Monday Morning Quarterback Part II
By BOP Staff
November 14, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Kim Hollis: Let's be a bit freeform with this question. What are your thoughts on the James Bond franchise? Do you have a favorite/least favorite Bond movie? How would you rank the Bond actors?
Jason Barney: This is a great question. I actually have little exposure to the Bond franchise. My first awareness of the "universe" was as a kid, when the networks would run the films. Some people might cringe, but I never saw any of the older Bond films. Sean Connery is iconic, and in many ways he made the character, but I have never seen any of his Bond flicks. I guess you could consider me one of the new generation of Bond fans, as I have seen all of the most recent ones. The Pierce Brosnan entries were good, I made the decision in my 20s that I was going to see this product, and I enjoyed each of them. They were not classics, but I can remember thinking that Brosnan fit my imagination as what the character should look like. When Daniel Craig came on board I was okay with the switch, but I hated Quantum of Solace. I thought that was a prime example of stupid action. I will see Skyfall. I am looking forward to it.
Edwin Davies: Being British, I have of course seen every Bond film - they Ludovico Technique you at an early age to ensure you have the requisite level of Bond knowledge - and my opinions of the series as a whole are decidedly mixed. I think that Connery was great not merely because he was the first person to play the character, but also because he benefited from the most consistent run of films. The run he had from Dr. No to You Only Live Twice is pretty great, delivering back-to-back action adventure films that were thrilling and fun. Even On Her Majesty's Secret Service is phenomenal despite George Lazenby being a pretty poor replacement. Yet the series never regained that level of consistent quality again. Roger Moore's tenure was particularly awful as it leapt on whatever bandwagon was going to try to eke out an ounce relevance, be it blaxploitation (Live and Let Die) or Star Wars (Moonraker). Timothy Dalton's two outings were both darker and more violent, in some way presaging what Craig would do with the role, but not quite as successfully. Then again, Dalton got much less time to play Bond than most of the other actors, so who knows what might have been? Brosnan's films were bright and flashy, fun romps, but wildly inconsistent, with Goldeneye being the only one that I would consider watching again. I love Craig's interpretation of the character, but thought that Quantum of Solace was pretty awful, so it's nice that he's bounced back and will get at least two more films to further establish his legacy.
So, that's what I think of the franchise on a meta level. In terms of individual films, I think that either From Russia With Love or On Her Majesty's Secret Service are the best installments. The former because it distills everything great about the Connery films into a pure, undiluted form, and even has room for Robert Shaw to show up and be fantastic. The latter because it's such a great, fun action adventure - and has far and away the best ending of the series - that it overcomes Lazenby's central performance, which isn't so much wooden as it is oaken.
Bruce Hall: Oh goody...with the possible exception of Star Trek you won't find a franchise I am more familiar with, so getcha popcorn ready.
Bond's enduring popularity is obvious; each film in the series has grossed more than the last, and not one of them has made less than $270 million worldwide, adjusted for inflation. This is pretty significant when you consider that six very different men have (officially) played the lead, there are (unofficially) more bad Bond films than good ones, and that by as early as 1970 even Don Draper might have called the tone of the series "dated". But the carefree, rock 'em, sock 'em tenor of the franchise has always made for perfect escapist fun, and there's probably some truth to the slogan that every man wants to be him, and every woman wants to be WITH him.
As far as my personal views on the series I'll say that my favorite Bond films are, in order: From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Casino Royale, Goldfinger, Skyfall, The Spy Who Loved Me, Dr. No, and Live and Let Die (cheesy yes, but Roger Moore was VERY effective in his debut).
As far as my least favorites, I'd have to say it's a toss up between Die Another Day and Diamonds Are Forever. Diamonds is technically the worse film, but Die Another Day uses the same effing MacGuffin (and Madonna), which are two things I just can't abide. I also hate Moonraker, for reasons that should be obvious to any one who's seen it. The Man With the Golden Gun stakes its entire plot on the idea of a world famous secret agent whose face is known to everyone, which is beyond asinine. You Only Live Twice is almost a comedy, with Sean Connery traipsing around Japan "disguised" as a six foot three Asian man with pancake makeup and a Scottish accent. A View To A Kill made me want to put Roger Moore out of his geriatric, saggy titted misery. Tomorrow Never Dies is a two hour facepalm. And Octopussy?
Two words: Clown Bond.
My favorite Bond is Daniel Craig. He and Connery perhaps come closest to the Bond of the novels, but Craig is the better actor. Connery however, at his best, was obviously iconic. I disagree with those who say Lazenby was terrible. Yes, he had no previous acting experience and at times it shows, but I'd still say he was a diamond in the rough. Had he given himself time to grow into the role (he wasn't fired; he quit) things might have been different for him. He was more physical than Connery, yet had the same natural impudence about him. My first exposure to Bond was Roger Moore, so while he has a special place in my heart and I respect him as a person, his effete, prancing take on the character is, in retrospect, almost offensive. Timothy Dalton may have been miscast but may also be underrated - I find his glowering, dead serious take on Bond to be quite prescient, what with Daniel Craig still in high school at the time. I quite liked Brosnan in the role, but the mostly poor quality of his catalogue means that Entitled Frat Boy Bond probably won't stand the test of time.
I think the character is currently in good hands, and despite the uneven nature of the series and its performances, we wouldn't be where we are today without them all. It's been a great ride, and I look forward to the next 50 years.
And yes, I do plan to live that long.
