Harry & Cubby's vs Michael & Babs' Bond films

IcePak

We've gotten to a point where both of the major producer partner made films of the series are now at an equal number. Going with Dr No as Harry & Cubby's first Bond film and Goldeneye as Michael & Barbara's first Bond film, which of the films do you think is better? And yes, I know Thunderball is credited to McClory, but we all know Harry and Cubby were the driving force behind the film.

1. Dr No vs Goldeneye
2. From Russia with Love vs Tomorrow Never Dies
3. Goldfinger vs The World is Not Enough
4. Thunderball vs Die Another Day
5. You Only Live Twice vs Casino Royale
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service vs Quantum of Solace
7. Diamonds Are Forever vs Skyfall
8. Live and Let Die vs S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
9. The Man with the Golden Gun vs No Time to Die

emtiem

Funnily enough I think at this point they’re also level-pegging in terms of how long they were producing them too: Cubby was 27 years from first to last, and this year is 27 years since GoldenEye.

(although of course Mr Wilson has been working on the films since Goldfinger, and I think Ms Broccoli may have started on FYEO?)

It’s a fun game you’ve devised there! I think I’d go:

1. Dr No vs Goldeneye
2. From Russia with Love vs Tomorrow Never Dies
3. Goldfinger vs The World is Not Enough
4. Thunderball vs Die Another Day
5. You Only Live Twice vs Casino Royale
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service vs Quantum of Solace
7. Diamonds Are Forever vs Skyfall
8. Live and Let Die vs S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
9. The Man with the Golden Gun vs No Time to Die

So 5/4 to Broccoli & Wilson, surprisingly.

The Red Kind

Interesting @IcePak Thanks for posting this. My view;

1. Dr No vs Goldeneye
2. From Russia with Love vs Tomorrow Never Dies
3. Goldfinger vs The World is Not Enough
4. Thunderball vs Die Another Day
5. You Only Live Twice vs Casino Royale
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service vs Quantum of Solace
7. Diamonds Are Forever vs Skyfall
8. Live and Let Die vs S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
9. The Man with the Golden Gun vs No Time to Die = I can't split these two. Yes TMWTGG is a bit ridiculous, but just fun. NTTD is absolutely brilliant in places, but the ending ruins it (for me).

5 - 2 to Cubby and Harry

emtiem

No winners in match #3? 😊

writingsonthewall

Oooohhh, this is fun. I'll play:

1. Dr No vs Goldeneye (I had watched most films as a kid, and Dalton's were probably the first I went to cinemas for, but my Bond obsession began with the Brozza).
2. From Russia with Love vs Tomorrow Never Dies (FRWL being my personal epitome of the Connery era).
3. Goldfinger vs The World is Not Enough (sorry not sorry, love me some Elektra King, all the Bilbao/Thames chase PTS and God, that wardrobe).
4. Thunderball vs Die Another Day (got obsessed with diving after TB).
5. You Only Live Twice vs Casino Royale (if the Brozza began it, the Craigster cemented my Bond obsession; what a movie, Martin).
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service vs Quantum of Solace (pity Lazenby left, would have loved a couple more goes of his).
7. Diamonds Are Forever vs Skyfall (Skyfall's, in my opinion, a great movie but not a great Bond movie; yet given its competition it easily wins).
8. Live and Let Die vs SPECTRE (pretty sure they removed the acronyms for this one; that being said, the first Moore outing's much better in my personal rank).
9. The Man with the Golden Gun vs No Time to Die (the hardest choice of the bunch afaic; love many sections of both, have a number of problems with many others of both. Guess DC's final outing wins by a hair's breadth).

Barbel

writingsonthewall, I agree with the TWINE love but the White Knight PTS is in TND (another of my favourites).

writingsonthewall

I stand corrected, @Barbel, and you're completely right as it was the first clue to the scrambler. TWINE's was Bilbao, Cigar Girl and the Thames chase ending at the Millennium Dome.

caractacus potts

I dont usually think in terms of these rankings and whatnot, bt theres some interesting patterns here.

first, the first four Conneries vs the four Brosnans isnt even fair: the first four Conneries are axiomatically what a BondFilm should be, whereas the four Bosnans are the Broccoli kids trying way too hard to replicate what their father did effortlessly

Even my favourite of the Brosnans The World is Not Enough cannot win in this matchup, as it against Goldfinger, the most quotable film in the entire series

its the five Craigs that put up a better fight, as the better Craigs are against some weaker classic-era films. I'm surprised at myself for picking 3/5ths of these Craig films as winners as I'm usually pretty cynical about them!

