Let's order the unpopular ones

Jarvio

To me, it seems that the least popular Bond movies ever tend to be DAF, TMWTGG, MR, AVTAK, and DAD.

What order would you put them in? And do you think that they deserve to be more popular?

Here's my order.

1 - AVTAK - Yep, you knew it. Definitely deserves more popularity. Brillaint film, and no, I'm not mad. You all know why I love it, but briefly, reasons are great villains, great locations, great action, and just memorable all around. The mine and the Golden Gate bridge are my personal favourite Bond scenes ever.

2 - DAF - I feel that this is slightly underrated. But only slightly. Nowhere near my favourite flick, but still had it's moments. Wint and Kidd were cool, and I quite liked the oil rig ending. Blofeld was a bit weak. But the film seems quite enjoyable all around anyway.

3 - TMWTGG - Very close with DAF. Infact, to be honest, I'm not sure which of the two I prefer. TMWTGG seems a bit uninspired. Not much seems to happen. But I still feel that it does not deserve to be as unpopular as it is. The main villain is superb. The funhouse is kind of interesting. Nick Nack is original. However, I despise Sheriff JW Pepper, can't stand him, and for him to return to a Bond movie a second time around was a very bad idea IMO. On a whole, TMWTGG is ok, but 'nowt special'.

4 - DAD - CGI ruined it. Slow-mo bits ruined it. Jinx ruined it. Invisible car ruined it. Overall, a ruined film that could have been so much more. I feel sorry for Brosnan ending on such a bad film. DAD deserves to be unpopular IMO.

5 - MR - Well, I still think this is the number one worst Bond film ever. It wasn't so bad until they got into space. Then after that, all hit rock bottom. Also, I HATE the fact that Jaws fell in love and all that crap. Was there any need? Nahhh

Dan Same

I won't say much about each film, but here are my choices:

1)DAF-The film itself is not great, but I think it featured some terrific elements: Connery's brilliant performance, Wint + Kidd, Bambi + Thumper, the fight scene in the elevator, some of the dialogue and the final scene involving the discovery of Wint + Kidd as villains. What lets it down is the screenplay, which is enormously disappointing. DAF is in my top 15. (At the moment it's 11th but that should change as I imagine it will soon be downgraded.)

2)MR-It's a tie for second place between MR and TMWTGG, but MR probablly gets it. I like the film. The only thing I don't like is the space sequence. Other than that, I think it's a fine film. Moore, the dialogue, the plot, several scenes including the centrifuge scene, Jaws and Drax are all terrific, and it wsa also among the first Bond films I ever saw. It's currently just outside my top 15, but I plan on bringing it into up to 14th or 15th. (Probably 14th.)

3)TMWTGG-Some good elements (Scaramanga, the plot, Bond's treatment of the women, some of the dialogue, the fight scene in the dressing room, the title song) but it also has a very weak screenplay, and really, it fails to capitalize on the plot. It's a bit too jokey and camp for my liking, and I think that short of a better screenplay being written, Moore should either have done it late in his career or been replaced by Connery. At the moment it's 15th on my list, but I imagine it will soon be downgraded to 16th.

4)DAD-Third last on my list (above TLD and AVTAK), I think it was a truly terrible film. The only three thigs I like about it are the fencing scene, the 'say goodbye to him' line and Brosnan's terrific performance. One truly disappointing thing about it is that it seemingly led to the reboot/Craig era. (Although, to be fair, CR is alot higher up my list than DAD. But what I wouldn't have given for a GE or TWINE part 2...)

5)AVTAK-My least favourite Bond film, it came during an era which I refer to as the dark ages (AVTAK, TLD, LTK) and the only thing I like about it is Mayday. ;% Moore is my third favourite Bond, but he was far too old. Also, while Walken is a brilliant actor, I can not take him seriously if he's going to be a blonde. ) Anyway the worst thing about AVTAK IMO is the way it ripped-off GF. X-(

darenhat

Admittedly, none of these are gems...but if I had to go by the rule of saying nothing but nice things, here's my list:

1) MR - great effects, great villian, and prime Moore performance, and the space theme technology holds up surprisingly well after 30 years.

