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For me, SF is a lower table Bond film, but there you go. Different opinions, and all. Cinematography great, the rest - a bit "meh".
Wow. That’s just ridiculous.
And the most recent communication, other than a press release, was Barbara Broccoli's mid-December interview on the podcast from The Hollywood Reporter.
As much as I dog on skyfall, I think they are good things in the film. The cinematography and the villain are good. However I don’t think you can say it’s an excellent film because it has so many problems. The CGI sucks, the story makes no sense, It tries to cover all these elaborate themes but really never hits any of them all that well. I guess the dialogue is pretty good but this film suffers for me especially when watched directly after QOS because CR/ QOS are serious films that take bond to its roots and tell a spy story while skyfall just feels like an aimless exploration of nothing.
Watch your director's previous work. Watch it, understand it, realize their perspective and abilities. I've argued before anyone who doesn't understand 'show, don't tell,' shouldn't be a filmmaker. He's terrible at action as well as suspense. He added the ensemble mentality, though EON deserves partial blame for consistently over using M in the Dench years. Then add his snail pacing. Factor in Bond's inability to talk to women in anything but whispered tones... on and on.
If EON was in real control, he wouldn't have made it to a pitch meeting, but if he had, here's how it should have gone...
Mendes: I want to make Bond older and lost a step.
EON: We just rebooted the character that's dumb.
Mendes: It will add drama.
EON: But skipping an athlete's prime is unsatisfying to the audience.
Mendes: I want to make a statement about middle age.
EON: Uh-huh. Well thank you very much for coming down... can we validate your parking?
Again, I like SF well enough for what it is, but I do empathize with those who hate Mendes, not only for getting two, but his "era" has spanned just way too long...
Skyfall was very popular with fans on here though as well as being a massive hit, so I think it had that balance. Obviously some people didn't like it but there will always be a minority who doesn't like something. You're never going to please everyone but I think in the internet age of rewatching and analysing, Skyfall was about as close as you can get.
I don't want another one because they've done that now, but something that gets the same sort of reaction should be what they strive for because that's about as good a reaction you can get imo. Obviously the ideal would be a massive hit and everyone is happy but that's impossible.
This.
@ Remington - I agree. SF is better as a standalone film then as a follow up to QOS.
No question for me. SF is the best standalone Craig experience. CR is right there too though - but it also works great with QOS right after.
Does EON know what made it so successful? Did they draw the right lessons? One could argue that they didn't. Mother was a hit, so why not go for brother next time. Cinematography was highly rated and Roger wants no part of the next one, so let's get Hoyte. What, no digital cameras to illuminate the frame you say? No problem, we'll compensate with a filter. Plot not coherent? No worries, it didn't matter last time after all. Let's focus on the themes. Hopefully you catch my drift.
Ultimately I think they have to either
1. go in a very different direction with the next one. Try something new. Be daring. It will either succeed or it won't, but at least it won't be considered boring, which was the charge leveled at the last one. I had hoped that they would go all the way, but can live with a baby step in Hodge/Boyle.
or:
2. go for what has worked time and time again for Bond, and that is the formulaic template. It's the most successful repetitive formula in history, allowing for variations in budget, caper, locations and actor. The most memorable and successful films in the series have executed on the formula very well over the decades, and that is why they remain iconic.
----
SF was an anomaly. An exception. I've always felt that it is a bit like FRWL in this respect. Before I get chewed out by purists as a blasphemer, let me clarify! I mean that it's sufficiently different from the rest of the films in the canon while still retaining Bond DNA.
The issue, I feel, is that one can only do an SF type film so often. Every now and then, one should go back to the well and what made Bond the most consistently successful franchise, and that is the formula, executed to perfection in all its requisite elements. At least in my humble view, that wasn't SP.
Well said.
Does formula work with twice the gap? Maybe with that extended time, maybe people want something more original. Who knows. It's hard to say.
Honestly, might as well just go nuts at this point. If they want to do formula again they should do it when Craig's done. Get a young actor, churn those bad boys out like Marvel movies, and you got another golden age of Bond again.
Personally I prefer the modern approach of taking more time, and actually saying something, rather than churning out the same thing with a new skin. Sf was very different, and that was what got people interested in Bond again, same with CR.
Come to think of it, back when it came out, I was a die hard fan of SP.
@DonnyDB5 I hope you're enjoying our wonderful weather.
Jesus, if brothergate doesn’t get you a straight jacket and padded cell what will?
For Christ's sake you two, be careful. EON are listening, and they've already:
-sent Bond to space
-had him fight a dwarf
-had JP Pepper in, twice
-showed us Joe Don Baker's ass
-and etc etc
Please, please don't give them any ideas.
Up next in Bond 25: OO7 fights a dwarf in space after hijacking a spaceship with a CGI J.W. Pepper onboard, Joe Don Baker shows up to reveal his new tattoo, and Christoph Waltz returns as Blofeld with the news that he is the cousin of the nephew of the accountant of Bond's second great aunt Mathilda's husband Rupert.
So say all of us, friend, but it's still wise to be careful what you wish for . . .
Let's hope so.