Which James Bond Films Can Be Grouped Together?

[TMC]

http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000075/flat/201323024?p=1


I generally think of the Bond films as bouncing around between 3 major
styles

1. The Spy Thriller
2. Gritty Action
3. A Fun Lighthearted Adventure

,,, and so I group the films into those categories as follows (and in
no particular order).

Spy Thrillers
1. From Russia With Love
2. Casino Royale'
3. Thunderball
4. For Your Eyes Only
5. The Man With The Golden Gun
6. On Her Majesy's Secret Service
7. Dr. No
8. The Living Daylights
9. The World is not Enough

Gritty Action
1. Goldeneye
2. Licence to Kill
3. Quantum of Solace
4. Tomorrow Never Dies

Fun Adventure
1. The Spy Who Loved Me
2. Moonraker
3. Goldfinger
4. Octopussy
5. Diamond's Are Forever
6. You Only Live Twice
7. Live & Let Die
8. A View To A Kill
9. Die Another Day

[jack]

I have used the personal vs the send-in-the-cavalry endings as a way
to divide the films, with the first category being subdivided into
explosions and non-explosions. In the first category James Bond
generally defeats the villain/secret organization on his own. Dr. No,
Russia From Love, Man with the golden Gun, License to Kill, are good
examples as well as the two Craig films to date. By explosions I mean
that Bond has help from the organization blowing itself up after Bond
has tripped something up. Man with the Golden Gun is a good example;
one of the great one-on-one endings in the series, accompanied by the
villain's lair blowing itself up after a henchman falls into an open
pit of some ultra-freezed liquid.

Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, Moonraker, Tomorrow Never Dies, are
good examples of send-in-the-cavalry endings.

[Bill Anderson]

Here's how I divide them up:

The Golden Age:
Dr. No
From Russia with Love
Goldfinger

The Dark Ages:
Everything from there up until...

The Renaissance:
Daniel Craig

Yes, I'm very serious. In 1964 Goldfinger had my 17-year-old heart
thumping loud enough to be heard three rows away, and that didn't happen
again until Craig's Casino Royale nearly gave the much older me a case
of cardiac arrest. Some of the movies in between were fun in their own
ways, while others, a significant percentage, including some Connery
efforts, genuinely sucked. But I didn't get that James Bond thrill
again until the Craig movies. And Roger Moore never happened.

I think the finest use of the James Bond Theme, ever, in any of the
movies, came at the end of Quantum of Solace, which had only coyly
hinted at the music right up until:

M: Bond, I need you back.
James Bond: I never left.

Pow.

The effect on me was electric. Brilliant use of the theme based upon a
respectful grasp of the Bond movie heritage. I felt like a kid again.
Long live Daniel Craig's Bond.

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog

[W/Q]

On Jul 8, 4:17 am, TMC <tmc1...@gmail.com> wrote:

> http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000075/flat/201323024?p=1
>
> I generally think of the Bond films as bouncing around between 3 major
> styles
>
> 1. The Spy Thriller
> 2. Gritty Action
> 3. A Fun Lighthearted Adventure
>
> ,,, and so I group the films into those categories as follows (and in
> no particular order).
>
> Spy Thrillers
> 1. From Russia With Love
> 2. Casino Royale'
> 3. Thunderball
> 4. For Your Eyes Only
> 5. The Man With The Golden Gun
> 6. On Her Majesy's Secret Service
> 7. Dr. No
> 8. The Living Daylights
> 9. The World is not Enough

The only one I'd dispute is Man with the Golden Gun. That's more like
fun, as lame as the fun is in that one. For it to be a thriller,
there needs to be suspense and/or intrigue, and MWTGG had neither.

>
> Gritty Action
> 1. Goldeneye
> 2. Licence to Kill
> 3. Quantum of Solace
> 4. Tomorrow Never Dies

I don't know what to make of Tomorrow Never Dies, so I'll let you get
away with that one here.

>
> Fun Adventure
> 1. The Spy Who Loved Me
> 2. Moonraker
> 3. Goldfinger
> 4. Octopussy
> 5. Diamond's Are Forever
> 6. You Only Live Twice
> 7. Live & Let Die
> 8. A View To A Kill
> 9. Die Another Day

I can understand Goldfinger as fun, but I'd give it more of a thriller
status as it bears the elements of suspense and intrigue that
something like Diamonds Are Forever doesn't. You Only Live Twice is
another one I don't know what to make of, so I'll let you get away
with that one as well.

Overall, a fairly accurate assessment.