Shoutout to u/Hackzonjob for inspiring me to make this post after I saw his post about Roger Moore's reputation among modern viewers.
I would argue that The Spy Who Loved Me set the template for the modern films, with the greater emphasis on stunts (every subsequent film featured daring stunts to try to rival the parachute jump), globe-trotting action (Connery's films typically took place in one primary location for most of the film: Jamaica, Istanbul, Bahamas, Japan, etc.), and by adding a bit more depth to Bond's character (Bond's conversation to Anya about why he killed her lover and the reference to Tracy, which set the stage for For Your Eyes Only's theme of revenge as well as providing context to Dalton and Brosnan's motivations and adding a layer of sadness to Bond's womanizing).
Moore's later films continued some, if not all, of these aforementioned elements. Dalton's films are a continuation of Moore's eighties films in style and tone due to the carry-over in production team, but with a greater focus on shaking up the formula. The similarities between Della and Tracy's deaths are what cause Bond to go on a rampage in Licence To Kill.
Brosnan's films are closer to TSWLM and MR with a strong emphasis on gadgets and larger-than-life spectacle. However, Brosnan's films build upon TSWLM's reference to Tracy. GoldenEye has Trevelyan mention how Bond beds women to forget about those who lost (Tracy being the most obvious example), Tomorrow Never Dies has Paris added to this list, Purvis and Wade's intention for The World Is Not Enough was to have Bond see Elektra as the next Tracy, only for her to be revealed to be another Blofeld. Die Another Day feels quite disconnected from Brosnan's earlier films, mainly because it doubled down on the gadgetry without recognizing that those films still felt somewhat grounded in reality. However, it does continue the focus on Bond's tainted love life with Miranda Frost's betrayal of Bond. One can imagine how Bond would have reacted to Vesper's betrayal and death had Brosnan appeared in Casino Royale.
Even Craig's films owe their existence to The Spy Who Loved Me. Bond's reasons for being an assassin are a recurring theme in Craig's era, albeit overdone. One of the first discussions about how Bond views his job could be traced back to TSWLM with Bond's discussion with Anya about why he killed her lover. For Your Eyes Only is close to Craig's films in tone and was the first attempt at bringing the franchise back to its roots; while it tried to distance itself from Moonraker, FYEO still took what worked in TSWLM and applied it to a story influenced by FRWL and OHMSS.
The Spy Who Loved Me saved the franchise and had an influence on the direction the more modern films have taken. Roger Moore gets flack for his more lighthearted interpretation, but his films from TSWLM onward began the efforts to make Bond a more nuanced character (which had only been done once before in OHMSS, which was seen as a failure at the time) as well as placing greater emphasis on stunts and stories, that while complementary to the spectacle, would at least have effort placed into them.

Following the trend:

1. License to Kill - A somewhat controversial pick, I suppose. I just adore this film for it's fantastic villain, well written plot, violence, great Bond girl and Dalton in his prime. The final tanker chase is one of my favorite Bond action climaxes, but the film has so much more to offer. Especially in the moments between Dalton and Davi.
2. OHMSS - This could easily be #1. It's a flawless Bond movie to me, and yes that includes Lazenby's performance. It has my favorite Bond girl of all time (RIP Diana Rigg) and the best Blofeld interpretation in my book, along with a very unique sense of scale and cinematography. The soundtrack is always playing in my mind whenever I ski and the scene with Tracy ice skating is one of the most romantic moments in film to me.
3. Casino Royale - It's all very brilliant, except for a few lines of dialogue that are just too kitschy between Bond and Vesper. Aside from that, fantastic. One of the best openings+gun barrels+title sequences in all of Bond.
4. Goldeneye - I feel like this one is still super popular, but also has been getting a lot of shit lately. I think it's mostly superb. Yes, Brosnan isn't quite comfortable in the role yet, but he does have some stand out scenes, especially on the physical end. Great ensemble of villains and one of my favorite Bond girls that not nearly enough people talk about.
5. The Spy Who Loved Me - To me, this is the perfect mix of cheesiness and grit that a James Bond film needs, at least in Moore's era. It has an amazing end battle scene, the sets are breathtaking and Jaws scared the living shit out of me as a kid whenever he bites someone to death. Also, that opening will forever stay in my mind as magical.
6. From Russia With Love - Super straight forward and strong because of that. It's just a great cold war thriller, which introduced a lot of classic Bond elements for the first time. The fight between Bond and Grant on the train is still one of my favorite hand to hand fight scenes of all time!
7. Skyfall - Yes, I know it has a giant amount of plot holes and I don't really care. Seeing this as my first Bond film experience in a movie theatre was and forever will be memorable. Again, lots of love for the climax, but in general this film just oozes Bond to me and not because of the well planted references (as opposed to DAD).
8. The Living Daylights - Talk about oozing Bond. The scene where Saunders dies and Dalton turns into bloodlust Bond for a minute is one of my favorite things in the series. I love the naiv personality of Kara and Necros is one hell of a capable henchman.
9. For Your Eyes Only - Rewatched this one recently and man, is it good. So fast paced, so action packed and yet very well balanced with the story beats. Melina is undoubtedly one of the best Bond girls to me and Glenn's debut as a director was impressive as all hell.
10. Dr No - Where it all started. Yes, the other Bond movies in my list that rank lower might have more fun elements, but Dr No has something that beats it all out: Class. It knows exactly what it wants to be and it just is it. From the first time we see Bond, to the murder of Professor Dent, to the dinner with the titular character, it's all so classy, yet still raw. Exactly what Bond is meant to be.

Saw the post mentioning that no one has attempted to give Quantum of Solace a rewrite and decided to give it a shot. It was actually harder than I thought. Rewatching it I think many of the film’s issues comes from the director writer than writing. I think the generally plotting of the film is fairly decent, especially giving the ongoing writer’s strike at the time. The main issue is that there’s effectively two films going on: One in which Bond is hunting down Quantum seeking revenge for Vesper and one in which Bond goes rogue in order to stop the CIA financing a coup d’etat in Boliva. My main goal was to try better merge them into a more cohesive story. In particular I want to give Vesper’s former lover, Yusuf Kabira, (ie the reason she betrays Bond and then gets murdered in Casino Royale) more of a role, rather than just having him be relegated to a single scene at the end of the film.

The Changes

· Making Yusuf Kabira, Vesper’s former lover, a major character, effectively serving as the main henchman of the film
· Changing Camille’s backstory. Instead of being a Bolivian agent she’s the daughter of the current Bolivian president and she’s has also been seduced by Kabira. Quantum’s plan is to expose the relationship between the President’s daughter and a foreign agent, thus creating a political scandal that will pre-empt a coup d’état by General Medrano.
· We cut Dominic Greene and the Plot To Steal Bolivar’s Water entirely. We give most of Greene’s role to Mr White.
· Finally, we are going to play up the whole Bond Versus the CIA thing. Lets try and use Jefferey Wright more and give Felix a bit of a redemption arc

