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Comments
I think the action scenes in both of Craig's excellent first two outings are raw and full of energy, those two films get me excited when I watch them plus Arnold's music elevates the action even further.
The car chase in Quantum makes you feel like you are with Bond in the Aston Martin, I love that pre title sequence.
The M:I movies are OK. But no more, and they don't in the least rival Bond for my taste. I've seen all of them except the latest one, and I forgot all about them (couldn't remotely recall the plot right now) except for the first one which was preserved in my memory because I watched it twice - something I so far have not desired regarding the others. Quite unlike almost all of the Bond movies.
I remember when I watched both SF and SP at the cinema there were moments when I was willing those films to ramp it up and go for it, great action gets your heart racing whether it be the Ski and Toboggan chases in OHMSS, Lotus in TSWLM or the Bond and Trevelyan fight during the GE finale, I could go on though the key factor is every time I watch those scenes they feel fresh.
Those scenes certainly have that factor. I had that same feeling when watching SF and SP at the cinema as you did, and with SP it was the first time I've left the cinema after watching a Bond film, feeling annoyed.
SP visually looks good like say viewing a painting though the film has so many bad decisions and the script is very weak.
Lea Seydoux is a microcosm of the film, I find her low key which borders on dull and boring.
SP did have a good start in Mexico though it's all down hill as soon as that abysmal title song kicks in.
It's actually quite a good song, it's the singer that turns me off.
Check this:
That young ladies vocal is considerably better, SP is the only Bond film that I fast forward the title sequence.
This.
This one is rather strange I think. I know I've seen her in a French film (can't remember the title), where she was quite good. Makes you wonder what happened with the direction in her scenes. It's like it wasn't much direction at all.
For me it's when Bond lands on that sofa. It's such a lame joke, I think. Better suited for an advertisement (or a Johnny English film)!
There does need to be a good balance between the spying and the action. For all its action, some of the most satisfying scenes in TND for me were when Bond broke into Carver's Hamburg HQ. Same with Craig Bond's shadowing in CR and other moments of just being a spy.
But it seems the action isn't nearly as memorable in the last 2 Bonds. In particular I can't figure why so many are keen on SF's teaser. I've seen chases like the beginning on television series. The motorcycle chase didn't even seem as good as the one in TND and the fight on the train was just okay.
Please don't tell me these aren't action films as many people will recall stunts like the TSWLM parachute jump and numerous others when they think of this series. It's what the trailers are all about. Add them to the tropes like the tuxedos, girls and other things that make a Bond film unique and it's the perfect combination when done right. And when there's a lack of anything memorable in the action department it makes for less thank thrilling times for me, at least, which is why the past two have been relative disappointments for me.
People don't go to the MI films talking about the undercover parts of it, they go for the action, but I'll be if the scene with Cruise in tux at the opera with its perfect blend of suspense and creative action doesn't make me think it was something that should've been in a Bond movie. The plane stunt at the beginning was hardly the only good stunt, such as the Bond films are in a rut with these days.
Parkour - Classic. Superb on every level.
Miami - Excellent. Brilliantly paced.
Venice - Underrated. Brilliantly choreographed sequence that in the hands of a lesser director would be a right royal mess. The cinematography (particularly lighting) is superb.
Overall: As good as it gets.
QoS
Aston - Excellent. Kinetic and brutal. Highlight - Craig looking cool as f*** when he dispatches the final goon.
Boat - A straight Bourne rip-off, ill-conceived and sloppily choreographed.
DC-9 - Pointless. Action for the sake of it. The free fall is a travesty.
Perla de las Dunas - Good. Great location, nicely covered and choreographed. Find the whole thing gives off a DN vibe - which is a huge positive.
Overall: Must do better.
SF
Istanbul - Outstanding. Brilliantly conceived, shot and paced. Highlight - Bond leaping from the JCB.
