Honey Rider or Vesper Lynd? Mary Goodnight or Tracy Bond? Dr Goodhead or Pussy Galore? Who will come out on top? Support the channel: / calvindyson Also follow me on other social media: / calvin_dyson / calvinmdyson / calvindyson
Hearing Isabella Scorupco just flat out say, "Bond girls have always been strong. I think it's a pathetic question from journalists," was fucking glorious.
She's one of my top Bond girls, largely because they don't put her in competition with Bond to make her look strong (which they felt obliged to do with Anya, Goodhead, Wai Lin, and even Nomi). She's just an expert in a completely different field who saves Bond's butt several times, and carries on with aplomb after the massacre of her colleagues. AND they had the nerve to keep her in frumpy office clothes for 2/3 of the film.
@@paulthomas3247 Love that you pointed out the "frumpy office clothes." There literally isn't a single scene where they sex her up. Not even when her and Bond are on the beach in Cuba, and she's in a swimsuit. She has got to be the least sexualized of any Bond girl ever, and easily one of the most competent! Thoroughly deserving of the top 3 placement!!
@@crazypomp927 Counterpoint: the 3 seconds of Scorupco in a sarong in Cuba, and her combat gear in the final act, are definitely eye-popping. But even the combat gear is practical, and not objectifying, so overall I agree.
I'd just like to add - props to Calvin for digging up that interview with Scorupco. I did a little video on Scorupco and d'Abo recently, and couldn't find that clip anywhere.
That annoying Bond girl from The Man with the Golden Gun was not strong though. But Natalya is my favorite of Bond girl of all time. I loved that she even had her own storyline before meeting Bond.
LOVE seeing you put Natalya that high, and watching that clip of Izabella shutting down the whole "is your Bond girl going to be stronger this time" is just fantastic. First time I've seen one of your videos. Kudos!
Doctor Who companions kind of have the same issue: the idea of the old companions as screaming damsels in distress is firmly established in people's minds, even though that wasn't nearly as common as people seem to think it was.
Indeed, all that bunkum that the new series gave us well-rounded female characters for the first time. Haven't they ever seen seen Barbara Wright, Liz Shaw, Sarah-Jane Smith, Romana?
@@fromthethirdplanet I mean, Mel's almost certainly the worst example of a damsel companion, but she's not the only one. Peri is another frequent offender, to pick an example off the top of my head. Adric also filled this role pretty often, when he wasn't being insufferable or (very occasionally) actually useful.
Doctor Who is very serialized so if you've never seen The Wheel In Space or The Krotons and only seen The Mind Robber, even Zoe *could* be seen as the stereotypical "companion".
One thing I do have to disagree is the dislike for Kara… however she would only work with Dalton’s Bond. Bond clearly is in love with her and she represents a sense of normalcy to his dirty and dangerous world. He knows it won’t last, but he wants as much time with Kara as it will be possible. A beautiful and heartbreaking relationship.
@@sortehuse I think there's some truth to this. But she falls almost *too* much on the normal girl side, generally in having very vapid mouth agog sort of looks. But I also think there was meant to be a very deliberate contrast line drawn between Dalton's Bond (who was meant to be a harder, darker Bond, especially given the time), and her softer, naivete.
My favorite Bond girl was Michelle Yeoh. She is the only character that went toe to toe as an agent with Bond. They didn't use a stunt double in her fight scenes. She made several movies with Jackie Chan. She was better at it than Brosnan.
I agree. From the top of my hat there were only two Bond girls as competent as the man himself: Berry's and Yeoh's respective characters. Advantage Yeoh because of the stunt stuff. But I guess competence isn't the criteria here (and that's ok).
@@TequilaToothpick She wasn't exactly relying on the Bond franchise for success! I've followed her for years before TND. But you do make me think about Seymour, Roberts, and others whose careers survived the "Bond curse".
@@paulthomas3247 Did Roberts survive the 'Bond Curse'? Other than 'That 70's show' many years later her career wasn't anything special [correct me if I've missed something], if anything Bond did a lot of damage [to the extent her Wiki page goes from Bond to that 70's show to retirement in dividing up her career], similar to Denise Richards who's never stopped working but arguably never recovered from Bond.
