The original and best movie
franchise is the 25 films (plus two
“unofficial”) in the world of “James
Bond” – he of the 007 moniker and
a license to kill on assignment for
Her Majesty’s government. The
franchise has great highs and
several deep valleys, but it is familiar
at all points of the compass on Earth
and shows little signs of slowing
down. Here are the links to all my reviews of “James Bond” films (in chronological order of release in the U.S. the actor starring as 007):
- ‘Dr. No’
– 1963 (Sean Connery)
- ‘Goldfinger’
– 1964 (Sean Connery) - ‘Thunderball’
– 1965 (Sean Connery) - ‘Diamonds are Forever’
– 1971 (Sean Connery) - ‘Live and Let Die’
– 1973 (Roger Moore) - ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ – 1974 (Roger Moore)
- ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ – 1977 (Roger Moore)
- ‘Moonraker’ – 1979 (Roger Moore)
- ‘For Your Eyes Only’ – 1981 (Roger Moore)
- ‘Octopussy’ – 1983 (Roger Moore)
- ‘GoldenEye’ – 1995 (Pierce Brosnan)
- ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ – 1997 (Pierce Brosnan)
For the record, “James Bond” is a
character created by British novelist
Ian Fleming, who was part of the
Royal Navy’s intelligence unit during
World War II. “Bond” has the
designation “007” and works for the
British spy agency MI6. Sean
Connery was the first and arguably
best “James Bond” with “Dr. No” in
1963 in the U.S. (it had limited release
overseas in late 1962).
The adventures of 007 encompass, as
of the 2020 with the planned release
in November of “No Time to Die,” a total
of 25 films from the original production
company and two “branches” of the
“James Bond” tree – the absolutely
awful “Casino Royale” from 1967 in
which David Niven plays “Bond” and
“Never Say Never Again” in 1983, which
brought Connery back to his most
iconic role in a sad effort.
As for the “official” films featuring “Bond,” producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman formed a production company they called “Eon” to make the first. Since then, all 007 flicks, with the exception of the two already mentioned, have been produced through Eon. The “unofficial” films were made through legal loopholes and “Casino Royale” was remade and the new film was released in 2006.
The rebooted “Casino Royale” was a step up even though it has the second-worst Bond actor of all: Daniel Craig, whose only on-screen expression appears as if he’s having a bowel movement for the camera. Thankfully, 2020’s 007 effort will be his last. But, who knows what the future brings? The next “James Bond” could be even worse — difficult, but not impossible!
Here are my favorite 007s:
- Sean Connery (of course)
- Roger Moore (took quirky to a new level despite his age)
- Pierce Brosnan (the most underrated 007)
- Timothy Dalton (a very, very bland 007)
- Daniel Craig (a sad, sad 007)
- George Lazenby (everyone knows he’s the worst 007)
I don’t count Niven in the group since his 007 flick was both “unofficial” and terrible. However, let me note that I know he was a superlative actor and that his effort in “Casino Royale” does not in any way detract from his legendary career.
So, there you have it! A small history of the 007 franchise in links …
Click here to view Wiki’s list of all the “James Bond” movies
Click here to view a short biography of all the 007 actors
Click here to read about the literary character of “James Bond”
Click here to read about the books and the “007” movies
Click here to see a list of all the movies I’ve reviewed
Click here for my movie reviews in chronological order by release date
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