Was there really that much of a negative attitude about the Roger Moore Bond when they were contemporary

I think most Bond fans like the actor. Some think the Moore era movies focused too much on comedy, to the point that they became campy, though.

When Moore was playing Bond I think people liked him. His movies were a bit campy, but so he was the perfect Bond for that era. Part of the reason why Dalton got such a bad wrap back then is because weren't ready for a serious Bond after being so accustomed to how Moore played Bond.

Once Craig became Bond and the movies catered to action fans more than Bond fans, Moore and Brosnan began to get more hate.