On Sunday June 1st, Deathmatch shall return.
Don’t claim you weren’t warned. Cease your snivelling.
12 Likes
With the Group Stage for Villains already done, another year of it down, outcomes as follows (with Second Round voting now open)…
| Group A | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHMSS Blofeld | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 14 | 34 | 77.05 | 12 |
| Zorin | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 43 | 20 | 23 | 67.83 | 9 |
| Dr Kananga | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 30 | 3 | 52 | 6 |
| Kristatos | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 44 | -23 | 32.63 | 3 |
| Oberhauser Blofeld | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 50 | -37 | 20.5 | 0 |
Perhaps not massively underexpected as outcomes, and although nowhere near qualifying for the Second Round, that looks like a slightly improved outcome for Kristatos which may assist with Bonus Points (see below). Broberhauser dies a grotty death, which seems fitting.
| Group B | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drax | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 11 | 42 | 82.85 | 12 |
| Sanchez | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 63.55 | 9 |
| Khan & Orlov | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 34 | -5 | 45.83 | 6 |
| Trevelyan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 37 | -11 | 41.98 | 3 |
| Greene | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 53 | -43 | 15.8 | 0 |
The Octopussy element getting through to the Second Round seems like a novelty, although Trevelyan falling from a great height really isn’t. Curious why he isn’t more popular, although it may be the trend that the more personal the villain, the less satisfying/credible? Given the detached lunacy of Drax, there may be a signal in this.
| Group C | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klebb & Grant | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 9 | 46 | 85.98 | 12 |
| Dr No | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 22 | 20 | 64.08 | 9 |
| Le Chiffre | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 38 | 26 | 12 | 59.35 | 6 |
| Koskov & Whitaker | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 50 | -36 | 21.85 | 3 |
| Elektra | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 53 | -42 | 17.18 | 0 |
Satisfying performance by Dr No here, much improved on previous years, and Le Chiffre seems on the slide. Might have just had a good year last year… Koskov & Whitaker have probably improved so it’s Elektra for the bin this time with a considerably reduced impact from last time out. Diminishing returns, all round.
| Group D | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silva | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 15 | 30 | 75 | 12 |
| Largo | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 24 | 12 | 60 | 9 |
| YOLT Blofeld | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 27 | 6 | 55 | 6 |
| DAF Blofeld | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 34 | -8 | 43.35 | 3 |
| Safin | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 50 | -40 | 16.65 | 0 |
Probably a bit of a foregone conclusion here; what is Safin for, exactly? No novelty bias here, and the usual moan about modern villainy being all very rubbish continues for another year. Possibly some Bonus Points kicking about (see below; I have already told you this: pay attention).
| Group E | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfinger | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 8 | 48 | 87.53 | 12 |
| Stromberg | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 62.53 | 9 |
| Scaramanga | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 25 | 14 | 60.95 | 6 |
| Carver | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 45 | -26 | 29.65 | 3 |
| Graves | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 58 | -50 | 9.35 | 0 |
Yeah, well… last place nailed on there and doubtful whether any Bonus Points to gain, despite the idea of awarding those. Scaramanga drops slowly to the floor, and that will affect the seeding for next year. Was a higher seed than Goldfinger this year, which I suspect has come to an end.
BONUS POINTS
To be awarded only at the end of a Group Stage and then again at the end of a Category (on the basis all play in those), this year there are Bonus Points available which are awarded (or deducted) depending on performance against last year. This may give a film less likely to “win” categories a chance for a lickle kiss at the end of the year. Perhaps.
Group Stage Bonus Points awarded as follows:
Higher Group Stage finish than 2024 +1 each place
Lower Group Stage finish than 2024 -1 each place
Higher Group Stage % than 2024 +1
Lower Group Stage % than 2024 -1
More Group Stage points than 2024 +1
Fewer Group Stage points than 2024 -1
Walkovers for +1
Walkovers against -1
| Film | Bonus Points to date |
|---|---|
| Dr No | 3 |
| Moonraker | 3 |
| Octopussy | 3 |
| A View to a Kill | 3 |
| The Living Daylights | 3 |
| Goldfinger | 2 |
| Licence to Kill | 2 |
| Diamonds are Forever | 1 |
| Live and Let Die | 1 |
| The Spy who Loved Me | 1 |
| For Your Eyes Only | 1 |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | 1 |
| Quantum of Solace | 1 |
| You Only Live Twice | 0 |
| Skyfall | 0 |
| No Time to Die | 0 |
| From Russia with Love | -1 |
| Thunderball | -1 |
| OHMSS | -1 |
| Spectre | -1 |
| Die Another Day | -2 |
| The Man with the Golden Gun | -3 |
| GoldenEye | -3 |
| TWINE | -3 |
| Casino Royale | -4 |
At the end of the Villains category, +1 or 0 or -1 depending on overall finishing place for the category compared to last year.
It might work, let’s see.
Form table after Group Stage: Villains
| Villain | Form | Seed | Group Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goldfinger | 87.53 | 6 | Winner E |
| 2 | Klebb & Grant | 85.98 | 3 | Winner C |
| 3 | Drax | 82.85 | 2 | Winner B |
| 4 | OHMSS Blofeld | 77.05 | 1 | Winner A |
| 5 | Silva | 75 | 4 | Winner D |
| 6 | Zorin | 67.83 | 10 | Runner-Up A |
| 7 | Stromberg | 65.23 | Runner-Up E | |
| 8 | Dr No | 64.08 | Runner-Up C | |
| 9 | Sanchez | 63.55 | 9 | Runner-Up B |
| 10 | Scaramanga | 60.95 | 5 | Lucky Loser 1 |
| 11 | Largo | 60 | 7 | Runner-Up D |
| 12 | Le Chiffre | 59.35 | 8 | Lucky Loser 2 |
| 13 | YOLT Blofeld | 55 | Lucky Loser 3 | |
| 14 | Dr Kananga | 52 | Lucky Loser 4 | |
| 15 | Khan & Orlov | 45.83 | Lucky Loser 5 | |
| 16 | DAF Blofeld | 43.55 | Lucky Loser 6 | |
| 17 | Trevelyan | 41.98 | ||
| 18 | Kristatos | 32.63 | ||
| 19 | Carver | 29.65 | ||
| 20 | Koskov & Whitaker | 21.85 | ||
| 21 | Oberhauser Blofeld | 20.5 | ||
| 22 | Elektra | 17.18 | ||
| 23 | Safin | 16.05 | ||
| 24 | Greene | 15.8 | ||
| 25 | Graves | 9.35 |
3 Likes
And I was so rooting for Safin.
