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10 Lazenby quitting
After OHMSS turning him from a car salesman to a B-list actor, he quit. The counterculture was around at the time and his agent told him that violent action films were a thing of the past. If only he had come back for one more, Diamonds Are Forever may have been more sensible of a film.
9 Trying to be politically trendy
The series has had a willingness to jump onto political trends to keep its relevance without examining the purpose. The Man with the Golden Gun made solar energy the villain just in response to OPEC. Come to think of it, numerous villains in the franchise are basically purveyors of new technology.
8 Overeager use of technology
After Goldfinger, bigger budgets were available and a lot of it was dumped on special effects regardless of their necessity. Thunderball's length was inflated by an extra 15-20 minutes due to unprecedented (and dull) underwater action. You Only Live Twice tacked on a battle copter just for the heck of it.
7 Moore staying too long
Despite being late in his career, I contend that Octopussy is a great expression of the man's creativity and humor. A View to a Kill, however, was the point where his old age was very apparent, with actions requiring constant stunt doubles and a co-star less than half his age.
6 Reviving SPECTRE
MGM got the rights from the McClory estate and was eager to use the IP. The plots from the previous Craig movies were all discarded to create a backstory which basically copied Austin Powers. And apart from this, a sequel is implied atop an already shaky foundation.
5 Connery's Comeback(s)
With You Only Live Twice, Connery had 5 strong films under his belt. He came back for Diamonds Are Forever, rather than the film before it, which had a far better script. DAF was is his most lifeless performance and it largely the plots of the preceding films in the trilogy it attempts to finish. To make matters worse, Connery returns to Never Say Never Again, and even with an ample budget and a lot of creative control, it's a nostalgia outing at best.
4 Shelving Dalton
Dalton wasn't exactly marketed correctly as the new Bond. To make matters worse, after his second film, a 6 year lawsuit occurred which prevented any new Bond films from happening and effectively ended his tenure.
3 Misogyny of the 70's
Up until OHMSS, the female characters in the franchise had interesting personalities and some smarts. But, throughout most of the 70's, the female characters became sex objects and talking mistresses. Does every female character need to be "Bond's equal"? Of course not. But at least develop a character more than just casting a hot actress in short skirts and giving her a silly name.
2 Hiring Amateur Directors
This is most apparent in the Brosnan era. While Campbell was a solid choice for Goldeneye, MGM decided to go with lesser known directors (perhaps as a way to cut costs, find more obedient directors, or to launch new careers). However, Spotiswoode made Bond into a typical action movie (Tomorrow Never Dies). Apted had ambitious ideas but lacked in directing ability (The World Is Not Enough). And Tamahori was a plain train wreck (Die Another Day). A Bond director should have at least 1 great film on his/her resume prior.
1 Repeating Plots
Numerous plots in the franchise are very similar. They involve Bond investigating a scene, meeting a woman, fighting a henchman, being kidnapped and raiding an evil lair with some sort of death laser on it. You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker repeated the same plot essentially 3 times. In the 70's, particularly, Brocolli felt like the story didn't matter as long as the viewer was having fun. This was during an era when VHS and DVD's didn't exist and films were not as rewatchable.
After OHMSS turning him from a car salesman to a B-list actor, he quit. The counterculture was around at the time and his agent told him that violent action films were a thing of the past. If only he had come back for one more, Diamonds Are Forever may have been more sensible of a film.
9 Trying to be politically trendy
The series has had a willingness to jump onto political trends to keep its relevance without examining the purpose. The Man with the Golden Gun made solar energy the villain just in response to OPEC. Come to think of it, numerous villains in the franchise are basically purveyors of new technology.
8 Overeager use of technology
After Goldfinger, bigger budgets were available and a lot of it was dumped on special effects regardless of their necessity. Thunderball's length was inflated by an extra 15-20 minutes due to unprecedented (and dull) underwater action. You Only Live Twice tacked on a battle copter just for the heck of it.
7 Moore staying too long
Despite being late in his career, I contend that Octopussy is a great expression of the man's creativity and humor. A View to a Kill, however, was the point where his old age was very apparent, with actions requiring constant stunt doubles and a co-star less than half his age.
6 Reviving SPECTRE
MGM got the rights from the McClory estate and was eager to use the IP. The plots from the previous Craig movies were all discarded to create a backstory which basically copied Austin Powers. And apart from this, a sequel is implied atop an already shaky foundation.
5 Connery's Comeback(s)
With You Only Live Twice, Connery had 5 strong films under his belt. He came back for Diamonds Are Forever, rather than the film before it, which had a far better script. DAF was is his most lifeless performance and it largely the plots of the preceding films in the trilogy it attempts to finish. To make matters worse, Connery returns to Never Say Never Again, and even with an ample budget and a lot of creative control, it's a nostalgia outing at best.
4 Shelving Dalton
Dalton wasn't exactly marketed correctly as the new Bond. To make matters worse, after his second film, a 6 year lawsuit occurred which prevented any new Bond films from happening and effectively ended his tenure.
3 Misogyny of the 70's
Up until OHMSS, the female characters in the franchise had interesting personalities and some smarts. But, throughout most of the 70's, the female characters became sex objects and talking mistresses. Does every female character need to be "Bond's equal"? Of course not. But at least develop a character more than just casting a hot actress in short skirts and giving her a silly name.
2 Hiring Amateur Directors
This is most apparent in the Brosnan era. While Campbell was a solid choice for Goldeneye, MGM decided to go with lesser known directors (perhaps as a way to cut costs, find more obedient directors, or to launch new careers). However, Spotiswoode made Bond into a typical action movie (Tomorrow Never Dies). Apted had ambitious ideas but lacked in directing ability (The World Is Not Enough). And Tamahori was a plain train wreck (Die Another Day). A Bond director should have at least 1 great film on his/her resume prior.
1 Repeating Plots
Numerous plots in the franchise are very similar. They involve Bond investigating a scene, meeting a woman, fighting a henchman, being kidnapped and raiding an evil lair with some sort of death laser on it. You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker repeated the same plot essentially 3 times. In the 70's, particularly, Brocolli felt like the story didn't matter as long as the viewer was having fun. This was during an era when VHS and DVD's didn't exist and films were not as rewatchable.
