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Comments
That is Bond! And me sometimes.
THEN
I'll admit that this was truly one of the most disappointing experiences I have ever had in a movie theatre, more so because it came from my favourite franchise.
I saw nothing positive about any of it, whether it be acting, score, direction, script, jokes, dialogue, casting etc. etc. Even Marceau (who I was so looking forward to) was overall a let down (although she's the best thing about it by far imho).
The film is most notable for me in starting the tragic trend of giving Dench's M more field time.
I've ranted about this film on other threads here, and I'm actually a little ashamed that I dislike it so much, because I generally do not have such strong negative feelings about any film.
NOW
It never improves, and actually gets worse. I now prefer to skip it when doing Bondathons.
So, it's a then.
Then-4
Now-
Tie-1
I'd better get out of here quickly after this rant, 'or someone's gonna have my ass'.
To put it this way, if you were in a room full of people and asked them which was there favourite Bond film, i'd be surprised if anyone mentioned TWINE.
I agree. I would rather Paris had been the main girl and Wai could've been Carver's henchwoman. The idea of Bond reunited with a woman out of his past who shared an adventure with him that we hadn't seen is an intriguing one(although not completely original due to Goodnight in TMWTGG and Pola in AVTAK) and maybe EON will try this again and do it better in a future Bond adventure though I think they should wait until the post-Craig era to try it.
Thanks, royale65. Been staying away to avoid SPECTRE spoilers.
Agreed. It should've been Brosnan's OHMSS or CR but EON and/or MGM didn't have the courage back in 1999 to go that route. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of TWINE is it gives us a glimpse of how CR probably would've turned out had they gotten the rights to film it 7 years earlier.
As for me concerning TWINE, I was somewhat disappointed when it was first released but I still found it watchable enough. Post-CR, my opinion of it has dropped dramatically. CR effectively showed us how a more serious themed Bond film could and should be made. Looking at it now TWINE plays like a schizophrenic mixture of OHMSS and AVTAK, not exactly a compatible combo to say the least.
Then-5(corrected)
Now-
Tie-1
And so it came to pass that in November of 1999 (now aged 21) I went with a group of friends to see TWINE... and it was a massive letdown. It had its moments, sure, but most of it was underwhelming. Casting Denise Richards was a poor idea. Renard's character had a lot of potential but was completely wasted. Many of the locations were quite drab. Worst of all though, the action scenes felt dull and uninspired.
After years of learning to accept it for what it is, TWINE has gone up some in my estimation. It still has major issues but I can also appreciate some of the things it does well. Sophie Marceau steals the show for me and I really enjoyed the chemistry she had with Brosnan. Despite the issues with the character, Carlyle gave a good performance. It was good to see Zukovsky return. Dench's M got more screen time and made the most of it. And who doesn't get emotional about Q's goodbye?
So, while it's never going to be in danger of cracking my top ten, I can honestly say that I like it better now than I did 16 years ago.
Then-4
Now- 1
Tie-1
The correct rankings at this point should be:
Then-5
Now- 1
Tie-1
Then-6
Now- 1
Tie-1
I appreciate that they were trying to give a bit more depth to Bond, but it misfired terribly. Renard is incredibly bland and Dr. Christmas Jones is probably one of the worst characters in Bond history. Also, what's up with these completely terrible supporting roles such as Gabor and Mr. Bullion.
Ah yes, how can you do so little with a great actor like Ulrich Thomsen?
Still adore Sophie Marceau, Robbie Coltrane, the Q/R scene and the Z8 though.
Definite then nevertheless.
Then-7
Now- 1
Tie-1
Die Another Day
Then –
My second cinema Bond. I should have guessed Die Another Day was going to be bad – the first time we see Brosnan, he's in front of a green screen (reminiscent of A View To A Kill and its PTS). I was enjoying it until the infamous ice dragster scene, whereby Bond's ice dragster goes off a cliff. I actually audibly snorted. If anyone was in the Robins cinema, in Bath (now “The Egg”), that was me. I was drained by the end of it. My mates seemed to like it – we were 14 year old boys after all. But I was unsure. Something bothered me. For the first time, Bond had disappointed me.
Still, I thought the first half of the movie, more than compensated for the weak second half. Thus I slotted Die Another Day into my top ten.
Now –
Die Another Day is a film of two halves. The first being brisk, inventive, and stuffed full of terrific action. And the second is bloated, full of poor gags and PlayStation 1 standard CGI.
Then - 1
Now -
Tie -
WorstBond film ever, then and now,
Then - 1
Now -
Tie - 1
Then - 2
Now -
Tie - 1
Then- 3
Now-
Tie- 1
Then- 3
Now- 1
Tie- 1
It's not just because it was bad. It's that, for the first time in my life, I had lost hope in the series moving forward. From what I've read, this was the same type of experience that many "originals" had while watching Moonraker. I can remember walking out of that theater and thinking, "Oh God, they just need to stop making Bond movies. They are pissing all over Cubby's legacy." Obviously an overreaction, although it was sincerely felt at the time. I really was afraid that nothing good would ever come out of this franchise again.
This was the culmination of a long series of events. I had changed so much since 1995's GoldenEye. I know some of you were disappointed by that one but for me, as a 17 year old, it was the s***. The subsequent films had gone from disappointing to abysmal. This had as much to do with my own personal journey of self discovery as anything else. DAD was not necessarily on my path to enlightenment. I had found myself and I had found myself disappointed with the direction that the series had taken.
