10 Essential Bond Films to Watch Before SPECTRE

Every time a new James Bond movie comes out, the adolescent 007 super fan in me comes out to play. I saw my first Bond film in 1998. I was 9 years old and my parents had rented the newly released Tomorrow Never Dies from Blockbuster. I had come home from school just in time to see Pierce Brosnan swiftly hijack a missile-armed jet from a terrorist arms bizarre, defeat his adversaries with some aerial acrobatics, and brush off all the carnage with a clever one-liner. Then the trippy, sexy title sequence rolled and I was hooked.

Every Bond enthusiast has a story similar to mine. From 1962's Dr. No to 2012's Skyfall, the release of every new Bond film inevitably ushers in a new generation of fans who look back at the whole series for the first time. As we're only a week away from the release of the latest Bond adventure, here are 10 essential Bond films that every beginning, intermediate, and expert Bond fan should see before watching SPECTRE:


From Russia With Love
The second and greatest Bond film of them all, From Russia With Love is a classic piece of Cold War spy cinema that gives audiences their first real look at SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion), the evil worldwide terrorist organization that would provide Bond's most iconic group of adversaries. Most notably, From Russia With Love marks the first appearance of SPECTRE's enigmatic leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (though we never see his face). In addition to the winning plot that places Bond in the thick of SPECTRE's revenge scheme for the death of their operative Dr. No (the titular villain of the previous film), From Russia With Love features Sean Connery in his finest performance as 007. Long before the cinematic James Bond became a much-parodied caricature, Connery created a version of the character unlike any big-screen hero we had seen before; taking the blue print found in the source material of Ian Fleming's novels and infusing it with a devilish mix of steely ruthlessness, catlike elegance, brooding danger, and ferocious sexual potency. In From Russia With Love,  Connery provides a character framework that will make it possible for 5 other actors to re-interpret 007 in future films.

Goldfinger
This is the film that most frequently snags the #1 slot on Bond movie ranking lists, and not without good reason. Is it actually the best Bond film ever made? Not quite, but it is the film that triumphantly established what is now referred to as the "Bond formula". Rolling Stone's Peter Travers called it "the time capsule Bond movie, the one that explains to future generations why we've been obsessed for 50 years and counting with British agent 007." Indeed, the success of every Bond film that comes after this one can be measured by how well it manages to hit all the Bond formula beats while also bringing something new to the table, which is why even the most casual Bond enthusiast should see Goldfinger at least once.


Thunderball
The movie that introduced the world to the jet pack. Thunderball is a sleek, bold and beautiful follow up to Goldfinger, and in many ways it's superior. Connery is at his coolest and most confident, as are the villains of SPECTRE (Italian actor Adolfo Celli is sufficiently devious as baddie/playboy Emilio Largo, and Luciana Paluzzi gives a strong, inspired performance as femme fatale Fiona Volpe), whose plot to steal nuclear weapons and hold them for ransom in the Bahamas makes for some beautiful location shots and an exciting finale of brilliantly choreographed underwater action.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Most famous for featuring Australian model-turned-actor George Lazenby in his one-off 007 performance, On Her Majesty's Secret Service claims a devoted fan base who hails it as the best Bond film of all time. As I mentioned before, every Bond film should be judged by how well it either follows or deviates from the Bond formula. OHMSS deserves a lot of credit for being the first post-Goldfinger Bond film to deviate heavily, and to great effect. In addition to a much more character-driven screenplay (featuring the strongest female character for Bond thus far in Diana Rigg's Tracy Di Vincenzo), Director Peter Hunt's '60's-arthouse visual style, combined with his notable faithfulness to the source novel, make the film stand out as one of the aesthetic triumphs of the series. It also features one of Bond's most acclaimed action sequences: a thrilling, ingeniously filmed ski-chase. For new fans gearing up for the release of SPECTRE, the film will serve as a great introduction to Blofeld (who may or may not be appearing in the new film). Though he was first revealed in the previous Bond adventure, You Only Live Twice, Blofeld's appearance as played by the bald, prosthetically scarred Donald Pleasance may resemble Dr. Evil (a parody of Blofeld who has since become far more famous than his inspiration) far too closely to even look at without laughing. Meanwhile, Telly Savalas' portrayal in OHMSS is still menacing, but tempered with a healthy dose of charm.

