James Bond: Every Sean Connery Movie Ranked Worst To Best
5. Diamonds Are Forever
The official final entry of Sean Connery's era, this film sees the introduction of the big flamboyant set pieces which would be left over for Roger Moore and shift the series in this heightened direction. Diamonds Are Forever is clearly a movie which Connery accepted for a huge sum of money and certainly not because of the quality of its script.
The film starts with Bond murdering who he believes to be Ernst Stavro Blofeld who inexplicably looks completely different to the scarred bald European baddie in You Only Live Twice. This is not part of the plot, however, they just decided to recast the role with silver-haired British thespian Charles Gray instead. This version of Blofeld is more overtly dramatic, at one point in the film even dressing up as a woman, compared to the previously mysterious yet mainly unseen presence that menaced Connery throughout his tenure.
The Blofeld problem is just the tip of the iceberg as the set pieces become gradually more ridiculous and cringe worthy. One sequence sees Bond escape in a flimsy moon buggy that reaches 20 mph which somehow manages to outpace all the villain's cars. Another scene shows Bond beaten up by two athletic gymnasts called Bambi and Thumper which fails to be action packed, entertaining or - god forbid - erotic. Connery is still charming as ever in his 40s and ultimately the film, as ridiculous as it is, can be enjoyed on a fairly basic level as it goes from quip to action scene to yet another quip.