2 Likes
I’m actually amazed how comparatively bland and uninteresting Safin is. This is the villain responsible for Bond’s Death™ after all. Why is this guy so utterly wasted?
Is it the weird mask he’s wearing at first (though one wonders why; he seems to be fairly okay with his looks twenty years later and it’s not as if he intended to leave anybody alive in that house anyway, so he might as well go in commando-faced)? Or the fact none of his actions seem to fit together, killing Madeleine’s mother, then having a change of heart - helped by a couple of rounds to the chest - and saving Madeleine (after she shot him); taking decades to catch up with White, Blofeld and the rest of Spectre, all the time apparently leaving Madeleine alone; then suddenly using her to kill Blofeld and abducting her and her daughter after she did his bidding.
Finally, selling out his targeted super virus instead of using it himself and settling some scores in the bigger picture of the eternal battle of Good vs Evil on his own. Like starting a plague, eliminating undesirables, that sort of thing. It might have made for more impressive villainy than the abstract sellout of the virus that never actually happens.
However, for the last of the great Eon villains, the one who actually succeeded to force Bond into giving up, Safin is a woefully lacking character.
5 Likes
Form Table after Second Round for Villains
| Villain | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goldfinger | 87.36 | (-0.17) | - |
| 2 | Drax | 82.26 | (-0.57) | +1 |
| 3 | Klebb & Grant | 79.44 | (-6.54) | -1 |
| 4 | OHMSS Blofeld | 77.64 | (+0.59) | - |
| 5 | Silva | 76 | (+1) | - |
| 6 | Zorin | 67.6 | (-0.23) | - |
| 7 | Stromberg | 62.84 | (-2.35) | - |
| 8 | Dr No | 60.6 | (-3.48) | - |
| 9 | Largo | 60 | (-) | +2 |
| 10 | Sanchez | 58.84 | (-4.71) | -1 |
| 11 | YOLT Blofeld | 53.34 | (-1.66) | +2 |
| 12 | Scaramanga | 52.76 | (-8.19) | -2 |
| 13 | Le Chiffre | 51.48 | (-7.87) | -1 |
| 14 | Dr Kananga | 45.6 | (-6.4) | - |
| 15 | Trevelyan | 41.98 | (-) | +2 |
| 16 | DAF Blofeld | 41.5 | (-2.05) | - |
| 17 | Khan & Orlov | 39.32 | (-6.51) | -2 |
| 18 | Kristatos | 32.63 | ||
| 19 | Carver | 29.65 | ||
| 20 | Koskov & Whitaker | 21.85 | ||
| 21 | Oberhauser Blofeld | 20.5 | ||
| 22 | Elektra | 17.18 | ||
| 23 | Safin | 16.05 | ||
| 24 | Greene | 15.8 | ||
| 25 | Graves | 9.35 |
The Second Round often shakes things up a bit and the middle of the pack has, accordingly, found itself shaken. But not… you know the rest.
Although going out in the Second Round, that might be enough for Dr No to claim a Top Ten finish, which is pleasing. Largo floats upwards, in a very Thunderball way, and the Quarter-Finals see two of the big beasts - ooh, they are such beasts - Goldfinger and OHMSS Blofeld hammering away at each other. I smell blood. And gold. And Virus Omega.
6 Likes
Safin appears to be at most in his late 30s by the end of the film, making him a teenager when he goes after Madeleine. So the real-world reason for the mask is because it’s cheaper than de-aging CGI. The “in universe” reason is because he was on his way to go trick-or-treating with his friends. They just cut the part where he gets on his 10-speed bike to exit.
It’s all of that. Safin never emerges as a fully realized character, just a walking plot device. Also despite having arguably the first and only master plan of the Craig era that could potentially impact the entire world, Safin seems primarily concerned with the petty pursuits of obsessing over a girl and wanting to ruin Bond’s personal life. And as usual, the misguided attempt to “up the stakes” in a Bond film by “making it personal” merely make everything seem smaller and less important.
Add in the fact that Safin kills Bond – which tends to put a villain less in the “love to hate” category than “plain old hate” – and there’s a next to zero chance anyone will ever put him high on the list. With all the charismatic, unsettling or over-the-top nutso villains we got over the years, it’s doubly unfulfilling to have Bond killed by such a non-entity, and when the only memorable thing about the guy is that he’s Bond’s killer, there’s no reason to put him high on any list.
I have to say I’m pretty comfortable with how the ratings are shaping up. I’m not normally the type to organize these sort of lists in numerical order from best to worst, but if I were I suspect it would end up looking a lot like this.
4 Likes
Form table after Quarter-Final for Villains:
| Villain | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goldfinger | 82.6 | (-4.76) | - |
| 2 | Drax | 80.32 | (-1.94) | - |
| 3 | Klebb & Grant | 75.02 | (-4.42) | - |
| 4 | Silva | 74.12 | (-1.88) | +1 |
| 5 | OHMSS Blofeld | 71.57 | (-6.07) | -1 |
| 6 | Zorin | 61.23 | (-6.37) | - |
| 7 | Dr No | 60.6 | (-) | +1 |
| 8 | Sanchez | 58.84 | (-) | +2 |
| 9 | Stromberg | 58.25 | (-4.59) | -2 |
| 10 | Largo | 57.85 | (-2.15) | -1 |
| 11 | YOLT Blofeld | 53.34 | ||
| 12 | Scaramanga | 52.76 | ||
| 13 | Le Chiffre | 51.48 | ||
| 14 | Dr Kananga | 45.6 | ||
| 15 | Trevelyan | 41.98 | ||
| 16 | DAF Blofeld | 41.5 | ||
| 17 | Khan & Orlov | 39.32 | ||
| 18 | Kristatos | 32.63 | ||
| 19 | Carver | 29.65 | ||
| 20 | Koskov & Whitaker | 21.85 | ||
| 21 | Oberhauser Blofeld | 20.5 | ||
| 22 | Elektra | 17.18 | ||
| 23 | Safin | 16.05 | ||
| 24 | Greene | 15.8 | ||
| 25 | Graves | 9.35 |
A big beast did indeed fall in the Quarter-Finals, with OHMSS Blofeld being relatively straightforwardly bellied out of the way by Goldfinger. Some other tight matches have affected averages, and may affect Bonus Points to be awarded for final place finishes.
IT IS SO UNBEARABLY TENSE THAT I THINK I HAVE LOST A FINGER.
Top Ten finish for Dr No, which bucks a trend and is probably how things ought to be.
Still some things to play for, somewhere.
