General Consensus of Bond Films

IcePak

Would you say that the following is the general consensus of how the general public rank the classic (read: Cubby produced) Bond films?

Note, this isn't about how YOU would rank them, but how the general public sees them. For example, this list puts TMWTGG and AVTAK at the bottom, yet I enjoy both of these films and would rank them much higher, as you can see from my signature.

I get the sense that most movie goers (but not all) would rank the Connery films much higher than the Moore ones (not that I personally agree with that, but I can appreciate that perspective because he really made the role his own). I sort of struggled as to where to put the other three films given the Lazenby and Dalton eras aren't popular or even really remembered by the general public.

01. GOLDFINGER

02. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

03. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME

04. ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE

05. DR NO

06. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS

07. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

08. THUNDERBALL

09. LIVE AND LET DIE

10. LICENCE TO KILL

11. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

12. OCTOPUSSY

13. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

14. MOONRAKER

15. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN

16. A VIEW TO A KILL

Let me know if you think some films need to be moved around in this list.

caractacus potts

how are we as individuals to judge the "general consensus"? isn't that yet another subjective question?

the normal well adjusted folk I meet in real life are different than the normal well adjusted folk you might meet in real life,

and even the published books or online resources we choose to consult will b different

interesting idea to try to determine however, I just wonder how to do it objectively

Ornithologist

Well, the closest thing would probably be to go by rankings on film websites such as IMDB, but even then we are probably talking about movie enthusiasts rather than the general public. Most people I talk to say that either Casino Royale or Skyfall are the best, and hardly even remember anything before the Craig era, sadly. As far as "these really old movies" (i.e. 80% of Bond history) are concerned, there is a consensus that Connery was the best, except for those who actually prefer Moore 😁. Often, these preferences are simply repeated over the years, because it's still cool to have an opinion on the James Bond films (at least!) even if one never watches them or is able to tell them apart...

caractacus potts

I'm sorry to say in real life most people I know like arty-farty plotless wonders, films with butlers, or films about worthy issues ripped from the headlines. I don't want to say what such folk think about the movies I watch, but it definitely does not get down to the level of who is the best Bond, its more like "I'm shocked to learn you watch such drivel". We gotta look at a subset to even begin to answer this question.

I got one lifelong pal who watches the movies repeatedly and when we get together we quote and reference and debate them, but he's not like us. He could not break them down by director for example. I have met many others who know a bit about Bond and can be persuaded to debate until they get bored by my geekitude and change the subject.

Here is my anecdotal summary:

In my days (late70 early 80s) entry level fans started off liking Moore and thought Connery was old fashioned. After watching a few more films as they came on TV the preference would generally flip, but I never knew anybody else who read Fleming, and the Fleming accurate films were perceived as getting the formula wrong.

Lazenby most people didnt like at first viewing, and I knew a few people who turned the film off after less than 30 minutes. Once someone gets to Telly Savalas and Piz Gloria and the skiing they suddenly see how great the film is and they're converted, but that's in spite of Lazenby, and they have to have patience to get that far.

I find its Dalton most normal folk are unaware of, and if they try to watch they think the films get it wrong.

Brosnan brought in a new generation, womenfolk in particular liked him. At the time, me and my real life Bond buddy agreed Moore had the wrong personality for the character but at least he had a personality whereas this new guy might as well be a department store mannikin. i used to hear a lot of "oh they still make those? why?" when new Brosnan films came out.

Craig is a whole different thing again, everybody at least knows about these new Craig films. the films are so different some folks who liked the older films dont accept these new films as Bond films at all, But on the other hand theres a whole new generation that came on board with Craig that only like Craig and see all the old films as old fashioned and corny.

That said, for younger folks, the Connery films have a hip retro vintage style, like MadMen, they find appealing for its own sake, and of course Connery has attitude. Whereas the 70s films have a dated aesthetic thats not considered cool and retro.