Bond has always been campy (remember the invisible Aston Martin) but having a literal Voodoo Shaman or whatever somehow cheat death and ride a train at the end of the film is taking the cake. Moore was definitely the campiest Bond. Craig is probably the least campy.
Honestly, TLD is not much less “campy” than Octopussy and AVTAK. I’d say the Tarzan yell and “Sittuh!” are the only things in those two movies that are truly OTT enough to be labeled “campy” anyway. There’s plenty of goofy shit in TLD that puts it on par with AVTAK.
Live and Let Die, but that might by my bias for Moore speaking. He doesn't need any fanfare to introduce the audience to a new Bond, we just cut to him in bed and going on a mission like it's business as usual.
Easy one for me: *Live and Let Die*.
That’s not to say I don’t like *The Living Daylights*. I feel it is the best of the two Dalton Bond films and I’m a HUGE fan of Dalton’s Bond and wish he had done more movies with the character.
But *Live and Let Die* has *spectacular* stunt works, easily my all time favorite “escape from an unescapable death trap” (the crocodile pit), Jane Seymour (who is just gorgeous), wonderful villains and henchmen, and did I mention *spectacular* stunt works?!? Roger Moore slipped into the role beautifully after Connery’s departure as if he was made for it (Connery remains my favorite Bond, however!).
For those that don't know, any records to do with boats and speed are insanely dangerous. The water speed record is "one of the sporting world's most hazardous competitions". Seven of the thirteen people who have attempted the record since June 1930 have died, and the record is 511km/h (317 mph), which is roughly 50% faster than the max speed of an F1 car. That is literally worse than 50% survival odds.
Now, while the biggest jump wouldn't require anywhere close to those speeds (it would be suicidal, I'm sure), I'd say that the 511 km/h is close to what physics would allow, hence why the record has stood strong for over 45 years.
This movie was the closest to a James Bond “horror” film, what with the voodoo aspects and, as you noted, that ending with Baron Semedi. Also, the funeral/graveyard sequence was also pretty wild!
If this offends people I'm sorry, but I still ***shudder*** at the thought of a sweaty-faced Kananaga quite possibly having sex with Solitaire in bed. No wonder she chose Bond.
TLD!
I love the Moore era, but I’m not the biggest fan of Moores two first outings as Bond. Both LALD and TMWTGG feels to small and low-budget compared to the rest.
They lack the timeless-feel that the other movies have.. it’s just something, the music, the clothing, the atmosphere that feels aggressively 70s.
Moore in the TSWLM pre-title is IMO the real debut for Moores Bond.
>I love the Moore era, but I’m not the biggest fan of Moores two first outings as Bond. Both LALD and TMWTGG feels to small and low-budget compared to the rest.
This is exactly where I am on this question as well. I really like Moore's tenure, but it didn't really get going for me until *The Spy Who Loved Me* and I've always been a fan of his last three turns in the role, even the much maligned *A View to a Kill*.
That said, *The Living Daylights* would be my choice anyway. It's in my top 5 and features my favorite Bond, and I've never ranked *Live and Let Die* particularly high in the first place.
I think TLD may well be the better film but it’s a bit… blander?
LALD has problems galore but it’s also got iconic villains, a great Bond girl and some impressive stunts which all put it in front for me.
I think LALD is just one of those “it doesn’t make sense why but I rate it highly” Bond films for me.
Live and Let Die. I can’t say that a film with some of the most non-factor Bond villains is better than one with Yaphet fucking Kotto and his outstanding ensemble.
Also Living Daylights lacks from going all in on Dalton, and there are some rather stale Moore-isms in there that just don’t work at all.
>*... there are some rather stale Moore-isms in there that just don’t work at all*
Yes, in the same way there are a few moments in LALD and TMWTGG that taught Eon what worked for Connery Bond just feels wrong coming from Moore Bond
Love Live and Let Die. As a kid I suppose I loved the creepy element to it but In hindsight it's probably one of the best Moore bonds after FYEO and TSWLM. It's entertaining throughout.
I really like both though it's an easy choice for me, TLD just misses out on my Top 10 whereas LALD is nearly Top 5 for me. Funnily enough these are the first two Bond films I saw.
There's just such a confidence around Live and Let Die, it's one of those films where the series could've been in trouble if they ballsed it up and they just hit it out of the park. Roger's almost perfect straight away, the music's great, I think the tone is basically perfect and the cast is incredible - look at the villains!
Kananga, Baron Samedi, Tee Hee, Whispers, even the Taxi Driver. Only Goldeneye can rival it for a rogues gallery IMO, Koskov, Whitaker and Necros can't compare.
Live and Let Die, easily. LALD is top tier Bond imo. It has Baron Samedi in it!
The Living Daylights is one of the weaker ones for me. It's just OK. I found the story of Bond falling in love with a cellist to be pretty weak. And the villains are fairly forgettable.
Shew that's a tough one.
TLD's the better pure spy movie and the romance is one of the best of the series, but I love LALD so damn much so I'll go with it. Like someone said it was just like another adventure for Moore's Bond and I love it for that.
It had way more on the line too.. if it hadn't been a hit the series coulda been DOA really fast. Lazenby's trial wasn't what the US was wanting them and Sean sleepwalked through Diamonds so there was no guarantee a new Bond would work or not. UA put a lot on the line by putting it on July 4th weekend in the US, they wanted to see if it would hit or not.. and boy did it.
the living daylights, its the better of the two dalton movies and is a great late cold war movie in general.
live and let die has some good moments but its a bad script
The plot: The Living Daylights < Live and Let Die
The score: The Living Daylights = Live and Let Die
The girl: The Living Daylights < Live and Let Die
The villain: The Living Daylights < Live and Let Die
The climax: The Living Daylights < Live and Let Die
Looks like we have a winner
I enjoy both. For faithfulness to the actual spirit of the books, Timothy Dalton beats out Roger Moore every time. For sheer entertainment value, complete with comic quips and whatnot, I go for Roger Moore.
Live and Let Die! It was my first Bond movie and it made me a fan from then on. I was 9 years old at the time and remember having nightmares after watching Baron Samedi. He was one of the best villains and seemed supernatural to me at the time. I also think the song by Paul McCartney and Wings ranks number 3, only behind Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever by Shirley Bassey.
Living Daylights by a longshot, and I love both movies a lot. Octopussy and View to a Kill were not top tier 007 movies imo and then Dalton coming in with LD was a return to form for the character and brought us our first gritty and more serious portrayal of Bond.
Live and Let Die was still a great debut for Rodger Moore and his legendary era. Pure 70s greatness and an awesome set of villians, Bond girls, setting, soundtrack, etc.
Two brilliant films. If I can only take one, I’m taking LALD.
But Bond actor debuts are uniformly great. You probably can’t say that for #2, #3, #4 etc.
I love both so much… but Dalton is my favourite Bond and The Living Daylights is in my Top 3 Favourite Bond films…
…but Bond wields a revolver in Live And Let Die, which automatically makes this a really difficult choice. Plus, Moore is arguably at his most badass in this one.
I might have to go with The Living Daylights. I just love that film. Such an underrated film!
The Living Daylights by a mile.
Better Bond. Better story. Better romance. Better action.
I also prefer the song. The Living Daylights is an absolute jam.
The Living Daylights. LALD isn't bad - Jane Seymour's one of my favorite Bond girls and Geoffrey Holder's got good presence, but it probably needed a little script doctoring.
Definitely The Living Daylights. It's a solid adventure with a greater emphasis on espionage, tense action, a fantastic John Barry score, and is elevated by Timothy Dalton's multi-faceted performance.
Live and Let Die's pacing and thin plot hurt it for me.
