The Bond Movies you have no problem with accepting totally As-Is

chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
edited December 2014 in Bond Movies Posts: 17,687
What Bond movies do you like without watching and thinking that you'd like it SO much better if just this or that were changed? I'm talking the movies you watch & just go more or less 100% with PTS to Credits without a conscious &/or SERIOUS reservation during viewing despite the common complaints here (cinematic or Flemingesque).
My list:
DN (the cheap looking 'dragon' doesn't bother me a bit)
FRWL (I guess we all agree this is perfect, right?)
GF (so he spends a lot of time on a leash, so what?)
YOLT (OTT? Yeah. But I have too much fun to care)
TLD (I LIKE the villains in this; sue me)
LTK (Felix was high on pain-killers)
GE (two dopey FX shots in the PTS are easy to forget)
TND (adrenaline laugh in the car park scene doesn't detract for me)
TWINE (I like Richards actually)
QOS (got used to the editing)

Now I love many other films including Moore's & Lazenby's, but this is MY list of Bond films where I don't want to miss a frame, and I do not roll my eyes for a second because I'm being hugely entertained by what I feel is MY vision of Bond.

Your lists? Thoughts? Rebukes?

EDIT: upon rethinking it TMWTGG is added to my list (slide whistle not that much a deal-breaker).
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Comments

  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    Ah, I can nitpick a tiny bit on every film, but really I'm happy with, as is:

    Dr. No
    FRWL
    TSWLM
    LALD (great intro for Moore)
    TND
    FYEO
    GE
    GF
    TLD
    CR
    SF

    (Yes, leaving out some that will be on others "leave as is" lists such as OHMSS and LTK)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited November 2014 Posts: 17,687
    Birdleson wrote: »
    I would love to add FRWL to that list, but I am bored as Hell during the boat chase.
    I actually had that same reaction for years, but my recent viewing of the Blu Ray revealed a kind of lyrical beauty to the scene I'd not appreciated before... or perhaps it was just that I hadn't seen it in so long...
    :-?
    LALD (great intro for Moore)
    If not for Kananga popping like he did, I'd rate this as a PERFECT Bond movie, and it remains one I enjoy endlessly to this day.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    All of them. Each film came from a different era. It's interesting. If you notice. Each Bond decade started off with the bare essentials then by the end of that decade it got bigger and bigger then it resets itself by the next decade. It's really fascinating.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    FRWL

    OHMSS comes close, but there's a few weird issues with the sound editing, like when Tracy says "Simple" (I think that's what she says...?!) and Bond says "He's branched off"
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    edited November 2014 Posts: 2,252
    chrisisall wrote:
    TND (adrenaline laugh in the car park scene doesn't detract for me)
    Is this scene an issue for a lot of people? Sure the wire cutter and indestructible garage door is weird but it's a lot of fun, I still wish I had a BMW like that

    I love it, my fav along with the TLD Aston chase. "Backseat driver" is largely great and this scene is one of my first exposures to Bond and what got me into it
  • Posts: 183
    For me, things like Kananga exploding like a balloon don't affect my enjoyment at all. Infact I have so few reservations/issues that affect my enjoyment that it will be quicker to list the films I DO think wou
  • Posts: 183
    For me, things like Kananga exploding like a balloon don't affect my enjoyment at all. Infact I have so few reservations/issues that affect my enjoyment that it will be quicker to list the films I DO think would be so much better if something was changed.

    OHMSS-great film but would have been so much more enjoyable with Connery/Dalton/Craig. Lazenby isn't bad, just not good!

    QOS-again I appreciate it's good points but would have been so much more enjoyable with better editing and an extra 10 mins or so to develop and better pace the film,

    Thunderball-Sorry, I find the underwater scenes boring!

    DAD-for obvious reasons!

    AVTAK-Bond is just too old!

    Every other film I genuinely love from start to finish, with only very minor reservations here and there.
  • Skyfall all the way.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    For me, it would be FRWL, OHMSS, TSWLM, and FYEO. These are the Bond films I would leave untouched. Some others came exceptionally close, but I don't have any problem with the aforementioned four.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Curious @MayDayDiVicenzo why DN is not on your list?

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited December 2014 Posts: 23,883
    FRWL, TSWLM. Timeless movie perfection.

    TB, CR - very close. I'd fix the editing in the boat chase and reduce the underwater finale in the former, and I'd fix the Miami sequence in the latter which went on too long They are damn close though.

    QoS is frustrating because if it was edited better and just a little longer it would be a quintessential Bond film. I don't think anyone who filmed that realized what a screwup the editing choices would ultimately be. I'd have casted someone else for Camile too. In fact, I'm not too pleased with the casting overall, but the plot was very good as was the pace.