Calvin's Ranking 23. Kissy Suzuki - You Only Live Twice <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="220">3:40</a> 22. Kara Milovy - The Living Daylights <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="313">5:13</a> 21. Jinx - Die Another Day <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="403">6:43</a> 20. Stacey Sutton - A View To A Kill <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="479">7:59</a> 19. Domino Derval - Thunderball <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="572">9:32</a> 18. Madeleine Swann - Spectre/No Time To Die <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="636">10:36</a> 17. Mary Goodnight - The Man With The Golden Gun <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="768">12:48</a> 16. Melina Havelock - For Your Eyes Only <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="852">14:12</a> 15. Tatiana Romanova - From Russia With Love <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="918">15:18</a> 14. Anya Amasova - The Spy Who Loved Me <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1002">16:42</a> 13. Solitaire - Live And Let Die <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1079">17:59</a> 12. Camille Montes - Quantum Of Solace <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1159">19:19</a> 11. Christmas Jones - The World Is Not Enough <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1239">20:39</a> 10. Tiffany Case - Diamonds Are Forever <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1471">24:31</a> 09. Wai Lin - Tomorrow Never Dies <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1550">25:50</a> 08. Honey Ryder - Dr. No <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1647">27:27</a> 07. Pam Bouvier - License To Kill <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1769">29:29</a> 06. Holly Goodhead - Moonraker <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1839">30:39</a> 05. Octopussy - Octopussy <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1948">32:28</a> 04. Pussy Galore - Goldfinger <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2061">34:21</a> 03. Natalya Simonova - GoldenEye <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2162">36:02</a> 02. Teresa di Vincenzo - On Her Majesty's Secret Service <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2299">38:19</a> 01. Vesper Lynd - Casino Royale <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2415">40:15</a>
Wowwww, good on Izabella Scorupco for that comment! I get so tired when each new actress comments how "This won't be like the useless old damsels, finally the Bond Girl will be strong!" It feels disrespectful, and ignorant of the series's true history, when the useless bimbo Bond girls can be counted on one hand. So kudos to Izabella for breaking that narrative, and to you too, Calvin! Poor Calvin's childhood 😅 It will never not be strange seeing Natalya in clothes that aren't the skirt and blue jumper combo! I've seen the film many times of course, but the game just makes such a huge impression, haha
I do think they added that beach scene to get her in more revealing clothes! [as at the end she's in a sensible top and combat trousers].The fact she wears office wear for much of the film makes her feel so much more real. I would also blame journalists for doing that angle as every new Bond woman gets sold on that angle by the tabloids [Monica Bellucci was on the front cover of a magazine saying a similar thing for Spectre and my brother called it that she'd sleep with Bond but otherwise be barley in it]
I recently found a quote from Lois Maxwell on her departure from Bond where she described the Bond girls as 'there minds are blank, there faces forgettable' so maybe she was guilty of perpetuating the stereotype.
Fun fact: When filming Casino Royale Eva Green, being a method actor, drowned herself in an elevator for real in order to maintain realism. A real dedication to the craft that you just don't see nowadays! Hats off to you Ms. Green, may you rest in peace.
I love Michelle Yeoh, and she's great as Wai Lin, but she and Bond have the weakest romantic chemistry, followed closely by Malina and Spectre's Madeleine. The kissing at the end feels very shoehorned in, to me.
Yeah, Michelle Yeoh is awesome. She's pushing 60 now and she still looks great and can kick ass and do her own stunts! I really liked her in Star Trek: Discovery too.
Love her in just about everything. But never felt she fit in as a Bond Girl. The whole time watching I’m like, “they are setting her up for a spin off series, aren’t they?”
@@paulthomas3247 I wish they had just parted as friends at the end like they should have done with Melina. When they stopped using the 'Bond formula' so rididly they were able to have Camille and Bond do that which felt much more natural.
As a proudly deputized member of the Bond fan police myself, I must respect your resilience Calvin. Your ability to endure prison is admirable, albeit misplaced. Just put Kara and Tatiana higher on your list and Christmas lower and we can all put this silly business behind us. 🙂 Good video by the way! 😁
I always thought of Elektra King as more of the "Bond girl" from TWINE. Yes, she's the villain, but she has much more of a Bond girl presence throughout most of the film than Christmas.
That's why for a first time viewer it works well as a 'bait and switch' because it plays around with the traditional structure, similar to how it's M who's with Bond for the 3rd act of Skyfall rather than the usual one off Bond girl.
My top 3 Bond girls are the same but in a different order. 1. Natalya Simonova 2. Teresa Bond 3. Vesper Lynd I think Natalya edges out the other two for me as she has her own little story before she meets Bond. I love how she gets caught up in Bond's mission and how she becomes to trust him and work together to save the day. Plus I think she is the most beautiful of Bond co-stars. Much love also for Wai Lin for how badass she is. Octopussy for her maturity and ambiguity. Pam Bouvier for how supportive and resourceful she is. Pussy Galore for her sass and holding her own against Bond. On a side note I really appreciate your defence of Denise Richards as I've always enjoyed her presense too and I think there is a lot of snobbery regarding her casting that a lot of other Bond girls don't have.
I'm pleased to see all the love for Kara in the comments. I think she's a wonderful Bond girl. I love Maryam D'Abo and I love the vulnerability of the character who is completely out of her depth but does her best and seems by the end to really care for Bond. I assume they got the idea from the novel The Spy Who Loved Me, which was about an ordinary woman getting mixed up in a Bond adventure. The Living Daylights would be my favourite Bond film if the villains were a bit less silly.
She was probably also inspired by Tatiana from 'From Russia with Love' [manipulated as part of a bigger villain's scheme and deemed dispensable] and Domino from 'Thunderball' [girlfriend of the villain who switches sides to bring him down].
