# What Bond movies should I bother watching? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 8, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112 "2009-06-08T17:22:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/1 "2009-06-08T17:22:45Z")
Despite my occasional dreams of conquering the Earth, I have never actually been a fond of James Bond movies. I’ve seen snippets of Goldfinger on television but was never interested enough to watch the whole thing through. The first one I ever saw in theatres was–um, the last Brosnan one, with Halle Berry, whatever it was called. Despite my appreciation for the way Ms. Berry filled out a bikini, I was underwhelmed. Thus I skipped Casino Royale. That may have been a mistake, as I took Mrs. R. to see Quantum of Solace last year and found it quite enjoyable. This weekend I saw the hind end of Casino Royale on USA, and had the defnite impression that my judgment of it as not worth my time had been entirely in error. Which brings me to the thread question: what other Bonds should I bother with, and why? Note: I don’t care about being spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/2 "2009-06-08T17:35:42Z")
Any with Connery, well, maybe except \*\*Diamonds are Forever \*\* (just bad)and **You Only Live Twice**. I just have trouble with a tall Scot pretending to be a Japanese. I also felt Brosnon made a pretty good Bond. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/3 "2009-06-08T17:35:47Z")
The Sean Connery movies are, for the most part, well worth watching. _Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball_, and even _You Only Live Twice_ are really good. The exception is _Diamonds Are Forever_, which is an embarassment. _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service_, with George Lazenby as Bond, has its good points, all of which are because of Diana Rigg. You can take a pass on the Roger Moore films. They’re awful. The Timothy Dalton movies aren’t much better, and the Pierce Brosnan efforts may be an improvement, but they’re not up to snuff at all. \*Casino Royale \*was brilliant, and Daniel Craig is, in my opinion, the equal of Connery. Of course, the writing and directing have a lot to do with the quality of the movie, but Craig deserves a great deal of credit for taking on an old role in a completely fresh way. I haven’t seen \*Quantum of Solace \*yet, but I will. There is also the first _Casino Royale_, but that’s a different kettle of fish entirely. It’s worth watching, though. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/4 "2009-06-08T17:35:50Z")
Obviously you should see Casino Royale from start to finish. However, that movie has a very different approach from the classic Bond movies. Enjoying the Daniel Craig Bond doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll enjoy the rest. However, from there, I’d say _Goldfinger_. It has so many classic Bond-isms of the 1960’s era. Sean Connery, Moneypenny, Odd job, Goldfinger himself (and his laser), M, silly inventions… Yeah. Also, if you don’t mind going into a Bond movie that is undoubtedly not one of the better titles, I really liked watching\* A view to kill\* if only for Christopher Walken’s appearance. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/5 "2009-06-08T17:36:41Z")
Well, don’t bother seeing both _Moonraker_ and _The Spy Who Loved Me_ since they’re essentially the same movie. Ditto for _Thunderball_ and _Never Say Never Again_. If you like cold-war fiction, I recommend _Octopussy_ and _From Russia With Love_. Frankly, the rest of them are varying degrees of ludicrous and if _Goldfinger_ (arguably the best of the Sean Connery outings) didn’t hold your interest, then screw the movies and just read the Fleming novels. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/6 "2009-06-08T17:40:30Z")
All that’s been recommended above and then: From Russia With Love. James Bond’s gadget for this movie? A briefcase with knockout gas and a strip of gold coins. This was before the series went way over the top with the gadgets – which is fine, that’s James Bond, after all. But it’s interesting to see the character’s development from this movie on. ---
**Author:** ![Other\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Other\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Other_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/7 "2009-06-08T17:57:36Z")
Anything with Daniel Craig in it…(Or not, if you prefer) ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/8 "2009-06-08T18:02:34Z")
