The James Bond Reviews, Part 4: 1995 - 2002.

Part 4, the Pierce Brosnan era, 1995 - 2002. 

17. Goldeneye. If Bond were to survive in a post Cold War environment, and hold his own against action stars like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the franchise was going to need a serious overhaul. Thankfully Goldeneye did just that; with a new Bond, an 'M' that directly challenged his sensitivities and a villain that struck a very personal chord. The elements of the classics were all here but this was Bond for a new age, and from the breathtaking opening jump to the brutal fight on the satellite we're with it all the way. Brosnan carries the charm and the wit beautifully whilst Sean Bean proves a perfect counterbalance, and to this day the only lowpoint is Eric Serra's questionable score. 9/10.  

18. Tomorrow Never Dies. Due, in large part, to Jonathan Pryce's somewhat smug portrayal of Elliot Carver, Tomorrow Never Dies repeatedly comes across as trying to be smarter than it is. Never the less there's a lot to like here as well. Brosnan is on fine form, the action scenes are suitably exhilarating (with the BMW 750 reaching new heights in terms of Bond gadgetry) and Terri Hatcher's Paris Carver invoking feelings of Goldfinger's Jill Masterson. Not as strong as it's predecessor, but a worthy edition to the franchise all the same. 7/10.  

19. The World Is Not Enough. Considerably better than it's poor reputation suggests, The World Is Not Enough is, at it's core, a very relevant spy thriller, which goes to great lengths to push the franchise forward and, in terms of it's villain, offer a new twist on a tried and tested routine. Denise Richards' nuclear scientist notwithstanding, there's a strong cast behind this one as well, and save for a few painful christmas puns Brosnan brings a level of darkness to Bond that hasn't been seen since Timothy Dalton. 8/10.  

20. Die Another Day. There's a very promising start to Die Another Day, where even the title sequence manages to move the story forward and set up what could be a very promising edition to the franchise. Within an hour, however, the film looses it's way with invisible cars, a laughably implausible villain and a cringeworthy CG surfing sequence the mere tip of the films problems. The cast here aren't up to measure either, and while Brosnan gives the role his all his co-stars add little flavour, with questionable performances from Toby Stephens and Halle Berry and with John Cleese proving far from a worthy successor to the late Desmond Llewelyn. 4/10. 

The James Bond Reviews, Part 3: 1987 - 1989.

On to Part 3, this time the two films spanning the Timothy Dalton era, 1987 - 1989.

15. The Living Daylights. Truly the dawn of a new era for Bond, and though snippets of the Moore films break through in a couple of the action sequences, most notably the cello case escape down the mountain, they are taken in stride and don't demerit the film. Dalton himself slides effortlessly into the role, channeling Connery rather than Moore, but with added intensity, darkness. The romanticised portrayal of the Mujahideen terrorists lessons the otherwise realistic tone of the film but don't damage it too much, whilst the highlight remains the breathtaking aerial fight upon the netting of a cargo plane. 7/10   

16. Licence To Kill. If there's a rulebook to making a Bond film, Licence To Kill to breaks it, and is thankfully better for it. For the first time since On Her Majesty's Secret Service we're let further into the psyche of Bond, as the filmmakers expand on the darkness present in The Living Daylights, strip Bond of his licence to kill and take him on a revenge fuelled quest to take down an drug cartel after an attack on longtime friend Felix Leiter. Though considerably humourless than one would expect from a Bond film there is still a lot of fun to have here, with Desmond Llewelyn providing much of the charm whilst an array of impressive stunt work ensures we never forget which franchise we're watching. The franchise was put on hiatus after this but Licence To Kill should never be under appreciated; and as the tone of the Daniel Craig films suggests this was merely ahead of it's time. 9/10.

The James Bond Reviews, Part 2: 1973 - 1985.

Continuing my countdown to Skyfall by offering mini reviews on each of the films thus far, we come to the Roger Moore era, 1973 - 1985.