Yeah its rlly such a shame about the villains because the rest I really love, especially the action, setting and character, the emotions not often shown in bond films are great. Especially how he gets properly upset and angry when Saunders dies and kind of lashes out at Kara. She's also clearly written to be a bit naive and innocent, yet still a strong-willed person, I get that shes a bit of a stereotype but definitely not as bad as the 60s. Their relationship too is for one of the most believable. I know a lot won't agree but I didn't really buy Tracy as much, especially cuz Lazenby was a much more philandering guy in the film and rarely showed interest in her. In Living Daylights, Bond is dedicated to her and shows real love, and there is clear chemistry too.
Kara forever man, after so many Bond girls being just there for sexy reasons, having Kara in the movie was a breath of fresh air and a great way to show the new James Bond.
I was truly shocked at her placement. She's always been my favorite because she's such a normal person. She had a kind heart, but was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The first half of The Living Daylights is outstanding. It suffers from a really lackluster third act.
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1769">29:29</a> Pam Bouvier from License To Kill is my favorite. She is just awesome standing in the bar with her shotgun controlling the fight. Then she tunes into his allay and together with Q they take on the drug cartel. Bouvier and Bond really work together as a team and that is something rare for bond girls. Plus she looks sexy as hell in the casino scenes with her breathtaking dress.
I will never get the dislike for Kara. Is she naiv? Sure. But I'd argue that Goodnight and some of the other Bond girls are even more naiv and in a much more dire way. She's just a normal civilian and a young girl at that! I mean, I love you Calvin, and you're entitled to your opinion...but putting Jinx above her should land you in jail ;)
How she is behind Stacey Sutton and Mary Goodnight is beyond me given Kara is far more likable and a key part of the story but it's all an opinion after all.
Not to mention Christmas Jones who probably didn't even need to be in that film [given she just kind of tags along in many scenes] and I really got no fun out of it [nothing against Denise Richards, just bad writing]. Kara is a vital part of the story.
Me neither. Kara is a much more proactive Bond girl than at least half of them. She actually initiates the battle at the end of TLD. She was easily the second strongest Bond girl of the 70s and 80s, Octopussy being the first. Aside from Kara and Octopussy, the Bond girls of that era aren't very proactive or strong. Even Anya has to be saved by Bond multiple times.
@@spencerkindra8822 Melina Havelock was plenty proactive and strong. I'd argue even more so than Kara or Octopussy. The latter of whom ended up in a damsel in distress situation during the climax.
The shower scene with Vesper after the fight in the stairwell is one of the most memorable scenes in any action film. The way it grounds what just happened in reality and adds consequence to what normally is just a hero dispatching the goons was unparalleled. To me, that scene is what sets Casino Royale apart from your run of the mill action flick
@@Ali007572 But this brought it into the real world for me at least After serious fisticuffs or a bit of tough and rumble sometimes you just need a quiet moment to gather your thoughts and personally I think they captured this perfectly
So if the likes of Aki, Tilly, Paula, Plenty, Andrea, Corinne, Paris etc. aren’t on the list, will we be getting a separate Sacrificial Lambs Ranking video? Or perhaps ‘Act 1 Bond Girls’ or ‘Secondary Bond Girls’ so you can also include the ones who survived such as Lucia, Paloma etc.
That’s indeed my plan though the definition of who counts in that ranking is something I definitely need to think about. Just one secondary Bond girl per film perhaps? Or perhaps ones that have more than 1 scene? For instance, I guess the woman Bond is apparently living with after he’s been shot in Skyfall is technically a secondary Bond girl but she has no lines or relevance to the plot so it wouldn’t seem fair to rank her along with Sylvia Trench, Lupe etc
@@calvindyson It’s tricky, because it seems any woman who appears in a Bond film gets to call themselves a Bond girl (Valerie Leon is sometimes called a Bond girl for her appearance in TSWLM even though she gets two lines of dialogue or so). But hey, the more tiers of Bond Girl levels there are, the more ranking videos you get to do! Tier 1: Main Bond girls who are important to the story, survive to the end and end up with Bond. Tier 2: Bond Girls who are important to the story who either die or don’t end up with Bond at the end. Tier 3: Characters like Sylvia Trench or Miss Caruso: named characters who don’t serve the plot but they sleep with Bond, so I guess it still counts. Tier 4: Unnamed characters, but ones who Bond has slept with so, again, it counts apparently. Tier 5: Unnamed characters like the receptionist in The Spy Who Loved Me who don’t really do much but have enough sex appeal so that also counts somehow. Tier 6: Unnamed characters with no lines who don’t interact with Bond, like the women in Gonzales’ pool in FYEO. Tier 7: Background extras wearing all their clothes.
My rule of thumb for the Bond girls is, "When in doubt, go French!" Claudine Auger Corinne Clery Carole Bouquet Sophie Marceau Eva Green Lea Seydoux It never fails.
I didn't really like Lea Seydoux. Her chemistry with Craig felt forced and as a bond girl she was bland and much her tough act was forced.So I agree with the list except for her .
