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Comments
Honestly I kind of feel this was a great, by-the-book Bond film. Just with one huge difference at the very end, lol.
Oh dear. I don't have enough time to point out all the directorial/production mistakes that make CR far from perfection. The fake bg in the embassy explosion scene alone downgrades CR significantly.
I did state 'in my opinion'
It's perfection for a Bond film. IMO.
It was a great film. I'll need some time to digest it.
I had watery eyes. I watched until the end credits.
I legit cried.
You are not alone my friend
I cried 3 times during the movie. First when Bond visited Vesper's grave, then when Felix died and obviously when commander Bond "ended his service".
As someone who has been a Bond fan practically whole my life, since I was 5 or 6 this movie hit hard. I would even go that far and say that I exited that cinema as a different person. Part of me is forever gone, I don't know...
I still appreciate this profound feeling even though I want to rage at producers, writers etc.
In that light, Spectre and Blofeld needed to be resolved in this final instalment, because Craig-Bond had been after them since CR (whether he knew them as Quantum or Spectre) and, as far as traditional Bond fans are concerned, his "revenge for Vesper" story arc could only truly be completed with their final destruction and Blofeld's death.
However the death of Felix smacks of "Game of Thrones syndrome". The fashion for continually killing of previously recurring characters for the sake of shock value is becoming as predictable as the old "Hollywood syndrome" where beloved characters always survived seemingly terminal situations. It's tired "old hat" by this time
Felix was not a loose end in need of resolution, unlike Blofeld and Spectre. There have been many different iterations of Felix and I'm sure there will be more in the future
Killing Felix (or Mathis) off is like killing of Moneypenny or Travers or M or Q, it can be done in the short term, but you know that eventually they will return, so it would be better to avoid the continuity anomaly.
Then the other hand, we are left with the new loose ends of a Bond ex with a kid to be ignored or...? And also the confusion of a future Bond resurrection to reckoned with
They go to all the trouble of killing Bond off in the most emphatic way they could imagine… and then under cut it with a "James Bond will return"
How is the viewer, who they have just spent nearly three hours striving to have swept up in the emotion of Bond's tragic demise in that moment, meant to reconcile that in their minds?
Kind of breaks the spell doesn't it?
Can the producers have their cake and eat it too?
I guess "James Bond will return" is there to mollify and reassure those in the audience who are feeling that Bond's death is sacrilege, but it can only be completely baffling to anyone who might be watching their first Bond movie.
The film goes out of it's way to emphasise that the character is dead and is not coming back, and then tells you not to worry, he will return?
"James Bond" is dead, but Daniel Craig will return in "Knives Out 2"
"Craig-Bond" is dead, but "James Bond" will return
I love madeleine and mathilde more somehow with a second viewing. The ending didn’t stick as well this time with some of the plot holes others pointed out but still felt earned and impactful. I also mentioned in my first reactions that I fell in love with madeleine almost immediately in this film somehow after being completely underwhelmed with SP. I found the moment that did it, when she looks up at bond in the Aston Martin in the square after begging him to do something when they’re surrounded. The face she makes just tore me up. Beautiful performance.
You know, I was just rewatching FRWL, and the way the camera positively fixates upon Connery's semi-naked body, in the scene with Eunice Gayson lusting all over him near the beginning of the film, rivals anything during the Craig years and is as strong as any filmic "gaze" upon a female character in the entire series ....
This annoys me as well. It reeks of short-sightedness and arrogance on their part. Personally I don't care what they do. I'm done with them. The subversion will only get worse, anyway. As far as I'm concerned the last Bond movie is Spectre.
Funnily enough I thought the Cuba bit didn't quite live up to what it should have been: it was just a bit of a fight, really, whereas for me it needed to be something a bit crazier and sparkier- more of a fun time. Like most of the action scenes it was a bit uninspired and with very little in the way of 'Bond moments'. In a way I can't help but compare it to something like the opera bit from Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, where it was essentially Ethan and Ilsa's 'first date' and worked in the same way in that film as a relatively light hearted action set piece with a male and female lead getting to know each other, and I thought that was much more successful in terms of spark and humour -and invention in the action- than this was.
I also think that Cuba didn't serve Nomi well at all considering that she had just been set up as an adversary to Bond- she's barely in it. I can imagine a version where it's more playful between the two of them and they get to have a bit of interplay. I feel like we didn't even really get a reaction from Nomi from having lost there: I can imagine her giving Bond a smile and a salute or something as he makes off which would make her feel more on his level.
