Sean in review

[Skywalker]

What are your favourite Connery Bond films and how would you rank them?

[Kristatos]

1. Goldfinger
2. From Russia With Love
3. You Only Live Twice (a film I have a soft spot for despite its flaws)
4. Thunderball
5. Dr. No
6. Never Say Never Again
7. Diamonds Are Forever

(edit: that's just a quick off-the-cuff list, I'll explain my choices in more detail when I have the time)

[stockslivevan]

1) From Russia with Love
2) Dr. No
3) Thunderball
4) Goldfinger
5) Daimonds Are Forever
6) You Only Live Twice

[Skywalker]

My choices are very similar. I guess most Bond fans are.

1) FRWL
2) DN
3) GF
4) TB
5) YOLT
6) DAF

[Kristatos]

The Annotated Version:

1. Goldfinger
The definitive Bond film, the one that defined the formula for the series. Until now.

2. From Russia With Love
More Hitchcockian than most Bond films, with fewer gadgets and a stronger plot. To tell you the truth, it's a toss-up between this and GF for the top spot, but I think that if I had to show the proverbial visitor from Mars one Bond film to sum up what the series was all about, GF would be it.

3. You Only Live Twice
Yes, Connery phoned in his performance, and yes, it set the stage for the horrors of 70's Bond. But I saw it at an impressionable enough age that I didn't care, and it's the film that really kick-started my love of Bond, so it gets a high ranking anyway. Plus, It's Ken Adam's finest hour, with Blofeld's volcanic lair being one of the most iconic images in the series' history.

4. Thunderball
The biggest-grossing Bond of them all, but there's a feeling there that the filmmakers' primary focus is on the question "how can we top Goldfinger?", rather than "how can we tell an entertaining story?"

5. Dr. No
The one that started it all, but watching it now, it feels a little rough around the edges, with the elements that distinguish a Bond film from a conventional spy thriller not yet in place. It's almost a Bond film, but not quite. A bit like CR, in fact.

6. Never Say Never Again
As above, only more so. The EONised version goes a long way towards erasing the strangeness, but it's a fan effort, and not the same as if the EON elements were there in the first place.

7. Diamonds Are Forever
Connery is starting to show his age here, but he's still in better shape than the script. Shocking, positively shocking.

[paco chaos]

1. Goldfinger
my all time favorite Bond film. perfect in every way.
2. From Russia With Love
great drama and suspense. just great.
3. Dr. No
the one that started it all, and paved the way for all to follow.
4. Thunderball
not as good as it's predecessors, but extremely fun.
5. You Only Live Twice
kinda goofy, but Donald Pleasence as Blofeld makes me enjoy this quite a bit. suffers from Connery's apparent boredom, as well as lacking in a strong Bond girl.
6. Diamonds are Forever
Connery returns, but proves why he was wise to quit after YOLT. still the film has it's moments and Jill St. John looks pretty hot.
7. Never Say Never Again
liked it better when it was called Thunderball. this one lacks the finesse of earlier efforts, and really demonstrates why Bond should be played by someone younger. It would have been great if Connery had come back to film the death of Bond in one last adventure. kind of like a Dark Knight Returns scenario.

[Robert Stirling]

1. From Russia With Love
2. Dr No
3. You Only Live Twice
4. Goldfinger
5. Thunderball
6. Diamonds Are Forever
7. Never Say Never Again

[Dr. No]

1. Dr No
2. From Russia With Love
3. Thunderball
4. Goldfinger
5. You Only Live Twice
6. Diamonds Are Forever
7. Never Say Never Again

YOLT used to be ahead of GF, DAF and NSNA have always been at the bottom of the Sean Connery barrel.