# 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:** 25
**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:** [October 23, 2023, 4:45pm 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/845001/484 "2023-10-23T16:45:32Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > But Lazenby-as-Bond looked at the camera and said “this never happens to the other fellow”. Doylist, yes, that’s clearly Lazenby breaking the fourth wall to acknowledge that Connery was another fella. Watsonian, though, you can just barely make a case that James Bond — with discarded footwear in hand, right as the beautiful woman he’d like to get to know better dashes off — is riffing on Cinderella’s charming prince. ---
**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:** [October 23, 2023, 6:26pm 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/845001/485 "2023-10-23T18:26:20Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > Oooh, well… Also, you can see the little Bede Jet from Octopussy parked in the back. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2023, 7:12am 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/845001/486 "2023-11-10T07:12:36Z")
**_Spectre_ (2015)** I really wanted to like this one more than I did. There _is_ a lot to like. The pre-credit scene in Mexico City, the Rome chase, the fight on the train (shades of FRWL)… All great stuff. The film is beautifully shot and very atmospheric. After the theme song (Sam Smith, meh), we’re presented with a mystery courtesy of the late M, Judi Dench version. And then Bond goes places and does things and kills people and sleeps with the widow of a guy he killed and gets chased around by Dave Bautista, and we the audience have no idea why any of it is happening for a _really_ long time. When the plot finally comes into focus a couple hours later, we find that James’s adoptive brother from childhood has become Blofeld and is retro-canonically responsible for every bad thing that’s ever happened to Daniel Craig’s Bond. All righty then. On the plus side, Christoph Waltz is always a pleasure to watch. Léa Seydoux is gorgeous and plays an interesting character, though it was disappointing to see her reduced to a damsel in distress at the end. Also, nice to see the the side characters taking care of business with M, Q, and Moneypenny dispatching the secondary bad guy. Overall, I didn’t hate it, but it was a bit too long and never really came together for me. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2023, 11:55am 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/845001/487 "2023-11-10T11:55:12Z")
A film with a distinct difference in quality between the first and second halves. Before Bond and Madeleine arrive in the desert, it’s all rather good fun, and as you say beautiful to look at. Although that Rome car chase - where was all the other traffic?! I know it’s meant to be late at night but this is the Italian capital for goodness’ sake. One little Fiat down a side alley? Anyway, back to the film… I found Waltz rather underwhelming in this, and Bellucci underused. She could’ve been an interesting character, so for her to be on screen for five minutes basically as Bond’s latest conquest was disappointing. Dave Bautista’s character is clearly an homage to Jaws from Moore’s era, and the scene where Bond wraps a rope round his neck, attached to barrels, and throws him off the train is, in my mind, a little easter egg related to _Jaws_ the film and the yellow barrels from Quint’s boat (is that a stretch?!). Things start to go horriby wrong when Bond properly meets Blofeld. I got flashbacks to _Star Trek Into Darkness_ when Benedict Cumberbatch’s character introduced himself (“my name is Khan!” Etc). What significance does Bofeld think Bond would place on his new name? Definitely one for the audience and meaningless in Craig’s Bond universe. Don’t get me started on the painful retconning of Blofeld into Craig’s previous adventures. The final action scene where Bond takes out a helicopter from about 2 miles away with his handgun is unintentionally hilarious. All in all, a score of 5/10 and 21st out of 25 in the rankings. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 12:05pm 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/845001/488 "2023-11-10T12:05:22Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I really wanted to like this one more than I did. Sums up my own view nicely. I think it’s my least favourite of the Craig era, and comes quite low down the list overall. It’s one of the few I’ve only watched once, and am not in a hurry to watch again. Although that’s partly due to the medical lab scene, which was unnecessarily graphic for squeamish me. ETA: I’ve really enjoyed this thread and am a bit sad it’s reaching its conclusion! Thanks to all who have contributed and especially the OP. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 12:07pm 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/845001/489 "2023-11-10T12:07:03Z")
Only one left! ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 1:16pm 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/845001/490 "2023-11-10T13:16:18Z")