The new plot

We are going to cut the opening car chase entirely and start with Bond driving into the Sienna safehouse having captured Mr White at the end of Casino Royale. Waiting inside the safehouse are M and another agent called Yusuf Kabira. Bond can greet Kabira saying something like “How was Bolivia?” and he replies with something witty like “Very stimulating”. The interrogation goes the same way as the original as Kabira is revealed to be a double agent and helps Mr White escape. Bond chases Kabira across the rooftops of Sienna. They can briefly fight but Kabira is able to escape. Cut to the opening title sequence.
After the titles we see MI6 investigating Kabira’s London apartment. In a secret compartment they discovered files on Vesper Lynd including photos of Kabira and Vesper together. Bond is visibly shaken by this information and M asks him if Bond can be trusted to keep his feelings separate from his job. Bond assures M he will. He also suggests looking into Kabira’s recent mission in Bolivar. When they do, they discover that Kabira was having frequent meetings with a mysterious woman at a particular hotel and will soon meet her again.
Kabira meets the mysterious woman, who we learn is called Camille, in the hotel in Santa Cruz, Boliva. The two are clearly lovers. They go to their room but are ambushed by Bond waiting for them there. We then basically get the scene from the end of Quantum of Solace where Bond reveals who Kabira is to Camille and shows her the necklace he gave to Vesper, identical to one Kabira’s given to Camille. Camille is obviously shocked by this revelation. At gunpoint Bond orders the two of them into a car to drive to an airfield where MI6 is waiting to arrest Kabira. In the car Kabira taunts Bond about Vesper. The car is soon stopped by members of the Bolivian military led by a General Medrano.
Bond now finds himself being captured as he is separated from Kabira and Camille and taking to a different site. There he discovers Felix Leiter and several other CIA agents. Initially Bond is pleased to see an ally but quickly realises that Felix and the CIA are working with Medrano and Kabira. Leiter tries to justify himself saying that things are more complicated than they seem, and that MI6 has no business getting involved in Bolivia. He also reveals that Camille is the daughter of the Bolivian president. He pleads with Bond to go back to London and forget about what he has seen. Bond refuses and escapes leading to a chase between Bond and the CIA. Bond is able to make his way to the airfield where he leaves Bolivia, dejected after failing to capture Kabira and avenge Vesper.
We then see Leiter meeting with White and Medrano. This pretty much resembles the scene from the original film where the CIA strikes a non-interference deal with the pair in exchange for the USA gaining access to Bolivian oil. After Leiter leaves, Medrano tells White that he has held up his end of the bargain and accuses White of unnecessarily delays. White argues that they need the support of the other partners of “his organisation” before they can go ahead, and Medrano replies that perhaps he should speak to White’s partners in person.
MI6 discover that Medrano has booked a ticket to see an opera in Bregenz, Austria and Bond goes to investigate. We then get the scene from the original film where the leaders of Quantum have their meeting during the Opera. Medrano is also at the meeting and we hear the Quantum members give their assent to go ahead with Medrano and White’s plan to expose the relationship between Camille and Kabira (who will be presented as a British spy) thus creating a political scandal which will cause a crisis allowing Medrano to seize power. Afterwards Medrano will allow Quantum to take control of Bolivia’s oil fields. With Medrano is Camille who is clearly being held there against her will. When she excuses herself to go to the bathroom Medrano sends one of his men to watch her. Camille still attempts to escapes and Bond intervenes helping her but blowing his cover in the process and gets caught in a very public shoot out with Medrano’s men. Medrano and the other members of Quantum escape.
We then cut to London where we see M getting a dressing down from the foreign secretary in the aftermath of the shooting in Austria. The foreign secretary tells M that the Prime Minister has bowed to American pressure and order that all MI6 operations in South America be terminated. With no choice M calls Bond and orders him to return to England but Bond of course refuses. M once again asks if his desire to get revenge on Kabira for Vesper’s death is affecting his decision-making. Bond hangs up.
In a safehouse Bond and Camille watch as news of Camille’s relationship with Kabira makes international headlines and the crisis Medrano and White engineered begins to take shape. Bond and Camille open up to each other, with Bond hinting at his past with Vesper. They resolve to return to Bolivia and attempt to prevent Medrano’s coup d’état. Without MI6 aid Bond turns to Rene Mathis who, after being acquitted of being a double agent following Casino Royale, is living in retirement in the south of France. Mathis agrees to help them, and they use his private jet to fly to Bolivia.
As they reach Bolivian airspace two American fighter jets begin tailing them, ordering them to land. Bond, Mathis and Rene agree that their only option is to abandon the plane only to learn there’s only one parachute onboard. Mathis tells Bond and Camille to escape while he leads the Americans away, sacrificing himself. Bond tries to protest. Mathis tells Bond that Vesper did love him. As Bond and Camille cling to each other with the parachute they see Mathis’ plane get shot down.
Once they land, they make their way to Bolivia’s capital La Paz. Felix contacts Bond for a meeting, effectively offering a brief truce. Camille tells Bond its a trap, but Bond decides to go anyway. They meet in a bar and Bond is able to convince Felix that Medrano will betray the CIA and give Quantum access to the Bolivan oil fields. Felix tells Bond that they are currently being watched by other CIA agents and as soon as Bond leaves, they will try to kill him. Felix gives Bond a location to go to if he survives. Evading the American agents Bond goes to this location and discovers Felix has left him a file detailing the CIA’s involvement in the impending coup d’état.
We then see tanks rolling into La Paz as the Medrano’s coup d’état begins. Medrano arrives at the state television station to announce his takeover. Bond and Camille race to the station to try to stop him. Fighting their way through Medrano’s men they are confronted by Kabira. Bond and Kabira get locked in a one-on-one shootout as Camille goes to take on Medrano alone. She finds the studio where Medrano is broadcasting the announcement of his new rule. His men have all left to stop Bond leaving Medrano all alone. Camille shoots Medrano and starts showing the Felix’s evidence of the CIA’s involvement.
Mr White, watching this unfold, orders the broadcast be stopped by any means necessary. The tanks outside the television station suddenly begin firing on the building, reducing it to rubble.
We cut back to Bond and Kabira who are now fighting hand-to-hand. As the building starts to collapse Kabira becomes trapped under falling debris. In desperation he reaches out to Bond. Bond holds out his hand, only to drop Vesper’s necklace in front of him. He leaves Kabira to die. Finding Camille, the two escape the collapsing television station.
They go to the Bolivian Presidential Palace as the Bolivian military either retreats or surrenders around them. There Camille’s family is waiting. The two kiss before parting ways.
Cut to a few weeks later Bond meets Leiter on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Leiter tells Bond that Mr White and the other members of Quantum have all gone underground and can’t be found. Bond asks Leiter if he’s been reprimanded for the whole Bolivian affair and Leiter replies he’s being sent on a dead-end assignment to San Monique. The two part as friends. As Felix leaves Bond receives a call from M about his next mission.

I'm gonna go with reverse reveal (al a David Letterman)
Brief context. Without fail almost every year for about the last 10 years I have watched every Bond movie but not always in release order, just in the order of how I feel like watching. Now that I have completed my 2020 rewatch, I saw other top tens, I decided to play too!

1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

I never know how to feel some years with this movie. I do think it's incredibly important and I do think it's got a weird structure to the narrative that I think messes with the flow. While I enjoy the meta humor at the beginning, I do think it's a bit heavy-handed and unnecessary but it does sneak in as my number 10. It kind of jostles with The living daylights and Spectre for that ten spot

1. Moonraker

While I agree that the spy who loved me is a ton of fun, I still come back to Moonraker as a more enjoyable film. It doesn't take too many lulls in the action and it has a far more interesting villain than its predecessor while still maintaining Jaws as a carryover. I love the set pieces and the rationale of killing humanity is, both a scary thought, and a sort of Thanos like mission.

1. License to Kill

First and foremost, I am a big Timothy Dalton fanboy. I think he was a severely underrated. I think between his two outings, I prefer this movie. Very rarely would you see the main character take those sort of hits and punches and cuts and scrapes but in Dalton's time Bond was his most dark and real. And those are the qualities I think I appreciate in comparison to the more campy feel of Roger Moore.

1. Tomorrow Never Dies

While I think Pierce Brosnan maybe had two films that were good, I think those good films were exceptionally good. And this film still speaks to the issues of today because of how great and scary a villain like Jonathan Carver is in the now reality of fake news. This was so ahead of its time and I think my appreciation for it only grows with every passing year that I watch it.

1. Casino Royale (2006)

So if it wasn't already obvious that my enjoyment of Dalton has led to my very real enjoyment of Craig. Call it a reboot if you want or not I just still enjoy it. Love the opening sequence, love the opening track, love the banter with Vesper and how that plays out through the film. And then re-watching it with that knowledge almost makes these small choices in the film more interesting. I noticed more details that were really clever when I would rewatch this.

