James Bond...
This will be my longest blog to date.
I'm going to blog about James Bond movies, all of the 22 Bond movies, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig's.
When I was young, the James Bond movies I had seen would be those with Pierce Brosnan. That was because he was James Bond in the 1990s and that I grew up at the time. I started watching my first James Bond movie when I was around 7 or 8 years old and that Bond movie was 'Tomorrow Never Dies', with Datuk Michelle Yeoh in it. So proud to have a Malaysian in the movie!
My mother told me about James Bond movies has been around for many years. More almost 50 years since Sean Connery's first appearance as 007.
Recently, local and cable televisions has been showing James Bond movies again. This reruns got me to write about James Bond.
1. Dr. No
All I remembered from this movie was Ursula Andress in bikini coming from the beach. That scene has became classic and later many movies followed, including Halle Berry in 'Die Another Day'. I can't recall what's 'Dr. No' story is really about. And also, James Bond don't really have much fancy gadgets beside a gun in that movie.
2. From Russia With Love
This is the first movie where Desmond Llwelyn's Q came to the picture. The story continues from 'Dr. No'. SPECTRE wants revenge from James Bond for killing Dr. No.
3. Goldfinger
Goldfinger, some kinda lunatic guy that was smuggling gold. Was this the movie that the villian painted the girls in gold after killing them? He is lunatic.
4. Thunderball
The SPECTRE organisation story doesn't end at 'Goldfinger'. The story continues here. This movie, the world-domination-crazed organisation stole two NATO's bomb, planning to destroy some countries... Same old story; it's up to 007 James Bond to save the day...!
5. You Only Live Twice
Bond is in the country of the rising sun. A spacecraft was stolen and James Bond was assigned to investigate it. And also this movie revealed Ernst Blofield as the chief of SPECTRE.
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
James Bond marries, just for a short while in this movie. He was sent to a research centre in Swiss, where he encountered a group of brainwashed angels. They were used by Blofield as part of his SPECTRE operation plan. Speaking of James Bond getting married, his wife was Countess Teresa or Tracy. Sadly she was shot dead by Blofield's men in the end. One of the sad scenes I saw in James Bond series. George Lazenby first and final appearance as James Bond.
7. Diamonds Are Forever
Sean Connery is back as James Bond. In this movie, James Bond finds Blofield in a secret facility where he created many Blofield look-alike. He killed one of the 'Blofields', but bad guys don't really die, don't they? Why diamonds as the title in this movie? Blofield intended to destroy weapons in United States, Soviet Union and China using the diamonds. Diamonds were built on the satellite. Using the power of sunlight, it can shot the laser to Earth.
8. Live And Let Die
'Live and Let Die' was Roger Moore's first appearance as James Bond. This Bond movie plot centres on drug trafficking and subsequently, few of the following Bond movies uses this theme.
9. The Man With The Golden Gun
I remembered this movie somewhere because of a particular scene. James Bond was having this duel with Christopher Lee's Scaramanga. Two person faced each other behind their backs, took few steps forward and then fire their guns at each other. The faster who fires one killed the slower one. Christopher Lee's Scaramanga imitate MI6 agents and uses a golden gun to kill.
10. The Spy Who Loved Me
Soviet and British spies falling for each other. Gigantic man with metal teeth with the name of Jaws. One of the memorable villans in the series. Ha, ha! Spells nothing for James Bond. Soviet and English submarines were missing. Both countries send their agents to investigate. From being rivals to lovers in the end.
11. Moonraker
Hijacked spaceship from the United Kingdom, leading James Bond to investigate the manufacturer of the spaceship, Drax Industries. He then uncovers Hugo Drax's plan to destroy human life on Earth and at the same time, sending a group of men and women, genetically perfect to space, breeds there and then return to Earth again. James Bond's adventure brought him to outer space to destroy Drax's spaceship. Not forgetting, Jaws is returning...
12. For Your Eyes Only
James Bond and daughter of the marine biologist Sir Timothy Havelock, Melina investigate the former's death, leading them to a drug trafficker, Columbus. It was later revealed that Columbus was hired by the Soviet to get the ATAC, the system used by the British Royal Navy.
13. Octopussy
A plot to bomb the US Air Force base in West Germany by a Soviet General (again the Soviets...) and an exile Afghan prince, Kamal Khan to trigger the tension between United States and Soviets. Bond was sent to investigate fellow agent 009's death and uncovers the motive of the two villains. He also met Octopussy, a rich business woman and a jewellery smuggler, working to smuggle diamonds for Prince Kamal Khan.
14. A View To A Kill
Christopher Walken as Max Zorin, the genius yet psychotic planning to control the microchip market. His plan was to flood the whole Silicon Valley, the place where microchip were produced back in the 1980s. Roger Moore's last appearance as 007.
