Reflections on Bond. James Bond.

Over the past few months I challenged myself to watch and review every Bond film leading up to the release of Skyfall. You can find reviews of the first 22 Bond films here. You can find the review of Skyfall here. I had watched quite of few of them in the past, but I had never taken the time to watch them all in order. I fell in love with Bond when I was in high school. I would randomly pop them in and watch them at the video store where I used to work. My friend Jenny gave me a DVD box set that had six of the movies in there for my birthday one year. Naturally, the studio did not put them in order so you were forced to buy all three sets.

It has been a pleasure watching the movies in order. It is fascinating to watch them and and see how the films change depending on the decade, the budget, and what is popular at the time. The movies are an interesting reflection on film culture at the time they were made. They usual seem to be inspired by whatever the latest trend at the time happened to be. You cannot help to watch Live and Let Die and not think about all of the other blaxploitation movies of the time period. Moonraker was not scheduled to be the next Bond film when it was released, but the studio rushed to make that story to capitalize on the sci-fi trend of the late '70s.

If you are a Bond enthusiast, you know what you like out of your Bond movies. Do you like sultry theme songs like the Shirley Bassey numbers? Do you like your Bond girls tough and smart like Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore? Do you like the gadgets gimmicky or more realistic? Do you like the plot lines to be more realistic or far fetched? Are you a purist that thinks Connery will be always be the best Bond or do you prefer Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan? My ideal Bond movie has a realistic plot and villain, a henchman that won't seem to die, tough kick-ass Bond girl, sexual tension between Bond and the Bond girl, gadgets (but not too many), a dry sense of humor, and a sultry theme song. Do not get me started on the absurdly silly final Roger Moore movies. I feel like the series seem to revitalize itself whenever a new actor came in to play Bond. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of the better movies and that was the first one to not feature Sean Connery. The Timothy Dalton movies felt fresh and action packed compared to the final Moore movies. The movies tend to feel stale and boring the longer an actor stayed in the role. A View to a Kill is the worst of the Moore movies. Die Another Day is the worst of the Brosnan movies.

Here are my picks for the best and worst regarding some of the classic elements of a Bond movie

The Movies (from Best to Worst)

1. Skyfall (2012)
2. GoldenEye (1995)
3. Casino Royale (2006)
4. Goldfinger (1964)
5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
6. From Russia With Love (1963)
7. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
8. Live and Let Die (1973)
9. The Living Daylights (1987)
10. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
11. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
12. Licence to Kill (1989)
13. You Only Live Twice (1967)
14. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
15. Dr. No (1962)
16. Octopussy (1983)
17. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
18. Die Another Day (2002)
19. Quantum of Solace (2008)
20. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
21. Thunderball (1965)
22. A View to a Kill (1985)
23. Moonraker (1979)

Best Bond: Daniel Craig
Worst Bond: Sean Connery.
Close second goes to Moore because he played the role for far too long

Best Bond Girl: Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger
Worst Bond Girl: Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough

Best Villain: Gert Forbe as Auric Goldfinger in Goldfinger.
Close second goes to Lotte Lenye as Rosa Klebb in From Russia with Love.
Worst Villain: Charles Gray as Blofeld in Diamonds are Forever

Best Henchman: Richard Kiel as Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker.
Close second goes to Harold Sakata as Oddjob in Goldfinger
Worst Henchman: Grace Jones as May Day in A View to a Kill

Best Gadget: the infamous Aston Martin D85 in Goldfinger
Worst Gadget: the crocodile submarine in Octopussy

Best Theme Song: "Goldfinger" by Shirley Bassey
Close second goes to "GoldenEye" by Tina Turner
Worst Thee Song: "All Time High" by Rita Coolidge from Octopussy
Close second goes to "Another Way to Die" by Jack White and Alicia Keys from Quantum of Solace

Feel free to leave your comments below regarding all things Bond. I'd love to hear you thoughts some of your favorite Bond movies! What are some of your favorite gadgets or theme songs? Who is your top villain?

Here are some other Bond related posts I have written recently
The "Bond. James Bond." Challenge
My Review of SKYFALL
The Top 5 Worst Bond Girls

Movie Review: SKYFALL

SKYFALL
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe

Every great Bond movie starts with an action packed opening before the credits start. If it is exquisitely executed, it should give you a taste of what the rest of the movie is going to be like. Sometimes it involves the rest of the plot, and sometimes it stands on its own. Skyfall may have the best opening sequence to date. Bond (Craig) discovers a coveted hard drive has been stolen and a fellow MI6 agent has been shot. He informs M (Dench) over headset and she orders him to go after the killer, Patrice. Bond joins Eve (Harris), another MI6 agent, as they chase after him. After taking a bullet in the shoulder and numerous food stands and train cars are destroyed, Bond and our thief are in combat on top of a moving train. Eve is off in the distance reporting the action to M. She is close enough to take a shot at Patrice, but the risk of hitting Bond is too great for her to go along with the shot. M orders her to "take the bloody shot". Bond is hit and falls down into the river. He is presumed missing in action and possibly dead.

