James Bond Question & Film Reviews (1 Viewer)

[Pete Battista]

I have to watch a couple of the Bond films for my 100 Movie Challenge. I never watched the Bond films before... and didn't have them in my collection so I went ahead and bought this set...

The James Bond Collection

All the Bond films are gathered together in this one-of-a-kind boxed set–every goregous girl, nefarious villian and charismatic sar from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. Experience BOND with this fitting tribute to the most iconic and enduring secret agent in movie history.


It is the re-release with all 24 films...

While I do want to watch them all of course (which I can will put the reviews here)... Before I started I felt the need to ask if this is a series of films I need (or should) watch in the order in which they came out.

For my 100 Movie Challenge I need to watch Thunderball and Goldfinger. Can I start with those and skip around... or am I best served starting with Dr. No?

 

[Bernard McNair]

What a treat awaits you with the Bond films. I would start with Dr. No and watch them in production sequence to see the evolution of the series and how the characterisation of Bond evolved with different actors.

 

[Mysto]

+1 I agree - best to watch in release order (maybe one exception might be OHMSS but not worth the trouble) If you enjoy action movies - it should be one heck of a ride.

 

[TravisR]

For my 100 Movie Challenge I need to watch Thunderball and Goldfinger. Can I start with those and skip around... or am I best served starting with Dr. No?

You might as well watch Dr. No and From Russia With Love first but as long as you know Bond's a spy, you should be fine to watch almost any of them.

Having watched that set in the last year or two, I'd recommend spreading out your viewings of Bond movies because watching 25 of anything in a row can get tedious.

 

[Worth]

+1 I agree - best to watch in release order (maybe one exception might be OHMSS but not worth the trouble) If you enjoy action movies - it should be one heck of a ride.

Yeah, I'd watch You Only Live Twice, then Diamonds Are Forever, followed by On Her Majesty's Secret Service, then resume chronological order with Live and Let Die.

 

[Sam Favate]

I'd watch them in production order. There's no overarching narrative to doing it that way, but it is nice to watch the evolution of the series.

 

[Osato]

Report back with your thoughts and if you had a favorite too!!

 

[Jim*Tod]

Definitely watch them in production order. I will say these are films which play best with an audience. I was lucky enough to see all the Bonds up to DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER at the Loews theater here in Richmond on their huge widescreen and with audiences of around 1000. I will admit to finding the 60's Bonds the best. (As the posters said "Sean Connery IS James Bond"). ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is much debated among Bond fans... I think it is one of the best of the series but it also sits outside the other films in many ways. I never much cared for Roger Moore as Bond and the first two (LIVE AND LET DIE and MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN) look low budget compared to the films that preceded it. Of the Moore Bonds I like THE SPY WHO LOVED ME best... pretty incredible production design. The rest of the Moores for me were downhill from there despite fairly lavish production values. I was not a fan of Timothy Dalton, a great actor but wrong for the part. I did like Pierce Brosnan and most of the films with him are pretty decent. But Daniel Craig took Bond to a new level... out of the four two are great (CASINO ROYALE and especially SKYFALL---which has the best cinematography of all the Bond---Roger Deakins should have had his Oscar for this film) and two that are sadly lame (QUANTUM OF SOLACE and SPECTRE). I also agree with the poster who said to not to try and watch them all at once.... spread them out. And again.... this play better with an audience, so have some friends over. Enjoy the journey... I am sure you will be both shaken and stirred by the time you've seen them all. (Everything stated here is purely my opinion.... I am not here to get into a debate with anyone on this thread.)

 

[Jeff Adkins]

If you ever get around to watching the entire set, I would also try to track down a copy of Never Say Never Again and watch it right after Octopussy. While not part of the EON series of Bond films, it's still a James Bond movie and seeing Sean Connery reprise the role once again would be interesting as you work your way through the films chronologically.

 

[Jim*Tod]

And there is the 1967 CASINO ROYALE which really is only a gigantic spy spoof, not a true Bond.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Another vote for watching them in production order.

When I was a kid first discovering Bond, I was at the mercy of what our local video stores had, and not every store had each title, so it took a couple years to track them all down. But I made a point of watching Bond's first adventure, Dr. No, first.

Because a supporting character from Spy Who Loves Me returns in Moonraker, I'd recommend watching Spy first of those two. A supporting character from GoldenEye returns in The World Is Not Enough, so I'd recommend watching GoldenEye first of those two. The Daniel Craig films should all be watched in sequence as there is some strong continuity between those four films.

