60th, 30th, 20th, and 10th Anniversary TLDRs: Thunderball (1965), A View to a Kill (1985), GoldenEye (1995) and Spectre (2015)
Shaken, not stirred.
Thunderball (1965)
Plot: A criminal organization has obtained two nuclear bombs and are asking for a 100 million pound ransom in the form of diamonds in seven days or they will use the weapons. The secret service sends James Bond to the Bahamas to once again save the world.
Direction: This was the third and final Bond film for Terence Young, after making the first and second films in the series, Dr. No and From Russia with Love. This was his return after stepping away from Goldfinger, Guy Hamilton’s Bond debut and easily the best Connery movie. Coincidence? Probably not.
Screenplay: Richard Maibaum wrote 13 Bond films, including another film in this retrospective, A View to a Kill. He adapted this one from the Ian Fleming novel with John Hopkins, which I really wanted to type out as “Johns Hopkins” because I live in Baltimore. Anyway, this is the one that’s the most like an Austin Powers movie, for better or for worse.
James Bond: Sean Connery is James Bond through and through, even if he has to do a lot of really boring underwater scenes in this one.
Bond Girl: Claudine Auger, first runner-up in the 1958 Miss World contest, plays Domino, the first evil Bond girl. And by “plays,” I mean “stands there” while Nikki van der Zyl, Bond Hall of Famer, dubs her voice, just as she had done for previous Bond girls.
Bond Villain: I’m sorry but Austin Powers really just ruined this one.
Bond Song: “Thunderball” by Tom Jones is a dramatic and heightened theme that sounds like how you remember Bond themes in your head.
Best Moment: This movie ends with a red rocket.
Rating: The 16th-best Bond movie, behind You Only Live Twice and ahead of For Your Eyes Only.
A View to a Kill (1985)
Plot: A newly-developed microchip designed by Zorin Industries for the British Government that can survive the electromagnetic radiation caused by a nuclear explosion has landed in the hands of the KGB. James Bond must find out how and why. His suspicions soon lead him to big industry leader Max Zorin who forms a plan to destroy his only competition in Silicon Valley by triggering a massive earthquake in the San Francisco Bay.
Direction: This was right in the middle of former editor John Glen's five-film run in the director's chair, which ended with his best entry, Licence to Kill. This is his second-best.
Screenplay: Richard Maibaum wrote all but two of Moore's films. He didn't write Live and Let Die and Moonraker, which are two of his best. Coincidence? Probably not. Producer and Bond heir Michael G. Wilson also worked on this one with him.
James Bond: Roger Moore is, by far, my least favorite Bond. His debonair gentleman act is just a front for his total non-superspy qualities. He also has the worst, and unfortunately the longest, overall batch of movies. This is one of the better ones, even if he's way too old for it by now. It would also, luckily, be his last.
Bond Girl: Although Tanya Roberts technically plays the Bond girl, Stacey Sutton, supermodel Grace Jones steals the film as May Day, the villain-turned-hero that only makes Moore look more decrepit.
Bond Villain: Christopher Walken, playing it surprisingly lowkey, is trying out his Batman Returns persona as Max Zorin, which is a great villain name.
Bond Song: Duran Duran wrote a pop hit that also just happened to be a top-ten (five?) Bond theme. It's great.
Best Moment: The fire truck chase.
Rating: The 12th-best Bond movie, behind Quantum of Solace and ahead of Dr. No.
GoldenEye (1995)
Plot: When a powerful satellite system falls into the hands of Alec Trevelyan, AKA Agent 006, a former ally-turned-enemy, only James Bond can save the world from a dangerous space weapon that – in one short pulse – could destroy the earth! As Bond squares off against his former compatriot, he also battles Xenia Onatopp, an assassin who uses pleasure as her ultimate weapon.
Direction: Martin Campbell directed the first Bond entry for both Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye) and Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), which are both widely regarded as two of the best entries in the series. I personally think Casino Royale is the best Bond film, but I'm not as enamored with GoldenEye as many are - probably because I didn't grow up with the video game.
Screenplay: Jeffrey Caine received an Oscar nomination for his work on The Constant Gardner, but he also wrote Exodus: Gods and Kings, so I guess you have to take the good with the bad. He co-wrote the film with Bruce Feirstein, who would go on to write two more Bond movies and four of the video games. He's probably best known for writing the New York Times bestseller Real Men Don't Eat Quiche, which has to be one of the dumbest phrases I've ever read.
James Bond: Pierce Brosnan was originally lined up to play Bond after Moore retired from the role, but he was tied up with his Diet Bond television show Remington Steele. When Timothy Dalton (the most underrated Bond) walked away from GoldenEye, Brosnan returned to make his first 007 film and the one many believe to be the best. The best one is actually Tomorrow Never Dies, but regardless, Brosnan is excellent in the role even if his movies are a mixed bag.
Bond Girl: Izabella Scorupco is fun, but Famke Janssen really shows her up. Not many Bond girls went on to have real acting careers.
Bond Villain: No spoilers.
Bond Song: You don't say "written by Bono and The Edge and performed by Tina Turner" very often, but I wish we could say it more - it's one of the better tunes.
Best Moment: Alan Cumming standing up and yelling, "I am invincible!"
Rating: The 10th-best Bond movie, behind The Man with the Golden Gun and ahead of Quantum of Solace.
Spectre (2015)
Plot: A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Direction: Sam Mendes never misses, whether it be on stage or screen, and if you need to be reminded of that - he directed Skyfall. This follow-up entry, crammed with storylines that don't go anywhere and total retcons of the Craig era, stinks of studio notes. This movie probably gets too much crap (it at least makes sense, unlike so many of the other movies), but it does damage a lot of the Craig goodwill.
Screenplay: Nothing says "The suits aren't happy" like four screenwriters. Too many cooks in the kitchen.
James Bond: Daniel Craig is the best Bond, hands down. It's a shame that he was saddled with things both out of his control (he made five movies and three of them are about how old he is) and in his control (he hated having anything to do with Bond after a few years, probably because they never let him do a ridiculous Southern accent). He did make the two best Bond movies in Casino Royale and Skyfall, and he's usually the best part of his other movies.
Bond Girl: Who would've thought that Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann would be Bond's one true love? Not me!
Bond Villain: Who would've thought that Christoph Waltz's Blofeld would be one of the most disappointing villains? Not me!
Bond Song: Sam Smith got screwed. Not only will he forever live between "Skyfall" and "No Time to Die," two of the three best Bond themes ("Live and Let Die" is the other), but he was also given the word "Spectre," which isn't very musical - hence the title "Writing's on the Wall."
Best Moment: The Día De Los Muertos cold open.
Rating: The 8th-best Bond movie, behind Licence to Kill and ahead of The Man with the Golden Gun.
Credit: Plot synopsis from Letterboxd via TMDb.