The Bond film which you grew to appreciate the most.

Brosnan_fan

Which of the Bond films were you rather unimpressed with (or felt was just mediocre) upon initial viewing, but has grown on you the most, having watched it time and again?

For me its GE. I remember walking out of the cinema thinking it was "just another Bond film"; I grew to appreciate how fun and entertaining it really is, having watched it on DVD and Blu ray.

BIG TAM

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, DIE ANOTHER DAY & QUANTUM OF SOLACE all underwhelmed me on initial viewing for differing reasons. But I enjoy all three now.

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH - A bit of a drag on first viewing with action scenes that felt unconnected to the rest of the film & a tone that was too somber. I far preferred TOMORROW NEVER DIES. Now it's the other way round. TOMORROW's too action heavy whereas I now prefer the pacing of WORLD. I also think it's Brosnan's best performance as 007.

DIE ANOTHER DAY - Felt just plain daft & a poor sign-off for Brosnan. Then I rewatched it on DVD & found it a good two hours of fun. Yes, it's stupid but watched in the right spirit it makes me smile throughout. In that respect it's equal to MOONRAKER, another Bond that always gives me pleasure.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE - The difficult second album syndrome feeling a letdown after CASINO ROYALE & headache indusing with all its fast cuts & shaky cameras. But I've rewatched it countless times & it grows on me constantly. This more than CASINO actually cements Craig as a great 007 for me.

AlphaOmegaSin

View To A Kill and For Your Eyes Only -{

Thunderpussy

OHMSS and LTK, both films I didn't like but over time became two of my favourites. {[]
and a mention for QOS which I also hated but given many viewings, I've come round
to thinking it really quite good.

King Kamal

TLD. First time around I thought not much happened, villains were weak and the whole Afghanistan scene was too long. Second time it felt like a completely different film, liked Dalton's intensity more and his chemistry with d'Abo, thought the story was well plotted and liked Brad Whittaker (probably the only person who has ever said that ) ) although still think Koskov is really too stupid to be a villain.

Sadly QOS is the opposite. Last time I found myself almost shouting at the TV at certain points that really annoy me. Need to go cold turkey for a while and watch it again in a few years.

herbie123

OHMSS- Not impressed when i first watched it, I think down to GL, but again it has become one of my favorites, also I have grown to like GL in the role.

Thunderpussy

+1 -{

ZorinIndustries

Now that I'm old enough to understand how films are made, I think OHMSS is one of the best Bonds there is.

Growing up, I couldn't stand it. I thought it was slow-paced and extremely boring. BUt now, I'm noticing the John Barry score, the beautiful (one of the best of Bond) cinematography, a fantastic production design, and incredible ski sequences.

Also, this is one of the most emotionally engaging Bond films, and that is why I love it so much. It's such a multi-dimensional Bond film, and that's something I completely overlooked when I was younger.

richbond

From Russia with love. I watched all the early Bond Films for the first time as a teenager on the tv in the late '70's. Goldfinger, Thunderball I loved instantly, but I wasn't so overwhelmed with From Russia. On second viewing 2 or 3 years later I was mightily impressed. B-) It's probably the most intellectual of all Bond films, which you only really appreciate with a bit more maturity behind you. Now it's my second fave, behind Goldfinger, and rising rapidly! It's the most faithful adaptation of the Fleming novels as well. The best of the novels too IMHO. On her majesty's is also criminally overlooked, though I did love this one instantly. Being a huge Avengers fan (and Mrs Peel in particular) may have had something to do with this, but I have come to really appreciate this gem of a movie. B-) B-) It should be in everyone's top 10 Bond films. Rich.

chrisisall

The biggest turn-around for me was QOS. I loathed it on first viewing. But something made me want to see it again, and on that viewing, I kind of liked it a bit. A few more viewings have made it my favourite Craig Bond.

always shaken

herbie123 wrote:

OHMSS- Not impressed when i first watched it, I think down to GL, but again it has become one of my favorites, also I have grown to like GL in the role.