1. Thunderball

I'm just going to get this out of the way before you work your way down to the end. I do not like From Russia with Love. I think it's boring. That movie puts me to sleep every time I watch it. But Thunderball I enjoy it so much. I love that it continues the Spectre lore. I love the locations, the vibrancy of the scene. Yes, sure, you can easily make an argument that the climactic fight scenes at the end are bit meh and I'll concede that but I think I just enjoyed so much of this film that it makes up for it. I think I just enjoyed a movie where Bond was actually trying to be a detective.

1. Live and Let Die

This may be a random addition to some but something about Live and Let Die just sticks with me. I so badly wanted that villain to succeed because I thought it was really clever and unique at how they set up his plot. The henchman are so much more interesting than most other villains we get in this franchise. And yes I can totally agree that there are questions regarding the black-splotation that this is being inspired out of but given what existed in bond up to that point I enjoyed at least having that injection of diversity, not just in plot, but also in cast. It also moves away from the spectre stuff to talking about drug cartels and diplomatic manipulations was really different and refreshing.

1. Goldfinger

I mean, what is there to say? So much of the iconography of this franchise was born out of this film. This is definitely one of the Bonds I can easily just throw on any day, at anytime, and enjoy it every time. I enjoy the plot and the villain's machinations. I love the song. The car and chase scenes are incredibly iconic and it's also one of the few films that is latent with critical acclaim and awards as well. So while many other films have come since I still stand by a Goldfinger as one of the best.

1. Goldeneye

I know I've seen some chatter in this subreddit about the importance of The Spy Who Loved Me and I would say that this film holds just as much of that importance. If you go and read about the history of this film, everything was on the line. Great track for an opening sequence, iconic moments and scenes with some sharp lines, excellent villains and henchwomen. And sure while I wish Sean bean didn't have to die in every film, I thought he was so good in this. Then given the recent events of that satellite installation actually falling apart to this past year kind of adds a little extra sting to re-watching it.

1. Skyfall

I do think that maybe I'm one of the few that really thinks this film checks every box and just knocked it out of the park. Aside from what felt like a throwback to the old days when you have Adele singing that opening track, that is so haunting and moving. A film where Daniel Craig's Bond seems so much more Mutlu dimensional. And then having the last of the pieces (Mallory/Moneypenny/Q) of this new universe coming together before they flip that switch and hit you in the heart at the end of this film. Let alone how good Javier Bardem is and the sort of technical prowess with which he attacked MI6 seems so authentic for our times.
And in short you may have noticed a common theme that a lot of my rankings aren't just about how I think but it is hinged a lot on the villains in these films. Bond is only as good as his adversaries and I think in this collection of 10 films these were some of his best adversaries.
So whether you agree or disagree I do appreciate you following my random brain droppings and I'm excited to read other people's top 10s beyond that. I hope you all are doing well staying safe and enjoy this coming year. I hope it is nothing but good tidings for you all and come next Thanksgiving I'll be rewatching these all again!

Its grown on me over time. When viewed as an epilogue of Casino Royale rather than a full fledged stand alone, its not bad.
When I first saw it, I thought the whole plot hanging on water was dumb, but maybe not. Heck Michael Burry (from the big short) thinks water is the next big thing and that is what hes investing in.
It moves along at a very quick pace, there is no filler. The bond girl's story (Montes) of losing her family and waiting for revenge fleshes out yet another Bond girl which is a nice change of pace from the other non Craig Bond movies.
That General Medrano is one of the lowest vile villains in the series. The attempted rape scene is hard to watch. It was great to see agent Montes put him down.
The action is fun, though feels a little too much like Bourne wannabe at times, but it fits with the Craig era.
Mathis' death and his body being dumped in a dumpster felt almost like it foreshadows how Bond's life will end someday if he stays in the spy world.
I thought Fields was a pointless character.
The one major gripe I have is the very end when we see Vesper's loveboyfriend Yusuf - and now he has a canadian intelligence agent for a lover he's going to use.............the only problem is I don't buy it. The guy doesn't look like someone who could seduce someone like Vesper or that Canadian agent. I know its shallow, but i keep thinking "that dude? no way".

Inspired in that I seen a few Sophia Loren movie that were spy flicks and more importantly I seen the Audrey Hepburn Robin Hood movie (which also had Sean Connery in the lead role with Audrey playing the typical Marian role).
It seems the Bond girls and also plenty of female villains we got are almost entirely models and playboy girls with maybe some lesser known to unknown strictly cinema or TV names at the time. I mean the other day I watched the 70s Three Musketeers trilogy and was so stunned by Raquel Welch, thinking I must check out more of her............ I discovered she was the first choice for Thunderball but had to refuse it because of scheduling issues.
There's also the fact that at the time Casino Royale was in theater, I was wondering that Vesper looked like that gorgeous aristocrat Orlando Bloom was with in Kingdom of Heaven....... And damn my mind went away when I discovered Vesper's actress was Eva Green and her name was also in Kingdom of Heaven about a year prior to Casino Royale!
I rewatched the whole series back in December and it amazes me that so many of the gorgeous ladies of the franchise I'd recognize in more famous roles I seen before (and associate with those roles than James Bond despite technically seeing some of these Bond movies as a kid before I did my first Dr. No to Die Another Day Run) such as Tanya Roberts from Charlie's Angels which I'm doing my first complete ep 1 to ep 115 watchthrough (as I only watched random episodes as a kid)/ ....... And I first watched all the James Bond film prior to Craig's run years ago in 2005 as they were filming Casino Royale so that I update my knowledge of the franchise and finally understand the difference between each Bonds as the newcomer Craig takes over since I only seen mostly Brosnan and bits of Connery when I was growing up.
It seems only the Brosnan Era was when a bunch of established actresses who were A listers at the time they starred in Bond and not known for other non-movie stuff like modeling or TV were starting to take lead roles as Bond girls or at least villains and support roles. I mean even as a kid growing up I can recognize Sophia Marceau from Bravehart, Michelle Yeoh from various movies my martial arts film-obsessed uncle would often watch when i came to his home to be babysitted, and Halle Berry from X-Men and other stuff when i saw Die Another Day in theaters with my dad!
So how come prior to Brosnan we never got A listers, not even for villainess and female support roles let alone Bond girls? Seeing Sean Connery with Audrey Hepburn (an star I very much LOOOOOVVVVVEEE!!!!) was basically a dream movie come true minus the fact it wasn't a Spy movie and its so surprising to see Sophia Loren not only star in a number of spy stuff but even alongside A listers like James Coburn.
So I'm surprised with how Connery was basically the face of Action Movies in his time, he never got Sophia Loren to star alongside him! Same with all other actors before Brosnan! No Lynda Carter with Roger Moore which would have been perfect with how campy 1970s Wonder Woman was (which I'm watching alongside my marathon of Bond)!
Why is this? What did the Brosnan era bring to the table that they finally started bringing huge household names (or least A listers in their home country in the case of Michelle Yeoh) as Bond girls and villains or support? Why did we never see an Elizabeth Taylor Bond girl? Or Julie Christie in one movie as the role? Or even someone like Brigette Bardot as a villainess?

So, I kind of like Die Another Day. It’s ridiculous and over the top, sure. So over the top that it left them nowhere to go, hence the reboot. But, it’s also fun and action packed.
But what I really like about it is that it is a love letter to the Bond series. On watching it tonight, I made notes of all the references and easter eggs I could find, and I would love to hear other people’s opinions on them, and if I missed any. I haven’t read the books in many years, so I bet I did

1. Bond is captured and released, in disgrace. This mirror the end of the book “You Only Live Twice” and the opening of the book “The Man With The Golden Gun,” right down to the partition between M and Bond. (In the books, the KGB brainwashed him to kill M, and M drops the partition to deflect the attack)
   
2. Sex scene filmed behind a two way mirror in the hotel - this is directly iut of the film (and book?) From Russia With Love
   
3. Trip to Cuba- inthe book The Man With The Golden Gun, where Bind is sent to take out an assassin in Cuba.
   
4. In Cuba, Bond picks up a copy of a book about birds of the West Indies and tells Jinx he is an ornithologist. Ian Fleming took the name “James Bond” from the author of a book about West Indies birds.
   
