# I'm going to watch all of the James Bond Films \[Please avoid Spoilers for Goldeneye or later Bond movies\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 17, 2019, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001 "2019-12-17T18:58:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/302 "2023-03-13T16:43:43Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > To be fair, the “mechanical dragon” as described in the novel was meant to keep superstitious locals from coming to the island. Maybe it’s just my ignorance showing, but if someone asked me to think of a Jamaican superstition, dragons would probably be towards the bottom of the list. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/303 "2023-03-13T16:47:12Z")
“Take a dragon dis, mon!” ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/304 "2023-03-13T16:51:08Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > If _Goldfinger_ had played it straight, it probably would have been the last Bond film. When I first posted about _Glodfinger_ earlier in the thread, I think I said something about this being the one where the franchise found its voice. _Dr. No_ was whatever it was, and _From Russia With Love_ played more like a straight spy thriller than what we’ve come to think of as a Bond movie. _Goldfinger_ hit on the formula that worked at the box office, and the rest, as they say, is history. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/305 "2023-03-13T17:45:45Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > When I first posted about _Glodfinger_ earlier in the thread, **That** was the movie Pterry left out of _Moving Pictures_. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/306 "2023-03-13T17:53:18Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > If _Goldfinger_ had played it straight,… Gert Fröbe’s performance as Goldfinger is one of the things I really like in the movie. The scene where the villain explains his cunning plan to the hero has become a cliché, and most actors don’t seem to put much thought or effort into it. But in _Goldfinger_ it works; twice, in fact. When he’s explaining to the mobsters, he seems to take some joy in how he’s outsmarted and manipulated them into helping him. Later, with Bond, when he explains what he’s really up to, he can barely contain himself. He’s finally found someone who can appreciate how really clever he is. Yeah, it’s kinda stupid to build that whole model for people who are going to be dead in five minutes. Maybe we can fanwank it and say that it was a distraction so he could get all his accomplices in one place, then slip out and kill them. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/307 "2023-03-13T18:41:32Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Yeah, it’s kinda stupid to build that whole model for people who are going to be dead in five minutes. Maybe he just likes little models. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/308 "2023-03-13T18:46:04Z")
What was stupider was shooting the dissenting gangster, Mr Solo, then crushing the car in which he was shot, BEFORE taking the gold out of the boot. Also, come to think of it, wasn’t it one of Goldfinger’s cars anyway? Oddjob was driving it. Madness! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/309 "2023-03-13T18:59:43Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Maybe he just likes little models. Number Two : In addition to our cable holdings, we own a steel mill in Cleveland. Shipping in Texas. Oil refineries in Seattle. And a factory in Chicago that makes miniature models of factories. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/310 "2023-03-13T19:03:31Z")
Every time someone points out something stupid from _Goldfinger_; the more I love that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/311 "2023-03-13T21:37:29Z")
Bond has an Aston Martin tricked out with multiple awesome weapons from Q branch. He is defeated by a mirror. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/312 "2023-03-13T23:09:59Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Every time someone points out something stupid from _Goldfinger_; the more I love that movie. I’m not sure that’s something to be proud of. You can like it fine _in spite of_ the stupidity, millions do, but _because of_? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/313 "2023-03-14T00:20:29Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Yeah, it’s kinda stupid to build that whole model for people who are going to be dead in five minutes. Maybe we can fanwank it and say that it was a distraction so he could get all his accomplices in one place, then slip out and kill them. My fanwank is — well, remember how Bond witnesses the sales pitch, and promptly mentions the flaw he’s spotted to Goldfinger? Sure, the memorable part is the reveal that, _yeah, that won’t actually be a problem,_ which is when an impressed Bond stops trying to talk him out of it — but the point is: hey, isn’t that _exactly_ what a guy would do if he spotted a flaw in the showcased plan? So figure that’s Goldfinger’s goal: run it past guys he’s going to kill anyway, to give them a chance to bring stuff to his attention, just in case they think of something he _hasn’t_ taken into account… …and, okay, as it happens, we don’t get to see that play out; folks either see nothing worth mentioning, or mention something he already knew; but, since it _could’ve_ worked, it can make sense to roll the dice on maybe getting a useful tip from the impromptu brain trust (and if they come up empty, he’ll settle for gloatingly making a big show of being oh-so-clever). ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/314 "2023-03-14T00:29:55Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > My fanwank is… Interesting suggestion. It could also be that Goldfinger built the model to help with his own planning, and the training of is co-conspirators. He did have the commando team that went in, demolition specialists to take out the fence and the door, Pussy’s pilots, and the helicopter pilot who brought him to the depository. All of those people could have used the model to help with planning and coordinating their part in the operation. So there’s no proof that he built it just for the hood’s convention. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/315 "2023-03-14T00:54:01Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > > Every time someone points out something stupid from _Goldfinger_; the more I love that movie. > > I’m not sure that’s something to be proud of. > > You can like it fine _in spite of_ the stupidity, millions do, but _because of_? My tastes are nothing to be proud of. They are lowbrow to the extreme and I marvel at nothing more than a storyteller’s audacity. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/316 "2023-03-14T01:06:39Z")
In their universe, are these super villains building their megastructures in secret? I mean, volcanoes with retractable roofs? And space rockets and underwater habitats. And every one of them has a secret (?) army. All these things would require extensive outside support. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/317 "2023-03-14T03:11:34Z")
Say what you want about Goldfinger…he knows how to plan. He wore a Generals uniform under his clothes just in case??? Back to Pu…Ms. Galore. It really does feel like a scene was cut out. Felix: “Why did she betray Goldfinger??” Bond: “I must have appealed to her maternal instinct.”…Hunh?? Also, Connery delivers the line like he was surprised. Which I think has to just be a mistake. If Bond thought the plan was going to plan…he let 60,000 +people get killed rather then try a last-second suicide plan?? But like I said, the movie looks great and there’s enough subverted expectations to make it very interesting. Both Masterson girls die. The Beeper plan fails. He fails to get away in the Aston Martin TWICE. Welp Thunderball and You Only Live Twice next…and fortunately I LOVE OHMSS. I’ll slog through Diamonds are Forever and Live and Let Die and The man with the Golden Gun and then I think rather then watch more Moore Bond…I’ll watch Ffolkes (North Sea Hijack") instead ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/318 "2023-03-14T03:31:51Z")
Suppose Goldfinger’s plan had succeeded- what then? He couldn’t possibly get away with it. He’d be so hunted down. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/319 "2023-03-14T08:30:48Z")
The construction of the classic volcano lair is one of Bond’s great mysteries. Maybe aliens did it. Stromberg’s underwater HQ isnt secret though; Bond visits it completely freely (as ‘Robert Sterling’). ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2023, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/320 "2023-03-16T05:27:22Z")
**_Licence To Kill_ (1989)** I thought I had seen both Dalton films when they came out. I believe I was mistaken; I would have remembered this one. My feelings on this are mixed. On the one hand, I thought this was a really good film. It was thrilling and exciting, with some excellent performances. Robert Davi was note perfect in his role. Young Benicio del Toro was fun to see. The dueling Bond Girls did what they were supposed to do; I liked them both quite a bit. I loved seeing Desmond Llewelyn get more to do as Q. Wayne Newton is even in it! But here’s the thing – it just didn’t _feel_ like a Bond movie. While I liked and defended Dalton’s edgier and more intense Bond in _Living Daylights_, this is a whole other animal. This Bond is out of control, angry, desperate. Very much _not_ his typical character traits. This is a revenge movie: A guy goes after the drug kingpin who killed his buddy’s wife. That the guy is James Bond was almost secondary. (I actually thought for a minute they’d killed off Felix. The fact that he survived was honestly a bit of a cop-out. Anyway, his marriage was even shorter than James’s.) I really think this would have made a great stand-alone film that _didn’t_ feature James Bond. Sure, it has many of the trappings of a Bond film, and the action sequences are terrific. The climactic chase scene was amazing… but it felt much more Indiana Jones than James Bond. Bond was so far out of character that he really wasn’t Bond anymore. His Licence to Kill has been revoked, but so what? He kills a bunch of people anyway, with no repercussions. And in the end, what do you know, M is eager to take him back. This whole film just doesn’t make sense within the 007 universe. So yeah, what can I say? This one’s got me all mixed up. I kind of loved it, but I kind of didn’t like it. I’ll probably think of more to say tomorrow. Next up: _Goldeneye_ ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2023, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001/321 "2023-03-16T08:26:52Z")
Agree with pretty much everything you said there. It is probably the least “James Bond” of the James Bond series and more like a generic 80s action/revenge flick. It does have one of the very best villains though, as you say. Davi is perfect and genuinely terrifying. There is a funny bit where, after his capture near the start, a reporter asks him “Is it true you’re really Colombian?”. Hmm I wonder to whom they could be referring there…?! There are a few plotlines or character traits that were gleaned from Fleming’s novels and short stories, including the stingray whip, yacht and obnoxious character of Milton Krest from The Hildebrand Rarity, and the maiming of Felix from Live and Let Die, complete with the note “he disagreed with something that ate him”. Dalton is great again, it is a massive shame he didn’t get his third film, which was planned but due to financial troubles never got as far as production. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-watch-all-of-the-james-bond-films-please-avoid-spoilers-for-goldeneye-or-later-bond-movies/845001.md?page=17)