Goldeneye was the last real James Bond film

Goldeneye is great because of the Russia aspect, which helps the writers write about a subject that is central to the core of what Bond fights against. It's a post Cold War movie, but the Russians still bring the goods in villainy and foil for Bond.

 

Thank you!

Thank you for being a beacon of clarity here. I think your are digging into what I've been trying to ineffectively get at.

I'd rather be discussing the demarcation line that Goldeneye is. It's a fresh topic vs the personal likes posts.

Although I would say that in some way the villains or how characters are written are part of the style so me pointing out some things about them lends to how the "style" of Bond was lost after Goldeneye. But yes, I pooped my pants right out of the gate with the opening post.

 

Which would mean I don’t like the only real James Bond. I never liked “From Russia with Love.” I know the majority agrees with you and I’m the minority if not the only Bond fan to dislike FRWL.

 

I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh but I was trying to get posters' attention as the thread was drifting off into "I like this Bond film - I don't like this Bond film" . Writing OPs is not easy and there is a struggle between writing a short OP vs writing a longer one with explanations. Having been on the Forum awhile I think it's better to have only the key point in the OP and if some explanation seems necessary then post a second post right under the OP. I don't know what to advise here, but I think the thread has gone off the rails. One option is to have a Gort rewrite the thread title to replace real with stylistic continuity . Another option is to close the thread and start over with a new clearer OP. Regards

 

I doubt you're alone in your preference.

It's just that, IMO, it was overall the most faithful to Ian Fleming's character and the situations he got involved in. Also perhaps the best casting of the 007 franchise, again, just IMO.

 

Oh, I think I am alone. LOL! It's almost always labeled the best Bond movie. It never clicked with me, though. I should give it a watch this weekend.

 

I was watching the movies as they came out, and I'd read all the Fleming "novels" in the early '60s, long before the "gadgety" later movies and actors came along, so I was probably more invested in Fleming's perspective.

 

As far as I’m concerned you can’t compare eras in Bond films, it’s hard even to compare films within eras. You can’t stand in the same stream twice. It’s utterly fanciful. What you can do to a certain extent is ask whether Eon made the best possible film at a certain time. And even then your answer will depend largely on your own concept of Bond. So everybody’s right. And wrong. Marvellous. But watching Brosnan makes me feel old, because when they came out I was a lot younger, not to say in the prime of life. And yet the DC films I prefer. I identify. He’s much smarter than he’s given credit for. Damn him and his £50m or whatever.

 

I like all Bond films but last TOP was:

 

I just walked out of the latest Craig / Bond offering...What a bloated, un-fun mess.

So yeah..I'm with you.

 

I agree that GoldenEye was Bronson's best Bond film, in fact I think it is one of the better Bond's, up there with the best of Connery's, Moore's and OHMSS. The rest of his films were really disappointing, I have probably only seen once or twice since I saw them originally in the theatres.

I also agree with your comment on Famke Janssen's character, Xenia Onatopp, she is one of my favourite villians of all time, she is so over the top and has some great one liners that are every bit as funny (and cringe-worthy) as Bonds. She is also quite a stunner.

I don't agree with the title of the thread, a couple of Daniel Craig's films, Casino Royale and Skyfall, have that classic feel as well.

 

I think License to Kill was a terrible Bond movie. I saw it in the theater and hated it.
I love the Daniel Craig Bond movies, especially Spectre.
As for Goldeneye, I need to rewatch that one. I haven’t seen it since it premiered in the theaters.

 

When you do, just don't watch the current blu ray. They applied DNR on it and the actors' faces look like wax statues.

The 4K (non HDR) version that Apple, Hulu and Amazon are streaming is excellent, although slightly cropped.

 

Stylistically Goldeneye is a return to form, right down to reinstating the Diva title song. The Dalton movies required a "safe sex" Bond following the AIDS crisis and they never got to grips with that. Then there was a huge gap before Goldeneye in which time the Soviet Union crumbled and M was revealed to be a woman (Stella Rimington).

So keeping the Bond character consistent as a misogynist and cold war "dinosaur" in a changed world was the movie's stroke of genius in rescuing the franchise.

Everything I've read about the new movie is off putting-even the good reviews. They seem to have packed in reference after reference to previous movies as a substitute for storytelling or just doing some original action sequences. After trashing the Blofeld legacy in Spectre it convinces me they've lost the plot.

 

I think the franchise has never recovered since Madonna's cameo. That was the final straw.

 

Read the title, and wondered if I’d been hallucinating the eight James Bond films (that I’ve seen at least three times each) which I’m sure have been released since Goldeneye, and most of which are much better. Have I?

Goldeneye is mediocre at best. Brosnan plays it like a sex pest accountant.

As an aside, I can’t believe that Eric Serra got away with the incidental music for the Aston Martin vs Ferrari scene at the beginning. It’s the worst piece of movie music in the entire Bond canon.

 

The Spy Who loved Me gets my vote:
1) Absurd, over the top villain, the likes of which we haven’t seen since
2) Idiotic plot that is completely unrealistic
3) Bad acting (and gorgeous) leading lady
4) Awesome villain lair
5) A very good theme song
6) Bad attempts at humor
7) Killer sharks
8) Sparing Bond’s life when killing him made more sense
9) Inept guards

And I love it.

 

And Alan Partridge would agree

 

Watching Skyfall.

By my premise, Goldeneye is stylistically the last proper Bond film.

But it isn't the last great Bond. If you are going to make a Bond film in the modern era, this is how to do it. Particularly from a directing perspective. It really elevates the film.

Scriptwriting is quite good too. It has about as much finality to it that I can stomach with the canon.

 

I saw that in the a Theatre when I was about 12 or so...My first Bond film... I never enjoyed a Bond film more....
I can get into them once in a while, but that was my first and at the time was perfect....It was my favorite movie until I saw Star Wars.... These days I'm into way different stuff, but those had their time.

 

Pierce Brosnan is my favorite Bond, just edging out Daniel Craig who I think is also fantastic. But I prefer the polish and glibness of Brosnan over the sulking angry attitude of Craig. Within the four pictures Brosnan did, Goldeneye is my favorite perhaps it has a fantastic opening sequence and also gotta love Famke Janssen. I grew up watching the Roger Moore era Bond movies and enjoyed them. Now, rewatching those they have not aged well at all. The stunts seem very tame in comparison to latter day Bond movies. I never really cared for Connery in anything due to his speech impediment.

 

Bringing in another 00 agent and having him go to the other side was great... I thought the dialog before Sean Bean meets his fate was the best dialog for a Bond film in ages. Yes... Goldeneye is my favorite PB Bond film by far.

 

My father took me to see The Spy Who Loved Me in the theatres on opening day and it has been a family tradition for every Bond release ever since. Until the new one.

TSWLM remains one of my favourites for pretty much all of the reasons you mentioned. One thing I'd add is the leading lady is the third most beautiful after Caroline Munro and Valerie Leon, the two most beautiful Poms of all.

 

I just watched the world is not enough.
That film seems to have more explosions
Than any other Bond film.

Brosnan is fine as bond but I noticed his enemies seem to have superpowers

Give me a fat goldfinger one eyed Largo
Petite bald blofeld.
Dr no was unique because his heart is on the wrong side.

These bond films seem to run 4 hours long these days.

 

One could argue that the 1967 version of "Casino Royale" was the first and last Bond film.