James Bond has always been a name. That code name bullshit was made up by people who couldn't wrap their head around different actors playing the same role.
James Bond has always been a name. That code name bullshit was made up by people who couldn't wrap their head around different actors playing the same role.
Eh, no? They can just choose a new leader for Spectre? The organisation is fine. And with their influence, there is no way Blofeld goes out of jail ASAP.
I think it'd be an interesting idea for the next movie if
Blofeld is actually marked for death by whoever SPECTRE's new leader ends up being, and Bond has to end up protecting him. He'd still be a valuable asset to MI6 and know everything about SPECTRE, which ends up putting a target on his back.
I think it'd be an interesting idea for the next movie if
Blofeld is actually marked for death by whoever SPECTRE's new leader ends up being, and Bond has to end up protecting him. He'd still be a valuable asset to MI6 and know everything about SPECTRE, which ends up putting a target on his back.
My Bond rankings always fluctuate a bit. I can say this though...
Casino Royale works as an injection. I never assumed for a moment this franchise could sustain numerous releases of that quality and go forward in bulk as they always have. Wasn't going to happen.
So, I would go more [ Casino Royale > Quantum of Solace ] & [ Skyfall > Spectre ]
Quantum had the task of trying to directly connect films, and was met with mixed response. Skyfall was the lets try and do a balancing act to get the franchise back to some of the old tropes fans of the franchise are accustomed to, and then with Spectre they just went full classic Bond. Tropes and nonsense everywhere, and Craig is simply an awful Bond to attempt to pull some of it off.
The only notable difference is for modern Bond is that he now has a full team of people driving around in their Mystery Machine with their own subplot. Because, we can't leave James Bond on his own anymore.
The only notable difference is for modern Bond is that he now has a full team of people driving around in their Mystery Machine with their own subplot. Because, we can't leave James Bond on his own anymore.
I didn't hate Skyfall, but it's faults are many and impossible to ignore.
For this movie, I'd say it's faults are many and mostly easy to ignore.
As always, the weaknesses are all in the script. On one hand, I liked the puzzle/detective aspect of tracking down Mr Oberhauser, on the other hand, the scene to scene transitions are very weak stuff, and it seems like they stopped bothering trying to make them make sense after a while.
Now that I am catching up on the thread (and the general critics' reactions, which I'd been avoiding)... I'm shocked people like this movie less than Skyfall.
I mean, I liked Skyfall for what it was, but it was a huge step down for the Craig era. I took this to me going back in the right direction *and* having a plot that made a lot more sense (with one huge exception). I loved tying into Quantum and CR, although I wish they had not trying to showhorn in a Skyfall connection as well.
The action was fantastic, I *liked* the FRWL homage and though it was a great fight in its own right, too.
And I thought that the assertion of the value of human spies was a pretty big deal as well.
My rankings of the Craig era:
CR > Qos >>>>>> Spectre >>>>>> Skyfall.
Skyfall is still a mid-tier Bond film overall, Spectre is considerable better than the average.
It's not that low, it's still mid-tier. I'd put it squarely in the middle of the 25 films (although I haven't done a ranking in ages). All of Craig's movies have been at least pretty good. But it suffers badly from the overall plot not making a lot of sense. Spectre *gains* a lt for having a plot that makes sense. Both Bond's plot-- tracing the path back to its head, and the villains' plot, trying to mole into the world's combined intelligence (although the specific means of that is doubly cartoony).
The glaring plot hole is what happens when Bond locates Blofeld's lair. He.. walks in and surrenders himself? And the villains... torture him rather than just killing him? If there was some justification for how that all went down, I missed it. Especially since Spectre tried to kill him en route.
I'd rather they have tried to sneak in and got caught somehow.
I still don't see how someone could dislike Skyfall.
Insanely detailed and dark atmosphere. Camera and lighting direction perfection. Best theme song along with one of the best chase scenes of all time (on par with CR). Fantastic soundtrack. Interesting villain with real motives.
I still don't see how someone could dislike Skyfall.
Insanely detailed and dark atmosphere. Camera and lighting direction perfection. Best theme song along with one of the best chase scenes of all time (on par with CR). Fantastic soundtrack. Interesting villain with real motives.
I've come to the conclusion that I have completely different standards for action than most people. How was the action awful? What does good action look like?
I mean Jesus, I thought *I* was going to fall out of that helicopter in the opening sequence.
Also, I don't get the setting sucking, either. This had a bunch of great locales.
I'm referencing Skyfall, in case you missed that. And it's the whole "I have complete control of your computers and can blow up your HQ, but instead I will intentionally get captured just so I can speechify and then escape again past a place where I've managed to rig a terrorist-level explosion just as a diversion.
I'm referencing Skyfall, in case you missed that. And it's the whole "I have complete control of your computers and can blow up your HQ, but instead I will intentionally get captured just so I can speechify and then escape again past a place where I've managed to rig a terrorist-level explosion just as a diversion.
That's the weakest part of the movie easily, but the rest of it is good to great (although I don't like the emphasis on his plucky support team, but it's nowhere near as bad here as it is in Spectre). The opening and closing sequences are particularly fantastic. I thought Silva was overall a good villain as well.
That's the weakest part of the movie easily, but the rest of it is good to great (although I don't like the emphasis on his plucky support team, but it's nowhere near as bad here as it is in Spectre). The opening and closing sequences are particularly fantastic. I thought Silva was overall a good villain as well.
