Too long, too short or just right? - Your opinion on the length of each actor's reign as James Bond

Samuel001

So what's your opinion, I'll start:

Connery - the right amount of time. It was great he did as many films as he did, though perhaps he should have left for good after You Only Live Twice.

Lazenby - far too short. I wish he'd have stayed on to have a much longer time in the role.

Moore - too long and it didn't help that he was 44 when he started either. I think Moore firmly established that 7 films is also just too many, he should have left one film earlier. Your early 50's is when you should pack it in as Bond in my opinion.

Dalton - again, too short. He should have got what Lazenby needed and deserved to be the Bond actor of the 90's.

Brosnan - A bit too short. I would've liked him to have stayed for the two extra films he wanted, then have on his own accord left. Also we may have seen more from Brosnan in a different style Bond film - I think he did alright in Die Another Day.

Craig - too short at the moment. EON need to not let this man go anywhere for the foreseeable future. At last we have a very wothy actor that should take the mantle and equal Connery's run of six films and be hold up by the public alongside Connery and Moore.

What do you think?

MajorDSmythe

Connery - About right.
Lazenby - Too long.
Moore - Too long.
Dalton - Too short.
Brosnan - Too Long.
Craig - About right.

Chuck

Connery - about right
Lazenby - about right, although I wish he had been given a different film
Moore - too long
Dalton - way too short
Brosnan - too long
Craig - too short at the moment

Shoreline

Connery...one too many, although forgiven due to being a God in the first 5 films.
Lazenby...one too many, thankfully forgetable in his one film.
Moore...one too much, just a little too old in AVTAK....although I bet Connery could have pulled it off at that age...
Dalton..." too short, great shame, as he looked like he was really making something of the role.
Brosnan...one too short, no one should be given DAD as their last Bond film. Underated here!
Craig...keep going!

Sir_Hilary_Bray

Connery - a bit too long (no DAF would have been good, also the change connery-lazenby-connery was weird)
Lazenby - too short (at least 3 films)
Moore - too long
Dalton - too short (at least 1 more film)
Brosnan - about right
Craig - right amount of time (bond 23 and then a change)

DaltonCraig007

Connery - Good length, but should have started earlier and ended earlier, allowing Lazenby so start earlier
Lazenby - Starting earlier but lasting longer, but won't steal space from Sir Rog's perfect reign.
Moore - Good length, would have started and ended as it is now
Dalton - Too short - ending in 2000
Brosnan - too short, but starting later (2002) and ending later (2012).
Craig - Deleted : Fassbender takes over in 2014 to 2022 (5 movies).

BAIN123

Connery - one film too many.
Lazenby - too short. Should have at least done DAF.
Moore - too long. Although AVTAK is a guilty pleasure of mine Moore, whilst charming, is no longer convincing as a dangerous atheletic spy with a licence to kill.
Dalton - too short. Should have done at least one more film and fufilled his 3 movie deal (either in 1985 or between 1989 and 1995).
Brosnan - too short. Should have done one more film (a decent one) and then left on his own accord and with his dignity intact.
Craig - NA

timmer

Connery should have done 13 films, wiping out Moore.
Lazenby 1 film but barring Connery continuing post DAF, Lazer should have done the next 9 for a total of 10 wiping out both Moore and Dalton
Dalton 0
Brozzer ideally 0, but someone would have had to replace him.
Craig 0, Cavill or Fassbender should have been hired to replace Brozzer.

the ideal

Connery 13
Lazenby 1
someone other than Dalts or Broz leading to Cavill or Fassbender

2nd best
Connery does his 6
Lazer does 10
someone other than Dalts or Broz leading to Cavill or Fassbender

j7wild

Connery - he should had stopped at YOLT and not leava and come back or just make one more after YOLT without the Hiatus

Lazenby - still wished he made 4 instead of 1

Moore - he should had stopped after FYEO - he looked tired in OP and too old in AVTAK

Dalton - still wished he made 5 instead of 2

Brosnan - should had made 5 and he should had gotten a better script - TWINE and DAD were crap! You would think Pierce would had some say in what goes in the script before he agreed to start filming!

So to this day, I still consider Brosnan to be a 2 films Bond actor!!

I have not had any desire to go back and rewatch TWINE and DAD even if I have them in my Bond DVD collection!

Craig - he can make 3 more if the scripts and quality stays as good as it has so far!

haserot

Connery - I would say just one film too long... but his tenure is as close to "just right" as any of the actors to follow.

Lazenby - definitely too short.. even 2 films would be too short.. could have easily seen him do at least 3 to 4 total.

Moore - again like Connery, about 1 film too long... many will say that For Your Eyes Only should have been his last, but i still liked him in Octopussy... by the time A View To A Kill rolled around, he aged horribly... Moore's problem wasn't the amount of films, but the years in the role that made it feel like an eternity - not too mention he is older than Sean, so time was definitely not on his side..