You forgot Bérénice Marlohe and Olga Kurylenko (yes, Ukrainian-born, but she holds a French passport) ;) but yes, as a Frenchman myself, I gotta say this is a pretty strong bunch!... save for Léa Seydoux xD (but I may be a bit biased, she and I have acquaintances in common, and they didn't have a single nice thing to say about her as a person^^ but even so, objectively speaking, I find her to be a very boring actress, whose coldness on-screen didn't allow for much chemistry with Daniel Craig, sadly).
I was curious at the start whether you might consider Aki/Kissy together, as well as Christmas/Elektra together, given that those films really did have two major Bond girls in them. I think for the most part the top 10 would be pretty similar to mine. I certainly would placed Mary Goodnight lower. Totally agree with your comments about Madeleine; while I am still angry about NTTD, one thing it did do right was improve upon the Bond/Swan relationship from Spectre. As for your time in prison, a couple bits of advice: 1) look out for the scorpions, and 2) an early 00's electro-pop song by Madonna playing in the background possibly means you're about to be tortured.
@@bonghunezhou5051 In fairness those characters are in the climax of the film and kiss Bond at the end, esentially replacing earlier love interests Aki [Killed] and Electra [becomes the villian]. Severene in Skyfall is dead at about the half way mark and isn't replaced.
aki would have been in my top 10 if she hadn't been replaced for no reason, and elektra's the villain so she doesn't count. kissy is more wooden than lazenby. the only thing spectre got right was the opening scene. the rest of the film was an atrocity on the level of what russia's doing in ukraine right now. of course the new film does it better. it wouldn't be all that possible to do worse. btw, an early 00s electro pop song by madonna is already torture enough. the rest is overkill. as is much of the movie.
I think we all just have to get use to the idea that you have an unusual affection for the world is not enough and accept it. In regards of Tracy, Lazenby shines in every scene they’re in together and every time she shows up when he’s trying to escape an instant of warmth and safety come into the moment. She’s just my personal favorite
Roger said himself (about Tanya Roberts) something along the lines of "When the mother of your leading lady is younger than you are, you know it's time to quit." :-)
As Roger got older his female leads should have been older. They got it right in MR and OP. Lois Chiles was 32 (looked older) and Maud Adams was 38 in OP. Both were far more age appropriate than Carole Bouquet (24) and Tanya Roberts while 36, played a much younger and more naive character, which made an cringy mate for a 58 year old Bond
Dude - this video brought me so much joy! It was entertaining and I appreciate how you stuck to your favorites and justified them even if they're not the most popular choices (i.e. Christmas Jones). Thanks for making this one!
The death of the lovely Aki is always upsetting to watch. I think she's far more attractive and has tons more personality than Kissy who seems to serve no purpose other than replacing Aki for no good reason.
I heard a story that kizi was supposed to be the main bond girl in YOLT. But as she didn't speak fluent English, the makers planned to replace her with akee. She threatened to commit suicide because she was devastated upon hearing that news, that too after calling her to England . . . So the producers decided to accommodate her for a role .
@@randomhuman97 That story was confirmed by Lewis Gilbert on one of the docos (Inside YOLT?) What's weird about that is Gert Frobe spoke no English and he's the main villain two films earlier. And given almost every single female character in the 60s seemed to get redubbed by Nikki van der Zyl anyway, seemed somewhat daft to change it up the way they did.
I agree, David Bull. I still get sad seeing Aki dying. She's actually my 3rd favorite Bond Girl after Tracy and Vesper. Her English was excellent and she broke the stereotype of the little Japanese woman/ prostitute type. She looked gorgeous and could she ever drive her car! Sadly, Kissy was just like milk toast - BOOOOOOOOOORING. Crazy movie but Aki was indeed a star! :)
Eva Green is just everything, I don’t think the Craig era would have been as successful without her, she’s absolutely captivating and by far the best ‘bond girl’
Wow! You're misunderstanding of Kara in TLD is shocking. The idea that she's "hapless" is overstated. I was an Army Intelligence Analyst in a former life, and I dare say I would be equally "hapless" trying to, say, fly a massive cargo plane. This lady was a freaking Cellist, for goodness sake. As far as not fitting the tone of the film...she practically IS the film. The sooner you recognize that The Living Daylights is a romance first/action movie second, the better you might appreciate the film. And D'abo gives a surprisingly natural performance of this character.
What I love about these movies is the fact that parody films like the Johnny English franchise went out of their way to approach ACTUAL Bond girls to get a role in those films, with both Rosamund Pike and Olga Kurylenko making appearances in that franchise. It's an example that parodies like this are not just parodying to the original source material, but paying homage to it as well.
Thank you for this list! Especially your quips about the names and probably? Meanings made me laugh out loud. It's always fun to watch your list - no matter if I agree with them. Your delivery is always so entertaining and witty! Thank you!