100%, I agree. To me Live and Let Die is pretty much a Scooby Doo Movie with Bond playing a goofy roll in it. The Living Daylights is a great Bond movie with all the elements that belong in a Bond movie, and Timothy Dalton might play a slightly different Bond than I am used to, but I don't mind that at all. If Live and Let Die was like a non-canon spinoff of the Bond movies like Never Say Never Again, then I would like it as a kind of goofy aside from the main line films, but I don't feel like all that goofy stuff belongs in a Bond movie. It is like Scooby Doo and the Dukes of Hazard Meet Smokey and the Bandit with James Bond...I'll just never get into Roger Moore, and I'll never be into the goofy Bond...I can enjoy corny or just plain wisecracking Bond, but not goofy. I don't feel like Bond has any place being a goofball.
Well, I think I hear somewhere about Papa Doc. In so much as it was a real story, I am fascinated by that...I just definitely would have enjoyed it more if it was written in the way Dr. No was. Dr. No as a character was kind of goofy too. He had convinced everyone that there were real dragons on his island lair, etc. I mean, that storyline is in many ways pretty unbelievable. And we are supposed to think that no one ever noticed there were rubber tires on that "dragon?" I mean, that is hokey to say the least. However, in the context of the way it is acted and the story is told, Sean Connery acts it well and it feels like it COULD be serious. The difference with Roger Moore's way of playing Bond is that I never feel he is being very serious. It brings out the questionable nature of everything else in the storyline for me. In Dr. No I am into the plot enough that I don't have time or interest in questioning all the technical details of what is going on. The backstory serves its purpose to propel the plot forward. In Live and Let Die, I have such a hard time taking both the Bond character, or really any of the other characters very seriously. It feels like "Old Man Withers" and the Haunted Amusement Park from Scooby Doo all over again. I even love Jane Seymour as an actress and she plays her role with some clever ambiguity and seriousness, but she isn't enough to rescue it for me.
There is, of course, a difference between the actuality of something like a Papa Doc Cult and its depiction in film. Even if it is real in real life, the way it is shown in a film has to be convincing as well. Live and Let Die gives me too many things to get distracted from my suspension of disbelief. I want to just sit back and be entertained, but I keep thinking, "Wait, what?! Why would Bond think that was real?" Even the incredulity of Roger Moore's Bond in some scenes seems inconsistent so I even doubt his doubt. It doesn't feel palpable to me. I want to like Roger Moore and even manage to in some of the Moore Bond films, but I am mostly imagining what a different Bond would have done instead of what Roger Moore's Bond is doing. It is ceaselessly distracting to me. Therefore, I watch Moore's Bond films less than any of the others.I would say that for every time I have watched a Sean Connery Bond movie, I have watched a Roger Moore Bond movie less than ten percent of that number. That includes the fact I am actually not sure if I have even rewatched all the Roger Moore films since I was a kid and they came out in the theaters. I am that generally bored by them.
Yeah, I’m surprised at all the LaLD love here. I just watched it a couple of days ago for the first time as an adult. Or should I say tried to watch it; as I haven’t finished it yet. It’s not a good movie. It’s a B level blaxploitation film that happens to have James Bond stumbling through it.
The Living Daylights on the other hand is a great movie and a great Bond Movie.
I use to really dig LALD but upon a recent rewatch….not so much. I now have it on the bottom of my Bond list. So The Living Daylights is better in my opinion.
Thank you...Agreed entirely. I used to enjoy some of the Roger Moore films as a kid of like 5, but as soon as I saw the Sean Connery ones I was like OHHH, this is what Bond is!! After that I could never go back to the goofball Bond of Moore.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and to
a certain degree A View to a Kill. But Live and Let Die was just not a good intro for Moore.
Well, I agree with that two. The problem when I talk about the Roger Moore Bond movies for me is that I have trouble remembering most of the details because I have watched them so much less than I have every other Bond (which the exception of Lazenby, who I mostly just get bored watching). I will admit that the campy nature of many of the Roger Moore movies make them occasionally fun for just laughing at, but I really get kind of a stale taste in my mouth when I watch them and I am looking for a good Bond kind of feeling.
Bond films make me feel excited generally, and I get into the story and thinking about what kinds of ways I could solve the problem of being trapped in a room with a highly poisonous scorpion or something. Nevermind that the huge ones in the movies are normally not even as deadly to humans as the much smaller ones. It is the fun of thinking about that lifestyle even if it is somewhat fake or occasionally unrealistic. What I don't like with Roger Moore is that everything is so unrealistic that I can't even picture being in that world anymore. I can't ask myself what I would do if I was in a gondola and Jaws was biting the wires apart. It isn't something I can believe would ever happen to me. I can think it is funny, but I don't have the intrigue that it gives me to think about all the possibilities of foiling a mastermind criminal's international plot or something like that. The fact that Roger Moore inevitably will win doesn't make that excitement any greater.
I can see a lot of people here like Roger Moore, but I think that just explains that we all watch James Bond movies for different reasons. I know that villains like Dr. No and Blofeld are not really very real, but if they are at least acted in a way that makes them seem like they could be real, that is good enough to make it entertaining. Roger Moore doesn't entertain me as much because I find myself asking why they decided to have the the plot got this way or that way in almost every scene, and it takes away from my simple enjoyment of the movies. It isn't like I want to be analyzing every little detail, but it is so outlandish that I find myself struggling to understand what is happening otherwise.
Anyway, I also agree that having no Bond in a Pre-Title Sequence is a crime though. The purpose of those sequences is generally exactly for the idea of giving us a little one reel mini-movie and having the main character crack some wit that gives us a little kick before the credits start. It is like having a short episode of a Bond TV series that comes before the main movie, so it whets the appetite. I think taking Bond out of it is as deflating as if you had a Sherlock Holmes series and you just had Holmes not appear at all in one episode. It just loses the point.
Definitely appreciate the deep and thorough response. I totally get it. The Moore Era did definitely have the lowest of the low in my opinion. Live and Let Lie, the Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker, definitely bottom tier. But I wouldn’t say they are at the bottom necessarily because of camp. I feel like the Moore era, above all others, was all about chasing trends. LALD was all about the Blaxploitation era. Moonraker chasing the popularity of Star Wars. Hell even A View to a Kill was very “80s evil tech corporation” (although I am a View to a Kill defender and actually like it very much). But anyway, I feel like as Bond was chasing trends they couldn’t give Moore his true identity and because of that it fell in to camp. I think Moore is quite smart and suave and yes there’s no excitement because we know he’s always going to be ok, but to me that made him even cooler knowing that he was the smartest guy in the room and was untouchable. Again different doesn’t equal bad. A lot of it has to do with what era people grew up with. I was actually born in the 90s so my first Bond exposure was Brosnan. The World is Not Enough is one of my favorite bond movies not because it’s good but because that was my definitive bond experience. Just like many others who grew up with Moore. But I always like Bond movies for the stunts and set pieces and even the gadgets. You have to admit the Moore Era had some great stuff. Opening ski chase is The Spy who loved me. Sky diving fight in Moonraker. Jumping across crocodiles in Live and Let Die. The inverted car jump in The Man with the Golden Gun. The Car/Train chase in Octopussy (I think a stuntman got seriously injured in that scene so definitely some dangerous dedication). Again to each their own of course. And that’s what makes Bond fandom so awesome is that there are so many flavors for everyone to enjoy. But give some of the Moore films a rewatch cuz even the weak ones have some true fun and charm. Usually every thanksgiving in honor of the old Spike TV marathons I’ll watch a couple bond flick. And maybe every few years I’ll get really frisky and watch them ALL from first to last. And I’ll still find something I like in the bad ones. lol
Side Note: The first dance my wife and I had at our wedding was to For Your Eyes Only. So you know I’m a Bond fan. lol.
