There’s a tradition of James Bond films switching styles and generally trying to horn in on the zeitgeist, as seen in Live and Let Die’s ‘Blaxploitation’ and Moonraker’s ‘Space Opera’. There’s also a trend of ‘going back to basics’ to reset the series after any entry that’s particularly over the top, the prime examples being … >
After the sheer bonkers excess of Moonraker there really was only one thing for Bond to do – go back to Earth. So we have a Moore-era Bond that could just about have starred Connery in the ’60s, and it’s all the better for it. Buy the complete James Bond collection on Blu-ray here. … >
There’s no way to hide from the fact that Moonraker is properly bonkers. From concept to execution, the decisions that must have been made are largely inexplicable, and yet, somehow, it all just about pulls together. In essence, it’s pretty much the Greatest Hits of James Bond. In space. Buy the complete James Bond collection … >
The rushed Man with the Golden Gun was a financial and critical disappointment upon its release in 1974, so much so that production on the next adventure was delayed to ensure the team got the next one right. Fortunately they came up with probably the quintessential Roger Moore Bond movie; 1977’s practically perfect The Spy Who … >
Barely had Live and Let Die been allowed to breathe and The Man with the Golden Gun was already in production; released, for the first time since the early Sean Connery years, only one year after its predecessor. Whilst a whiff of familiarity may be present, Roger Moore once again proves wholly capable of the interplay … >
We bid farewell to Sean Connery and welcome Roger Moore to the fold in 1973’s Live and Let Die. Moore had been on the Broccoli’s radar for years but his commitments to The Saint and the availability of Connery had thus far always ruled him out. But eventually the Tarot cards aligned and the world … >
We referred to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as the ‘black sheep’ of the Bond family. However, a similar claim could be made for this, Sean Connery’s one-off return (as long as we only count Never Say Never Again as an unofficial Bond). It’s a complete tonal shift from its predecessor and plays out as … >
And so we come to the black sheep of the Bond family… Sean Connery left the building and George Lazenby picked up the reins in a film whose reputation seems to rise and fall depending on the phases of the moon. > Buy the complete James Bond collection on Blu-ray. The plot We start … >
Arguably the Bondiest of all Bond films and the prime inspiration for practically every spy spoof that has ever spoofed, You Only Live Twice is truly the epitome of the view that ‘bigger is better’. Let’s dive in and find out… > Buy the complete James Bond collection on Blu-ray. The plot A US … >
It’s the most financially successful James Bond film (adjusted for inflation), the second (after Goldfinger) to win an Oscar, this time for Best Visual Effects, and infamously remade as Never Say Never Again, luring Sean Connery back to the role, in 1983. AND YET. Reaction to Thunderball has always been decidedly mixed, for reasons that … >