2) TMWTGG - Scaramanga is simply cool, and the screenwriters managed to fit the term 'inverted bedpan' into the script.

3) AVTAK - sufficiently wierd Walken performance, enjoyable Golden Gate fight, and Patrick MacNee

4) DAD - Cool FX, and fun to point out the various 007 homages

5) DAF - had an elephant playing a slot machine

Alex

MR - Visually speaking, it's a stunning and sumptious motion picture. Great baddie, nice ladies, superlative score and masterful Meddings special effects. There's really only one aspect which makes me cringe worse then a turkey on Thanksgiving. No, it's not the double take pigeon, it's not Dolly in pigtails, it's not even the Gondola hovercraft. I'm talking about the "US. Space Marines" 8-) (runs away to hide in a black hole)

DAF - Ha! The most insane Bond of all time. And my first, which is a major reason for revering it. Bassey and Barry carry you through. And I'd marry Jill St. John in a heartbeat.

TMWTGG - Dude, it's got Christopher Lee in it. Five minutes of Lee narrative is better then all the tea in China. Tatto is in this as well. That's more fun then Yatzee on a saturday.

AVTAK - Why do I like it? Because even a bad Moore film is better then anything else out there. Call me whatever you like, I'm silly that way and intensely loyal to the Bond I grew up with.

DAD - On the plus side there's Pierce, who makes a pretty darn good 007 if you ask me. On the negative there's everything else. When the only stunt in the entire film is at the five minute mark you know you're in trouble. Do I want a computer graphic image fest in place of my Bond? Yuck, no thanks.

Steed

DAF- runs like a spoof; after the first 30 minutes, it's impossible to take much in this seriously. BUT, I find it hugely entertaining and it's not amongst my least favourites by any means- Sean's performance here is a lot better than it was in YOLT, IMHO, too.

AVTAK- it's never going to be amongst my favourites, but it's not as bad as it's often painted, imho. The rather aged look of Roger Moore aside (something he now admits), there's nothing that stands out as being THAT bad...apart from that awful 'California Girls' moment and that police chase goes on a bit. Other than that, it's OK, imho. And Patrick Macnee, Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are great in their roles.

Moonraker- I feel this could have been good if not for the woeful comedic scenes. There are way too many of them and I don't personally find any of them funny. However, it does look visually impressive and there are some excellent action scenes- the fight between Bond and Chang is one of the best of the series, imho.

Die Another Day- hard to salvage much here, save the beginning half hour where Bond is captured and tortured, which promised much...but the rest didn't deliver at all. An empty, hollow, soulless shell of a film- all bombast but no heart, imho.

TMWTTGG- this has two redeeming factors; Christopher Lee and Roger Moore's reasonably harded edged performance. Other than that, this is a real low ebb for the series- as has been said, not a lot happens here (the action is almost entirely run of the mill here, imho) and the 'comedy' is often excruciating.

JennyFlexFan

AVTAK - (no, really?) Anyway, AVTAK is the 2nd best Bond film for me because it runs like an updated version of Goldfinger with a twists and differences. Max Zorin is probably the best Bond villain of all time with his sinister and sadistic streaks while presenting himself as a respectable businessman. May Day is a very unique henchwoman and Stacey is a down-to-earth Bond girl that we can all relate to. The plot is also very well done, destroying Silicon Valley to corner the microchip market, since Zorin has been hoarding his own. Also, Jenny Flex. ;%

MR - While it has many OTT and silly moments, it's actually a pretty solid entry in the Bond series. Holly Goodhead is an independent woman who is very dismissive of Bond due to his surprise of her being a female scientist, and not only is she that, but a CIA agent, and a good fighter at that! Drax's estate is beautiful, and Lonsdale does a great job at being condescending and dry to everybody he meets, obviously fancying himself as 'God' over his master race. Corrine's death is also rather haunting and Barry's score is among his best. The only drawbacks were making a cartoon out of Jaws and the double-taking pigeon in the hovercraft chase.