I'd say Casino Royale beats You Only Live Twice, which despite the volcano HQ is problematic, and Casino... is the best of the five Craigs

Quantum... is most definitely not half so good as OHMSS, even less fair than the Connery vs Brosnan matchups

SkyFall does have some gaping flaws despite its ambitions, but still adds up to more than Diamonds are Forever

SPECTRE is distractingly problematic whereas I like the voodoo aesthetic and the McCartney/Martin soundtrack enough in Live and Let Die to overcome larger flaws

No Time to Die I probably need to see again to be sure, but I'm impressed enough with the What if content, and ...Golden Gun is very weak despite liking the two villains, so Craig wins this one

so lets formalise for polling purposes, with greater than and lesser than signs

1. Dr No > Goldeneye
2. From Russia with Love > Tomorrow Never Dies
3. Goldfinger > The World is Not Enough
4. Thunderball > Die Another Day
5. You Only Live Twice < Casino Royale
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service > Quantum of Solace
7. Diamonds Are Forever < Skyfall
8. Live and Let Die > S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
9. The Man with the Golden Gun < No Time to Die

emtiem

I agree that the Connery films are generally very strong, but for me Dr No isn't fully formed. It's a very important film because they're coming up with so much that is new, but purely on its own merits -and through no fault of its own- for my money it's just not as good as what came later.

GoldenEye is just a better film to watch to my eye, even if given the context Dr No is the more impressive achievement.

The Red Kind

https://www.ajb007.co.uk/discussion/comment/1042012#Comment_1042012

Ooops!😊 Goldfinger, of course! Although TWINE may well be my favourite Brosnan.

CoolHandBond

There’s no contest - Cubby/Broccoli win every time - I haven’t seen NTTD yet, but after what I’ve been reading, I’m sure TMWTGG will win.

mynameisbond007

https://www.ajb007.co.uk/discussion/comment/1041992#Comment_1041992

I agree, you’d think that the old ones would come out on top but I scored it 5-4 too

Kucherov

Dr No vs Goldeneye - Dr No without a doubt. GoldenEye is middle of the pack fare as far as I'm concerned.

From Russia with Love vs Tomorrow Never Dies - I love Tomorrow Never Dies but From Russia With Love must be the choice, here.

Goldfinger vs The World is Not Enough - Goldfinger has lost some of its lustre over the years for me, but it's far superior to TWINE - even if the latter remains close to my heart as my first Bond film.

Thunderball vs Die Another Day - To mention both in the same sentence is crazy; Thunderball by a million miles.

You Only Live Twice vs Casino Royale - See above; Casino Royale by a million miles.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service vs Quantum of Solace - See above; OHMSS by a million miles.

Diamonds Are Forever vs Skyfall - See above; Skyfall by a million miles.

Live and Let Die vs S.P.E.C.T.R.E. - the film is just called Spectre, not SPECTRE and certainly not S.P.E.C.T.R.E - however, no matter its name, it's possibly the most disappointing film in the series for me and I'd happily watch Live and Let Die over it anytime.

The Man with the Golden Gun vs No Time to Die - No Time to Die is a far better production.

IcePak

1. Dr No vs Goldeneye - Both are quality films, but Goldeneye was my first Bond film and it resonates more for me with what a Bond film should be. Not that Dr No is a bad film, but Goldeneye edges it out for me. Oddly, both have slow first halves .
2. From Russia with Love vs Tomorrow Never Dies - I'm a big fan of TND - it was the first Bond film I saw in the cinemas and has a great story, characters, and action, but FRWL is a classic film from start to finish, which watching it again recently restablished.
3. Goldfinger vs The World is Not Enough - I think GF is overrated, mostly because of the dull and drab Kentucky scenes, but the film has grown on me over the years and is very iconic. In comparison, I find TWINE a schizophrenic film with some great action sequences that most of the time feel out of place with the superior drama between Bond and Elektra.
4. Thunderball vs Die Another Day - I have a lot of problems with TB - the pacing, the story, the prolonged underwater sequences, the underdeveloped supporting cast - but at least it's Bond being Bond and has all the classic elements. As strong at the first half of DAD is, the second half of the film really deteriorates, making TB the obvious choice.
5. You Only Live Twice vs Casino Royale - CR is without a doubt the best film in the series because it does everything right. YOLT, while fun and containing some classic series iconography, pales in comparison.
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service vs Quantum of Solace - OHMSS is one of the best stories in the series and even Lazenby's beginner acting skills don't ruin it, whereas even Craig's great performance can't save the mess that is QoS.
7. Diamonds Are Forever vs Skyfall - DAF is arguably the worst film in the series made to capitalise on Connery's return rather than continue the story of OHMSS as it should have done. SF is a brilliant return to form for the Craig era and one of the best films in the series. Another no brainer.
8. Live and Let Die vs S.P.E.C.T.R.E. - I enjoy the investigative style of SP's story more, but there is no doubt the film could have been better. LALD, however campy, is a fun romp, and a great introduction to Moore's Bond with some interesting voodoo elements, a brilliant cast of villains, and an excellent score.
9. The Man with the Golden Gun vs No Time to Die - I'm a huge fan of TMWTGG because, despite its silly second act, it has some great villains, some fantastic locations, and a really cool concept. On the whole, NTTD might be the better film, with the Cuba section really standing out, however, the tragic ending and generic third act bring it down somewhat. I'm going to go against the grain here, but its definitely close.

Cubby & Harry: 6

Michael & Barbara: 3