--The personal angle: the personal angle was already tired when they used it in Skyfall. Now it's downright stupid. To suggest that the grandest and meanest villain of the franchise is simply motivated by sibling rivalry is disrespectful towards the Bond mythology... We need to go back to villains who are doing evil for profit, not because they have some unresolved mommy or daddy issues.
Bingo!
And that applies to Bond's motives as well.
I left the cinema quite angry ( though I really liked the movie) telling my wife that I am fed up with the elaboration of Bond's childhood, history and inner motives and demons.
Give him a mission which he professionally solves and everybody is happy! {[]
Agreed. Time to move on. Bond's job is being a spy. If I kept going off doing my own thing in my job I'd have been sacked by now and I think Bond would too ) .
Eon be like ' oh this time it's personal and ****,' and I be like, ' oh no not again didn't we just do that? Already?
And Eon be like ' yeah but it's way sussesful and Babs loves it' and I be like ' enough now let it go n move on dude it's just lazy n ting!' And EON be like' I wonder if Bond ever had a Dog...'
I am not really sure what to make of the James Bond series anymore. For the last 27 years, the franchise has been on a steady decline.
So no good films since TLD?
This may be a rhetorical question but that point is something to ponder over. The newer films are technically brilliant. Today, more and more known actors would not mind taking minor roles in the 007 films. The films have huge budget and enjoy wider release. Some folks can argue that GE and CR are among the best films in the series, but that "magical" quality of many of the first 15 Bond films (TLD was the 15th if I am not wrong) probably is hard to replicate. May be it was John Barry's score or Connery-Moore influence or that today's technology (including surveillance) is having an impact on how a traditional spy functions (an advantage earlier films enjoyed)
I am not really sure what to make of the James Bond series anymore. For the last 27 years, the franchise has been on a steady decline.
So no good films since TLD?
This may be a rhetorical question but that point is something to ponder over. The newer films are technically brilliant. Today, more and more known actors would not mind taking minor roles in the 007 films. The films have huge budget and enjoy wider release. Some folks can argue that GE and CR are among the best films in the series, but that "magical" quality of many of the first 15 Bond films (TLD was the 15th if I am not wrong) probably is hard to replicate. May be it was John Barry's score or Connery-Moore influence or that today's technology (including surveillance) is having an impact on how a traditional spy functions (an advantage earlier films enjoyed)
I have to agree with this. I'd say since TLD there have been more times than not I've left a Bond film disappointed feeling the producers have caved in to a current trend. If Cubby were alive and producing the films I doubt we'd have half the conversations we have here. He really put his foot down on things he felt Bond films should have, and very much wanted the audiences to come away happy. He changed the tone when necessary, which was why we got FYEO after MR, but didn't completely alienate fans that liked elements those more fantastic films had.
Also he made sure we got the films on a regular basis. Considering how polarizing SP is, the SONY/MGM contract, Craig's reluctance to talk about another one, AND the fact Michael and Barbara aren't even thinking about the next one, I wouldn't be surprised if we once again see the words "next Bond film delayed..." and have another 4 year or even more gap between SP and B25.
Well, I just got back from seeing SP minutes ago, and I can only say WOW. Best (or should I say favourite) Bond in 18 YEARS!
5/5 stars!!!
Even the score was good!
This may be a rhetorical question but that point is something to ponder over. The newer films are technically brilliant. Today, more and more known actors would not mind taking minor roles in the 007 films. The films have huge budget and enjoy wider release. Some folks can argue that GE and CR are among the best films in the series, but that "magical" quality of many of the first 15 Bond films (TLD was the 15th if I am not wrong) probably is hard to replicate. May be it was John Barry's score or Connery-Moore influence or that today's technology (including surveillance) is having an impact on how a traditional spy functions (an advantage earlier films enjoyed)
I have to agree with this. I'd say since TLD there have been more times than not I've left a Bond film disappointed feeling the producers have caved in to a current trend. If Cubby were alive and producing the films I doubt we'd have half the conversations we have here. He really put his foot down on things he felt Bond films should have, and very much wanted the audiences to come away happy. He changed the tone when necessary, which was why we got FYEO after MR, but didn't completely alienate fans that liked elements those more fantastic films had.