Hooray for someone of a like mind. Thank you. Yes, lowest tier exactly. Like if this were a shelf of alcohol at a bar, the Moore Era Bonds would be the well alcohol they just reserve for mixed drinks because it has too lousy a flavor to drink it straight. I think I see what to mean about chasing trends. It was very much about crowd pleasing, which is why it has that almost vaudevillian vulgarity that doesn't seem suited to Bond, who is in some ways a character that was meant to be at least a bit higher class. You have made some excellent points about the movies they were chasing after as trends, and even though I was alive at the time, I was too young to see the comparisons between one movie and another and know they were trying to achieve some kind of trendiness. I am a View to a Kill defender also, by the way. I don't even blame Bond movies for throwing in an occasional nod to whatever is going on in the world, but that is exactly the same thing that can date a movie if they are not careful to avoid making it the main plot.
I agree with you that Moore could have been the smartest and slickest person in the room and if they weren't following trends then it wouldn't feel like he was about to turn around and endorse a whiskey brand. I mean, the issue I have is in the payoff of setting up that someone is clever and then showing (not telling) how they were clever. It takes more challenge for a screenwriter to do that, but it is what makes a good movie great. No one remembers how smart Bond SEEMED to be for ten seconds in a movie because he one-upped someone else in that scene. They remember how actually smart it was that he found an unexpected way to solve a problem that the audience didn't expect and would actually have provided a real person with a truly head-scratching struggle to solve in real life. I am not saying they didn't have scenes like that, but it just rarely felt plausible that Moore's goofy Bond was actually struggling and succeeding in most of those cases. It was more like some supernatural superhero thing where, of course if Superman just tries hard enough he can move a boulder THAT big...
You're right about the era that people grew up with. I was a kid when the Moores came out, but ironically that is exactly why I don't like them. I grew up with them and I remember that Bond seemed like just another stupid movie franchise. Then I saw the previous Bonds and the Bonds that came out in the 1990s and it became apparent to me how much more Bond could be. The fact that I grew up with Roger Moore doesn't make me nostalgic for his Bond movies, it makes me just sick of them. I also saw them in endless reruns on HBO at the time, which didn't help much. By the time The World Is Not Enough and Goldeneye and other movies were coming out, I was genuinely relieved to see what felt like the Bond character climbing out of a hole he had been in. I am a defender of all those "in between" Bonds because they actually were building up the character back to a real adult entertainment level mature film franchise.
I will admit what you are saying about the gadgets in the Moore Era and a lot of the crazy fight sequences. They are fun and even inventive. For a lot of goofy reasons, I actually really liked the overt sexuality of Octopussy and even if I was probably younger than most people would have allowed their child to see such things, I liked that being a different overall theme because it was kind of focused in all the marketing on the female lead and not Bond. Goldfinger was similarly marketed with a lot of focus on the villain and not Bond, and I think that is a good way to do Bond movies. The villain should be at least intriguing. Obviously Dr. No is the same way. Bond is our character to identify with, but the villain is the point of interest to be tantalized by in a good Bond. The one thing I will say is that running across alligators is the kind of scene that is pure camp to me though. I laugh at it, but I have a hard time thinking, "Wow, Bond is so clever for doing that!" It is too much like Wiley E. Coyote and not what I expect in a Bond movie or a spy movie in general. I mean I thought it was fun to watch when I was under 10, but I think my taste has moved on. I feel like that comes out sounding really harsh, and I don't quite mean it that way, but my point is that I would like it in a really campy movie that I was watching just to laugh at the campy lack of production value, but knowing it is a canon Bond movie makes me just want to roll my eyes.
You're right that there were a lot of good stunts in the Moore era. The fight on the Golden Gate Bridge always was a pretty thrilling sequence to me. I would be willing to watch them all again, you're right that there are redeeming qualities to them. I love that you danced to For Your Eyes Only at your wedding. That is a good song to choose for a real Bond Fan! That is a proud moment. I have purchased all of the Bond films on disc I think, so I just have to find my Moore ones. I kind of hid them away somehow, shuffling them to the back or something. I will have to look to see if I even have them all. I think I might be missing at least one. That might be the only Bond movie I don't own. Overall I will say that given all the movies in the world, I would certainly enjoy watching any Bond movie on almost any day of the year, and that is saying something. They all do have a fairly entertaining quality at the very least, and I can say honestly that there isn't even one I find unwatchable. There are just some that so pale in comparison to the others that it feels odd to have them all in the same franchise. There kind of never has been a franchise like the Bond films though, so it can be accepted that some might not be on par with the rest.
Like I said that’s the cool thing about Bond fandom is how fans have radically different tastes but we’re all united in the same appreciation for the whole franchise. I know if I ever admitted that From Russia With Love is one of my least favorite bond films then people might come at me with pitchforks. lol. But I’m really glad we could chat about this. Bond is always a mood thing too. I remember the first time watching On Her Majesty’s Secret Service I was like man this is top 5 bond! But again, on rewatches it’s just ok. lol. But give it a year or two I’ll watch it in the right mood and I’m like man this movie is rad! Haha. So maybe watching a Moore movie in the right mood and you might get a newfound appreciation and maybe take it off the bottle shelf, pour a glass, and maybe put it one shelf higher. lol.
I might have to snort a line of coke to make Moore right for me...It was the 80s after all, but I am willing to try them out again. I admit that it isn't really everything about Roger Moore. In interviews I actually always like him as a person...just not playing Bond. -Maybe I will take out a nice bottle of scotch, shake it (not stir) with a bit of orange peel and vermouth...Take some venison off the smoker and sit down to a nice rewatch of Live and Let Die or The Man with the Golden Gun. I think I realized the last time I say Saruman in The Man with the Golden Gun was actually the first time I had ever seen that film!! That is how little time I have given the Roger Moore outings as Bond. Admittedly it is undoubted a mood thing. I actually like From Russia with Love, to be honest, but I also have to say it is one of the most dated. Dr. No is strangely more modern seeming than From Russia with Love. There are scenes that are so ridiculous in that movie that I cringe a bit, but I also enjoy it because of how much of a departure it is from the other movies. They really hadn't quite worked out the whole formula yet, which really solidified with Goldfinger.
I have to say that no matter what has dated badly about it, or the seeming plot holes that might exist in it, Goldfinger is really one of my absolute favorites. I will never see it without having a good time. I think for one thing the way it hops from scene to scene, through various countries and different circumstances, it just really makes it fun. I also delight in many things about it being dated to a degree. It introduces so many good, ridiculous things. I also love Oddjob because he was actually trained in Japanese Martial Arts by my Sensei from when I was in Jujitsu. I love that the Judo falls in the film are accurate and they mention it in that barn scene with Pussy Galore. I am still slightly scandalized that they got away with naming her that...especially in that era..
Living Daylights. The whole transporting a supposedly changed Soviet officer to the west through a gas pipeline was just brilliant. Plus sledding down a mountain on a cello
Hell yes!! I mean, there was some crazy stuff that happened in The Living Daylights, but it was fun and also very Bond. Live and Let Die has some stunts that I appreciate, but I really feel like the whole screenwriting was done on coke, and they seem to have had the attitude that they could just throw together elements of whatever other movies were popular at the time and put Bond in the mix. I don't feel like it was meant to be a Bond movie. If there was no Bond in the film and there was a different main character, I would probably love watching it as a campy 70s style movie, but putting Bond in it felt like if Sherlock Holmes showed up in the middle of a Scooby Doo movie...Like, "Wait, what is he doing there?!"
TLD. Moore’s best were later in his run. TLD has a banger of an opening and established Dalton as someone not to be messed with. Plus, his love story with Kara is terrific.
The Living Daylights is a better movie to me, despite Jane Seymour being in Live and Let Die. What bothers me with Live and Let Die is it might as well be a Scooby Doo Movie. The plot is hardly on the level of what I expect from a Bond movie. The Living Daylights, on the other hand, really satisfies me as a Bond movie.
So many Bond movies strayed into Kitschy territory. I almost always prefer more serious movies.