Anything with Connery is good, except for _Diamonds are Forever_, which is just bad. (And Connery was a little long in the tooth at the point, much less _Never Say Never Again_ which isn’t a part of the “official” series anyway.) From _Russia With Love_ is probably his best but I’ll always have a soft spot for _Goldfinger_ since it’s the movie that best exemplifies 60’s Bond. I never liked Roger Moore in the role and most his movies were terrible anyway. I haven’t seen all of his films, but I have seen _Live and Let Die_, _Man with the Golden Gun_, and _Moonraker_, and all three were incredibly goofy and over the top. Some fans prefer that interpretation, but it just doesn’t work for me. I haven’t seen the Timothy Dalton movies. I liked Brosnan as Bond, but his movies suffered from a lot of the same problems that the Moore ones did. Constantly trying to ramp up the action to ludicrous levels and silly gadgets, and the plots were needlessly convoluted. I did like _Goldeneye_ though. _Casino Royale_ and _Quantum of Solace_ were brilliant, but I have to agree with **cactus waltz** when he says they were a complete reinvention of the franchise. Craig is easily the equal of Connery in the role, but liking those two films doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll like any of the others. It’s strange for me, because I consider myself a Bond fan but I think less than half of the movies that have been made are actually any good. I think I might actually like the character and concept of Bond more than the films themselves. I’ve never actually read any of Fleming’s original novels, but it’s definitely on my list of things to do. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/9 "2009-06-08T18:15:04Z")
Here are my favourites: _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service_ _The Man with the Golden Gun_ _Tomorrow Never Dies_ If you liked _Quantum of Solace_ I would def recommend _Casino Royale_, but otherwise everything else is redundant (OK, OK, go with _From Russia with Love_ if you want a Connery one). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/10 "2009-06-08T18:17:33Z")
The Best Bonds are those that capture the feel of Fleming’s novels and aren’t ridiculous. Sean Connery really did define Bond, and his are at the top of the list For my money, the best (excluding the Daniel Craig films), roughly in order, are: \*\* From Russia With Love Thunderball Goldfinger On Her Majesty’s Secret Service For Your Eyes Only The Living Daylights Licence to Kill Tomorrow Never Dies\*\* I’d also recommend the non-Eon **Never Say Never Again** , which has the advantage of Connery in it. I’d put the Craig movies in near the top of the list – I’ve been very impressed by them. I don’r care for **Dr./ No** , **Diamonds are Forever** is just silly. I liked **You Only Live Twice** , but only, I think, because it’s the first Bond film I saw. It really is pretty silly and (despite Road Dahl , Fleming’s friend, writing the screenplay), very un-Fleming. I was sorely disappointed by the Moore Bond films, until For Your Eyes Only, which was amazingly good. **Octopussy** started out being good, then got abysmally silly. I like Brosnan as Bond, but the plots of his films aren’t terribly memorable. Tomorrow never Dies gets points for being memorable and also being a Bond Retrospective (as OHMSS and FYEO were, as well). Ignore the David Niven version of **Casino Royale** , at all costs, but see the Climax! TV version, if you can. It’s got some good points, and it shows what Bond was like before Eon got their hands on him (If you can ignore Bond being American and Leiter being British). And it’s got Peter Lorre as the villain! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/11 "2009-06-08T18:19:54Z")
The originals were good for their time, but seem painfully slow today, and you’ll just quote Austin Powers or the evil overlord list when the villain carefully explains his plan to Bond and then locks him in an unguarded easily escapable death trap. The Craig ones are good though I found QoS had a bit too much shaky cam for my taste. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/12 "2009-06-08T18:20:20Z")
From someone who has seen more Bond movies than I would choose, “Casino Royale” is about the only one I would recommend to someone who doesn’t like Bond movies. They’re all tremendously stupid except for the last two (I haven’t seen “Quantum Of Solace” yet, but I’m assuming it’s more like “Casino Royale” than “Octopussy”). ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/13 "2009-06-08T18:56:00Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, don’t bother seeing both _Moonraker_ and _The Spy Who Loved Me_ since they’re essentially the same movie. Ditto for _Thunderball_ and _Never Say Never Again_. Ditto _Goldfinger_ and _A View to a Kill_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/14 "2009-06-08T19:01:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Bryan Ekers > Well, don’t bother seeing both Moonraker and The Spy Who Loved Me since they’re essentially the same movie. Ditto for Thunderball and Never Say Never Again. No, it’s **You Only Live Twice** which is the same as **The Spy Who Loved Me**. **Moonraker** isn’t the same as anything, invclding the book of that name. **A View to a Kill** , on the other hand, is basically **Siliconfinger** , as **ArchiveGuy** says. And it’s nop surprise that **Thunderball** and **Never Say Never Again** are the same film – they’re literally based on the same material, and NSNA is essentially a remake, unlike the other examples, which aren’t supposed to be. The guys who made it co-authored the original story of “Thunderball” with Fleming, and so they had the rights to it and could legally and legitimately remake it. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/15 "2009-06-08T19:06:03Z")
