A real disaster of a flick that clearly reflects the uncertainty and disarray surrounding the franchise in the early ‘70s. With George Lazenby out of the picture and a small cavalcade of fill-ins dropping off for one reason or another, Eon pressed the panic button and brought Sean Connery out of mothballs for a swan song. It's a mistake from the very start. Not only does Connery look unreasonably old for the part, he badly overplays his confidence and worldliness, often coming off as desperate and smarmy.
The screen is crowded with gaudy sideshow characters, including a trashy, ditsy leading lady and two villainous hitmen who seem far more concerned with excessively elaborate setups than actually doing away with anybody. Even longtime nemesis Blofeld, who may have been the sole beacon of excellence in the equally-forgettable You Only Live Twice, is ruined by an awful recasting, horrendous new personality quirks and a master plan that makes no sense whatsoever. But that's par for the course, really, as the plot at large is peppered with so many dumb jokes and absurd asides that just keeping up with this swerving, goofball storyline is a challenge worthy of MI-6.
There's a good car chase midway through the second act (which loses some steam thanks to a similar pursuit, just a few minutes earlier, involving a freaking moon rover) and a few of the gags are so mind-blowingly stupid that I couldn't help but laugh. Otherwise, this is a completely insignificant chapter in the character's long, speckled history. Unless you're a dedicated completist, keep your distance.
I thought it was alright, but Sean Connery looks a bit like Rowan Atkinson in this one and I can't get it out of my head that this is just a Johnny English movie played straight.
This one was fun to watch although the space buggy scene had me laughing out loud; instead of a James Bond movie oozing intrigue, suspense, and action, it was reminiscent of the kind of goofball scene I would expect to see in an episode of Gilligan's Island . Seriously, it was that laughable. Not a bad film to watch, but again these are very dated films so it's difficult to watch them and not laugh (or at the very least roll your eyes) at the "special effects". Probably the most "annoying" (if you can call it that) thing about this particular film was the almost-forced effort at goofy one-liners after certain scenes. Wasn't the greatest James Bond but it wasn't as lame as some of the older ones have been. At this point, it's hard to know whether these (James Bond) movies are supposed to be intense, action-filled, espionage thrillers or just straight-out comedies. Some of them have been really bad… Now that I've seen this one, I'll take a pass on watching it again. It was fun to watch the first time but definitely not interesting enough to watch again.
I think it's the one I liked least about Connery's stage as Bond, but still, it was good
Sean Connery returns as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. In this adventure Bond is assigned to investigate a diamond smuggling operation that appears to be run by a mysterious and reclusive industrialist in Las Vegas. The series returns to form, and delivers some exciting and thrilling action. Additionally, the film is packed with colorful characters and interesting henchmen. There are some issues with the story, but it still manages to be entertaining and fun. Diamonds Are Forever is a solid Bond film that delivers one of the best adventures of the series.
It's tough to dislike a Bond film, especially one starring Sean Connery. And as disjointed and scattershot as the plot of this one is, I still like it.
It's goofy and feels patched together, but more than anything, it tries much too hard to be funny. Sometimes it works but it really cheapens the adventure. This movie more than any other Bond entry, had me screaming at the bad guy to "just shoot Bond already!!!". The villains go to great lengths to let Bond wriggle out of jam after jam.
I had to laugh at some of the effects. The explosions during the movie's climax look awful. I also laughed at a scene where security officers in old Ford LTDs chase Bond, who has hijacked some kind of moon rover-style vehicle. Bond leads them on a chase through the Nevada desert and car after car succumbs to the rough desert terrain. Bond's rover clearly loses a tire during one shot. The rover tire bounces across the screen but we flip back to Bond and he's still cruising along in the thing! A little editing would have been nice.
I also thought there were way too many people standing on the sidewalks watching Bond rip through the Las Vegas streets in a shiny red Mustang. If I didn't know better, I'd think that everyone in the casinos were told that a movie chase was being filmed on the streets outside. It's really obvious and totally distracts from the car chase. It smells like "Cannonball Run" to me.