6 Likes
Form Table after Semi-Finals for Villains
| Villain | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goldfinger | 80.89 | (-1.71) | - |
| 2 | Drax | 73.93 | (-6.39) | - |
| 3 | Silva | 72.77 | (-1.35) | +1 |
| 4 | OHMSS Blofeld | 71.57 | (-) | +1 |
| 5 | Klebb & Grant | 68.50 | (-6.52) | -2 |
| 6 | Zorin | 61.23 | ||
| 7 | Dr No | 60.6 | ||
| 8 | Sanchez | 58.84 | ||
| 9 | Stromberg | 58.25 | ||
| 10 | Largo | 57.85 | ||
| 11 | YOLT Blofeld | 53.34 | ||
| 12 | Scaramanga | 52.76 | ||
| 13 | Le Chiffre | 51.48 | ||
| 14 | Dr Kananga | 45.6 | ||
| 15 | Trevelyan | 41.98 | ||
| 16 | DAF Blofeld | 41.5 | ||
| 17 | Khan & Orlov | 39.32 | ||
| 18 | Kristatos | 32.63 | ||
| 19 | Carver | 29.65 | ||
| 20 | Koskov & Whitaker | 21.85 | ||
| 21 | Oberhauser Blofeld | 20.5 | ||
| 22 | Elektra | 17.18 | ||
| 23 | Safin | 16.05 | ||
| 24 | Greene | 15.8 | ||
| 25 | Graves | 9.35 |
Four of the top 5 here are still in play, which may yet mean further movement and the inexorable rise of either Silva or OHMSS Blofeld, or both, yet further up. Goldfinger may be nailed onto top place but he’s a corpulent old Jabba and the nails might not yet hold the weight of his expectation.
Bonus Points still up for grabs, for all. Including deductions for finishing lower than last year. You know who you are.
4 Likes
OK, with the 2025 Villains category done (already…!), plays out as follows:
Winner: Goldfinger
Runner-Up: Silva
Third: Drax
Fourth: Klebb & Grant
Over the years, the placings have been:
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | OHMSS Blofeld | Silva | Drax | Silva | Goldfinger | Goldfinger |
| Runner-Up | Silva | Sanchez | Goldfinger | Drax | OHMSS Blofeld | Silva |
| Third | Drax | Scaramanga | Klebb & Grant | Goldfinger | Silva | Drax |
| Fourth | Klebb & Grant | Drax | Largo | Klebb & Grant | Le Chiffre | Klebb & Grant |
Note who came fourth last year; some “significance” in that…
Final form table for Villains coming through as…
| Villain | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goldfinger | 77.35 | (-3.54) | - |
| 2 | Drax | 71.93 | (-2) | - |
| 3 | OHMSS Blofeld | 71.57 | (-) | +1 |
| 4 | Silva | 69.6 | (-3.17) | -1 |
| 5 | Klebb & Grant | 65.2 | (-3.3) | - |
| 6 | Zorin | 61.23 | ||
| 7 | Dr No | 60.6 | ||
| 8 | Sanchez | 58.84 | ||
| 9 | Stromberg | 58.25 | ||
| 10 | Largo | 57.85 | ||
| 11 | YOLT Blofeld | 53.34 | ||
| 12 | Scaramanga | 52.76 | ||
| 13 | Le Chiffre | 51.48 | ||
| 14 | Dr Kananga | 45.6 | ||
| 15 | Trevelyan | 41.98 | ||
| 16 | DAF Blofeld | 41.5 | ||
| 17 | Khan & Orlov | 39.32 | ||
| 18 | Kristatos | 32.63 | ||
| 19 | Carver | 29.65 | ||
| 20 | Koskov & Whitaker | 21.85 | ||
| 21 | Oberhauser Blofeld | 20.5 | ||
| 22 | Elektra | 17.18 | ||
| 23 | Safin | 16.05 | ||
| 24 | Greene | 15.8 | ||
| 25 | Graves | 9.35 |
A Grand Slam for Goldfinger in the knockout and the form table.
Which results in Seeds and Pots for 2026 as…
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Average form | Seed/Pot 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr No | 17 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 11.17 | Pot 1 |
| Klebb & Grant | 1 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4.5 | S4 |
| Goldfinger | 16 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | S5 |
| Largo | 7 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 7.5 | S7 |
| YOLT Blo. | 20 | 19 | 9 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 14.83 | Pot 1 |
| OHMSS Blo. | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2.67 | S1 |
| DAF Blo. | 18 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | Pot 2 |
| Kananga | 14 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13.83 | Pot 1 |
| Scaramanga | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 7.33 | S6 |
| Stromberg | 3 | 21 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9.67 | Pot 1 |
| Drax | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3.83 | S2 |
| Kristatos | 21 | 20 | 15 | 24 | 20 | 18 | 19.67 | Pot 3 |
| Khan & Orlov | 15 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 19 | 17 | 18.33 | Pot 2 |
| Zorin | 13 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 9 | S10 |
| Koskov & Whitaker | 23 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 23 | Pot 3 |
| Sanchez | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8.67 | S9 |
| Trevelyan | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 14.5 | Pot 1 |
| Carver | 11 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 16.83 | Pot 2 |
| Elektra | 19 | 13 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 18.5 | Pot 2 |
| Graves | 24 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 22.67 | Pot 3 |
| Le Chiffre | 4 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 8.17 | S8 |
| Greene | 22 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23.33 | Pot 3 |
| Silva | 6 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4.33 | S3 |
| Ober. Blo | 10 | 16 | 24 | 13 | 21 | 21 | 17.5 | Pot 2 |
| Safin | - | - | 23 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22.25 | Pot 3 |
Generally patterns have emerged (although Goldfinger’s 16th place in the first year of this does seem to still have an impact). Note Le Chiffre’s alarming drop this year, as this definitely impacts…
Bonus Points to date
| Film | Bonus Points to date |
|---|---|
| Dr No | 8 |
| A View to a Kill | 8 |
| The Living Daylights | 8 |
| Moonraker | 6 |
| Octopussy | 5 |
| Licence to Kill | 4 |
| For Your Eyes Only | 3 |
| Goldfinger | 2 |
| You Only Live Twice | 2 |
| Live and Let Die | 2 |
| Diamonds are Forever | 1 |
| OHMSS | 0 |
| Quantum of Solace | 0 |
| The Spy who Loved Me | -1 |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | -1 |
| Skyfall | -1 |
| Spectre | -1 |
| No Time to Die | -1 |
| Thunderball | -3 |
| Die Another Day | -3 |
| From Russia with Love | -4 |
| GoldenEye | -4 |
| The Man with the Golden Gun | -6 |
| TWINE | -7 |
| Casino Royale | -11 |
Plus a point for every higher place up the table, minus a point for every lower place, compared to last year. Casino Royale / Le Chiffre dropped 7 places…
This may yet result in slightly less heralded Bond films getting a kissy-wissy; a long way to go yet. Running totals quite markedly affected by the final form finish, especially for Casino Royale there. Goldfinger not picking up much because it’s doing pretty much as well as it always does. Quantum of Solace at a neutral score suggests it’s doing just as badly as ever…
Die Another Day is contriving to do even worse than last year, when it performed brutally badly; oh, to dweam the obviously possible dweam.
