James Bond

[Commissar Caligula_]

Sean Connery (6), George Lazenby (1), Roger Moore (7), Timothy Dalton (2), Pierce Brosnan (4), Daniel Craig (4)

The name is Bond, James Bond.

So it wouldn't appear like we have a James Bond dedicated thread, therefore I've made one.

In case there are some people out there who have lived under a rock for the last 55 years, the James Bond films are 24 films (only counting those produced by Eon Productions) based around Ian Fleming's spy novels. They feature James Bond, a British secret agent whose code name is 007. He has a license to kill, and uses it quite regularly in his battles against the evils of the day. His enemies have ranged from the Russians with giant space lasers, to Koreans with giant space lasers, to Germans (or is Blofeld Polish?) with giant space lasers. As you may have guessed, the films are mostly really idiotic but they're heaps of fun. Bond almost always manages to romance a girl or two along the way, often right in the middle of the evil henchman's lair.

As I mention below, in my mind at least there are three eras of Bond films. The classic and silly films of Sean Connery and Roger Moore where Bond has a lot of silly gadgets and just idiotic stuff happens. The slightly more serious films of Pierce Brosnan, where he has less gadgets but they're much more advanced or the ultra-serious films of Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig where Bond has next to no gadgets at all, and the tone is very dark.

If you have been living under a rock, you should seriously check out the films. I mean here's a few summaries of what you're up in for.
- US Marines fighting in space with lasers against evil henchmen
- US Marines fighting underwater with harpoon guns against evil henchmen
- Cars turning into planes, submarines, motor boats and more
- Giant space lasers
- The henchman inviting Bond into his evil lair, explaining his entire plan and then abandoning Bond, assuming either henchmen will kill him or something else such as a bomb will
- A chase through Moscow with a tank
- A villain with giant metal jaws who can chew through the cables of cable-cars.
- Much, much more!


Here's some random discussion points for those of you who have seen Bond in action.
- What do you like about the James Bond films?
- Who has been your favourite Bond?
- Which has been your favourite film?
- Do you prefer the classic and silly films of Sean Connery and Roger Moore, or do you like the slightly more serious Pierce Brosnan or the ultra-serious Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig? Or do you like George Lazenby (he's only in one film and I can barely remember it).

Also, in recent news, Roger Moore passed away two days ago from cancer.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

My favourite James Bonds were Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton and I suppose Pierce Brosnan wasn't bad. Daniel Craig was okay I guess but I don't care much for the other two guys.

[Inhuman One]

I really don't care much for Roger Moore as James Bond, he was a great person but he was just too silly for the role.

I feel that there are two characteristics vital to who plays James Bond:
-Must be believable as a killer.
-Must be believable as a charming gentleman.

Roger Moore sure works as the charming gentleman though gets too old for the part in his last movies, but he does not work as the killer. Sean Connery had both those parts covered. And his movies could get pretty dark too. His only bad one seems to be diamonds are forever.

Timothy Dalton worked quite well too I feel, really was James Bond to me. Pierce Brosnan was serviceable but did not really add anything to the role I feel. Believable enough as James Bond though. George Lazenby is hard to judge since he only had one movie. I think he did alright, just a shame they have him wear all kinds of crazy outfits that just don't seem to match James Bond.
Daniel Craig works as a killer, but doesn't work as a charming gentleman. I kind of just see him as another 00 agent. He could be 009 or something, but he's just not James Bond to me.

Regarding seriousness of James Bond movies, I don't see the Sean Connery ones as that silly. Some moments yes, but overall those movies truly defined the formula. I feel a James Bond movie should have a very memorable villain with maybe a good henchman too with a gimmick, and there should be some gadgets. Otherwise it's just the same as any other spy movie, and there are plenty of those.

Might have been better if they kept the bond movies as set in the sixties though, that just works better for them.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Daniel Craig doesn't look like James Bond nor does he really act like James Bond. Besides I haven't seen his last two movies. For me Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan were very good representations but Timothy Dalton actually was James Bond.

What strikes me the most about James Bond is how much it was a very exclusive club of British filmmakers. Many American directors and actors tried to get work in James Bond movies and were turned down. The films are also very inconsistent with regards to their camera work, script and directing. Some of the films up to about 1980 seem downright ridiculous, and while that is sort of the point I think it is too much even for James Bond. Which probably just goes to show that the exclusive club was affecting the quality of the movies. Indiana Jones was intended to be a sort of stand in for James Bond and with Steven Spielberg I think they actually did much of it better than some of the older movies.

