Rank your favourite Bond films

Films
261

Pretty much. The moment is an oversight and violation that leaves him haunted by what ifs. Blaming yourself would hurt more than hating Blofeld. I’d say Bond presumed Blofeld was dead and was riding high on Piz Gloria just being destroyed.

262

And frankly, who would survive being rammed with one´s neck in that thing at high speed?

Best outcome would be the FYEO Blofeld.

2 Likes
263

I have to keep this vague as to not include spoilers but… have you see Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?

264

I did. I would always rank the Indiana Jones gymnastics on a higher fantasy scale than Bond, however.

But I don´t have a problem with Blofeld surviving that neck injury - or Bond never really being hurt by a million bullets (until Satin’s, that is).

It´s all basically cowboys & Indians as my generation played and called it.

4 Likes
265

Xenia Onatopp got close to this, while not her neck, but she’s pretty branched off a tree in the same fashion as Blofeld.

And if Blofeld survived, then I assume, she’s also alive too, would’ve been interesting had she appeared in a later Brosnan Bond Film wearing a Back Brace, saying: “Do you remember me, Mr. Bond?”

Probably, Tomorrow Never Dies, have Xenia Onatopp appear with Stamper in the Stealth Ship in the Third Act, she’s wearing a back brace and all, and she wants a revenge against Bond, of course, she knew where Bond coming next because of Paris Carver (that’s if we assume that she’s Natalya Simonova; she’s made as Bond’s old flame, right?, Although a leaps of disbelief from me would imagine her marrying Elliot Carver).

266

You raise an interesting point; save for Casino Royale and another little subversion it plays out, I have always assumed the person on the other end of the gunbarrel is a woman.

3 Likes
267

Agree. I quite like the idea that Bond didn’t expect Blofeld to go that far and violate his private life to that degree while away from an official mission, even if he did somehow manage to survive. It’s a shock when he does, making Savalas a real life gangster type rather than the more comic book Pleasance.

Another issue that often gets raised with OHMSS is Bond’s sleeping around with the Angels of Death while posing as Bray. The criticism is it reduces the meaning behind his relationship with Tracy. I don’t see it that way exactly.

I’m sure Bond initially romances Tracy to get Draco’s intel on Blofeld first and foremost. I think Tracy falls in love during the montage (which likely is over a period of weeks) but when he leaves for Piz Gloria Bond isn’t there yet. Tracy agrees by saying “that may come too…someday.”

Once Bond/Bray enters the clinic every girl is a source of information, and even if he’s enjoying himself there’s no requirement for commitment. The moment Bond fell in love was during their car chase escape, just like the audience. She skates up to Bond like a guardian angel, at his most vulnerable moment, and her worthiness as Mrs Bond is cemented from there.

5 Likes
268

Absolutely.

Also: sleeping with someone to gain intel diminishes Bond as a serious man a woman can love - but killing dozens is, like, attractive?

5 Likes
269

Totally agree.

Bond is on a mission and he’s using every means at his disposal to get information & accomplish said mission. And at that time, Bond and Tracy are NOT engaged. There does not appear to be a long term commitment between the two–we certainly don’t know how Bond feels during this time. He likes her yes, but love? It’s not until that night when she rescues him and displays her driving skills while keeping her nerves in a tense situation where she shows she has Mrs. Bond potential that he starts to love her like you said.

I kind of get the feeling Bond is wrapped up in the moment when he proposes to her. He may love her in his way, but he certainly doesn’t realize it till that moment. Once Tracy rescues him, he realizes his dalliances with Ruby and Nancy are meaningless and probably reinforce his feelings for Tracy and make him come to terms with his feelings for her. There likely isn’t any marriage talk unless all of that happens leading up to his proposal.

