History YMMV / JamesBond

** Mary Goodnight from ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'', due to Creator/BrittEkland's DullSurprise acting, and the character constantly coming across as both TheLoad, a DistressedDamsel and a bad ComicRelief, despite supposedly being a trained secret agent. It also doesn't help that Andrea Anders, the secondary Bond Girl played by Creator/MaudAdams (who would return as the main Bond Girl in ''Film/{{Octopussy}}''), is widely considered to be much better-acted and a more interesting character, [[spoiler:only to be unceremoniously killed off halfway through the film.]]

* WTHCastingAgency: Daniel Craig's portrayal of James Bond has been criticized due to him being blond and considered too short, whereas his predecessors were [[TallDarkAndHandsome dark-haired and 6 ft or taller]].

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Many fans like R, Q's replacement for ''The World is Not Enough'' and ''Die Another Day''. The fact that it was played by John Cleese obviously helps. Unfortunately, the franchise had a reboot after ''Die Another Day'', and many fans regret that because of that, he only appeared in two films in the franchise.

** Played with as far as the title sequences for the films go. The title sequence got ''Film/DrNo'' was designed by series veteran Maurice Binder, but didn't really resemble the title sequences for the latter films at all, coming more across as a take-off on Saul Bass' style. For ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'' and ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', Robert Brownjohn took over from Binder, and his work more resembled the signature Bond title sequences, but only in a very basic manner, projecting the credits and/or imagery from the film onto the womens' bodies. Binder then returned for ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'' and absolutely nailed what Brownjohn had started, solidifying the traditional title sequences for these films.

* AudienceAlienatingEra: Just like fellow British cultural treasure ''Series/DoctorWho'', this franchise has run for over fifty years, so everyone has their own DorkAge. Unfortunately, this is precisely where the aforementioned BrokenBase comes in.

* DorkAge: Just like fellow British cultural treasure ''Series/DoctorWho'', this franchise has run for over fifty years, so everyone has their own DorkAge. Unfortunately, this is precisely where the aforementioned BrokenBase comes in.
** To many, Bond's Dork Age is the DenserAndWackier instalments: ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'' for Connery; ''Film/LiveAndLetDie'', ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'', ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'', ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'' and ''Film/AViewToAKill'' for Moore; ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' and ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' for Brosnan. For these fans, these films go against everything that the Ian Fleming's books and early films were, and are a disgrace to the franchise.
** Then you have the other way around (though more subdued): the people who think the series' low points are when it takes itself [[SeriousBusiness too seriously]] and forgets to be fun in the process, like the Creator/TimothyDalton and Creator/DanielCraig installments.

** In ''Literature/LiveAndLetDie'', Bond makes horrible comments about black people.

* SugarWiki/DevelopmentHeaven: Creator/TimothyDalton set out to be as authentic to the original books as possible, to the point where he was often seen reading them onset.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Creator/TimothyDalton's portrayal of Bond in ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'' and ''Film/LicenceToKill'' had divided fans for a long time. At the time, Dalton was stepping in as Bond after 12 years of Creator/RogerMoore, and his DarkerAndEdgier portrayal, which was more in line with how Ian Fleming depicted Bond in the original novels, was shocking to audiences who'd grown accustomed to Moore's LighterAndSofter portrayal. It didn't help that LTK was almost a FranchiseKiller that sent the series into 6 years of DevelopmentHell (to date, the longest gap between Bond films), ensuring that Dalton didn't play Bond again. However, thanks to Creator/DanielCraig's similarly dark portrayal of Bond, audiences have started seeing that Dalton's portrayal was ahead of its time, and [[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/aug/10/sean-connery-voted-best-bond-with-timothy-dalton-and-pierce-brosnan-runners-up a 2020 survey about who was the best Bond]] had Dalton finishing second behind Creator/SeanConnery.

* VindicatedByHistory: The Creator/TimothyDalton Bond films, ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'' and ''Film/LicenceToKill'', have gained greater appreciation as time passes. At the time, Dalton was stepping in as Bond after 12 years of Creator/RogerMoore, and his DarkerAndEdgier portrayal, which was more in line with how Ian Fleming depicted Bond in the original novels, was shocking to audiences who'd grown accustomed to Moore's LighterAndSofter portrayal. It didn't help that LTK was almost a FranchiseKiller that sent the series into 6 years of DevelopmentHell (to date, the longest gap between Bond films), ensuring that Dalton didn't play Bond again. However, thanks to Creator/DanielCraig's similarly dark portrayal of Bond, audiences have started seeing that Dalton's portrayal was ahead of its time, and [[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/aug/10/sean-connery-voted-best-bond-with-timothy-dalton-and-pierce-brosnan-runners-up a 2020 survey about who was the best Bond]] had Dalton finishing second behind Creator/SeanConnery.