Dalton - like Lazenby, far too short.. IMO, Dalton had it all (for the time).. he proved he could debonair, but also have that killer's edge that i think every 007 actor needs... Bond is a spy/assassin after all... it was a shame that fate conspired against Dalton, i would've loved to see him in 2 more - including Goldeneye..

Brosnan - probably the one actor other than Connery where it felt just right... Pierce's age was starting to show by Die Another Day (as i think he had just turned, or was close to turning 50).. when a Bond actor reaches that age, it's really got to be a film to film basis - but I didn't want to see Pierce age as horribly as Moore on the screen, and still try to hold on... so IMO, i think it was probably the right time for him to get out... i would've liked to see him get a better send off film than DAD - but neither of Bond actors who did more than 3 film got a great send off movie - but none were THIS bad..

Craig - so far so good... i can't complain... CR was amazing.. QOS, while not on the same level as CR, I still felt like it was fairly on par with the rest of the series, in terms of an average Bond adventure.... we'll see where he is after these next 2, maybe even 3 films..... right now, it's hard to judge a run while it's still going on..

thelordflasheart

I will base my thoughts as much as I can on each person's actual tenure, not on supposition on what *might* have happened:

Connery - too long. And I say that even though Connery is my favourite Bond. DAF was an unfortunate end to his era (although some people love how over-the-top it was) and it's rather sad to me to look at how drastically he had aged by '71. But truth be told he had already started to gain weight in YOLT, and even worse that's when he started to phone in the role. Better to leave at the top of your game and have people remember you at your best.

Lazenby - too short. What was surprising to me when rewatching OHMSS as an adult is the huge range in Lazenby's performance. His original meeting with Draco is some of the worst acting in a Bond film, yet look how amazing he was in the scenes of the proposal and assasination. He certainly was picking up on that "acting thing" very quickly so I think he would have grown into the role if he kept going. I doubt he would have been as popular as Connery or Moore but he had a genial, affable nature that worked well for him.

Moore - too long. Setting aside the fact that I don't care for the style of Moore's films or performance, he kept at it far too long. The one thing was that you *could* almost imagine that his Bond had been around since '62 but his age made the "ladykiller" aspect ridiculous. And I could never buy him in action scenes due to his age and obvious stuntman replacements. Interestingly, he is the one actor to play Bond that I've never heard any woman say that they found attractive. Charming, yes, but never that he was sexy or attractive.

Dalton - too short. Seeing how well he's aged he certainly could have played the role for quite some time. But his perceived reception from the audience makes me think he'd top out at three films (barring a third film miracle like Moore had).

Brosnan - just right. I was surprised when watching DAD that Brosnan was really starting to show his age (more obvious on a big cinema screen than on a TV). I think he had a good chance to show what he could do and another film just would have been more of the same, only older.

Craig - too soon to tell, obviously. I'm more than happy to see him get a third film and after that, who knows? He doesn't strike me as an actor who will stick around too long because of the money (a complaint people made about Moore) or because he absolutely loves being known as "James Bond" (something I've heard about Brosnan). And I don't think he's the type to hang around long enough that he starts "phoning it in". But we won't know until the future unfolds...

Agent005

Connery - One film too many
Lazenby - Two or three films too few
Moore - Three films too many
Dalton - Two or three films too few
Brosnan - One film too many
Craig - Should do two more including 23

j7wild

someone gonna want to kill me for saying this but I think Brosnan is the worst Bond ever!!

**Runs out of the room**

BAIN123

j7wild said:
someone gonna want to kill me for saying this but I think Brosnan is the worst Bond ever!!

**Runs out of the room**

(sighs). I wouldn't worry around here. Personally I do want to kill you but nonetheless you have plenty of allies on this site.

:-q

Agent005

j7wild said:
someone gonna want to kill me for saying this but I think Brosnan is the worst Bond ever!!

**Runs out of the room**

HOW DARE Y... Wait, I actually agree whole-heartedly.

DaltonCraig007

@timmer stop dissing Moore.... He is the best Bond of them all !! :-bd Long live Sir Rog !!

timmer

DaltonCraig007 said:
@timmer stop dissing Moore.... He is the best Bond of them all !! :-bd Long live Sir Rog !!

Actually I like Moores' films even if I don't find him very believable as Bond. Moore was great as long as he wasn't fighting- however no way do I pick Rog over Sean or George so I have no room for Rog in my ideal scenario.

PrinceKamalKhan

Connery - Just right.
Lazenby - It was probably too short. However, part of OHMSS's artistic appeal for me as a classic adventure film is the fact that it's such a unique film in series with its structure, ending and with a one-time Bond actor playing the lead, so I'll say just right.
Moore - Too long.
Dalton - Too short.
Brosnan - Just right.
Craig - If Bond 23 turns out like QOS, then too long. If Bond 23 turns out like CR, then just right.

