Roger Moore, The Bitter Bond?

[Mr. DS]

I like the Moore movies but right now he's coming off as whiny IMHO. 

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20081111/122643635200.html

[raj]

Didn't Fleming write Bond as a darker character?  I got tired of the tongue in cheek Bond, the shoot out in space with the Marines was the last straw for me.

[ghouck]

I'm one of the few that liked Moore the best. Connery was good, I thing Brosnan and Craig were horrible and AFAIC, they, along with Timothy Dalton made movies that I don't even consider Bond Flicks. I don't believe I've seen "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" so I can't comment on that dude.

I tend to agree with Moore, violence for the sake of violence is boring at times.

[Mr. DS]

I don't know, I mean I know where he's coming from but his films had almost an Adam West Batman feel to them.  I know not everything has to be serious and "real" but I just feel each Bond thus far brings something new to the plate.  The film franchise has to evolve with the times and I don't think today's audience would grasp Moore as the super secret agent.  I think if a guy has a license to kill, some darkness may be involved with his job description. 

[AndyC]

I don't know. It seems like they played up that angle for sensationalism, but Moore doesn't really offer very much criticism in the story. He talks about how he played Bond and gives his views on movie violence, but acknowledges that the new movies are successful and appear to be giving audiences what they want.

Personally, I wasn't crazy about Casino Royale or Daniel Craig's Bond. Seems like since the late 80s, Bond films have generally moved toward ordinary action movies. Bond's fighting arms dealers, drug dealers, corrupt tycoons, terrorists, etc., not to mention a lot of ordinary thugs. Bond should be fighting megalomaniacs with grandiose schemes, superweapons and bizarre henchmen, and doing it with style and wit. That's what makes Bond special. The only post-Moore Bond films that even felt like Bond were Goldeneye and Die Another Day. The rest were decent action films, but lacked much of what is distinctively Bond.

[flackbait]

Didn't Fleming write Bond as a darker character?  I got tired of the tongue in cheek Bond, the shoot out in space with the Marines was the last straw for me.

True he did write him as a darker character. But he was more of a burned out agent  than anything else. He did have some finesse but most of it was luck. In the acutual moonraker book, he doesn't even shoot into space. Casino royale is closer to the book bond but it still isn't really what Ian Flemming intended him to be.

[Trevor]

 

I must be the only person in the world who liked On Her Majesty's Secret Service ~ that is my favourite Bond film, maybe not with the best actor but certainly IMO the best Bond film. Also the sexiest Bond girl ever: Dame Diana Rigg. 

Timothy Dalton in License To Kill played Bond as not really a nice person ~ that is the way I believe that Ian Fleming wrote the character and Dalton played him just like that. "He disagreed with something that ate him." 

BTW, AndyC: love your new avatar!

[Jack]

I agree with Andy, he doesn't really seem to be offering much in the way of criticizm.  He's 81 years old, comes from a different era in films, and obviously is going to have tastes that differ from what's popular today. 

[Trevor]

Sir Roger's also probably still smarting that his love scenes with Gloria Hendry in Live and Let Die were cut out of the South African release print. 

[trekgeezer]

I could never stand Moore, he was winking at the camera most of the time. By the time he got the role the gadgets had pretty much taken over the films.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is one of  if not the best Bond film. Lazenby was good in the role, but the public were too used to Connery, so they got him back for one more.

Dalton took the character back to the dark side, and Brosnan seemed to be a mixture of the previous Bonds. 

I really enjoyed Casino Royale  (enough so to buy it ).  Craig is definitely coming from the dark side with the character.

[Mr. DS]

I think its funny how Bond fans all seem to see things differently.  Who's the better Bond, whos the best Bond girl, coolest car, etc.  Granted, I find its awesome we all share that one love for the films.  I loved the Roger Moore films the best although I don't think he made the best Bond.  I think its because Moore films had the memorable villains like Jaws for example. That and the plot lines were epic (yet sometimes B-movie esq) in nature. 

Many may disagree but I like Brosnan (Craig pending) the best out of all the Bonds thus far.  I think if Craig kicks up the suaveness he'll be perfect.  The wife wants to see Twilight so I'm going to try to work the whole "you see your movie and I'll see Bond" in the next few weeks. 

[AndyC]

Good point. I'd have to say Connery was my favourite Bond, but the Moore films were more to my liking, for the same reasons. Memorable villains, epic schemes for world domination, cool henchmen and a bit of a cheese factor. Everything larger than life.

Of the Connery films, the ones I like best are the ones that have those qualities, such as Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice.

And I agree that On Her Majesty's Secret Service was a good movie. Hard to judge Lazenby as Bond based on just the one performance, but I don't think he had the presence of either Connery or Moore. He was OK.

Dalton's Bond was definitely trying to get away from the spoofing and back to the rugged Connery style. He wasn't bad, but the stories and the villains were not nearly big enough. Although, watching him fight 80s-era Soviets in The Living Daylights gives me a warm, nostalgic feeling today.

Brosnan was, well, Brosnan. The guy had a serious James Bond vibe long before he finally got the part. He was a good Bond, and I wish he'd stuck around for another movie or two. However, his stories were hit and miss for me. The best ones, for me, were the ones that went for something bigger and more fantastic. Goldeneye and Die Another Day were worthy Bond pictures.

[Mr. DS]

Of the Connery films, the ones I like best are the ones that have those qualities, such as Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice.

You're speaking my language.  Those were the best for me as well. 

Brosnan was, well, Brosnan. The guy had a serious James Bond vibe long before he finally got the part. He was a good Bond, and I wish he'd stuck around for another movie or two.

Yeah Remington Steele kind of prepped him for it.  I recall my brother saying he would be a great Bond when that show was on. 

Dalton's Bond was definitely trying to get away from the spoofing and back to the rugged Connery style. He wasn't bad, but the stories and the villains were not nearly big enough. Although, watching him fight 80s-era Soviets in The Living Daylights gives me a warm, nostalgic feeling today.

I actually didn't care for Dalton much personally.  He hit me more as a panicky bond than anything.  I think Bond has to be suave and saracastic humor wise but ready to kick some serious @ss if need be. 

Have any of you gents seen the Bond Swatch collection?  I like the designs because they don't shout "fan boy" but of course that would be my just cause for purchasing one.    I like the Jaws one from The Spy Who Loved Me. 
http://www.swatch-shop.co.uk/swatchjamesbondvillains.htm

EDIT
Heres the USA site...
http://store.swatch.com/VC
http://www.swatch.com/us_en/villain.html

[ER]

I blasted on Bond films a while back in another thread but as far as the different actors go, strangely, I like Moore best as Bond. Of course in any other capacity Connery is infinitely cooler.

[trekgeezer]

Yeah Remington Steele kind of prepped him for it.  I recall my brother saying he would be a great Bond when that show was on. 

Actually Brosnan was tapped to be Bond following Roger Moore, but his contract with NBC for  Remington Steele prevented it happening.

He had already moved his family to London, had done the costume fittings, and done promotional photos for Living Daylights.

Needless to say he was upset.