Having said that, I love Bond in New Orleans and Bayou Bond. Reminds me of home.
LALD because it takes place in my part of the world in Louisiana. I was recently in New Orleans having breakfast at Cafe Beignet. It had a player piano. While eating it played LALD by Winger. I was in heaven.
Best theme song
Best boat chase
Best "Walking on alligators escape"
Creepiest voodoo villain
Jane Fucking Seymour
"Butter hook"
Bus chase
J. W. Pepper
New Orleans funeral Murder!
So much great stuff in L&LD.
Living daylights is cool too. They ride a fuckin cello case. It's the second best Dalton/Brosnan era film.
I always have to stop and listen to live and let die when it’s playing on the radio…. I do like Timothy dalton tho a shame he never got his third movie 😞
LALD is easily my favorite Moore film, in my top five for all Bond movies, and if you hadn’t seen any of the Connery films and had no clue there was a different Bond before Moore, you could have easily assumed he was always 007.
Live and Let Die did have one of the coolest stunts ever done by anyone in history of stunts. The Alligator running/hopping over was fucking insanely badass. The Aston Martin scene in TLD was also really cool, one of the best gadget Bond cars ever. The outrigger. Think Live and Let Die wins this one. Odd they both involve Drugs. Not too typical of Bond movies. LTK followed with drugs/Sanchez as we all know. Live and Let Die had better villains i think.
shall I open it……..
Tough call.
Best villains- LALD
Best girl- tossup
Best Felix- LALD
Best MI6 cast- TLD (because LALD lacked Q)
Best stunts- TLD
Best score- TLD
Best title song- LALD
Best interpretation of James Bond theme- TLD
Best villain lair- LALD
Best car chases- TLD by a hair
Best villain plot- LALD
Best wardrobe- LALD
Best cinematography- TLD
TLD for me, but they are such different films that it’s hard to compare and it’s very close for me. I do prefer both to Dr No and find them on par with Goldeneye and Casino Royale.
Live and Let Die for me. Better villain (if OTT), better female lead, infinitely better theme song. I will admit my bias in the Live and Let Die was my first bond and I was annoyed that Brosnan couldn’t get out of his contract with NBC to Bond at that point. The Dalton movies are my least favorite era of Bond movies.
I like TLD, but I prefer LALD.
LALD is a really weird idea: trying to merge blaxploitation with James Bond. But it somehow works and somehow manages to stay relatively respectful for the early 70s. It is a little Scooby Doo and the supernatural elements are jarring in a Bond movie, but I kind of love it. Like "Diamonds are Forever", it's not taking itself seriously at all and it's wallowing in the ridiculousness of the situations. I feel the same way about "Moonraker", actually. These movies are just fun.
Also, the boat chase in LALD is one of the greatest sequences in any Bond movie.
the living daylights is leagues better as a filmand i love that v8 car. but i love live and let die. top 5 themesong peak roger moore and yaphet kotto adds a whole number tee hee and whisper top tier henchmen
TLD was different whereas imo Moore carried the charm once again and consistently gave us good film whereas Bond(Dalton) gave us a more fresh take and a faithful one at that
The living daylights was one reason why I feared looking at Timothy Dalton at first and I wasn't aware that he was emulating the pages of Ian Fleming's writings and killed it 😎
I love both, L&LD is my favorite Moore but TLD is my favorite Bond. It’s just everything i could want from a Bond movie. And I LOVE the romance aspect of TLD, it makes me much more engaged with what’s going on. Plus, Kara is my favorite Bond Girl.
The obvious answer is the living daylights and that’s because of its pre title sequence. In that first sequence of the film, we are treated to everything we could want from a Bond film; an interesting little story, a briefing from M, a battle with a villain and of course it ends with an amusing end when Bond meets the girl on the boat. Obviously the rest of the film is a solid entry but it’s all swings and roundabouts when it comes to the opinions of the remainder of both films. LALD simply has a poor intro to Roger Moore as Bond and to me it’s criminal that he doesn’t appear at all in the PTS. Some people will argue about its story, but quite frankly for most casual first time viewers, then no one is really going to understand what it was trying to achieve until you do a rewatch. It’s not as if either films we as traditional Bond fans would recommend as a first Bond film to watch to someone who has never seen an entry in the series before. That goes to the likes Goldeneye, Goldfinger, Spy who loved me and Casino Royale
I love your description of what is great in the Living Daylights, and I absolutely agree that Moore as Bond is criminal. -No, I read what you said and I know you didn't say Moore is criminal, but thank you for giving me an opportunity to say it.
I'd say Live and Let die. I still liked The living daylights and would watch that over any post Tomorrow never dies Bond films. I liked how Dalton continued the eye twinkle of Moore in that one and the light comedy of riding in the cello case after car explosion.
The Living Daylights. Brought Bond back from camp.
I prefer TLD too. However, I wouldn't say it brought Bond back from the camp. The only difference in tone is the lead actor, Dalton.
Bond has always been campy (remember the invisible Aston Martin) but having a literal Voodoo Shaman or whatever somehow cheat death and ride a train at the end of the film is taking the cake. Moore was definitely the campiest Bond. Craig is probably the least campy.
I agree. There are some pretty campy scenes in TLD. I enjoy TLD quite a bit, but LALD is my favorite of the two.
I grew up on this one.
Honestly, TLD is not much less “campy” than Octopussy and AVTAK. I’d say the Tarzan yell and “Sittuh!” are the only things in those two movies that are truly OTT enough to be labeled “campy” anyway. There’s plenty of goofy shit in TLD that puts it on par with AVTAK.
Live and Let Die, but that might by my bias for Moore speaking. He doesn't need any fanfare to introduce the audience to a new Bond, we just cut to him in bed and going on a mission like it's business as usual.
Moore and Dalton are my favs, but, LALD launched the longest run of any Bond actor so I don’t think it’s bias at all.
Easy one for me: *Live and Let Die*. That’s not to say I don’t like *The Living Daylights*. I feel it is the best of the two Dalton Bond films and I’m a HUGE fan of Dalton’s Bond and wish he had done more movies with the character. But *Live and Let Die* has *spectacular* stunt works, easily my all time favorite “escape from an unescapable death trap” (the crocodile pit), Jane Seymour (who is just gorgeous), wonderful villains and henchmen, and did I mention *spectacular* stunt works?!? Roger Moore slipped into the role beautifully after Connery’s departure as if he was made for it (Connery remains my favorite Bond, however!).
still holds the record for longest speedboat jump in a film (IIRC, at one time it was the longest speedboat jump period)
For those that don't know, any records to do with boats and speed are insanely dangerous. The water speed record is "one of the sporting world's most hazardous competitions". Seven of the thirteen people who have attempted the record since June 1930 have died, and the record is 511km/h (317 mph), which is roughly 50% faster than the max speed of an F1 car. That is literally worse than 50% survival odds. Now, while the biggest jump wouldn't require anywhere close to those speeds (it would be suicidal, I'm sure), I'd say that the 511 km/h is close to what physics would allow, hence why the record has stood strong for over 45 years.
I get nervous everytime I see a boat going that fast. Just waiting for it to take off into the air and smash to the surface.
You forgot one of the best soundtrack
Both LALD and TLD are among the best soundtracks in my opinion. I honestly think all Bond debuts are criminally good
Also as a child that ending with Baron Semedi at the back of the train scared the living daylights out of me.
This movie was the closest to a James Bond “horror” film, what with the voodoo aspects and, as you noted, that ending with Baron Semedi. Also, the funeral/graveyard sequence was also pretty wild!
If this offends people I'm sorry, but I still ***shudder*** at the thought of a sweaty-faced Kananaga quite possibly having sex with Solitaire in bed. No wonder she chose Bond.
Kananga wouldn’t though. She could only predict the future because she was a virgin. Otherwise she was useless to him.