3 Likes
270

So… 2017 I made that ranking.
Here‘s my new one:

  1. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
    MOONRAKER
  • both are pure fun for me, probably because they were the first ones I saw in my life, but also because these were using all the established elements, juggling them with amusement and a freewheeling nonchalance which absolutely won me over
  1. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
  • the tightest thriller of them all, with real tension and fear for Bond
  1. GOLDFINGER
  • the template which despite all its weaknesses still works for me
  1. THUNDERBALL
    DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
    THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
    LIVE AND LET DIE
  • the “We´ll stretch things to where they haven’t been before”-pack, with no visible fear whether audiences would go with them - and they did.
  1. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
    OCTOPUSSY
    LICENCE TO KILL
  • the “We´re trying to give you what you want and then what you did not expect”-pack, suffering from some aspects (mostly budgetary constraints or throwing in too much, or both, not really knowing where to go)
  1. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
    DR. NO
    ON HER MAJESTY‘S SECRET SERVICE
  • the “straight(er) story”-pack
  1. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
    TOMORROW NEVER DIES
  • the “We need to top the previous one-pack”, with lesser success
  1. A VIEW TO A KILL
  • at the time tired and stale, now a nostalgic last hurrah and, just for the contrast to contemporary adventures, relaxing
  1. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
    SKYFALL
    QUANTUM OF SOLACE
  • the “different, more courageous but finally not courageous enough”-pack; it´s hard to let go of old habits, especially if they are banked on
  1. GOLDENEYE
  • at the time I was excited by this, but maybe I was just happy to see Bond again
  1. DIE ANOTHER DAY
    CASINO ROYALE
  • the “how dare you group those films together”-pack; but let’s be honest, both are way over the top with an interesting core story which only spirals into the ludicrous; CR only hides this better behind FLEMING and CRAIG - but the guy throwing himself through walls, shooting through a construction site, ruining an airport, quickly surviving a heart attack, and then is still able to have sex after having his testicles squashed (or did Le Chiffre not really punch that hard?) is much more of a fantasy than a guy trying to paraglide over a little tsunami.
  1. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
    SPECTRE
    NO TIME TO DIE
  • the “we really tried but came up short”-pack; yes, they all have great scenes in them, and they are still more entertaining than most “entertainment” these days. But they should have/could have been so much better.
5 Likes
271

Nice to see NSNA won a bit of appreciation back…

272

Having watched them all over the last couple of years on the big screen, I’ve changed a little so time for another go…

  1. FRWL - seeing it on the big screen cemented it’s brilliance for me. Connery is brilliant and it’s a good film away from Bond
  2. DAF - it’s the gift that keeps on giving
  3. Spectre - it’s one I watch most often and I adore the horror element of it.
  4. OHMSS - it’s a phenomenal watch and the look of the film feels fresher than it should.
  5. Moonraker - so much fun
  6. CR - visceral and brutal fantastic entertainment
  7. Thunderball - 007 as a travelogue a feast for the eyes and very witty.
    8.LALD - rewatching it I found myself enjoying the baroque strangeness of it.
  8. QOS - would have been a masterpiece had it been polished scriptwise, it’s a brave movie.
  9. TSWLM- more enjoyable on the big screen than all the times I’d seen it at home.
  10. NTTD - engages me in a way that none of the Brisnans do.
  11. TLD - 20 minutes of the best Bond film ever then it gets a bit fuzzy
  12. YOLT - great spectacle in the cinema
  13. LTK - bit cheap to look at but it’s a great performance from Dalton which holds it together brilliantly
  14. FYEO - sags a little bit still a great adventure story.
  15. Skyfall - a bit pretentious
  16. NSNA - maybe it’d nostalgia but looking at it in the cinema I was struck by it’s sense of fun.
  17. TMWTGG - better than I remembered
  18. Dr.No - a little tedious
  19. GF - still not as enjoyable as Thunderball for me.
  20. Octopussy - good fun but a bit falbby
  21. AVTAK - too pleased with itself auto pilot Bond
  22. GE - Alan Cunning amongst others made it a tiresome watch
  23. TND - meh
  24. TWINE - wasted ideas
  25. DAD - criminally borinng
5 Likes
273

Interesting ranking. Some – no, most :wink: – of the descriptions are spot on.