Also he made sure we got the films on a regular basis. Considering how polarizing SP is, the SONY/MGM contract, Craig's reluctance to talk about another one, AND the fact Michael and Barbara aren't even thinking about the next one, I wouldn't be surprised if we once again see the words "next Bond film delayed..." and have another 4 year or even more gap between SP and B25.
True. Cubby was a key force in making those films magical .... As for the future, I hope that they don't rush B25 till they have a decent strategy in place.
Just saw it for the first time. I thought it was great, somewhere around a 9/10. Not as good as CR (which is a masterpiece in my opinion), but much better than Skyfall on first viewing (SF is around an 8 for me). I think it keeps the feeling of Craig's films intact but also brings the series more inline with classic Bond.
Really liked the train fight and the stuff at the clinic. Q being stalked reminded me a lot of the ski jump part in FYEO, which was cool. Thought the humor was balanced mostly well. Some of the CGI wasn't great, but nothing that really took away from the experience.
I liked that they got the cat in there, didn't think they'd do that. Still not crazy about the "family" connection but I really liked how they built Blofeld as a character so I'm not too concerned with it. I thought it was a nice touch that Bond gives him the scar.
Definitely not a retelling of OHMSS, but there are a lot of similarities, and to me at least it seems like they're setting up a similar fate for Madeline. Especially with that shot of Blofeld watching them walk off. Wasn't that the original intention anyway, to have the wedding/death as the PTS of DAF (could be wrong on that one)?
Again, leave to the writers to screw the film up. This movie lacks originality. It robs the remaining the literary connection to Fleming. Bond is no longer Bond, he is part of the Mission Impossible Force. Q is essentially Benjie. The movie does not seem to have relevance any more to series. This is not fault of the Craig era, but this started somewhere in the Brosnan era.
Craig cannot act. There was an attempt to lighten up the movie with humor, but all of the gags seem to fall flat and are ill timed the weird thing about the movie is that movie is a tribute film, but to whom? Perhaps, the film is Craig last. I wish EON would relinquish control over the movie but whether the movie is bad or good, it is going to make money. The music is good. However, the producers decided to reuse the musical themes established in Skyfall, so there is a lot of rehashed music.
One Star. Which is better than the No Star I gave Skyfall.
I've yet to see SPECTRE but it's a brave James Bond fan to suggest Daniel Craig cannot act. He's not a naturally smooth Bond type with a natural gift for the one liners, but the pro-Craig brigade would argue that is his greatest asset; his more blunt, realistic portrayal was what the franchise needed after the over-the-top excess of Die Another Day.
For every older Bond fan wanting a smoother, suave actor to play the part, my gut feeling is there will be many newer Bond fans wanting Craig version 2 to replace him! As seen by the contrasting reviews for SPECTRE - the franchise appears to be at some tonal crossroad. Should it return to the Bourne-ish grit of Casino Royale or should it go back to the original Broccoli/Saltzman/Young format? I have no idea. Perhaps the success of the James Bond franchise also brings a curse. After so many films where do you take the character? Perhaps there is no more originality left and homage (albeit done in a contemporary way) is the only route to go.
One aspect of SPECTRE's reviews I find slightly depressing. Most online reviews - like on Youtube - barely reference the pre-Craig Bond films. Most reviews seem to be obsessed with SPECTRE not being as good as Skyfall as if there was some unwritten law Bond 24 had to be Skyfall part 2. Most modern Bond fans seem fairly insular and see the franchise as just four films - the Craig ones! They have little regard for what came before.
I've yet to see SPECTRE but it's a brave James Bond fan to suggest Daniel Craig cannot act. He's not a naturally smooth Bond type with a natural gift for the one liners, but the pro-Craig brigade would argue that is his greatest asset; his more blunt, realistic portrayal was what the franchise needed after the over-the-top excess of Die Another Day.
