantum of Solace was rubbish… rubbish… Bond is not an action hero… leave it to Jason Bourne… I miss the smoking of cigarettes/cigar… the hot cars…the barrage of chicks… moneypenny and etc…
Definitely a case of different strokes for different folks here. I noticed that each Bond film from 1967-1985, except for The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only (arguably Moore’s best two) made your list. My major disagreement is Lazenby.
My List (half of which I still find watchable)
10. Thunderball — actually not bad…I like most of the bonds. But Slllllooooooowwwwwwwww and overwrought.
9. Never Say Never Again — unBondian remake of Thunderball saved by its non-Basinger acting.
8. The Man with the Golden Gun — if they had played it straight instead of ridiculous at times (and gotten rid of JW Pepper), this could have been a classic.
7. Moonraker – Just plain ridiculous, and both Lois Chiles and Michael Lonsdale were a tad too droll and boring for their own good.
6. Die Another Day – Madonna, Ice Palace, Invisible Car. Enough said, except Brosnan sucked too. No wonder he didn’t get asked back. I’ve never seen this one more than twice.
5. Diamonds are Forever – This coulda been great. Barry’s best score, Connery’s best performance EVER (you say bored, I say laconic), well played (for that era) quirky villians, Charles Gray being the pompous-ass blofeld, and the very beautiful Jill St. John… who seems to be playing the character most of the time as smart. You can hear the director saying…NO NO NO… we need a shot of you being a stupid bitch now. Cower in fear as you watch this fight. Boring action to boot, and inconsistencies in the toupee.
4. A View to a Kill – Roger Moore is about the only thing that didn’t suck.. for the first and last time, he greatly exceeds his material. Even Barry’s score was boring.
3. Dr. No – More of a case of a rare bad Connery performance (yes, you heard me) and a low budget after seeing bigger Bond movies.
2. Goldeneye – Brosnan and Dench are shockingly good, as is Sean Bean and the leading lady, but everything from the plot, to Xena-Over-The-Top, boring action scenes, stilted dialogue at times, and horrible music (save for the title song)…. I walked out feeling gipped.
1. The World is Not Enough – Brosnan is bored, Denise Richards is unconvcing, and Michael Apted’s direction (who wouldn’t “exploit” women by having them in bikinis, yet has one partially nude) sucks. Except for the pre-title sequence, and the song, this feels very un-Bondian. And just bad. BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD.
Your list sucks. Octopussy, Moonraker and A View To A Kill are the worst? Are you on crack? You weren’t even born when these were released, so how can you say A View To A Kill is “as difficult to watch as when it came out”. Well pal I saw it when I was a kid and it was excllent then and it is still excellent now, and nothing tops that fight on the golden gate bridge. So many idiots called it the worst and it’s not. Plus it has the best title song, much better than Live And Let Die. You also said the stunts in Live And Let Die are unbelievable. Yet another person who probably hated the new Indiana Jones film because of the fridge scene. Grow up. James Bond films aren’t supposed to be realistic anyway, and the more unrealistic they are the better. I’d say that doesn’t even entitle you to comment on them. Where’s Thunderball, Goldeneye, Casino Royale, Living Daylights in your list? they were the worst. This list is stupid!
Moonraker or Octopussy the worst Bond movie? What about Casino Royale then? Sie Roger Moore was the best Bond EVER!
Regards
Why are people defending Moonraker at all? The love story between Jaws and the librarianish blond space tech, the laser mounted space shuttles, the pigeon double take, I repeat THE PIGEON DOUBLE TAKE–All of this makes for the worst pile of visual garbage EVER! Definitely #1. Next person who defends Moonraker has to watch it frame by frame with me. Most of the other choices for this list are acceptable. I really do think that all films post For Your Eyes Only should be on here, because none are memorable in any way. Stuff blows up, perhaps someone drives fast through an exotic location, and whatever the newest extreme sport is shows up mid chase sequence. I think the choices for Bond actors have been solid post Moore, but the stories have sucked. And though it is a pretty terrible film, A View to a Kill is an awesome name for a movie, and did we forget Christopher Walken and Duran Duran?
