A truly jaw-dropping film for all the wrong reasons. Sure, I expected the racism, the misogyny, the amateur choreography, and the camp humor, but I hoped some kind of character or charm might win me over. For me, this fell flat on its face.
I think how terribly some aspects of these movies have aged could almost work to create a more unique experience, one where the shortcomings in Bond’s character might lead us to perceive him as a flawed and interesting figure. But I know this isn’t a narrative this movie will explore.
My central issue is that Connery just has no charisma in this particular film. There are obviously huge concerns about the nature of his relationship with Pussy Galore, but even the effect it has on the overarching narrative drives home James’s lack of charisma here.
I can overlook many shortcomings of older Bond films, but I think any Bond movie is only as good as the relationship between Bond and the love interest or the main villain. I would give this film half a star, or maybe one, but I’ve given it 1.5 almost exclusively due to the first two encounters with Goldfinger. I enjoyed how he and James interacted…before those interactions were mostly cut off in the second half. (Golf scene was great)
The ending scene on the plane was bizarre and got a chuckle out of me. Otherwise, I was really disappointed by this film, though I know there’s better to come from the franchise. If nothing else, this film has taught me the importance of the Bond girl and her relationship with James.
Logged on Letterboxd