Which would be your ESSENTIAL (00)7 Bond films?

Brosnan_fan

OK if you were only allowed to have 7 Bond films - just 7, no more and no less - which would you choose?

I would go for:

DN - the original espionage thriller.

TB - the first big-budget outing, and a spectacular one to boot.

OHMSS - the most unusual one of the lot, and yet very good at that.

TSWLM - the Bond film with "everything". The attractive Bond girl, gadgets and equipment, wonderful title song, opulent sets and larger-than-life villains.

OP - well, it IS my favourite Bond ever, so naturally I must include it.

TLD - the outstanding action, complex plot and great performance by Dalton makes this a must-have.

GE - though I think TWINE is Brosnan's best, this one wins me over because its extremely fun to watch. -{

Charmed & Dangerous

Good one, Brosnan fan! Quite tricky as it's easier to pick one or two... But my choice pretty much hits my top films...

Goldfinger
Thunderball
OHMSS
TSWLM
Goldeneye
Casino Royale
Skyfall

-{

Thunderpussy

I'd go with my top five ;

OHMSS, CR, LTK, GF, SF and add. DN. & FYEO.

Bodie

FRWL - the best of the 'espionage' movies.
GF - the flagship of the fleet. The movie that sent Bond through the stratosphere and set the template for decades to come.
OHMSS - the movie which best captures the world of JB as set out in the novels
TSWLM - for sheer OTT entertainment
TLD - after years of the RM comedies Bond returns as a ruthless assassin
GE - Brosnan nails the part from the first scene. Pure entertainment
CR - perfect updating of the novel and the perfect Bond for a changed world

David Schofield

The "cinematic Fleming adaptations" - DN, FRWL, GF, TB, OHMSS
The Fleming pastiche - LTK
The post modern Fleming - CR

Firemass

If I had to chose RIGHT NOW the only 7 Bond films for the rest of my life they would be:

1. Dr No
2. Goldfinger
3. The Spy Who Loved Me
4. Moonraker
5. Octopussy
6. A View to a Kill
7. Goldeneye

Mr Mallory

Qos
CR
SF
LTK
GE
OHMSS
FRWL

AlphaOmegaSin

Goldfinger
On Her Majesties Secret Service
The Spy Who Loved Me
For Your Eyes Only
The Living Daylights
License To Kill
Goldeneye

BIG TAM

1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2. From Russia With Love
3. Goldfinger
4. Thunderball
5. Dr. No
6. Skyfall
7. Casino Royale

DEFIANT 74205

I think this is another way of asking which is your favourite 7 Bond films.

I'll stick with the top 7 on my list, thanks. I'll probably miss Goldeneye and For Your Eyes Only but not as much as I'd miss one of my top 7 films if I wasn't allowed to have them (say, for instance, I had to leave the house in a fire and could only grab 7 DVDs ....)

Number24

FRWL - Classic, true to Fleming and with a train journey. The cold war thriller.
GF - The gold standard
OHMSS - Lazenby's only Bond. Fleming's story is very strong.
LTK - Bond got dangerous agin
GE - Brosnan's best
CR - The reboot started with perhaps the strongest entry in the series.
SF - Just very good.

Blackleiter

DN - The start of an outstanding series
GF - It all comes together
YOLT - More entertaining than it has a right to be
OHMSS - A Fleming novel come to life
TLD - Bond means business
CR - A strong re-ignition of the series with a Bond to be feared

Thunderpussy

That's only six BL, you left out AVTAK. )

Brosnan_fan

^That's six, BL. Which would be No. 7?

Blackleiter

Thunderpussy wrote:

That's only six BL, you left out AVTAK. )

Sorry about my lack of counting prowess! I actually had FRWL in my first draft because I consider it to be a classic spy thriller. Nice try on tricking me into including the dud we know as A View To A Kill, though. )

Juraquagmire

Licence to Kill
The Spy Who Loved Me
Goldfinger
The Living Daylights
For Your Eyes Only
Skyfall
A View to a Kill

I really want add DAF, YOLT and NSNA to this list, but others best out of them.

Thunderpussy

Nice to see some love for AVTAK.

NeverSayDie

Goldeneye
Casino Roayle (2006)
Moonraker
SkyFall
The Man With The Golden Gun
Goldfinger
Licence to Kill

Firemass

DEFIANT 74205 wrote:

I think this is another way of asking which is your favourite 7 Bond films.

Sort of. Except one might choose differently to get a more well-rounded selection. For example if your top 7 is all Roger Moore films, you may want to include 1 Connery just for variety sake. )

DelicatessenInSteel

At this point the only Bond films I would own physically.....
YOLT, OHMSS, LALD, MR, FYEO, OP, LTK

Firemass

If I was an MGM executive tasked with released a 7-disc Essential 007 Boxset to hit retail stores:

001. Goldfinger
002. OHMSS
003. The Spy Who Loved Me
004. The Living Daylights
005. Goldeneye
006. Casino Royale

Not sure about the 7th… Either Dr. No or FRWL. One of the Bond actors is going to get 2 films…might as well be Connery.