Jill St. John prances around with next to nothing on which suits a Bond flick just fine, but she's an airhead and Bond girls are usually smart. But at second glance there' s a surplus of questionable casting here. Jimmy Dean as Williard Whyte and Norman Burton as Felix Leiter are truly awful in their roles. And Charles Gray's turn as big baddie Blofeld is ho-hum.
Still, when you add up the good and subtract the bad, the balance sheet is still is in the black and it's because of Ken Adam's fantastic sets and of course, Connery's magnetism and charm.
Absolute tosh.
Yes, they have Connery back. But he looks tired of the role and too old to play it.
The plot is a new kind of stupid to the series. We've had plenty of the unbelievable but a car that goes into a gap on two wheels but comes out on the other two wheels with just a camera tilt to explain it - well, that's a new low.
There's a little leftover from Lazenby - a manic nature to the sound editing. The editing isn't immune from its influence too.
Not only do we have Bond laying on the smutty double-entendres but we then get a host of redneck cops and Vegas cowboys to add to the mix. Plenty o' Tools.
The series is already starting to succomb to the Roger Moore humorous approach and it is jarring to have Connery be its first guinea pig.
Despite one of the finest theme songs, an iconic scenes and set-piece or two, this just isn't worth the effort overall.
5/10
Well...The silliness is back, and so is Sean Connery.
Diamonds are Forever is not my favorite Bond movie, but I guess there's some fun to be had if you look hard enough. That is if you can look past a rather "disinterested" Sean Connery, some very weird bad guys, and a rather weak plot.
I know I said that Thunderball was my least favorite of the Connery era, but it seems I forgot how weak this one really is. I know they felt they needed to revive the franchise after Lazenby "crapped" out (according to Broccoli and co), but bringing Connery back was a mistake. The man wasn't interested in anything but his paycheck at this point and looked bored throughout. Sometimes I wonder if this one would have been better with Roger Moore instead of Connery. This brand of silliness might have suited him better.
The women are as beautiful as ever of course, but there's painfully little else that is up to the Bond standard. Unless you are watching the whole series, this is not worth your time.
All y’all are wrong. This is the best Sean Connery film.
Although a lot of fan service from a pervy director, a bit of unexpected female areola for a bond film, and some poorly written female characters, the rest of the film boasts an unhinged bond returning to form. The plot was straightforward, didn’t take itself too seriously and was a lot of fun to watch all the way through.
Unfortunately this won’t be your serious, debonair or clean bond film, but this was a lot of fun all the way through and woke me up from the coma that was On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
I will not understand why Connery was brought back. The last one was the best Bond in quite some time, and Connery REALLY phones it in here. The plot is back to nonsense and is equal parts confusing. Bond fans may get a kick out of it, but it is the worst entry yet.
Rating: 2/5 - 65% - Not Recommended to Everyone
:heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart: - Personally I quite enjoyed this one
My rating system works:
10:heart:- Masterpiece :100:
9:heart:- Excellent
8:heart: - Amazing :ok_hand:
7:heart:- Great :sun_with_face:
6:heart: - Good :thumbsup:
5:heart: - Average :head_bandage:
4:heart: - Bad but watchable :octagonal_sign:
3:heart: - Bad :sob:
2:heart:- Awful :face_vomiting:
1:heart: - Bull Shit.
A good opportunity to see what Vegas looked like in the 70s
Granted, it's not the best Bond movie so far, not even the second best. But I like this more than OHMSS. And not because Connery was back. No, that probably wasn't the best idea but one born out of desperation. His age (althought just around 40 he looked older) is clearly showing by now and he isn't as convincing as he was before. I do agree that there is a lot of sillyness in this movie. But in some way that's what I expect from a Bond movie. Not a parody but certainly a wee bit over the top. But it seems to be more aimed at an american audience. The addition of well known, and beautiful, american actress Jill St. John seems to add to that.
