Which Bond film is most underrated? I loved QoS when it was released and I love it even more every time I watch it. It tends to be my “go-to” Bond movie the last couple years. It always feels fresh.
::Ducks from all the incoming Dalton fans::
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Licence to Kill and Quantum of Solace
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They certainly are by me.
By the fanbase: MR, TMWTGG and OP
By the general public: OHMSS and both Dalton films.
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Most of Moore’s run, honestly.
Too often he is penned as just the “funny Bond”. His films are the ones that have given us the most cherished villains, exotic sets, and memorable scenes in the entire franchise. In my estimation, that is.
TMWTGG and LTK because both are widely known as the ones that almost ruined the franchise.
QOS because it was mainly regarded as a worse film than CR. Which IMHO it isn´t.
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LTK : great Bond movie whatever Miami Vice vibes it left to some people.
QOS : not Casino Royale quality script wise but good thriller with noteworthy tonal qualities.
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN for me.
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AVTAK. Hands down.
Other underrated entries include TB, MR, OCT and TND and the first half of DAD.
Fans underrate GF. Yes, you heard me right.
I agree with glidrose about DAD.
Sure its quite silly in the second half with invisible car, surfing on melt water and the action sequence in the end.
However the first half has great intrigue with Bonds release from North Korea and a great fencing scene. The villian is quite good too.
Besides who doesnt like Halle Berrys exit from the water… 
I think its Brosnans best!
Ah, but glidrose put in a vote for “the first half of DAD.” Is it even possible for half a film to be underrated?
Even the first half has problems for me. Like Bond on a surfboard and the (for me) unengaging hovercraft chase. This was me watching DAD the first (and only) time in the theater: “No. Yes. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. Yes. No.Yes. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No…How much longer is this thing? I wonder, if we left now, would we beat the crowd at the restaurant?”
On the other hand, it made beaucoup bucks, so how “underrated” could it be, really? You could argue it’s not much celebrated in retrospect, but it certainly wasn’t underappreciated at the box office. Unlike, say LTK, which was largely ignored and unloved on release.
Ok, I confess I didnt keep in mind the box office, but I cant remember it getting good reviews at the time either. I like the surf scene in the begining, its a real stunt double, legendary surfer Laird Hamilton. I do agree that both the action scenes in North Korea and Cuba are quite dull, but they usually are by nature.
On the flip side, the most overrated in my mind is Goldeneye, never liked it. No Bond feeling what so ever. The only plus side is the looks of Famke Janssen and Izabella Scorupco. But this discussion would belong in a different thread i guess.
I don’t remember reviews for DAD, honestly. And I guess we’ve never really established in this thread what “underrated” even means. Some films like DAD made lots of money on release but are not well loved in hindsight. MR made crazy money and got some glowing reviews but is now the poster child for “bad” Bond (unfairly, but still). Other films under-performed financially by Bond standards but have their champions, like LTK. I have no idea how QoS did at the box office but I don’t know anyone outside of dedicated Bond fandom who cared for it.
So does “underrated” mean “unappreciated by the masses but beloved by fans in the know?” Does it mean “unloved by Bond purists but quite good if you’re not so unyielding in your mindset?” Does it mean “didn’t make a splash at the box office but deserved better?” I don’t know.
“Overrated” is a whole different subject, and maybe should be a separate thread, except by its nature it’s going to end up negative where this one is aimed at being positive.
Just in general, I’d say that the world at large only knows a handful of Bond films by name and any other entry could potentially end up on this list. I would submit that maybe “underrated” should mean “largely ignored compared to the two or three films that get all the love.” For instance, is “Goldfinger” really that much better than OHMSS, that every Joe on the street knows the former but would probably give you a blank stare if you mentioned the latter? Maybe we could rephrase the question to say, “If you could turn someone on to the merits of any less-celebrated Bond film, which film would that be?”
I agree, this question is abit fuzzy and could be narrowed down.
Both MR and LTK are great Bond films, no question about it.
Perhaps the reason I brought up Goldeneye is because its regarded to be Brosnans best.
I couldnt agree less.
This is why I think DAD is underrated because it has great intreague/story and very nice and Bond style locarions/sceneries which is easly overlooked due to some if its silly action sequences.
My vote goes to OP. It excels in basically every category: plot, cast, locations, dialogue, action, suspense, humor, rewatch value. I’d easily place it in my top 4.
I think the reason it has such a bad reputation is the Tarzan yell (I’ll concede that this was a poor choice) and the clown suit (one of the best acting of any Bond actor in the history of the franchise). Many seem to shrug it off as overly campy, but I think it is tonally one of top entries in the franchise. Compare this to the incredibly uneven tones of GE or DAD.
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I agree with LTK and QOS. Bond and harder grit never seems to as easily accepted by a wider audience. OHMSS when it first came out, but certainly less so now as its trengths are becoming wider known.
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I’d say OHMSS, OP, LTK and QOS are the most underrated Bond films, though I really appreciate all of them.
OP definitely is a marvelously entertaining Bond film, and sincerely underrated by me before I rewatched it.
During its initial run it was overshadowed by the following Connery revival, I believe, because OP was “just another Moore entry”, while
NSNA was the singular event movie - but the quality was lower, IMHO.
People here keep listing OHMSS. Among the general public, yes, it is probably underrated.
But among Bond fans?
I daresay it is likely overrated. I see why it merits ranking around #8 (which is still within the top third of Bond films), but I can’t agree with what feels like the majority of the fan base who place it in the top three. But I digress.
Well, yes, its reputation has certainly improved greatly, so it could be argued it is no longer as underrated as it once was. A valid point, and I did think a little before I added it to my list above.