8. Live And Let Die. A truly surreal Bond outing that fuses the 'Blaxploitation' films of the 70s with Voodoo and Rednecks, as Bond traces a heroin smuggling operation from Harlem to the Caribbean by way of Louisiana. Though a refreshing change of pace to the Bond formula, none of the elements mesh particularly well, and in his first outing Moore stumbles through the role unsure of how to play it. Like this era as a whole, Moore's performance and the film can never quite work out what they want to be. 6/10. 

9. The Man With The Golden Gun. Proof that his enemies favour outlandish gadgets perhaps more than Bond himself, the title character of Scaramanga is one of the few reasons to watch Moore's second entry, as Christopher Lee does away with the theatrics to present a quieter, but no less menacing villain. Though Moore himself begins to make Bond his own, the script does not fully allow for this, with the character being shown-up by his foe, comical car chases and even a couple of teenage girls. Not the worst of the Moore era, but far from the best. 6/10. 

10. The Spy Who Loved Me. Often regarded the best of the Moore films and there is a lot to like here. Though The Spy Who Loved Me rehashes a tried and tested formula for Bond it does so in satisfying fashion, with the sets being the most impressive of the series to that point, the girl a refreshing equal to Bond and the submersible Lotus Esprit on par with the Aston Martin. Moore's Bond finally comes into his own, and the film remains a high-point to the series. 8/10.   

11. Moonraker. For Your Eyes Only was the next planned in the series, with Moonraker being rushed into production due to the popularity of Star Wars. Like Live And Let Die before it, Moonraker doesn't quite know what to do with itself, and the absurdity of the laser guns and space battles don't suit the franchise in the slightest. It's hard to tell if the whole thing was a knowing parody or meant to be taken deadly serious, and to this day remains one of the weakest in the series. 4/10. 

12. For Your Eyes Only. A thankful return to Earth in more ways than one after the space battles of Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only comfortably downplays a lot of what had driven the previous entries in the franchise. There is no outlandish villain or plot for world domination here and the action sequences remain slightly more grounded, more realistic. As Moore starts to show his age, so does the character, and for the first time we see a portrait of a man grieving for everything he has lost, including, as the pre-title sequence sets out to remind us, his wife. Though not quite as dark or serious as the series would become during Dalton's era, For Your Eyes Only is nevertheless a step in the right direction. 8/10. 

13. Octopussy. Octopussy is another mixed bag in the franchise. For the most part it is a much more serious entry and features one of the most distressing pre-title sequences ever, but it is counteracted by the treatment of Bond himself, who in one scene emits a Tarzan cry as he swings through the jungle and is later caught dressing up in both a gorilla outfit and a clown, where he is publicly laughed at. The Indian setting makes for an engaging location and an increased role for Desmond Llewelyn is welcome, but not for the first time in the Moore era it's the handling of Bond that let's it down. 6/10. 

14. A View To A Kill. Like Moore himself here, the franchise looks old and tired, with A View To A Kill simply rehashing a lot of what has come before. Though Christopher Walken breathes suitably malicious life into Max Zorin, there's no hiding the fact that we're watching Goldfinger all over again, simply replacing Fort Knox with Silicon Valley; Oddjob with May Day. The mine set and the finale atop the Golden Gate Bridge hold a little merit but they're not enough to save the film, and with them the Moore era bows out on a whimper. 5/10.  

The James Bond Reviews, Part 1: 1962 - 1971.

To count down to the release of Skyfall later this month, I've decided to offer mini-reviews on each of the Bond films, era at a time. To start things off, it's the Connery/Lazenby era, 1962 - 1971.  

1. Dr. No. Though the film remains very much of it's time, the character is instantly timeless. Connery infuses Bond with roguish charm to form a new type of action hero whilst Ursula Andress lays claim to the greatest entrance in cinema history. Exotic locations and breathtaking sets help mask a somewhat rushed third act, and though the title villain is a little underdeveloped the tease of SPECTRE neatly sets up what will became a staple of the forthcoming films. 7/10.