Really happy to see I'm not the only one who likes to dog on Jinx. Then again, I'm not a huge fan of Halle Berry in general (yeah, yeah, go ahead and crucify me). As for Denise Richards, when you consider how many other Bond Girls are bland, boring, or just "there"...Christmas Jones IS one of the better ones. She might even be in the Top 10 for me. (Welcome to the Gulag, EDG) Then there's our mutual #1...Vesper Lynd...I could almost write an essay on how much I LOVE Eva Green in this role. She's stunningly beautiful, smart, sassy, can match wits with Bond and I genuinely buy that Bond could truly fall in love with a woman like this and it's one of the RARE times in this series where a character's death hits me hard in the feels (even to this day). It's going to be a very long time, if at all, before we get another Bond Girl the quality of Vesper...If there's anyone reading this comment who has Vesper near the BOTTOM of your list, I'm genuinely curious as to why because she's perfect. One last thing... <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2102">35:02</a> "...Pussy straddles..."...that was intentional, right?
To give Berry her due she was great in John Wick 3. Jinx's main issue is that the spin off was announced before the film came out [if it was announced after many would say 'Huh!'] and was going to be an origin story...so she was given little background in Die Another Day so it was hard to care about the character. Wei Lin would have been a lot better candidate for a Brosnan era spin off. It didn't help new comer Rosamund Pike outshone Berry too.
I also love James Bond and really wish you were a bigger channel cause you're my favourite youtuber and I think you're the best in what you're doing. I guess you're the only channel that videos I can can watch 20 times and still wouldn't be bored
I think you may need to watch YOLT again. Kissy climbs up and down a mountain twice, swims who knows how many miles while evading gunfire, shimmies down a rope from the top of a volcano without getting shot unlike some ninjas that dont manage as well, shoots at least one baddie and hello....SHE MARRIES JAMES BOND without once laughing at his Beatles wig. Jinx is dead last. Yo Mama.
She is a bit of a let down compared to her novel counterpart [her name's not even said on screen]. I think if her and Aki were combined into one character that would have made her much better but as you say she does do a lot more action than people think.
There was a poll on a dating platform at the time of Spectre’s release regarding which Bond girl has the best rapport with Bond and Vesper was number 8. And guess who was number 1 (I’ll give you a hint… she is your (Calvin’s) third favourite 😁)
Vesper HAS to be #1. Although she was only in Casino Royale, technically she was in all of Daniel Craig’s movies- weather it be a photo, message, flashback ect, vesper always came back to James’ mind. The best Bond girl by far.
Am I wrong for considering the villains Bond girls too? Because my favorite is Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost, especially once I found out that it was her very first role. Although I'm also obsessed with Denise Richards in her prime being a Bond girl, regardless of her performance. She's just mesmerizing.
I think because Madeline was set up to be bond's greatest love is the reason why I liked her so much. Yes, she didn't have that much to do in her films. But, I think at the base of it all she is very similar to bond where she's just trying to survive. And because of her origins she mirrors him very well
see, this was believable with tracy and vesper. it wasn't with madeline. i see nothing about her that would make him fall in love with her on that level. no one's buying it and they shouldn't be selling it. spectre didn't do anything right. there was a video comparing QOS and spectre, and the line that fits was that quantum did it badly, but spectre did it wrong. i swear the script writers had never seen a bond film before. NTTD might do enough to make the madeline character okay, but she's not what the writers are trying to tell us she is. she's just not. it doesn't work.
@@doaftheloafCraig's Bond was far less of a womaniser than past Bond's-Madeline is the first serious relationship he's had since Vesper as he only has One-Night stands in Quantum and Skyfall so I can believe Craig's Bond is someone looking for a partner.
@@jamesatkinsonja okay, you make a good argument, as far as it goes, but madeline is completely unremarkable in every way. why should this woman be bond’s true love? I just don’t buy it. there’s nothing in this character that stands out. she’s not bad, she’s just…mid. if you’re going to make a movie, you need to understand your characters, especially in a series. the last two films do a piss poor job of that. why does bond fall for this woman instead of any of the others? I don’t see it.
Natalya is at the top of the list for me because she was absolutely crucial to the success of the mission and Bond's survival. Without Natalya, Bond doesn't find the location in Cuba, he doesn't have time bought with the satellite's reprogramming, and he certainly would have ridden that satellite down next to Trevelyan. Natalya is one of the few Bond girls who learns and adapts on her journey through the movie and employs tactics that she picked up on from earlier, truly excelling as an ordinary person thrust into an extraordinary situation.