I've found that Craig'a Bond, especially in CR, lacks so many of the human qualities that all the other Bonds, particularly Dalton, possess. I don't find his blunt portrayal all that realistic, unless you mean blunt as in flat. Daniel Craig just hasn't seemed to be entirely comfortable in the role until Spectre. Like Brosnan, Craig is mostly very stiff in the role and doesn't show much variation in his emotions. At least in Spectre he seems much more relaxed, though some people take that a him not trying to act. But in his four films, he still hasn't show nearly the range in his four films that Dalton did in Licence to Kill.
At least in Spectre he seems much more relaxed, though some people take that a him not trying to act. But in his four films, he still hasn't show nearly the range in his four films that Dalton did in Licence to Kill.
Dalton is my Bond God, but Craig really rocked in SPECTRE IMO!
I've yet to see SPECTRE but it's a brave James Bond fan to suggest Daniel Craig cannot act. He's not a naturally smooth Bond type with a natural gift for the one liners, but the pro-Craig brigade would argue that is his greatest asset; his more blunt, realistic portrayal was what the franchise needed after the over-the-top excess of Die Another Day.
I've found that Craig'a Bond, especially in CR, lacks so many of the human qualities that all the other Bonds, particularly Dalton, possess. I don't find his blunt portrayal all that realistic, unless you mean blunt as in flat. Daniel Craig just hasn't seemed to be entirely comfortable in the role until Spectre. Like Brosnan, Craig is mostly very stiff in the role and doesn't show much variation in his emotions. At least in Spectre he seems much more relaxed, though some people take that a him not trying to act. But in his four films, he still hasn't show nearly the range in his four films that Dalton did in Licence to Kill.
While I am a Brosnan fan, I do agree that Craig doesn't touch Dalton as 007 (but that's just my taste talking).
I've only seen SP once, but I think it has my fave Craig performance. I feel he cut down on the dryness and gave a sharper performance. I think it'd be nice for him to do one more 007 film before he goes, but time will tell what happens.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
I've yet to see SPECTRE but it's a brave James Bond fan to suggest Daniel Craig cannot act. He's not a naturally smooth Bond type with a natural gift for the one liners, but the pro-Craig brigade would argue that is his greatest asset; his more blunt, realistic portrayal was what the franchise needed after the over-the-top excess of Die Another Day.
I've found that Craig'a Bond, especially in CR, lacks so many of the human qualities that all the other Bonds, particularly Dalton, possess. I don't find his blunt portrayal all that realistic, unless you mean blunt as in flat. Daniel Craig just hasn't seemed to be entirely comfortable in the role until Spectre. Like Brosnan, Craig is mostly very stiff in the role and doesn't show much variation in his emotions. At least in Spectre he seems much more relaxed, though some people take that a him not trying to act. But in his four films, he still hasn't show nearly the range in his four films that Dalton did in Licence to Kill.
While I am a Brosnan fan, I do agree that Craig doesn't touch Dalton as 007 (but that's just my taste talking).
I've only seen SP once, but I think it has my fave Craig performance. I feel he cut down on the dryness and gave a sharper performance. I think it'd be nice for him to do one more 007 film before he goes, but time will tell what happens.
SP is also my favourite Craig performance. He plays Bond more naturally, which I find more realistic.
I must admit I found this absolutely crap. I have never got bored of a Bond film except Skyfall when I realised running around the Scottish estate was going to be the final third of the film and Spectre when Bond gets chauffeur-driven to the bad guy's location, to volunteer to be tortured, kill everybody and escape- when he could have descended on the place at night time and killed everybody instead.......
I like to think modern films are supposed to be more intelligent these days (compare Nolan's Batman with the 60s version) and yet it seems many fans want to return back to the slapstick, moronic, carry-on genre.
In case it wasn't obvious, I also disliked Skyfall. Up until Macau it seemed like it was going to be amazing, possibly better than Casino Royale. The photography of the scene where Bond intercepts Patrice was amazing. Then it all went down-hill when they arrived at the island and the British Army/Royal Marines (forgotten which) arrive to save the day. Silva goes to all that trouble, getting himself arrested, escaping, to then kill M when he could have just turned-up on the day at the public hearing to kill her...... and then we have the final third of Skyfall emulating Home Alone 6.