There is no mentioning at all of what happened at the end of OHMSS and I think that was a deliberate attempt to bury that movie. We start out again with Bond chasing Blofeld (again played by a different actor) around the world and presumably killing him. Which is later revealed to be a Doppelgänger. Not a huge surprise for the audience I might add. The two henchman Wint and Kidd add a little bit of creepyness and overall you get the usual plot holes and errors also typical for a Bond movie.
But it was "Goodbye" for Mr. Connery who carried a lot of the 1960s Bond with him. The next one would by the premiere for Roger Moore (who was the initial first choice for the character) who carries Bond into the 1970s.
For me, it was ok. I was more worried about Sean Connery than anything. He was visually older and unwell for the role. Being his farewell to the Bond chronology I have to say it was a bad one. However, the film runs until the 3rd act. A cinematographic and ideological change is visible. It still has its vices like light sex, hypermasculine and subtle racism, but we see cartoonish villains and crazy chases. Even the car chases deserve a mention. Soon, the film managed to close it just doesn't impact like other Sean Connery films. And yes, apart from thunderball this is the weak spy movie.
Another from the Bond series.
And so starts the road to camp for James Bond. Unfortunately campiness does not save this flick from tedium. Hope you weren't expecting OHMSS's ending to have a payoff in this edition. Certainly hoped for a better send off for Sean Connery.
The James Bond Films
1 Eon films
1.1 Dr. No (1962) https://trakt.tv/movies/dr-no-1962
1.2 From Russia with Love (1963) https://trakt.tv/movies/from-russia-with-love-1963
1.3 Goldfinger (1964) https://trakt.tv/movies/goldfinger-1964
1.4 Thunderball (1965) https://trakt.tv/movies/thunderball-1965
1.5 You Only Live Twice (1967) https://trakt.tv/movies/you-only-live-twice-1967
1.6 On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) https://trakt.tv/movies/on-her-majesty-s-secret-service-1969
1.7 Diamonds Are Forever (1971) https://trakt.tv/movies/diamonds-are-forever-1971
1.8 Live and Let Die (1973) https://trakt.tv/movies/live-and-let-die-1973
1.9 The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-man-with-the-golden-gun-1974
1.10 The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-spy-who-loved-me-1977
1.11 Moonraker (1979) https://trakt.tv/movies/moonraker-1979
1.12 For Your Eyes Only (1981) https://trakt.tv/movies/for-your-eyes-only-1981
1.13 Octopussy (1983) https://trakt.tv/movies/octopussy-1983
1.14 A View to a Kill (1985) https://trakt.tv/movies/a-view-to-a-kill-1985
1.15 The Living Daylights (1987) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-living-daylights-1987
1.16 Licence to Kill (1989) https://trakt.tv/movies/licence-to-kill-1989
1.17 GoldenEye (1995) https://trakt.tv/movies/goldeneye-1995
1.18 Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) https://trakt.tv/movies/tomorrow-never-dies-1997
1.19 The World Is Not Enough (1999) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-world-is-not-enough-1999
1.20 Die Another Day (2002) https://trakt.tv/movies/die-another-day-2002
1.21 Casino Royale (2006) https://trakt.tv/movies/casino-royale-2006
1.22 Quantum of Solace (2008) https://trakt.tv/movies/quantum-of-solace-2008
1.23 Skyfall (2012) https://trakt.tv/movies/skyfall-2012
1.24 Spectre (2015) https://trakt.tv/movies/spectre-2015
1.25 No Time to Die (2021) https://trakt.tv/movies/no-time-to-die-2021
2 Non-Eon films
2.1 Casino Royale (1967) https://trakt.tv/movies/casino-royale-1967
2.2 Never Say Never Again (1983) https://trakt.tv/movies/never-say-never-again-1983
So it follows the traditional Bond theme.