4 Likes
With the Group Stage for Songs now complete, some numbers. And some words.
| Group A | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live and Let Die | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 9 | 62 | 88.75 | 12 |
| TWINE | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 30 | 20 | 62.5 | 9 |
| For Your Eyes Only | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 37 | 6 | 53.75 | 6 |
| TMwtGG | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 53 | -26 | 33.75 | 3 |
| Mango Tree | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 71 | -62 | 11.25 | 0 |
Traditionally strong opening for Live and Let Die, and with a higher group average than last year, which is a bit ominous. For Your Eyes Only does its thing by being very middle of the pack, but with an increased Group Stage average, that will help it in the Bonus Points. Underneath the Mango Tree doesn’t perform quite as well as last year, but it’s not the worst performer all round. Not by a long, long way…
| Group B | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nobody Does It Better | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 16 | 48 | 80 | 12 |
| You Only Live Twice | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 28 | 23 | 64.55 | 9 |
| GoldenEye | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 35 | 9 | 55.45 | 6 |
| All Time High | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 58 | -36 | 27.5 | 3 |
| Licence to Kill | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 62 | -44 | 5.5 | 0 |
Yikes. Remembering that the Licence to Kill titles also score poorly, there may be some rough weather to come there… All Time High does better than last year, although as it did pretty badly then, it’s all relative. GoldenEye definitely in the Lucky Loser batch, but how long can it last?
Not very long, I’d wager.
| Group C | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfinger | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 18 | 44 | 77.5 | 12 |
| Thunderball | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 31 | 18 | 61.25 | 9 |
| Skyfall | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 31 | 18 | 61.25 | 6 |
| No Time to Die | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 47 | -15 | 41.05 | 3 |
| Die Another Day | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 72 | -65 | 8.95 | 0 |
On the basis Thunderball beat off (fnarr) Skyfall, despite otherwise identical outcomes, it goes through as Runner-Up, albeit Skyfall a strong Lucky Loser. No Time to Die, although not performing (and not performed) particularly well, gets a Lucky Loser spot by dint of being in “The Group with Die Another Day in it”. That seems to be an advantage, but not to Die Another Day, which rather amazingly underperforms against last year’s catastrophically scabby try.
| Group D | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamonds are Forever | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 25 | 30 | 68.75 | 12 |
| A View to a Kill | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 24 | 32 | 70 | 9 |
| The Living Daylights | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 40 | 26 | 14 | 51.9 | 6 |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 40 | -13 | 34.93 | 3 |
| Another Way to Die | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 59 | -40 | 24.43 | 0 |
It’s about the winning at the Group Stage so although A View to a Kill gathered more net votes and a better average, Diamonds are Forever wins the group, albeit with a fairly low average. Another Way to Die predictably last, but a better average than last year… but finishing last this time when 4th last year means negative Bonus Points there. What a pity.
| Group E | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| We Have / Time / World | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 18 | 44 | 77.5 | 12 |
| You Know My Name | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 27 | 26 | 66.25 | 7 |
| Moonraker | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 39 | 2 | 51.25 | 7 |
| From Russia with Love | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 50 | -20 | 37.5 | 3 |
| The Writing’s on the Wall | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 66 | -52 | 17.5 | 0 |
Moonraker gets through as a Lucky Loser, to a Bassey-Off with Diamonds are Forever in the Second Round. The Writing may indeed be on the Wall, and it’s still a pretty poor effort, but actually better than last year, so might be picking up the odd Bonus Point here and there, which is so exciting my voice has gone all wobbly falsetto. Not that it wasn’t like that anyway.
Form Table after Group Stage - Songs
| Song | Form | Seed | Group Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live and Let Die | 88.75 | 1 | Winner A |
| 2 | Nobody Does it Better | 80 | 2 | Winner B |
| 3 | We Have / Time / World | 77.5 | 5 | Winner E |
| 4 | Goldfinger | 77.5 | 3 | Winner C |
| 5 | A View to a Kill | 70 | 7 | Runner-Up D |
| 6 | Diamonds are Forever | 68.75 | 4 | Winner D |
| 7 | You Know My Name | 66.25 | 6 | Runner-Up E |
| 8 | You Only Live Twice | 64.55 | 9 | Runner-Up B |
| 9 | TWINE | 62.5 | 10 | Runner-Up A |
| 10 | Thunderball | 61.25 | Runner-Up C | |
| 11 | Skyfall | 61.25 | 8 | Lucky Loser 1 |
| 12 | GoldenEye | 55.45 | Lucky Loser 2 | |
| 13 | For Your Eyes Only | 53.75 | Lucky Loser 3 | |
| 14 | The Living Daylights | 51.9 | Lucky Loser 4 | |
| 15 | Moonraker | 51.25 | Lucky Loser 5 | |
| 16 | No Time to Die | 41.05 | Lucky Loser 6 | |
| 17 | From Russia with Love | 37.5 | ||
| 18 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 34.93 | ||
| 19 | TMwtGG | 33.75 | ||
| 20 | All Time High | 27.5 | ||
| 21 | Another Way to Die | 24.43 | ||
| 22 | The Writing’s on the Wall | 17.5 | ||
| 23 | Mango Tree | 11.25 | ||
| 24 | Die Another Day | 8.95 | ||
| 25 | Licence to Kill | 5.5 |
Hmm - strong start for the usual favourite but it didn’t win the Form Table last year so there’s still a lot to play for. Although We Have All the Time in the World and Goldfinger have the same current form, We Have etc. etc. recorded a bigger margin of victory in one of its Group games, hence the higher place. For the moment.
Some close placings there that the Second Round could clobber. Jolly good.