You know what? I'll toss in the non-Eon Bond girls just for good measure. 1. Tracy (OHMSS) -- She's obviously #1. She's the rare Bond girl to have a stronger character arc than "I guess I'm on 007's side now," and her fate feels doubly tragic for it. 2. Vesper (CR '06) -- She's obviously #2. I don't quite think you can hit the impact of Tracy twice, but this is as close as you can get. 3. Kara (TLD) -- More than any other Bond girl, she feels like an everyday person stuck in the middle of world-shaking events. And she has great chemistry with Dalton. 4. Madeleine (NTTD) -- Bond falls in love with her a tad too quickly in Spectre, but she makes for a great pairing with him, which makes the ending of NTTD feel like even more of a jerk move on EON's part. 5. Tatiana (FRWL) -- In terms of chemistry, none of Connery's other female leads come close, and her internal conflict makes her the most complex of the early (read: pre-Tracy) Bond girls. 6. Natalya (GE) -- She's very relatable, and I love that she's allowed to spend most of the movie in her basic desk job attire rather than in some exotic garb. 7. Octopussy (OP) -- She's Moore's best Bond girl for the chemistry alone, but I also like that she's a criminal with a heart of gold (sorta like a Catwoman type). 8. Holly (MR) -- This Bond girl is one of the most (convincingly) intelligent and competent love interests of the series. 9. Melina (FYEO) -- She's easily one of my favorite Bond girls . . . except when she's supposed to be expressing attraction to Moore. 10. Pussy (GF) -- She's a well-acted, tough character, but I find the barn scene so repellant that it actually sours my feelings about Ms. Galore otherwise. 11. Solitaire (LALD) -- Much like Ms. Galore, this is a really good character marred by Bond's apparent disregard for consent. 12. Domino (NSNA) -- She is easily the best improvement in this remake, since she's actually given sufficient screen time! 13. Vesper (CR '67) -- My preferred Ursula Andress character is the one who's essentially a villain. She might even rank higher if she didn't suddenly disappear from the picture. 14. Tiffany (DAF) -- For the first 2/3 of the film, she's a great character. Then the script completely betrays her in the third act. 15. Honey (DN) -- I appreciate the backstory we get with her, but I find her romance with Bond a little abrupt and unconvincing. 16. Pam (LTK) -- She has a few really good moments (especially with Wayne Newton), but she's a generic 1980s action movie love interest. 17. Camille (QOS) -- She's one of the better things about one of the worst Bond films, but she doesn't really stick with me. 18. Domino (TB) -- There's a good character here that simply doesn't get enough screen time to make the proper impact. 19. Anya (TSWLM) -- On paper, this character is a great co-lead, but Barbara Bach's wax-figure performance lets it down. 20. Stacey (AVTAK) -- I find her convincing when she's allowed to be competent, but she's too much of a damsel in distress. 21. Valerie (CR '54) -- This Americanized version of Vesper is not particularly remarkable, but she's not horrible, either. 22. Jinx (DAD) -- She's okay if you just want to give Bond someone to shag with no strings attached, but that's a little disappointing for the main female lead. 23. Christmas (TWINE) -- It's not that Denise Richards is a bad choice for a Bond girl. It's that she's a bad choice for *this* Bond girl. 24. Wai (TND) -- She's fine as a reluctant ally, but the chemistry isn't there at all. You might as well turn Nomi into the love interest in the latter half of NTTD. It just doesn't work. 25. Mary (TMWTGG) -- Of the Bond girls who actually get a prominent role in the film, she's the worst. Completely intolerable. 26. Moneypenny or M? (SF) -- I suppose this is a placeholder for which MI6 agent best qualifies as the "Bond girl" of this film, if anyone. 27. Kissy (YOLT) -- The worst Bond girl by default is the one who feels the most redundant and underdeveloped. Just stick with Aki!
She's not my favourite but I do think Pam Bouvier get overlooked by bond fans. She's more than eye candy and fits in well with the plot but most of all she's consistent as a character
I'd rather they'd just kept her as an ally to Bond and not shoehorned in the rivalry with Lupe [which feels very soap opera, especially in that party scene at the end] or made her wear that grey dress for much of the film [did they run out of money for costumes?] but given Carey Lowel isn't an action star like Michelle Yeoh she did a great job.
@@jamesatkinsonja I have always had a bias for the Bond gils who were themselves written as agents, and could at least to some extent be a ewual or rrliable partner to Bond.
So many times, I see Calvin's rankings initially and I'm like...whoa, how could he have ranked it THAT way? But then he explains himself and I rarely find that he's completely irrational in the way HE sees something. Rankings are what they are...opinions. And he always backs them up with pretty sound explanations. It's all a matter of taste, I suppose.
I’d have to say that all 3 of Bond’s loves Tracy, Vesper, and Madeleine probably the most subtle names compared to all the outlandish names. While I agree Vesper and Tracy deserving their ranks, I would have placed Madeleine closer up if not in the top 10 only by being redeemed by NTTD.
Your original top 10 Bond girls video was the first video I watched on your channel so it’s interesting seeing you come back to it after all this time. I did somehow expect Christmas Jones and Holly Goodhead to be ranked higher if I’m honest. And if you get put in the Bond fan gulag for liking Christmas Jones just wait until the Bond fan police hear that Madeline Swann is one of my all time favourite Bond girls. I adore the character and am so glad she came back, and admittedly some of my love extends to Léa Seydoux herself. The character will always be a favourite of mine.
