My favourite Bond film. Love the villains, locations, plot, gadgets, girl - everything A lot of people's big problem with it is the long underwater sequence later on, yet I think it's great and is part of the reason I love it so much.
I don't get why FRWL gets so much praise. It is decent, but lacks some action. It is slow-paced.
Because it is THE best James Bond film ever made. Period.
I think with the advent of modern Bond films, people seem to have forgotten that James Bond is first and foremost a spy. Stealing a Russian decoding machine would be a coup for the British Secret Service, and Bond was despatched to get it, all the while SPECTRE was planning this trap to kill Bond. The plot was taken straight from the novel, albeit with a few changes (SPECTRE replacing SMERSH as the villains; the machine renamed as "Lektor" instead of "Spektor"). The novel itself was one of the best books written by Fleming. The brilliant storyline was complemented by brilliant acting, particularly by Pedro Armendariz as Kerim Bey.
As a Fleming purist, what I look for in a Bond film is its accuracy to the Fleming source material. This is where From Russia With Love (and On Her Majesty's Secret Service) reigns supreme, and will forever remain my number 1 (and 2) Bond films, respectively. Some later Bond films have tried to turn the character into an action hero at the expense of the plot. I think that is a mistake. I'd rather see less action if it meant a more realistic and plausible storyline which, in my opinion, has been a hallmark of all of Fleming's Bond novels. I think Bond films of late have become too fast-paced.
I don't get why FRWL gets so much praise. It is decent, but lacks some action. It is slow-paced.
Because it is THE best James Bond film ever made. Period.
I think with the advent of modern Bond films, people seem to have forgotten that James Bond is first and foremost a spy. Stealing a Russian decoding machine would be a coup for the British Secret Service, and Bond was despatched to get it, all the while SPECTRE was planning this trap to kill Bond. The plot was taken straight from the novel, albeit with a few changes (SPECTRE replacing SMERSH as the villains; the machine renamed as "Lektor" instead of "Spektor"). The novel itself was one of the best books written by Fleming. The brilliant storyline was complemented by brilliant acting, particularly by Pedro Armendariz as Kerim Bey.
As a Fleming purist, what I look for in a Bond film is its accuracy to the Fleming source material. This is where From Russia With Love (and On Her Majesty's Secret Service) reigns supreme, and will forever remain my number 1 (and 2) Bond films, respectively. Some later Bond films have tried to turn the character into an action hero at the expense of the plot. I think that is a mistake. I'd rather see less action if it meant a more realistic and plausible storyline which, in my opinion, has been a hallmark of all of Fleming's Bond novels. I think Bond films of late have become too fast-paced.
Everyone still seems to hail Sean Connery era as the greatest, but when you actually sit down to watch one....well, they are a bit clunky.
1. Goldfinger 10/10 Despite Bond being surprisingly ineffective throughout. He spent most of the film as a captive.
2. Dr. No 9/10 Great start to the series. Still one of my favorites. I wish Q was in it.
3. From Russia With Love 9/10 Lame pre-title sequence. Pacing is a bit slow. Still a classic spy film.
4. You Only Live Twice 7/10 This movie is the source for most of the Austin Powers jokes.
5. Thunderball - 6/10 Got off to a strong start but quickly fell apart. Underwater battle is a major drag.
6. Diamonds are Forever 4/10 Ouch. I hate to see Connery embarrass himself like this.
Never Say Never Again 7/10 - Better than Thunderball!
My current 10 favorite:
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Dr. No
Diamonds Are Forever
Thunderball
From Russia With Love and Goldfinger were good, You Only Live Twice and Dr. No were average and I absolutely hated Diamonds Are Forever and Thunderball. I was bored to tears during those two.
1: Casino Royale 2: Goldeneye 3: Skyfall 4: Octopussy 5: Goldfinger 6: Tomorrow Never Dies 7: The World Is Not Enough 8: The Living Daylights 9: From Russia With Love 10: The Spy Who Loved Me
6. THUNDERBALL - After watching Austin Powers, it's difficult not to laugh at this film. Some good moments, but the underwater scenes are tedious.
5. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER - Badly foreshadows the silly campiness of the 70s Bond movies. Although I must admit, it is a film worth seeing at least once in a "So bad it's good" kind of way.
4. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE - Okay hear me out, I never really cared for this film as a kid, and while I appreciate it's artistic quality and how faithful it is to the book, I still feel like the first half of the movie drags. Too much time on SPECTRE, Bond doesn't appear until 18 minutes into the film and even then it just drags. The train scene and fight with Robert Shaw is still a highlight of the series. I did watch it again recently, and it is growing on me.
3. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE - I know this film is kinda sloppy and has some stupid moments... but it also has hot Japanese girls... really what more do you want? I really liked this film as a kid, enjoyed seeing what inspired Dr. Evil. Call it a guilty pleasure.
2. DR. NO - There is no topping Connery's introduction in this film, it's one of the greatest scenes in all of cinema. Lots of fun moments, very faithful to the book, and Ursula Andress is still as hot now as she was in 1962. There's a few flaws, but as it was the first Bond film, all is forgiven.
1. GOLDFINGER - Really do I need to say anything? Goldfinger, Pussy Galore, OddJob, the Aston Martin, what's not to like?
I enjoyed your quick reviews. Interesting and valid points.
Connery era is a bit of a mixed bag isn't it? I consider the first 3 Sean films to be the finest in the series, however his last 3 are among the worst.
My current 10 favorite:
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
Thank you Firemass. Well as I said, I've got a soft spot for YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, but yeah, THUNDERBALL and DIAMONDS are not in the same league with those films.
chrisisall, I'll admit parts of GOLDFINGER are silly. I always laugh at the overdubbed voices of the gangsters in Goldfinger's briefing room ("Hey what's going on Goldfinger?" "What is this, some kind of funhouse?" "What's that map doing there?") It also raises a lot of questions in the middle. Why is Goldfinger telling his scheme to the mafia guys if he’s just gonna kill them later? This just gives Bond a chance to thwart his plans. Or the scene where everybody in Fort Knox plays dead; if they know Goldfinger is going to break into the bank, why don’t they just stop him before he goes in? And for that matter, why do they leave Bond in the vault with the bomb? Like I keep saying in all these films, why didn’t they just shoot him? But that's really nitpicking, you have to have a certain suspension of disbelief in these films.
1. From Russia With Love
2. You Only Live Twice
3. Dr. No
4. Diamonds Are Forever
5. Thunderball
6. Goldfinger (though does have my favourite PTS of the series)
Comments
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
1. TB
2. FRWL
3. DN
4. YOLT
5. GF
6. DAF
2. Thunderball
3. You Only Live Twice
4. From Russia With Love
5. Goldfinger
6. Never Say Never Again
7. Diamonds Are Forever
From Russia With Love
Dr. No
You Only Live Twice
Thunderball
Diamonds Are Forever
1. GoldenEye 2. Goldfinger 3. Skyfall 4. OHMSS 5. TWINE
This would line-up, too.
Because it is THE best James Bond film ever made. Period.
I think with the advent of modern Bond films, people seem to have forgotten that James Bond is first and foremost a spy. Stealing a Russian decoding machine would be a coup for the British Secret Service, and Bond was despatched to get it, all the while SPECTRE was planning this trap to kill Bond. The plot was taken straight from the novel, albeit with a few changes (SPECTRE replacing SMERSH as the villains; the machine renamed as "Lektor" instead of "Spektor"). The novel itself was one of the best books written by Fleming. The brilliant storyline was complemented by brilliant acting, particularly by Pedro Armendariz as Kerim Bey.
As a Fleming purist, what I look for in a Bond film is its accuracy to the Fleming source material. This is where From Russia With Love (and On Her Majesty's Secret Service) reigns supreme, and will forever remain my number 1 (and 2) Bond films, respectively. Some later Bond films have tried to turn the character into an action hero at the expense of the plot. I think that is a mistake. I'd rather see less action if it meant a more realistic and plausible storyline which, in my opinion, has been a hallmark of all of Fleming's Bond novels. I think Bond films of late have become too fast-paced.