Yeah I think that's a great way of putting it. I think watching it no-one is really surprised that he dies, almost from the moment he says he needs to stay behind- dramatically it feels inevitable. He's done all he needs to do and it is the path of the tragic hero. It doesn't mean it doesn't feel sad (hugely sad) and we certainly don't want it to happen, but it has to happen- it's just the path we're left with.
What I really loved was that the moment which is usually a dramatic climax in any other Bond film -the death of the main villain- is nothing more than a perfunctory side note here. Like Bond, we don't really care that Safin dies and because of his actions we don't even want to give him the satisfaction of his death being glorified. He's simply put down and we move on, because this is all about Bond - and Madeline too.
It's also nice to see how much Felix meant to him- he really does care about people.
It also leads to that great moment in the confrontation with M: we suspect M has possibly gone down the wrong path and then badmouths Felix, but then Bond tells M Felix is dead and M breaks off from his attack on Bond to honestly pay his respects to Felix. We know he's still a good man.
It would have been much better for the non-death fans had it concluded with Spectre. To me, that’s the end of the arc. No more viewings of NTTD. Once is a plenty. Box office underperforming in the US, badly. Qos will beat NTTD. I asked a friend going to a large theatre today if he is going to watch Bond, he always has. He said, “no way I’m wasting 3 hours to see James Bond die. We are going to watch something else.” I asked how he knew and he said “Facebook.” I asked another friend, if he was going, got a very similar response. Word is out, and this is going to hurt the franchise a lot more than some think. Casino Royale has to “earn” back fans after the disaster known as DAD...but this is far, far worse imo. Projecting $57-$60 mill box office now. Some totals were $90 to $100. Wow.
Spoiler tags are only to keep everything tidy.
Comments 1-20
2. There's music already playing before the gunbarrel, like in Spectre. I had a feeling that would be the case, though I was hoping for silence out of sheer tradition. But it works well either way. Will Daniel Craig have filmed another gunbarrel or will they reuse the one from Spectre? On the one hand, that one was perfect for me so I'll be happy if they reuse it (especially for continuity's sake), and on the other hand, it's always exciting to see a new gunbarrel.
3. The Universal logo turns into the gunbarrel. Wow!
4. It's a new gunbarrel for Craig then, and finally wearing a tux! The first time I watched Spectre, it felt surreal and strange to see a new gunbarrel, one not yet assimilated into my psyche. It's the same feeling this time. The way it opens into the first shot of the film reminds me of a fan edit someone did of the PTS of QoS. It was scored by Rich Douglas. Probably still on YouTube.
5. I didn't pay enough attention to the gunbarrel music, I must say. It sounded nice enough in a general sense, but I was too entranced by the images to really notice it. Maybe on a second watch.
6. Interesting opening shot with the camera pointing downwards.
7. I see, it's Madeleine's childhood. Scenes set in the past are not common in these films. Will this be a Bond-less pre-title sequence, like in LALD and TMWTGG?
8. That mask is very creepy, but memorable. Bond films are more scary and intense these days if you ask me. Not from beginning to end of course, just in certain moments.
9. So this guy's name is Safin. I do know the main bad guy is called that and is played by Rami Malek, but he's too young to be this Safin, considering Madeleine is a child. Maybe this is another Safin... Malek's father?
10. (So weird to be writing the words Rami Malek. It's like I've been let out of spoiler jail, a jail of my own making.)
11. Great transition into the present. And... there's Bond. I haven't seen Craig's face in a while; I was wondering how he had aged since Spectre. Looks good to me.
12. Okay, so we're in Italy. I was wondering where the PTS would be set.
13. We have all the time in the world... both the phrase and the music show up. We're leaning more explicitly into the Bond mythos this time around.
14. I love Bond's brown/blue attire as he goes to Vesper's grave.
15. A beumb! That's gotta hurt. Elegant touch, leaving the Spectre card.
16. Love Bond hiding behind the stone to avoid the car. And the jump off the bridge!
17. Solid music score so far!
18. Poisoning Bond's mind against Madeleine, then. I was expecting her to die in the PTS, prompting Bond to get back into the service. Maybe she's just a traitor?
19. Bond is reflecting on his relationship problems, but Madeleine is getting nervous as the enemy gunfire continues. The car can take the heat for a couple of minutes, just let Bond get his mind in order. Ha!
20. Great transition into the title sequence. And a reference to Dr. No with the dots!
Comments 21-40
22. First time I'm hearing this song. For some reason I expected it to be louder; it's rather quiet and intimate. Not sure about Ms. Eilish's vocals but on a first listen it's hard to form an opinion. That'll come later.