Yeah, A View to a Kill was pretty awesome. I think the biggest problem was Moore’s age. Oh, and the really annoying geologist girl. But other than that, it was awesome. And I don’t think Octopussy should be on the list. These two are really the only Moore films I did like.
going on what someone else already said, i guess it depends on what you want out of a bond movie. to me, (admitting that im only 21) casino royale and quantum have been my two favorites. and yes, i have seen the majority of the older connery, dalton and lazenby ones. to me, the revamp of this franchise is the same as batman. they went from the “jump the shark” comedic insantiy of mr. freeze and the riddler // pierce brosnan to the seriousness and more realistic villains and heroes of today. casino royale and quantum = begins and dark knight
PRETTY GOOD LIST, THINK DALTONS FIRST “LIVING DAYLIGHTS” COULD HAVE BEEN LISTED AND THOUGHT LAZENBY`S “ON HER MAJESTYS SECRET SERVICE” WASNT THE WORST? ACTUALLY HAVE SEEN IT IN ABOUT 5 OTHER LIST TOP 10?? DONT KNOW ABOUT THAT EITHER? BUT LIVING DAYLIGHTS COULD HAVE BEEN AT LEAST LISTED IN THERE (DALTON WAS THE WORST)
AND WATCHING BONDS ALL DAY ON ENCORE AND “ON HER MAJESTYS SECRET SERVICE” WAS ONE OF ONLY 2 BOND MOVIES ALL DAY WITH 4 STARS? MUST SAY SOMETHING?
AND YES MOONRAKER WAS THE WORSE!!
I think you made a mistake on You Only Live Twice. Blofield never used a laser, he used a rocket with a open top that captured other rockets
I think you are crazy to put “Live and let Die” un your list- probably the hottest Bond girl of all time and the best Bond theme song ever are just bonuses, the plot jumps from location to location but somehow fits together. I don’t think any of the plot elements are any more over the top than any other previous Bond films. And every Bond film has some ethnic stereotypes, at least the black villians in this film are portrayed as resourceful and smart, unlike the black characters in most films of the time.
“Live and Let Die” kicked ass, and Roger Moore wasn’t nearly as bad a Bond as people think, its just that most of the movies he was in had bad plots. “Moonraker” was probably the worst Bond ever made.
I have enjoyed all the Bond films, and all the actors who played him. They all bring a diferent flavor to the series, and of course there will always be some films you like better than others, but in the end.. its all entertaining in some form.
Good list, I agree with your list and your order, the only exception being The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), I find this one strangly watchable and only one of the two good Roger Moore bond films (best being For Your Eyes Only). And you can’t go wrong with Christopher Lee as a bady even if he has a third nipple.
ur list sucks… you only live twice is on there ur what born in 1987 lol what the fuck do u know… go watch the new star wars yah goof
I’ve been watching Bond since I was a kid in the seventies. Style, action, a little well placed humor, world travel, and yes, the Bond Girls are what I liked about the movies. Craig is a crappy bond. Absolutely no style, just a thug. Brosnan, Dalton, and Connery were my favs (not in that order). Although Moore was too old in A View to a Kill, I liked the movie. The Denise Richards Brosnan flick is his worst, but I like his others.
New movies are written to copy a darker, less humorous series like Bourne. No humor at all and as I said earlier…no style.
Miss the old Q. 🙁
Okay, #10 on your list is BS. You may of not liked the movie, but it is nothing near the WORST Bond films. It was a bit out of place because it came out between two Sean Connery films and I’m sure that affected your opinion of the film. You admitted it in your biased review. This actor is not Sean Connery, don’t expect him to act like him. This is more Bond than you think. On top of that, this is one of the only Bond films to have CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.
I do agree whole heartily about #1 and 3 on your list. 🙂
without a doubt moonraker is the worst bond movie ever made.
its tries to be the spy version of star wars, but it ends up being a bad parody of itself.
avoid this movie if it ever apperes on tv
for me each 007 movie had its good monment and its bad. so for me I,ll say that there are at lest seven movie that was the lest of my favorit. the 7, The living daylights, 6, therderball, 5,Moonranker, 4, The man with the golden gun, 3,a view to a kill, 2, The spy who loved me, And the worse bond movie of them all ( and if any one can remember, is the 1960 bomb Casino roaly.
Now some of you are wondering way I have put O.H.M.S.S in the mix. well let just say I did not think it was a bad movie. In fact I thought it was a good movie and that it would have been better if the powers that be would have done a better jab in given the actor more room to work with it ws one of the reason why that actor had quit the roll as 007 key word Quit. He was not fired. as for Qurtam of Solaces, this film took a steps backward. But it wasn’t as bad as the ones I have giving you today. now the question is can bond be as realizic as it was doing the Dr no/ From Russa with loved days when Sean Conery ( the frist 007) uses his bran to get out of a jam, or will M.G.M gose back to the gadget typ Bond, with story that ahrly makes any sceines at all.
This list is about right, I’d say, although I don’t think You Only Live Twice or The Man with the Golden Gun were among the five worst Bond movies.
#1 was correctly placed, followed by #3. Die Another Day and Moonraker were awful because the directors missed the point altogether. There’s a difference between “showing unrealistic technology” and “openly science fiction”.
At least Moonraker had a sense of humour, though. Die Another Day was an overly clever, overly modernistic, self-conscious, unfunny crock. It felt like a bunch of hipster students wrote the script, trying to put in as many clever references as possible. Bond films don’t need to involve global warming jokes, for example. Or Clash songs, or Madonna, or product placement every 30 seconds. And it’s sad to see John Cleese being so painfully unfunny.