Well I'm not saying people go to Bond movies to see Ralph Fiennes, but if you're the producer on the film and you have Ralph Fiennes in your movie, you want to give him material beyond sitting in a chair at the beginning of the movie.
The films have been missing a big action set piece for a while now. Something that people are talking about before the film even releases. Mission: Impossible does that now.
Well I'm not saying people go to Bond movies to see Ralph Fiennes, but if you're the producer on the film and you have Ralph Fiennes in your movie, you want to give him material beyond sitting in a chair at the beginning of the movie.
You don't need to though. Casting a film isn't like a sports team. It is possible he took the role expecting to do more, but to land that sort of role it's just easy $$.
Another way I am out of step with popular opinion-- I really like Bond having a support team. He certainly did in the books, and it makes sense here, too. Q is a little quirky or whatever, but he's got a small enough role that that's OK.
Saw it yesterday, and really enjoyed it. Felt like it was falling back on established Bond clichés a little too much (i.e.
villain having a huge lair, monologuing while torturing Bond, big brute guy showing up a few times through the movie
) but I liked that Moneypenny, Q and M had a bit more screen time in this one, and I liked that it referenced the other films a fair deal even though I didn't find it especially convincing that
Blofeld
was the
architect of all of Bond's pain and problems
.
Anyway, I really enjoyed it and considering it's been a long time since I've been to the cinema the overall experience was great.
The only notable difference is for modern Bond is that he now has a full team of people driving around in their Mystery Machine with their own subplot. Because, we can't leave James Bond on his own anymore.
The only thing Skyfall had going for me was how pretty it looked and the Adele theme song. Unfortunately for Skyfall, it takes a whole lot more than that to impress me.
The plot was horrible, the music was forgettable, the script was bad and cheesy, there were some really cheesy moments in the movie which felt out of place for a Craig Bond movie(komodo dragons scene).
CR and QoS set a certain theme and style for Craig Bonds, Skyfall threw that all in the garbage.
The action was pretty bad too, compare the fight scenes in CR vs Skyfall, Skyfall looks like amateur hour in comparison. Mendes is horrible with directing fight scenes.
Eh, half those are the dumb things that happen during any dumb action sequence in any Bond movie ever, and the rest are mostly localized to the Desert sequence (which I agree is dumb). Most of those aren't even plot, but details in action sequences.
I mean, does Silva having bobby-trapped the subway right near where he knows he'll escape after purposely getting captured despite not knowing where MI6's new HQ will be count? Because that's dumber than anything on the list you linked except Bond walking into Spectre HQ. How about Bond and M fleeing to Skyfall because they are supposedly untraceable there, but allowing themselves be traced? Or the super-hacker turning MI6 into a bomb? Skyfall is dumber than this movie.
I dunno. At this stage all of the openings feel cheap and tacky visually.
I remember bringing someone to the their first Bond film starting with Casino Royale. She laughed her ass off at the idea of opening with an "MTV" music video.
Boring as fuck. Beyond the opening shot the movie felt completely lifeless. Mendes really has no idea how to do any kind of fun action or humor. Well maybe apart from the unintentional hilarity of
having Blofeld set up and decorate a haunted house for Bond complete with a helpful safety net
Craig brings zero to the role. They may as well just buy his likeness and CGI his singular expression on some stand in's face.
I'm ready for a complete reset. The continuity is a joke and does nothing for the series, or the character. The Bourne / Nolan aesthetic they ripped off is stale at this point. I'd like a new Bond and something more in the vein of the Kingsman.
I mean, does Silva having bobby-trapped the subway right near where he knows he'll escape after purposely getting captured despite not knowing where MI6's new HQ will be count? Because that's dumber than anything on the list you linked except Bond walking into Spectre HQ. How about Bond and M fleeing to Skyfall because they are supposedly untraceable there, but allowing themselves be traced? Or the super-hacker turning MI6 into a bomb? Skyfall is dumber than this movie.
Spectre member to kill Bond when your ultimate goal is to get him to come to you is pretty fucking dumb. Like the plan to plane(?) his way to rescuing Madelin, or why Madelin abruptly leaves James to (shocker) get captured. Even better, Bond, through no skill of his own, finds her because she wakes up in time to scream.
Maybe you're right in that Skyfall, on a higher/story level, is dumber, but I feel like this was filled with more dumb moments.
Spectre member to kill Bond when your ultimate goal is to get him to come to you is pretty fucking dumb. Like the plan to plane(?) his way to rescuing Madelin, or why Madelin abruptly leaves James to (shocker) get captured. Even better, Bond, through no skill of his own, finds her because she wakes up in time to scream.
Maybe you're right in that Skyfall, on a higher/story level, is dumber, but I feel like this was filled with more dumb moments.
But I heard that spoiled from the leaked script, and it was actually less cringeworthy than I expected.
Anyway,
trying to kill him on the train makes sense if you aren't expecting him to hand himself over.
So I have no problem with that. I have a big problem with him
handing himself over, in fact it's my single biggest complaint.
I also have no problem with chance playing a part in these movies, they always do. The one linked
that complained that Swan saved him by shooting the goon
is completely foreshadowed and very much in line with every Bond movie ever. Not sure why that's a complaint at all.
As far as
Sawn getting captured,
that's an issue I have with the movie overall, where it does standard/cliché Bond things and doesn't bother to even set them off, just like they are expected, so you are supposed to roll with it. There are a lot of them, including both sex scenes which seem jarringly sudden and out of place. My biggest complaint above falls into that category, too.