Best Bond debut?

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For me, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the best debut film for any Bond. It's also the best farewell film for any bond too lol  I think all the debuts up until Goldeneye are good. I've never understood the appeal of Casino Royale myself, though.

[iank]

Live and Let Die. Rog makes it his own within his first two minutes onscreen.

[rushy]

Jul 29, 2022 20:58:45 GMT @kengrubshaw said:

I've never understood the appeal of Casino Royale myself, though.

I understand the appeal well enough - it's a refreshing gritty take on Bond, it's a heartfelt romantic drama, it's a fun origin story.

But for me, it just doesn't work for two main reasons: 

1) I don't believe Bond is the type of character to really benefit from an origin story. There's no story to Bond's origin. He worked his way up the spy ladder by being good at this sort of thing, and now enjoys the benefits that come with it. Bond's worst fear - as suggested in Dr No - is being demoted. He isn't a tragic figure who was groomed to be a spy, but a person with initiative who took it upon himself to become one simply because he could. 

Sure, Bond eventually has some trauma under his belt, but it's not a defining characteristic of his. He accepts it as an inevitability of his lifestyle and can justify it because he is, after all, just a police officer in the end.

2) I didn't find the character of Vesper very likable, so I wasn't invested in their love story. I can imagine Bond being attracted to her and having a fling with her as a game, but she was too insincere in her attitudes for me to buy any genuine love there. And that's a huge chunk of the film. 

EDIT: My favourite Bond opener is Goldeneye. I consider it to be the perfect 007 film. 

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Jul 29, 2022 22:48:51 GMT iank said:

Live and Let Die. Rog makes it his own within his first two minutes onscreen.

"Not married by any chance, are you?"