50th Anniversary of the 007 franchise

[JBC]

Three great things happening for James Bond fans today. One, the first teaser for the 23rd Bond film Skyfall was released into the wild. It looks surprisingly better than I expected, and I expected it to be great. Two, the list of special features to be included in the 50th anniversary BluRay set went up on Mi6.com. Finally at number 3 is the reveal of the second mission to be confirmed in the upcoming 007 Legends game, which is also our first glimpse of in-game footage.

Skyfall teaser trailer
Bond 50 announcement trailer
007 Legends Moonraker mission reveal

[Ed Oscuro]

Awesome!

I can't vote. Dalton and Lazenby are underrated.

[Marc]

I just hope Skyfall is better than Quantum Of Solace. After the utterly brilliant Casino Royale, Solace was a gigantic shitburger of a film. Also - stupidly, I know - have high hopes for the game. Dalton all the way for underrated.

[Friendly]

While Connery will forever be "the" Bond, I too think that Dalton is underrated. Damn shame we didn't get more movies with him.
And whoever voted for Moore- what is this, I don't even.

[drauch]

Who the fuck picked Daniel Craig.

[rancor]

And whoever voted for Moore- what is this, I don't even.

Voted for Connery, but I can understand the reasoning behind voting for Moore. Growing up in the 80s, the Moore titles were in constant rotation on cable TV. I loved the movies that were being shown, and at the time for all I knew Moore was the only 007. It took me years of my adolescence to accept that there were more than Moore. It wasn't until I got a bit older and explored the older movies that I saw how awesome Connery was (Never say Never not withstanding) and today I have no idea what I ever saw in Roger, but I do have memory of liking him tremendously.. haha.. Pierce Brosnan is a close second. Everything since Goldeneye has been a disappointment. Whichever one Daniel Craig debuted in was just a dumb action movie. The chase scene at the beginning of the movie turned me off to the rest of the film..

[Marc]

Hush Rancor, Casino Royale is up in the top three bond films for sure. Now Quantum Of Solace - THAT was a dumb action movie.

[Daigohji]

So this film features a 5mm tall Bond striding up a gun barrel? It must be the long-awaited crossover between Bond and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.

[dan76]

More action! More thrills! More suspense! More... Moore, Roger Moore!

The seventies rule - Moore is the man.

[njiska]

I've had the 50th anniversary Blu-Ray set pre-ordered from Amazon since it was announced. Glad to see that each disc is loaded with special features, but does anyone know if they are a complete match for the DVD/Blu-ray releases currently available? I seem to remember Tomorrow Never Dies having a massive special edition.

[JBC]

Also - stupidly, I know - have high hopes for the game.

Not me, but that's because I'm totally biased against first person shooters (especially modern ones with regenerating health). I've been playing GoldenEye Reloaded lately and I hate to report that it's not so great. Their 'redux' of the original film's events is pulled off so terribly and makes all the lines and moments lose their oompf. I'm about to start my game over with the difficulty settings turned up because it basically plays itself for you. It feels like Call of Duty and is by the same folks who are developing this new title. While I will still give the new game a chance I can't say that I feel the first person format is really the best translation for the Bond franchise, despite the original GoldenEye 64's success.

What we need is a great 3rd person game that's all encompassing. Let us pick whichever version of Bond we want and maybe focus the gameplay on spy stuff instead of action. Something like a cross between L.A. Noire & Arkham Asylum, but Bond. The multiplayer could be somewhat like Resident Evil 4 & 5's Mercenaries mode, since the climactic fight scenes towards the end of each Bond film are a perfect set up for that kind of gameplay.

All that aside, I hope that Thunderball's scuba symphony and Live & Let Die's alligator hopscotch make it into 007 Legends.

And whoever voted for Moore- what is this, I don't even.

