Best & Worst Endings (of all the James Bond movies)

Absolutely_Cart · June 2015

By ending, I include the last 5 or so minutes. Criteria: Originality, laughs, strong storytelling.

1 From Russia With Love
Ending: Tatiana betrays Rosa Klebb, killing her to stay with Bond, preceding a soulful scene of a city in a river with the song "From Russia With Love"
Notes: Pretty emotional climax to a tense story about loyalty. Great storytelling through and through, poetic, artistic.

2 On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Ending: Shortly after a merry wedding, Bond's wife Tracy is drive-by assassinated by Blofeld's henchwoman, as Bond nearly cries.
Notes: Lazenby originally did cry but the producers thought it wasn't macho enough for James Bond. Regardless, an iconic ending.

3 For Your Eyes Only
Ending: Bond stops Melina from killing Kristatos, but Columbo kills him instead. As the Russians coerce Bond into giving them the decoder, Bond destroys it so neither side could have it. Bibi gets sponsored by Columbo. Margaret Thatcher is talking to a parrot as Bond and Havelock get it on.
Notes: Wow. This is the whole package. Some comedy in an overall serious movie. What more could I want. That's detente. You don't have it, I don't have it.

4 Casino Royale '06
Ending: M elaborates to Bond on Vesper's betrayal, Bond locates Mr. White via Vesper's phone and assassinates him with an assault weapon, ending with the iconic "Bond, James Bond" line.
Note: Definitely a dark, gritty ending, but it strays away from the cliche and it's the wake up call the series needed.

5 Goldeneye
Ending: Bond drops Trevelyan from a long fall. Things blow up. Boris gets frozen. The marines pop out of the grass. Bond and Natalya kiss on the plains.
Notes: Has all the elements of a great ending. The comic relief, the memorable death scene, the romance. Well paced too.

6 Quantum of Solace
Ending: Bond, in Russia, sits in Vesper's boyfriend's hotel, interrogating him and his current Canadian intelligence girlfriend at gunpoint. M gives Bond closure and he drops Vesper's necklace into the snow.
Notes: Great acting by Craig. Writing constraints prevented it from being even better, but it's a sad ending that concludes the movie.

7 License to Kill
Ending: Bond lights Sanchez ablaze, M offers him his job back, and at a dinner party, Bond rejects Lupe's offer to kiss in the pool with Pam Bouvier instead.
Notes: Comes to a fast end. Wastes no time. Excellent villain death scene followed with a nice romantic scene. Well done.

8 Skyfall
Ending: Bond kills Silva by throwing a knife, M dies of excessive bleeding, Mallory is the new M, Moneypenny and Bond discuss the current state of affairs.
Notes: Sad, but in a way, transitions Bond into a new era. Way better than a typical love scene though.

9 The Spy Who Loved Me
Ending: XXX resolves not to kill Bond and they fall in love instead. Both the Soviet and British government see them making love, to their chagrin.
Notes: Funny, closes up the plot thread, symbolic of detente, and rounds out the movie very well.

10 Casino Royale '67
Ending: A massive brawl happens in the casino, everything is chaotic, it blows up, the Bond's go to heaven the Bond's evil cousin goes to hell.
Notes: I know it's not canon, but it's highly original, funny, colorful and overwhelming in personality.

11 Live and Let Die
Ending: After the mission is finished, Bond and Solitaire spend some quality time, Tee Hee ambushes Bond on a train, Bond defeats him and the film ends with Baron Samedi hysterically laughing on the train.
Notes: Wasn't expecting Tee Hee to pop out of nowhere but great fight. And the "Hehehhehe!!" laugh to top of it off. Hilarious!

12 The Man with the Golden Gun
Ending: Nick Nack, once allured by the idea of owning the island when Scaramanga dies, tries to assassinate Bond with a knife on his private ship. After a noisy fight, Nick Nack is tied up on the lookout post.
Notes: Definitely an original ending. Nick Nack is probably the smartest villain because he tries to kill Bond immediately instead of wait. Too bad he falls short.

13 The Living Daylights
Ending: Bond defeats Whitaker, Pushkin arrests Koskov and Bond joins Milovy for a romantic dinner.
Notes: Maybe the Whitaker fight was a bit much, but overall, the ending ties together very well. The romance of Milovy is a little less crude, and that's a good thing following AVTAK.

14 Goldfinger
Ending: Goldfinger tries to shoot Bond on the plane he boards, but instead is sucked out of it, with Bond and Galore landing on an island as it crashes.
Notes: Like much of the movie, this ending establishes the formula and does it well.