That’s without mentioning the genetic engineering, or the invisible car. It’s a shame because a North Korea-related plot could have been awesome.
Quantum of Solace suffered slightly from this as well (the short running time, the very sudden ending, the slightly PC subject matter) and it felt kind of back-to-front, with the really exciting stuff at the beginning and a lot of tension-building slow bits in the second half that turned out not to lead to anything. The first half of the film went some way towards making up for that.
Great topic for discussion. I’m basing my comments on a common scenario: if I’m channel surfing and come across a Bond movie, will I begin watching it or move on to something else. I have to admit that I am likely to watch… my least favorites (1 being worst):
3 – A View to a Kill – I was a teen during the Roger Moore years so I think I am easy on him. This is my least favorite of his though…
2 – Die Another Day – Sensory overload.
1 – Diamonds Are Forever – I’ve never been able to put my finger on it but this movie seems to be so… pastel. I would welcome a comment that could explain the different look and feel of this one.
iam a huge james bond fan and i think your list is a lot of crap
Good list. For myself I’d remove Diamonds are Forever from the list, moved everything below it up one and placed Moonraker as the all time worst.
I’m surprised Tomorrow Never Dies didn’t make the list.
Okay, I’m throwing in my two cents here, fresh from reading all the posts. Hell, I’ll just throw out my list off all of them, #22 being the worst, #1 being … Number One!
22. Die Another Day, 21. Diamonds Are Forever, 20. The Man With the Golden Gun, 19. A View to a Kill, 18. Moonraker, 17. Live and Let Die, 16. The World Is Not Enough, 15. Quantum of Solace, 14. Licence to Kill, 13. Tomorrow Never Dies, 12. Octopussy, 11. You Only Live Twice, 10. The Spy Who Loved Me, 9. Dr. No, 8. For Your Eyes Only, 7. GoldenEye , 6. Goldfinger, 5. Thunderball, 4. The Living Daylights, 3. From Russia With Love, 2. Casino Royale, 1. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Off the top of my head. I like OHMSS … its a well made film, compact, broad story with great characters … and Scorsese likes it. But I might tie it with Casino Royale.
And I’d put Never Say Never Again between Maybe Moonraker and Live and Let Die … its bad, but has humor value … come on, Bond looking old, the urine sample, Fatima blush and the death by pen … The boat scene, making love on the floor, rocking back and forth with the sea … HILARIOUS!
Michael-
Your list is as close to mine as any I’ve seen. Having “The Living Daylights” as high as it is is an interesting choice, though. Any insight as to why?
I think The Living Daylights was a pretty solid romp around the globe, with time enough in each spot to satiate and enjoy the locales, which is very Bond to me. Also, I very much enjoy the adrenaline pumping opening sequence, which ends classically. The whole sniper scene was great gritty Fleming, with a cinema edge. Arguably Maryam d’Abo was a weak BOnd girl, but her character wasnt the ‘I’m a different kind of Bond girl/equal to Bond’ … she was girly and innocent, and needed defending. It may be non-PC, but its a great damsel position. Also, the plot … the betrayl and double betrayl, the deaths being made to look like some other conspiracy, the drug trade being pivotal to the real plot … the locations, and Bond being able to, NOT buddy up with at all, but work with, be tolerated by, and come through to be an ally at the end for the Afghan fighters, was great. It makes Bond to be a man who can learn to adapt courteously to new cultures, environments, situations, and makes him be far more smooth overall.
This movie still has the great action (and more realistic really) with the ice chase, opening sequence, and fight on the Hercules airplane.
Also, it has a charming nod to the Q and Moneypenny scene, a bit (if odd) of Felix, and a romance that is sparked between Bond and Maryam d’Abo that is sincere, soft, true, and charming. This one isnt all about the sex, its about Bond being there for an innocent used by the Big Bad Commie to gain money. This movie has good soul. THe only thing I have to really criticize it that it gets slow in the third act, and the conclusion is a bit unsatisfying, as it falls flat (with Whitaker and the shootout). TLD has a soft style to it, yet stays true to older Bond books and films in key areas of being an espionage thriller and story of intrigue set upon a backdrop of wonderfully rich locales, and tender moments, torn apart by heated action and struggle. Timothy Dalton is dangerous, brooding, no-nonsense, charming, tender, brutal, and lean all in one. He’s not a dandy, not a comedian, not a thug, not an A-hole; he’s a man of the world on a mission, with a heart and a duty.
ALSO; just look at that fight in the kitchen! A great fight without Bond, showing that MI6 people, even the Butler, can kick ass! AND the scene in the hotel room with Bond about to execute the KGB General. Classic.