5. Halle Berry emerging from the in water in Cuba mirrors Ursula Andress in film Dr. No.
   
6. Questionable -rotating mirrors at DNA lab are reminiscent of Scaramanga’s funhouse in the film TMWTGG.
   
7. Gustav Graves mirrors the character of Drax from the book Moonraker. Both are adopted Englishmen who secretly bad guys
   
8. The fencing wager for the diamond matches the wager for the bar of gold in the gold game in the film Goldfinger
   
9. Questionable- the sword fight in a fancy club may be a reference to the museum sword fight in the movie Moonraker
   
10. We see Bonds office for only the second time ever- last seen in the film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
    
11. Q’s lab: we see Rosa Kleb’s shoe (From Russia With Love), the jet pack from Thunderball, the plane Roger Moore used in one of his intros, and the alligator from Octopussy. And Q gives him his “20th watch” and says “I never joke about my work” (Goldfinger).
    
12. Gustav’s ice palace- exterior approach looks like Stromburg’s Atlantis from the Spy Who Loved Me
    
13. Miranda frost- maybe inspired by Vesper Lynd from book Casino Royale?
    
14. Project Icarus is like the satellite in film Diamonds Are Forever
    
15. Jinx on the table being threatened with lasers is like Goldfinger’s laser (“No Mr Bond, I expect you to die!”)
    
16. Bond uses the Thundeball underwater breather to sneak into Graves’s lair in Iceland
    
17. The room where Bomd confronts Graves in Iceland (with the oval glass floor) is classic Ken Adam set design
    
18. Villain has a private plane and bad guys get sucked out of the window - Goldfinger
    
19. Climax on plane, and fighring over diamonds is like the Living Daylights.
    

What did I miss?

1. Casino Royale- Origin story that didn’t feel like one. Craig plays Bond just like the book. He’s jacked. Him and Vespers chemistry. Bond felt like a real spy/assassin. He could be hurt emotionally and physically. Locations. Action. Entire cast. His wardrobe. Most realistic torture scene in a movie imo. Poker. Bond becoming cold hearted after Vesper dies and unattached (seen in later films). That iconic ending with the 3 piece suit and the classic intro and theme for the first time.
2. Goldfinger- Set the formula for what would follow. Goldfinger himself. Best pre title sequence to date. Rolex 6538. Golf scene. Aston Martin. Pussy.
3. Goldeneye- pre title sequence. Brosnan. Bean. 007 vs 006. Omega Seamaster looking cool and being used as a gadget. Natalia. Action packed up the wazoo.
4. Skyfall- Delving into Bonds past. Silva. Theme song. Shows Bonds mental and physical struggles. Battle at Skyfall. Judy Dench.
5. FRWL- Robert Shaw. Train Fight. Entire main cast.
6. Dr. No- First scene with Bond. Locations. You’ve have your 6 scene. glimpses of real spy work like hair on the door.
7. Thunderball- Domino. The Bahamas. Connery still got it.
8. Spy who loved me- Overall classic bond. Stunts. XXX. Locations. Gadgets.
9. Golden Gun- Christopher Lee.
10. Spectre- Modern take on Spectre. Blofeld great. Believable retcon of all of Craig movies.
11. Tomorrow never dies- Great action and gadgets.
12. World is not enough- Brosnan awesome, good plot twist.
13. You only live twice- Volcano Lair and finally meet Dr. Evil ;)
14. Moonraker- Hugo Drax great villain.
15. Quantum of Solace- Good action, Craig excellent.
16. Live and Let Die - Voodoo threw me out of it. Paul McCartney song still slays.
17. License to Kill- Also Dark and Humorless
18. Living Daylights- Dark and Humorless
19. OHMSS- Visually stunning. Lazenby doesn’t do it for me. Great ending
20. Diamonds are forever- Connery phoned it in. Cheesy. 21.Die another Day- Brosnan does his best with what he’s given.
21. FYEO - Down to earth locations 23.Octopussy - Moore dresses as a clown, age is showing
22. VTAK - Moore is old and unconvincing

Inspired in that I seen a few Sophia Loren movie that were spy flicks and more importantly I seen the Audrey Hepburn Robin Hood movie (which also had Sean Connery in the lead role with Audrey playing the typical Marian role).
It seems the Bond girls and also plenty of female villains we got are almost entirely models and playboy girls with maybe some lesser known to unknown strictly cinema or TV names at the time. I mean the other day I watched the 70s Three Musketeers trilogy and was so stunned by Raquel Welch, thinking I must check out more of her............ I discovered she was the first choice for Thunderball but had to refuse it because of scheduling issues.
There's also the fact that at the time Casino Royale was in theater, I was wondering that Vesper looked like that gorgeous aristocrat Orlando Bloom was with in Kingdom of Heaven....... And damn my mind went away when I discovered Vesper's actress was Eva Green and her name was also in Kingdom of Heaven about a year prior to Casino Royale!
I rewatched the whole series back in December and it amazes me that so many of the gorgeous ladies of the franchise I'd recognize in more famous roles I seen before (and associate with those roles than James Bond despite technically seeing some of these Bond movies as a kid before I did my first Dr. No to Die Another Day Run) such as Tanya Roberts from Charlie's Angels which I'm doing my first complete ep 1 to ep 115 watchthrough (as I only watched random episodes as a kid)/ ....... And I first watched all the James Bond film prior to Craig's run years ago in 2005 as they were filming Casino Royale so that I update my knowledge of the franchise and finally understand the difference between each Bonds as the newcomer Craig takes over since I only seen mostly Brosnan and bits of Connery when I was growing up.
It seems only the Brosnan Era was when a bunch of established actresses who were A listers at the time they starred in Bond and not known for other non-movie stuff like modeling or TV were starting to take lead roles as Bond girls or at least villains and support roles. I mean even as a kid growing up I can recognize Sophia Marceau from Bravehart, Michelle Yeoh from various movies my martial arts film-obsessed uncle would often watch when i came to his home to be babysitted, and Halle Berry from X-Men and other stuff when i saw Die Another Day in theaters with my dad!
So how come prior to Brosnan we never got A listers, not even for villainess and female support roles let alone Bond girls? Seeing Sean Connery with Audrey Hepburn (an star I very much LOOOOOVVVVVEEE!!!!) was basically a dream movie come true minus the fact it wasn't a Spy movie and its so surprising to see Sophia Loren not only star in a number of spy stuff but even alongside A listers like James Coburn.
So I'm surprised with how Connery was basically the face of Action Movies in his time, he never got Sophia Loren to star alongside him! Same with all other actors before Brosnan! No Lynda Carter with Roger Moore which would have been perfect with how campy 1970s Wonder Woman was (which I'm watching alongside my marathon of Bond)!
Why is this? What did the Brosnan era bring to the table that they finally started bringing huge household names (or least A listers in their home country in the case of Michelle Yeoh) as Bond girls and villains or support? Why did we never see an Elizabeth Taylor Bond girl? Or Julie Christie in one movie as the role? Or even someone like Brigette Bardot as a villainess?

00P.
Fun Fact: With James Bond's catchphrase "Shaken, not stirred" going around, you'd think that someone must've made a James Bond-based drink. That would be the Vesper which has gin, vodka, Lillet Blanc with a lemon twist—and all done according to the specifications Bond gave out in the book Casino Royale.
Optional Discussion Thread: What if someone in your sphere of influence is a secret agent? Or what if you're a secret agent but you didn't know?