London Chase - Decent. The pursuit aspect works and at times excels, but the tube set piece is a let down. Climactic shoot-out = excellent.
Skyfall - Brilliant. A unique finale with some of the most phenomenal cinematography seen in any Bond film - ever.
Overall: Considered with moments of brilliance.
SP
Mexico City - Decent. Moments of excellence (Dan swaggering along the roof top) marred by poor CGI. A classic example of trying to out do yourself, when perhaps the better option is to strip it back.
Rome Chase - Decent. I’ve no real issue with this. It’s evocative of some of the more frivolous moments in the earlier films.
Austria - Not for me. I don’t understand what they were trying to achieve with this sequence. Every beat is telegraphed. No surprises, no changes of pace and no invention.,
Morocco - Passable. The shoot out is akin to a video game, but Craig looks great and I can buy it. I also have no problem with the gargantuan explosion, in isolation.
London - Bizarre. I’m quite fascinated by this sequence. It manages to be simultaneously hackneyed, yet bizarrely intriguing. It feels like a nightmarish dreamscape, which to me in appropriately Bondian. It’s in the plotting and stakes that it’s left wanting.
Overall: Hit and Miss.
Going forward: Keep the action to a minimum. One unique, inventive set piece, plus one thrilling, seat of your pants sequence. Pepper the rest with combat akin to the CR stairwell fight.
Confronting Bond with Vesper's death firsthand (and isolating them underwater after he's eliminated the competition--he's won the battle but must still lose) is epic and important. Modern, smart, adult, it crystallizes the character in the spirit of Fleming.
The alternative was to show Bond's anger at her betrayal as he reads her letter, spurring him on to go after the bad guys. Great in prose, but the film medium isn't set up for that.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a great contrast--keeping Fleming there I agree is essential, the events and what's on screen says it all.
And the CR ending would've said it all also, but they didn't have the strength of their convictions in that case sadly, and instead opted for the safe Hollywood spectacle finale. Very brave of the producers there.
The letter on screen for the audience to read--static camera, or it pans down timed for reading. Or Vesper's voice-over. Bond's voice-over. Or no reveal of the content at all. Strings on the soundtrack, or alternately no music. Does Bond show Dalton-level venting of frustration. Or the angered cool of Connery. Is an eyebrow raised. Tie straightened.
Again, to me the producers and filmmakers were bold many times over. From the reboot itself and casting Craig. And not least to the changes for Bond's torture and later Vesper's death. They improved from book to film.
You, Sir, have my utmost respect. Succinctly and excellently put.
With regards to how do they portray it, that's where they have the freedom to be creative. There are almost infinite possibilities of how to film that ending, dependant on what effect they are going for. But even if they did want to break from how the book ended, it still could and should have been neater. There was no need to Micheal bay it. That was the most lazy, safe option possible.
Michael Bay? The moment he holds her lifeless body is one of the greatest moments in Bond - ever. I’d argue it’s the single greatest scene in any Bond film. It’s incredible.
Yes I would, but that is a much smaller offense when compared with the needless inclusion of another grand set piece in a film already ampily supplied with them. This was just pointless excess that didn't serve any story function and made the film much longer than necessary.
I can see they wanted Vesper to die,and the actual death and aftermath are excellent,but im sure they could have found a better way to do it.
Yes, as soon as Le Chiffre falls over dead, really the only remaining plot point to get to is the final reveal, and yet there's still about half an hour of actual movie left to sit through. It's just too long and elaborate for the story they have left to tell, and I felt the same way the first time I watched it in the cinema in 2006.
It was character development for Bond. It's also meant to feel like a actual romance. Something that hasn't happened before or since much. It's a unique fact that makes CR a better Bond adventure.
I never really cared for it, and it's about as close to the novel's ending as the Frank Langella DRACULA climax is to Stoker.
Boring people.
Well said.
Wasn t he the one who got green in his face from sucking blood from a girl who wasn t a virgin?