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Or maybe...the final showdown with Blofeld could have been in Oberhauser's childhood home in the Alps? Echoes of SF to be sure (and also OHMSS) but it would make as much sense as returning to the shell of MI6.
SP is infuriating precisely because there are many alternate versions that people have come up with that are better than the film we got.
This would've interesting, and a bit like Koskov trying to manipulate Bond into assassinating Pushkin in TLD.
I always thought the Tiarra Project in QOS needed more follow-up. Blofeld's big plot could have involved monopolizing the world's water supply in order to poison it with something, either the toxins from his Garden of Death or maybe even NTTD's nanobots.
It's frustrating because there were so many interesting things they could have done with Spectre but instead they settled for the least interesting plot imaginable: mass surveillance as payback for Bond being a better skier than Blofeld when they were kids.
That's oversimplifying it. Isn't that nature exactly what elevates ESB above the rest and makes him the most threatening (if done right)? Sort of the point of the character. The man who finally gets to Bond and can get away with it (for a time). A true challenge. And something different, something that would make the writers think and could actually impress an audience.
I'm not saying I want a five-film ESB narrative, but it's a great second-third movie plot though.
Exactly, and although we didn’t see a Blofeld in DN, we did hear about his organization, and then he’s the brains behind FRWL, TB, YOLT, OHMSS and DAF. Was Connery-Bond not very good at his job? Blofeld was the recurring villain for pretty much the first decade of Bond’s cinematic life.
And there's various ways to really make it work. ESB is also Spectre, an organization, with unknown means and ends. Where would Bond know where to stop, how would he know he got the last of them, etc. Evil organizations breed contingencies. It can be a lot of fun with a focused writer.
Eh, recent films haven't shown MI6 in general to be that competent. In CR the point was to bring back Le Chiffre and the money, and neither happened. In Skyfall M died, MI6 got bombed at Vauxhall, and hacked at the bunker. In NTTD Mallory created Heracles that led to Bonds death, Leiters death and an international incident (presumably) with Japan and Russia.
I’m in your camp on this one and agree it could be quite fun to explore.
Hell, at least it’s a jumping off point to explore antagonists (one being the entity itself, it’s leader, but also all the off-shoots).
You’re not only a mean driver, you’ve got creative juice too!!
Yes, EON will probably want a big overall villain for the next era. Bring on the YOLT gold tooth, instead!
I've found myself watching it the last couple of weeks, must admit it's grown in my affections.
Ooh! I don't hate it!
Yikes: don't watch the Connery 007 films then!
Bond 26- A freelance PMC is killing intelligence assets, Bond protects an asset, thwarts some assassination attempts, and tracks the PMC back to its base where he meets Blofeld and SPECTRE
Bond 27- An unrelated story, where SPECTRE are mentioned and they are believed to be the villains but instead the story runs as an MR adaptation
Bond 28- A DAF inspired story where weapons are being smuggled to a dodgy regime. Bond, via entering the pipeline, finds out weapons grade uranium is also being sold to be put in a dirty bomb. SPECTRE and Blofeld get away still.
Bond 29- An assassin sent from Blofeld, one of the world's best, chases Bond while Bond is sent to kill Blofeld.
As "SPECTRE'' opens we see that the Mi-6 is now more knowledgeable of Quantum and has been trying to gather more information on their operations. While tracking known members a disturbing trend is noticed, systematically Quantum operatives are being eliminated and the worldwide organization eradicated. The Americans, Russians and Chinese are considered as possibilities but that is quickly dismissed. It's more likely a competitor, a rival.
Bond is sent after one of the few remaining members of Quantum, Mr. White. After a game of cat and mouse Bond corners White and offers him protection. Terrified and hopeless White raises a gun to his head. Looking Bond in the eyes he pauses and takes a deep slow breath; exhaling he says a single word, "Spectre". The screen goes black to the sound of a gunshot.
We come to find that Quantum was a renegade faction of SPECTRE operatives. With the name of the organization to go by, Bond sets out to find the head of the snake; of course this leads to ESB
I can go on about why this was a beautifully conceived and executed film, but I’m so happy to hear that you’re finding things that are elevating your opinions!
I *love* the texture they added with this song:
I am very much pro-"No Time to Die", so this isn't a surprise, but that opening scene at Madeleine's house is *so* good. Every beat in it is just perfect. And then that cut decades later into the future with her coming out of the water — awesome.
It's short and It has a lot of action.
Is it the best Bond movie ever? No but it's the kind of movie Statham should have on his resume.
I still enjoy him in SF, SP & NTTD for sure. But I missed that unhinged tenacity of his CR/QoS Bond.
One cinematography moment in QOS that always irks me in a weird way is when Green and his men enter the hotel for the meeting with the General. For some reason it was decided that one of these shots should focus on some bowling balls in the foreground with them walking in the background. For other reasons it was decided to leave this in the final edit...
QOS actually has some good looking cinematography, but it's things like that and the cross cutting to the horse race/Tosca opera during which really give me first year Film School student vibes. Like it's consciously trying to be clever/well composed but it's ultimately meaningless.
The cross-cutting used to annoy the hell out of me, especially when, for half a second or so, we see an Italian man look up in confusion or anger after someone got shot by Mitchell. Yes, collateral damage is tragic, but you either explore it thematically, or you don't. This almost subliminal flash takes me out of the chase every time because I'm expecting a follow-up scene which I know I won't get. Yes, the editing of QOS is a compilation of strange choices which I have now, probably from seeing them so often, grown a weird liking for -- almost like Stockholm Syndrome. ;-)
Usually it's a case with editing where certain shot choices become clearer on rewatches because the film flows and everything kinda blends together naturally... with QOS it's because you can't actually make everything out.
The other scene that always confused and annoyed me is when Bond, M and Tanner are walking through MI6. There's a weird disregard for the basic rules of cinematography (the 180 degree rule mainly) and it's the weirdest thing trying to track where they're moving from shot to shot as the camera seems to radically shift position and the shots are so quick.
It's why I always suspect that a lot of the editing problems may well come down to how this film was shot. Actually some of the action sequences seemingly shot by the Second Unit are a lot better pieced together.
The tomato lady!
@mtm
I really don't like that moment. It seems intended for comedy? I mean, the woman is lamenting her broken jars, like in some old Laurel & Hardy flick. But that feels tonally awkward given the seriousness of Bond chasing Mitchell.
I actually don't mind that to be honest. It's not the best placed moment tonally (a lot of the time the double taking pigeons or drunk men looking at their wine bottles in disbelief are placed as a sort of cathartic moment of humour after a big Bondian scene -ie. when Bond is riding his inflated gondola down Venice after being chased, or when the Lotus exits the water) but it's not unprecedented for Bond and as a quick moment it's fine for me.
Something like a random cut to the aftermath of the shooting at the horse race as Bond leaps from the roofs in that QOS chase, for me, is more distracting.