In Casino Royale Vespers states that while Bond went to Oxford the disdain with which he wears his suit shows that his peers never let him forget it was via what is implied either though charity or scholarship.
Yet, in Skyfall we see that up to his “death” Bond personally owned a massive estate, the titular Skyfall.
It would seem that the income from the estate or the sale of it would have been plenty to fund his education?

Amazon Prime Video is one of the most popular video streaming services. It features content from various genres, including comedy, drama, sci-fi, action, and much more. However, the action genre of Amazon Prime Video is one of the most appreciated ones. This section features many of the newer and older hits, but what remains common is their quality and popularity. If you are looking to watch some movies from the action genre, then Amazon Prime Video can be the one-stop destination for you. However, you don’t have to get confused about what to watch in the vast library of Amazon Prime Video because we have got you covered. In this article, we have listed the best action movies available on Amazon Prime Video. Let’s scroll down and find the top picks for you.
📷The Man From Nowhere
The Man From Nowhere is a fantastic story that has a lot of action and drama. This film’s story revolves around a former special agent who has to face the circuit of drug smuggling and organ trafficking to save a little girl who is her only friend. Won Bin (Tae-Sik Cha), Kim Sae-ron (So-Mi Jeong), Thanayong Wongtrakul (Ramrowan), and Kim Sung-oh (Jong-seok) are starring in this film. Lee Jeong-beom has directed this film, and it has received an IMDb rating of 7.8.
Casino Royale
If you love James Bond, you will not want to miss watching Casino Royale. The film follows James Bond set out on a mission to stop Le Chiffre, a mob banker, from winning a high-stakes poker game. Vesper Lynd, a British Treasury agent, accompanies him on his mission. Daniel Craig (James Bond), Eva Green (Vesper Lynd), Mads Mikkelsen (Le Chiffre), and Judi Dench (M) are starring in this film. Martin Campbell has directed this film, and it has received an IMDb rating of 8.
The Boondock Saints
The Boondock Saints is a fantastic story of two Irish Catholic brothers who decide to wipe out Boston’s crime by killing one gangster after another. However, the FBI gets after them for their venture. Norman Reedus (Murphy MacManus), Sean Patrick Flanery (Connor MacManus), and Willem Dafoe (Paul Smecker) are starring in this film. This film has received an IMDb rating of 7.8. Troy Duffy is the director of this film.
Inception
Inception is undoubtedly one of the most popular action movies available on Amazon Prime Video. Christopher Nolan is the director of this film. This film’s story revolves around Cobb, who is capable of stealing information from his targets’ minds by entering their dreams. He is given an offer by Saito to perform an inception on his sick competitor’s son, and in return, Saito will clear his criminal record so that he can return to his family in the US. You might be surprised to know that most of the film’s action and adventure takes place within a dream. Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb), Elliot Page (Ariadne), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Arthur), and Tom Hardy (Eames) are starring in this film. This film has received an IMDb rating of 8.8.
Bumblebee
Bumblebee is one of the newest action movies on Amazon Prime Video. This film’s story revolves around Charlie Watson, who finds Bumblebee, an Autobot scout, in a junkyard in a small California beach town, in a broken and battle-scarred situation. Hailee Steinfeld (Charlie Watson), Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), John Cena (Agent Burns), and Dylan O’Brien (Bumblebee) are starring in this film while Travis Knight has directed this film. Bumblebee has received an IMDb rating of 6.8.
Action movies are always fun to watch, and undoubtedly, Amazon Prime Video has a good collection of those. In this article, we have listed the best action movies available on Amazon Prime Video, and you can watch any of these according to your needs and budget.
Source-Best Action Movies You Can Watch on Amazon Prime Video

Inspired in that I seen a few Sophia Loren movie that were spy flicks and more importantly I seen the Audrey Hepburn Robin Hood movie (which also had Sean Connery in the lead role with Audrey playing the typical Marian role).
It seems the Bond girls and also plenty of female villains we got are almost entirely models and playboy girls with maybe some lesser known to unknown strictly cinema or TV names at the time. I mean the other day I watched the 70s Three Musketeers trilogy and was so stunned by Raquel Welch, thinking I must check out more of her............ Until I discovered that wasn't the first time I seen her....... She was in Thunderball (which basically kicked off her career!).
There's also the fact that at the time Casino Royale was in theater, I was wondering that Vesper looked like that gorgeous aristocrat Orlando Bloom was with in Kingdom of Heaven....... And damn my mind went away when I discovered Vesper's actress was Eva Green and her name was also in Kingdom of Heaven about a year prior to Casino Royale!
As I finish up the Moore era and start on Dalton today in my James Bond Rewatch Marathon, it amazes me that so many of the gorgeous ladies of the franchise I'd recognize in more famous roles I seen before (and associate with those roles than James Bond despite technically seeing some of these Bond movies as a kid before I did my first Dr. No to Die Another Day Run)....... And I first watched all the James Bond film prior to Craig's run years ago in 2005 as they were filming Casino Royale so that I update my knowledge of the franchise and finally understand the difference between each Bonds as the newcomer Craig takes over since I only seen mostly Brosnan and bits of Connery when I was growing up.
It seems only the Brosnan Era was when a bunch of established actresses who were A listers at the time they starred in Bond and not known for other non-movie stuff like modeling or TV were starting to take lead roles as Bond girls or at least villains and support roles. I mean even as a kid growing up I can recognize Sophia Marceau from Bravehart, Michelle Yeoh from various movies my martial arts film-obsessed uncle would often watch when i came to his home to be babysitted, and Halle Berry from X-Men and other stuff when i saw Die Another Day in theaters with my dad!
So how come prior to Brosnan we never got A listers, not even for villainess and female support roles let alone Bond girls? Seeing Sean Connery with Audrey Hepburn (an star I very much LOOOOOVVVVVEEE!!!!) was basically a dream movie come true minus the fact it wasn't a Spy movie and its so surprising to see Sophia Loren not only star in a number of spy stuff but even alongside A listers like James Coburn.
So I'm surprised with how Connery was basically the face of Action Movies in his time, he never got Sophia Loren to star alongside him! Same with all other actors before Brosnan! No Lynda Carter with Roger Moore which would have been perfect with how campy 1970s Wonder Woman was (which I'm watching alongside my marathon of Bond)!
Why is this? What did the Brosnan era bring to the table that they finally started bringing huge household names (or least A listers in their home country in the case of Michelle Yeoh) as Bond girls and villains or support? Why did we never see an Elizabeth Taylor Bond girl? Or Julie Christie in one movie as the role? Or even someone like Brigette Bardot as a villainess?