** Holly Goodhead from ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'' isn't as actively despised as [[Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun Mary Goodnight]], [[Film/AViewToAKill Stacey Sutton]] or [[Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough Christmas Jones]], but she's often considered one of the dullest and least interesting Bond Girls in the entire series. Many fans think her dynamic is just a less interesting copy of Bond's dynamic with Anya Amasova in ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' (though RealLifeWritesThePlot here, as Lois Chiles was pregnant during filming, meaning she couldn't be as involved in the action sequences as Creator/BarbaraBach was). This is made worse by the fact that her book counterpart is Gala Brand, one of the few great women characters that Fleming wrote.

** Jinx from ''Film/DieAnotherDay''. The character is supposed to be an impressive agent on the same level as Bond, but she is often kidnapped by the villains and has to be saved by Bond, her jokes are horrible, and just like as Goodnight, Stacey and Christmas, the character seems to be there only for Bond to have someone to go to bed at the end of the film, after the infinitely more interesting [[spoiler:Miranda Frost turns out to be a traitor.]]

* UncannyValley: Used intentionally, as many of the villains have [[RedRightHand some unsettling defect or abnormality]] that [[ObviouslyEvil signifies their villainy]]. [[Literature/FromRussiaWithLove Red Grant]], [[Literature/LiveAndLetDie Mr. Big]], Literature/DrNo, [[Literature/{{Goldfinger}} Auric Goldfinger]] and [[Characters/JamesBondBlofeld Ernst Stavro Blofeld]] as described in ''Literature/{{Thunderball}}'' are prime examples.

* TheWoobie: James Bond, in the Daniel Craig era, is pretty much this to a T. He has several emotional issues, [[ParentalAbandonment is orphaned at an early age]], has a penchant for revenge, [[PerpetualFrowner generally looks unhappy even when he smiles]], [[KnightInSourArmor has a grim outlook on his job]] and [[ByronicHero still regrets over losing his loved ones]], especially Vesper Lynd in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'', and M in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}''. In ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', it's even revealed that [[BigBad Franz Oberhauser's]] father adopted him after Bond loses his own parents, but [[DrivenByEnvy Franz kills him out of jealousy]]. Franz even [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech mocks him]], [[GreaterScopeVillain telling how he was behind all of Bond's miseries over the years.]] At the end of ''Spectre'', Bond's frantic efforts to rescue [[DamselInDistress Madeline]]--especially the way he [[SayMyName cries out her name]] as he races through the old [=MI6=] building while searching for her--are downright wrenching. One gets the feeling that he is ''absolutely fed up'' with losing people that he cares about and is [[{{Determinator}} determined]] that it will not happen this time. Then, after successfully rescuing her, the [[Film/NoTimeToDie next film]] starts with them breaking up due to his mistaken belief that she's betrayed him and not until ''five years later'' does he learn that not only did she not, she [[spoiler: ''had his daughter.'' To top all that off, the three of them get less than a day to be a happy family before all hell breaks loose, culminating in him ''dying'' to ensure their safety.]]Given [[DarkAndTroubledPast what he has been]] [[TraumaCongaLine through over the years]], and [[MarriedToTheJob with little of a life he has outside of MI6]], it's quite sad to say that he does really need a big hug.

* WTHCastingAgency: Daniel Craig's portrayal of James Bond has been criticized due to him being blond and considered too short, whereas his predecessors were dark-haired and 6 ft or taller.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Creator/TimothyDalton's portrayal of Bond in ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'' and ''Film/LicenceToKill'' had divided fans for a long time. At the time, Dalton was stepping in as Bond after 12 years of Creator/RogerMoore, and his DarkerAndEdgier portrayal, which was more in line with how Ian Fleming depicted Bond in the original novels, was shocking to audiences who'd grown accustomed to Moore's LighterAndSofter portrayal. It didn't help that LTK was almost a FranchiseKiller that sent the series into 6 years of DevelopmentHell (to date, the longest gap between Bond films), ensuring that Dalton didn't play Bond again. However, thanks to Creator/DanielCraig's similarly dark portrayal of Bond, audiences have started seeing that Dalton's portrayal was ahead of its time, and [[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/aug/10/sean-connery-voted-best-bond-with-timothy-dalton-and-pierce-brosnan-runners-up a 2020 survey about who was the best Bond]] had Dalton finishing second behind Creator/SeanConnery.