Max Braden: In the 1980s I bought all of Fleming's Bond novels plus John Gardner's additions up to that point and read them straight through. I used to know exact page numbers for descriptions of things like Bond's favorite cigarettes. I also went through a marathon of watching the movies, and though I liked Connery, most of his early Bond films are almost boring. The Living Daylights was and still is my favorite Bond film, because Dalton most closely represented the dark, cranky Bond who actually disliked his job in the novels. I did like the opening of GoldenEye, because Brosnan's Bond committed to decisions almost on instinct, and I think Craig continues that well.
Brosnan's movies sadly took on a Roger Moore camp tone. I initially didn't like Craig's thug, but I think Skyfall has found the right groove. My brother asked me if I thought they could continue the series. I pointed out that at each stage, there were questions about whether they should pack it in - new actors, Broccoli's passing, the end of the Cold War - but the series has survived and thrived.
Reagen Sulewski: I know that I've seen most of the Bond films, at least in bits and pieces, over the years, but I actually don't have all that much of a connection with them before the Brosnan ones. It's been ages since I've seen a Connery or Moore one and the Dalton ones barely exist for me. But with the last couple of incarnations of the character, I've tended to follow the conventional wisdom that sort of recursively occurs within it - they start off fantastic and grow progressively more ludicrous until that excess requires a reboot. For now, Craig is working, and the series is evolving with the public, but Craig is either going to get tired after one more or definitely move on, or the series is going to go off the rails. Hopefully whatever happens next with the series, they keep it the hell away from Henry Cavill.
Felix Quinonez: I guess I've never been a big fan of the series. I vaguely remember seeing bits and pieces of a couple of Sean Connery ones but I guess they didn't make a big impression on me. The Brosnan ones were the first time I actively followed the franchise. I remember being blown away by GoldenEye (the movie and the N64 game.) but gradually being more and disappointed as the series went on. Like a lot of people I was a bit perplexed when Daniel Craig was cast as Bond but he won me over within the first scene of Casino Royale, which is my favorite Bond movie (I haven't seen Skyfall yet). Also, I was incredibly let down by Quantum of Solace but I think Skyfall looks amazing and can't wait to see it.
David Mumpower: Before Ben Willoughby started writing the Survivor recaps, I was unquestionably the biggest Bond fan at BOP. I feel a bit guilty posing this question the week he is on vacation because I know he would have wanted to chime in. I also know that he and I do not see eye to eye on a lot of Bond subjects. Roger Moore, who has taken a beating in this thread, was the 007 of my childhood. I absolutely loved his hammy take as well as his natural chemistry with the best Bond villain ever, Jaws.
I also enjoy Sean Connery's performances yet when I watch those films now, they are so woefully dated that they feel like Hugh Hefner fan fiction. There is less blatant misogyny on Mad Men. I never formed much of an opinion on George Lazenby, the American Bond. Timothy Dalton is to my mind the truest incarnation of the James Bond of the books. I always felt like his performances deserved a better fate. Alas, the Bond franchise was on life support in the 1980s so nobody cared.
Everything changed with the release of Goldeneye, the Skyfall of the 1990s. Pierce Brosnan had been destined for the role of James Bond since the debut of the Remington Steele pilot. I was thrilled that the quality of GoldenEye matched the elegance and style of Brosnan. It is my favorite of what I perceive as the modern (i.e. post-Dalton) Bond films. Daniel Craig does nothing for me ever and I thought Casino Royale was boring. Quantum of Solace unquestionably stands as the worst Bond title in the franchise. I am the one person in the world counting down the moments until Craig gets replaced by somebody new. I am still bitter about Clive Owen never getting the gig.
My all-time favorite James Bond film is The Spy Who Loved Me. I recently noticed that Vudu.com is selling a Roger Moore Digital Bundle that includes Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker and the Spy Who Loved Me. This pretty much justified the existence of the entire internet for me, as well as media storage in the cloud. Only five years ago, the James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD box sets were the heights of media consumption for me. Now, I have the same titles in 1080p without the need for physical storage. Twelve-year-old David would beside himself with jealousy.
Kim Hollis: As I was growing up and HBO started broadcasting 24 hours a day, my dad was a huge James Bond fan. As a result, over time, I watched a number of the films, either in full or in bits or pieces. I have a real affinity for the series because my father loves it so much. It's a very positive correlation for me.
While I do think that Sean Connery is probably the best Bond, since Roger Moore was the Bond of my childhood, I'm partial to the films with him in it - and that includes the ones that most people would think are terrible. Live and Let Die is my favorite of the films, though I'll also admit to having seen Moonraker, Octopussy and View to a Kill more times than I care to admit. I also enjoy Diamonds Are Forever and Goldfinger a great deal. So I guess I like every movie that Bruce disdains. Funny.
I can't really choose the worst Bond portrayal, because I have actually never seen the Timothy Dalton films and I think I only saw The World Is Not Enough out of the Brosnan movies. I also never saw Lazenby's Bond. I do feel like I've seen enough of the Bond films to pick a couple that stand out as not-so-good, and they include The World Is Not Enough and Quantum of Solace. I pick both of them because despite being action films, I found them utterly boring.
I'm currently reading Casino Royale because I kind of wanted to know how Ian Fleming portrayed the character in his books. So far, I think the book is pretty cold and clinical, but I'm only halfway through. Mostly, it makes me want to go read John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series again and wish that someone would do the same thing with that character that has been done with Bond.