So in April, I decided to watch every Bond film from "From Russia with Love" to "Spectre". I had already seen Dr. No for a english assignment last year and while I enjoyed the film didn't feel the need to rewatch it. So here are my thoughts:
Dr. No - A great start to the Bond franchise that is introduces a lot of the classic elements, including "Bond, James Bond", Girls and cold kills. The film is quite quaint by modern standards but is still fun to watch. I will say the second half of the opening is just plain odd though, why after the James Bidn theme am I hearing bongos?. I will say that I wish we saw more of Dr. No than we do in the actual film, as, but otherwise Jospeh Wiseman gives a great performance. Overall 7.5/10
From Russia with Love - Okay this one just got better as it went along. While the pre-title sequence isn't bad we don't actually get to bond for a bit of the film and it does drag a bit. I also love that in the second movie we're already trying to play with the fact that Bond loves to sleep with women. I also find it funny that Robert Shaw looks awfully similar to Daniel Craig. Even with that though Red Grant still delievrs a codl performance that leads to one of the best fight scenes in cinema Overall 8.5/10
Goldfinger - I love this one so much. From a great villain to the DB5 to the iconic imagery and the brilliant henchman in Oddjob. This film gets nearly everything right and I have very few problems with the film as a whole. My only qualm is the barn scene where it appears that Bond may have raped Pussy galore, but that really didn't hinder my enjoyment very much as all. Where my love for the films was truly cemented for the film was for this quote "Did you expect to me to Live?" "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die".Also my favourite character is introduced in this film: Q. The way Desmond Lleweyn plays this character is perfect and I really did not want anyone to replace him. Goldfinger is almsot flawless 9/10
Thunderball - This is where the franchise really went downhill for me. What really annoys me about this film is the first half hour is a complete waste of time that we didn't need. We could have easily started just at scene where Bond is meeting with leaders of the world and M and it still wouldn't affect your understanding of the film. Even after that, so much of the film just feels like wasted potential. The only good part of the film are probably about half the girls, Sean Connery and the one Q scene. The Underwater scenes are just boring and I didn't care. Altough this film does have on e the best title sequences. This will seem harsh to some but honestly this film gets a 4/10
Casino Royale(1967) - Yes I made sure to watch "every" James Bond film (although that wasn't really worth it in the end). What the fuck happened in this film. Honeslty this film is just random scenes together stuck together with a plotline. I remeber David Niven playing some game with Ursula Andress( If I remember correctly). I remember Bond's daughter stuck in a mze like berlin in the cold war. I remember peter sellers going up against Le Chiffre. But the films comes together like a Sandwhich made of Jello and Glue. It's awful. But it's also hilarious to think about. Honestly the story behind the film is more interesting than the actual film. Oh and how lazy is that ending, my God. 3.5/10
You Only live Twice - Alright I knew going in to this some of the films would be dated but I thought that was going to eb about the attitudes towards Women. I did not expect Sean Connery to be badly put in makeup to make him "look Asian". Also the final "Blofeld" reveal is somewhat disappointing, not necessarily bad just somewhat disappointing considering how he was bulit up in From Russia with Love and Thunderball. Although I honeslty didn't have a problem with Connery's performance that much. While it's not great, it wasn't enough to have an impact on my feelings towards the films. Overall not bad. 7/10
On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Alright this one is hard for me. I didn't enjoy the film very much but it's clearly great. Why is it great? Well it gave me Captain America: Civil War which is a film I sometimes don't enjoy but know it is a great film regardless. I was probably just in the wrong mood for this film. As for Lazenby, he's not bad but I think he might have just needed a bit more direction on what to do. Although while it's a gutpunch I love the ending. I'll just give it a 7 now, but I might come back to this one.
Diamonds are Forever - This one is quite weird. From Blofeld to drag to having scenes set in Vegas to Connery weirdly looking too old depsite only being in his 40s. But it can also be a sort of fun weird as well. But then it's not great either. Also I blame this film for the stupid moon landing conspiracy theories. 6.5/10
Live and Let Die - This is a decent start to the Roger Moore Era. Moore feels like Bond but not like Connery which I think was a slight problem with Lazneby trying to be a little too much like Connery. Dr. Kananga is a good villian and Jane Seymour as Solitaire is one the best bond girls. Also Sherriff J.W Pepper is silly but helps us understand how the Roger Moore Era will feel. Overall 7.5/10
The Man with the Golden Gun - "THAT FUCKING SLIDE WHISTLE". Seriously though the slidew whistle over the car flip represents the whole film. Good Idea that were unfortunately done wrong due to horrid execution. However, this makes the film one of the best to enjoy ironically. Scaramnage and Nick Nack are probably the only things done well in the film. Just for ironic enjoyment I'm willing to give this film a 6/10
The Spy Who Loved Me - For the longest time this was my favourite Bond Film. It had my favourite Bond girl in Anya, One the best henchmen in Jaws, Moore at the top of his game, and one the best ending scenes battles in all of Bond. My only problem comes from Stromberg, who's just a bit one note. Overall 9.5/10
Moonraker - I had bad experience watching this one. I was expecting all of it to be set in Space but only the 3rd act actually is. This meant that during the first 2 acts I was just waiting for them to go to space and when they did, I wanted them back on Earth. I really didn't like the space scenes because the blasters reminded me too much of Star Wars. The film itself is probably the most over the top it's ever been and hell, looking back I realise while it was incredibly stupid it was fun seeing a double taking pigeon and the other nonsensical happenings in this film. Honeslty I'll give this a 6.5.
For Your Eyes Only - What happened in this one? This isn't like Casino Royale '67 where it's incredibly confusing but it's more just boring. I really don't remember much at all. I don't remember many of the stunts or any of the bond girls really. Hell, I have no idea who the villain actually was. The only thing I remember is the brilliant opening sequence. 4/10
Octopussy - This one's similar to FYEO for me only stupider. unfortunately though unlike Moonraker where it jump the shark fairly soon to get you ready for the sillier scenes later on, the clown scene at the end I was completely unprepared for looked and just came off as incredibly dumb. Also Octopussy could've been a great villain but no, it's someone else who I didn't care about. 3/10
Never Say Never Again - The first act is weird in that it can't decide if it wants to be classic Bond or a spoof like CR '67. The second act is classic Bond(although they play videogames at some point. What?). I don't remember the 3rd act at all and I got completely lost which really ruined the film for me. 4.5/10
A View To a Kill - This is like TMTWGG for me. The only real good parts are Mayday and Christopher Walken as Zorin. We really should've had Dalton by this point. In fact I think Dalton should've started with For Your Eyes Only. Moore I don't think gives a bad performance but he was clealry too old for the role by this point. As a film it's one of the sillier ones, but at least it wasn't too boring 5/10
The Living Daylights - What a breath of fresh air. It was nice to have a bond film I enjoyed again after some many I didn't like. I love the 3rd act with the both Bond hanging on for his life with the plane and the end fight (although it could give you a seizure if you're epileptic). Timothy Dalton is James Bond. All the other actors were playing a version of James Bond. Dalton is that character personified to a T. The Living Daylights gets a 7/10
Licence to Kill - This was very different. What is easily the darkest bond film (maybe except, Casino Royale '06) is also one of the better bond films. While I enjoyed TLD dalton's bond fits better in this sort of film. I love the plot is literally Bond on a revenge mission rather than just filling out M's orders. Also Q in more than just one scene, is bliss. I Love Q, not only for Desmons Lleweyn, but also because his warmth helps to say "Yes it's dark, but it's still Bond and we can still have fun with it". However the film does almost crumble under all of the different plotlines but unlike NSNA I was still able to get back into the film despite that. Also, It annoyed me that Felix survived the film. It would've been better and more believable if both Felix and his wife had died. LTK gets a 7.5/10
Goldeneye - I don't have a lot to say about this one. Just a great Bond film in it's own right with a great villain and some of the best Bond girls. Although I wasn't big on Brosnan at first though. To me he seemed too generic and didn't really have his own spin to Bond. But he grew on my over time. Besides Goldeneye is still a great film otherwise. 9/10
Tomorrow Never Dies - Again, not a lot to say about this one. Decent Bond flick, that while not as good as Goldeneye is still worth your time and worth checking out at least once. The best part of this film is the villain by far, being a version of Rupert Murdoch(hate that slimy bugger). 7/10
The World is Not Enough - Man I don't have a lot to say about the Brosnan films. I really don't know what to think of this film. The opening scene is great but otherwise I find the film to be another average Bond flick that is a little worse than TND. 6/10
Die Another Day - This one's similar to TMWTGG and AVTAK for me where's it's incrediby stupid but you can have a laugh at it. John Cleese is decent as Q but not as good as desmond lleyweyn. Unlike otehr silly bond films some of the stupid shit can be seen as downright offensive and taking the piss such as the parasailing on waves scene and the end villain literally being Robocop. But the film is somewhat saved by incredibly silly dialogue that is easy to laugh at. Overall 5/10
Casino Royale - First Act is good. The second act is one the best scenes in cinema I have ever seen. I was just invested in that Poker Scene as I was in the Portals scene in Avengers: Endgame if nor more so in the Poker scene. The torture scene is brutal but works perfectly. However once Mr White shows up the films kind of falls apart. This because you could easily assume that Mr White was CIA(Like I did) and just though that was that. While Mathis still had to be dealt with, (whihc QoS messes with for some reason) the film could've just ended with Bond and Vesper. But no we had to have this silly third act which feels like it was only there to kill Vesper. But since the first two acts are still really good and the third act doesn't ruin the movie I'm still willing to look a the film positively. Overall 8/10
Quantum of Solace - I saw this one fairly recently and I still don't remember what happened. I think Greene was the villain and Bond was on the run from MI6 but honeslty that's about it. I will say that in the first half however, Daniel Craig somehow managed to not be Bond and instead come off as top Gear host. The ending really ruins this film however. Well more the gunbarrel itslef. YOU MAKE WAIT THE ENTRIE MOVIE FOR THE GUNBARREL ONLY FOR IT TO THE BE THE WORST GUNBARREL EVER DONE" Ugh. 4.5/10
Skyfall - What a stroke of genius this film was after QoS. One the best Villians in Bond history,Daniel Craig on top of his game, some stunts that are a bit silly but still keep the realims in check and making M the central focus was brilliant . Also while Desmond Lleweyn Will always be my favourite, Ben Whishaw is a great Q. I know this film has some silly plot holes the film is so damn good you just learn to not care about them. I could gush on and on about this film, but this has gone long enough as it has. 10/10 Best Bond film
Spectre - So I'm listening to Bon Jovi's "You give Love a bad Name" and it has the lyric "You Promised me Heaven and gave me Hell". That sums up my feeling towards the films perfectly so I'll just leave at that. 3/10
TLDR Ranking
1.Skyfall