The Sean Connery ones were classics and an unofficial film was directed by Irvin Kuschner. But it really wasn't until Timothy Dalton took the role that I could stop seeing it as a classic and began to look at it as a contemporary thing. Though due to the quality I think that the franchise as a whole was sort of a mixed bag. Some films weren't so good and others were.

[Condottiere 40K]

They're reflections of the zeitgeist.

At some point, it may be a black transvestite who plays the role, Jaime Bondage.

Or the Doctor will pip the post with that one.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Indiana Jones, James Bond and Han Solo are the same type of character. Throw in Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds and you have a full set.

[Knight of Heaven]

- What do you like about the James Bond films?

The Camp, and the PUNS specialy those. On a second note, Of course the Bond babes, and on ocasion the soundtrack.


Best Puns? Sean Connery, Roger Moore imo

Timothy and Pierce have some good ones as well.

[Påsan]

Goldeneye for nostalgic reasons

[Inhuman One]

The bond villains are also really a draw, often very colorful and some of the most memorable and archetypical movie villains.

Everyone knows Ernst Stavros Blofeld, though to me there is only one and that is the one portrayed by the guy in You only live twice. None of the others did it justice.
When someone thinks of a movie villain, the image of Blofeld tends to be one of the first that comes to mind.

Personally I also really liked Scaramanga, being played by Christopher Lee has a lot to do with that of course! The man with the golden gun. Just a shame he was not pitted against a good James Bond.
Thunderball has some good villains too, Largo is a great bond villain and I really like the redhead woman who helps him. Beautiful and deadly, and possibly the first to not fall for Bond's charms.

Alec Travelyan is also one of the big ones, and more recent. The idea of a turncoat 00 agent is great of course, and its also fun to actually see another 00 agent in action.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

My favourite film is The Living Daylights though I also like Golden Eye. While I enjoyed some of Die Another Day I thought it was a bad movie for the most part. I also thought that Tomorrow Never Dies was a better movie but found it kind of boring if I am being honest.

[Condottiere 40K]

Goldeneye probably was the apex.

It's certainly the most satisfying, possibly the most humorous as compared to silly, and may have given me a phobia of women with strong thighs.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

I thought that was pretty hot. Now would we consider that... BONDAGE?

It seems the bond franchise went up after Timothy Dalton took the role with The Living Daylights and License to Kill and just kept going up, reaching its peak with Pierce Brosnan in Golden Eye and probably started going down after Tomorrow Never Dies so that Die Another Day was clearly Pierce Brosnan's biggest flop in the franchise. Subsequently The World Is Not Enough could not be considered a flop if we look at the box office results though, so Die Another Day might be the straw that broke the camel's back, and allegedly the Icelandic economy.

Here are some more one liners.

[Inhuman One]

I feel that with SPECTRE they did go back to the gadgets and more the james bond formula which is good, but they still made some weird mistakes there.

Heck, the most ridiculous thing Bond does in the entire franchise is possibly in this movie.
He gets drilled in his head, theres a threat of turning into a vegetable, yet he escapes and just runs off, guns down some people with perfect accuracy and flies away in a helicopter.
They also kind of wasted SPECTRE and Blofeld in the movie though, its silly that its all about Bond. And that Bond very easily escapes from their private meeting in the heart of SPECTRE. And Blofeld really should not have been captured since obviously they will use him in more movies.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

The only Daniel Craig ones I saw were Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

[Commissar Caligula_]

The only Daniel Craig ones I saw were Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

Quantum was pretty terrible, you should try and watch Skyfall, that's probably the best Daniel Craig one apart from Casino Royale. SPECTRE was ok, but not amazing.

[Condottiere 40K]

Spectre seemed soulless.

The skeletal parade was probably the most interesting part.

[Påsan]

Skyfall was very good.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Quantum was pretty terrible, you should try and watch Skyfall, that's probably the best Daniel Craig one apart from Casino Royale. SPECTRE was ok, but not amazing.

Quantum was pretty boring. But I saw it immediately after Casino Royale so as a sequel it actually isn't that bad. Watching the two together sort of puts the pieces together so that it feels like it was designed to watch together.

[Love Mountain]

My favorite James Bond intro scene.



Truly a classic in British cinema.

[Wulfburk]

Goldeneye, Skyfall, Casino Royale and From Russia With Love are great!

Though ive not watched many of them (specially most of those before goldeneye)... Spectre was ok. Quantum of Solace was quite bad in my opinion.


And the other Pierce Bosnan films i actually like them, even though yeah there is too much of one liners, bad cgi, and complete disregard for reality.