It doesn't necessarily hurt to watch the first of each Bond actor's films to see which one you like best, but I also enjoy the evolution of the series as it progresses, and I think you might miss some of that if you do them out of order. But plenty of people have viewed them out of order for the first time (myself included) and I survived it, so you'll be fine either way

 

[Pete Battista]

Thanks everyone! Sounds like I should watch them in production order to get the most enjoyment from the series.

 

[Worth]

But plenty of people have viewed them out of order for the first time (myself included) and I survived it, so you'll be fine either way

I watched everything up until Spy Who Loved Me out of order, edited, pan and scanned, interrupted by commercials and on a 19" television - in black & white.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I watched everything up until Spy Who Loved Me out of order, edited, pan and scanned, interrupted by commercials and on a 19" television - in black & white.

The horror! The horror!

I saw all of the original Bonds panned-and-scanned on VHS. GoldenEye was the first one I saw theatrically and therefore the first one I saw in widescreen.

It was quite a revelation when the Bond films first came out on DVD and I was finally able to see them in their original aspect ratio. I appreciated that the title sequences were usually letterboxed on the VHS tapes, but I'd always be a little disappointed when they'd zoom back in after the titles ended. The widescreen photography in the Bond films is so much fun.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Pete has already decided, but I would also recommend Production Order Viewing. As suggested by Josh you might watch each actor's first film early in your viewing cycle to see which is your favorite. The Craig films (as discussed) are best viewed in order.

Started watching Bond back when they were a fixture on the ABC Sunday Night movies in the late '60s / early '70s. First theatrical Bond viewing was either Moonraker or The Spy Who Loved Me. Widescreen viewings of the earlier Bonds first occurred on Laserdisc in the '90s.

I sort of envy Pete and his first viewings of Bond films. I suspect and hope he will enjoy them as much as the Bond enthusiasts who have been viewing the franchise for years and years.

- Walter.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I sort of envy Pete and his first viewings of Bond films.

Me too! I would love to be able to watch them all again for the first time. I'll never forget how cool it was to watch Dr. No that first time - I think I was about 12 and probably watching it either home alone or after my parents went to bed, and just how cool the whole thing was. British accents! Spies! Mystery! It's probably not the very best of the series, but it's one of my very favorites for all of those memories that go with seeing it. And it's amazing how much of the character and the attitude they had right there from the very first one.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Out of curiosity I checked the wiki page for the ABC Sunday Night Movie and ABC acquired the rights to the Bond franchise in 1972. According to the page Goldfinger was the first Bond film that ABC broadcast (fall of 1972?). It is probably still my favorite Bond film and maybe it was that first ABC broadcast that helped cement that association in my mind.

- Walter.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Me too! I would love to be able to watch them all again for the first time. I'll never forget how cool it was to watch Dr. No that first time - I think I was about 12 and probably watching it either home alone or after my parents went to bed, and just how cool the whole thing was. British accents! Spies! Mystery! It's probably not the very best of the series, but it's one of my very favorites for all of those memories that go with seeing it. And it's amazing how much of the character and the attitude they had right there from the very first one.

Yeah, Ursula Andress probably didn't hurt either.

- WAlter.

 

[Pete Battista]

Dr. No (1962/United Kingdom)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (United States)
Director: Terence Young
Writing: Richard Maibaum (Screenwriter), Johanna Harwood (Screenwriter), Berkely Mather (Screenwriter), Ian Fleming (1908) (Original Material By)
Length: 110 min.
Video: Widescreen 1.66:1
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Mono, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Stars:
Sean Connery as James Bond
Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder
Joseph Wiseman as Dr. No
Jack Lord (1920) as Felix Leiter
Bernard Lee (1908) as M.

Plot:
His name is Bond, James Bond. And here, in his explosive film debut, Ian Fleming's immortal action hero blazes through one of his most spectacular adventures. Sean Connery embodies the suave yet lethal cool of agent 007 as he battles the mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space programme.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Textless Opening Titles, Radio Spots

My Thoughts:

My first James Bond movie. I found it to be interesting and really liked the story. I did however find myself wanting a bit more action. Seab Connery was great in this role, and wow did he look young! Ursula Andress was also good as the first Bond Girl. I am looking forward to watching the rest of the franchise. Though I must admit I worry about whether I will like anyone else in the role.

Rating:

 

[Malcolm R]

Though I must admit I worry about whether I will like anyone else in the role.

I think they all have their pros and cons. I'm not sure I'd consider any of the actors unsuited to the role. I believe them all to be "James Bond" when I'm watching the films, and I'm not particularly attached to Connery in the role.