That video was good but the improvement's between his earlier work and his current output show's how far Calvin has come on youtube [especially on being more comprehensive]. He's just getting better and better.
I totally get where you're coming from with what Eva Green brings to Casino Royale what with her other roles in gothic horror, I'm reminded of that photo on set with her playing the piano with the cigarette in her mouth, she brings such an alluring energy to Casino, an off-kilterness so you're never quite sure what Vesper's intentions are which made her the perfect choice to play the role. And for how pivotal their roles had to be it was a miracle that we had actresses as good as Green and Rigg as Vesper and Tracy respectively. I know I'm going to be sent to the gulag but I really like Dr Madeleine Swann she's certainly not in the same league as the other two and I'll admit my love her might not be rational but after No Time to Die I really appreciate her character and it does a lot to sell her and Bond's relationship, I like that they're two fundamentally broken people still trying to love each other. And personality-wise I like that she has a (justifiable) iciness about her and Léa Seydoux is incredible at capturing her vulnerability.
The character of Mary Goodnight in the actual novel of The Man With The Golden Gun is a very strong heroine, and a believable MI6 agent, unlike the good awful movie version.
@@darth856 Apparently Britt Ekland really wanted to play Mary Goodnight [for some reason] so they slapped the name onto the character and didn't care about the book.
It's a nice touch she's also in a few previous Bond books [even contributing to Bond's obituary in 'You Only Live Twice'] before becoming a more prominent character which is something the film series hasn't really done.
Honestly, I adored Ana de Armas in No Time To Die. She did her job in the film and exited the stage. She wasn't the main bond girl of the film, but I dare say she was far more memorable than Madeleine Swann's performance. Top Five.
Probably one of the stupidest things i've ever seen in a Bond-movie, simply put in the movie because EVERY single Hollywood-movie these days HAS to have a girlboss (This film needed 3). But the fact that this insecure, clumsy and very untrained agent is somehow better than Bond in a fight, while wearing a party-gown and looking how she did is such a break of immersion that I just straight up laughed out loud when that trainwreck of a scene played in the cinema.
Ouuuuuuuuuh she was electric!! Had a really short screen time but she made such a memorable and huge impact on the movie. Really hope to see her again in a Bond film.
@@ziadfazaruddin75 - What impact? Other than utterly breaking any suspension of disbelief? Sure, she is absolutely stunning, and not without charm and humor, but her role carried no plot purpose at all. She was only put in the movie cause “feminine woman can be just as badass”, even if they have no training or reasonable way of being badass.
kara milovy & anya amasova deserved to be in the top 10 imo, especially above christmas jones, pam bouvier & doctor goodhead lol. Natalya simonova & Tracy are equally both my very favorites, so good to see them both in the top 3.
I personally disagree with Madeleine Swann being that low. If she was just in Spectre then sure, but I think she had a lot more chemistry with Bond in No Time to Die.
Honestly, as much as I love femme fatales like Xenia, Wai Lin, Melina Havelock, and Agent XXX for breaking the typical Bond Girl damsel trope and creating new sub-genres. As someone who watches 007 actually for just the Bond Girls, Madeleine Swan gave almost every aspect of many Bond Girls. The producers seemed to design her after noire femme fatales and damsels because she was almost always wearing light colors and retro styles like the trench coat or silver gown. It really invoked the “holiday” or romance ambient of the franchise alike Vesper when they were abroad, even in the final scenes of Spectre. The widescreen shot focuses on Bond and Swan reuniting across a bridge, took me back to Casablanca.
@@deetgeluid May Day was actually pretty unique in her own right, she had a subtle supernatural aura about her in regards to her strength. Plus she switched sides by the last act, sort of like Pussy Galore but with less dialogue and “persuasion” I really hope they have a femme fatale lined up as the main antagonist! It’s been years since they tried with “World is Not Enough” I really love the more reserved and nuanced Bond girls.
Yes, Vesper Lynd is the best Bond girl, no questions. She has everything, charisma, grace, beauty, brains, strong character and chemistry. Her entrance scene in that train and that conversational ping pong where she goes head to head with Bond in itself is good enough for her to be #1. She doesn't get saved by Bond either. She or her shadow is in every Bond movie after that. Kudos to Eva Green for such a brilliant performance.
Bond girls are tough to rank. But my top ten definitely- 1) Vesper Lynd 2) Natalya Simonova 3) Tracey Bond 4) Pam Bouvier 5) Anya Amasova 6) Pussy Galore 7) Tiffany Case 8) Holly Goodhead 9) Melina Havelock 10) Wai Lin
I don’t know how you do it, but you’re always valid. It doesn’t really matter in which positions each Bond girl is being placed in, because as you said it’s a very hard list to do. It’s the arguments that matters, and all of yours is great. Cheers!