I voted for Moore His films have a lighthearted and more endearing quality about them than the serious tones of the rest. Not to mention some of the greatest set pieces in Bond history happened during his run. Like when he crashes Christopher Walken's zeppelin into the Golden Gate Bridge at the end of A View To A Kill, or the amazing jungle escape from Octopussy which must have taken 1000 extras to film. He wasn't the best looking guy for the role, I'll admit, and oftentimes he came off as a sleaze when he would magically woo the women but Roger Moore is absolutely my favorite Bond. Really, nothing beats Live & Let Die

Hush Rancor, Casino Royale is up in the top three bond films for sure. Now Quantum Of Solace - THAT was a dumb action movie.

Quantum isn't as bad as people make it out to be, but it IS basically a string of action sequences. I don't mind, it seemed to me like they were making up for the slower pacing of Casino Royale just to show that Craig had the action chops. The finale is quite beautiful even. Now, Die Another Day, THAT is a huge pile of shit. I'm still insulted by Madonna's theme song, which totally ruins the series' perfect track record when it comes to opening tunes. It was bad enough when they were asking us to believe that Denise Richards was a rocket scientist and then they want us to like Halley Berry, no sir.

[Skykid]

Lazenby can't act, he was bloody awful. Dalton was the best actor, but way too weedy for James Bond so miscast.
Roger Moore is the worst actor of all, and he just cheesed his way through all the comedy Bonds with his trademark cheesiness, which is ok I suppose if you like that sort of thing.

Best Bond of is of course Connery. Brosnan was 2nd best in terms of 'look' (the films were a bit pap though), and then Craig cos Casino Royale was surprisingly good (the sequel is unmentionable, however.)

[njiska]

Lazenby can't act

No, but he remains a special Bond simply for, "This never happened to the other fella".

[Randorama]

I am somewhat convinced that Lazenby and Brosnan are the ones that looked the closest to how Bond was described in the books. Am I having a false memory?

Aside this, I voted Lazenby for shit & giggles, but I think that Connery was Bond, by a mile. I never liked any other Bond than his, although I appreciated Casino Royale.

EDIT: silly trivia. The Japanese version of On his Majesty's request (the one with Lazenby) received an original soundtrack by Pizzicato 5, when he was re-released in Japan. The movie also featured the most gorgeous woman in history, Diana Rigg/Emma Peel, so by definition is the most awesomest Bond movie ever. The movie wasn't bad too, if we ignore Lazenby.

[JBC]

I am somewhat convinced that Lazenby and Brosnan are the ones that looked the closest to how Bond was described in the books. Am I having a false memory?

Fleming always likened him to Hoagy Carmichael, but with more wear and tear.

[Moniker]

Connery was the best Bond, and just da man in general, but I think I prefer Moore's movies on the whole. Like Skykid said, Brosnan was also a great one, but was served with shit scripts (Goldeneye excepted, of course).

I quite like Daniel Craig and the new direction they're using in general. Quantum of Solace is underrated, I think. I didn't like it the first time round but upon rewatch it really grew on me.

[Turrican]

Personally I think nobody does it better than... Adolfo Celi

Anyway, didn't even bother to check with the modern iterations of the franchise, but I think it's of some relevance that for this Skyfall they actually brought in a "real" director like Sam Mendes - probably the best to touch 007 since Terence Young... It remains to see if the director will be appreciated on such a pulp subject - after all even the mighty Ang Lee was misunderstood with Hulk.

[Vyxx]

Connery was the best, but I think Daniel Craig is a decent bond as well.

[Skykid]

From Russia With Love: Best Bond movie. Well directed by Terence Young (Dr. No, Thunderball), violent and extremely close to the book (something even Goldfinger couldn't get right.)

[JBC]

From Russia With Love: Best Bond movie. Well directed by Terence Young (Dr. No, Thunderball), violent and extremely close to the book (something even Goldfinger couldn't get right.)

Even though I really like the film version of Live & Let Die, I have to say it pales in comparison to the book. If they translated the book of L&LD to film it would be seriously intense. For one, finding Felix Leiter's mangled body with the note in his mouth "He disagreed with something that ate him" and the keelhauling chapter at the end is insane. The way it describes Bond and Solitaire standing on the shallow coral while watching Mr. Big get eaten by barracuda only a few feet in front of them.

[Herr Schatten]

While Connery will forever be "the" Bond, I too think that Dalton is underrated. Damn shame we didn't get more movies with him.
And whoever voted for Moore- what is this, I don't even.