23. Breaking into a building to steal a virus from a hi-tech lab. This is right up my alley.
24. That scientist guy is goofy. I like this.
25. Heracles. That explains the statues.
26. This film is not telling us the names of the locations. I like it better this way.
27. Delectado.
28. That car following Bond's vehicle makes me think of Dr. No. And we're in Jamaica, of course.
29. Felix Leiter, you might be an old fraud but it's great to see you back. A modern nightclub; not the usual setting for a Bond film.
30. As he gets in the jeep, Bond takes an ugly bite out of the snack and throws the wrapper to the side. He's turning into a slob.
31. Nice-looking woman. Nomi, you say? Then you must be the Bond girl that isn't Ana de Armas.
32. I must say I'd never seen Ms. Lynch in a film before. I didn't even know her face.
33. I like the friendly sense of competition as Bond spots Nomi arriving in Santiago. I didn't even know until now this film was set in Cuba.
34. There she is, Ms. Ana de Armas. She looks ravishing, and her character is charming and funny. A definite highlight of the film.
35. Craig is pretty lighthearted as Bond this time around. He has taken certain acting tendencies that emerged in Spectre and pushed them further. I'm having fun with his performance, as it is very charismatic, though I feel those tendencies could've been toned down in a couple of places.
36. This whole sequence in Cuba is great... the twist with the deadly trap, the competition to capture Obruchev... But the magnificent Ana de Armas is leaving the film-- an absolute shame. Incidentally, I liked hearing her pronounce Leiter's name in Spanish ("Fuh-lix" instead of "Fee-lix").
37. Nasty wound. Bond's trying his damnedest but it doesn't look like Felix is going to make it... nope, that's it for him.
38. So that's what all that "female 007" stuff meant. I rather like this as a source of humor. Nomi is worried she'll lose her standing. There is some fun banter between her and Bond.
39. Bond is too arrogant in his first meeting with Mallory. But I love seeing them warming up to each other once again in their next scene, to the tune of... On Her Majesty's Secret Service?! Also, in the scene at Q's home, is that a reference to the disastrous USB flash drive incident from Skyfall?
40. Nanotechnology, a cool idea. I want to point out the Bond films have finally caught up with Everything or Nothing, the video game.
Comments 41-60
42. We meet again, Blofeld. Great re-introduction to the character with the approaching cage. Craig's performance is the polar opposite of his performance in Skyfall. It's very animated, and his gestures when talking with Tanner about his "interrogation methods" are overdone, even for me, a fan of his work in Spectre. But I definitely prefer this type of acting to Skyfall's. There is a certain electricity in Bond's almost mockingly cordial exchanges with Blofeld. And of course, Blofeld is an expert at that sort of thing as well. So is Christoph Waltz.
43. Blofeld's dead. Finished. The least we can expect now is a little plain. solid. work.
44. So Bond has a family now. Interesting. Not the kind of stuff I expect to see in a Bond film but it's a logical progression for the story. And there's bit of that in the novel YOLT.
45. I love this stuff about Safin's family having fallen victim to Spectre. Also, if I understood correctly, his father participated in developing the poison for Spectre, and it was then used by Spectre against him? If so, cool idea. I always wanted Spectre (the film) to show Spectre (the organization) having overthrown Quantum. We didn't get that, but this is something like it. Turmoil inside criminal organizations.
46. Bond lets Ash get a feel for the car and my mind goes back to FYEO. Bad ass.
47. Inspiration from the novel YOLT with the garden of death, naturally.
48. I like this: Bond gets his watch, his equipment, his 00 number, and off he goes with Nomi to the bad guy's island. Classic stuff.
49. That scientist guy is becoming seriously annoying now.
50. Safin is a scary bastard. I like that the stakes here are really high-- the whole world is in danger. Great dialogue from Safin about what he thinks people want in their lives. Bond is in a particularly vulnerable situation here, considering the child.
51. I know Bond's kneeling down thing is a trick, though they let it play out for a little too long. Safin escapes through the floor-- very YOLT (the film).
52. Nomi finally shuts up that scientist in the most brutal of ways. He is so physically harmless and so goofy it's easy to forget he's a sick maniac. Whoops, not anymore!
53. Okay, Bond survived the grenade. But what about the other ten?
54. No sweat, really. Bond now deals with the goons in the staircase. Some stylish long shots and cool action here. Brilliant use of the watch to take out the cycloptic henchman.
55. Some months ago I saw a photo of Craig wearing suspenders over some white T-shirt or something, and I thought it was from Cowboys & Aliens. Surprised to see Bond wearing this (though it's not a T-shirt).