Bonus Points
To date, including the Villains category.
| Film | Bonus Points to date |
|---|---|
| A View to a Kill | 11 |
| The Living Daylights | 9 |
| Octopussy | 8 |
| Dr No | 7 |
| Goldfinger | 5 |
| You Only Live Twice | 4 |
| Live and Let Die | 3 |
| Moonraker | 3 |
| For Your Eyes Only | 3 |
| Licence to Kill | 3 |
| OHMSS | 1 |
| Thunderball | 0 |
| Diamonds are Forever | 0 |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | 0 |
| Spectre | 0 |
| No Time to Die | 0 |
| GoldenEye | -1 |
| Quantum of Solace | -1 |
| The Spy who Loved Me | -2 |
| Die Another Day | -4 |
| The Man with the Golden Gun | -5 |
| TWINE | -5 |
| Skyfall | -5 |
| From Russia with Love | -7 |
| Casino Royale | -11 |
A View to a Kill beginning to draw out a lead, although with the next couple of categories as Bond and Woman, might need all the lead it can get at the moment. Has tended to do “none too well” in both categories, historically.
Casino Royale / You Know My Name bettered its Group Points over 2024, but achieved a lower Group average than last year, so stays where it is. One plus, one minus, it’s still at -11.
Die Another Day just keeps getting worse. This is some sort of achievement and should be celebrated.
6 Likes
Form Table after the Second Round for Songs
| Song | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live and Let Die | 88.14 | (-0.61) | - |
| 2 | Nobody Does it Better | 84 | (+4) | - |
| 3 | We Have / Time / World | 77.78 | (+0.28) | - |
| 4 | Goldfinger | 77 | (-0.5) | - |
| 5 | Diamonds are Forever | 71.84 | (+3.09) | +1 |
| 6 | You Only Live Twice | 66.64 | (+2.09) | +2 |
| 7 | You Know My Name | 61.42 | (-4.83) | - |
| 8 | A View to a Kill | 61 | (-9) | -3 |
| 9 | Thunderball | 60.58 | (-0.67) | +1 |
| 10 | TWINE | 58.42 | (-4.08) | -1 |
| 11 | GoldenEye | 55.94 | (+0.49) | +1 |
| 12 | Skyfall | 51.86 | (-9.39) | -1 |
| 13 | For Your Eyes Only | 48 | (-5.75) | - |
| 14 | The Living Daylights | 45.74 | (-6.16) | - |
| 15 | Moonraker | 44.16 | (-7.09) | - |
| 16 | From Russia with Love | 37.5 | (-) | +1 |
| 17 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 34.93 | (-) | +1 |
| 18 | TMwtGG | 33.75 | (-) | +1 |
| 19 | No Time to Die | 32.84 | (-8.21) | -3 |
| 20 | All Time High | 27.5 | ||
| 21 | Another Way to Die | 24.43 | ||
| 22 | The Writing’s on the Wall | 17.5 | ||
| 23 | Mango Tree | 11.25 | ||
| 24 | Die Another Day | 8.95 | ||
| 25 | Licence to Kill | 5.5 |
Some pleasing Second Round violence in there. My prediction that GoldenEye wouldn’t make it past that stage turned out as reliably as all my predictions, i.e. massively wrong.
An absolute thrashing of No Time to Die at the hands of Nobody Does It Better plunges it, even below Lulu, which is saying/shrieking something. Still a fair old bit to play for and some of the Quarter-Finals bode bloody, which is “fun”.
5 Likes
Form Table after Quarter-Finals for Songs
| Song | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live and Let Die | 83.25 | (-4.89) | - |
| 2 | Nobody Does it Better | 82.75 | (-1.25) | - |
| 3 | Goldfinger | 72.02 | (-4.98) | +1 |
| 4 | We Have / Time / World | 71.69 | (-6.09) | -1 |
| 5 | Diamonds are Forever | 68.68 | (-3.16) | - |
| 6 | You Only Live Twice | 64.35 | (-2.29) | - |
| 7 | You Know My Name | 61.42 | ||
| 8 | A View to a Kill | 61 | ||
| 9 | TWINE | 58.42 | (-) | +1 |
| 10 | Thunderball | 58.33 | (-2.25) | -1 |
| 11 | Skyfall | 51.86 | (-) | +1 |
| 12 | GoldenEye | 50.53 | (-5.41) | -1 |
| 13 | For Your Eyes Only | 48 | ||
| 14 | The Living Daylights | 45.74 | ||
| 15 | Moonraker | 44.16 | ||
| 16 | From Russia with Love | 37.5 | ||
| 17 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 34.93 | ||
| 18 | TMwtGG | 33.75 | ||
| 19 | No Time to Die | 32.84 | ||
| 20 | All Time High | 27.5 | ||
| 21 | Another Way to Die | 24.43 | ||
| 22 | The Writing’s on the Wall | 17.5 | ||
| 23 | Mango Tree | 11.25 | ||
| 24 | Die Another Day | 8.95 | ||
| 25 | Licence to Kill | 5.5 |
With only 0.5 of a point between first and second, and with them both still in the Knockout, still some thrills and spills and ills and kills available there; the remainder may all be about the Bonus Points available (or deducted), per final position, compared to last year. It’s not looking good for a number of these…
4 Likes
Form Table after Semi-Finals for Songs
| Song | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live and Let Die | 79.76 | (-3.49) | - |
| 2 | Nobody Does it Better | 77.66 | (-5.09) | - |
| 3 | Goldfinger | 72.02 | ||
| 4 | We Have / Time / World | 71.69 | ||
| 5 | Diamonds are Forever | 66.43 | (-2.25) | - |
| 6 | You Know My Name | 61.42 | (-) | +1 |
| 7 | You Only Live Twice | 61.04 | (-3.31) | -1 |
| 8 | A View to a Kill | 61 | ||
| 9 | TWINE | 58.42 | ||
| 10 | Thunderball | 58.33 | ||
| 11 | Skyfall | 51.86 | ||
| 12 | GoldenEye | 50.53 | ||
| 13 | For Your Eyes Only | 48 | ||
| 14 | The Living Daylights | 45.74 | ||
| 15 | Moonraker | 44.16 | ||
| 16 | From Russia with Love | 37.5 | ||
| 17 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 34.93 | ||
| 18 | TMwtGG | 33.75 | ||
| 19 | No Time to Die | 32.84 | ||
| 20 | All Time High | 27.5 | ||
| 21 | Another Way to Die | 24.43 | ||
| 22 | The Writing’s on the Wall | 17.5 | ||
| 23 | Mango Tree | 11.25 | ||
| 24 | Die Another Day | 8.95 | ||
| 25 | Licence to Kill | 5.5 |
Not much in the place shifting, but the top spot remains open, not least in how the participants in Third Place Death-Off and The Final have otherwise been performing. Last year’s form winner - Diamonds are Forever - won’t be doing that again but for the first time it has reached The Final (and indeed, only the second time it has reached the final 4, which seems odd), so the game is still open for something novel. Bonus Points still to play for, as well…
5 Likes
With the Songs category now complete for 2025…
Winner: Live and Let Die
Runner-Up : Diamonds are Forever
Third: Nobody Does It Better
Fourth: You Only Live Twice
Songs Knockout outcomes over the years
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | LALD | LALD | LALD | LALD | LALD |
| Runner-Up | YKMN | NDIB | NDIB | Goldfinger | DAF |
| 3rd | NDIB | We/All/Time | YOLT | DAF | NDIB |
| 4th | YOLT | Goldfinger | YKMN | We/All/Time | YOLT |
Can anything beat it?
