The Best

I concluded recently that one of the strongest Bong films is the non-canonical "Never Say Never Again". It is not the best of all the Bond films, I suppose (although which one is I'm not sure I can say). It is still better than most of them, I'm sure I can say that much. I imagine this is an uncommon position to take, and I don't really want to be someone who holds minority opinions on everything, as I don't really find deliberately contrary people so pleasant.

I can't help myself, though. Never Say Never Again stands above a number of the EON-produced Bond films. One reason for that, I believe, is the freedom they seem to have felt to break with a lot of the traditional Bond film stuff. There's a familiar title song, but not a familiar title sequence. Bond carries out a mission over the credits, rather than a dancing girls sequence like we'd seen so many times. Effectively the cold open and the titles are combined.

Also many roles are recast, often for the better. There's a new M, a new Q, and a feeling of change and vibrancy that is quite invigorating by comparison with the rest of the films that trot out the same people doing precisely the same things. This may sound odd about a film that follows "Thunderball" to the letter, but I stand by it. The filmmakers are well served by taking an identical house and dressing it as they please. It feels fresh.

Even the stuff that is the same as your average Bond film feels better. This version of the villain Largo is quite memorable as played by Klaus Maria Brandauer. Kim Basinger is quite appealing. Sean Connery is more fun than he was in earlier films (in spite of being so old), maybe out of some notion that he's not under the same pressures, or maybe because he's just making that much money. In any case, he and the film are better than about any Bond film made in the ten years prior and the ten years after.