1. The Spy Who Loved Me
   
2. Goldfinger
   
3. Goldeneye
   
4. From Russia With Love
   
5. Casino Royale
   
6. Live and let die
   
7. Dr. No
   
8. Licence to Kill
   
9. The Living Daylights
   
10. You Only Live twice
    
11. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    
12. Tomorrow Never Dies
    
13. Moonraker
    
14. Diamonds are Forever
    
15. The World is Not Enough
    
16. The man with the Golden Gun
    
17. Die Another Day
    
18. A View to A Kill
    
19. Quantum of Solace
    
20. Never say Never Again
    
21. For Your Eyes Only
    
22. Thunderball
    
23. Casino Royale(1967)
    
24. Octopussy
    
25. Spectre
    

Ok, so I'm rewatching Casino Royale (Daniel Craig) and there's the scene where he's sitting across from Vesper and she makes a comment about how he can read people really well and blah blah blah.. it made me realize something I hadn't before, and ask, why is this a thing? So this came out in 2006, Californication started in 2007, and they had Hank Moody do it to his blond date, then we've got the RDJ Sherlock movie in 2009. Plus I'm pretty sure they had Benedict Cumberbatch do it in on the Sherlock BBC series. OH and in murder on the orient express he HAD to have done it.. correct me if I'm wrong, as I know that Poirot was a sherlock clone. So please, anyone who knows what this is called specifically and why it's so prominent even when it's not a "Sherlock" type character (i.e. Hank Moody).. I don't hate it, yet.. but I've noticed it more often recently

QoS is the black sheep of the Craig franchise. When I first saw I barely understood what was going on, and I didn't even realize it was over when it was over. On rewatching it though, I appreciated it for taking an entirely different, character-based approach to Bond.
The first unusual thing about it is that it's a direct sequel to Casino Royale. That movie was praised for eschewing a lot of cheesy Bond tropes like gadgets and quips. Quantum of Solace doubles down on that seriousness. There's virtually nothing cheesy or heightened about this movie. And I think that fits really well with the story they're trying to tell.
The ostensible mission is for Bond to find out more about Quantum, the evil organization from the first movie. But what Bond's really out for is revenge for his girlfriend Vesper's death. M. tries to reign him in, but he's just on a rampage, killing every new thug he meets. This creates a sort of disconnect in the plot. The villain of QoS, who's trying to hold a country hostage for its water, is not really a personal one to Bond. He's affiliated with Quantum, but his actual plan is totally unrelated to Bond's goals. It's slightly more related to Olga Kurylenko, who's quest for revenge parallels Bond's own. I think this mismatch of external/internal goals could be what turned people off, but once I understood (most of) what was going on, I think it works to show how blinded Bond is by his quest for vengeance, to the point where he's getting his allies killed because of his recklessness. It's pretty bleak stuff.
There's also a subplot with the CIA and David Harbour, and the organization is portrayed pretty negatively, which is cool.
So give it a second look! It's a fairly brutal, pared down movie (only 106 minutes) that takes the Bond character established in Casino Royale in an organic direction.
P.S. - I can't remember, is this the last we hear of Quantum? Does it just get folded into Spectre? The way it's portrayed here is pretty compelling, but it seems like they might have dropped it after this.

Spoilers ahead:
Been a while since I have spoken on this subreddit. Last time I wrote about Dr. No; this time I will be looking at a film that surprisingly shares a lot of Bond DNA with Dr. No. Enjoy!
I had recently heard on this subreddit that Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace were on Netflix but I had forgotten that fact. I wanted something to watch and of course the first thing to pop up was Casino Royale. I decided to give it a watch because I have not gotten to see it again in years. I remember loving it as a kid and considering it one of my favorite 007 movies. Now having rewatched it with fresh eyes - it's all I remembered and more.
Casino Royale is many things but I think the main reason why it's so great is the script. It harkens back to the simplicity of Dr. No's more detective/espionage style of storytelling while having all the action setpieces of the later films. There are dozens of show-don't-tell moments throughout that give the audience the sense that James Bond is as crafty as he is said to be. There are small moments where MI6 will butt in to give short exposition updates to the audience; their length is so well paced that it does not detract from the forward momentum of the plot or insult the audiences' intelligence.
One of the stand out moments for me was after James discovers that Vesper has betrayed him. In any weaker script there would have been an overdramatic scene when they reunited where James would be disappointed and angry at Vesper. Instead all we get is a look between them and Vesper utters, "I'm sorry". That is so much more powerful and the scene that ensues is of course very tragic. Another fantastic stand out was the entire sequence in Miami. 007 kills the man he is tailing (in the body exhibit) without the two uttering a word to eachother. That was another moment where corny dialogue like, "don't say a word", would have appeared in any other film but instead it's a silent exchange as the two men know what is at stake if they make a scene.
The film's pacing is also perfect; every moment in the script to plays out with precision. It's never dull, allowing for the quieter scenes to match the pace of all the action heavy moments. The dialogue is also fantastic. There are so many details in the way each character speaks. I particularly enjoyed how they wrote James Bond. He primarily keeps to himself but gains confidence (his arrogance) in certain situations - revealing his inner self. It was so great to see all the sides of Bond while still feeling like he isn't the smooth talking tough guy of the Connery or Brosnan eras just yet. His more human elements all throughout really sell this interpretation as being much more real and less of a comic book action hero. Same goes for the main villain Le Chiffre, played brilliantly by Mads Mikkelson and Eva Green's great, intimate performance as Vesper.
The callbacks to the older films are not too bombastic which gives the movie its own identity. We still get the exotic locals, Aston Martins, MI6, and Felix Leiter that we are all familiar with, but they don't feel shoehorned in or undercooked. I also enjoyed them throwing in a pun or two just to show that this wasn't the most straight faced Bond ever. Also, "would you like that shaken or stirred?" "Do I look like I give a damn?" Brilliant.
There is a lot more to be said about this film in terms of direction, editing, cinematography, performances, music, action design, etc... but we all know it's just so, so great. The movie as a whole really comes together as the ultimate Bond package. Even if Daniel Craig never got to make any more Bond adventures, Casino Royale fulfills everything you could ever want from one (maybe minus the gadgets). It all comes down to the words on the pages of the script. The three writers who worked on it did a killer job.
Here is hoping No Time To Die gives us a satisfying ending to the Craig era. This was definitely quite a way for it to begin.

