This has been me lately. I haven’t watched a Bond film since SPECTRE was released on Blu-ray some two years ago. Can’t say that I’ve picked up any of the books either.
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At least I’m not alone…
You really aren’t.
When I re-watched all films in 2015 I must even admit I became bored at times and continued more dutiful than engaged. Which definitely played a role in my evaluating the films.
To pick the right film/book at the right time has become critical to my enjoyment.
Last October I re-watched SPECTRE. Apart from that, it´s been three years since I watched any of the other ones. Although I do detect a slight uptick in my interest currently to revisit them. Three years might be a good duration for a hiatus, but only in that respect.
I’ve watched a couple of Bond films since SPECTRE, but I don’t seem to watch them as often as I used to. I binge watched Bond as a youngster, when the world felt like a more magical place. Truthfully, I’ve seen the Bond films so many times now (memorising everything) that I can’t enjoy them in the same way. But I love them. If that makes sense. I just have to look at a DVD cover and the movie automatically plays out in my head.
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I find Goldfinger, despite being a ‘classic’ Bond film, tedious in the extreme. More tedious than Thunderball.
Nothing happens.
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This is what I did. I hadn’t seen many films in several years (it had been at least 5 for QoS). But I’ve been starved of Bond lately, so I decided to go through a marathon of all the films and have honestly had quite a lot of fun doing so. Once I finish, I’ll probably be good for awhile, but it has been a nice distraction from real life for about 2 weeks or so.
Agreed re: Goldfinger; that is the Bond film that almost always puts me to sleep. The book is (thankfully) better. Like Goldeneye, people seem to mostly have fond memories of Goldfinger and consider it one of the best; in my opinion both are very much lesser Bond films when watched again.
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Thanks. Very interesting.
Apart from new films, and Goldeneye, I haven’t seen a Bond film since 2010.
I actually really enjoyed reading TSWLM
I don’t think that’s necessarily out of the ordinary. Sometimes absence really does makes the heart grow fonder.
It’s not unusual for me to cool it with the movies or books for awhile. With Forever and a Day this year then Bond 25 next year I’m kind of laying off anything else right now. I find Bond is kept in my life through the music the most. Not a week goes by without listing to one of the soundtracks at some point…
Inspired by the James Bonding Podcast I watched Live and Let Die the other day but I’ll go long stretches without watching the films too.
I think part of it is because were so steeped in the lore and the films we carry it with us without having to watch all the time. Plus absence makes the heart grow fonder. I certainly noticed new things about LALD when I watched it again.
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I forgot to mention that podcast - it’s my favorite thing in the Bond world today. Entertaining as hell!
Yes, the fact that we’ve watched the films so many times (mostly when we were younger) AND our constant discussions about the Bond universe make it almost unnecessary to watch them constantly.
Although I do miss the days when I would watch about 3-5 Bond films a month.
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Exactly.
So much this. I still listen to Bond music nearly every day.
It’s actually this month!
It’s a very good novel and a very good thriller as well. Great depiction of Bond’s character; a final proof that he’s not a ruthless killer and that he makes mistakes (in a scene where he can kill Sluggsy and Horror but he choses not to - with fatal consequences). Plus, Vivienne is the best written of Fleming’s Bond girls.
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Definitely the most fleshed out. I’d rank her number 3 after Vesper and Tracy.
You’re right, I have expressed myself badly. I agree with you, Tracy and Vesper are two most interesting Bond girls, nevertheless Vivienne’s story is surprisingly emotional. Too bad the novel wasn’t appreciated back then, as I understand. Even now I guess it would be ranked at the bottom of the list, while Fleming wrote worse novels.
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Goldfinger is very, very tedious to watch.
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Bond doesn’t really do much other than spend most of the movie as a prisoner and get most of the women killed.
Well… most? In both cases… not really.