We ranked the best Bond films from each actor, now we will take a look at their worst films. The Bond films have been around for over 50 years now, so it’s inevitable that every now and again one will underperform and raise a few eyebrows at the same time. Note* this list only counts the 23 Eon Production released films.
5. Sean Connery – Diamonds Are Forever
Ah Diamonds Are Forever, a film that had so much appeal going for it. Original actor Sean Connery had returned for one last Martini (not including Never Say Never Again), Las Vegas was the backdrop, villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld returned as the main antagonist and popular director Guy Hamilton returned to direct after his impressive debut Goldfinger. So where did it all go wrong? By the time of its release in 1971, Bond actor Sean Connery had become disillusioned with the character, citing he was bored of Bond. In fact he only took the role on condition he got a nice paycheck, in which he later used to establish the Scottish International Education Trust. He also managed to get United Artists the company that release the films to fund two films of the actor’s choice.
It is evident from the offset that Connery just wasn’t the same Bond as before he quit the role the first time. The tone of the film drastically changed from his previous five films to campy and comedic, which doesn’t fit with Connery’s Bond’s style and the lighthearted tone doesn’t feel right after the previous film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
4. Roger Moore – Moonraker
Moonraker, released in 1979 was Roger Moore’s fourth outing as James Bond. After the success of The Spy Who Loved Me, many would have thought the Moore’s films were moving in a positive direction after his first two were met with criticism. How wrong we were, clearly influenced by Star Wars, which was released two years previously. The film drastically changed from the Ian Flemming novel and became James Bond in outer space.
Even much loved villain Jaws couldn’t save the film from being a disaster. In fact the character was ruined about halfway through the film when he fell in love, in what can only be described as one of the strangest and least needed sub-plots in the franchises history.
Most of the complaints aimed at Moore’s films is highlighted with Moonraker. The tone of the film at times felt like a spoof, which in small doses worked fine with his films but not for the full 126 minute runtime.
3. Timothy Dalton – The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights released 1987, marked the debut of Timothy Dalton as James Bond. The Living Daylights, which changed the tone of the films to be more serious after Moore’s last film A View to a Kill.
Dalton was a fresh take on Bond, adding edge to a character that was more lighthearted and comedic for the previous decade under Moore. The soundtrack by Aha was fun filled 80’s pop and there were some stunning stunts and scenes suitable to a Bond series. What let the film down though, is the disjointed plot, forgettable villains and boring Bond girl in Kara Milovy, which detract from a fine debut from Dalton.
2. Pierce Brosnan – Die Another Day
Die Another Day marked the final film in the franchise before it was rebooted with Casino Royale. Die Another Day was Pierce Brosnan’s fourth and final Bond film and is often considered one of the worst films in the franchise and for many reasons. The theme by Madonna for starters was one of the weakest in the series. The plot and villains were very over the top and not in the usual fun, Bond way. There were also one more questionable scenes, such as Bond surfing away from a Tsunami with very questionable CGI.
Brosnan was a fine Bond let down by bad scripts. It’s a shame that he could never recapture the glory of his debut film, GoldenEye, because if the films continued with the level of that film he would be considered one of the best Bond’s of all time.
1. Daniel Craig – Quantum of Solace
After the success of Casino Royale, many thought the Bond series was back on track. After the praise Casino Royale received, new film Quantum of Solace was fast tracked to be released two years later in 2008. From the start the film was met with problems, the writers Guild strike interfered with the writing of the script. The result was a Bond film that whilst not awful, is certainly a step down after the fantastic Casino Royale.
A few elements let the film down, as mentioned, the script wasn’t up to scratch, resulting in a sometimes messy plot. Dominic Greene was a disappointment, especially after Mads Mikkelsen’s fantastic portrayal of Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. There was also director Marc Forster’s use of shaky cam which ruined some of the action scenes, naming the intro car chase as one. There were positives though, Daniel Craig grew into the role and was becoming a fine Bond, and Olga Kurylenko was believable as the vulnerable Camille. Luckily the team got back on the right track with Skyfall which became the most successful film in the franchise.
Spectre the 24th film in the franchise is only days away and it looks like it will be another classic.
So here is my list of my least favourite films from each Bond actor. Do you agree with my choices? Let us know what you think in the comments. Don’t forget to give us your opinion and follow us on Twitter!