Please give us Casino Royale 2!
-No turning-up at the bad guy's front gate
-No gadgets
-Solid story line
-Please replace Q. He seems more like an intern than a replacement for Desmond Lewellyn
Well, I just got back from seeing SP minutes ago, and I can only say WOW. Best (or should I say favourite) Bond in 18 YEARS!
5/5 stars!!!
Even the score was good!
Saw it yesterday. Enjoyable set-pieces but I'm a little frustrated by the overall...
In a way, my misgivings about it are the opposite of my misgivings about Skyfall.
Skyfall was spectacular, beautifully shot, grand, smartly written--until the appearance of Silva, the sad Dark Knight twist, and the messy third act, when the glaring plot holes and stupid attempts to inject depth with banal pop psychology ruined what could have been the best Bond ever.
Spectre is a more even film. But seems to be going though the motions.
More specific misgivings
--"License to kill" shame: I resent the contempt Mendes seems to have for Bond's job--as though we should feel guilty about watching a series about a hired government assassin. If you're ashamed of authoring a movie that glorifies a 00 agent, don't apply for the job of directing a Bond movie! Spoiler alert: the ending, with Bond symbolically giving up his gun and walking towards the girl, pleased the romantic in me. Yet I couldn't help reading it as a restatement of the Skyfall theme, an attempt to make the last ever Bond movie. In short, I've had enough of Mendes telling me that Bond should be over and done with.
--The personal angle: the personal angle was already tired when they used it in Skyfall. Now it's downright stupid. To suggest that the grandest and meanest villain of the franchise is simply motivated by sibling rivalry is disrespectful towards the Bond mythology... We need to go back to villains who are doing evil for profit, not because they have some unresolved mommy or daddy issues.
--Bond goes rogue, again: by the same token, Bond needs to go back to being a professional field agent. Any M worth his salt would have had him demoted to the old registry basement, digitizing old files.
--Information is the new gold: A villain who wants to monopolize information--where have I seen this before? It was newish when Elliot Carver did it. Silva turned it into a cliche. At this point it's just a lazy bit of writing.
--Torture scene: I found this gratuitous; a strange mixture of cruel and camp (the torture device looks goofily complicated, while the torture itself is just bizarre). Luckily, it only looks horrific; the minute he is set free, Bond bounces back from the unbearable pain as though nothing happened. In every way, the opposite of the gritty torture scene in Casino Royale.
Things I liked:
--Q and the gang were pretty awesome.
--The humour and comic relief were just right. Perfectly pitched.
--I didn't expect Madeleine Swann to work as well as she did. Classy. I'm sold.
--PTS: simply spectacular
--Train sequence was gorgeously filmed and the action was fun.
--Great Locations: While the photography was not as luxurious as Skyfall, locations were definitely a highlight. Rome and Mexico, especially, were looking gorgeous, and the villain's lair was a nice touch.
Absolutely agree with everything you say. You even disliked Skyfall at the same point I did.
I felt like my intelligence was being insulted watching Spectre.
I have no interest in that whatsoever. One CR is enough as far as I'm concerned.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Well, I just got back from seeing SP minutes ago, and I can only say WOW. Best (or should I say favourite) Bond in 18 YEARS!
5/5 stars!!!
Even the score was good!
Not liking the Spectre hate. The best way to put it is it was an opportunity missed. It's a good movie. That said here's what would have made it a great movie.
1. No Sam Smith. The song itself was just OK. The lyrics was simple, cliche and stale. But have a female voice sing it and it would have been very, very good.
2. Improve soundtrack. Newman made a memorable score for Skyfall. What happened? The only memorable track is "Secret Room", which is a hauntingly beautiful song. One of the best in the series, in my opinion.
3. Lengthen the dialogue between Bond and Mr. White.
4. Have Madeleine show more emotion when she finds the family photographs in the secret room. If I was directing this, I'd tell Lea to have an absolute nervous breakdown over this.