Dear Fan Bonds,
Very interesting debate. I think almost everybody agrees that the series went astray with Moonraker and Die Another Day, although (in the second case) I do not think this is Madonna’s or Berry’s fault at all. Just too much gadgetry and convoluted plot. On the other hand I do not think OHMSS deserves being in the list. Also, I like the plot of A View to A Kill, including Duran Duran soundtrack, but it is true that Moore looks too old. I also agree with the positive reviews of the Living Daylights, one of the best of the series and of the best characterizations of Bond. Surprising to see negative comments on Dr. No…
As someone pointed out, your description of You Only Live Twice is completely wrong, the only gadgetry is a mini helicopter with rockets and machine guns in it (pretty standard for a bond film), Blofeld isn’t trying to bring about world destruction with a laser, thats diamonds are forever, He’s destroying Russian and U.S spaceships to turn them against each other, a sensible plot and quite a decent Bond film with the best depiction of Blofeld, that inspired the great Dr Evil.
Ohh, and in response to the Dr. No query, don’t be biased by the fact that it is the first, Dr. No is so boring and has literally 1 minute of action for the whole movie.
Moonraker is entertaining though. Jaws is hilarious.
I’m glad they brought him back for the movie.
If they copied elements of Star Wars, they were still ahead of their time. I disagree about your distaste for Moonraker.
I hated Diamonds are Forever and Die Another Day.
I think Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan play the most enjoyable Bonds.
Roger Moore brought great humor to the character.
Timothy Dalton was downright horrible for his lack of charisma, except License to Kill really worked well with Franz character and the Bond girl.
IMHO, Dr No would be the worst bond film ever. No gadgets and an incredibly stupid story line. Wonder what the script writer was doing…
Pretty cool list.
I have to admit the only film I found really interesting, though, was ”Casino Royale” with Daniel Craig. He was more like the original character of James Bond from Ian Fleming’s novels… The other Bonds seem too cool and sophisticated, whereas the ”real” 007 is hard-edged and ruthless, with a touch of suave arrogance and dry, cynical humor. Plus he was a smoker (wich you don’t see in the movies) and a heavy drinker, often suffering from hangovers in the mornings. He’s quite a flawed character- but that makes him more realistic!
I’m shocked to find how much Dr. No is bashed… I’ve always seen it as one of my favorites. Furthermore, I enjoy most of the Moore films… for what they are. He added brevity to the series, where Connery added seriousness. For me, the series ended after GoldenEye. I could tolerate the first Brosnan entry, and no more after it. To say nothing of this faux Daniel Craig impersonator. I totally discredit him.
‘i only watch twice.’ 2 top ’10’ s. . ursula andress. halle berry.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is not a bad film. Someone had to pay the price for following immediately in Connery’s footsteps and Lazenby seems to be skulking in self-awareness of the fact. It’s very organic, not reliant on too much gadgetry either, which gives it a more of a literary tone. It retains a dignity head and shoulders above the campy excesses of the Moore canon… then again, taste completely went out the window in the Seventies, didn’t it?
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is too presumptively taken as a loser but it deserves another look.
Leave ‘The World Is Not Enough’ alone! That movie has arguably the best opening scene in all of the Bond movies. The scenes with Brosnan and his female counterpart/villian (who’s name escapes me now) are nothing short of priceless; filled with coyness and severe sexual undertones (There’s no use in living if you can’t feel alive’–CLASSIC!) However, you are right in that Denise Richards was completely miscasted as Dr. Christmas. She lacked the maturity and certain sophistication a Bond girl need to keep up with James. But overall I throughly enjoyed this particular film. It is seriously in my top 3 overall Bond films. If Craig keeps making them like he has the last two then that might change as well.
Hold on y’all, everyone keeps bashing Daniel Craig, but I think he is a great Bond! And Die Another Day is UNDENIABLY one of the worst movies ever… PERIOD!
My favorite Bond is perhaps Goldeneye, it feels great. I also liked From Russia With Love.
Michael McKinley, superb comments on Living Daylights, one of the best IMO (I also love Licence to Kill). Dr. No was a funny way to start the series but it has a cool, “Boys’ Own” adventure-style quality to it. I saw Goldfinger again recently and was surprised by how much I disliked it, I think that was where the rot started with Bond lolling about making stupid leery jokes and loads of tinfoil-covered props everywhere. I would like to see Thunderball again as I found it quite boring as a kid but would probably appreciate the storyline more now. I have always hated, hated hated The Spy Who Loved Me. What a load of pants that movie was.
5 Worst Bond Movies: Die Another Day , The Man With The Golden Gun , Tomarrow Never Dies , Diamonds are Forever and Goldfinger. Ive never understood how Goldfinger is considered one of the best Bond movies. Its the most boring in the series in my opinion …
5 Best Bond Movies: Goldeneye , The Spy Who Loved Me , Dr. No , From Russia With Love , A License To Kill
I have watched Bond movies for years – and agree/disagree with your list.