* TheWoobie: James Bond, in the Daniel Craig era, is pretty much this to a T. He has several emotional issues, [[ParentalAbandonment is orphaned at an early age]], has a penchant for revenge, [[PerpetualFrowner generally looks unhappy even when he smiles]], [[KnightInSourArmor has a grim outlook on his job]] and [[ByronicHero still regrets over losing his loved ones]], especially Vesper Lynd in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'', and M in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}''. In ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', it's even revealed that [[BigBad Franz Oberhauser's]] father adopted him after Bond loses his own parents, but [[DrivenByEnvy Franz kills him out of jealousy]]. Franz even [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech mocks him]], [[GreaterScopeVillain telling how he was behind all of Bond's miseries over the years.]] At the end of ''Spectre'', Bond's frantic efforts to rescue [[DamselInDistress Madeline]]--especially the way he [[SayMyName cries out her name]] as he races through the old [=MI6=] building while searching for her--are downright wrenching. One gets the feeling that he is ''absolutely fed up'' with losing people that he cares about and is [[{{Determinator}} determined]] that it will not happen this time. Given [[DarkAndTroubledPast what he has been]] [[TraumaCongaLine through over the years]], and [[MarriedToTheJob with little of a life he has outside of MI6]], it's quite sad to say that he does really need a big hug.

** Mary Goodnight from ''Film/The ManWithTheGoldenGun'', due to Creator/BrittEkland's DullSurprise acting, and the character constantly coming across as both TheLoad, a DistressedDamsel and a bad ComicRelief, despite supposedly being a trained secret agent. It also doesn't help that Andrea Anders, the secondary Bond Girl played by Creator/MaudAdams (who would return as the main Bond Girl in ''Film/{{Octopussy}}''), is widely considered to be much better-acted and a more interesting character, [[spoiler:only to be unceremoniously killed off halfway through the film.]]
* Holly Goodhead from ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'' isn't as actively despised as [[Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun Mary Goodnight]], [[Film/AViewToAKill Stacey Sutton]] or [[Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough Christmas Jones]], but she's often considered one of the dullest and least interesting Bond Girls in the entire series. Many fans think her dynamic is just a less interesting copy of Bond's dynamic with Anya Amasova in ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' (though RealLifeWritesThePlot here, as Lois Chiles was pregnant during filming, meaning she couldn't be as involved in the action sequences as Creator/BarbaraBach was). This is made worse by the fact that her book counterpart is Gala Brand, one of the few great women characters that Fleming wrote.

** Mary Goodnight from ''The Man with the Golden Gun'', due to Creator/BrittEkland's DullSurprise acting, and the character constantly coming across as both TheLoad, a DistressedDamsel and a bad ComicRelief, despite supposedly being a trained secret agent. It also doesn't help that Andrea Anders, the secondary Bond Girl played by Creator/MaudAdams (who would return as the main Bond Girl in ''Film/{{Octopussy}}''), is widely considered to be much better-acted and a more interesting character, [[spoiler:only to be unceremoniously killed off halfway through the film.]]

** Of all the main Bond Girls, [[Film/TomorrowNeverDies Wai Lin]] has her own fanbase. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen The producers were even considering her return in]] ''Film/DieAnotherDay''.

** Fans would usually butt heads on each other regarding who is the best James Bond actor. In every discussion, there would always be fans who love either Creator/SeanConnery, Creator/GeorgeLazenby, Creator/RogerMoore, Creator/TimothyDarlton, Creator/PierceBrosnan, or Creator/DanielCraig. There's also the debate on which actor plays the best M, Q, or Moneypenny.

* FandomRivalry: There are passionate arguments between fans of the ''Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries'' and ''James Bond'' fans about which is the best SpyFiction film series of the current era, essentially between the ''M:I'' movies since ''Film/MissionImpossibleIII'' and Creator/DanielCraig's Bond films.

* [[WhatAnIdiot/JamesBond What An Idiot]]

** "Goldfinger", widely regarded to be the number one Bond song, was not nominated for Best Original Song for either the Oscars or UsefuNotes/{{Golden Globe}}s.