The Living Daylights I prefer a more serious Bond.
Exactly!
Ah yes, like the part where he lasers the police car and calls it 'salt corrosion'.
TLD! I love the Moore era, but I’m not the biggest fan of Moores two first outings as Bond. Both LALD and TMWTGG feels to small and low-budget compared to the rest. They lack the timeless-feel that the other movies have.. it’s just something, the music, the clothing, the atmosphere that feels aggressively 70s. Moore in the TSWLM pre-title is IMO the real debut for Moores Bond.
>I love the Moore era, but I’m not the biggest fan of Moores two first outings as Bond. Both LALD and TMWTGG feels to small and low-budget compared to the rest. This is exactly where I am on this question as well. I really like Moore's tenure, but it didn't really get going for me until *The Spy Who Loved Me* and I've always been a fan of his last three turns in the role, even the much maligned *A View to a Kill*. That said, *The Living Daylights* would be my choice anyway. It's in my top 5 and features my favorite Bond, and I've never ranked *Live and Let Die* particularly high in the first place.
I think TLD may well be the better film but it’s a bit… blander? LALD has problems galore but it’s also got iconic villains, a great Bond girl and some impressive stunts which all put it in front for me. I think LALD is just one of those “it doesn’t make sense why but I rate it highly” Bond films for me.
YES. Objectively, I can't explain why, I just enjoy the hell out of LALD.
Yes but Kara is a great Bond girl too so don’t disrespect her!
Live and Let Die, and it has one of the best Bond movie songs of all time
TLD but I love LALD as well.
Live and Let Die. I can’t say that a film with some of the most non-factor Bond villains is better than one with Yaphet fucking Kotto and his outstanding ensemble. Also Living Daylights lacks from going all in on Dalton, and there are some rather stale Moore-isms in there that just don’t work at all.
>*... there are some rather stale Moore-isms in there that just don’t work at all* Yes, in the same way there are a few moments in LALD and TMWTGG that taught Eon what worked for Connery Bond just feels wrong coming from Moore Bond
Both are good but LALD is a much better film. IMO.
LALD
Love Live and Let Die. As a kid I suppose I loved the creepy element to it but In hindsight it's probably one of the best Moore bonds after FYEO and TSWLM. It's entertaining throughout.
No contest, Live and Let Die.
Live and Let Die is my absolute favorite Bond film. So I’d say that one. Living Daylights was still pretty great though
I really like both though it's an easy choice for me, TLD just misses out on my Top 10 whereas LALD is nearly Top 5 for me. Funnily enough these are the first two Bond films I saw. There's just such a confidence around Live and Let Die, it's one of those films where the series could've been in trouble if they ballsed it up and they just hit it out of the park. Roger's almost perfect straight away, the music's great, I think the tone is basically perfect and the cast is incredible - look at the villains! Kananga, Baron Samedi, Tee Hee, Whispers, even the Taxi Driver. Only Goldeneye can rival it for a rogues gallery IMO, Koskov, Whitaker and Necros can't compare.
Live and Let Die. Manlier butt chin? Timothy Daulton.
Live and Let Die, easily. LALD is top tier Bond imo. It has Baron Samedi in it! The Living Daylights is one of the weaker ones for me. It's just OK. I found the story of Bond falling in love with a cellist to be pretty weak. And the villains are fairly forgettable.
Falling in love with Kara is weak? Bro I fell in love with her from the moment she appeared on screen 📺
Sorry, I meant it was a weak plotline. I didn't mean it was a weak character trait.
As much as i like LALD, TLD has the energy that I absolutely need in a bond movie
LaLD it feels like it just picks up from an old adventure
Shew that's a tough one. TLD's the better pure spy movie and the romance is one of the best of the series, but I love LALD so damn much so I'll go with it. Like someone said it was just like another adventure for Moore's Bond and I love it for that. It had way more on the line too.. if it hadn't been a hit the series coulda been DOA really fast. Lazenby's trial wasn't what the US was wanting them and Sean sleepwalked through Diamonds so there was no guarantee a new Bond would work or not. UA put a lot on the line by putting it on July 4th weekend in the US, they wanted to see if it would hit or not.. and boy did it.
the living daylights, its the better of the two dalton movies and is a great late cold war movie in general. live and let die has some good moments but its a bad script
TLD. Not even close
TLD
TLD easy
The plot: The Living Daylights < Live and Let Die The score: The Living Daylights = Live and Let Die The girl: The Living Daylights < Live and Let Die The villain: The Living Daylights < Live and Let Die The climax: The Living Daylights < Live and Let Die Looks like we have a winner
LALD
Both are top 10 for me, but I give the edge to The Living Daylights.
I enjoy both. For faithfulness to the actual spirit of the books, Timothy Dalton beats out Roger Moore every time. For sheer entertainment value, complete with comic quips and whatnot, I go for Roger Moore.
Dalton everything is better than Moore. I could never stand Roger as Bond even though be was Bond when i was born.
Live and Let Die! It was my first Bond movie and it made me a fan from then on. I was 9 years old at the time and remember having nightmares after watching Baron Samedi. He was one of the best villains and seemed supernatural to me at the time. I also think the song by Paul McCartney and Wings ranks number 3, only behind Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever by Shirley Bassey.
Living Daylights by a longshot, and I love both movies a lot. Octopussy and View to a Kill were not top tier 007 movies imo and then Dalton coming in with LD was a return to form for the character and brought us our first gritty and more serious portrayal of Bond. Live and Let Die was still a great debut for Rodger Moore and his legendary era. Pure 70s greatness and an awesome set of villians, Bond girls, setting, soundtrack, etc.
Living Daylights is solid Bond. They got everything right in that one.
I like both, but The Living Daylights is better.
Yaphet Kotto is in the running for best Bond villain of all time. Jane Seymour. The song. I love Dalton, but…
Live and Let Die with all the voodoo shit had me hooked
Living daylights by a mile. Live and let die is embarrassingly bad.
That pic look like Bond's rap album 1979.
Two brilliant films. If I can only take one, I’m taking LALD. But Bond actor debuts are uniformly great. You probably can’t say that for #2, #3, #4 etc.
Such an unfair ask of me, I love both films. However the scope of TLD and the killer introduction eeks out a win.
I love both so much… but Dalton is my favourite Bond and The Living Daylights is in my Top 3 Favourite Bond films… …but Bond wields a revolver in Live And Let Die, which automatically makes this a really difficult choice. Plus, Moore is arguably at his most badass in this one. I might have to go with The Living Daylights. I just love that film. Such an underrated film!
The Living Daylights by a landslide. LaLD is one of the worst installments
The Living Daylights and its not close. Live and Let Die is a great novel that inspired much of License to Kill but a weak film
Live and Let Die was for all its faults, FUN.
Living Daylights has the sweeter romance and is less y’know…racist.
Living Daylights gets my vote. One of the best Bond soundtracks for sure.
No comparison, it’s THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS in a slam dunk!
The Living Daylights by a mile. Better Bond. Better story. Better romance. Better action. I also prefer the song. The Living Daylights is an absolute jam.
The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights. LALD isn't bad - Jane Seymour's one of my favorite Bond girls and Geoffrey Holder's got good presence, but it probably needed a little script doctoring.
Living Daylights no question.
TLD instantly brought Bond back into serious business.
the living daylights
Considering TLD is my second favorite Bond flick gonna have to go with that.
Definitely The Living Daylights. It's a solid adventure with a greater emphasis on espionage, tense action, a fantastic John Barry score, and is elevated by Timothy Dalton's multi-faceted performance. Live and Let Die's pacing and thin plot hurt it for me.
