# So I'm Thinking Of Watching Every James Bond Movie, In Order **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162 "2014-07-27T15:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/1 "2014-07-27T15:21:00Z")
Prior to _Casino Royale_, I had never seen a James Bond movie from beginning to end. I have now seen three: _Casino Royale_, _Quantum of Solace_, and _Skyfall_. I’m thinking of going all the way back to _Dr. No_ and watching all of them, in order, just to say I’ve done it. 1. I’m to understand that there are one or two that aren’t official canon; which ones are they? 2. Any I should avoid just because they’re utterly awful? 3. Any other advice for a "Classic’ Bond newbie? Also: Are the pre-Craig Bond movies episodic, or do the events in one affect the events in the next one? ---
**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:** [July 27, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/2 "2014-07-27T15:53:48Z")
_Never Say Never Again_ is the non-canon one. It was made in a rights dispute between two studios. It is basically a remake of _Thunderball_. I thought it was sad and pathetic, and my recollection was that Connery acted like he’d had a stroke recently, but there are enjoyable parts. But this is the SD. I can’t wait for the inevitable posts that place it as someone’s favorite. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/3 "2014-07-27T16:00:22Z")
The events of several movies affect the events of later ones, but not in any serious way. Usually dealt with in the pre-credit sequences, actually. My suggestion would be to run the Connery movies in order, watch the Lazenby, skip the Moore movies completely, then pick up with Dalton and Brosnan. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/4 "2014-07-27T16:01:06Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > _Never Say Never Again_ is the non-canon one. Also, [_Casino Royale_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_Royale_(1967_film)) (1967) was non-canon. It was a comedy, and a mess. But an extra on the DVD is [_Casino Royale_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_Royale_(Climax!)) as presented on _Climax!_ in 1954. This is a good rendtion of the book, in my opinion; though it stars Barry Nelson as an American Bond. Peter Lorre portrays Le Chiffre. . ---
**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:** [July 27, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/5 "2014-07-27T16:02:50Z")
The is some continuity. In _On Her Mahesty’s Secret Service_ Bond, played by George Lazenby, marries a woman, who gets killed. In the opening of _For Your Eyes Only_, Bond, now played by Roger Moore, is seen visiting her grave (I really like the humanity Bond shows in that scene-you rarely see that). I the SD’s most hated movie (and one of my favorites) Die Another Day, you can see in Q’s lab gadgets from many if not all of the previous movies, but that’s more fan service than a plot point. You can’t think of the movies as being one character, though. That way lies madness. Just view them as stand alone movies that all give their own interpretation of an iconic character. Like movies about Robin Hood, or Batman, or King Arthur. You also have to view them as products of their time. There is a huge karate fight (or several, actually) in _You Only Live Twice_, because that was all the rage at the time. _Moonraker_ is trying to cash in on the Star Wars dollars. _The Living Daylight_s was trying to make Bond more ‘gritty’, because that was the trend at the time. They even made a big deal that Bond was practically celibate in that movie - but I wonder if they were watching the same movie as me. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/6 "2014-07-27T16:03:23Z")
It’s been long enough ago that several new ones have popped up since I did it, but one of the movie channels (most likely TCM) had a marathon as you describe. I watched them all! Fun trip. Connery is the man! The rest are wannabes. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/7 "2014-07-27T16:05:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I[n] the SD’s most hated movie (and one of my favorites) **Die Another Day** … Not _Octopussy?_ I am shocked. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/8 "2014-07-27T16:06:04Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > skip the Moore movies completely, . And so it begins. Watch them all, don’t let anyone’s biases (including mine) guide you. See them all and decide for yourself. _Moonraker_ may be stupid, and the series rightly took a more traditional turn for the next movie, but it is in its own way no more or less stupid than _Dr. No_. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/9 "2014-07-27T16:08:11Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The events of several movies affect the events of later ones, but not in any serious way. _Dr. No_ was the first Bond film (aside from _Casino Royale_ in 1954), but it’s actually a follow-on of _From Russia With Love_. In the novels, Bond went to Jamaica for R&R after his run-in with SMERSH. But in the film chronology, there is no connection. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/10 "2014-07-27T16:14:09Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Also, [_Casino Royale_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_Royale_(1967_film)) (1967) was non-canon. It was a comedy, and a mess. I’d forgotten about it. As should everyone! ---
**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:** [July 27, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/11 "2014-07-27T16:19:52Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > My suggestion would be to run the Connery movies in order, watch the Lazenby, skip the Moore movies completely, then pick up with Dalton and Brosnan. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/12 "2014-07-27T16:37:45Z")
I’ve watched the Bond films in order, and I think one should. Many or most people will say _Goldfinger_ is ‘the best’ Bond film, but I like _Dr. No_. In it, Bond isn’t ‘Bond’ in the sense of later films. He’s human, and doesn’t rely on ‘gadgets’. I also like movies from that era. Of course I like _Goldfinger_ for the Pipers. 