As you (should) know, Bond 22, Quantum of Solace, is coming out this November 14th. In honor of this momentous occasion, I have decided to spend a little time each week digging into my James Bond DVD collection and talking about the best and worst of the series up until now. I also like to compare the movies to the source material, when it exists. I find all of this very entertaining, but if you don’t, the scroll button is still right over there. >>>>>

I realize I probably sound very negative about these films. Just know that I criticize them with love - and, occasionally, hatred for ruining a character I hold very dear.

It might be hard to understand how a character whom many see as a cinematic creation can have such a vibrant and full life outside of the films that made him famous, but if you read some of Ian Fleming’s novels, I promise you will begin to understand.

Which isn’t to say I’m one of those fuddy-duddies who can’t enjoy the films because they don’t measure up. That’s far from the truth; I enjoy most of them as movies in their own right, even beyond the connection they have to their protagonist.

With that said, The Spy Who Loved Me is one of the most over-rated Bond films.

Harsh, you say? Maybe. There is, after all, a disturbing number of people who find On Her Majesty’s Secret Service to be…good. Shudder. But The Spy Who Loved Me is almost universally liked, and I, personally, just don’t see it.

“But Liz,” I can hear you all crying with one singular voice, “The Spy Who Loved Me gave us Jaws!” Yes, yes, it did. But Jaws is a terrible henchman. He’s not scary, and he doesn’t make sense. Why do the metal teeth make his jaw preternaturally strong? Doesn’t he accidentally bite his tongue sometimes? Why does he turn good in Moonraker? Why was Moonraker made?

I’m getting ahead of myself.

Jaws is all most people remember from The Spy Who Loved Me. But let’s not forget Barbara Bach as Anya Amasova, Russian Agent Triple X (tee hee!). The romance between her and Bond is surprisingly mature for the film, although that doesn’t necessarily make it compelling.

I have a special grudge against The Spy Who Loved Me because it stole its title from my favorite Fleming novel. Not a single plot element remains. I’m not saying that the novel was particularly filmable, because it’s not. But it’s so much better than the movie. The movie is really an insult.

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