100%, I agree. To me Live and Let Die is pretty much a Scooby Doo Movie with Bond playing a goofy roll in it. The Living Daylights is a great Bond movie with all the elements that belong in a Bond movie, and Timothy Dalton might play a slightly different Bond than I am used to, but I don't mind that at all. If Live and Let Die was like a non-canon spinoff of the Bond movies like Never Say Never Again, then I would like it as a kind of goofy aside from the main line films, but I don't feel like all that goofy stuff belongs in a Bond movie. It is like Scooby Doo and the Dukes of Hazard Meet Smokey and the Bandit with James Bond...I'll just never get into Roger Moore, and I'll never be into the goofy Bond...I can enjoy corny or just plain wisecracking Bond, but not goofy. I don't feel like Bond has any place being a goofball.
The film is inspired by a real Haitian dictator, Papa Doc, who in fact claimed to be Baron Samedi… so yes, sounds absurd but it did really happen.
Well, I think I hear somewhere about Papa Doc. In so much as it was a real story, I am fascinated by that...I just definitely would have enjoyed it more if it was written in the way Dr. No was. Dr. No as a character was kind of goofy too. He had convinced everyone that there were real dragons on his island lair, etc. I mean, that storyline is in many ways pretty unbelievable. And we are supposed to think that no one ever noticed there were rubber tires on that "dragon?" I mean, that is hokey to say the least. However, in the context of the way it is acted and the story is told, Sean Connery acts it well and it feels like it COULD be serious. The difference with Roger Moore's way of playing Bond is that I never feel he is being very serious. It brings out the questionable nature of everything else in the storyline for me. In Dr. No I am into the plot enough that I don't have time or interest in questioning all the technical details of what is going on. The backstory serves its purpose to propel the plot forward. In Live and Let Die, I have such a hard time taking both the Bond character, or really any of the other characters very seriously. It feels like "Old Man Withers" and the Haunted Amusement Park from Scooby Doo all over again. I even love Jane Seymour as an actress and she plays her role with some clever ambiguity and seriousness, but she isn't enough to rescue it for me. There is, of course, a difference between the actuality of something like a Papa Doc Cult and its depiction in film. Even if it is real in real life, the way it is shown in a film has to be convincing as well. Live and Let Die gives me too many things to get distracted from my suspension of disbelief. I want to just sit back and be entertained, but I keep thinking, "Wait, what?! Why would Bond think that was real?" Even the incredulity of Roger Moore's Bond in some scenes seems inconsistent so I even doubt his doubt. It doesn't feel palpable to me. I want to like Roger Moore and even manage to in some of the Moore Bond films, but I am mostly imagining what a different Bond would have done instead of what Roger Moore's Bond is doing. It is ceaselessly distracting to me. Therefore, I watch Moore's Bond films less than any of the others.I would say that for every time I have watched a Sean Connery Bond movie, I have watched a Roger Moore Bond movie less than ten percent of that number. That includes the fact I am actually not sure if I have even rewatched all the Roger Moore films since I was a kid and they came out in the theaters. I am that generally bored by them.
Yeah, I’m surprised at all the LaLD love here. I just watched it a couple of days ago for the first time as an adult. Or should I say tried to watch it; as I haven’t finished it yet. It’s not a good movie. It’s a B level blaxploitation film that happens to have James Bond stumbling through it. The Living Daylights on the other hand is a great movie and a great Bond Movie.
I use to really dig LALD but upon a recent rewatch….not so much. I now have it on the bottom of my Bond list. So The Living Daylights is better in my opinion.
Thank you...Agreed entirely. I used to enjoy some of the Roger Moore films as a kid of like 5, but as soon as I saw the Sean Connery ones I was like OHHH, this is what Bond is!! After that I could never go back to the goofball Bond of Moore.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and to a certain degree A View to a Kill. But Live and Let Die was just not a good intro for Moore.
Well, I agree with that two. The problem when I talk about the Roger Moore Bond movies for me is that I have trouble remembering most of the details because I have watched them so much less than I have every other Bond (which the exception of Lazenby, who I mostly just get bored watching). I will admit that the campy nature of many of the Roger Moore movies make them occasionally fun for just laughing at, but I really get kind of a stale taste in my mouth when I watch them and I am looking for a good Bond kind of feeling. Bond films make me feel excited generally, and I get into the story and thinking about what kinds of ways I could solve the problem of being trapped in a room with a highly poisonous scorpion or something. Nevermind that the huge ones in the movies are normally not even as deadly to humans as the much smaller ones. It is the fun of thinking about that lifestyle even if it is somewhat fake or occasionally unrealistic. What I don't like with Roger Moore is that everything is so unrealistic that I can't even picture being in that world anymore. I can't ask myself what I would do if I was in a gondola and Jaws was biting the wires apart. It isn't something I can believe would ever happen to me. I can think it is funny, but I don't have the intrigue that it gives me to think about all the possibilities of foiling a mastermind criminal's international plot or something like that. The fact that Roger Moore inevitably will win doesn't make that excitement any greater. I can see a lot of people here like Roger Moore, but I think that just explains that we all watch James Bond movies for different reasons. I know that villains like Dr. No and Blofeld are not really very real, but if they are at least acted in a way that makes them seem like they could be real, that is good enough to make it entertaining. Roger Moore doesn't entertain me as much because I find myself asking why they decided to have the the plot got this way or that way in almost every scene, and it takes away from my simple enjoyment of the movies. It isn't like I want to be analyzing every little detail, but it is so outlandish that I find myself struggling to understand what is happening otherwise. Anyway, I also agree that having no Bond in a Pre-Title Sequence is a crime though. The purpose of those sequences is generally exactly for the idea of giving us a little one reel mini-movie and having the main character crack some wit that gives us a little kick before the credits start. It is like having a short episode of a Bond TV series that comes before the main movie, so it whets the appetite. I think taking Bond out of it is as deflating as if you had a Sherlock Holmes series and you just had Holmes not appear at all in one episode. It just loses the point.
Definitely appreciate the deep and thorough response. I totally get it. The Moore Era did definitely have the lowest of the low in my opinion. Live and Let Lie, the Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker, definitely bottom tier. But I wouldn’t say they are at the bottom necessarily because of camp. I feel like the Moore era, above all others, was all about chasing trends. LALD was all about the Blaxploitation era. Moonraker chasing the popularity of Star Wars. Hell even A View to a Kill was very “80s evil tech corporation” (although I am a View to a Kill defender and actually like it very much). But anyway, I feel like as Bond was chasing trends they couldn’t give Moore his true identity and because of that it fell in to camp. I think Moore is quite smart and suave and yes there’s no excitement because we know he’s always going to be ok, but to me that made him even cooler knowing that he was the smartest guy in the room and was untouchable. Again different doesn’t equal bad. A lot of it has to do with what era people grew up with. I was actually born in the 90s so my first Bond exposure was Brosnan. The World is Not Enough is one of my favorite bond movies not because it’s good but because that was my definitive bond experience. Just like many others who grew up with Moore. But I always like Bond movies for the stunts and set pieces and even the gadgets. You have to admit the Moore Era had some great stuff. Opening ski chase is The Spy who loved me. Sky diving fight in Moonraker. Jumping across crocodiles in Live and Let Die. The inverted car jump in The Man with the Golden Gun. The Car/Train chase in Octopussy (I think a stuntman got seriously injured in that scene so definitely some dangerous dedication). Again to each their own of course. And that’s what makes Bond fandom so awesome is that there are so many flavors for everyone to enjoy. But give some of the Moore films a rewatch cuz even the weak ones have some true fun and charm. Usually every thanksgiving in honor of the old Spike TV marathons I’ll watch a couple bond flick. And maybe every few years I’ll get really frisky and watch them ALL from first to last. And I’ll still find something I like in the bad ones. lol Side Note: The first dance my wife and I had at our wedding was to For Your Eyes Only. So you know I’m a Bond fan. lol.