What I remember most about this movie is how miserable Bond seemed, as if he hated being a spy but knew he would hate doing anything else even more. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2023, 3:51pm 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/845001/491 "2023-11-10T15:51:59Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > Dave Bautista’s character is clearly an homage to Jaws from Moore’s era, and the scene where Bond wraps a rope round his neck, attached to barrels, and throws him off the train is, in my mind, a little easter egg related to _Jaws_ the film and the yellow barrels from Quint’s boat (is that a stretch?!). I definitely thought of _Jaws_ the movie during that scene. I didn’t think of Jaws the Bond character, but no, I don’t think that’s a stretch at all. > [@sciurophobic](#): > > What I remember most about this movie is how miserable Bond seemed There’s a quote on IMDb from Daniel Craig about how much more physically difficult it was to play Bond than when he started. So maybe Bond’s not the one who’s miserable. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2023, 3:55pm 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/845001/492 "2023-11-10T15:55:43Z")
Didn’t Craig break a bone or dislocate something during filming? Hence his quote about preferring to ‘slit his wrists’ rather than film another one, or something like that? Actually that may have been after _Skyfall_. Amazing what $50m does to someone’s motivation. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 7:49pm 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/845001/493 "2023-11-10T19:49:01Z")
Daniel Craig once joked that the Austin Powers movies ruined the Bond franchise because you couldn’t take the premise seriously anymore… Then they went and used one of the big reveals in Goldmember in their own movie, ---
**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:** [November 10, 2023, 8:25pm 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/845001/494 "2023-11-10T20:25:43Z")
The rot started at _Diamonds are Forever_, to be honest. Even before Roger Moore! ---
**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:** [November 10, 2023, 8:27pm 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/845001/495 "2023-11-10T20:27:09Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > The rot started at _Diamonds are Forever_, to be honest. Even the plot of **Dr. No** was completely ridiculous, so complaining that modern Bond films are ridiculous is a bit of a head-scratcher. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2023, 8:29pm 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/845001/496 "2023-11-10T20:29:56Z")
It’s the self-parody that I am getting at; _Dr No_ took itself seriously even if it is fantastical. _Diamonds_ though was sending itself up from the moment Connery campily raised his hands when caught at Blofeld’s plastic surgery base thingy in the pre-credits sequence. And as for Blofeld in drag… ---
**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:** [November 10, 2023, 10:20pm 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/845001/497 "2023-11-10T22:20:54Z")
I liked Spectre more than Skyfall (I like root canal more than Skyfall) but yeah, it’s not that good overall. It would be better without Bloefeld is Bond’s brother from another mother, or whatever. I could, or could not, care less. I’m covering all the bases. Having every important character related is too Star Warsy. What’s wrong with just plain old bad guys? With normal motivations? Well, I liked No Time To Die, (with certain exceptions, like every Bond movie ever) so maybe you will, too. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2023, 2:21pm 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/845001/498 "2023-11-14T14:21:21Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > Then they went and used one of the big reveals in Goldmember in their own movie, That Dutch people are evil? ---
**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:** [November 14, 2023, 3:03pm 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/845001/499 "2023-11-14T15:03:42Z")
That Christoph Waltz’s voice is just a thinly-veiled Lorne Michaels imitation? ---
**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:** [August 2, 2024, 6:39am 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/845001/500 "2024-08-02T06:39:16Z")
**_No Time To Die_ (2021)** Well, it took an embarrassingly long time, but I’ve finally completed my quest by watching the latest (it’s tough not to say “last”) Bond movie. **OPEN SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!