History YMMV / Goldfinger

!!The film:

** While some of the film's treatment of women is not politically correct according to the generally prevailing standards of today, it does present women such as Pussy Galore as competent and in a generally positive way. This is especially noticeable when compared to the novel it adapts (written only a few years earlier), which not only seems to [[AcceptableFeminineGoalsAndTraits assume]] that an ActionGirl must be a psychologically damaged lesbian, but also includes an extended Aesop against homosexuality and women's suffrage.

** James forcing a kiss on Pussy Galore and her falling into his arms is often misconstrued as "Rape as Love" rather than the aggressive courting it was meant to be. It's worse in the book, where he literally bangs the gay out of her, though the encounter is more (for lack of a better term) consensual there and only happens at the very end. Although the book makes it clear that Pussy was already attracted to Bond by then, Bond using "Tender Loving Care" as a euphemism for what he's about to do is ''very'' creepy, due to the fact that his next actions are pretty much the opposite of TLC.

* CompleteMonster: The [[AntagonistTitle titular Auric Goldfinger]] is a man whose [[FauxAffablyEvil wit and politeness]] only mask the dangerous psychopath that he is. Obsessed with [[{{Greed}} increasing his wealth at any cost]], Goldfinger plans on poisoning an army barracks and the surrounding town, which would kill 60,000 people—for which he cares nothing about—and then detonating a nuclear device in Fort Knox to trigger a major economic crisis for his own profit. He punishes his assistant, who becomes a Bond girl and costs him a rigged card game, by having her [[CruelAndUnusualDeath murdered with golden paint that suffocates her]], and later tries to have James Bond [[GroinAttack sawn in half with a laser]]. He gloats to his mob partners even though he was always planning on killing them and does— simply to bask in his own ego at his plan. Despite being one of the earliest villains that Bond ever faced, Goldfinger still remains one of the worst.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Introduced so many tropes to the Bond films that are now a standard that younger viewers will be wondering what the big deal is.

* SpecialEffectsFailure:

* WTHCastingAgency: Some fans and critics had this reaction to Creator/CecLinder in the role of Felix Leiter, whom some found to be too old to play Bond's best friend, with Bond author Raymond Benson describing him as looking "more like Creator/SeanConnery's uncle than his best friend" (though ironically, he was a year younger than Creator/JackLord). A somewhat downplayed case, however, thanks to Linder's admirable performance as Felix.

** At one point during Bond's dialogue with Tilly, Fleming describes their eyes meeting in a mix of "master-slave signals", which just sounds silly, especially right after Tilly's been established as a headstrong, independent female character. It makes even ''less'' sense once it becomes clear [[IncompatibleOrientation she's most definitely not into him.]]

* CommonKnowledge: An oddly common misconception is that Solo is an undercover FBI agent, hence why Bond slips him the tracker and the note with the details of Goldfinger's plan -- even though Solo wouldn't ''need'' the note in that situation, because he'd heard the plan first-hand. There's no suggestion in the film that he's anything other than the gangster he's said to be, with Bond evidently slipping him the tracker so that Leiter will apprehend him and discover the note.

* CompleteMonster: The [[AntagonistTitle titular Auric Goldfinger]] is a man whose [[FauxAffablyEvil wit and politeness]] only mask the dangerous psychopath that he is. Obsessed with [[{{Greed}} increasing his wealth at any cost]], Goldfinger plans on poisoning an army barracks and the surrounding town, which would kill 60,000 people—[[LackOfEmpathy for which he cares nothing about]]--and then detonating a nuclear device in Fort Knox to trigger a major economic crisis for his own profit. He punishes his assistant, who becomes a Bond girl and costs him a rigged card game, by having her murdered with golden paint that suffocates her, and later tries to have James Bond [[GroinAttack sawn in half with a laser]]. He gloats to his mob partners even though he was always planning on killing them and does-- simply to bask in his own ego at his plan. Despite being one of the earliest villains that Bond ever faced, Goldfinger still remains one of the worst.