Bond Reviewed - the Good and the Bad

GOOD: Interesting story, great portrayal of Dr. No by Joseph Wiseman
BAD: It seemed to be a little stretched out at times, but that is only a minor problem.
OVERALL: Great start for the greatest movie series.

GOOD: Great cast in general, great story, great use of Istanbul as a location
BAD: I can't think of any problems.
OVERALL: Best Bond movie ever!

GOOD: One of the best pre-title sequences (PTS) in Bond history, great cast
BAD: A bit of a plot problem - Bond seemed quite inept for such a great agent. What he did had little to do with the outcome.
OVERALL: Another masterpiece of the Connery era!

GOOD: Great casting, good story
BAD: At times, it got very slow
OVERALL: Very good, but it seemed to be a little too stretched out.

GOOD: Great story, great cast, great use of Japan as a location
BAD: Bond became a ninja impossibly fast. Later, despite the ninja training, there was a short fight scene which looked pretty fucking goofy. Not quite a Roger Moore fight scene, but not what you would expect.
OVERALL: So what if it is a little outlandish! It's one of the best Bond films ever made.

GOOD: Diana Rigg's portrayal of Tracy Di Vincenzo, believable fight scenes, great chase scenes
BAD: George Lazenby was a weak Bond.
OVERALL: George Lazenby was no Sean Connery, but it's still a damn fine Bond film. When I was younger, I didn't like it that much, but after watching it again, I really appreciate it.

GOOD: Great PTS, good song, great fight vs Wint and Kidd (the henchmen) at the end
BAD: Incredibly shitty casting, weak movie after the pre-title sequence.
OVERALL: Clearly it was just another paycheck for Sean Connery, who didn't seem to give a shit. Was he even fucking awake?

GOOD: Great casting, interesting story, nice twist - incorporating the supernatural into a Bond movie
BAD: The mood seems to change as rapidly as my moods. One minute it is dark, then the next minute it gets silly. Then there is the annoying Sheriff J.W. Pepper.
OVERALL: Roger Moore was a weak Bond throughout his run, but he enjoyed great support. This one is quite entertaining.

GOOD: Christopher Lee stole the show as Scaramanga. The choice of locations is great, too.
BAD: Mary Goodknight seemed remarkably stupid for an MI6 agent. Oh, and was it really necessary to bring back J.W. Pepper?
OVERALL: Very good, especially for a Roger Moore film.

GOOD: Very memorable PTS, great story - then there's Jaws
BAD: A little too stretched out
OVERALL: Proof that you can recycle plot elements from previous Bond films - in this case You Only Live Twice.

GOOD: There are some good parts - most notably the boat chases.
BAD: Bond in outer space - WTF? Plus, Jaws is basically Wile E. Coyote in this one. Then there are the weird mood swings between silly and dark.
OVERALL: Bond + sci-fi tropes + Looney Tunes = Moonraker
That's all folks!

GOOD: Great story, Greece as a location, good action scenes, fitting end for Blofeld
BAD: The incredibly annoying Bibi Dahl. Was she even a necessary character?
OVERALL: Nice to see Bond return to Earth!

GOOD: India as a location! Surprisingly good fight scenes
BAD: Kamal Khan isn't a particularly memorable villain - I only remember because I'm a Bond geek. Oh, and Bond is disguised as a clown in part of the movie. Bond in a clown suit is actually a great metaphor for the Roger Moore era.
OVERALL: Bond in India - woo-hoo. Bond as a clown - WTF?

GOOD: Interesting casting choices - especially Christopher Walken as Zorin and Grace Jones as May Day.
BAD: It is often incredibly silly, even for a Roger Moore film.
OVERALL: One of the worst of the entire series.

GOOD: Great casting, story and locations. The PTS was a brilliant way to introduce Timothy Dalton's Bond to audiences.
BAD: It seems there is too much packed into the one movie.
OVERALL: Nice!

GOOD: Great story, great locations and great casting - especially Benicio Del Toro as the henchman Dario. The chilling portrayal of Dario proves that a Bond villain's henchman does not have to be physically imposing to be a great menace.
BAD: Lupe seemed to be a weakly developed character. Then there's Wayne Newton.
OVERALL: The most underrated Bond movie ever.

GOOD: Sean Bean as Trevelyan/006, Dame Judi Dench as M, Bond goes to Russia
BAD: To put it bluntly, Xenia Onatopp and Boris Grishenko are just plain fucking annoying characters, worse than Bibi Dahl and J.W. Pepper. Then there are the portrayal of Bond himself (Jefferson Darcy: the MI6 Years?) and the feel of the movie - definitely not the Bond I know and love. I remember feeling very disappointed when I saw it in the theatre.
OVERALL: The most overrated Bond movie ever.

GOOD: Jonathan Pryce as Carver - stealing the show and making it his own! Without him, it would be just another Brosnan era attempt at Bond. Of course Dame Judi Dench did a great job, too. M verbally bitch-slapping the Admiral - priceless!
BAD: Unbelievable final showdown - it's supposed to be Bond, not Rambo! Oh, and then there is Teri Hatcher.
OVERALL: Possibly the best of the Brosnan era.

GOOD: Locations, Sophie Marceau as Elektra King
BAD: I don't know, how about Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist! The movie seems to start going down the toilet as soon as her character Christmas Jones appears. Then there's Renard - a remarkably weak villain. I expected better from Robert Carlyle.
OVERALL: Were the casting staff stoned?

GOOD: Good PTS - and that's about it.
BAD: Oh, dear - where to start? Excessive CGI usage, horrible title song, the invisible car, vertigo-inducing shots, a Korean dude who (for some reason) turns into a white guy, shitty dialogue
OVERALL: So shitty you may ask if Blofeld himself was behind this mockery of all things 007.

GOOD: A real Bond movie after the disaster that was Die Another Day! Great story and perfect casting.
BAD: There is a minor flaw - no explanation for how LeChiffre got his name. In the book it is explained that he was displaced, living in France and was "only a number", hence the name. The modern LeChiffre is from the Balkans, so why would he have a French moniker?
OVERALL: If there is such a thing as a perfect reboot, then it is Casino Royale.

GOOD: Great plot and plot twists
BAD: Vertigo-inducing chase scenes
OVERALL: Not bad considering there was a writer's strike.

GOOD: Perfect casting, especially Javier Bardem as Silva. Great story, too - exciting and suspenseful. Nice references to past Bond movies - just right for a 50th anniversary.
BAD: Why would there be a list of undercover agents on a computer that anybody could steal? That's kind of stupid of MI6. Oh, well - without the theft, the rest of the story wouldn't happen.
OVERALL: One of the best Bond movies ever!

GOOD: Spectacular PTS in Mexico during the Day of the Dead, Lea Seydoux as Madeline Swan, Dave Bautista as Hinx
BAD: Too predictable, especially a backstory that is a little too similar to a plot twist from Austin Powers: Goldmember
OVERALL: It's no Skyfall or Casino Royale, but it is quite entertaining.