My 10 best Bond girls 1) Madeleine Swann 2) Tracy Bond 3) Tiffany Case 4) Pam Bouvier 5) Kara Milovy 6) Natalya Semonova 7) Tatjana Romanova 8) Solitare 9) Melina Havelock 10) Vesper Lynd
Excellent in depth take on this, Calvin - great to see u return after your short break after that epic No Time To Die analysis! These past few Sundays just haven’t been the same without a new Calvin Video!! I actually agree with most of your choices as well. Vesper, without a doubt is also my all time favorite as she is for most of us fans,I bet. I think she is the smartest and most beautiful Bond girl there ever was and as you pointed out - none of the films have ever even come close to having the spectacular chemistry her and Bond had in Casino. Right below her I’d probably put Tracy (of course - she was MRS BOND!) And then probably Madeline. ( after a terrible debut in Spectre I thought she was just sensational in NTTD plus extra bonus points for being Mom to Bonds only child!) I think Rogers best was Anya - who was easily his best match with Maud Adams Octopussy a close second. And I actually think Sean’s best may have been… Tiffany Case from Diamonds lol! I think their chemistry was easily the best he ever had with any of his leading ladies in any of his films. (though my personal fav is Domino - I’d put Pussy second I think!) Pierces best was definitely Natalia and I like Kara as Daltons best. Great to see Sundays are back to normal again… Because Calvin is BACK!
Wow Calvin, another great video and for the most part a very agreeable ranking especially the top rated. My two favourite Bond girls are also your top two in the same order. It's no coincidence that OHMSS and CR 06 are also my two favourite Bond movies and again in same order. Can't understate the importance of having a strong, likable and intriguing Bond girl character who brings so much to the narrative and helps do their part in making a great movie.
Thoughtful as always, and well-defended! Except for Denise, haha. One could argue that Sophie was the main bond girl anyway, who was phenomenal, so you could have side-stepped the whole controversy! But that wouldn't have been as fun. Well done, Calvin! Thanks, as always, for all that you do.
Great video Calvin, really digging the long format! :) My two cents regarding Christmas Jones: 1) regardless of the actress and her believability (and I really like Denise Richards, and find her no less credible as a scientist than Tanya Roberts as a geologist or Maryam d'Abo as a cellist), her inclusion in TWINE, to me, is akin to having Solange Dimitrios pop up during the Venice portion of Casino Royale instead of the Bahamas. Quite simply said, there is a bigger fish to fry. The relationship between Bond and Elektra is the core of the film, and then there's the M stuff. We do not need another character, Zukovsky is already there to help!!! 2) even so, I think she does not gel very well with the tone of the film, much like Kara in TLD (agree with you on that one). It's very well known how TWINE's tone is all over the place, which is one of the most offputting things about a film that I otherwise enjoy a lot. Sadly, she is the most broad aspect of that tonal discrepancy, in my humble opinion :)
Thanks, Bertrand! Thanks also for sharing your thoughts on Christmas Jones, I don't disagree at all and I think you summed up the issues with the character very clearly and succinctly. As I mentioned in the video, I have a hard time even really articulating why I like her so much beyond just the fact that I just really enjoy watching her on screen and I suppose nostalgia plays a big part too! Really happy you enjoyed the video and thanks very much again :)
Even though she's the villain, i consider elektra somewhat a bond girl, or the bond girl that wasn't lol. Tragic character. James obviously cared about her and was hurt by what he had to do in the end. Great performance by sophie marceau
@@MikeWilsonBarrett This was a list of main Bond girls, excluding villains like Elektra, heavies [like Xenia] and secondary female characters like Paloma. Elektra would only have been both if Christmas Jones wasn't in the film.
Honestly, my issue with Christmas Jones isn't anything to do with Denise Richards at all. Its actually just that her character should've just been called "Exposition Jones" instead. The last time I watched TWINE, it was the first time where I noticed that all of her lines were essentially just reiterations of what was happening in the scenes and it was really annoying and not because of anything Denise Richards was doing either. Her character just suffers from having it where the Bond formula dictated having two Bond girls. If TWINE had just had Electra King as the Bond girl then it would've been fine... which Calvin, she is the Bond girl of TWINE, you know?! Where would she rank?! Great video!
I still think that my favourite Bond film is Tomorrow Never Dies so I think that there is an underlying chemistry between Wai Lin and Bond despite popular opinion even if not on a romantic level. Their relationship does feel professional but you can tell that they would be well suited if they were a couple.
To me, Stacey Sutton was more of a missed opportunity. She was a smart geologist who was able to decipher exactly what, where, along with when Zorin's ultimate goal of destruction was. She could've been a character who was fully grounded along with being rather badass. Her klutziness and ear splitting squawk simply weren't necessary.
Agreed. She should be a lot better given that, as you say, on paper her character sounds great. But something went wrong in casting [nothing against Tanya Roberts as a person but she wasn't the best fit-someone nearer Moore's age would have worked better as the Moore himself admitted] and in execution.
I have a lot of fondness for Stacey Sutton because “A View To A Kill” was the very first Bond film that I ever saw and 10 year old me was in love with her. So it’s understandable that the creator of the video likes Denise Richards a lot based on the rose colored glasses of the memories of his youth. Plus, she is quite easy on the eyes.