2. From Russia With Love. Not so much a Bond film as we look at them today, but certainly a gripping spy thriller in it's own right. Though slow paced when compared to the rest, the climatic brawl on the Orient Express alone is enough for the film to earn it's place amongst the greats. 8/10. 

3. Goldfinger. The one to which all others are compared, and which truly laid the formula to all that follow. The megalomaniac villains and extravagant plots for world domination; the beautiful women, fast cars and nifty gadgetry have been both a staple and a source of parody for the series since, but it's here that they were all truly utilised for the first time and make Goldfinger nothing if not iconic. Auric Goldfinger himself serves as a welcome change of pace from the exploits of main adversary SPECTRE  in the other films of the era; Pussy Galore remains the most memorable Bond girl save Andress's Honey Ryder and the Aston Martin DB5 is, like the film itself, timeless. 8/10.

4. Thunderball. Bigger and better was the order of the day for Thunderball, and though it's often overlooked for being the immediate successor to Goldfinger there's a lot to like about the series' fourth entry; Connery is on impeccable form, the locations are suitably exotic and, keen to show off the increased budget, there's some thrilling underwater photography. If the film suffers it's that the underwater scenes last a little too long and drag the film to an unnecessary length, but they were a new direction for the series and for cinema of the time, and the fact they've been replicated in several Bond outings since only shows what an impact the film made. 7/10.

5. You Only Live Twice. Famed for it's Japanese locations, the literally mountainous volcano lair and the long awaited reveal of Blofeld, the cat-stroking head honcho of SPECTRE, You Only Live Twice is certainly memorable, but often becomes little more than a cartoonish spectacle. As suitably villainous and iconic as Donald Pleasance is as Blofeld (a performance that was never topped for the character), the volcano lair and the collapsable bridge into a pool of Piranhas turns the film a little too comical. Bond himself is treated little better here, with a bizarre attempt to turn Sean Connery Japanese and an aerial repeat of the famed Aston Martin chase in Goldfinger with the autogyro Little Nellie. Fun, but stretches the believability behind Bond a little too far. 6/10.

6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Often overlooked for being George Lazenby's sole outing for the character, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is arguably the most important addition to the franchise and one that helped develop the character of Bond to considerable lengths. Though Lazenby's performance doesn't live up to Connery's (or indeed any of the successors'), the film is considerably less formulaic than some of the others and actually crafts a compelling love story (with subsequent marriage) at it's core before delivering the most shocking, and heartbreaking ending to the franchise to date. This is also the film that introduced the series to snow covered mountain tops and thrilling ski chases, which, like Thunderball's underwater scenes, have become a staple of the franchise since. Sadly Terry Savalas doesn't quite live up to Donald Pleasance in bringing Blofeld to life, and though the actors for Blofeld and Bond have changed it's hard to buy that the characters don't immediately recognise each other either. Counter in Lazenby's breaking of the fourth wall at the beginning and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, though important, is not quite as timeless as it could have been. 7/10.

7. Diamond's Are Forever. Replace diamonds with gold and on paper it feels like we've seen Diamond's Are Forever before. Guy Hamilton was back behind the camera; Shirley Bassey to sing the theme. Famed American locales, audacious character names and, of course, a return of Sean Connery and Diamond's Are Forever becomes Goldfinger's spiritual sequel, and with the path set in the previous outing for a revenge fuelled Bond the film had everything going for it. Sadly, however, that's not the case, and more often than not Diamond's Are Forever becomes a highly camp parody of the franchise, all but ignoring the events of On Her Majesty's Secret Service in favour of cheap laughs, pantomime villains and easily escapable situations. Even Connery isn't enough to save this one, appearing to have aged twenty years since You Only Live Twice and offering a bored, ham-fisted performance. 4/10.