James Bond - "Spectre" (SPOILERS)*

Goldeneye was a lot of fun, a very entertaining film (too bad it was all downhill from there with Brosnan). But in my opinion Casino Royale and Skyfall are better films.

 

Despite Brosnan having some great moments he was always held back from delivering by poor and ineffective scripting. (TND was pieced together while shooting when the script was thrown out.) This is why I am more and more convinced each day that we last encountered 007 in an Isthmus City swimming pool.

 

Casino Royale and Skyfall may be better films, but they don't resonate Bond very much to me. At all. Period.

 

Goldeneye was among the best ever Bond films IMO. And I've been a Bond fan from the first film on. Brosnan made a fantastic Bond, even when held back by the script. The Craig films, just do not work in the context of a classic "Bond film". They reinvented the Bond right out of "Bond".

Kinda like making a 2015 version of a 57 Chevy, all souped up but would lack all the original heart and soul. And that's where they've lost it.

 

Just cued up the blu ray of Dr. No.

It's time I get my "Bond mind" readjusted back to Bond reality.

Bye Bye Craig. I'll not be missing you.

 

I want to have fun at a Bond movie. I remember that fun as a kid. Ive told this story already about taking my 9 year old to see the latest Bond movie with Craig, ready to share in a little kick ass take no prisoners win the girls and dive off cliff excitement I had to sit through this melancholy crap. It kinda ruined the father son fun I was looking to have. Shades of the trade federation "excitement" in Star Wars Episode One. Ever since then, I've been off the Craig movies. I mean, the Bonds got junkie for awhile and a bit stupid, but now they're just TOO moody. Back off the sophistication a bit for the kids in the audience. If this Bond crowd is so grown up and erudite in their middle age, you should be watching Smiley's People, anyway. Whats next? Can we cast Craig as the new Indiana Jones who never smiles and bitches at Miriam all the time while he's hungover. There should be a twinkle in Bond's eye that's not just too many vodka martinis.

Oh, so here's the official logline of the movie: "“While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind 'Spectre'.”

Since when did M become so prominent in Bond films? Who gives a damn? I liked it when Bernard Lee would show up with a pipe for three minutes and then we got on with the action.

 

After decades of goofiness with Moore, Brosnan and others (invisible car...sheesh) I was happy to get a more serious take on the character. I've been watching Bond movies since I was a kid and I have no problems with the tone of the Craig films (except Quantum was just bad). Connery will always be my favorite and those movies are fantastic, but I think there is room in the series for different interpretations.

 

I thought Skyfall was one of the best Bond films ever made, I look forward to Spectre. Her Majesty's Secret Service is still my favourite one. I thought that one had the most believable storyline. No silly gadgets or unbelievable stuff.

 

Brosnan didn't work for me either, he was the low point- they lost me there. Then the other JB - Jason Bourne - shook the spy film genre up, with 'The Bourne Identity', the best non-James Bond film since the 60's, maybe? The gauntlet was thrown down. Maybe the producers thought 'EVEN THE AMERICANS are doing it better'!! I've enjoyed Craig's portrayal. He's a good actor, so he needs good dialogue. This may explain the moodiness. Let's see what SPECTRE brings. I've enjoyed how there are so many good actors involved in Bond films lately - goes to show they're not ALL making TV shows...

 

Goldeneye was pretty good but I didn't care for the other Brosnan ones.

 

But times have moved on. If they went back to making The Spy Who Loved Me, the franchise would be over.

 

That Man From U.N.C.L.E. promo looked promising, right up until Guy Ritchie's name came on screen then it started going down hill. Maybe I'm prejudiced against him, but it could be a big pile of nothing.

Chad

 

I'm not sure. You can come up with silly, derivative 80s-space actioner like "Guardians of the Galaxy" and have the blockbuster of the summer.

 

I would think that with the plethora of movies aimed squarely at 13 year olds (and 45 year olds who still think they are 13) that a slightly-more-mature Bond would be a refreshing change of pace.

 

I love Daniel Craig as Bond. In fact he's my favorite Bond. The first 007 movie I saw in theaters was The Living Daylights. To this day I have no interest in those two Dalton films. I grew up really liking the silly tone of the Moore films, not quite getting the Connery era except for Diamonds Are Forever which I still have a soft spot for. Now I see Connery and Moore as very different but about equal. Never liked Brosnan in the role.

Skyfall is fantastic, Casino Royale is really good minus Mathis narrating the card game in annoying fashion. Quantum of Solace is okay, easily the worst of the three. I really look forward to the next film, and I won't be happy when they inevitably have to recast Mr. Bond.

 

Couldn't care less.

 

Brosnan was a missed opportunity. I too, like Goldeneye, but the others are forgettable. Bond tends to be a product of the time and they became typical 90s Bond versions 90s action movies. Often, unfortunately the movies play to trends a little too much. I like the Craig films, but they over corrected from the silly side to super serious and a little too dark at times.

 

take quantum of solace. that just about killed the craig bond due to darkness, IMO. thank goodness the third one significantly made up for it. let's hope spectre carries the torch.

 

The first half of Quantum of Solace was excellent - but then became silly.

 

Quantum Of Solace was sunk by horrid split second editing which basically ruined every action sequence. It was a complete and utter mess, nearly unwatchable.

 

One of the reasons I loved the first part of Quantum of Solace was for the really short cobblestone rainy street scene before the big affair at the opera house at Bregenz on Lake Konstance. (PS - there is no airport at Bregenz, despite what was shown in the film).

That street scene was shot in the small village of Feldkirch in Austria which I lived in for a few months while working in Liechtenstein. Filming the Bond film there was a big deal for the locals. There was no rain of course, so they watered the cobbles to get that look.

 

I love the Craig Bond. I've been watching a lot of the older Bonds in no particular order recently; the gadget movies were becoming ridiculous. Really ridiculous. It was interesting and cool in the Connery movies as that stuff was so-far-out back then but nowadays, not so much.

 

I liked the simple Goldfinger gadgets.

 

I'd like to have seen a combination of QoS and Skyfall: No Dominic Greene or Bolivian water cr@p, make Silva a partner of Mr. White ("The first thing you should know about us is... we have people everywhere." - Silva formed Quantum with White after he was betrayed by M), replace some of Skyfall's dumber plot devices (Silva getting himself captured, the "Home Alone" ending), expand White's role.

 

That was a good line.