5. Finally, and obviously, lengthen the dialogue between Bond and Blofeld. He invites Bond to the crater, set up a dinner or something, c'mon. This should have easily been a 15 minute, world domination spilling monologue.
People need to accept the time restraints writing a Bond screenplay. One page is roughly equal to one minute of screentime. 120 mins is 120 pages. You want more Bond and Swann falling in love you need to cut more stuff out of the film, you want more of Blofeld's motivation, more screentime for Waltz, you need to cut out more stuff. The film is already the longest in the franchise's history - people wanting more character development means a 3 hour Bond film or a radically rewritten first and second act.
It is impossible to cater for everyone. There isn't a enough screentime for more Blofeld, more Swann and Bond, more C etc. The producers and director have to compromise and keep the pacing tight. I fear people that just say "they should have done this or that" don't understand the basic one page is one minute of screentime rule. Once you hit over two hours - 120 pages - you need to be well into the second half of the third act.
Basically, everyone has to see a Bond film as loads of ideas (good or bad!) condensed down into a manageable size. Compromises are inevitable because EON do not want to make three hour Bond films. Leaps in plot logic, lack of character development is inevitable. It's the nature of screenwriting, particularly when you're writing a sprawling story.
You want more Bond and Swann falling in love you need to cut more stuff out of the film, you want more of Blofeld's motivation, more screentime for Waltz, you need to cut out more stuff.
I would have sacrificed some action for more dialogue, easily.
Replace Sam Smith's song with 20 seconds of fingernails on a chalkboard. )
Not liking the Spectre hate. The best way to put it is it was an opportunity missed. It's a good movie. That said here's what would have made it a great movie.
1. No Sam Smith. The song itself was just OK. The lyrics was simple, cliche and stale. But have a female voice sing it and it would have been very, very good.
2. Improve soundtrack. Newman made a memorable score for Skyfall. What happened? The only memorable track is "Secret Room", which is a hauntingly beautiful song. One of the best in the series, in my opinion.
3. Lengthen the dialogue between Bond and Mr. White.
4. Have Madeleine show more emotion when she finds the family photographs in the secret room. If I was directing this, I'd tell Lea to have an absolute nervous breakdown over this.
5. Finally, and obviously, lengthen the dialogue between Bond and Blofeld. He invites Bond to the crater, set up a dinner or something, c'mon. This should have easily been a 15 minute, world domination spilling monologue.
All in all, it was a solid Bond film.
The girl who played Madeleine was a terrible choice of actress. There was absolutely no chemistry between her and Bond. Compare their chemistry with Vesper and Bond at the end of CR when they are on the beach together....
People need to accept the time restraints writing a Bond screenplay. One page is roughly equal to one minute of screentime. 120 mins is 120 pages. You want more Bond and Swann falling in love you need to cut more stuff out of the film, you want more of Blofeld's motivation, more screentime for Waltz, you need to cut out more stuff. The film is already the longest in the franchise's history - people wanting more character development means a 3 hour Bond film or a radically rewritten first and second act.
It is impossible to cater for everyone. There isn't a enough screentime for more Blofeld, more Swann and Bond, more C etc. The producers and director have to compromise and keep the pacing tight. I fear people that just say "they should have done this or that" don't understand the basic one page is one minute of screentime rule. Once you hit over two hours - 120 pages - you need to be well into the second half of the third act.
Basically, everyone has to see a Bond film as loads of ideas (good or bad!) condensed down into a manageable size. Compromises are inevitable because EON do not want to make three hour Bond films. Leaps in plot logic, lack of character development is inevitable. It's the nature of screenwriting, particularly when you're writing a sprawling story.
and why do you think Spectre had no time for development?
First we're in Mexico
then we're in London
then we're in Italy
then we're in Austria
then we're in Morocco
then we're back in London
Spectre was a series of mini stories glued together...... there were too many cat-and-mouse scenes. I would have preferred two-less locations so that the remaining locations could have contained more development material.