Live and Let Die
To a modern audience, Roger Moore's bizarre Bond debut may be about as politically incorrect as they come. The film takes a big queue from the blaxploitation craze of its era and pits Bond against a cast of black, drug-dealing villains who practice voodoo rituals. Nevertheless, there's plenty of fun to be had with this movie (It also helps—if only a little—that the villains are cooler and smarter than Bond every step of the way). As the second actor to step in for Connery, Moore succeeds where Lazenby failed by completely re-interpreting the role and making it his own. Younger fans beware: this is not the gritty Bond you've seen in recent years. Moore's Bond is defined by his humor, elegance, and dandy-ish charm. The stunts in this film are also a riot, especially the insane speedboat chase at the end of the 2nd act. It's also worth noting that Live and Let Die was the first Bond film that both Daniel Craig and SPECTRE director Sam Mendes ever saw. We've already seen plenty of visual homages to the film in SPECTRE's promotional material, so be on the look out for more when you see the new movie.

The Spy Who Loved Me
Everything that the Roger Moore era has to offer is perfectly encapsulated in The Spy Who Loved Me. The action (Bond ski-jumps off a cliff and ejects a union jack parachute), the ladies (Bond is partnered with a sexy Russian agent with the code-name XXX), the villain plot (a maniacal wealthy recluse intends to destroy the world and create a new civilization under the sea), the henchman (Jaws, the 7'2" assassin with a nasty set of metal teeth), the gadgets (Bond's car is a Lotus Esprit that turns into a mini-submarine) and the humor (the now-famous "Keeping the British end up" line)—it's all so wonderfully ludicrous. The series would completely jump the shark with 1979's Moonraker (where Bond goes to...you guessed it...outer space!), but in The Spy Who Loved Me, all the insanity amounts to a solid helping of sleek and sexy entertainment.

Licence to Kill

After Moonraker left the Bond creators with nowhere to go but back to earth—literally—the films took a major back-to-basics approach in the '80's. Moore would do three more Bond films, each maintaining the humor and camp associated with his tenure, but with stories more akin to the Cold War exploits that defined Bond in the '60's. Timothy Dalton would then take over the role for two films: The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989). The latter is a particularly dark, bloody outing, sort of a prototype for our current incarnation of 007. At the time of its release, Licence to Kill garnered significant criticism for its grittier violence and drug cartel revenge plot, which seemed to evoke the oeuvre of popular action properties like Lethal Weapon and Miami Vice more than they did a proper Bond film. As time has passed, however, the film has aged surprisingly well. Outside the context of other '80's action franchises, Licence to Kill's story of Bond going rogue and seeking revenge for the torture of CIA buddy Felix Leiter at the hands of drug kingpin Franz Sanchez (brilliantly played by Robert Davi) is one of the most effective in the series, and Dalton plays Bond with powerful rage and Shakespearean gravitas.

Goldeneye

Pierce Brosnan's reputation as the 5th Bond has wavered significantly since Daniel Craig took over. His first Bond outing serves as a reminder that he was truly great in the role. Before Goldeneye, the series had been dormant for 6 years and the cultural relevance of James Bond in a post-Cold War world was highly suspect. Brosnan's graceful, enthusiastic approach to the role removes any doubt that, as one of Goldeneye's taglines suggest, "you can still depend on one man." The film itself also addresses these questions directly, boasting a shadowy aesthetic and compelling story that forces Bond to confront the ghosts of his Cold War past (there's also a tank-chase sequence that's freaking awesome). Brosnan's three subsequent Bond films may have been duds, but Goldeneye will always be one of the series' finest moments.

