The James Bond series is widely known the world over. They are absolutely iconic, even if they aren't all the greatest movies in the world, and some are infamous for being relatively corny and goofy (especially the Roger Moore outings). But the franchise is enormously popular, and even non-Bond fans know about various aspects of the series, including the actors, theme songs, campy tone, and maybe even some of the goofier puns.
While the movies are very popular, even the most die-hard Bond fans can't agree on everything. Some people love widely hated films, and some hate widely beloved actors. Unpopular opinions abound - especially on Reddit.
Roger Moore As Favorite Bond
It's not that Roger Moore is a bad James Bond. Rather, it's more that Moore was in the campiest and goofiest entries in the Bond franchise, leading many to hate Moore by association. But some people love the Moore films - including Reddit user Arkeolith. They claim, "Roger Moore is my favorite James Bond! I like all seven of his movies, and would in fact go so far as to say that I love five of them. Ironically, one of the two that I just like and don’t love is For Your Eyes Only (other is TMWtGG), one of the two that it’s considered acceptable among non-Moore fans to like. Yep, I love Octopussy and A View to a Kill and Moonraker!"
Pierce Brosnan's Run Is Greater Than Daniel Craig's
Pierce Brosnan made a great Bond, but he was plagued with some truly poor scripts. Aside from GoldenEye, there's not a lot to like in the Brosnan era (with Die Another Day often being considered the worst Bond film ever made). On the other hand, Daniel Craig's tenure has given fans two all-time classics in Casino Royale and Skyfall. But Arkeolith thinks otherwise. They claim, "Overall I would rank Pierce Brosnan’s four-movie run over Daniel Craig’s four-movie run so far." This is hilariously responded to by mydarkmeatrises, who states, "Dude, now you're just making s*** up."
The World Is Not Enough Is The Best Bond Film
dragonsky seemingly agrees with Arkeolith, as they stated, "TWINE is one of the best if not the best James Bond movie." The World Is Not Enough is certainly not a beloved Bond film. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 52% Tomatometer score and 49% audience score. On IMDb, it holds a decent but middling 6.4/10. The unpopular opinion is mirrored in the post's replies, with Thedudeabides337 stating, "Lol I actually like DAD better than TWINE" and akanefive saying "That's a real hot take!"
People Who Like Casino Royale Aren't Real Bond Fans
What constitutes a "real" James Bond fan? According to Reddit user jmartkdr, one cannot be a real fan if they like Casino Royale. In their own words, "Casino Royale is the least Bond-movie-esque Bond movie, and people who want all the new Bond movies to be like that aren't really Bond movie fans."
It's true that Casino Royale isn't very Bond-esque, owing largely to the gritty atmosphere and lack of Bond mainstays like silly puns and outlandish gadgets.
Quantum Of Solace Is Perfect
Quantum of Solace was the disappointing sequel to Casino Royale, and it's widely maligned by the Bond fanbase. But not for summershell. They claim, "I love Quantum of Solace and genuinely see nothing wrong with it." Bond16 disagrees, responding with, "Not even the editing in the action scenes? I think Quantum gets too much s***, but the editing in those scenes just gives me a headache just by thinking about it."
Die Another Day Is Top Five
Die Another Day is a widely-maligned film, and it proved so disastrous that the series was rebooted with Casino Royale. But even then, the film has its staunch defenders. AdrenalinDragon states, "Probably having Die Another Day in my top 5 Bond movies of all-time. It’s just so much fun watching it and I can’t bring myself to hate it as it zips by so quickly and Pierce Brosnan gives his best performance in it." SuperMario1981 seemingly agrees, writing, "I don't know how anybody can say that Die Another Day is the worst Bond film when Diamonds Are Forever, Moonraker, and A View To A Kill are literally right there."
For Your Eyes Only Is The Worst Moore Film
When it comes to Roger Moore's controversial and divisive outings, many people can agree on one thing - both The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only are genuinely great films. But tacoman333 doesn't seem to think so.
They state, "For Your Eyes Only is a total bore and the only Moore film that I find hard to stomach. The villains are bland, the action is dull, and cool moments or gadgets border on nonexistent. The loss of John Barry is felt throughout the film although Conti doesn't do a terrible job. And it doesn't help that it has the second most irritating character in the franchise, Bibi. Fun ending though, so I give it that."
A Lot Of The Films Are Bad
The Bond movies are incredibly popular - and there is a reason that they have been consistently popular for decades, with plenty of other spy movies attempting to emulate their success. Some of them (Diamonds Are Forever, A View to a Kill, Die Another Day) may not be quite so popular, but as a franchise, they are great spy flicks. This isn't how one since-deleted Reddit user feels, though, who hilariously and succinctly states, "I love Bond but a lot of the films are s***."
Thunderball Is Bad
As much as many people love to rag on Roger Moore, the Sean Connery era also has a few duds. Diamonds Are Forever is widely thought to be one of the worst Bond films, You Only Live Twice isn't universally beloved, and even Thunderball has its detractors. As akanefive succinctly puts it, "Thunderball is a bad movie." FormerFruit agrees, stating, "Agree with this, but at least it had Domino, imo she was the most beautiful of them all."
Diamonds Are Forever Is The Best Connery Film
The James Bond fanbase is a wonderful thing. No one can ever truly agree on anything. While it may seem like everyone hates Diamonds Are Forever, that is obviously not the case. rebelde_sin_causa states, "DAF is my favorite Connery movie. I grew up on Roger Moore Bond flicks, so maybe I like the campy stuff." FormerFruit agrees to an extent, writing, "It's not my favourite, but it's better than Thunderball imo. Thunderball was the worst from Connery's selection if you ask me."