NSNA, but no CR67 on the list, tsk… :stuck_out_tongue:

4 Likes
274
  1. The Spy Who Loved Me
  2. Moonraker
  3. Tomorrow Never Dies
  4. With Love From Russia
  5. A View To A Kill
  6. Golden Eye
  7. Die Another Day
  8. SkyFall
  9. Diamonds Are Forever
  10. The World Is Not Enough
3 Likes
275

CR67 is a joy to watch whilst drunk. Actually… A drunk Bond ranking hmmmn.

2 Likes
276

Great descriptions for your ranking - I have to steal that idea and put it into mine :wink:

2 Likes
277
  1. Moonraker
  2. For Your Eyes Only
  3. The Spy Who Loved Me
  4. Goldfinger
  5. On Her Majestey’s Secret Service
  6. Diamonds Are Forever
  7. From Russia With Love
  8. Thunderball
  9. You Only Live Twice
  10. Octopussy
  11. Dr. No
  12. Live And Let Die
  13. GoldenEye
  14. The Man WIth The Golden Gun
  15. Casino Royale
  16. Tomorrow Never Dies
  17. The World Is Not Enough
  18. A View To A Kill
  19. Never Say Never Again
  20. Die Another Day
  21. The Living Daylights
  22. Skyfall
  23. Spectre
  24. Licence To Kill
  25. Quantum Of Solace
  26. No Time To Die
  27. Casino Royale '67
6 Likes
278
  1. No Time To Die
  2. On Her Majestey’s Secret Service
  3. Goldfinger
  4. Skyfall
  5. Live And Let Die
  6. For Your Eyes Only
  7. Casino Royale
  8. Quantum Of Solace
  9. The Spy Who Loved Me
  10. Dr. No
  11. Octopussy
  12. The World Is Not Enough
  13. Spectre
  14. GoldenEye
  15. Thunderball
  16. Moonraker
  17. You Only Live Twice
  18. From Russia With Love
  19. A View To A Kill
  20. Diamonds Are Forever
  21. The Man WIth The Golden Gun
  22. Tomorrow Never Dies
  23. Die Another Day
  24. The Living Daylights
  25. Never Say Never Again
  26. Licence To Kill
  27. Casino Royale '67
4 Likes
279

It’s been several years since I revisited this list and big chunks of it have moved around.

  1. ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE
  2. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
  3. CASINO ROYALE
  4. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
  5. LICENCE TO KILL
  6. THUNDERBALL
  7. SKYFALL
  8. DR. NO
  9. MOONRAKER
  10. NO TIME TO DIE
  11. LIVE AND LET DIE
  12. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
  13. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
  14. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
  15. QUANTUM OF SOLACE
  16. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
  17. GOLDFINGER
  18. GOLDENEYE
  19. OCTOPUSSY
  20. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
  21. SPECTRE
  22. A VIEW TO A KILL
  23. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
  24. CASINO ROYAL 1967
  25. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
  26. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
  27. DIE ANOTHER DAY
5 Likes
280

This would be pretty close to my current list. Those 1960s films are always my bedrock. Everything else follows from there.

  1. ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE
  2. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
  3. DR. NO
  4. THUNDERBALL
  5. GOLDFINGER
  6. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
  7. MOONRAKER
  8. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
  9. OCTOPUSSY
  10. CASINO ROYALE
  11. SKYFALL
  12. NO TIME TO DIE
  13. TOMORROW NEVER DIES
  14. GOLDENEYE
  15. LICENCE TO KILL
  16. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
  17. SPECTRE
  18. QUANTUM OF SOLACE
  19. LIVE AND LET DIE
  20. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
  21. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
  22. DIE ANOTHER DAY
  23. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
  24. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
  25. A VIEW TO A KILL
4 Likes