Find out next year, I guess.
2025 Knockout outcomes so far, by film
| Villain | Song | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Goldfinger | Live and Let Die |
| Runner-Up | Skyfall | Diamonds are Forever |
| 3rd | Moonraker | The Spy who Loved Me |
| 4th | From Russia with Love | You Only Live Twice |
Eight different films so far, which splits the spoils. Doubtful that this will continue.
Final Form Table for Songs
| Song | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live and Let Die | 79 | (-0.76) | - |
| 2 | Nobody Does it Better | 77.17 | (-0.49) | - |
| 3 | Goldfinger | 72.02 | ||
| 4 | We Have / Time / World | 71.69 | ||
| 5 | Diamonds are Forever | 61.43 | (-5.02) | - |
| 6 | You Know My Name | 61.42 | ||
| 7 | A View to a Kill | 61 | (-) | +1 |
| 8 | TWINE | 58.42 | (-) | +1 |
| 9 | Thunderballl | 58.33 | (-) | +1 |
| 10 | You Only Live Twice | 56.7 | (-4.34) | -3 |
| 11 | Skyfall | 51.86 | ||
| 12 | GoldenEye | 50.53 | ||
| 13 | For Your Eyes Only | 48 | ||
| 14 | The Living Daylights | 45.74 | ||
| 15 | Moonraker | 44.16 | ||
| 16 | From Russia with Love | 37.5 | ||
| 17 | Tomorrow Never Dies | 34.93 | ||
| 18 | TMwtGG | 33.75 | ||
| 19 | No Time to Die | 32.84 | ||
| 20 | All Time High | 27.5 | ||
| 21 | Another Way to Die | 24.43 | ||
| 22 | The Writing’s on the Wall | 17.5 | ||
| 23 | Mango Tree | 11.25 | ||
| 24 | Die Another Day | 8.95 | ||
| 25 | Licence to Kill | 5.5 |
You Only Live Twice just (just) clings onto a Top Ten spot; otherwise a Grand Slam for Live and Let Die. Again.
Form Table over the years for Songs, with Pots and Seeds for 2026
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Avge | Pot/Seed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr No | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23.6 | P3 |
| FRWL | 19 | 10 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15.6 | P2 |
| Goldfinger | 4 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4.6 | S3 |
| Thunderball | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10.2 | P1 |
| YOLT | 11 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 8.8 | S9 |
| OHMSS | 2 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 5.2 | S4 |
| DAF | 12 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5.6 | S5 |
| LALD | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1.4 | S1 |
| TMwtGG | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | P2 |
| TSWLM | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4.4 | S2 |
| Moonraker | 13 | 13 | 14 | 4 | 15 | 11.8 | P1 |
| FYEO | 10 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | P1 |
| Octopussy | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 20.6 | P2 |
| AVTAK | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6.2 | S7 |
| TLD | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14.6 | P1 |
| LTK | 16 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 25 | 20.8 | P3 |
| GoldenEye | 18 | 17 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 14.2 | P1 |
| TND | 17 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17.2 | P2 |
| TWINE | 5 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 9.4 | S10 |
| DAD | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24.4 | P3 |
| CRoyale | 7 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5.6 | S6 |
| QoS | 22 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22.2 | P3 |
| Skyfall | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 7.2 | S8 |
| Spectre | 23 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 22.6 | P3 |
| NTTD | 15 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 16.8 | P2 |
Some consistency here over the years, but on the Bonus Point outcomes, comparing to last year’s performance only, Moonraker’s performance is a calamity.
Bonus Points to date
| Octopussy | 13 |
|---|---|
| A View to a Kill | 13 |
| The Living Daylights | 10 |
| Dr No | 7 |
| Goldfinger | 7 |
| You Only Live Twice | 5 |
| OHMSS | 5 |
| Live and Let Die | 5 |
| For Your Eyes Only | 4 |
| Spectre | 2 |
| Thunderball | 1 |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | 1 |
| GoldenEye | 0 |
| TWINE | -1 |
| Quantum of Solace | -1 |
| The Spy who Loved Me | -2 |
| Licence to Kill | -2 |
| No Time to Die | -2 |
| Die Another Day | -3 |
| Diamonds are Forever | -4 |
| TMwtGG | -4 |
| From Russia with Love | -7 |
| Moonraker | -8 |
| Skyfall | -9 |
| Casino Royale | -11 |
Told you. Still time to get back to at least equilibrium, but notable what is performing much better so far this year, and what really, really is not.
Slightly ominously, Goldfinger is doing better than it was at this stage last year.
Die Another Day finished a place higher for “Song” than last year (does it qualify as a song?), so gains a point. The comeback starts here. That it probably ends here, let’s not dwell on that.
Top Ten of Everything so far
| 2 visits to Top Ten | 1 visit to Top Ten | Yet to bother the scorers |
|---|---|---|
| Goldfinger | Dr No | TMwtGG |
| Thunderball | From Russia with Love | For Your Eyes Only |
| OHMSS | You Only Live Twice | Octopussy |
| The Spy who Loved Me | Diamonds are Forever | The Living Daylights |
| A View to a Kill | Live and Let Die | GoldenEye |
| Moonraker | Tomorrow Never Dies | |
| Licence to Kill | Die Another Day | |
| TWINE | Quantum of Solace | |
| Casino Royale | Spectre | |
| Skyfall | No Time to Die |
TWINE getting a Top Ten is a massive improvement over this point last year. A View to a Kill - who knew?
Most Valuable Player (have to be placed once at least, to qualify)
| Placings | Wins | Top Tens | Top Form | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldfinger | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Live and Let Die | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| TSWLM | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| FRWL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| YOLT | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| DAF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Moonraker | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Skyfall | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Perhaps the least surprising outcome so far, but there’s a long, long way to go.
Next up - Bonds. Expect some variations to all this as a result
6 Likes
Hello you.