Casino Royale
2006 saw the first official reboot of the Bond series by way of a modern-but-faithful adaptation of Ian Fleming's first novel. It was an inspired choice on the part of longtime Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, as was the casting of Daniel Craig. Each actor who played Bond after Connery has brought something of themselves to the role, but Craig is the only Bond to completely rise above the long-cast shadow of the original 007. As the only Bond film to completely ignore any sense of loyalty to the Bond formula, Casino Royale shifts its focus to explore the emotional brass tacks and fascinating psychology of the troubled spy that Ian Fleming created. Just as Goldfinger is the route to understanding James Bond the franchise, Casino Royale is the route to understanding James Bond the person.

Skyfall
The movie that marks the 50th anniversary of the series, Skyfall is deeply rooted in the strange, sinister camp of Fleming's novels, and does much with the history of the franchise by making it all resonate emotionally. Skyfall reinforces the notion that James Bond is a deeply conflicted character who dulls the pain of his violent existence with all the glamorous trappings of his job that have brought fans back to see him for decades. It's also the most beautiful looking Bond film ever, thanks to the top-notch work of cinematographer Roger Deakins and director Sam Mendes. Most who read this will have already seen Skyfall, but seeing how Mendes returned to direct SPECTRE out of a sense of ownership over the characters and story arch that he introduced, its probably worth another watch before stepping back into the theater for the next James Bond adventure.

My Season of Horror

I love horror films.
But it'd be dishonest of me to call myself a "horror fan". Doing so would imply a certain level of expertise and devotion to the genre that I simply don't have (...yet). That's why, for the past few years, I've devoted the month of October to watching as many horror films as I can. Last year I wasn't particularly successful (with the notable exception of watching The Blair Witch Project and Re-Animator in one sitting, possibly the most bizarre horror double feature ever), so this year I made an extra conscious effort to put in some solid horror-watching hours. Here's what I ended up watching this year, as well as some thoughts and reactions to each film:

The Visit
This year I kicked off my season of horror at the theater with the latest from M. Night Shyamalan—a low-budget horror flick centered around two kids being slowly terrorized by their estranged grandparents. Despite the fact that this film contained just every cringe-worthy Shymalanian trope—sappy family drama, painfully jokey dialogue, not-so-subtle foreshadowing, and the inevitable third-act twist—this one worked where other Shyamalan films have failed. Sure, it's as big a mess as anything else he's ever done, but The Visit sets itself apart from the rest of Shyamalan's filmography by reveling in its wackiness. Here's hoping that Shyamalan continues to work outside the big studio system, 'cause when the stakes are this low, there's a fun time to be had.

Grade: B-

Night of the Living Dead
I should never have let my general sense of disdain for Walking Dead fandom keep me from watching real zombie horror for so long. If you consider yourself a film buff in any right, this is one you gotta take in at least once. It may be less and less accessible to modern audiences with each passing year, but watch Night of the Living Dead in earnest and it becomes pretty obvious that this film was highly influential on generations of filmmakers. It's shot and edited with a fearless sense of vision that many filmmakers would mimic in the '70's. It's bold, provocative, audacious, and a whole lot of fun...and like any good zombie movie, it leaves you more afraid of society's watchmen than of any zombie invasion.

Grade: A-

The Nightmare
Every bit as much a horror movie as it is a documentary about sleep paralysis, The Nightmare managed to creep me out a hell of a lot more than any other film I watched this year. Intercut between interviews of real-life sufferers of sleep paralysis and reenactments of their horrifying visions, it's a film that earnestly investigates and informs while relentlessly delivering first-rate scares. It was so effective that I walked away feeling like I had somehow been infected by what I had seen, and it took me a few nights to feel like I could go to sleep safely again.