Bond girls are the normal "hotness". Although this is the first time I remember actually catching brief nudity in a Bond movie (at the beginning when he takes the bikini top off of the first woman).
Cheesy effects but it is the 70s.
Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd are quite funny in an odd kind of way and it's hard to tell if they are really just odd or if there really is a homosexual aspect of them. Violent and murderous regardless.
Tiffany is so dumb omg.. and the lunar bug chase I don't even know what to think about it.
I really love all of the official Connery Bond films... all except this one. Ugh, where do I start?
Bond Girl - Sucks
Villain - Lame
Plot - Dumb finale
Car Chase - Ridiculous
It is kind of a shame, how much of the film has bad stuff going on. I will say though, there are some highlights still. The henchmen in this are pretty fun. Q has some good scenes. And even though he's not giving a single shit, Connery is still pretty awesome. I do enjoy watching this movie (true for all the 007 films), but almost entirely because it is so crazy that it is funny.
One of my favorite James Bond movies. For the first time the special effects look not as artificial as in the previous movies and both the plot and the bond girl are extremely hot!
Out with the new, in with the old. Lazenby quit the Bond job after the last film and the studio managed to pay Sean Connery enough money to come back. Turns out that was a lot of money - nearly 20% of the budget went into getting him on board. In today’s money that’s £25 million pounds, Mr. Bond.
It’s probably just as well he got a good deal because Diamonds are Forever is a bit of a mess. The producers were trying to reproduce the Goldfinger magic by getting Guy Hamilton back on board, and even writing Goldfinger back into the script at first.
Sadly the film comes off as more of a mockery than a return to form. Its camp tone and poor plot are difficult to warm to, and bar one car chase Hamilton doesn’t seem to care about what he’s doing.
I didn’t think I’d be saying this so soon but this is possibly worse than the Lazenby film. It’s on par in a lot of ways but it’s missing the creative technical aspects.
Admittedly Connery is a real actor and it shows. In the opening scenes Bond goes on a mini-rampage to find and kill Blofeld. It’s entertaining and somewhat brutal, serving as a sort of mouthwash from the flaky last film. The very first shot of chump getting thrown through a Japanese-style screen door is really fun.
Unfortunately the ‘Bond is back’ feeling dissipates quickly as things unfold. It becomes apparent that Connery is getting on a bit now, and the weariness we saw in You Only Live Twice has worsened.
They fixed the costumes but everything else in the film is far camper than any previous instalment. There’s a moon buggy chase for fuck’s sake. Heavens only knows why they thought that would be a good idea.
Blofeld’s tenure as criminal genius is tragically over. He’s gone from a mastermind who steals, schemes & holds the world to ransom to an idiot trying to make a solar laser beam out of diamonds.
Talking of plot, it’s incredibly convoluted. Blofeld is trying to smuggle diamonds to make a space laser and is doing it by making plastic surgery clones of himself (and his cat), kidnapping a Howard Hawks type character and doing something with a submarine on an oil rig.
Also, what happened to making Bond girls people who can fend for themselves? It’s about being attractive, sure, but a huge part of that appeal is the air of danger or wit around them. Diana Rigg is a great example, as is Honor Blackman, Ursula Andress etc etc…
Here Jill St. John plays Tiffany Case, a hapless idiot serving only as eye-candy. You may laugh and say all the women in the films are like this but I have to disagree based on what we have seen so far. Bond is a misogynist, but the films as a whole (up to this point) tend to favour more independent characters, and they prove to be the more memorable roles.
Diamonds are Forever is Connery’s worst (official) Bond film by quite some way and possibly the worst film we have seen so far; a disappointing end to his career as the spy.
http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/05/29/diamondsareforever.html
Shout by Neal MahoneyVIP 8BlockedParent2019-05-04T16:22:04Z
This is the worst of Sean Connery's movies. Plot is confusing and boring but still sometimes entertaining.