Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
The first four movies, OHMSS, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, Dalton's two, and Casino Royale hit very close to Ian Fleming's books both in terms of the nature of the character and the plots. The others are wild flights of fancy. Craig has brought back Ian Fleming's James Bond to the screen, and that's a VERY good thing.
Read the books. They're awesome fun without being overly high-minded. You'll especially love stuff like Moonraker, Live and Let Die, and You Only Live Twice and how the stories blow their celluloid counterparts out of the water.
The first four movies, OHMSS, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, Dalton's two, and Casino Royale hit very close to Ian Fleming's books both in terms of the nature of the character and the plots. The others are wild flights of fancy. Craig has brought back Ian Fleming's James Bond to the screen, and that's a VERY good thing.
Read the books. They're awesome fun without being overly high-minded. You'll especially love stuff like Moonraker, Live and Let Die, and You Only Live Twice and how the stories blow their celluloid counterparts out of the water.
IMHO, the card game in the book "Moonraker" is one of the best moments in Bond history. The rest of the book is just OK, but still way better then the film. "Live and let Die" is a must read! Remember these books are from another time in history and it shows. If you can get passed that, you are in for a great ride.
The makers of the "Casino Royale" film did a great job with the card game in that film, and it felt very much like Felming's style to me.
I'm re-reading all the books right now (in publishing order), and only up to the end of Moonraker. It's been close to 25 years since I last read them all.
The editing of the film "Casino Royale" was top notch, and I think it helped it a lot.
I want "Quantum of Solace" to be good, but with a new Director and Editor, who knows what we will get. My hopes are high, and I will be there opening night.
FYI, If you don't have time to read them, there is a torrent of the first 15 James Bond novels in Audio Book format out there if you do a bit of searching. The unabridged versions by Blackstone Audio, and read by Robert Whitfield are top of the line, and I enjoy them the most. Whatever you do, stay away from Bond on audio done by American voice actors! It takes away from the feel these books should have way too much.
FF