First, my favorite Bond films are Diamonds are Forever, Goldfinger, Thunderball and Goldeneye; the worst, every movie that Roger Moore made!
The hatred toward Diamonds are Forever boggles me a little. I found the film fast-paced and the characters memorable (loved Blofeld talking like Willard Whyte), Plenty O’Toole (“why of course you are”), the gay-henchmen, Thumper and Bambi, the list goes on.
Obviously, the lenghty ending sequence, normally an all-out blitz of sorts, is a true Bond staple. As I appreciate Dr. No, the truth is that it was not action packed and the ending was rather anti-climatic (Dr. No gets boiled…too quickly). Rather, consider Thunderball’s underwater final sequence; Goldfinger’s Fort Knox battle; Diamonds are Forever’s battle sequence aboard the oil rig (perhaps); You only Live Twice and the roping in of the ninja warriors…etc.
Frankly, I really enjoyed Connery as Bond, perhaps that skewes my perspective. However, he is a true actor, as is Brosnan, and they bring a suave, sophisticated presence to the role. Lazenby and Craig do not leave me thinking spohisticant or aristocratic – rather, I feel they would be more at home punching a baddy in the face than at a formal wine-tasting.
The next POLE – needs to be memorable Bond sequences!
George Lazenby could too act. Don’t did the Laz! Not as good an actor as Connery, but who is? Lazenby was far better than Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, or Craig.
And the worst Bond movie? Tough to choose, but I’ll go with “The Living Daylights”.
I meant to edit it. That’s “Don’t dis the Laz”.
Really can’t understand why people hate Moonraker so much? It was supposed to be tongue and cheek, and over the top.
The only problem with Moonraker, was when Moore was in the Centrifuge thing. Instead of playing it straight, Moore should have kept his legs crossed, lit a cigar, and with one eyebrow raised throughout.
He could have then got out, staightened his Tie and said ‘Well that put a new spin on things’. Would have been the best scene ever.
Was’nt Moonraker also the highest ever grossing Bond until Goldeneye eventually eclipsed it?
Why is \On Her Majesty’s Secret Service\ alyways being dissed, true Bond aficionados rate it as one of the best,some Bond purists even say it’s the best ever.OHMSS is a welcome change from the usual Bond formula when it came out and Lazenby was the right actor to portray Bond in that movie and not Connery,the reason being Connery would look ridiculous showing a humane side of Bond but Lazenby was very capable of doing that.I agree though that “Die Another Day” is the worst but why is “Tomorrow Never Dies” not in the list.Other than Michelle Yeoh everything was wrong with that movie,the title,the theme song,the pre credit sequence,the credit sequence,the villain,Teri Hatcher,the gadgets,the car.
So in your “brilliant” list you did not include Quantum of Solace (the biggest crap ever which is not even a bond film) and License to Kill (an experiment based on violence that failed) but you did place 5 out 7 of Roger Moore’s films. Come on. This is ridiculus. What a biased list of nonsense. And what is with all you people and Roger Moore and especially with Moonraker. You liked Quantum of Nonsense but you don’t like the humor of Roger, the breathtaking special effects, which were nominated and I think they won an oscar by the way. Also, you placed You only live twice in your list, which along with Goldfinger were propably the best Bond films ever, because you confuse its plot with another film. Come on. The laser of Blofend was in the crappy Diamonds are forever. I am a huge Bond fan, i own every film in dvd, i have seen every film about 20 times, i have even memorised details, dialogue and staff and i strongly dissagree with you. Sorry!
To Nostra
Roger Moore’s version of Bond get’s mentioned more times than any other, why? Well, quite simply because most of them are utter crap. Apart from The Spy Who Loved Me, he spends most of the time with pathetic innuendo and comedy aimed at the baddies. Very much doubt that suave and sophisticated banter will deter any serious baddies. I’ve re-watched just about all of them again and I gotta say that Mr Connery is still tops, followed by Pierce Brosnan, except DAD which was really bad, even for him, would have been made 100% better had Madonna not been in it. After Pierce, I would say that Daniel Craig is a good choice. I too at first wondered why on earth they would choose him but after subsequent viewings I have to say, he’s great, especially Quantum, it’s how Bond should be. This re-boot was seriously needed and becomes far more apparent after re-viewing Roger Moore’s embarrasing turn as our favourite secret agent. Roll on Bond 23!