I never used to like OHMS either ,would watch all the other Bond classics FRWL LALD DR NO GF
but then I started hanging about with you lot 8-) now I will put myself out to watch it if its on

Thunderpussy

IMHO that's the great thing about AJB, having others to give
different opinions which make you go back to watch Bond films
to see things you've missed or subtle story points you hadn't noticed.
Worked for me with QOS. )

chrisisall

Thunderpussy wrote:

IMHO that's the great thing about AJB, having others to give different opinions which make you go back to watch Bond films
to see things you've missed or subtle story points you hadn't noticed.

Yes, I had a rather questionable memory of LTK a couple of years back having not seen it since the theatrical release, and favourable reviews here (not from a certain German dude, heh heh) made me revisit it. Now it's my co-favourite.
I do love this forum. -{

Hardyboy

For me it's Moonraker. When I was younger I used to regard it as the worst film in the series. While I still think it's the farthest from Fleming's version of Bond and has a lot wrong with it, I see now that it has the best villain in the Moore era (Drax has funnier lines than Bond) and for the first hour--until the disastrous return of Jaws--it's actually a suspenseful, well-made film. All told, I'll now take MR over all the Bonds of the '70s except for TSWLM--and a good many later films as well.

Strangeways

What an interesting thread. At first I was tempted to say OHMSS, but on thinking harder I would say FYEO.

Back in 1981, I though Roger looked a lot older than he had in SPY and MR. I thought the pre-titles were awful and the stunts, especially the skiing and underwater scenes were too similar to previous movies.

However, as the years have gone on I really appreciate this film as one of the best. I now love the action sequences, love the underwater scenes - especially the keel hauling. The ending at St Cirils is great too.

Blackleiter

chrisisall wrote:

The biggest turn-around for me was QOS. I loathed it on first viewing. But something made me want to see it again, and on that viewing, I kind of liked it a bit. A few more viewings have made it my favourite Craig Bond.

QOS is my pick as well. It's still my least favorite of the Craig films, but I like it so much more now than I did when I first saw it in the theater.

AlphaOmegaSin

DAD, whilst not being amazing still holds a lot of meaning for me personally. It was the first Bond I saw in Cinemas and I remember that after seeing it, I had a Curry in a grotty Cafe that is surprisingly still open today

Thunderpussy

) probably still serving the same curry.

AlphaOmegaSin

Probably )

Thunderpussy

..... and that's the best kind -{ . I love when driving stopping at a road side
Truckers cafe, for a real burger ! :x

AlphaOmegaSin

Little Chef -{

Thunderpussy

No, they're usually big fat blokes.

AlphaOmegaSin

)

Silhouette Man

Probably DAF for me.

MooseWithFleas

Octopussy for me. I regarded this as the worst at one point. While it's still in my bottom half, it has climbed a solid amount. Take out the humor parts that push silliness too far and it's really a great entry.

TLD and LTK were a bore to me as a teen. No doubt I was naive then, as I have both right around the top 10 spot. Greatly enjoy these two now.

Higgins

in my case it's TMWTGG.

When I was very young, I did not care very much about the movie - exception was the Rolex Submariner.

I became to appreciate the exotic locations in Asia - visited them most in person - and Roger Moore's performance and interaction with Lee.
IMO Britt Ekland is one of the prettiest Bondgirls ever and I have always been a fan of JW Pepper and appreciated his return.

The only thing which still bothers me (like most of the others) is the whistle sound during the car stunt which almost ruins it.

Firemass

ZorinIndustries wrote:

Growing up, I couldn't stand OHMSS. I thought it was slow-paced and extremely boring.

Strangeways wrote:

Back in 1981, I though Roger looked a lot older than he had in SPY and MR.  I thought the pre-titles were awful and the stunts, especially the skiing and underwater scenes were too similar to previous movies.

Zorin and Strageways…Your original assessments were right on the money. Don't believe the hype.

Thunderpussy

Then again I think we all change our minds from time to time, apart from my
Top five films, I find it very hard to rate the others as they're all so close.

Higgins

well, I am sure that after some maturing and thoughts, your #3 will move to the smelly ground of your bucket

Thunderpussy

I know you think my number 3 is really a number Two. ) but
Give it time and you'll come round.

Higgins

how long time do you have? :v