15. The Living Daylights
A Soviet General, Georgi Koskov uses James Bond and the British government to frame General Pushkin. The plot was uncovered by James Bond from the traces that the sniper who Koskov arranged to 'kill' him using empty bullets. Koskov was misusing Soviet government's fund to purchase firearms from arms dealer Whitaker to supply them back to the Soviet. Timothy Dalton replaced Roger Moore as 007.
16. Licence To Kill
Felix Leiter's wedding joy became despair when he was injured and his wife was killed by the Colombian drug lord, Sanchez. James Bond took the vendetta and had his license to kill revoked, just for the revenge for Leiter. He tracks Sanchez to Isthmus City.
17. GoldenEye
This movie began with James Bond and another MI6 agent, Alec on a mission to Soviet base. Their arrival inside the base has been exposed. The Soviet general took Alec as hostage, threatening James Bond to surrender himself. James Bond bombed the area later, thinking that Alec has died under the general. Flash forward to the 90s, Bond was assigned by M (Judi Dench) to investigate the bombing of space centre in Severnaya, Russia by a crime organisation Janus. The survival and the eyewitness of the bombing was Natalya Simmova, a computer programmer. She saw the Russian general and Xenia Onatopp killing all the staffs at the space centre. Her colleague Boris, a Janus member betrayed and turned her to the Russian general, who was also a Janus member. James Bond crosses paths with Natalya when both of them was taken to meet the mastermind of Janus, none other than Alec. Alec, also a Cossack descendent, fakes his death in order to seek revenge for his parents' death by the British.
18. Tomorrow Never Dies
Media mogul Elliot Carver provokes the war between British and Chinese navies. He 'create' the news. Hours after British ship was sunk, the news was reported. M sends James Bond to investigate. At the same time Chinese agent, Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) was also investigating on Carver. Both of them teamed up to destroy Carver's plan to fire a missile to Beijing and create World War 3. So much for a media mogul huh?
19. The World Is Not Enough
The murder of oil billionaire by Russian terrorist gets James Bond to work on the case and protect the billionaire's daughter, Elektra from falling victim. The murder of the oil billionaire was actually Elektra seeking revenge against her father and her intention to took control over the world's oil's prices.
20. Die Another Day
'Die Another Day' began with James Bond impersonating a diamond dealer to sell diamonds to North Korean Colonel Moon. Bond disguise was uncover by Colonel Moon's assistant, Zao. James Bond chases Colonel Moon until he falls to a waterfall. Colonel Moon's father, General Moon devastated by his son's death, captures James Bond for 14 months until he was released as an exchange for Zao, who killed 3 Chinese agents in Beijing. James Bond was called back to mission shortly later. He went to Cuba to investigate a gene therapy clinic where a person can change their appearance by restructuring their DNA. He found Zao at the clinic, aimed to kill him but he escaped. Zao left diamonds that were identified as conflict diamonds from Africa. The diamonds lead Bond to billionaire Gustav Graves, which was actually Colonel Moon. Pierce Brosnan as James Bond for the last time.
21. Casino Royale
When Daniel Craig was cast as 007, I was one of those who suspects his acting ability. "Who is he?!", "How can he be James Bond?!". Later, when I went to watched, it turned out to be one of the best Bond movies I had seen, even it was a bit confusing too. James Bond began his job as 007, license to kill. He met Vesper Lynd, a Treasury agent. He resigned to M shortly and went to Venice with her. Vesper was killed trying to save James Bond. He learned that she was working for an organisation that kidnapped her boyfriend.
22. Quantum of Solace
James Bond seeks revenge for Vesper in 'Quantum of Solace'. After learning that this "how can this organisation be everywhere and we don't know nothing about them" (M), Bond was assigned to find out about them. The movie ends with Bond and Camille Montes leaving Dominic Greene, member of the secret organisation, Quantum at the dessert with a can of motor oil.
I'm sure any of you must at least watched two James Bond movies in your life... Or at least heard of them... (?)
I think all 22 Bond movies are good and there are few personal favourites of mine which were 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', 'For Your Eyes Only', 'A View To A Kill', 'The Living Daylights', 'Tomorrow Never Dies' and 'Quantum Of Solace'. Which actor was the best James Bond...? All of them were great and I don't think any of them failed us with their performance. My thought of them were; Sean Connery was cool and calm, Roger Moore was charming and smart, George Lazenby was romantic, Timothy Dalton was dangerous, Pierce Brosnan was mesmerising, Daniel Craig was cold and sentimental.
Can't wait for Daniel Craig to return in the 23rd Bond movie, 'Skyfall'. Coming out next year!
p/s: In the meanwhile, I will go look for Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. Last week book hunting does not bring any results.
pp/s: Next time I think I'll write about Star Wars... Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker. "May the force be with you...". Can't stop laughing!