Having just started going through all the bond films again myself, I would have to say that most of Brosnan’s and Moore’s movies are horrible and after watching Moonraker, Die Another Day and The World Is Not Enough, I would challenge anyone who thinks On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is anywhere close to how rotten these three films are. It is no wonder they re-booted the whole Bond experience with a gritty Daniel Craig after Brosnan completely ruined a classy sophisticated character by turning Bond into a cheesy, over acted ponce who’s terrible one liners remind me of something from Austin Powers but without the humour. As for Roger Moore……. Give me any of the Sean Connery films even the bad ones over Moore or Brosnan. Having said that GoldenEye was a top film but Brosnans acting was carried by some other great performances.
Cheers
some of then i agree but in the wrong order he is mine
10:octupussy/ boring
9:from russia with love/slow and boring
8:a viev to a kill/roger was geating to old
7:licence to kill/diaster
6:tommorow never dies/rubbish
5:the world is not enough/sucked
4:diamonds are forever/sean didnt smile once
3:on her majisty secret service/george sucked
2:quatum of solace/real dissapontment
1:die another day/i feel a sleep near the biggining of the film
I can’t believe that its been 2 years since this post was published and it is one of the most commentated top 10 lists on this site! Anyway, after finally seeing “Quantum” over a year ago I would agree that that would go on the list, and would probably replace “Diamonds are Forever”, even though it is still one of the worst Bonds featuring Connery.
I never would have imagined that after writing this list 2 years ago it would be one of the most commentated pieces on the site! Anyway, after finally viewing “Quantum” last year, it has to receive an dishonorable mention, and “Diamonds Are Forever” still sucks, how fondly people remember it. And btw, “From Russia With Love” is the best Bond film in the entire series!
Ooops, computer is weird again :P.
Quantum of Solace should replace Die another Day in this list. Die another Day was my favorite though. I also think of Roger Moore as one of the worst James Bonds in history.
Quit busting on Roger Moore. He gave a sense of humor to Bond.
Bond needed to have a better time during the missions, and Roger Moore pulled it off. I don’t understand why people don’t appreciate him as much. You
I’ve watched all Bond films. If you like a Bourne style Bond with more hand fighting ability than outsmarting victim, and you’re a girl.. you’ll like Daniel Craig.
Sean Connery works somewhat, except when he played a Japanese man.
Though Sean Connery is not the best…
Brosnan fits nicely, for awhile for of course. Die Another Day was really bad. Bond is getting too P.C with his Chinese Spy assistant having an equal fighting role. That’s the problem. We don’t need an EQUAL woman character. Bond is supposed to be a little chauvenistic, like when Sean Connery would slap girls on their ass in Goldfinger? It’s bad too, in the recent Daniel Craig film where Bond doesn’t get the set on revenge Latin girl who was going after the dictator.
Everybody slams Timothy Dalton, but his License to Kill is a VERY ENJOYABLE film. Timothy Dalton had no sense of humor though, not like Moore.
Roger Moore made the best of what he had even with cheesy 70s sets. “Of course you are” he says to a woman. “When in Egypt one must delve deeply into its treasures” — sophistication, humor. Daniel Craig is more of just Brawn.
When the new Bond movie comes out, it better not be too politically correct. That would be horribly upsetting.
The World is Not Enough in my opinion was a good film and it shouldn’t be in this list just because of Denise Richards. I’m pretty sure that the snowmobiles with parachutes are one of the most memorable bond scenes ever.
I agree with all accept for the world is not enough and die another day . The only reason every one hates it cuz denise, I think its about time and a nice change that a bond girl can actually take care of herself ,kicked butt , come off difficult to get to and survive to the end , all those are great. And die another day i admit i scream everytime i see halle berry , what were they thinking, but it did have alot of action and didnt bore me to death , so number 1 is a little much dont ya think?
Today i watched moonraker and i was well suprised. I love that movie. What can you more expect from Bond, a lot of action, (venice, rio de janeiro, jungle, space) and one of the most beautiful and sexy bond girl of all time (Lois Chiles), she is so cute in that role! And if dont like unrealistic things then you probably should not watch Bond movies, becouse they are unrealistic in many things. Bond in 60s and 70s and one part in 80s where still actor is Roger Moore was gentleman, today bond is just one rude punk who shoot too much and destroy cars and does not know how to treat a lady. Greatings from Croatia.
I noticed you didn’t include any of the Daniel Craig movies. Care to explain?
Steve, I’m not the original poster, but it’s sorta easy. Daniel Craig’s movies didn’t suck.
The reality is there is a “Bond” for everyone. What may be bad for some may be great for others. I grew up with Sean and Roger. I preferred Sean, and grew to like and respect Roger in the role. A view to a Kill was disappointing to me though as it was past Roger’s time to turn in the PPK. However, I liked all the other Connery and Moore films (even the ones listed here as worst films, which I guess is subjective). For my personal taste, Pierce was just not a good fit, and I did not care for any of the Bond movies he was in. I think more people would have appreciated the Dalton era if Brosnan came before him, but Dalton had to overcome a long Moore legacy. Daniel Craig at first did not sit well with me, and he still reminds me of the villain (personality wise) in From Russia with Love. However, like Roger he has grown on me for Bond appeal. The only one I can say that never did was Pierce…so I would rate all four of his films from 1 to 4 and not really have a top 10.