M is devastated after making a call that ended in the possible death of coveted MI6 Agent 007 James Bond. Gareth Mallory (Fiennes) is the new head of Intelligence and Security Committee. He calls a meeting with M informing her that she is being forced into early retirement. She learns that her computer has been hacked into on the way back to MI6 headquarters. As they pull up to headquarters, an explosion goes off in the offices and six employees are killed.

Bond used his supposed death to retire himself. He learns of the attacks at MI6 and heads back to London. He shows up at M's flat and informs her that 007 is reporting back to duty. M agrees, but informs him that he must go through numerous evaluations to make sure he is fit for duty. The time off has made Bond weak and unsteady. Even though he fails his evaluations, M officially hires him back on. Bond uses the shrapnel from his shoulder to trace the bullet back to Patrice to find out who he is employed by. The stolen hard drive contains the names and identities to various undercover MI6 agents. M discovers that the identities are being leaked. Bond heads to Shanghai to find Patrice. Further investigation leads Bond to Silva (Bardem), a sadistic terrorist. Silva is a former MI6 agent who worked with M and blames her for his capture and torture by the Chinese.

In various articles I have read, Sam Mendes has mentioned that he was very inspired by Christopher Nolan and The Dark Knight when shaping his approach to directing a Bond film. The inspiration is very evident when watching the film. The story involving a terrorist and revenge is a very realistic approach that you don't see in a lot of the older Bond films. Mendes and screenwriters John Logan, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade flesh out these characters we've come to love by giving them a back story this time around. The movie is not really an origins story, but you learn more about the relationship between Bond and M as well as about Bond's childhood. Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are masters at both of these characters. They bring a depth to the characters that we never saw in earlier Bond movies. The audience really understands that Bond is a flawed character. He is a lot more than some strapping hunk of a hero that will come rescue you and defeat the bad guys.

The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins. The nine time Oscar nominee has previously worked on previous films by Sam Mendes and consistently shoots all of the Coen Brothers movies. His way of shooting the action sequences, especially the opening train scene, keep you on the edge of your seat. The mix of close ups and wide shots make you feel like you are on top of the train with Bond and Patrice, and the wide shots give you the scope of how crazy the stunt work is. The other fight between Patrice and Bond in Shanghai is very intricately shot and lit with them in darkness against the neon blue background lights.

This is Daniel Craig's third time playing Bond after starting his run off with a bang in Casino Royale which then was followed up by the dismal Quantum of Solace. I know there may be some Connery purists out there, but Daniel Craig is James Bond. He is sexy and suave whether he's in a suit or a tiny swimsuit. He brings the dry wit that other Bond actors failed to do. He can tackle any action scene and stunt work thrown at him. He has a natural chemistry with many of his leading ladies. Judi Dench commands the screen as M like nobody else could. She brings out the maternal side of M and gives her a sense of humor that works well with Craig's Bond. I have loved watching her work as M over the years, especially as the story in Skyfall centers around her. Javier Bardem won an Oscar for playing bad guy Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. He sure knows how to play sinister men. Silva is one of the best Bond villains. He is completely sadistic and psychotic without feeling too campy or over-the-top.

Mendes' love of the Bond franchise shows as he incorporates all of those elements we love about the series into Skyfall while making them feel fresh and current in today's society. You have your Bond girls, an evil villain, gadgets, a sultry theme song written and performed by Adele, and intense action sequences without any of it feeling hokey and gimmicky. If you know your history, you will pick up on little nods to the past. These homages are done subtly without feeling too "wink wink-nudge nudge". If you are a die-hard Bond fan, you will love the 23rd outing. If you are new to the series, hopefully you will become a new fan. Is this the best Bond movie to date? Yes, as a matter of fact, I think I would rank it that way.

RATING: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)

First Listen: "SKYFALL" by Adele

"SKYFALL" by Adele

Multi-Grammy Award winner Adele is the PERFECT choice to sing the latest Bond theme. Named after the title of the film, Adele and Paul Epworth have written the perfect title track for the new Bond movie. She infuses a sultry, smoky, mysterious sound to the song that fits right along the list of previous Bond theme singers including: Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Carly Simon, and Sheena Easton. The release of Skyfall cannot come soon enough!

Take a listen to the song below. What are your first impressions?