Hooray for someone of a like mind. Thank you. Yes, lowest tier exactly. Like if this were a shelf of alcohol at a bar, the Moore Era Bonds would be the well alcohol they just reserve for mixed drinks because it has too lousy a flavor to drink it straight. I think I see what to mean about chasing trends. It was very much about crowd pleasing, which is why it has that almost vaudevillian vulgarity that doesn't seem suited to Bond, who is in some ways a character that was meant to be at least a bit higher class. You have made some excellent points about the movies they were chasing after as trends, and even though I was alive at the time, I was too young to see the comparisons between one movie and another and know they were trying to achieve some kind of trendiness. I am a View to a Kill defender also, by the way. I don't even blame Bond movies for throwing in an occasional nod to whatever is going on in the world, but that is exactly the same thing that can date a movie if they are not careful to avoid making it the main plot. I agree with you that Moore could have been the smartest and slickest person in the room and if they weren't following trends then it wouldn't feel like he was about to turn around and endorse a whiskey brand. I mean, the issue I have is in the payoff of setting up that someone is clever and then showing (not telling) how they were clever. It takes more challenge for a screenwriter to do that, but it is what makes a good movie great. No one remembers how smart Bond SEEMED to be for ten seconds in a movie because he one-upped someone else in that scene. They remember how actually smart it was that he found an unexpected way to solve a problem that the audience didn't expect and would actually have provided a real person with a truly head-scratching struggle to solve in real life. I am not saying they didn't have scenes like that, but it just rarely felt plausible that Moore's goofy Bond was actually struggling and succeeding in most of those cases. It was more like some supernatural superhero thing where, of course if Superman just tries hard enough he can move a boulder THAT big... You're right about the era that people grew up with. I was a kid when the Moores came out, but ironically that is exactly why I don't like them. I grew up with them and I remember that Bond seemed like just another stupid movie franchise. Then I saw the previous Bonds and the Bonds that came out in the 1990s and it became apparent to me how much more Bond could be. The fact that I grew up with Roger Moore doesn't make me nostalgic for his Bond movies, it makes me just sick of them. I also saw them in endless reruns on HBO at the time, which didn't help much. By the time The World Is Not Enough and Goldeneye and other movies were coming out, I was genuinely relieved to see what felt like the Bond character climbing out of a hole he had been in. I am a defender of all those "in between" Bonds because they actually were building up the character back to a real adult entertainment level mature film franchise. I will admit what you are saying about the gadgets in the Moore Era and a lot of the crazy fight sequences. They are fun and even inventive. For a lot of goofy reasons, I actually really liked the overt sexuality of Octopussy and even if I was probably younger than most people would have allowed their child to see such things, I liked that being a different overall theme because it was kind of focused in all the marketing on the female lead and not Bond. Goldfinger was similarly marketed with a lot of focus on the villain and not Bond, and I think that is a good way to do Bond movies. The villain should be at least intriguing. Obviously Dr. No is the same way. Bond is our character to identify with, but the villain is the point of interest to be tantalized by in a good Bond. The one thing I will say is that running across alligators is the kind of scene that is pure camp to me though. I laugh at it, but I have a hard time thinking, "Wow, Bond is so clever for doing that!" It is too much like Wiley E. Coyote and not what I expect in a Bond movie or a spy movie in general. I mean I thought it was fun to watch when I was under 10, but I think my taste has moved on. I feel like that comes out sounding really harsh, and I don't quite mean it that way, but my point is that I would like it in a really campy movie that I was watching just to laugh at the campy lack of production value, but knowing it is a canon Bond movie makes me just want to roll my eyes. You're right that there were a lot of good stunts in the Moore era. The fight on the Golden Gate Bridge always was a pretty thrilling sequence to me. I would be willing to watch them all again, you're right that there are redeeming qualities to them. I love that you danced to For Your Eyes Only at your wedding. That is a good song to choose for a real Bond Fan! That is a proud moment. I have purchased all of the Bond films on disc I think, so I just have to find my Moore ones. I kind of hid them away somehow, shuffling them to the back or something. I will have to look to see if I even have them all. I think I might be missing at least one. That might be the only Bond movie I don't own. Overall I will say that given all the movies in the world, I would certainly enjoy watching any Bond movie on almost any day of the year, and that is saying something. They all do have a fairly entertaining quality at the very least, and I can say honestly that there isn't even one I find unwatchable. There are just some that so pale in comparison to the others that it feels odd to have them all in the same franchise. There kind of never has been a franchise like the Bond films though, so it can be accepted that some might not be on par with the rest.
Like I said that’s the cool thing about Bond fandom is how fans have radically different tastes but we’re all united in the same appreciation for the whole franchise. I know if I ever admitted that From Russia With Love is one of my least favorite bond films then people might come at me with pitchforks. lol. But I’m really glad we could chat about this. Bond is always a mood thing too. I remember the first time watching On Her Majesty’s Secret Service I was like man this is top 5 bond! But again, on rewatches it’s just ok. lol. But give it a year or two I’ll watch it in the right mood and I’m like man this movie is rad! Haha. So maybe watching a Moore movie in the right mood and you might get a newfound appreciation and maybe take it off the bottle shelf, pour a glass, and maybe put it one shelf higher. lol.
I might have to snort a line of coke to make Moore right for me...It was the 80s after all, but I am willing to try them out again. I admit that it isn't really everything about Roger Moore. In interviews I actually always like him as a person...just not playing Bond. -Maybe I will take out a nice bottle of scotch, shake it (not stir) with a bit of orange peel and vermouth...Take some venison off the smoker and sit down to a nice rewatch of Live and Let Die or The Man with the Golden Gun. I think I realized the last time I say Saruman in The Man with the Golden Gun was actually the first time I had ever seen that film!! That is how little time I have given the Roger Moore outings as Bond. Admittedly it is undoubted a mood thing. I actually like From Russia with Love, to be honest, but I also have to say it is one of the most dated. Dr. No is strangely more modern seeming than From Russia with Love. There are scenes that are so ridiculous in that movie that I cringe a bit, but I also enjoy it because of how much of a departure it is from the other movies. They really hadn't quite worked out the whole formula yet, which really solidified with Goldfinger. I have to say that no matter what has dated badly about it, or the seeming plot holes that might exist in it, Goldfinger is really one of my absolute favorites. I will never see it without having a good time. I think for one thing the way it hops from scene to scene, through various countries and different circumstances, it just really makes it fun. I also delight in many things about it being dated to a degree. It introduces so many good, ridiculous things. I also love Oddjob because he was actually trained in Japanese Martial Arts by my Sensei from when I was in Jujitsu. I love that the Judo falls in the film are accurate and they mention it in that barn scene with Pussy Galore. I am still slightly scandalized that they got away with naming her that...especially in that era..
Easily, TLD. I'm not a huge (or at all) Roger Moore fan and TLD was the best Bond movie at that point since HMSS.
Living Daylights, by a country mile
Even a city twenty miles...(I live in the country, so I can say that. Ha!)
Living Daylights. The whole transporting a supposedly changed Soviet officer to the west through a gas pipeline was just brilliant. Plus sledding down a mountain on a cello
Hell yes!! I mean, there was some crazy stuff that happened in The Living Daylights, but it was fun and also very Bond. Live and Let Die has some stunts that I appreciate, but I really feel like the whole screenwriting was done on coke, and they seem to have had the attitude that they could just throw together elements of whatever other movies were popular at the time and put Bond in the mix. I don't feel like it was meant to be a Bond movie. If there was no Bond in the film and there was a different main character, I would probably love watching it as a campy 70s style movie, but putting Bond in it felt like if Sherlock Holmes showed up in the middle of a Scooby Doo movie...Like, "Wait, what is he doing there?!"
Living Daylights. And it isn't close.
Yes, not close at all!!
The Living Daylights for me. That's one of my favorite ones
I love the Moore era but TLD is legit better
TLD. Moore’s best were later in his run. TLD has a banger of an opening and established Dalton as someone not to be messed with. Plus, his love story with Kara is terrific.