You want more Bond and Swann falling in love you need to cut more stuff out of the film, you want more of Blofeld's motivation, more screentime for Waltz, you need to cut out more stuff.
I would have sacrificed some action for more dialogue, easily.
Replace Sam Smith's song with 20 seconds of fingernails on a chalkboard. )
I wouldn't have.
I don't really want a lot of character development in Bond, the main thing I want in films of this series is chases, shootouts, and the like.
Of course, I like a nice story too, but mainly to compliment the action and serve as a supporting force for it. I think too much story-focus makes Bond films boring, which is prob a reason why I'm not a big fan of CR ('06).
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
I don't really want a lot of character development in Bond, the main thing I want in films of this series is chases, shootouts, and the like.
Of course, I like a nice story too, but mainly to compliment the action and serve as a supporting force for it. I think too much story-focus makes Bond films boring, which is prob a reason why I'm not a big fan of CR ('06).
Objectively CR'06 gave a new direction to the franchise, but I pretty much prefer all the Craig films that came after it to it.
It doesn't help that it has my least fave of Craig's performances as 007.
On another subject, and it's not something that bothers me too much, but was Blofeld's scar really necessary? Did we really need that sort of reference to Pleasence's Blofeld?
Just putting it out there, since I personally think it wasn't needed.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
The girl who played Madeleine was a terrible choice of actress. There was absolutely no chemistry between her and Bond. Compare their chemistry with Vesper and Bond at the end of CR when they are on the beach together....
I thought Bond and Madeline had much stronger chemistry than Bond and Vesper. The scene on the beach in CR just isn't believable. Somehow the inexperienced actor that George Lazenby was, he had the most believable romance. And he didn't even get along with his costar.
The girl who played Madeleine was a terrible choice of actress. There was absolutely no chemistry between her and Bond. Compare their chemistry with Vesper and Bond at the end of CR when they are on the beach together....
I thought Bond and Madeline had much stronger chemistry than Bond and Vesper. The scene on the beach in CR just isn't believable. Somehow the inexperienced actor that George Lazenby was, he had the most believable romance. And he didn't even get along with his costar.
Strongly agree with the part in bold. Green and Craig just don't work for me as a screen couple, their characters' romance just looks weird to me.
In SPECTRE, it feels a lot more natural for me, plus it helps that Craig vastly improved from his rather dry performance in CR.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,992Quartermasters
The girl who played Madeleine was a terrible choice of actress. There was absolutely no chemistry between her and Bond. Compare their chemistry with Vesper and Bond at the end of CR when they are on the beach together....
I thought Bond and Madeline had much stronger chemistry than Bond and Vesper. The scene on the beach in CR just isn't believable. Somehow the inexperienced actor that George Lazenby was, he had the most believable romance. And he didn't even get along with his costar.
Strongly agree with the part in bold. Green and Craig just don't work for me as a screen couple, their characters' romance just looks weird to me.
In SPECTRE, it feels a lot more natural for me, plus it helps that Craig vastly improved from his dry performance in CR.
I actually thought the chemistry in both films was quite good, and I was on board with them throughout. But then again, I don't think Craig has turned in a dry performance to date
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Opinions, opinions, everyone has a different opinion.
I will say that after watching SP, I would like Craig to do one more Bond film before he leaves the role. I do think he can get away with it, and I'm not one of the biggest Craig fans on the site by any means.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Comments
This may be a rhetorical question but that point is something to ponder over. The newer films are technically brilliant. Today, more and more known actors would not mind taking minor roles in the 007 films. The films have huge budget and enjoy wider release. Some folks can argue that GE and CR are among the best films in the series, but that "magical" quality of many of the first 15 Bond films (TLD was the 15th if I am not wrong) probably is hard to replicate. May be it was John Barry's score or Connery-Moore influence or that today's technology (including surveillance) is having an impact on how a traditional spy functions (an advantage earlier films enjoyed)
I have to agree with this. I'd say since TLD there have been more times than not I've left a Bond film disappointed feeling the producers have caved in to a current trend. If Cubby were alive and producing the films I doubt we'd have half the conversations we have here. He really put his foot down on things he felt Bond films should have, and very much wanted the audiences to come away happy. He changed the tone when necessary, which was why we got FYEO after MR, but didn't completely alienate fans that liked elements those more fantastic films had.
