The name's Bond

Possibly due to both the panic sales and the fact they're being re-released on Blu-ray I've been slowly acquiring the James Bond movies at a cheap price and even more slowly watching them.

It's quite interesting to watch them in order - the Dr. No opening sequence being the most jarring from expectations going straight from barrel shot to a title sequence with a load of dots. This was altered to the barrel shot - teaser - opening credits in the second film From Russia with Love and although this did feature a song by that name it was played over the end credits. Goldfinger started the trend of a opening sung song, but it wasn't until the forgettable Thunderball that we got the expanding transition from barrel circle to opening scene.

You Only Live Twice was the first film to finish without advertising the next simply stating that "James Bond will return". The first 5 minutes of On Her Majesty's Secret Service left me with the impression that this was the worst Bond movie ever, but I came to enjoy it mostly for the excellent music score rather then the acting or dialogue. It's also noteworthy that this film obviously stars Mrs Peel (Diana Rigg) but also Purdey (Joanna Lumley) who gets one line and no name (credited as English in a group of girls). I didn't recognise her until she opened her mouth - unmistakable voice.

Live and Let Die was just fun and "introducing Jane Seymour" as well as Roger Moore. The Man with the Golden Gun was another good theme tune and of course had both Christopher Lee and Hervé Villechaize, as well as the protracted camera crew shot in the displaced dressing room mirror. Wasn't so fond of The Spy Who Loved Me except again for a good theme tune, with the only noteworthy thing being that according to the end credits the next fillm is For Your Eyes Only - the next film turning out to be Moonraker (currently the only one I don't have) due to the success of Star Wars.

Without seeing the previous one For Your Eyes Only currently marks the poorest Bond for me, a ludicrous opening sequence, protracted skiing, and simply a lousy plot and script. The only noteworthy item being the starring of Topol fresh from Flash Gordon in which he starred alongside Timothy Dalton.

Ah well Octopussy next perhaps a new low,

[Additional - yep a new low. Stars Maud Adams who 'died' in Golden Gun and starts with 009 dressed as a clown sopping wet from a fall in a river and with a knife in his back somehow penetrating the British Embassy in East Germany during a party (presumably a time of heightened security) to drop a fake Fabergé egg on the floor before expiring. 'We have no leads' claims a new M; really 009 often dresses as a clown then? Yeesh here's a thought were there any circuses in the area? Would have cut out half the movie if they'd thought of that.

The final straw was when Bond switched the fake egg for the real egg at an auction (in a sleight of hand that should have had everyone shouting oi!") and had Q plant a tracker/microphone on it before allowing it to be 'stolen' from him. Later when both are in the hands of the baddies the BigBad destroys the fake that's been causing problems and in the debris the t/m is found. Um wasn't that in the real one?

Sole redeeming feature - Q using a hot-air balloon to knock out a baddie that had the drop on a bevy of beauties, getting fussed over by them and exclaiming "We don't have time for this... well perhaps later" Way to go Q.

Next film listed as From a View to a Kill, of which they obviously dropped the 'From']

then up to the giddy heights of View to a Kill. Okay maybe it's not that good, but it stars Christopher Walken and thus is elevated by his glow. The grittier Dalton's, the slightly smoother and gadget-laden Brosnan's then the solid Daniel Craig. By which time I'm sure the latest wil be out on DVD.