Roger Moore is the worst Bond! Comments?

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I don't think 'ole Rog deserves this abuse. His left eyebrow alone is worth a million dull thesps like Dalton!

The only Bond movies that I've seen in the cinema have been Moore creations: Octopussy and A View To A Kill (though that probably says more about my age than anything else). The guy had a mean taste in safari suits too. *

And magnetic watches...

And white Lotus Esprits....



Roger, I salute you.

*It has to be said here that I don't actually care for the franchise but Moore brought a sense of (intentional or not) camp irony to proceedings which made the movies a bit more bearable.
I agree. He's my fave. He is easy-going, and brought smoothness to the franchise, instead of the roughness of Sean. I think he also has some wit in him. Like people have said, age influences this, and I grew up with him. 1st Bond I've seen was Octopussy when it came out, and I absolutelly loved it. Music (in this case John Barry's All Time High, performed by Rita Coolidge) and those Maurice Binder's openings are essential for Bonds, imho. And this one is my fave.



Then I saw Moonraker in a cinema with a friend and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

My fave is For Your Eyes only, though-it has all - the plot, the humor, the music, Carole Bouquet, Sheena Easton (the only one seen visually in the opening, for obvious reasons), it's warm. And it has Roger.



I enjoy all of the Bond actors. Roger Moore is one of the underrated ones. You cannot underestimate the feat Moore accomplished by replacing Connery and building his own large fan base. I think, for most other actors, it would have been suicide to follow up Connery, but Moore did it with such grace and gusto.

While I do prefer the more serious Bond films, there needs to be a variety. It would be boring if every Bond movie was the same. I like totally bizarre and over the top films like Octopussy and Live and Let Die.

Lazenby's comment about Bond dying out in the 70's was a legitimate fear. The 70's were different. Detente was in effect and it was a time of peace. A dark brooding Bond wouldn't have made sense. Bond would have become a relic, had Moore not turned Fleming's character into something that was much more suited to the times.



I think it could be argued that he is the quintessential Bond.



The main problem with the Moore years, is that they were pretty consistently lousy movies. But it had little to do with him.



He was an enjoyable Bond. He brought more humor to the role that was good, but which I think was the wrong direction. The series endangered becoming a parody of itself.

My all time favorite was Connery, but Craig is a close second.



I think intentional camp is quite hard to do well, so even if he was doing his bit well enough, the movies he was saddled didn't always hold up their end of the bargain. I do like most of them, albeit to varying extents.


That being said, I have some fondness for his work in The Man Who Haunted Himself (which offers ample he could actually act) and ffolkes, which has him sending up his image by playing a benign Bond villain of sorts.



I love Roger and I appreciate the light hearted approach, but he could also be that cold hearted bastard.



Without Roger Moore's James Bond, there would be no 007 movies today. Moore kept the franchise alive in the 70s when interest was low and filled the shoes of Bond by NOT filling the shoes of Sean Connery.



Roger Moore is my second favorite Bond and The Spy Who Loved Me is in my top three Bond films of all time. Also I own the Lotus Esprit Sub in GTA5.




Roger Moore is your father's Oldsmobile (if you recognize the that ad slogan, he might be your Oldsmobile too). It would have been interesting if a young Roger Moore had starred in Dr. No. By the time Moore is in the role, he's a little on the old side. Before he got the role, however, it was noted that he had the makings of a Bond in The Saint.






Moore came into the franchise a little late, a little old, and was playing it for camp, which he did well. Years later, however, he's very Austin Powers. Sadly, I feel that Idris Elba is in the same boat now - just a bit too old for the role.



At any rate, Moore may not be your kind of Bond, but for what the films were intended to be and the time they were made, he did a good job in them.



Movie Forums Squirrel Jumper
I think I would have to agree that Moore is the worst Bond but I don't think he is bad though, just the least best. I feel that he is kind of flat in his first two outings, but then comes around in TSWLM and finds his footing from then on.



Moore came into the franchise a little late, a little old
Moore started at age 45. Dalton and Brosnan were 42. Craig was 37. Connery was 30. Lazenby was 29.

45 is not too old to play Bond, but it's too old to start Bond and expect to have a long tenure.

From what I heard, he was supposed to end at For Your Eyes Only, but stayed for Octopussy because they needed an established actor to compete against Connery's Never Say Never again remake.

But giving Moore a 7th film (AVTAK) was absurd. The reason was something like "if Connery has 6 films, give Moore 7" or "You can't just come back to compete against Connery; you also need 1 more".

Either way, AVTAK was totally unnecessary. It would've been much better to rewrite it for Brosnan or Dalton.



45 is not too old to play Bond,
Bond has to be physically capable to deal with some of the deadliest people in the world. 45 is just too far north. At least, that's my opinion.

but it's too old to start Bond and expect to have a long tenure.
Even a short tenure. These film are now heavily spaced out. When you have a three to four year hiatus between films, our 45-year-old will be 54 by the time he hits film number 3. That just doesn't work.

At the very least, you want your new Bond to cover the span of a three picture deal.

From what I heard, he was supposed to end at For Your Eyes Only, but stayed for Octopussy because they needed an established actor to compete against Connery's Never Say Never again remake.
Interesting.

I read somewhere that part of why he dipped out is because it was getting to creepy for him smooch girls who could be his daughter.



...
I read somewhere that part of why he dipped out is because it was getting to creepy for him smooch girls who could be his daughter.
You'd think that would have been a plus for him...



Movie Forums Squirrel Jumper
Moore started at age 45. Dalton and Brosnan were 42. Craig was 37. Connery was 30. Lazenby was 29.

45 is not too old to play Bond, but it's too old to start Bond and expect to have a long tenure.

From what I heard, he was supposed to end at For Your Eyes Only, but stayed for Octopussy because they needed an established actor to compete against Connery's Never Say Never again remake.

But giving Moore a 7th film (AVTAK) was absurd. The reason was something like "if Connery has 6 films, give Moore 7" or "You can't just come back to compete against Connery; you also need 1 more".

Either way, AVTAK was totally unnecessary. It would've been much better to rewrite it for Brosnan or Dalton.
Is that the real reason they gave Moore one more after Octopussy, was just to beat Connery?