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I would like to post an actual unpopular opinion: the James Bond franchise died along with the cold war, both because the Enemy (tm) disapeeared and because it got turned into a very loud commercial for whoever had the money (seriously? James Bond drinking fucking Heineken?).
For the time being, I have no opinion on whether I agree with OP.
I still remember that shaver product placement in 007 Nightfire PS2 and I was always confused as a kid why I had a shaver in my gadgets.
Also crazy how early they started with product placement and this isn't just a modern thing. According to the internet even Goldfinger had a nice long list of product placements: Aston Martin, Aviation Traders Caviar, Bentley, Dunlop, Harris Equipment, KFC, Lotus, Mustang, Rolex, Sunoco, Rolls Royce, Slazenger, Smith & Wesson.
Edit: And I wonder whether Mercedes pays any money for all villains in old movies always driving German cars...
Well, I guess to be fair to James Bond, the films were kind of about how cool James is, and all the cool, fancy stuff that he gets as a secret agent. I tended to like the more grounded movies, at least so far, with OHMSS and FRWL as my two favorites so far.
Yes, those are very good ones. For example OHMSS checks all the boxes. THE villain everyone remembers with a nice cat. A pursuit on Ski in the Alps. Lots of James Bond moments, tragedy...
I'm not really sure whether I have any clear favorites. Most of them have nice and memorable moments. Fascinating (real-world) locations or good subplots even if the main plot isn't packed with suspense.
Idk, I think I share your perspective on Goldfinger. Though Oddball is awesome and Gert Fröbe's acting is outstanding. Or maybe that's just me because he's kind of German culture an appeared in a lot of iconic villain roles in old movies like Edgar Wallace, The Robber Hotzenplotz and whatever.
One does not watch Bond to be "grounded".
If you want "grounded" spying, read "Iron Spy" by Ethan Quinn, or John Fahey's autobiographical books "Kremlin Capers" and "Passage Prohibited:Behind the Iron Curtain". Real spies don't announce it to the world.
Fahey was a real Cold-War spy. Brilliant man, with a calm demeanor while under pressure. He just passed away in 2024, I think.
Goldeneye proved this. M calling Bond a dinosaur, a relic of the cold war, was so self aware and apt to set the movie off. And I think that was the 'last' Bond that 'worked' for thebreason you described.
And that setting is also what made The Man From UNCLE work, including the unlikely alliance against the remnants of the Nazis...
Better times.
Goldeneye is definitely one of the best.
But I do like casino royale and skyfall a lot. They work, in my opinion, because they tell much more personal stories and have less classic spy-action.
I don't think I have seen Skyfall, but I remember watching Casino Royale and thinking 'Why did this have to be James Bond though?' It felt like a liability more than anything.
I mean, I agree, that the story would also work within a different franchise but Craig-Bond still works well, imo. At least in Casino Royale and Skyfall.
Casino Royale was the first ever book (and thus the starting point for the reboot series).
Agree whole-heartedly.
James Bond actually sucks as a spy if you think about it. Cause everyone knows Bond, and he spends most of his time being captured, ESPECIALLY in Goldfinger. The only thing he really does is fuck with Goldfinger and Pussy Galore
Finally! Someone who agrees with me!
He (almost) always tells people his real name, which the bad guys use to see he's a "British assassin." He has only ever worn a disguise once (and it didn't even help a little bit). He gets captured at lesst once in every movie. He's a terrible spy. But a great action hero on par with Stallone's and Schwarzenegger's action hero characters.
Idk, I think it follows under Stealth Mission rules, if there's no one alive to report you did getting seen really matter?
The only reason the military is able to swoop in and stop Goldfinger is because he was still able to gather and transmit intel even as a prisoner. Plus, Pussy Galore didn’t release the actual deadly gas because James told her it was fatal and not harmless like Goldfinger had said. Her “switching sides,” of course, paralleling the creepy “fixing her lesbian-ness” overtones.
It’s not that he’s a bad spy for getting captured, it’s that he’s good enough to save the day even from captivity.
However, he is a bad spy for getting both of the Masterson sisters killed.
accurate
It's got this weird car crusher scene,
The real crime in the film is what they did to that gorgeous Lincoln Continental. Although in fairness, it wasn't a collector at the time. Just a newer model luxury car.
Also, Timothy Dalton was the best iteration of James Bond. I will die on this hill.
Edit: Fun fact, Gert Fröbe, who stars as the titular Goldfinger also played Barron Bomburst in the film adaption of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which was based on the children's book of the same name, written by none other than Ian Fleming.
I'm watching them in order, I'm on Live and Let Die currently. I have heard really good things about Timothy Dalton, and I grew up with Goldeneye and Die Another Day (yeah, i know.)
Dalton is my personal favorite. I think he and Daniel Craig were the closest to the character from the novels.
Brosnan was ...not the best choice.
Brosnan was a bit of a victim of time. Dalton’s Bond has definitely aged better, but was not popular at the time. They wanted to make it edgier, and less womanizing. Personally, I thought it was a solid take, at the time and now. But Dalton was their second choice. They really wanted Brosnan. The show Remington Steele got everyone talking about him as the next Bond. When the show ended, and the role was available, the fans were excited. Then we learned about his contract with CBS, and that the network wouldn’t let him go be Bond. By the time he was available he could still play young enough for the role, but the franchise was reacting to fallout from Dalton’s edgier iteration. So they retreated to safe ground (sillier, a little more womanizing, but not Connery levels!). I would argue that the first three (Goldeneye, TND, & TWINE) were solid. DAD was a decent idea, but the production was bent on being “bigger and better” than anything else. Instead it was kind of a farce of itself. I guess the only good thing we got was Madonna finally realized that, but for that 1 role where she basically played a non-singing 1940s version of herself, she’s a terrible actress. I think Brosnan was still a solid Bond, despite the goals of the franchise at the time.
They didn’t figure out how to do edgy right until Craig (and the Bourne movies kind of helped with that).
Classification guide for James Bond movies.
my husband would agree with you