I'm totally stoked!!!
FINALLY, Spectre is back.
I've been a fan for years. I've read most of Ian Fleming's books, (and John Gardner's).
I *love* this franchise.
I've enjoyed ALL the Bond films (in varying degrees of course), but I don't think there's been a flat out bad Bond film.
I've also enjoyed ALL the Bond actors in the role.
My grandfather introduced me to Goldfinger, which was the first Bond film I saw in its entirety. (I tried watching The Living Daylights about a year and a half earlier than this, but I thought it was a boring even though I remember liking the actor and the beginning of the film.) Connery will always be my favorite, but man...Daniel Craig is amazing. He's right up there.
I've also enjoyed Roger Moore performances tremendously. Love Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only, two of my top 10 Bond films.
I think Pierce Brosnan has gotten a bad rep, especially since Craig took over and gave everyone Fleming's Bond. But everyone forgets that there was a time when Brosnan was everyone's choice for Bond. Unfortunately, his Bond films weren't the strongest and I don't think he ever truly got a great Bond script (I enjoyed Tomorrow Never Dies, which I know is not a popular choice.)
I also enjoyed Timothy Dalton in the role. When I became a hardcore Bond fan after that Goldfinger viewing, Dalton was officially the current Bond. So I'll always have a soft spot for his interpretation and his films, even though---like Brosnan---I don't think he ever truly got a great Bond movie. A lot of people say Dalton brought Fleming back before Craig, but I still think the makers of the movies were not fully committed to Fleming yet, with Dalton's Bond still doing wheelies and sliding down mountains in a cello case.
It's good that Lazenby is being retroactively credited with being a good Bond and that his Bond film considered one of the best. Personally, it took me years, but I finally warmed up to Lazenby and OHMSS. I used to think Lazenby was too much of a Connery clone, but when you really watch the movie, I think Lazenby comes onto his own, especially in the last half of the film as he allows Bond a touch of vulnerable humanity to go along with all the action and intrigue. When it comes to the fight scenes, I think Lazenby was one of the better Bonds.