Also he made sure we got the films on a regular basis. Considering how polarizing SP is, the SONY/MGM contract, Craig's reluctance to talk about another one, AND the fact Michael and Barbara aren't even thinking about the next one, I wouldn't be surprised if we once again see the words "next Bond film delayed..." and have another 4 year or even more gap between SP and B25.
5/5 stars!!!
Even the score was good!
-very VERY happy Bond fan
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
True. Cubby was a key force in making those films magical .... As for the future, I hope that they don't rush B25 till they have a decent strategy in place.
Really liked the train fight and the stuff at the clinic. Q being stalked reminded me a lot of the ski jump part in FYEO, which was cool. Thought the humor was balanced mostly well. Some of the CGI wasn't great, but nothing that really took away from the experience.
I liked that they got the cat in there, didn't think they'd do that. Still not crazy about the "family" connection but I really liked how they built Blofeld as a character so I'm not too concerned with it. I thought it was a nice touch that Bond gives him the scar.
Definitely not a retelling of OHMSS, but there are a lot of similarities, and to me at least it seems like they're setting up a similar fate for Madeline. Especially with that shot of Blofeld watching them walk off. Wasn't that the original intention anyway, to have the wedding/death as the PTS of DAF (could be wrong on that one)?
I've yet to see SPECTRE but it's a brave James Bond fan to suggest Daniel Craig cannot act. He's not a naturally smooth Bond type with a natural gift for the one liners, but the pro-Craig brigade would argue that is his greatest asset; his more blunt, realistic portrayal was what the franchise needed after the over-the-top excess of Die Another Day.
For every older Bond fan wanting a smoother, suave actor to play the part, my gut feeling is there will be many newer Bond fans wanting Craig version 2 to replace him! As seen by the contrasting reviews for SPECTRE - the franchise appears to be at some tonal crossroad. Should it return to the Bourne-ish grit of Casino Royale or should it go back to the original Broccoli/Saltzman/Young format? I have no idea. Perhaps the success of the James Bond franchise also brings a curse. After so many films where do you take the character? Perhaps there is no more originality left and homage (albeit done in a contemporary way) is the only route to go.
One aspect of SPECTRE's reviews I find slightly depressing. Most online reviews - like on Youtube - barely reference the pre-Craig Bond films. Most reviews seem to be obsessed with SPECTRE not being as good as Skyfall as if there was some unwritten law Bond 24 had to be Skyfall part 2. Most modern Bond fans seem fairly insular and see the franchise as just four films - the Craig ones! They have little regard for what came before.
I've found that Craig'a Bond, especially in CR, lacks so many of the human qualities that all the other Bonds, particularly Dalton, possess. I don't find his blunt portrayal all that realistic, unless you mean blunt as in flat. Daniel Craig just hasn't seemed to be entirely comfortable in the role until Spectre. Like Brosnan, Craig is mostly very stiff in the role and doesn't show much variation in his emotions. At least in Spectre he seems much more relaxed, though some people take that a him not trying to act. But in his four films, he still hasn't show nearly the range in his four films that Dalton did in Licence to Kill.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
While I am a Brosnan fan, I do agree that Craig doesn't touch Dalton as 007 (but that's just my taste talking).
I've only seen SP once, but I think it has my fave Craig performance. I feel he cut down on the dryness and gave a sharper performance. I think it'd be nice for him to do one more 007 film before he goes, but time will tell what happens.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
SP is also my favourite Craig performance. He plays Bond more naturally, which I find more realistic.
I like to think modern films are supposed to be more intelligent these days (compare Nolan's Batman with the 60s version) and yet it seems many fans want to return back to the slapstick, moronic, carry-on genre.