These days, I couldn't possibly be so brutally disappointed by DAD. Sure, it still sucks hard, but I know it's just another entry and not the death of 007 as I know it. Apparently, there is some fun to be had after all. There was a member here who was so adamant that everyone just loved DAD at the time and it wasn't until years later that the criticisms began. I've been aching to share this story for so long. Although it's strange to say this about a film that currently checks in at dead last in my rankings, I do find more enjoyment in it now than on first viewing.
Then - 3
Now - 3
Tie - 1
Time & better Bond movies heal all wounds.
Truer words were never spoken.
:)>-
I was so much looking foreward to this film. The posters seemed very cool (the ones with the PPK with silencer in ice) and as the film started, it looked as if it was going the right way. Sure, the hovercraft chase was stupid, with that shooting at mines and flamefrower stuff, Bond clearly diving off of the machine and then turning up at the front. But that was passeable. Saved by the bell perhaps. But, like the hovercraft, the film suddenly took an enormous dive when Q introduces the 'Vanish'. Still, the film had its redeeming qualities. But after several viewings the 'look-I-use-this-gadget-and-you-use-that-to-counter', as if it were some kind of cardgame car chase on ice lost any sense of excitement. Well I could go on but you know the rest.
Now
Any excitement there ever was in this film has vanished (no pun intended) completely. The lines have become even more obtrusive, the plotholes, and there are more in there then in swiss cheese, so obvious even a three year old points them out. For me there's no redeeming factor in the film. Except for the swordfight, which is cool enough. Pity they had that which start off the scene (with some more stupid lines to go with it).
Then - 4
Now - 3
Tie - 1
Then - 4
Now - 4
Tie - 1
I was so looking forward to this. The second Bond film I would see in the cinema, and I'd heard that it was going to be grittier and an interview in The Sunday Times Culture supplement promised a 'back to basics' approach. The first signs of the impending disappointment was my first listen of Madonna's title track. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Then I saw the film, and quite enjoyed the opening 20 mins - yeah, Bond is back! And it's gritty - Bond, captured and tortured! And then around about when Bond goes to London this film takes a nose dive into the ridiculous, the annoying and the disgraceful (bar an awesome sword fight and an alright car chase on the ice). Bad dialogue, bad CGI, bad acting. What was so annoying was it promised to be one type of Bond film and then takes the rug from your feet - ah, you thought you were getting a serious, gritty Bond, but we wanted to do a modern Moonraker-esque Bond really! This cheesed me off. If I had read that they were trying to do that kind of thing my expectations would have been completely different and I would probably have enjoyed it more. Overall it was the worst first viewing experience I've ever had of a Bond film - so much so that between 2002-2006 I actually became less interested in Bond. And that scene with Moneypenny! Dreadful! And that invisible car! Oh my!
Now
Now that I know what I'm going in for DAD has actually improved in repeated viewings. It is, however, still the worst Bond film. Thankfully they brought CR with DC which reignited my love of Bond.
Then - 4
Now - 5
Tie - 1
Casino Royale
Then –
When it was first announced that Brosnan would not be coming back, I was devastated. He always said that he would! Plus I would have liked to see his fifth film, surely in the vein of For Your Eyes Only. But it was not to be. The Bond series was in a funk. And it needed drastic measures to get it back on track.
Enter Daniel Craig. I saw the press conference, when he was revealed as the next 007. Certainly he did not look like any of the others. Understandably, Craig was nervous. Yet, I was quietly impressed. He said all the right things. Back to Ian Fleming. Craig liked the script. Fairly encouraging.
I watched Layer Cake, and I thought there could be something here. Cut to the teaser trailer for Casino Royale. I was flabbergasted. It was so different to the previous films. Brutal. And exciting. I must have watched the teaser dozens of times. Plus Craig favoured Guinness. And anyone who likes Guinness can't be too bad.
I saw Casino Royale on its opening night. The audience was electric. Everyone knew that this would be a very different Bond film, plus there was a new actor playing 007. “Yes. Considerably”, sold me on Craig as Bond. Then the thunderous main titles song, with the retro titles. I was hooked. This, as I realised, was how to make a Bond movie. During the 90's, one needed a slight hint of suspension of disbelieve. With Casino Royale, one didn't. The pace and inventiveness of Campbell's directing; the quality of the script; we saw proto Bond becoming the Bond we all know and love, and Craig's visceral performance, put the Brosnan movies to shame. Here was effectively a 60's Bond film. The cast was particularly fine. And the humour! Intelligent and witty, not painful innuendoes. Casino Royale is on a different level. It showed us that we didn't have to settle for second best.
This was a turning point for me personally, when I compared The World Is Not Enough's love story, with Casino Royale's, with Royale's being better in every conceivable way. The 90's films were made to please teenagers and Casino Royale was made for adults.
I wasn't overly keen on the sinking house. I would have preferred the film to mirror the novel. But other than that, I was completely stoked. The best night in the cinema I have ever experienced.
Now –
Casino Royale still has the magical “wow” factor, some ten years after the fact. I still get goosebumps. I still get excited.
Then - 1 - just because of that atmosphere in the cinema
Now -
Tie -
I had lost interest in new Bond films before Craig was revealed as the new 007. He was by far my favourite to take over, and personally I thought it would be between him and Julian McMahon. Everyone who saw CR before me said it was awesome, and that Craig was the best Bond ever. That is a lot to live up to, but I wasn t disappointed.
A decade later, the film holds up as one of the very best in the series, a triumph for Daniel and everyone else involved. It is a tie.
Then - 1
Now -
Tie -1