CR's Biggest Surprise & Disappointment
Barry Nelson
ChicagoPosts: 1,508MI6 Agent
Just curious what everyones biggest positive surprise and biggest disappointments were. The movie is a good one, but no movie is perfect.
For me my biggest surprise was Craig, I really didn't think he could pull it off, but he did. I was impressed.
My biggest disappointment was the lack of screen time for Murino. She had the exotic beauty of Bond girls of old, yet received very little screen time. Even my wife thought she was gorgeous. Seemed odd to cast her, promote her and then give her little screen time.
For me my biggest surprise was Craig, I really didn't think he could pull it off, but he did. I was impressed.
My biggest disappointment was the lack of screen time for Murino. She had the exotic beauty of Bond girls of old, yet received very little screen time. Even my wife thought she was gorgeous. Seemed odd to cast her, promote her and then give her little screen time.
Comments
Disappointment: um, can I get back to you on that one? Nothing leaps to mind just now...;)
My biggest disappointment was that the Aston Martin didnt get used that much. It's such a great looking car.
Disappointment(s): A smattering of omissions---particularly dialogue---from the December '05 draft of the script I read.
One can't have everything
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Disappointment: This is a tossup between the torture scene and the title sequence. Granted, the torture scene was my favorite scene in the entire movie, but this is more due to the acting of Craig and Mads in the scene as well as its importance in terms of firmly establishing Bond as a character and Craig's portrayal of him. However, I think they could have made the scene much more painful. One thing that really detracted from it, I thought, was the fact that Campbell would point away from Craig at some points. This takes away from the impact of it: the camera should have remained focused on Craig, and they should have made the thwacks louder. Still, it was my favorite scene in the film.
The title sequence was just, well, weird. I'm not as opposed to it with additional viewings, but they should have gone with the concept that was reported on Latino Review that was in the script, with the dancing girls, the photos of the crime scene, etc.. And they should have used the harder mix of YKMN. Overall, though, this is a small quibble.
Biggest disappointment: That Bond didn't bed Murino. I mean...good God, look at the woman! Couldn't the husband's call have come a couple hours later?
Errr, yes, Bond did get to have his way with her. Apparently in the phone call Demitrios said he wouldn't be back (he was off to see Le Chiffre), and so Solange and Bond continue their activities. The next time we see the two, Bond has an open shirt and Solange is walking away in the background. Good gosh, what do you think went on during that time?
Biggest Disapointment: Felix (not the way the character is supposed to be...IMO, he should always be like David Hedison's Felix *I've got strange tastes, I know*) and the Gunbarrel (A bathroom? you've got to be kidding me...wrong, EON!)
~Pen -{
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Nope. As soon as she tells him that Demitrios is on the last flight to Miami, Bond gets up and calls room service and tells them champagne and caviar for one. It's one scene, no cut. Next scene he's speeding to airport. He couldn't have caught that flight to Miami if he'd bedded Solange.
Well, he could have. But then you couldn't say nobody does it better. And you know how upset people get about continuity around here.
Biggest surprise: The torture scene is painfull and FUNNY!
Biggest Disappointment - Felix Leiter's role is pretty small here. Too bad, since he actually seemed a bit more interesting than previous Leiters (except for Jack Lord in "Dr. No").
Disappoinments- The gun barrel was absolutley awful (in a bathroom and not at the beginning). The titles were also awful but they have been for the last few films. The reboot- awful. This would have been so much better if it was really Bond 21
Biggest Disappointment; Well it's more a surprise-disappointment - Le Chiffre. I thought the character as a whole was underused, and his death (which was much too early) was ineffective and left me unsatisfied. To call him forgettable would be generous. The film's villains overall were a real disappointment.
My biggest disappointment was, well, there were two things. The titles sequence was terrible, really just boring. Also, the gorgeous DBS was underused.
Biggest disappointment: that they couldn't have used Baccarat.
Biggest Disappointment: I thought Felix Leiter was ging to have a bigger role, he didnt have enough screen time, hopefully in bond 22 they will incorporate him more into the story.
Biggest disappointment: Probably the titles, like the idea but a bit poorly executed, the action and style certainly didn't suit the music at all. (and waiting till 2008 for the next one )
What disappointed me was the standard use of '50s stock newspaper formatting. Countries today go to war with other countries, and even that isn't enough to garner an all-caps banner headline. I wish film directors would learn this. I took journalism and PR classes for four years, so every time I see a huge headline on a TV newspaper, my skin crawls.
Eh? Newspapers carry caps headlines everyday. From the look of the font on M's paper I'd say it was the Daily Mail or Evening Standard- and all their front page heads are caps. Just try a Google image saearch.
Dear God, not the Daily Tory!! Bring back the invisible car at once and cast Bradley Walsh as Bond, anything but the Mail )
Absolutely OT, but Bond goes home with Solange at, say 11pm (I think Bond's watch even reads that), Dimitrios and Bond catch the last plane to Miami together (getting in at, say 1am?), and after a trip to the Bodyworlds exhibition (very busy for that late!) goes back to the airport (very busy) where they're preparing to unveil a new airliner. In the early hours of the morning! And 747s are still flying in?
I can't say that there was anything I didn't like about the CR. I liked the lot. Daniel Craig was fabulously good looking - what a body, what a lovely smile and gorgeous blue eyes and yet so brutal....
The best scene was the opening scene with the running chase - IN-CRE-DIBLE!
Oh and of course, being danish I have to love Mads Mikkelsen - the superskurk over all superskurks - hehe (The villain above all villains)
Have to agree on Felix, Hardy. He was underused (which I guess was a good thing) and his lines were poorly written and cringeworthy. "A brother from Langley", and his final line "Thanks, brotha" just seemed like "token black guy lines" to me. EON was way off the mark on that one!
Anyway, I was surprised by how great of a job Eva Green did, and how suspenseful and emotional the scene when she dies turned out.
The real curse (if there is one) of the films seems to be the Leiter role! It could be so good if done correctly. Bonds' loyalty to his best (?) friend is a great aspect of the character. It's one of the only solid relationships (having no family) that he has!
I'm really getting picky, the film was FANTASTIC!
Biggest Disappointment: While all of the scenes were good, a few too many seemed like reworkings of classic Bond scenes -- Professor Dent's demise and Bond's second kill; Bond's resignation and justification of it in both "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and "Casino Royale"; Fiona Volpe's public dispatch and Demetrious'; Bond visiting M on his/her home turf. They were certainly no identical, but I would have preferred something more wholly original in a film that worked so hard (and well) at reinvigorating the franchise.
After 40 years and twenty films, all in such a similar genre with only very slight variations in the basic formula to each film, I'd be amazed if you couldn't find similarities to previous scenes. Lest we forget the number of Bond fans crying out over the past year at the threat that this film was about to move away from the precious formula- they can never please all of the people all of the time.