Is that a duck on your head, or are you pleased to see me?

Bond has changed slightly. Connery has more than made the role his own, jumped in a DB5 and set about making a template for all following Bond films.

Some people say Goldfinger is the quintessential Bond film. In a way it is as here we are introduced to the wittier one liners, the larger than life baddies with grandiose schemes (more than Dr No ever had), gadgets and big bold theme songs.  Goldfinger is a slight reboot of Bond since From Russia with Love. Bond is less serious but makes up for this with chauvinism and arrogance.  This isn't a bad thing as we are moved from just another Cold War thriller towards an more accessible suave action film. This is what Goldfinger did more than anything; it made Bond for the masses.

We begin with the now almost traditional ending of a previous mission before the film's proper storyline begins. This means Connery with a duck on his head (the BEST disguise ever), some plastic explosives. heroin flavoured bananas and a damned treacherous belly dancer. A witty retort to a thugs death leads to a thunderous entrance for Dame Shirley's theme tune.

Bond is tasked with a simple case of gold smuggling but soon uncovers Goldfinger's plan to send the Western world back to the Dark Ages by making the US gold reserve glow in the dark. It's a simple storyline that encompasses the best looking death on screen in the history of cinema, some well place gadgets and a bird nicked out of The Avengers.

 Strategic cushion. Excellent Feng Shui

Pussy Galore. Really? I mean, really? Honey Rider was subtle and we haven't reached the depths of Holly Goodhead, but Pussy? It's just daft, Fleming must have been taking the piss.  It's a good job she's a strong character and gives Bond as good as she gets before the inevitable roll in the hay.  Bond's eventual 'seduction' is more than a little rapey.

For the first time in the film series we see Bond put in real perilous situations that he can't fight or shoot his way out of and the villain of the piece is armed with just as many quips as Bond.

'Get comfy Mr Bond, I intend to gloat over you'

The elevation of the villain to 'star' status is genius and allows for more development to the story.  For the first time we see the villain explain his diabolical scheme in no uncertain terms. The blow by blow breakdown of the plan is set up and conveniently gives Bond (actually spying) all the info he needs. Bond's use of Q's gadgets here is necessary and purposeful. The homing device especially. These aren't gadgets for the sake of having gadgets. Pay attention Roger Moore.

Predictably Goldfinger double crosses his allies and hurtles towards the final showdown at Fort Knox full of confidence and an unhealthy obsession with lasers.

Goldfinger has set up many elements which will become key to following films. The suave one liners, the gadgets, the theme tune, the henchman with a unique talent and the bonkers plots to take over the world from gorgeous locations.

Goldfinger was the first Bond to have everything. Connery peaked as Bond in this film and without disrespecting the two previous films set out what a Bond film should be.

Connery's next film splashing about in The Bahamas has got a lot to live up to.

Time to retire Roger

A View To A Kill was the first Bond film I can remember seeing. I was born smack in the middle of the Moore era and didn't really know what Bank Holidays were about until I was about seven. A View To A Kill remains arguably my favourite Bond film and this is mainly down to Christopher Walken.

The story goes that David Bowie turned down the Zorin part. Walken was ace but you still have a little feeling of 'what if....' with Bowie's snub.  Walken has said he based his performance on Robert Shaw's Red Grant. Fair play to an American caring about a movie legacy. Walken is understated and menacing as the genetically engineered genius. You just wish he was in the movie a bit more.

OK, so A View To A Kill has it's bad points. The sodding Beach Boys and the iceberg submarine. Roger Moore spending a fair amount of time looking for his pension book on screen and the God awful fire engine sequence. Chuck in the fact that you can have a very easy game of 'Spot The Stunt Double' when Bond is engaged in mild action and you should have a Bond film that is worse than Moonraker (if possible)  But you don't, thanks to a reasonably sensible plot compared to other Moore jaunts, Patrick Macnee and some great set pieces on the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge.  Oh, and Duran Duran with the best Bond theme since Goldfinger.

That's not Roger

So we go from retrieving a microchip in Siberia and a well utilised smoke flare to San Francisco via an odd horse doping set up in France and a detective named after a vegetable.  I, for one, was quite relieved Detective Aubergine was a very bit part.  Chuck in a solid job by David Yip as a helping CIA agent and a bizarre turn from Willoughby Gray as Hans Glaub and you can forgive them for casting Tanya Roberts and her throaty screaming in the lift shaft.  If only those petrol filled Bacardi bottles had hit her on the head.

Then there's Grace Jones.  Most people are still scared of Jones but Moore, well, ahem, Rogered her and did his standard sucky face kiss thing.  Hard to work out who was on more drugs, Pegasus the horse or Grace Jones. Mind you I'd run faster than Pegasus in that mine shaft if she was after me and I certainly wouldn't want Little Roger anywhere near me.

Why haven't they invented Viagra yet?

A View To A Kill is a fitting send off for Roger Moore, after the piss poor Octopussy the game had to be raised for fear of mortally wounding the franchise but it's almost a movie or two too late. the fight scene with Grandpa's ashes was almost exclusively carried out by Moore's stunt double. Roger probably had the day off for a prostate exam and a couple of big cigars. A bit worrying then that the tagline for this was 'Smooth Operator' describing a man seemingly crying out for a hip replacement.

The final scenes high up on the Golden Gate Bridge see the more youthful Walken fighting on a level of OAP. No punches but a bit of pushing and shoving with an axe. Zorin gives Bond a chance and pays for it by transforming into a shop mannequin as he plummets to the ocean. You don't technically see him die, in a Mr Big/Scaramanga kind of way, so maybe he was due to pop up again for revenge. We'll probably never know.

What we do know is that James Bond will return.

And this time he'll be Welsh.