I agree with this.

[TransatlanticFoe]

I really liked Dalton as Bond, he gave the character more substance and by only getting two films it meant he didn't feature in a pile of shite one.

I rank films starring Connery (You Only Live Twice), Moore (The Spy Who Loved Me) and Brosnan (GoldenEye) above either of Dalton's but he remains my favourite.

[Skykid]

From Russia With Love: Best Bond movie. Well directed by Terence Young (Dr. No, Thunderball), violent and extremely close to the book (something even Goldfinger couldn't get right.)

Even though I really like the film version of Live & Let Die, I have to say it pales in comparison to the book. If they translated the book of L&LD to film it would be seriously intense. For one, finding Felix Leiter's mangled body with the note in his mouth "He disagreed with something that ate him" and the keelhauling chapter at the end is insane. The way it describes Bond and Solitaire standing on the shallow coral while watching Mr. Big get eaten by barracuda only a few feet in front of them.

No shit!

They could legitimately remake every single Roger Moore Bond Film today without any problem whatsoever. They strayed so far from Ian Fleming's original work the only real commonality is the brand and a handful of characters. They pretty much ruined the integrity of the books throughout that period.

One of the reason's Casino Royale turned out so well is because of the source material. Original Bond scripts tend to go rather badly (Quantum of Solace, particularly so.)

[E. Randy Dupre]

Wasn't QoS basically written by Craig, the director and other members of the production, as a result of the writers' strike? It's kind of a special case, as a result, but it does a good job of demonstrating the folly of trying to force out a film (or book, or album, or game) every X number of years, rather than waiting until you've got something worth releasing.

I've always had a soft spot for OHMSS and always will. Everything about it is like an alternate universe Bond - the laid-back cool of LazenbyBond, the lack of vocals in the (superb) opening tune, the romance (and accompanying mid-film singalong moment), the bizarre Bond-in-a-kilt bits, the otherworldly feeling of decadence and luxury in the brainwashing centre. And yeah, that opening, post-kicking comment from Lazenby, which could have taken the entire series down the route of having the Bond name being a codename that comes with the post.

Mainly, though, I love that opening theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRJnK-uWbfQ

Fuuuuuck. Or the David Arnold/Propellerheads cover, esp when the trumpets come in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O1_0hikl-A

[RGC]

Denial. Moore was amazing. Craig then Connery were better serious Bonds, if you go in for that sort of thing. Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker, Spy who Loved Me.. Come on!

[JBC]

Man with the Golden Gun

They can't argue with that one. I've always loved Christopher Lee's portrayal of Scaramanga and the character's admiration of Bond. Not to mention his super cool iconic island and double crossing midget henchman Nick Nack. Really one of the more interesting villains in the Bond universe.

[DEL]

Dalton's Licence to Kill is my #1. Probably down to John Glen directing.

Voted Roger.

Solace was crap.

Moore's Live and Let Die is a classic.

Brosnan's Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies.

Connery's Dr No, From Russia with Love & Never say Never Again for obvious reasons

[JBueno MD]

Casino Royale 2006 is my favorite Bond movie, but nobody does the Bond character as Mr. Connery did.

[Friendly]

From Russia With Love: Best Bond movie. Well directed by Terence Young (Dr. No, Thunderball), violent and extremely close to the book (something even Goldfinger couldn't get right.)

Of course, because the story in the book made no sense. In the novel, Goldfinger wanted to steal the gold of Fort Knox using trucks; a logistic impossibility. Since at the time of the movie the US dollar was still backed by gold (until 1971), the plan to irradiate the US gold supplies in order to raise the value of his own gold while destroying the American economy was much more realistic.

[Marc]

Dalton's Licence to Kill is my #1. Probably down to John Glen directing.

Voted Roger.

Solace was crap.

Moore's Live and Let Die is a classic.

Brosnan's Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies.

Connery's Dr No, From Russia with Love & Never say Never Again for obvious reasons

You hit the nail on the head with Live & Let Die and Solace, but Tomorrow Never Dies? I'd rather watch Never Say Never.