Daniel Craig is the worst bond ever. Quantum sucked and Eva greens boobs are the only good part of royale.
Out of all the Bonds, Connery is still number one. The others each have some good qualities. Roger Moore injected more humor and remember it was the tacky 1970’s. However, Live And Let Die has to be the worst Bond film by a landslide. Here are my reasons:
1. Abscense of John Barry. George Martin’s music was a letdown.
2. Cheesey Blaxploitation rip-off.
3. Characters over the top and exagerated.
4. Sheriff Pepper though over the top had some funny moments.
5. This movie reminded me of Love American Style and not for good reasons. Live and Let Die is the most dated of all the Bond flicks.
6. Jane Seymore’s character came across as a hippie ditz who would have been a natural on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In (another now super dated and not funny show) and God Awful Love American Style.
Regarding On Her Magesties: Lazenby wasn’t bad, but following Sean Connery was a tough act. This movie showed the softer sensitive side of 007. However, John Barry excelled with his musical score.
I for one liked Diamonds Are Forever. The two fey henchmen added some humor and creepiness to the movie and Bond almost being cremated alive at the “Slumber Funeral Home” was a classic “Goodbye Mr. Bond scene.” BTW, my three faves were the Connery classics: From Russia, Goldfinger and of course Thunderball.
I feel like citing Wint and Kidd’s sexuality as a reason the movie is no good (which he seems to be doing) is a tad closed-minded. Wint and Kidd are great, and if anything it makes them more interesting and unique. Hell, they may be the best thing about that whole movie.
Worst as in least successful? no then it’s entirely wrong(look at bond films on the-numbers.com). Worst as in least like the books, how do I know I haven’t read the books. But isn’t that it, one can only use words like worst and best if you’ve read the books. Otherwise it’s just your favorite or least favortíte bond movies by eon productions. I think that’s what annoys me about people going on about who or what bond is when they dont know the source, i may have done the same thing, i don’t remember. Still the only bond actor who I’ve heard he’s read the books is Daniel Craig which I respect. I guess I’ve been mislead into thinking bond is this charming lucky funny guy when ppl claim that isn’t the source. So i guess I gotta read the books now..
You can’t honestly tell me Moonranker was a bad bond movie. It had everything, laser fights, space battles (Re-watch the space battle scene and try telling me it isn’t the most hilariously awesome movie scene ever) Jaws returns, we get a ninja fight, the most bad-ass mode of transport (I don’t mean the shuttle) and to top it all off. IT’S JAMES BOND IN SPACE.
Also I’m kinda surprised you picked Octopussy and skipped the worst scene in the entirety of bond history. Roger Moore dresses up as a clown. Seriously non-bond fans he just dresses up as a clown because the bad guys thought they’d carry out their evil plan by gathering all their enemies into a circus and blowing it up. I think Octopussy should be No.1 here, it’s like they weren’t even trying to get the film to make sense and this is a film that exists beside one that set a spy film in space.
Daniel Craig is the most human of any Bond I have seen in the past and since I am human myself I can relate to his impulsive, take no prisoners attitude. Brosnan was was another favorite, but him and all the other Bonds were lacking a human nature that we can relate to. Craig’s rebellious nature is along the lines of what an agent should be. If you strictly follow orders without a mind of your own then your not very interesting at all. Craig’s imperfections appeal to my human nature and that’s what makes him interesting.
I can’t believe that so many have commented on this in nearly 4 years since I last wrote it. It’s amazing. However I do wanna say a few things:
1. “Quantum” still gets a dishonorable mention because while it was bad, I honestly cannot rank it above “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, which is still bad due to Lazenby.
2. I didn’t mean to be close-minded regarding the relationship between Wint and Kidd in “Diamonds”, the truth I just thought the thing was really bizare and had no place in the Bond movie. By making them gay it didn’t really add anything to the movie and felt a bit like exploitation.
3. Craig has become my second favorite Bond, and if Fleming was still alive he’d probably his favorite too.
first off:
Live and Let Die was easily in the top 5 of the series.
On Her Majesty’s was a pretty good Bond film, I can certainly come up with 10 worse. Lazenby was the most under-rated Bond.
Quantum of Solace was horrible. The car chase in the beginning was obviously shot on 50 feet of road, because there was an edit every 1 and a half seconds. It made Michael Bay look like Stanley Kubrick.
The first Dalton film was great, Daylights. However his second helping, License, needs to be in your top 5 of shitty Bond films.