15 Dr. No
Ending: A calm love scene on a boat after a messy nuclear meltdown in Dr. No laboratory.
Notes: Was the first one. Set the precedent. A mellow end to a frantic climax.

16 You Only Live Twice
Ending: Blofeld evades Bond, the evil lair explodes, military Bombers drop lifeboats, Bond and his girl are on a lifeboat.
Notes: The movie is so good, I forgive the ending for being a copy of TB. But Blofeld running away like a child is funny.

17 Die Another Day
Ending: Graves dies on his own airplane. Bond and Jinx parachute to safety and make love on a bunch of diamonds.
Notes: The crazy amounts of CGI and diamonds give it a really lavish feel. Brosnan and Berry are sexy. Not very original but it looks great.

18 Octopussy
Ending: Bond fights against Kamal Khan and his henchman on an airplane, and escapes. He fakes being injured to spend the night with Octopussy.
Notes: Too bad I couldn't include the invasion of Kamal Khan's mission (too much time), but still not bad.

19 Moonraker
Ending: Something, something, something. Bond and his girl making love... in zero gravity with Q, et al. watching.
Notes: Okay, it's the same old s*** but zero gravity is cool. And Q's "re-entry" line partially redeems.

20 Never Say Never Again
Ending: Bond and Domino spend time in the Bahamas. Bond enters retirement but winks at the audience and says "Never Say Never Again"
Notes: It breaks the 4th wall and that's why I like it. Not a bad way for Connery to go out.

21 Thunderball
Ending: Largo dies of a spear after a brawl with Bond and Domino. The ship explodes, and they make love on a boat.
Notes: The bits on the boat were entertaining, but the very end feels like a rehash of Goldfinger and DN.

22 Tomorrow Never Dies
Ending: Bond fights and defeats Stamper, Carver's ship explodes. Bond and Wai Lin make it out alive on the ocean.
Notes: Seriously, these endings are getting repetitious. The Stamper fight was nice but he's a sad Red Grant clone.

23 The World Is Not Enough
Ending: Bond and Renard fight to prevent a nuclear warhead. Bond and Christmas Jones.
Notes: The final fight was okay, I guess. Bad romance. Horrible puns. Yuck.

24 A View to a Kill
Ending: After the bridge fight with Zorin. Bond and Sutton (half his age) are having sex in the shower as Q watches with a dog robot. Moore's last words are "Oooh!".
Notes: This is how Roger Moore is going to retire?!? How could you follow up one of the best scenes in Bond history with one of the worst?!?1

(I missed Diamonds Are Forever. As much as I think that movie was a waste, the Wint and Kidd scene at the end makes it top 10 or top 15 material.)

Barbel · June 2015

There's already a thread on "Best" ending http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/32150/what-was-the-best-ending/ but not one on worst.

Absolutely_Cart wrote:

Bond's evil cousin goes to hell.

Nephew, not cousin!

Absolutely_Cart · June 2015

at least you got that far. lol

MilleniumForce · June 2015

Worst to best of the very final scene of the film:

Casino Royale 67
A rather rushed ending, and quite a sad ending for a comedy. Hahahahahaha, laugh laugh laugh, and now everyone's dead.

AVTAK
Quite a cringeworthy scene, but it's in a cringeworthy movie.

DAD
Bond and Jinx playing with their diamonds, hahaha throw in a sex joke! How funny! (Sarcasm)

TWINE
Bond and Jones together, with the worst lines in Bond history.

DAF
The lines about 'a girl shouldn't really ask this" really annoy me, as it has nothing to do with her question.

FYEO
A rather silly ending for such a good film with Max and the prime minister.

OP
Pretty bland final scene, nothing special.

FRWL
Again, another bland final scene, and I hate Bond waving at the tape.

DN
Forgettable, but not too bad.

YOLT
It's a good e's end with the submarine, but it's forgettable.

TLD
Once again, a forgettable last scene.

TB
A unique way to do the Bond and the girl ending.

GE
Decent, nothing special.

QoS
Good way to end the Vepser story.

LTK
A nice ending where, for once, Bond has to chose who he wants.

NSNA
I like that this is a fourth wall joke here as well. Doesn't really bother me that much, and it is a good way for Connery to end his Bond run.

TND
Similar to Connery's endings where he abandoned help and stayed with the Bond girl.

OHMSS
Sad ending, but it is effective.

CR
Bond looking cool with his gun......nice shot to end on.

TSWLM
A great final scene, with one of Roger's best lines.

