Let’s face it, the Bond franchise died the moment Albert Broccoli kicked the bucket. I think film buffs tend to overestimate directors’ influence upon these productions, the flavor of these films was due to Broccoli’s supervision and Barry’s scores. Now that the family link is no longer there, the series is now completely dead.
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Ah no, not really.
Casino Royale is better than most of the older ones, and Quantum of Solace is a masterpiece of film making. I really love that one, and it gets better with every viewing. Ok the last 3 were wishy washy films, but every Bond actor made one or two turkeys, and the last 3 Bonds are still much better than a disaster film like Moonraker.
Roger More made 2 of the best and 2 of the worst of the series.
Yes, they are producer films, but still the directors have and had some influence.
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I agree with part of that. I’m betting with myself that you are probably thinking of ‘Live and Let Die’ and ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, as the best…?
I’m thinking of 'Live and Let Die and ‘The Man With the Golden Gun’, as the best. I could never get in to ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, and still can’t…no matter how hard I try to like it.
So many people have different opinions and a take on everything. They tend to look down on ‘TMWTGG’ (and ‘Diamonds Are Forever’). Thank goodness that it is all down to personal taste, at the end of the day…Other folks opinions should be respected, but - at the end of the day - it is all down to what we individually love, and gain the most pleasure from.
No amount of clever analysis of a film, or situation, should ever sway or influence us in our own personal steadfast belief…‘Twelve Angry Men’ was the classic example of one man standing his ground against a rigid, often biased, attitude. Now, that is one film that has taught me a life’s lesson that I have strictly adhered to for many years now.
Back again to opinions…
Yes, these 2, they were the most fun when I was a child, and are still fun to watch. I actually think that The Spy Who Loved Me is a comparatively stylish film.
The 2 worst are Moonraker and A View to a Kill, which only beats Moonraker with a great Christopher Walken, who had deserved a better Bond for his enthusiastic performance.
Funny is that Spy and Moonraker were made by the same producer, director, writer team.
Well, about opinions, I know a lot of hardcore Bond fans, and the variety of opinions is amazing.
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Yeah…Lewis Gilbert. I got to meet him when I lived on the Isle of Man. In 2001/2. I was doing film extra work there, and got called to a location. I had no idea that Lewis Gilbert was directing it. It was his last film, and was called ‘Before You Go’. It starred Julie Walters and Joanne Whalley, whom I got to meet. Got to admit, I had a crush on both of them… 
By the way, I honestly thought that you were going to mention ‘Man With the Golden Gun’ as one of the worst Moore Bond films…
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The general Bond community seems to mostly dislike ‘Golden Gun’ and I have always been puzzled as to why. Apart from the short section with the cartoon-like sheriff (and the infamous slide whistle stunt), I always thought the rest of the film was some top tier Bond. Lee plays easily one of the best villains of the series and has a cool as hell island with a creepy maze/shooting gallery, how can you not love it!
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Well, I should have been more specific, as my terse statement was admittedly sort of ambiguous.
What I’m saying isn’t necessarily a knock on post-Dalton Bonds in terms of their overall cinematic or craftsmanly quality, though I do think the series got somewhat bumpier past that point. What I’m saying is that these movies were a product of franchise’s modernization through which process the series lost a lot of its original cultural identity. Purely an opinion on my part.
Pre-Brosnan Bonds exhibited a kind of an oldie disposition which you could trace back to the first wave of old-school 1960s spy outings, not so much with these newer entries which feel like actioners in the same vein as Jason Bourne flicks for which reason they hold little value for me because that’s not what I want from a Bond film. Casio Royale is a great Bourne-style flick, I do enjoy it, but it does not scratch the itch for a Bond movie, it just doesn’t.
Moonraker is an absolute masterpiece of filmmaking. Awe-inspiring.
It’s actually become one of my biggest favorites over the years, it’s definitely the quirkiest of all Bond entries, its humor is so over-the-top it might even appear offensive by modern standards, it’s just incomparable and unique in so many ways, though admittedly a bit of an acquired taste. It’s one of the reasons why the old ones are gold and the new ones suck for the most part.
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Absolutely…they oozed style; from the magnificent John Barry scores (plus ‘LALD’, by George Martin), the iconic, beautifully painted posters, the diabolical villains, the suave performances, and the amazing merchandise. It was cool to be like Bond… 
And then, of course, there was no Political Correctness, which is the bane of present-day living. Bond films were not endlessly repeated on TV, and each 007 TV network premiere was an event for the whole family…happy days.
Importantly, as well, I’d say that the early Bonds now present us with a unique snap-shot of life in the 60’s and 70’s…not always realistic, of course, but, nevertheless, an album filled with the then attitudes and fears of the time.
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I think John Barry was definitely the biggest loss for the franchise. The modern bonds don’t have any memorable soundtracks and even the opening titles have gotten pretty boring.
One of my favourites is from The Living Daylights, when the horns come in at around 44 seconds, it sounds bloody majestic.
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I had a signed book by John Barry. My ex wife took it.
Barry was, and is, one of the best.
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Sir George Martin.
I need to mention this lovely gentleman, if only because he joined forces with Sir Paul McCartney, and gave us a Bond score to die for with ’ Live and Let Die’ (1973).
Firstly, when I was going through my collecting autographs stage over 20 years ago, I wrote to Sir George, and he was kind enough to reply back. It made my day, because ‘LALD’ is not only my fav. Bond, but also in my top 15 films of all time.
Please see earlier posts in this thread to understand why I love ‘Live and Let Die’ so much…
It was a score that went off-track from the traditional John Barry, but seemed so appropriate for the introduction of a new Bond, in the form of Roger Moore.
The opening thunderous theme by Sir Paul, set the mood for a film score that incorporated funk with mystical influences…
The film score, and the film, are glorious.
This is the one that did it for me…it was so of it’s time.