** There’s likely no one reading this who hasn’t watched _No Time To Die_, and yes, the thread title warns of spoilers, but I wanted to be clear: IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THIS FILM YET (and want to), DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. I managed to keep myself un-spoiled for the last three years and didn’t know what happened at the end. The film already felt like a concluding chapter in many ways. Most notably, Felix dies. For real this time. The great Jeffrey Wright was underused again, but at least he got a good dramatic death scene. I was bummed. Also, SPECTRE gets wiped out and Blofeld is permanently dispatched (though less dramatically), and of course, there’s a new 007. All things that lead you to think, yep, this is the last one, all right. But I didn’t see the _big_ spoiler coming. For a Bond film, I found this one quite talky. It was also long, clocking in at 2:43. Nevertheless, it seemed to move along at a decent pace and held my interest all the way through. There wasn’t really one big set-piece action sequence, but a number of smaller ones, keeping the action moving from one scene to the next. They’ve settled into a good solid supporting cast, with Ralph Fiennes, Ben Wishaw, Naomie Harris, and Rory Kinnear all working comfortably together. Lea Seydoux returns as a character I liked a lot in _SPECTRE_, and she’s strong here as well. Ana de Armas was awesome in a too-brief role. Rami Malek is sufficiently creepy and menacing as the Big Baddie Lyutsifer Safin. But I didn’t quite get his motivation. Sure, he’s got a legitimate grudge against Blofeld and SPECTRE, but once they’re gone, he’s going to take his killer nanobots (which are apparently grown in a pool with big glowing sticks for some reason) and kill millions of people with them because… why, exactly? And he’s got waves and waves of henchmen willing to kill and die for this cause because… why, exactly? But I did like the throwback feel of the Secret Underground Island Hideout. That’s classic Bond right there. Once there, they leaned into the cliches, and it was a great ride. And just when you think maybe, just _maybe_ James will get to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after with his lover and kid (more on the kid shortly), comes the shocker. James Bond’s plot armor comes off. Powerful and heartbreaking. Here’s what I didn’t like: kids in danger. I dislike any kid-in-danger situation in general; it makes me uncomfortable and it’s usually unnecessary. This was no exception. Little kids just don’t belong in a James Bond film. The opening scene with young Madeline was disturbing enough. Then they doubled down by having Bond’s own love-child being used as a pawn and a hostage. Not cool. But not enough to ruin the whole movie, I suppose, which I quite enjoyed overall. So what’s next for the franchise? They stuck with the usual “JAMES BOND WILL RETURN” at the end of the credits, even though we’d just seen him get blown to kingdom come. Seems like the next installment will have to be a hard reboot; no telling what that might look like. Oh, but I’d be quite happy to watch some films starring Lashana Lynch as the new non-Bond 007. Loved her and want to see more. I don’t see any indication that that will ever happen, though. Whatever does happen, I’ll be there. It’s been a fun journey, and I hope you’ve enjoyed taking it with me. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2024, 6:56am 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/845001/501 "2024-08-02T06:56:37Z")
Sits comfortably in the middle of my rankings for the Bond films, nowhere near as bad as what some made out it to be (and I think we know a lot of the ‘reasons’ why some people hated it). But it’s also definitely too long and has parts that drag. I did enjoy, especially the second time around, picking out all the little references to both other films in the series and Fleming’s novels. I think the biggest influence being his **You Only Live Twice** , where (spoiled if you want to read the book) Bond travels to Japan and destroys Blofeld’s castle (which contains the poison garden), nearly getting himself blown up in the process. In fact, as I was watching _No Time to Die_ for the first time, I had actually thought they might copy the _YOLT_ novel amd have him thrown into the sea, rather than be annihilated. I was wrong! There is also the… Blofeld strangulation scene which copies the ‘die Blofeld, die’ line from the _YOLT_ novel, but in this film it just felt so forced it was a little cringeworthy. Will be interesting to see what they do with the series. It still makes them plenty of money so there’s no way it’ll end, someone will pick it up even if Barbara Brocoli has had enough. A lot of fans have said it’d be great to do a retro-sixties version, a bit like _The Man From Uncle_that Henry Cavill (forever mooted as a Bond) was in. I would be intrigued by that but then you have the ‘problematic by today’s standards’ Bond attitudes of the past, and that is a can of worms that would just annoy people a lot on both sides of the argument! ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2024, 7:01am 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/845001/502 "2024-08-02T07:01:49Z")
My mother and I watched _No Time to Die_ in theaters. When it looked like Bond wasn’t going to make it, I was like, “No _way_ would they do it.” AND THEY DID. HOLY SHIT. But Craig had a solid five-movie arc. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2024, 7:25am 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/845001/503 "2024-08-02T07:25:59Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > But Craig had a solid five-movie arc. “Arc” is a good way to put it. For better or worse, Craig’s films were unique for having a definite chronological order, with continuing plot threads and character development, while the previous Bond actors pretty much made a series of stand-alone movies. [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=24) [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=26)