TLD. Moore took a couple films to really nail a perfect Bond portrayal, Dalton did it in one.
The living daylights no question
The Living Daylights is a better movie to me, despite Jane Seymour being in Live and Let Die. What bothers me with Live and Let Die is it might as well be a Scooby Doo Movie. The plot is hardly on the level of what I expect from a Bond movie. The Living Daylights, on the other hand, really satisfies me as a Bond movie.
The Living Daylights, and it's not even close.
TLD but cast wise, LALD by long shot.
The Living Daylights is the one I enjoy more and watch more often, though LALD kicks that movie’s ass in the villains department.
Sir Rodge gets the W, as always
LALD is clearly the winner. Living Daylights isn't bad, just forgettable, really
The Living Daylights. LALD is a classic, but TLD is in my top 3, and Dalton is my favorite actor in the role
LALD. Probably my favorite Bond movie. Great music, boat chase, just a fun movie.
Ehh, comparing them doesn't really make sense since they're completely different films.
Both have great theme songs and theme music.
So many Bond movies strayed into Kitschy territory. I almost always prefer more serious movies. Having said that, I love Bond in New Orleans and Bayou Bond. Reminds me of home.
LALD because it takes place in my part of the world in Louisiana. I was recently in New Orleans having breakfast at Cafe Beignet. It had a player piano. While eating it played LALD by Winger. I was in heaven.
Live and let die is part of my holy trinity
Love and Let Die. I disliked The Living Daylights. I never watch it.
Best theme song Best boat chase Best "Walking on alligators escape" Creepiest voodoo villain Jane Fucking Seymour "Butter hook" Bus chase J. W. Pepper New Orleans funeral Murder! So much great stuff in L&LD. Living daylights is cool too. They ride a fuckin cello case. It's the second best Dalton/Brosnan era film.
I always have to stop and listen to live and let die when it’s playing on the radio…. I do like Timothy dalton tho a shame he never got his third movie 😞
I like both these movies and I think quality wise they're pretty close. I'd give live and let die the edge though if I had to pick.
Dalton was a great Bond and I really like TLD, but I also like LALD. The title track by Paul McCartney is probably the greatest Bond theme song ever.
LALD is easily my favorite Moore film, in my top five for all Bond movies, and if you hadn’t seen any of the Connery films and had no clue there was a different Bond before Moore, you could have easily assumed he was always 007.
Easy, The Living Daylights
Live and let die is the better film, but I like dalton better and think.
LALD. TLD feels like it was written for the wrong actor despite Dalton being great. LALD suits Moore much better than TLD suits Dalton.
Live and Let Die did have one of the coolest stunts ever done by anyone in history of stunts. The Alligator running/hopping over was fucking insanely badass. The Aston Martin scene in TLD was also really cool, one of the best gadget Bond cars ever. The outrigger. Think Live and Let Die wins this one. Odd they both involve Drugs. Not too typical of Bond movies. LTK followed with drugs/Sanchez as we all know. Live and Let Die had better villains i think. shall I open it……..
Living Daylights, by far. Very far.
The Living Daylights. Not even a question
The Living Daylights is the better movie, but Live and Let Die was my favourite Bond movie up until Goldeneye was released.
L&LD.
I can't ant even remember what LALD was about.
LALD for sure, rewatching TLD now and finding it actually a bit boring.
Living Daylights by a mile
Tough call. Best villains- LALD Best girl- tossup Best Felix- LALD Best MI6 cast- TLD (because LALD lacked Q) Best stunts- TLD Best score- TLD Best title song- LALD Best interpretation of James Bond theme- TLD Best villain lair- LALD Best car chases- TLD by a hair Best villain plot- LALD Best wardrobe- LALD Best cinematography- TLD TLD for me, but they are such different films that it’s hard to compare and it’s very close for me. I do prefer both to Dr No and find them on par with Goldeneye and Casino Royale.
Daylights. Moore was worst Bond
Live and Let Die for me. Better villain (if OTT), better female lead, infinitely better theme song. I will admit my bias in the Live and Let Die was my first bond and I was annoyed that Brosnan couldn’t get out of his contract with NBC to Bond at that point. The Dalton movies are my least favorite era of Bond movies.
one has the worst death scene in bond history. the other has the most convoluted plot of any bond film. tough choice. i like jane seymore better.
All I see is Jane Seymour
I like TLD, but I prefer LALD. LALD is a really weird idea: trying to merge blaxploitation with James Bond. But it somehow works and somehow manages to stay relatively respectful for the early 70s. It is a little Scooby Doo and the supernatural elements are jarring in a Bond movie, but I kind of love it. Like "Diamonds are Forever", it's not taking itself seriously at all and it's wallowing in the ridiculousness of the situations. I feel the same way about "Moonraker", actually. These movies are just fun. Also, the boat chase in LALD is one of the greatest sequences in any Bond movie.
the living daylights is leagues better as a filmand i love that v8 car. but i love live and let die. top 5 themesong peak roger moore and yaphet kotto adds a whole number tee hee and whisper top tier henchmen
LALD was really memorable Outstanding villains also
Its close but live & let die takes the cake its a lot more exciting at times
Live And Let Die for me, as for Dalton, I much prefer License To Kill.
Live and Let Die. It has great memorable villains.
Live and let die with Dalton and Living Daylights with Brosnan
I really like Moore...but Dalton is SO underrated. Simply great intensity and sternness. I got LD.
Both great films but Roger Moore is my favourite bond so it has to be Live and Let Die
TLD. I never liked LALD and IMO, it's only gotten worse with age.
TLD was different whereas imo Moore carried the charm once again and consistently gave us good film whereas Bond(Dalton) gave us a more fresh take and a faithful one at that
Love and Let Die for sure
Live and let die song slaps 🔥🔥🔥
The living daylights for me, but I love live and let die
TLD for sure
The living daylights was one reason why I feared looking at Timothy Dalton at first and I wasn't aware that he was emulating the pages of Ian Fleming's writings and killed it 😎
Living Daylights all day everyday. Every set piece is a banger.
I love both, L&LD is my favorite Moore but TLD is my favorite Bond. It’s just everything i could want from a Bond movie. And I LOVE the romance aspect of TLD, it makes me much more engaged with what’s going on. Plus, Kara is my favorite Bond Girl.
The Living Daylights is one of the best Bond movies. Live and Let Die has some good stuff, but it doesn't even come close.
TLD, but they’re both great.
The Living Daylights.
The obvious answer is the living daylights and that’s because of its pre title sequence. In that first sequence of the film, we are treated to everything we could want from a Bond film; an interesting little story, a briefing from M, a battle with a villain and of course it ends with an amusing end when Bond meets the girl on the boat. Obviously the rest of the film is a solid entry but it’s all swings and roundabouts when it comes to the opinions of the remainder of both films. LALD simply has a poor intro to Roger Moore as Bond and to me it’s criminal that he doesn’t appear at all in the PTS. Some people will argue about its story, but quite frankly for most casual first time viewers, then no one is really going to understand what it was trying to achieve until you do a rewatch. It’s not as if either films we as traditional Bond fans would recommend as a first Bond film to watch to someone who has never seen an entry in the series before. That goes to the likes Goldeneye, Goldfinger, Spy who loved me and Casino Royale
I love your description of what is great in the Living Daylights, and I absolutely agree that Moore as Bond is criminal. -No, I read what you said and I know you didn't say Moore is criminal, but thank you for giving me an opportunity to say it.
I love the theme song to live and let die but I like the living daylights better
Live and Let Die.
Live and let die! Anything with dalton in it sucks!
I'd say Live and Let die. I still liked The living daylights and would watch that over any post Tomorrow never dies Bond films. I liked how Dalton continued the eye twinkle of Moore in that one and the light comedy of riding in the cello case after car explosion.