😉 Watch the Connery films in order. There’s no reason not to, and it’s interesting to watch how he changes from a very good spy to a spy with lots of ‘gadgets’. _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service_ sticks to the book pretty well. IMO, people didn’t like it because George Lazenby isn’t Sean Connery. Still, the story involves terrorism on a massive scale (contaminating the world’s food supply) and resonates with today’s terrorism concerns. _Diamonds Are Forever_ is a little silly, but Connery is back. Then you get into the Roger Moore films. I once read a quip that Roger Moore was ‘The Smirk that Swallowed James Bond Whole’. Yep, pretty much. Nevertheless, the Roger Moore films are good fun if you can get past James Bond as a cartoon. Definitely worth seeing, if only for a better understanding of the memes. Timothy Dalton became Bond in _The Living Daylights_. This is a return to the non-comedic Bond; sort of like Sean Connery, but with more awesome gadgets. Pierce Brosnan (_GoldenEye_ through _Die Another Day_) continues in that vein. _Casino Royale_ (2006) brings us to Daniel Craig as Bond, and takes us back to the beginning of the story. That is, none of the previous films ever happened, and it’s a reboot of the franchise. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/13 "2014-07-27T16:38:32Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Not _Octopussy?_ I am shocked. [Read my thread from 11 years ago on the movie. I believed then it was the best one.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=173799) I now think Craig’s Casino Royale is the best one. Note: I swear there is the actual Octopussy thread floating around somewhere, but that one only links to a duplicate. My bad. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/14 "2014-07-27T16:40:36Z")
There are always exceptions. TSWLM is one of them. But it is countered by _A View to a Kill_, which is not only the worst Bond movie ever made, but maybe one of the worst movies ever made. Period. The only redeeming factor is that it had the best theme song since _Goldfinger_. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/15 "2014-07-27T18:26:30Z")
I attempted to do that once. I made it to _Live and Let Die_ before petering out. The earliest ones are the best. _Dr. No_ may seem a little creaky by today’s standards. But if you go in expecting it to be a bit dated, it’s a decent romp. Sean Connery has the Bond charisma nailed from scene 1. _From Russia, With Love_ is IMO the best of the series. A tense, focused thriller that remains human-scaled (the fate of the whole world isn’t hanging in the balance.) That one holds up. _Goldfinger_ was OK, but is (slightly) over-rated. It’s the point at which things begin to take on an over-the-top, cartoonish tone. Still, its pluses outweigh the minuses. _Thunderball_, conversely, gets a bad rap. The underwater action sequences are terrific cinematography, the principal Bond girl is not just eye candy - she contributes to the story in a meaningful way, and Sean Connery in shorty-short swim trunks. What’s not to like? _You Only Live Twice_ is the point when things start going South. The finale offers some great action set pieces, but Blofeld’s master plan is something out of Lex Luthor’s playbook. The story has a formulaic feel to it, and Connery is phoning it in. He can barely hide his contempt for the whole proceedings. _On Her Majesties’ Secret Service_ is a curiosity. George Lazenby is better than Roger Moore as Bond, but he suffers in comparison to Connery who only just preceded him. There are some nice attempts to shake up the formula in some ways, including adding some gravitas to Bond’s back story, but the series instantly backed off from such changes in the very next movie. On the plus side - Diana Rigg in all her post-Emma Peel glory! That alone makes this one of the best. _Diamonds Are Forever_ just feels like a tipping point. James Bond has lost all his macho, earthy grittiness and is practically a satire of itself. EVERYONE involved in this outing is simply cashing a paycheck. Jill St. John’s character flips sides so quickly and so inexplicably that I was rooting for her to get shot between the eyes by the end of it. And the two pairs of assassins (Kidd & Wynt and Bambi & Thumper) are rather viscious anti-gay caricatures. _Live and Let Die_ has a great opening sequence, a great theme song, but it’s a steep downhill slope after that. It has racist overtones, an incomprehensible plot, and just dumb action sequences (Bond hop-scotching over the alligators was funny however.) Worst of all, it has Connery-lite, Roger Moore, in the lead. He just doesn’t cut it. Not even in his first, most important outing. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/16 "2014-07-27T18:28:13Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And so it begins. > > Watch them all, don’t let anyone’s biases (including mine) guide you. See them all and decide for yourself. > > _Moonraker_ may be stupid, and the series rightly took a more traditional turn for the next movie, but it is in its own way no more or less stupid than _Dr. No_. On the other hand, Moonraker is my absolute favorite James Bond _ **novel** _. Highly recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/17 "2014-07-27T19:33:12Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [Read my thread from 11 years ago on the movie. I believed then it was the best one.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=173799) > > I now think Craig’s Casino Royale is the best one. I rate _Octopussy_ as the best of Moore’s movies, and maybe in the top three overall. I’m not fond of any of Craig’s films, in part because I’m not especially fond of _him_. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/18 "2014-07-27T19:42:08Z")
Incidentally, I think _OHMSS_ would have been the unquestioned best Bond movie ever, had Connery been in it. I don’t want to slight Lazenby, but he didn’t quite have the chops to be starting out in what was a fairly serious Bond movie. Had his debut been _Live and Let Die_, maybe he would have displaced Moore. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/19 "2014-07-27T20:02:07Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I rate _Octopussy_ as the best of Moore’s movies, and maybe in the top three overall. I’m not fond of any of Craig’s films, in part because I’m not especially fond of _him_. Agree on the Craig, but still holding out for TSWLM as the best of the Moore films. Followed by _The Man With the Golden Gun_ (just for Scaramanga’s junk, as it were), and _For Your Eyes Only._ ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162/20 "2014-07-27T20:15:48Z")
I can’t defend _View To A Kill_, but it is worth watching simply for the over-the-top performances from Christopher Walken and Grace Jones. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-thinking-of-watching-every-james-bond-movie-in-order/694162.md?page=2)