DAF - Also not as bad as people paint it. The PTS goes on without mentioning Tracy, and is too slapbang and whatnot. The glaring geographical error has always bothered me and Wint & Kidd were not my cup of tea. Blofeld was also a little too campy and while Tiffany Case was a feisty, intelligent woman in the first half of the movie, she became an idiot when she followed the Blofeld in drag. Also, aside from Wint and Kidd, Blofeld probably had the worst henchmen ever in this movie. And don't get me started on the Moon Buggy chase (though I love the music).

TMWTGG - The only thing that separates this from being worse than DAD is the performances of Moore and Lee.

DAD - Its attempts at making an homage out of every moment makes it lose its individuality. They were barely homages either, it was a blatant ripoff. Why is there a hall of mirrors in that clinic anyway, just to say, hey look it's kind of like The Man With the Golden Gun (Another reason why TMWTGG better, they had the hall of mirrors for a purpose). Jinx is the worst Bond girl in the series easily, because of her eagerness to top Bond and act all smug about it, also she killed Miranda, the best thing about the movie. Brosnan seems tired of it and Graves is too young to be menacing. Ugh!!!

Dan Same

Jarvio wrote:

To me, it seems that the least popular Bond movies ever tend to be DAF, TMWTGG, MR, AVTAK, and DAD.

Interesting that you singled these out as the least popular Bond films. According to the recent Elimination Game, the five least popular Bond films are (excluding NSNA,) in ascending order, AVTAK, DAD, LTK, TMWTGG and TND.

Nicko1234

MR - Very entertaining film for all of its flaws.

AVTAK - Some talented cast members but a fairly uninspired film.

TMWTGG - A couple of great bad guys and I don't think this film is as bad as some people make out.

DAF - Connery's attempt at comedy and he clearly was less capable at it than Moore. The film makes no sense at all at times.

DAD - Dire.

I would have put TND in the bottom 5 given the choice.

stumac7

From best of the worst to worst of the worst.

1. DAD - only because if I had to watch one of these films right now it would be this one.

2. AVTAK - Moore looks way too old!

3. TMWTGG - Slow and dull.

4. MR - What were they thinking with the Jaws love scenes??

5. DAF - I love Connery as a actor and as Bond, but I just wished he stayed away from this pile of ***.

Notice, out of the 5 there is 3 Moore films, which I think says a lot. Also, I would put into the bottom few - LTK and LALD

Nicko1234

The fact that there are 3 Moore films says as much about the person who started the thread and their feelings as anything else.

Moore's TMWTGG, MR and AVTAK are all considered to be patchy but so are Connery's TB, DAF and NSNA again.

LTK and TND should probably have been included in the list of possible choices too.

Steed

I personally think TND should have been here, really, as well. It's such a patchy film- the first half is good, the second...isn't, imho.

Moore is my 2nd fave Bond but I do think TMWTTGG is a dead cert in a list like this. The others featured here aren't my favourites either and I understand perfectly why they are here, but both have enough good points to pull them through.

I've never loved 'Thunderball' all that much- I think it's my least fave Connery Bond film- but nevertheless, in fairness it has more than enough good points to keep it out of here, imho.

But I sometimes wonder whether I'm one of the few people who thinks the Dalton films should be nowhere near one of these 'worst ever' lists- both of his films are pretty good, imho. Not perfect by any means, but I think they get better on repeated viewings (for me at least).

Nicko1234

I actually like both of Dalton's films as well and the only reason why I said that LTK should have been included is because the general opinion is that it isn't that good.

Dalton's 2 films, although not as much fun as many that had gone before, were both important I think in getting the series back on an even keel. They were never likely to be massive successes due to slight Bond fatigue but they're certainly not too bad.