TMWTGG
It's a mean ending, but it's nice to see Nick Nack is still alive.

LALD
I like endings that open to a return of a character, it's a shame this one didn't pay off.

GF
Iconic Bond ending, just a really good way to end a really good film.

MR
Funny ending, and just quite a cool way to end the film.

SF
Love this ending. The beginning of a new era of M.

Sir Hillary Bray · June 2015

Here goes, worst to best. Focus on the last 30 seconds or so.

24. AVTAK - Fake-cheesier than Velveeta. Feels oh-so porn-y.

23. DAD - Bad CGI with the plane and helo, then even worse dialogue.

22. DAF - Start of an annoying trend where henchman try to avenge their dead bosses. Wint loving pressure on his privates? Puh-leeze!.

21. LTK - Glad Bond chose Pam over Lupe, but Dalton sucked at the romantic stuff. And the winking fish is simply awful.

20. TND - So boring I barely remember it.

19. TWINE - Worst ending line in Bond film history. Shame, because I quite like film overall.

18. MR - Like so much of the film, it looks great, sounds great, but is a copy of TSWLM. The disco music is cool though.

17. GE - Seems oddly abrupt, and Isabella's laughing always looks like an outtake to me.

16. QOS - Perhaps I'm harsh because I dislike the whole film, but the ending does nothing to elevate it.

15. OP - Funny idea, but sometimes Maud Adams's acting is too much to overcome.

14. GF - Was probably great at the time, but seems pretty blah based on what's come since. Would get a much higher grade if the last five minutes were included.

13. LALD - Why would Tee Hee be there? His boss is dead. Were they lifelong buddies or something? On the plus side, the Baron Samedi "is he real or not?" thing is fun.

12. TLD - Bond and Kara are too syrupy, but the hilarious entrance by the mujahideen redeems this one.

11. NSNA - Slightly AVTAK-ish -- old man and young woman in the shower. But it's Sean, and he winks.

10. TMWTGG - Another vengeful henchman -- grr! But seeing Nick Nack strung up on the mast makes me laugh to this day.

9. DN - Best part is seeing Honey's eyes follow the rope out of Bond's hand.

8. YOLT - I shouldn't like this as much as I do, but it's unique in having the final thought be "OK Bond, back to work." Moneypenny says the final line with such relish!

7. FYEO - I know many people hate the Maggie thing, but I really enjoyed it. Obviously, it dates the film horribly, but it was fun at the time.

6. TSWLM - The first "caught in the act by superiors" since YOLT, and by far the best. Shame they tried to replicate it so many times thereafter. An exasperated Frederick Gray is funny exactly once. This was the once.

5. FRWL - The hand wave never bothered me, and the romantic setting and music are unmatched.

4. TB - Epic and absurd and wonderful, like the film itself. Bondmania at its height.

3. CR - What an awesome end to a reboot, with a throwback line and musical cue.

2. OHMSS - Obviously one-of-a-kind. First time I saw the film, I sat there afterward slack-jawed for about 10 minutes. (Hadn't read the book.)

1. SF - Only final scene that actually gave me goosebumps. I felt like a puzzle had just been solved before my eyes.

Projectorman · June 2015

Sorry to interrupt , but I can't help noticing after reading loads of threads on this site that a great deal of the threads , even though being interesting ,informative and having many contributors ,are being shut down abruptly by a Mr bar bell ,or should he be re named Fred Closed ! Because of repeated content or topic,fine but we are talking about a 50 year old franchise and even if the same topic is covered twice ,new members are keen to contribute and learn from the more knowledgable members ,closing down these repeat threads only leads to a reluctance of new members to ask questions and start topics ,this can't be an encouragement to post .We are all fans and would like to talk freely about Mr Bond.

Sir Miles · June 2015

Projectorman wrote:

Sorry to interrupt , but I can't help noticing after reading loads of threads on this site that a great deal of the threads , even though being interesting ,informative and having many contributors ,are being shut down abruptly by a Mr bar bell ,or should he be re named Fred Closed ! Because of repeated content or topic,fine but we are talking about a 50 year old franchise and even if the same topic is covered twice ,new members are keen to contribute and learn from the more knowledgable members ,closing down these repeat threads only leads to a reluctance of new members to ask questions and start topics ,this can't be an encouragement to post .We are all fans and would like to talk freely about Mr Bond.

Not true...I've closed down far more than he has...

Do you think it's conducive to many to keep having the same topics repeated ad nauseam ?