Brosnan’s were all terrible except for Tomorrow Never Dies. However DIe Another Day, albiet terrible, did have a badass low-fi swordfight dead smack in the middle. The one with Richards should be in the number 1 spot, just for having zero redeaming qualities.
You forgot, Never Say Never Again, which was a remake of Thunderball, and not made by the Broccolli’s.
Followup footnote to the title of Octopussy.
Growing up in Maryland, we had a drive-in movie theater. And on the marquee one evening, Octopussy was playing a double bill with Stroker Ace. Well some teenagers mixed the letters around, so come sunday morning, the bill read:…..
Not sure if I’d put The World Is Not Enough up there or You Only Live Twice that high. The top 3 should be 1. Die Another Day, 2. Moonraker and 3. Octopussy. The plot of Octopussy makes no sense whatsoever to me and I’ve probably seen it like 10 times. The Russian general plotline and the train sequence were cool but they were totally wasted it in this overloaded, silly and confounding mess. I mean what was Kamal Khan’s endgame? Fucking bearer bonds??? What was up with the jewels? What was the point of the Octopussy character in relation to the plot? It’s the only Bond film where the entire plot just falls apart
Quantum wasn’t the bad, just largely a victim of the writer’s strike
I think your list is terrible. I would probably say Diamonds are Forever would be in the top ten worst Bond movies. However you lose a lot of credibility listing movies like the Man with Golden Gun and Live and Let Die in your list, those were two of the better Roger Moore films.
Also On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was pretty good, Telly Savalas did the best interpretation of Blofeld and made up for George Lazenby.
I would also agree that the Sean Connery movies went downhill starting with You Live Only Twice.
Quantum of Solace is not on this list???
Your list is mostly accurate, but you’re tragically mistaken about the Man With the Golden Gun. Not that your points aren’t valid, but for one: you have to take all Roger Moore Bond films with a grain of salt, as they were intended to be campy. And two, Christopher Lee is extremely credible as a villain, and the settings were excellent; Macau gambling joints, Thai boxing matches, the lone Chinese Island. And Tatoo was awesome as Knick Knack. Get baked and watch again and re-think your whole world ethos.
Best James Bond movies:
1. Spy who loved me
2. License to Kill
3. Casino Royale
4. Octopussy
Worst James Bond movies:
1. Quantum of Solace
2. Diamonds are Forever
3. Man with the Golden Gun
4. Die Another Day
In our opinion ALL 007 movies with Roger Moore are GREAT. Newest are a piece
of GARBAGE /CRAP. This actor might be good to play Russian characters not Western type. There is no charisma, except “bloody scenes”.
Casino Royal -10 points. Not entertaining at ALL!
We all like Roger More as a James bond! The new guy has zero charisma, looks and act as Russian spy, not Western agent.
We aren’t watch ANY movies with him! and never will until will be BETTER James Bond character created.
It’s a shame that new movies goes more to “bloody sequences” and gave up on entertaining side of this motion movie (which
use to be our FAVORITE!)
w/Holy Water stir not shake
We all like Roger More as a James bond! The new guy has zero charisma, looks and act as Russian spy, not Western agent.
We aren’t watch ANY movies with him! and never will until will be BETTER James Bond character created.
It’s a shame that new movies goes more to “bloody sequences” and gave up on entertaining side of this motion movie (which
use to be our FAVORITE!)
w/Holy Water stir not shake
I was a big Moore fan because that’s when I got into the Bond films. He had great tongue-in-check humor, sophisticated, and a ladies man. Plus he used wit and brains to outsmart his enemies. Connery was great, and Dalton was ok as well. OHMSS was a much better film than given credit for, great story and characters, and Roger Moore and Lazenby was almost the same. I do like the new remake of Bond, although it took time to get use to this Bond, he reminds me of Sean Connery portrayal of Bond. I wasn’t fond of Brosnan, or his humor.
Timothy Dalton’s portrayal of Bond came on the heels of years of Moore, and many weren’t ready for that kind of tough, gritty Bond. The series went back to Brosnan, who played the character like Roger Moore, but not quite as good. That didn’t work and in come Craig, who is much more like Dalton and Connery. I’ve seen every film more than I could remember and I really like them all, except Moore’s last one, or Brosnan.
Ya’ll realize that all the things in Bond Films are fake none of it could really happen,yes some of the cgi in Die another Day are corny but so are all the Bond films,no man that i know of can sex with as many women as bond has and not get sexual disease i mean come on,its freaking called fiction for a reason if it was real i propbably would’nt watch it.
Some things in casino royale are corny like he kill all the bad guys and then the girl he loves goes and drowns herself in a shower so weird,and then the scene where hes stripped naked then hit in the balls was wierd,oh and dont get me started and quantum of solace,the list goes on but i like bond films pierce brosnan is my favorite and Timothy Dalton.
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