If I included NSNA in my list, it would go:
TB
FRWL
NSNA
DN
YOLT
GF
DAF
2. Dr. No
3. Goldfinger
4. Thunderball
5. You Only Live Twice
6. Diamonds Are Forever
1. Goldfinger 10/10 Despite Bond being surprisingly ineffective throughout. He spent most of the film as a captive.
2. Dr. No 9/10 Great start to the series. Still one of my favorites. I wish Q was in it.
3. From Russia With Love 9/10 Lame pre-title sequence. Pacing is a bit slow. Still a classic spy film.
4. You Only Live Twice 7/10 This movie is the source for most of the Austin Powers jokes.
5. Thunderball - 6/10 Got off to a strong start but quickly fell apart. Underwater battle is a major drag.
6. Diamonds are Forever 4/10 Ouch. I hate to see Connery embarrass himself like this.
Never Say Never Again 7/10 - Better than Thunderball!
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
It also bothers me that Sean Connery's 007 would deliberately wound a shark. That was just cruel. Sharks rock!
I would love to date Xenia, but I'm not an admiral.
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
2)From Russia with Love
3)Dr. No
4)You Only Live Twice
5)Thunderball
6)Diamonds Are Forever
TB and DAF are easily interchangeable depending on my mood.
Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
Dr. No
Diamonds Are Forever
Thunderball
From Russia With Love and Goldfinger were good, You Only Live Twice and Dr. No were average and I absolutely hated Diamonds Are Forever and Thunderball. I was bored to tears during those two.
FRWL
YOLT
TB
GF
DAF that's it
-Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
5. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER - Badly foreshadows the silly campiness of the 70s Bond movies. Although I must admit, it is a film worth seeing at least once in a "So bad it's good" kind of way.
4. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE - Okay hear me out, I never really cared for this film as a kid, and while I appreciate it's artistic quality and how faithful it is to the book, I still feel like the first half of the movie drags. Too much time on SPECTRE, Bond doesn't appear until 18 minutes into the film and even then it just drags. The train scene and fight with Robert Shaw is still a highlight of the series. I did watch it again recently, and it is growing on me.
3. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE - I know this film is kinda sloppy and has some stupid moments... but it also has hot Japanese girls... really what more do you want? I really liked this film as a kid, enjoyed seeing what inspired Dr. Evil. Call it a guilty pleasure.
2. DR. NO - There is no topping Connery's introduction in this film, it's one of the greatest scenes in all of cinema. Lots of fun moments, very faithful to the book, and Ursula Andress is still as hot now as she was in 1962. There's a few flaws, but as it was the first Bond film, all is forgiven.
1. GOLDFINGER - Really do I need to say anything? Goldfinger, Pussy Galore, OddJob, the Aston Martin, what's not to like?
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Goldfinger
Thunderball
Dr. No
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds Are Forever
I enjoyed your quick reviews. Interesting and valid points.
Connery era is a bit of a mixed bag isn't it? I consider the first 3 Sean films to be the finest in the series, however his last 3 are among the worst.
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
chrisisall, I'll admit parts of GOLDFINGER are silly. I always laugh at the overdubbed voices of the gangsters in Goldfinger's briefing room ("Hey what's going on Goldfinger?" "What is this, some kind of funhouse?" "What's that map doing there?") It also raises a lot of questions in the middle. Why is Goldfinger telling his scheme to the mafia guys if he’s just gonna kill them later? This just gives Bond a chance to thwart his plans. Or the scene where everybody in Fort Knox plays dead; if they know Goldfinger is going to break into the bank, why don’t they just stop him before he goes in? And for that matter, why do they leave Bond in the vault with the bomb? Like I keep saying in all these films, why didn’t they just shoot him? But that's really nitpicking, you have to have a certain suspension of disbelief in these films.
2. Thunderball
3. From Russia With Love
4. Dr. No
5. You Only Live Twice
6. Never Say Never Again
7. Diamonds are Forever
2. You Only Live Twice
3. Dr. No
4. Diamonds Are Forever
5. Thunderball
6. Goldfinger (though does have my favourite PTS of the series)
2 dr no
3 thunderball
4 from Russia with love
5 goldfinger
6 diamonds are forever
1.SF 2.CR 3.OHMSS 4.DN 5.YOLT