Favourite Bond films

[Aldo]

How can a movie with a crappy Bond be the best Bond movie?

I happen to like Lazenby in the role. He's definitely an amateur and it shows, but he pulls off some of the romantic scenes quite nicely.

I always wished he did at least one more, just to see if he would have improved in the role.

 

[CorporalClegg]

60s or not, YOLT loses a lot of points for being Jerry Lewis Brand offensive.

 

[Aldo]

Incidentally, I think THUNDERBALL and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE are underrated. Coming after GOLDFINGER isn't such a liability.
Plus, DOCTOR NO, being the start-up, is to me the dullest of the first six or seven Bonds.

I enjoy Doctor No, not necessarily because it's the first film, but I like it because for the most part it's a really fun Detective Story. Sure it doesn't have the pace that later films have, but I think it's interesting to see that they hadn't quite pegged down what they really wanted to do with the films or the character. From Russia With Love benefits from this as well.

As for Thunderball and YOLT. I love Thunderball and depending on my mood, the latter film as well. Though 'Twice really does get dragged down by what is almost a non-performance by Connery.

 

[RandyS]

60s or not, YOLT loses a lot of points for being Jerry Lewis Brand offensive.

How?

 

[Aldo]

60s or not, YOLT loses a lot of points for being Jerry Lewis Brand offensive.

How?

I think he's talking about when they turn Bond into a Japanese Fisherman.

 

[Orac Zen]

Great story, great Bond girl (the best Bond girl IMO) good villain, wonderful locations and direction, good supporting cast, fantastic score by John Barry at his best, that ending and, well in the end the fact that Lazenby isn't that crappy really, he certainly doesn't inhabit the character's skin as confidently as Connery, and if he'd made another, more run of the mill Bond film his deficiencies might have shown up even more, but for this film his vulnerabilities are perfect because this is the film where 007 has to be at his most vulnerable.

This.

Along with Biggles' point about how awful Connery would have been in the movie - and I say that as someone whose favourite Bond remains Connery's - it's a good summary of why OHMSS is the best of these movies. To each their own and all, but IMO nothing before or since approaches it.

 

[JediKnightButler]

Keeping in mind that I have yet to watch all of them (but I'm starting to see some of the older ones with Sean Connery), I would say (in no particular order):

1. The Spy Who Loved Me
2. Skyfall
3. Goldeneye
4. The Living Daylights
5. Licence to Kill
6. Live and Let Die (love the boat chase scene)
7. Goldfinger
8. Thunderball/Never Say Never Again (not technically a "Bond film" but still fun to watch and it IS essentially a remake of Thunderball)

 

[eyeresist]

THUNDERBALL

Remake is better.

 

[Gov Kodos]

Great story, great Bond girl (the best Bond girl IMO) good villain, wonderful locations and direction, good supporting cast, fantastic score by John Barry at his best, that ending and, well in the end the fact that Lazenby isn't that crappy really, he certainly doesn't inhabit the character's skin as confidently as Connery, and if he'd made another, more run of the mill Bond film his deficiencies might have shown up even more, but for this film his vulnerabilities are perfect because this is the film where 007 has to be at his most vulnerable.

That is one of my favorite Bond films. Lazenby didn't feel like a life or death is the same (which I recall is kind of Bond's character in the books, been ages so I could be completely off there) in the way Connery did. Lazenby felt a lot more human and a guy who could be scared by the spy nuttiness but faced it anyway. And the film has a great car chase and escape, too.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ I enjoy Lazenby's performance. I agree that there are scenes where his inexperience shows through but he's charming and generally has a nice, watchable light touch. He's also extremely convincing in the action scenes, probably more than any subsequent Bond until Craig, and totally nails the final scene, including the dialogue.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Glad to see some love for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It's one of my favorites.

 

[Commander Richard]

It did something different with Bond and probably had the most memorable ending of any Bond film.

 

[Mr Pointy Ears]

the two with timothy Dalton,the living daylights and licence to kill and one from pierce brosan(cant remember which one is it)live and let die and skyfall