In case it wasn't obvious, I also disliked Skyfall. Up until Macau it seemed like it was going to be amazing, possibly better than Casino Royale. The photography of the scene where Bond intercepts Patrice was amazing. Then it all went down-hill when they arrived at the island and the British Army/Royal Marines (forgotten which) arrive to save the day. Silva goes to all that trouble, getting himself arrested, escaping, to then kill M when he could have just turned-up on the day at the public hearing to kill her...... and then we have the final third of Skyfall emulating Home Alone 6.
Please give us Casino Royale 2!
-No turning-up at the bad guy's front gate
-No gadgets
-Solid story line
-Please replace Q. He seems more like an intern than a replacement for Desmond Lewellyn
Absolutely agree with everything you say. You even disliked Skyfall at the same point I did.
I felt like my intelligence was being insulted watching Spectre.
I have no interest in that whatsoever. One CR is enough as far as I'm concerned.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
It's a little joke...
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#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
1. No Sam Smith. The song itself was just OK. The lyrics was simple, cliche and stale. But have a female voice sing it and it would have been very, very good.
2. Improve soundtrack. Newman made a memorable score for Skyfall. What happened? The only memorable track is "Secret Room", which is a hauntingly beautiful song. One of the best in the series, in my opinion.
3. Lengthen the dialogue between Bond and Mr. White.
4. Have Madeleine show more emotion when she finds the family photographs in the secret room. If I was directing this, I'd tell Lea to have an absolute nervous breakdown over this.
5. Finally, and obviously, lengthen the dialogue between Bond and Blofeld. He invites Bond to the crater, set up a dinner or something, c'mon. This should have easily been a 15 minute, world domination spilling monologue.
All in all, it was a solid Bond film.
It is impossible to cater for everyone. There isn't a enough screentime for more Blofeld, more Swann and Bond, more C etc. The producers and director have to compromise and keep the pacing tight. I fear people that just say "they should have done this or that" don't understand the basic one page is one minute of screentime rule. Once you hit over two hours - 120 pages - you need to be well into the second half of the third act.
Basically, everyone has to see a Bond film as loads of ideas (good or bad!) condensed down into a manageable size. Compromises are inevitable because EON do not want to make three hour Bond films. Leaps in plot logic, lack of character development is inevitable. It's the nature of screenwriting, particularly when you're writing a sprawling story.
I would have sacrificed some action for more dialogue, easily.
Replace Sam Smith's song with 20 seconds of fingernails on a chalkboard.
First we're in Mexico
then we're in London
then we're in Italy
then we're in Austria
then we're in Morocco
then we're back in London
Spectre was a series of mini stories glued together...... there were too many cat-and-mouse scenes. I would have preferred two-less locations so that the remaining locations could have contained more development material.
I wouldn't have.
I don't really want a lot of character development in Bond, the main thing I want in films of this series is chases, shootouts, and the like.
Of course, I like a nice story too, but mainly to compliment the action and serve as a supporting force for it. I think too much story-focus makes Bond films boring, which is prob a reason why I'm not a big fan of CR ('06).
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Objectively CR'06 gave a new direction to the franchise, but I pretty much prefer all the Craig films that came after it to it.
It doesn't help that it has my least fave of Craig's performances as 007.
On another subject, and it's not something that bothers me too much, but was Blofeld's scar really necessary? Did we really need that sort of reference to Pleasence's Blofeld?
Just putting it out there, since I personally think it wasn't needed.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
I thought Bond and Madeline had much stronger chemistry than Bond and Vesper. The scene on the beach in CR just isn't believable. Somehow the inexperienced actor that George Lazenby was, he had the most believable romance. And he didn't even get along with his costar.
Strongly agree with the part in bold. Green and Craig just don't work for me as a screen couple, their characters' romance just looks weird to me.
In SPECTRE, it feels a lot more natural for me, plus it helps that Craig vastly improved from his rather dry performance in CR.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
I actually thought the chemistry in both films was quite good, and I was on board with them throughout. But then again, I don't think Craig has turned in a dry performance to date
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I will say that after watching SP, I would like Craig to do one more Bond film before he leaves the role. I do think he can get away with it, and I'm not one of the biggest Craig fans on the site by any means.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later