    OHMSS - there are problems here despite it being a great film overall. The final scene on the mountaintop could have been done better.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Goldfinger. I can find no flaws in it.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Goldfinger. I can find no flaws in it.
    That's it? ONLY ONE??
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    There is always some minor quibble if I look very hard in most others. FRWL is pretty much perfect as well.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    That's better. :P
  • Posts: 7,500
    Dr No, From Russia With Love, Casino Royale and Skyfall for me.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    chrisisall wrote: »
    If not for Kananga popping like he did, I'd rate this as a PERFECT Bond movie, and it remains one I enjoy endlessly to this day.
    That was somewhat of a foreshadowing of some of the silliness the Moore years would give us.
    Interestingly, LALD was the highest grossing Moore film (inflation adjusted). I thought it was rather lowkey (but great) compared to OP, TSWLM or MR. But goes to show that you can do very well without going full DAD.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited December 2014 Posts: 5,080
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Curious @MayDayDiVicenzo why DN is not on your list?

    It's never been a favourite of mine. I just find it extremely "vanilla". There's quite a lot of niggles that I have with this film, some that can be forgiven for its $1 million budget. But there are some aspects, such as "deathly" tarantula scenes (+sound effect), the hearse miracously exploding after the car chase, that can't be forgiven, and just becomes complacent. Whereas FRWL has brlliant pacing, DN just feels sluggy and tedious. It only starts to get of the ground once Bond and Honey are taken to Dr. No's lair. Not a big fan at all of the score, too.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,548
    It's never been a favourite of mine. I just find it extremely "vanilla". There's quite a lot of niggles that I have with this film, some that can be forgiven for its $1 million budget. But there are some aspects, such as "deathly" tarantula scenes (+sound effect), the hearse miracously exploding after the car chase, that can't be forgiven, and just becomes complacent. Whereas FRWL has brlliant pacing, DN just feels sluggy and tedious. It only starts to get of the ground once Bond and Honey are taken to Dr. No's lair. Not a big fan at all of the score, too.

    Mine, either, and I agree with all of your points. But this doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. EON didn't have the formula "down" yet--can't blame them for that. It was the first time out.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited December 2014 Posts: 5,080
    TripAces wrote: »
    It's never been a favourite of mine. I just find it extremely "vanilla". There's quite a lot of niggles that I have with this film, some that can be forgiven for its $1 million budget. But there are some aspects, such as "deathly" tarantula scenes (+sound effect), the hearse miracously exploding after the car chase, that can't be forgiven, and just becomes complacent. Whereas FRWL has brlliant pacing, DN just feels sluggy and tedious. It only starts to get of the ground once Bond and Honey are taken to Dr. No's lair. Not a big fan at all of the score, too.

    Mine, either, and I agree with all of your points. But this doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. EON didn't have the formula "down" yet--can't blame them for that. It was the first time out.

    Oh, no, of course. I enjoy all Bond films, and DN has great scenes, too. It's just not a Bond film I would choose to watch often.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Funny, I chose to watch all the 60's Bonds quite often! ;)
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited December 2014 Posts: 5,080
    For rewatchability, I would say that FRWL, LALD, TSWLM, FYEO, AVTAK, LTK and GE would come out on top for me.

    OHMSS is my favourite film, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's the film I revisit most often.
  • edited December 2014 Posts: 2,341
    Films I would never touch:
    DN, FRWL, GF, OHMSS, CR, SF

    There may be some minor issues with my list but I can live with these films.
    Some one earlier mentioned the boring boat chase in FRWL. Interesting observation. the film lost a lot of Menace after Grant was killed but I can still live with it.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Birdleson wrote: »
    @chrisisall . Maybe it's because I saw it in the theatre at the age of 11 and it was kind of scary then, but I have no problem with the inflating and exploding Kananga. I still love it.
    I was 13 when I saw it, and honestly back then the editing was so fast I barely saw what happened & bought it totally! After Star Wars came out & we all got ADD I could more easily see what they did there. Take just a few more frames out of that last shot & it'd still work. But as-is I'm too aware of the balloon I'm afraid...
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited December 2014 Posts: 15,686
    FRWL, GE, CR, SF

    I know TMWTGG is my #1, but I always wanted to see it made with a bigger budget.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    I pretty much love that whole film minus the REALLY ANNOYING slide whistle.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited December 2014 Posts: 15,686
    chrisisall wrote: »
    I pretty much love that whole film minus the REALLY ANNOYING slide whistle.

    You were so, so close to liking TMWTGG at 100% ;)

    To quote the film, "So close, yet so far."

  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    You were so, so close to liking TMWTGG at 100% ;)
    Know what? The slide whistle ain't that bad... I guess I can say it's on my list! Sadly though, no other Moore film can get that distinction from me, not even FYEO...
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,686
    Weirdly I agree, @chrisisall, Moore is my favorite Bond but there's always some elements I would change from his films, same with Connery (pacing problems the biggest problem for me).
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 7,891
    I am a frustrated, wish I had been, filmmaker; there is something in every one that I would change.
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