Kabraxal

My first 6 are pretty obvious

The Living Daylights
Goldeneye
Quantum of Solace
Casino Royale
Licence to Kill
The Man with the Golden Gun

I think my seventh would be Thunderball. It hits all the multi movie Bonds and my favourites for each actor. I would be happy with these just these 7, though missing a few of the Moore and Brosnan films I'll admit.

Higgins

My 2 'lonely island' movies would be OHMSS and FYEO

Then I'd choose TSWLM because it was my first 007 movie that I have seen in the cinema and it's still a spectacular movie with Moore in top form and Barbara Bach plus the Lotus.
Then YOLT, TMWTGG and Thunderball because of the pure eyecandiness in large parts.
Then CR because it's such a mordern masterpiece with little flaws (armor talk - yuck)

And because sometimes I need something cheap and sentimental and see the main guy shed a tear now and then, TLD

SilentSpy

Clever topic. Only 7 essential Bond movies. Maybe you can look at it as the best. When I started to get the DVDs I got the best movie from each actor. But this I take it as the only ones you can own. Which would suck. But I would cheat and take all the soundtracks. My essential list:

Dr. No
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
Never Say Never Again
The Spy Who Loved Me
The Living Daylights
Licence to Kill

Brosnan_fan

Bondtoys wrote:

My 2 'lonely island' movies would be OHMSS and FYEO

Then I'd choose TSWLM because it was my first 007 movie that I have seen in the cinema and it's still a spectacular movie with Moore in top form and Barbara Bach plus the Lotus.
Then YOLT, TMWTGG and Thunderball because of the pure eyecandiness in large parts.
Then CR because it's such a mordern masterpiece with little flaws (armor talk - yuck)

And because sometimes I need something cheap and sentimental and see the main guy shed a tear now and then, TLD

Hmmmm.... I count 8 in that selection; I wonder which one you would choose to leave off?? :v )

Higgins

TLD does not count as a Bond movie really.

It's more like Sharukh-Khan Bollywood to me - minus the dancing )
So 7 Bonds and one Non-Bond - my post was correct

Charmed & Dangerous

NeverSayDie wrote:

Casino Roayle (2006)

NSD, I love the way you qualified it as the 2006 version just in case anyone thought you meant the 1968 version... ) )

Blackleiter

SilentSpy wrote:

Clever topic. Only 7 essential Bond movies. Maybe you can look at it as the best. When I started to get the DVDs I got the best movie from each actor. But this I take it as the only ones you can own. Which would suck. But I would cheat and take all the soundtracks. My essential list:

Dr. No
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
Never Say Never Again
The Spy Who Loved Me
The Living Daylights
Licence to Kill

Never Say Never Again? Big Connery fan, huh? (And there's certainly nothing wrong with that!)

Gassy Man

All the official Connerys plus OHMSS.

GoldenEye85

Alright if I had to choose my seven essential Bond movies and that was ALL I could take, I would choose:

1. GoldenEye - The first 007 movie I ever saw, and is just an all around great movie.

2. The World is Not Enough - Great villains, superb story. How could I not take it?

3. The Man With the Golden Gun - 007 squaring off against the world's number 1 assassin with a weapon comprised out of a gold pen, gold cigarette lighter and case? Yes, please!

4. Live and Let Die - James Bond in Voo Doo Land, what more need to be said?

5. Skyfall - Just one of the best entries in the series. It HAS to be included!

6. A View to A Kill - If no one else will show any love to Roger Moore's final outing as James Bond, then I will.

Uh-oh there is only one spot left, who will it go to? Will it be Goldfinger? Will it be another from Roger Moore? Perhaps one of Timothy Dalton's two choices? No it will be.....

7. Casino Royale - A reboot that I did not care for that much when I first watched it, but as I did more and more it grew on me. Now it is in my top five list at least.


But let's say you had a back up list of honorable mentions? What would they be? 7 again, no more or less. Mine are:

1. Die Another Day - A fine end to Pierce Brosnan's 007.

2. License to Kill - Not a bad 80s action movie with a little 007 sprinkled in.

3. Moonraker - Another from Moore that really gets no love. I will be that one again!

4. Diamonds Are Forever - Sean Connery's final official outing as James Bond, not a bad movie either.

5. Goldfinger - What list could be without this one? What is left to be said?

6. Tomorrow Never Dies - Bond against a media mogul? nifty idea.

7. Quantum of Solace - I had to pick a seventh film.

JayCobb1045

I've been breaking my brain (fairly easy to do) trying to decide whether "essential" films differs from my favorite seven. While I still noodle that over, my top seven currently are:

Goldfinger
Dr. No
Casino Royale
Goldeneye
The Living Daylights
For Your Eyes Only
The Spy Who Loved Me