Très Bond

And finally, here we are... the last film of the original saga. Let's not beat around the bush here, it's a much-maligned movie. It's loved and hated in fairly equal measure due to it's purported campy tone, geriatric Bond, bat-shit wild Walken, menacing May Day, and screeching Stacey Sutton... but when has consensus ever gotten in the way of a good time? OHMSS was widely panned at time of release and later became a standard bearer for the franchise; DAF was praised as a return to form by the wider cinema-going public and we all know how that turned out. Maybe it's time to give A View to a Kill the love and attention it deserves? Or maybe it's just an overblown, overstuffed mess. We'll see.

After the astronautic high jinks of Moonraker, the producers of the Bond franchise decided to take a more grounded approach with the 12th film. Bond alumnus, John Glen, was handed the directorial reins after more than a decade behind the scenes, Bill Conti was brought in to fill-in for long-time composer John Barry, and Roger Moore was convinced to extend his contract to return as Agent 007. The first film of the 80s was an attempt to harden the Bond franchise and refresh it... but was it successful? Was it a Flemingesque revenge thriller or a Nyquil-like, yawnfest?

Whilst it is the highest grossing film (adjusted for inflation, of course) in the James Bond franchise, Thunderball often sits in the shadow of its immediate, golden predecessor... but should it instead loom over the franchise as a towering triumph? It is seen by some as being waterlogged by prolonged underwater sequences; by others it's a rip-roaring, exhilarating thrill ride. Très Bond always acts while others talk, so we strike... and give you our unfiltered opinion on the fourth Bond film.

Space, as they say, is the final frontier... and it very well could have been the last we saw of Mr Bond. The most expensive James Bond adventure made (at the time) was a gamble that paid off handsomely at the box office... but just because it made money doesn't mean it's watchable. Just like the Moonraker knows, we're here to sort the gold from the space debris and give you our unfiltered take on this most divisive of Bond films.

From Russia with Love was picked by John F. Kennedy as one of his favourite novels, which gave the producers the signal to go all in with the greatest film franchise of all time. It is jam-packed with iconic images, luxurious locations, a furious fistfight, and red wine with fish. The novel was good enough to be considered a personal favourite of the President... but is the film good enough for the boys at Très Bond?

The consensus regarding Roger Moore's second outing is that he suffers from a rushed sophomore slump. TMWTGG is considered both too lean on substance and too bloated by nonsense. Is that really fair? Is this much maligned Moore movie really a rollicking, rough-diamond Roger romp? You've heard from the rest, now listen to the best: the boys at Très Bond have got you covered.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a Bond actor in possession of a third film, must be in want of their best 007 adventure. Connery had Goldfinger, Moore had The Spy Who Loved Me and Brosnan had The World Is Not Enough. History is made in the 19th entry into the Bond franchise: the first female villain, the last Bond film of the 20th century, the longest pre-title sequence to date... but is it's Brosnan's crowning glory? Is this the film that defines the Brosnan tenure or is it a limping, lacklustre chore?

After the runaway success of Goldeneye, Bond mania was back on track... but would Brosnan be able to avoid the sophomore slump? A film with a somewhat troubled production and a bigger than expected budget, this film also promised to be bigger & better. With a Titanic rival at the box office, the competition was fierce and the expectations high. More than twenty years later, how does it stack up? We'll let you know.

Nobody does it better... or so the saying goes. The first of the Bond films produced by Albert R. Broccoli, without long time producing partner Harry Saltzman, had a lot riding on it. It had been three years since the last film (considered by many to be a financial flop) and this was the everything or nothing shot Cubby had to make. History tells us that this film is a triumph in every respect; that this is the biggest and best Bond film. Critically and commercially successful at the time, how does this giant of the franchise hold up more than forty years on?

In 1983, it was the Battle of the Bonds. Moore returned for his sixth James Bond film and he was up against Connery's unofficial rival film 'Never Say Never Again'. Naturally, EON had to pull out all the stops and make this a Bond film for the ages to assure their place as the one, true Bond franchise. Did they succeed? Financially, yes, but they did create an all time high 007 adventure or a clownish, goofy cartoon?