Rotten Tomatoes is a great place to search out the truth about the good and bad of movies. With the newest of the James Bond films, Spectre , making its debut in time for the start of holiday movie-going season, Tomatoes is offering up “The James Bond Movie Countdown” as part of their “Holiday Guide 2015.” Spectre won a measly 64 percent standing on the countdown list as compared to Daniel Craig’s’ 2012 Bond movie, Skyfall , which came in at number one on the list, with a 93 percent vote.
Mark Hughes cited the Rotten Tomatoes score in his November 4 Forbes review of Spectre . As Hughes notes, this James Bond movie was to be a highly anticipated smash after the huge success of the Bond hit before it, Skyfall .
“The comparatively mixed reviews (64% at Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 93% for Skyfall ) and other factors suggest that it could lack the legs of its predecessor,” Hughes states about Spectre .
“The new film lacks the same tidal wave of praise and must-see sentiment that accompanied Skyfall . It also lacks a similarly widely embraced villain, a key factor in the windfall that blessed the franchise three years ago,” as succinctly reviewed by Hughes for Forbes .
Rotten Tomatoes gave Skyfall the number one score for all 24, plus two unsanctioned James Bond movies.
Showing why it is worthy of number one status is the Tomatoes’ critics’ consensus for Skyfall , “Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date.”
Spectre scored a meager 65 percent, coming in at number 17 out of 26 on the Tomatoes’ Bond countdown list. Their critics’ consensus stated that the film was not bad, but it was too dependent on the long-standing Bond formula instead of breaking out as a unique hit of its own.
The Tomatoes’ critics’ consensus for Spectre states, “ Spectre nudges Daniel Craig’s rebooted Bond closer to the glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it’s admittedly reliant on established 007 formula.”
The mid-range Rotten Tomatoes score, and lackluster critical response to Spectre , could also be caused by the recent James Bond-bashing statements made by its star, Daniel Craig. In an interview with Time Out , Craig’s response to the question, “Can you imagine doing another Bond movie?” was far from kind for the movie franchise that has brought him much fame.
“Now? I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists. No, not at the moment. Not at all. That’s fine. I’m over it at the moment. We’re done. All I want to do is move on.”
Craig’s answers to additional questions regarding moving on from Bond are filled with expletives.
He finishes one answer with the not so kind words, “If I did another Bond movie, it would only be for the money.”
Daniel Craig has now played the James Bond character in four movies beginning in 2006 with Casino Royale . His second Bond film was the 2008 Quantum of Solace, followed by Skyfall in 2012 and now Spectre .
Rotten Tomatoes is regarded for its concise guide to movies, so who better to go to for the countdown scores for the James Bond films ? In order to come to their countdown conclusion, Tomatoes uses their Tomatometer, a weighted method that is formulated based on the number of reviews and the year the movies were released.
Finishing at the bottom of the list, in 26th place with a 29 percent vote, is the 1967 James Bond Spoof, Casino Royale , starring David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, and Orson Welles.
The Tomatoes’ critics’ consensus states, “A goofy, dated parody of spy movie clichés, Casino Royale squanders its all-star cast on a meandering, mostly laugh-free script.”
Second to last, in 25th place with a 35 percent vote, is the 1985 Roger Moore film A View to a Kill .
“Absurd even by Bond standards, A View to a Kill is weighted down by campy jokes and a noticeable lack of energy,” was the critics’ consensus statement explaining its Rotten Tomatoes status as the worse of Bond films.
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