There is no need to have six threads all covering the same topic - that way people are reluctant to post and the forum dies...people (new members and old) are more than welcome to continue to post in the open threads - usually Barbel is very helpful in linking to these (repeat) threads - and members (both old and new) will perhaps learn something by reading the open thread, rather than have their topic ignored because it's already been covered or being discussed elsewhere...surely you can see the logic in that ?
If you still have an issue with this then I'm happy (as I'm sure is any Mod) to discuss this further via PM... -{

hehadlotsofguts · June 2015

Sir Hilary Bray said:"13. LALD - Why would Tee Hee be there? His boss is dead. Were they lifelong buddies or something? On the plus side, the Baron Samedi "is he real or not?" thing is fun."

I think Tee Hee tried to avenge Kananga's death, out of fanatical loyalty for him. I'm more bothered about how he managd to climb in the post sack without anyone seeing him and how the sack was tied up without anyone noticing tjere was someone in there.

The Wicker Man · June 2015

My favourite three endings would be -
CR - Loved the "Bond, James Bond" delivery. Perfect end to a great film.
OHMSS - Tracy is one of the more fully fleshed out characters you can genuinely root for and care about. We see her go from troubled and suicidal at the beginning of the film to getting married and being happy at the end - only to be killed. Its a sucker punch for everybody watching and very effective.
SF - A real 'hairs standing up on the back of the neck' moment when Bond walks into that office and gets his orders.
Special mention for MR - What makes the re-entry line work for me is Q's delivery and timing. He isn't trying to be smart or clever, he delivers the line with a straight face, not smiling or winking at the camera, he is looking at his computer and the remark is purely coincidental - that makes it funny. Whereas the final line of TWINE is Bond trying to be clever and sounding anything but.

Barbel · June 2015

Sir Miles wrote:

Projectorman wrote:

Sorry to interrupt , but I can't help noticing after reading loads of threads on this site that a great deal of the threads , even though being interesting ,informative and having many contributors ,are being shut down abruptly by a Mr bar bell ,or should he be re named Fred Closed ! Because of repeated content or topic,fine but we are talking about a 50 year old franchise and even if the same topic is covered twice ,new members are keen to contribute and learn from the more knowledgable members ,closing down these repeat threads only leads to a reluctance of new members to ask questions and start topics ,this can't be an encouragement to post .We are all fans and would like to talk freely about Mr Bond.

Not true...I've closed down far more than he has...

Do you think it's conducive to many to keep having the same topics repeated ad nauseam ?

There is no need to have six threads all covering the same topic - that way people are reluctant to post and the forum dies...people (new members and old) are more than welcome to continue to post in the open threads - usually Barbel is very helpful in linking to these (repeat) threads - and members (both old and new) will perhaps learn something by reading the open thread, rather than have their topic ignored because it's already been covered or being discussed elsewhere...surely you can see the logic in that ?
If you still have an issue with this then I'm happy (as I'm sure is any Mod) to discuss this further via PM... -{

Thank you, Sir Miles, I couldn't have put it better. Yes, I do close threads if they're repeats (it's a part of moderation and not unique to either me or this site) and yes, I do provide links as appropriate.
It should be noted that although I commented on post 2 of this very thread that a similar one existed, I didn't close this one since there was enough variety in the topic- which should indicate that there is some judgement going on and not just blind closing of threads.

Signed Fred Closed.

chrisisall · June 2015

My favourite endings are:
YOLT- nice twist in TB's ending.
DAF- Tiffany's "EEEeeee!" was awesome.

)
LALD- AH HA HA HA HA HA!
LTK- Bond jumping in the pool, how novel.
TND- This time, no interruption- yea!
QOS- Quite moving IMHO.

Worst? Well, I don't really dislike any of them, but TB's rather dialogue-less and abrupt ending is not my favourite...

Lady Ice · July 2015

I think the QoS ending is great; simple but genuinely moving- not simply because of Bond letting go of Vesper in particular but an acknowledgement that he will never be able to have that kind of romance.

Absolutely_Cart · July 2015

I agree. It was genuinely enjoyable because of how starkly different it was from most Bond endings. It does provide that sort of closure. A certain kind of acceptance that his life is full of irreversible grief and regret, to which he can do no more than to just walk away and move forward.

Lady Ice · July 2015

Absolutely_Cart wrote:

I agree. It was genuinely enjoyable because of how starkly different it was from most Bond endings. It does provide that sort of closure. A certain kind of acceptance that his life is full of irreversible grief and regret, to which he can do no more than to just walk away and move forward.

Excellently put -{

Best & Worst Endings (of all the James Bond movies)

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