so i rewatched the Craig films this week and came up with a theory that reconciles all of the sins of SPECTRE in my head-canon.
here we go.
MULTI-BOND THEORY
before i begin i wanted to preface the Multiple Bond Theory. this posits that all Bond films are mostly interconnected, as "James Bond 007" is a code name passed down agent to agent over the years. if this were true, Sean Connery's Bond would have lived in the same universe as Daniel Craig's Bond. i'm not sure if the previous Bond films ever directly contradicted this theory, but i liked going with it in my head-canon.
PROBLEMS WITH SPECTRE
from Casino Royale to Skyfall, the Daniel Craig movies were a neat little trilogy. CR served as “Bond Begins”, opening with his first mission. Quantum was a direct continuation of CR, picking up moments after the last movie ended. Skyfall finally presented him with a formidable arch-nemesis. then at the end of it all, we finally see the classic Bond set up - he meets M in his office where Moneypenny sits at the secretary desk, the music swells, and we close with the classic gun barrel sequence.
the best thing about all of this was that it had no strings attached to the prior Bond movies. it could serve as a prequel for any generic Bond story (accepting that Judi Dench was fan-service casting, carrying on the tradition of Q). OR it could serve as a sequel under the Multi-Bond Theory, leaving Daniel Craig as the successor to Pierce Brosnan, and Judi Dench as the same M all along - which worked for me.
then they had to do SPECTRE and unravel it all. since SPECTRE introduced elements we've seen before, it definitively kills the Multi-Bond Theory. then there's general gripes other have mentioned: it overdid the old Bond tropes, something that the previous Craig movies used sparingly. the concept of Blofeld as Bond's brother was a step too far. the concept that all of the previous villains were connected seemed unnecessary. and Swann over Vesper? really? well, i guess.
KINCADE
going back to Skyfall, i learned of a rumor that the elderly Scottish man at Skyfall Manor (Kincade) was originally conceived to be played by Sean Connery. if they had done this, it would have stirred the Multi-Bond Theory in such a fun way. it could explain why Craig's Bond privately owns Connery's DB40 from Goldfinger. and in this universe, there would have been a scenario where a retired Sean Connery would have met and shared stories with a childhood Daniel Craig.
WHEN CRAIG DIED
so during the final battle at Skyfall, Bond falls into a frozen lake. we see him fight a guy underwater, and then light a flare to try and find an escape. however, no opening is visible and we never actually see him come out of the lake. instead, he just shows up at the last minute to save M, and then we cut to London with all of the set up stuff i talked about to close out the trilogy.
so my head-canon is that Daniel Craig died in that lake, and Silva won by killing M and himself in the church. that's where Skyfall really ended. everything we saw from the lake onwards are just a dying man's oxygen-deprived brain trying to reconcile what's happening to him. he's incorporating his past missions, his family history, and Connery's old Bond stories all into one "life flashing before your eyes" moment. that's why SPECTRE, unlike any Bond movie before, starts with the title card "THE DEAD ARE ALIVE". this is a dead man's fantasy.

So I went on a James Bond binge this weekend and watched all four Daniel Craig films. Casino Royale and Skyfall are both masterpieces. Spectre was meh, but it gave a sort of primal old-school Bond movie feel that I couldn't stop rewatching it. Quantum of Solace was absolutely horrid. Seeing it right after CR didn't exactly help it's image to say the least.
Dominic Greene is one of the most washed out villains ever seen on feature film. He literally just looks like an ordinary dude with bug eyes. Nothing frightening about him. The accent was atrocious and seemed forced. His costume was also dull, bland and had no character to it. What kind of mafia boss wears white dress shirts? There could have been so much more to "up" his villainous effect throughout the film.
Olga Kurylenko was weird in this movie too. Too cold of a demeanor and not nearly enough lines to emphasize character traits. There was something very "absent" about the portrayal, especially compared to someone like Vesper Lynd.
Daniel Craig wasn't too bad, but was lacking in attitude compared to Casino Royale. He didn't break the flim, though.
Although admittedly Spectre had a badly written villain played by Christoph Waltz, his henchman was FANTASTIC (absolute killer fight scenes in this movie as well). The locations were also far more interesting. A Lamborghini showdown in downtown Rome? A snowy chase in Austria? A hand-to-hand combat in a train in the middle of the North African desert? THAT'S what I call an action movie. Not some sinkhole revenge story and a Russian girl trying to defeat a chubby Spanish dude in an army uniform. Greene's "death" was also complete garbage. Bond just leaves him out in the desert. WTF?
Overall, Quantum of Solace was so cold and distant that you couldn't really connect with the characters. By all means, Camille Montes was a better Bond girl than Madeline Swan, but other than that, the bad guys were more pronounced in Spectre.
Spectre felt like a traditional action movie, comparable to stuff like the Transporter or Bourne series, which actually improves its standing as a Bond film. Also better humor and comedic relief by far. Quantum of Solace just seems laughable and Greene doesn't seem as dark and brooding as Blofeld. His demeanor was completely off, it felt like he had nothing to hide. Skyfall was quite a refresher after that shitshow of a movie.

Casino Royale.
Yes, I know, Eva Green is too old to play Yennefer now (even though, let's be honest, Casino Royale Eva Green would have been PERFECT). But as I was watching this film tonight, I couldn't help but see flashes of Geralt and Yennefer every time Vesper and James were on screen together. I knew it a minute into their first meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5C7LMOWyYc
The tight bants, the sudden intensity, and the simultaneous tenderness and fierce sexuality between them felt close to how Geralt and Yennefer were in The Last Wish. Closer by a million miles than what the Netflix series gave us at the very least, but that's beating a dead horse. And while Geralt is by no means James Bond, he and Yennefer communicate their emotions very much like James and Vesper did in this movie. Both playful but guarded, both willing to spar verbally and speak frankly with a person they see as an equal, both aware of the years of experience in each other's bank, and, eventually, both regarding each other with intimate sweetness despite the tumult surrounding them. Seeing the Vesper-James dynamic evolve until the bitter end felt like reading Yennefer-Geralt.
It was right there, Lauren!!! Ugh! So frustrating...
Edit: Typo

First of all, many happy returns to our beloved Sean Connery, who turns 90 today. According to me, he will always be the actor who better played Bond.
Yesterday, I finished watching all the 24 movies of the saga. As follows, I made a list of the ones which very impressed me and I liked the most:
10) Skyfall (Craig, Silva, Severine. 2012)
9) For Your Eyes Only (Moore, Kristanos, Melina Havelock. 1981)
8) License to Kill (Dalton, Sanchez, Pam Bouvier. 1989)
7) The World is Not Enough (Brosnan, Elektra King/Renard,Elektra King/ Christmas Jones. 1999)
6) The Spy Who Loved Me (Moore, Stromberg/Jaws, Anya Amasova. 1977)
5) Goldfinger (Connery, Goldfinger, Pussy Galore. 1964)
4) From Russia with Love (Connery, Rosa Klebb/Donald Grant, Tatiana Romanova. 1963)
Now let’s go to the podium:
3) Casino Royale (Craig, Le Chiffre, Vesper Lynd. 2006)
2) Thunderball (Connery, Emilio Largo/Fiona Volpe, Domino Derval. 1965)
1) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Lazenby, Blofeld/Irma Bunt, Tracy Di Vincenzo. 1969)
Why have I decided to put On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as #1? Because in my opinion is the 007 film which better follows Fleming’s novel.
Let me know what do you think about my list. Just comment below!