Luds

Connery: 1 too long. He either should have done OHMSS and DAF or none of the two.
Lazenby: 1 short. He had to make DAF a revenge story.
Moore: 1 too long. AVTAK is still way overbashed and Moore was great in it though.
Dalton: 2-3 movies too short. He should have done a flick in ~93, 95, 97
Brosnan: 4 movies too long...
Craig: Hopefully 3-4

RogueThunderball

Connery: 1 too long. He should have left for good after YOLT.
Lazenby: 1 too short. Needed to be in a very dark DAF revenge film.
Moore: 1 too long. He was great in OP but too old for AVTAK.
Dalton: 3 too short. He needed to do AVTAK and films in 91 and 93.
Brosnan: 1 too short. Needed one more at the end.
Craig: Hopefully he does at least 4 films!

M_Balje

Connery / Moore: Just right
George Lazenby: One too short.
Dalton: Too Short. Atleast 1 more.
Brosnan: 1 movie too short. Have liked to see a fift in 2004.

At the moment for Daniel Craig: 4. If Bond 23 and Bond 24 be good (More like QOS/ atleast not the violence of Casino Royale / More tradional elements), mabey i aloud him to have more Bond movies then Brosnan. IT be stupid to let him go after a 4th movie if he inspyred Eon for deliever Bond movies with older elements like QOS did or make the Bond movies the trend follower. (Not the other way around like some things of Casino Royale.). Mabey i like to see a fift because i whant to see a standalone (Some connections to Quanmtum but not so much as Bond 23&Bond 24. Biggest part of Vesper should end with Bond 23.)

dragonsky

Connery:right altough i wouldn't mind more connery 007 movies but at DAF it looks like he is losing it
Moore:Waaaay to much than he should have done
Lazenby:short.he was great at OHMSS and i would gave him another chance if he is good in that than he deserves more
Dalton:hmm not sure i guess he should have made more 3 or 5 (overall) i liked his movies but he dont look much like Bond IMO
Brosnan:right but i would like too see him in more movies
Craig:not bad but i hope his next movies will be better than QoS.i guess he will have 4 movies which is right and after that we need to return to older Bond

Kerim

Connery-Too long. Should never have come back for DAF. You could also argue he should have left after TB.

Lazenby-Too short. A shame he got talked out of returning for DAF.

Moore-One film too many. OP would have been a great swan song for Moore.

Dalton-Too short. Got screwed over doing at least three, maybe four. Just when we were going back to tradition, the franchise goes on hiatus and we're back to crap.

Brosnan-I'm going to say just right. I suppose after GoldenEye, it really wouldn't have mattered who did Bond for TND, TWINE and DAD.

Craig-At the moment, too short. Bond 23 should have already been out, or out shortly. If Bond 23 is worse than QOS, I'm switching to too long.

NicNac

Samuel001 said:
Moore - too long and it didn't help that he was 46 when he started either.

You know, technically Rog was only 44 when he started filming LALD. He turned 45 a couple of weeks in to filming.

He was still only 46 by the time he had completed filming on TMWTGG.
;-)

barryt007

Connery: Too long - he shouldnt have come back for DAF.

Lazenby : Too short - would have loved to see him in a proper DAF

Moore : Too long - He should have finished after OP

Dalton : Too short - I would have liked to see him in a 3rd film

Brosnan : Just right - I think he could have done 1 more but 4 is fine.

Craig : ????

j7wild

this thread gives me an idea about making one with almost the exact same title except it's about the length of each one of the 22 films but I am too lazy to do it

Alan007

Sean - Right length, shouldn't have came back for DAF
George - Too Short, would have been good to see him in DAF and maybe LALD
Roger - Should have stopped after FYEO or OP
Timothy - Too Short either should have started with OP/AVTAK
Pierce - Just right length I think
Daniel - So far, too short

Samuel001

Wow, I'm shocked at the response to this thread. I just started it to get my views across but I'm glad it's become something of a success.

NicNac said:

Samuel001 said:
Moore - too long and it didn't help that he was 46 when he started either.

You know, technically Rog was only 44 when he started filming LALD. He turned 45 a couple of weeks in to filming.

He was still only 46 by the time he had completed filming on TMWTGG.
;-)

Point taken, and post amended, so thanks for that, though he was still too old when he began as Bond. Someone in their mid-thirties is best in my opinion.

thelordflasheart

I think that an actor's actual age isn't as important as how they look. Compare Connery in DAF and Moore in LALD - even though they were roughly the same age Moore looks FAR better than Connery.

Of course, you never can tell how someone will age. Someone could look great for years and then their metabolism suddenly changes or male pattern baldness kicks in aggressively...so by casting a younger actor you're reducing the risk of that happening.

NicNac

And with longer gaps between films it makes sense to cast someone younger in future

myworldisenough

Connery - One too many.
Lazenby - One too short.
Moore - One too many.
Dalton - Far too short.
Brosnan - One too many.
Craig - Let's wait and see.

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