I do like what you’ve done with your nose. I really do. Don’t listen to all those (many, many) others.
Anyway, with the Group Stage for Bond now done, all the fallout falls its way out as:
| Group A | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connery – FRWL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 11 | 58 | 86.5 | 12 |
| Craig – NTTD | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 31 | 18 | 61.25 | 9 |
| Dalton – LTK | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 44 | -8 | 45 | 4 |
| Moore – Octopussy | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 45 | -10 | 43.75 | 4 |
| Brosnan – Die Another Day | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 69 | -58 | 13.75 | 0 |
A group that perhaps exemplifies the constant malleability of the lead character. A rich variety of differing approaches, with perhaps the draw between Dalton - Licence to Kill and Moore - Octopussy being a paradigm of how far one can stretch the characteristics of the lead role without losing some sort of common ground, somewhere (the common ground for those two being they are in very silly films). If these were the only Bonds, perhaps it would all be much more jarring. “Range”. “Unafraid to try a new approach”. “Completely inconsistent approach to lead character in the pursuit of $$$, don’t be so bloody precious about it, it’s only some light entertainment”.
| Group B | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connery – Goldfinger | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 11 | 54 | 85.5 | 12 |
| Moore – Moonraker | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 31 | 14 | 59.2 | 9 |
| Craig – QoS | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 43 | -11 | 42.13 | 6 |
| Brosnan – TND | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 44 | -13 | 42.1 | 3 |
| Brosnan – TWINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 60 | -44 | 21.05 | 0 |
Mr Craig just squeezes his robust thighs past Mr Brosnan for third place but it won’t actually provide a Lucky Loser placing. That finish for Tomorrow Never Dies is the best of the Brosnans in this category by some way, but it still won’t really do. The winner was frankly rather obvious but it’s always nice to see some appreciation of Moore’s performance in Moonraker which is pretty much bulletproof.
| Group C | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connery – Thunderball | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 13 | 50 | 82.9 | 12 |
| Craig – CRoyale | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 20 | 36 | 73.68 | 9 |
| Connery – Dr No | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 33 | 9 | 56.25 | 6 |
| Moore – GGun | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 55 | -35 | 26.6 | 3 |
| Moore - AVTAK | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 68 | -60 | 10.55 | 0 |
Bit of reversal of fortune here, as Craig - Casino Royale was a higher seed, but finishes second. Not a vast surprise, perhaps, when one takes into account that the Connery - Thunderball show won the Bond knockout a couple of years ago or so. Ecce yet all ye at the winners of Groups A, B and C and tremble. Moore’s AVTAK performance achieves its traditional last place; is it really that bad and is it really worse than the one for The Man with the Golden Gun, where he’s really horrid for about 80% of it and a waxwork for the remainder?
| Group D | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig – Skyfall | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 26 | 24 | 65.8 | 12 |
| Moore – For Your Eyes Only | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 28 | 20 | 63.18 | 9 |
| Lazenby – OHMSS | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 30 | 16 | 60.5 | 6 |
| Moore – LALD | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 41 | -6 | 46.03 | 3 |
| Connery – YOLT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 65 | -54 | 14.45 | 0 |
Alp-sized gains for Lazenby-OHMSS this year, and definitely Lucky Loser 1 with that average, which may yet be enough to secure a Top Ten finish - maybe. The popularity of the Moore performance in For Your Eyes Only mystifies me, although they might have been giving him some different things to try out, but I still don’t quite get it, personally. I think he looks bored. Talking of which (writing of which), the commonly used same adjective for the Connery - You Only Live Twice performance wreaks its havoc yet again, although having watched it again recently, was he in Japan for more than about three days? So much of his stuff is set-bound and tatty process shots, it’s so noticeable - I’d look bored, too.
| Group E | Played | W | D | L | F | A | GD | % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moore – TSWLM | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 24 | 28 | 68.43 | 12 |
| Dalton – TLD | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 27 | 21 | 64.08 | 9 |
| Craig – Spectre | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 43 | -11 | 42.48 | 3 |
| Connery – DAF | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 50 | -21 | 38.15 | 3 |
| Brosnan – GoldenEye | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 48 | -20 | 36.83 | 3 |
Bit of a scruffy group and because the dead men couldn’t really sort themselves out, Craig - Spectre (perhaps the most curious of Bond performances) squeaks through as a Lucky Loser. How lucky that status gets to be remains to be seen. Would have expected a more comfortable win for the Moore - Spy outing, given its majesty. Brosnan saved the series. HE DID. ALONE.
Form Table after Group Stage - Bond
| Bond | Form | Seed | Group Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connery – FRWL | 86.25 | 1 | Winner A |
| 2 | Connery – Goldfinger | 85.5 | 2 | Winner B |
| 3 | Connery – Thunderball | 82.9 | 8 | Winner C |
| 4 | Craig – Casino Royale | 73.68 | 3 | Runner-Up C |
| 5 | Moore – TSWLM | 68.43 | 5 | Winner E |
| 6 | Craig – Skyfall | 65.4 | 4 | Winner D |
| 7 | Dalton – TLD | 64.08 | 6 | Runner-Up E |
| 8 | Moore – FYEO | 63.18 | 7 | Runner-Up D |
| 9 | Craig – NTTD | 61.25 | 10 | Runner-Up A |
| 10 | Lazenby – OHMSS | 60.5 | Lucky Loser 1 | |
| 11 | Moore – Moonraker | 59.2 | 9 | Runner-Up B |
| 12 | Connery – Dr No | 56.25 | Lucky Loser 2 | |
| 13 | Moore – LALD | 46.03 | Lucky Loser 3 | |
| 14 | Dalton – LTK | 45 | Lucky Loser 4 | |
| 15 | Moore – Octopussy | 43.75 | Lucky Loser 5 | |
| 16 | Craig – Spectre | 42.48 | Lucky Loser 6 | |
| 17 | Craig – QoS | 42.13 | ||
| 18 | Brosnan – TND | 42.1 | ||
| 19 | Connery – DAF | 38.15 | ||
| 20 | Brosnan – GoldenEye | 36.83 | ||
| 21 | Moore – TMwtGG | 26.6 | ||
| 22 | Brosnan – TWINE | 21.05 | ||
| 23 | Connery – YOLT | 14.45 | ||
| 24 | Brosnan – DAD | 13.75 | ||
| 25 | Moore – AVTAK | 10.55 |
Perhaps all a bit ominous and in principle, the top two are on course to meet each other in the Final but the knockout can produce some unusual outcomes, so we’ll leave that to play its way through. Still think For Your Eyes Only is the outlier there, but on the whole there is a tip of the balance to the more “serious” demonstrations of whatever the lead character is meant to be this time.
