My wife and I just watched Thunderball tonight - we wanted to compare it to Never Say Never Again, which we watched earlier in the week!
Each Bond actor was a product of his time - and the way he played it reflected society to some extent...Connery is the post-WW2 bond, and his world is edgier. Moore is the Cold War bond with all the gadgets and intrigue. Dalton ushers in the end of the cold war, etc.
Watching the Connery movies again makes me cringe - way too many times when he's told 'no' and doesn't accept it...it's really uncomfortable to watch sometimes! That being said, I had to throw out one Bond movie I bought as unwatchable - just so ridiculously racist I never wanted to watch it again. I can't recall the name offhand, as it's not in my collection anymore.
All of the Bond actors (except Lazenby) had some good features. That being said, Roger Moore is the perfect mix of class, charm, wit, and playfulness. He was smarmy, when smarmy was warranted - and just so perfectly played the Gen X English secret agent. Dry humour, charm, and tweed...perfect!
The best movies are undoubtedly Connery's - great villains, plots, and acting. I think Connery has the best movies, but Moore is the best on-screen Bond. I think Craig is the closest to the flawed character that Fleming wrote. Brosnen should have stuck to being Remington Steele. Dalton was ok - I liked his movies, but they just don't speak to me. Craig is a good throwback, and resurrected the series after Brosnen's over-the-top movies killed it.
I think On Her Magesty's Secret Service, with Moore in place of Lazenby, would have been the best Bond movie. As they stand, I'm going to pick Octopussy, Goldfinger, and Thunderball as a dead-heat tie.