The recent _Casino Royale_ is a better film than any that Connery, Moore, Lazenby, or Dalton were in. I’ve never seen any of Brosnan’s films because I had lost interest in the series and had no interest in him as an actor. I saw CR somewhat against my will and was surprised to find it a good _movie_, not just a good Bond movie. Before Craig, Connery was truly the best Bond in terms of projecting cool menace with a modicum of wit. The stories and characters were over the top but had not degenerated into the winking camp of the Moore films. But the writers never gave the character any kind of emotional depth or shading, and the films can be terribly slow by today’s action-movie standards. Stay away from the “comedic” version of _Casino Royale_ with David Niven, Peter Sellers et al. It’s a completely unfunny, self-indulgent mess. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/16 "2009-06-08T19:11:27Z")
To my mind there are only three Bond movies that have any content that puts them beyond simple action romps, and those are _From Russia With Love_, _On her Majesty’s Secret Service_, and the Daniel Craig _Casino Royale_. After that, IMO the only others really worth seeing (as pure entertainments) are _Goldfinger_, _The Spy Who Loved Me_ and _Goldeneye_. Despite the silliness of _You Only Live Twice_ it’s probably worth catching if only to see how heavily it served as source material for _The Incredibles_ and the Austin Powers flicks. I enjoy the Bond series and have seen every one of them more than once, but one has to admit that the majority are remarkably shite films. In particular most of the Roger Moore efforts, having clearly been made for lowest-common-denominator international audiences and with a star far too old for the role, are crappy in the extreme. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/17 "2009-06-08T19:18:22Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > No, it’s **You Only Live Twice** which is the same as **The Spy Who Loved Me**. **Moonraker** isn’t the same as anything, invclding the book of that name. Megalomaniacal guy seeks to exterminate most of humanity in order to bring about his own vision of utopia, undone by Bond and a ridiculous gun battle between hundreds of men in a giant lair? I guess all three movies are essentially identical. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/18 "2009-06-08T19:22:37Z")
Not fond of Moore generally, but he did a decent job on **Live and Let Die**. Jane Seymour rates as one of the all-time best Bond girls, and Geoffrey Holder is a suprisingly credible bad guy. Connery tends to be the best thing in the bad movies he’s in, but he’s always watchable. **Dr. No** looks too much like the Cary Grant murder mystery it was originally intended to be, but the next three are basically the gold standard for the franchise. Avoid \*\*Diamonds Are Forever \*\*and **Never Say Never Again** like old shellfish. **On Her Majesty’s Secret Service** was generally good except for Lazenby, and he was intended to carry the picture. As one critic noted, Lazenby was a terrible actor and this may be the only Bond movie that really needed a good actor. Timothy Dalton is a very good actor; it’s just that everything else in his two movies really sucked. They wanted Pierce Brosnan for these and he couldn’t get out of his Remington Steele contract; in retrospect, he should be grateful. **The Living Daylights** is cringe-worthy because we now know who all those dashing young Mujahaddeen grew up to be fifteen years later. **License to Kill** had two of the most attractive Bond girls ever (Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto) and didn’t know what to do with them. I liked all the Pierce Brosnan movies just fine, especially **Goldeneye** , but Daniel Craig really does make him look like a pussy by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/19 "2009-06-08T19:22:49Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Megalomaniacal guy seeks to exterminate most of humanity in order to bring about his own vision of utopia, undone by Bond and a ridiculous gun battle between hundreds of men in a giant lair? > > I guess all three movies are essentially identical. Hell, that’s my life in the late 90s! Except you have to substitute _Aquaman_ for _James Bond_ and _thousands of ostriches_ for _hundreds of men_. And add the qualifier _Pellucidarian_ to the lair. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112/20 "2009-06-08T19:26:07Z")
The Roger Moore films were…well, kinda okay. The Connery films and the Craig films are the best of the bunch. Brosnan did a good job (the scene of him smashing down the wall with the tank, then adjusting his tie is quintessential Bond). Do not EVER see Casino Royale with David Niven. Just don’t. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-bond-movies-should-i-bother-watching/499112.md?page=2)