Bonus Points to date
| Film | Bonus Points |
|---|---|
| Octopussy | 12 |
| A View to a Kill | 11 |
| The Living Daylights | 9 |
| On Her Majesty’s Secret Service | 8 |
| Goldfinger | 7 |
| Dr No | 6 |
| Thunderball | 4 |
| You Only Live Twice | 4 |
| Spectre | 4 |
| For Your Eyes Only | 3 |
| GoldenEye | 2 |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | 2 |
| No Time to Die | 2 |
| Live and Let Die | 1 |
| The Spy who Loved Me | -1 |
| The World is Not Enough | -1 |
| Quantum of Solace | -2 |
| Die Another Day | -3 |
| Licence to Kill | -4 |
| The Man with the Golden Gun | -5 |
| From Russia with Love | -7 |
| Diamonds are Forever | -7 |
| Moonraker | -9 |
| Skyfall | -10 |
| Casino Royale | -14 |
It was always likely that A View to a Kill would drop here, but not by much as it didn’t do that much worse than last year. No Time to Die, OHMSS and GoldenEye got a few more positives, and Casino Royale continues its mysterious slide. Anything below Die Another Day needs to take a long, hard look at itself, although that is, for all cases, better than taking a long, hard look at Die Another Day.
6 Likes
Oi, Cheekynuts, stop that and pay attention to the Form Table following the Second Round for “Bond”:
| Bond | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connery – FRWL | 86.9 | (+0.65) | - |
| 2 | Connery – Goldfinger | 86.3 | (+0.8) | - |
| 3 | Connery – Thunderball | 84.22 | (+1.33) | - |
| 4 | Craig – Casino Royale | 75.78 | (+2.1) | - |
| 5 | Moore – TSWLM | 72.64 | (+4.21) | - |
| 6 | Craig – Skyfall | 70.22 | (+4.82) | - |
| 7 | Craig – NTTD | 63.44 | (+2.19) | +2 |
| 8 | Moore – FYEO | 60 | (-3.18) | - |
| 9 | Moore – Moonraker | 57.88 | (-1.32) | +2 |
| 10 | Dalton – TLD | 54.4 | (-9.68) | -3 |
| 11 | Lazenby – OHMSS | 50.5 | (-10) | -1 |
| 12 | Connery – Dr No | 47.1 | (-9.15) | - |
| 13 | Craig – QoS | 42.13 | (-) | +4 |
| 14 | Brosnan – TND | 42.1 | (-) | +4 |
| 15 | Craig – Spectre | 39.54 | (-2.94) | +1 |
| 16 | Moore – LALD | 38.92 | (-7.11) | -3 |
| 17 | Connery – DAF | 38.15 | (-) | +2 |
| 18 | Dalton – LTK | 38.1 | (-6.9) | -4 |
| 19 | Moore – Octopussy | 37.1 | (-6.65) | -4 |
| 20 | Brosnan – GoldenEye | 36.83 | ||
| 21 | Moore – TMwtGG | 26.6 | ||
| 22 | Brosnan – TWINE | 21.05 | ||
| 23 | Connery – YOLT | 14.45 | ||
| 24 | Brosnan – DAD | 13.75 | ||
| 25 | Moore – AVTAK | 10.55 |
Utter, utter, utter, utter, utter carnage. Lovely.
Some big wins in the Second Round mean large drops and large rises and a bunching at the top of the stronger players so far. The Quarter-Finals may yet spread them all out a bit more thinly, with the potential for some shock in the offing.
IT’S SO TENSE THAT I AM ACCELERATING THE END DATE OF THE UNIVERSE.
5 Likes
Hiya, Sexyful.
Once you’ve cleaned yourself up, it’s time to consider the Form Table after the Quarter-Final stage of “Bond”.
| Bond | Form | (% shift) | Place shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connery – Goldfinger | 86.73 | (+0.43) | +1 |
| 2 | Connery – FRWL | 80.75 | (-6.15) | -1 |
| 3 | Connery – Thunderball | 80.37 | (-3.85) | - |
| 4 | Craig – Casino Royale | 74.27 | (-1.51) | - |
| 5 | Moore – TSWLM | 68.87 | (-3.77) | - |
| 6 | Craig – Skyfall | 64.07 | (-6.15) | - |
| 7 | Moore – FYEO | 60 | (-) | +1 |
| 8 | Moore – Moonraker | 54.72 | (-3.16) | +1 |
| 9 | Craig – NTTD | 54.72 | (-8.72) | -2 |
| 10 | Dalton – TLD | 54.4 | ||
| 11 | Lazenby – OHMSS | 50.5 | ||
| 12 | Connery – Dr No | 47.1 | ||
| 13 | Craig – QoS | 42.13 | ||
| 14 | Brosnan – TND | 42.1 | ||
| 15 | Craig – Spectre | 39.54 | ||
| 16 | Moore – LALD | 38.92 | ||
| 17 | Connery – DAF | 38.15 | ||
| 18 | Dalton – LTK | 38.1 | ||
| 19 | Moore – Octopussy | 37.1 | ||
| 20 | Brosnan – GoldenEye | 36.83 | ||
| 21 | Moore – TMwtGG | 26.6 | ||
| 22 | Brosnan – TWINE | 21.05 | ||
| 23 | Connery – YOLT | 14.45 | ||
| 24 | Brosnan – DAD | 13.75 | ||
| 25 | Moore – AVTAK | 10.55 |
Some movement here and there which gives a few things to play for amongst the top four as they are left to hammer each other apart in the Semi-Finals.
No Time to Die and Moonraker Bonds ending essentially level in form, but Moore - Moonraker just edges it by not having quite as bad a time of it in the Quarter-Finals.
There was a draw between Connery - From Russia with Love and Moore - The Spy who Loved Me in the Quarter-Finals but in all aspects to that point, Connery had been the stronger player. Maybe next year will be the one that the British end is kept up. Urr.
4 Likes
It’s too bad Daniel Craig in No Time To Die didn’t drop further. After being this close, I was hoping George Lazenby in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was going to creep into the top 10 in what would have been an absolute surprising result. Bummer. 
3 Likes
Given that Lazenby has finished 15th, 16th and 16th in the three previous cycles of “Bond” it’s still a marked improvement and, insofar as they mean anything (which they probably don’t), it means Bonus Points a-go-go.
That said, Craig - No Time to Die is also finishing higher than last year.
As is Brosnan - Die Another Day.
It’s a funny old world.
7 Likes