Grade: B+

Sleepy Hollow
If you've seen this one, then you probably already guessed it: this was the dud of my season of horror. I wasn't expecting much from it, but I was at least expecting to be entertained. Instead I was bored out of my mind from start to finish. Other than his two Batman films, I don't fancy myself much of a Tim Burton fan, but I was always curious about this one for a couple reasons: a) the Gothic aesthetic always looked intriguing to me, and b) the Headless Horseman is such a cool, intimidating figure of American lore. Unfortunately, Sleepy Hollow only manages to provide the dullest of Gothic visuals, and the mystique of the Headless Horseman is all but obliterated, as Burton insists on providing a backstory featuring a sharp-toothed, frizzy haired, yammering Christopher Walken as the Horseman before he lost his head. Johnny Depp turns in one of his less cartoonish Burton-helmed performances as Ichabod Crane—re-imagined as a detective whose dedication to deductive reasoning is always impeded by his timid nerves—but if you live in the year 2015, you're probably sick of Johnny Depp, so there's really no win here.

Grade: D

Rosemary's Baby
Normally I try to devote my October horror watching exclusively to movies I haven't seen before, but I this one kept popping up as a suggestion on Netflix and I couldn't resist re-watching it. For those of you who haven't seen Rosemary's Baby, let me assure you that it lives up to all the hype. I haven't seen any of his other horror films, but this one is more than enough to solidify Roman Polanski as a master filmmaker. Polanski really forces the viewer into the terror of pregnancy. Both hypnotic and repulsive, Rosemary's Baby remains a must-see-before-you-die movie.

Grade: A

It Follows
This one also lives up to all the hype as far as I'm concerned. Director David Robert Mitchell constructs a truly mesmerizing piece of cinema, grounded in its own sense of primeval terror and brilliantly imbued with the visual language of late-20th Century horror masters like John Carpenter and George Romero. In recent weeks, It Follows has garnered more attention after Quentin Tarantino criticized the film in a much-publicized interview. Though he had much to say in praise of the film, Tarantino stated that ultimately, it was "one of those movies that’s so good that you start getting mad at it for not being great." Sorry, Mr. Tarantino, I'm one of your most loyal admirers, but I gotta say, you're wrong. It Follows is already a great movie.

Grade: A-

Crimson Peak
My other trip to the movie theater this month happened because my wife and I were looking for something to satisfy our mutual desire for something aesthetically spooky. Once we heard that Crimson Peak featured an immaculately lit haunted mansion complete with breathing rooms and bleeding walls, we figured it was our best bet. Unlike Sleepy Hollow, this film if a visual feast of Gothic horror (seriously, the production and costume design alone are well worth the price of admission), and it tells its bloody Gothic tale rather effectively. I found it strangely refreshing that director Guillermo Del Toro managed to make this movie 100% earnest and completely void of the misplaced sense of "irony" that plagues many of today's genre films. Unfortunately, what Quentin Tarantino said about It Follows is much more applicable here: Crimson Peak is just good enough that you really wish it were great.

Grade: B+

The Host
This 2006 Korean creature feature has been recommended to me for years by practically everyone whose taste in movies I trust. Finally got around to it and thought the same thing I think every time I watch a Korean film: "Damn, those Koreans sure know how to make movies." Like most of the Korean films I've watched in recent years, The Host seamlessly mixes a wide variety genres—family melodrama, screwball comedy, action, and horror just to name a few—and to great effect. The Host's titular creature is a slimy mutated amphibian much smaller in scale than your average movie monster (though still big enough to swallow people whole and cause plenty chaos wherever it goes), which allows the film to focus its critical eye on the horror of incompetent governments, as any good creature feature should do.

Grade: A

Paranormal Activity
Of all the post-Blair Witch "found footage" horror films I've seen, this is one of the better ones. Largely absent of the cheap scare tactics that seem to be plaguing it's many popular sequels, the original effectively builds tension by keeping things quiet for extended periods of time while ever so slowly increasing the level of demonic terror surrounding the protagonist couple. Paranormal Activity probably won't age into a modern classic, but it was more than enough to end my season of horror on a sufficiently spooky note.

Grade: A-

Top 5 of the Season
1. Rosemary's Baby
2. It Follows
3. Night of the Living Dead
4. The Host
5. Paranormal Activity