56. That's it, the missiles can do their work now. Or maybe not.
57. Safin has poisoned Bond. Rats. Now I'm thinking he'll leave Madeleine and daughter behind, ending his days in solitude in a remote place. A dramatic ending is around the corner.
58. He's been shot but I thought he had that in control. He's moving too slowly up those stairs. They want us to think he might not survive... they're milking this scene for every last drop of suspense. And it's working, I am in suspense.
59. Okay, it appears that remote thought, that distant possibility is becoming the most likely scenario. Is Bond going to die? I'm hoping the missiles will drop, everyone will assume he died and at the end we will find out he got away and he's living in some distant, secluded place, all by himself.
60. Dead. Dead?! What?! Dead.
Comments 61-69 and ending
62. Dead?!
63. Nope. A toast to Bond. I like that last toast to the glass sitting on the table. Fairly touching. Though the scene needed to be a bit longer, with a little more time to take in what just happened.
64. Dead?!
65. And We Have All the Time in the World plays again, this time in full. Funny coincidence that I referenced this song and NTTD in my user location message before even knowing NTTD had such a connection to the song.
66. No reference to the departed Roger Moore and Sean Connery in the credits. I wish they had mentioned them.
67. This is a good film. Even the ending might fit that description. But at the moment I don't think it's a good Bond film, at least in regards to the ending. It left me feeling frankly uncomfortable and annoyed, as if they had made a catastrophically wrong decision. I wish it ended differently. Let's see how I feel about the ending as the days go by. Maybe I'll feel the same way, or get used to it and see it in a more positive light. I feel completely off balance at the moment.
68. But the score appears to be very good, as the credits music confirms again.
69. After the film ends, a fellow moviegoer tells me he liked the film, though he finds the title contradictory, considering Bond did have, well, time to die. I'd have to check out the lyrics of the song to really understand how they approached that phrase, but I can see his point.
Anyway, I'm off to do all the things I didn't do before. Listen to the song, the score, watch and read the interviews, look at the posters and photos, etcetera. Maybe I'll write a proper, formal review of the film and its score, and something about my experience avoiding spoilers.
Dead?!
I think there is incredible potential in Bond surviving NTTD. I've come up with the precredit scene for Bond 26!
Gun barrel opening with new actor.
Scene transitions to two surveillance drones scanning the ruins of of Safin Island. The information is relayed back to MI6 and a man (we assume M, not Ralph Fiennes) is looking at a large display screen. The data on screen states:
"No life signature. Agent James Bond 007 killed in action."
We cut to a mountain range in Northern Europe. A narrow road cuts through the range. A convoy is en route to a top secret location. The convoy consists of armoured cars protecting a military truck. As the convoy travels through the precarious winding road, five super advanced gliders appear on the horizon. Jet propelled gliders. They have mounted missile launchers.
The gliders dart down and attack the convoy. There is a huge missile and gun battle. Gliders vs convoy. Two of the gliders land on the roof of the military truck. One of the glider assassins is...
James Bond!
Bond cuts through the roof of the truck with a mini laser. The action scene continues through the winding road. Edge of the road stuff. Thousand foot drop!
Bond enters the truck and fights the guards inside. Kills them. Bond and another assassin hack into a computer within the truck interior. Data is downloading onto Bond's watch.
The driver is killed by other assassins and the truck is out of control. It's heading over the edge of the road. Bond manages to download all the data just before the truck plummets over the road into the canyon below. He escapes in typical Bond fashion.
Cut to later...
A small town. A village. The glider assassins arrive via car into the village. The men get out of car. A man (not a glider assassin) welcomes the men. He tells Bond (Bond's name is not mentioned) that "Mr X wants to see you."
Bond enters a local bar, walks to the back. He activates a door panel and enters a lift. The lift goes down a few levels. Bond exits lift and enters a room. A man is sitting at a desk studying a screen. On display: the location of the convoy attack.
Mr X says,
"I understand the mission was a success. You have the data."
Bond takes off his watch and hands it to Mr X.
Bond says,
"It's there. Everything you want."
Mr X looks at the watch. He sees the data folder on the watch's screen.
Mr X says,
"Impressive. My men informed me you equipped yourself well. You are the type of individual that can benefit our cause."
Bond says,
"If you pay me enough."
Mr X says,
"A pragmatist. Or should I call you a... mercenary?"
Bond doesn't indulge the question.
Mr X says,
"Regardless.... you're hired, Mr....?
Bond says coldly,
"Bond. James Bond."
Opening titles roll. Theme song starts.
______________________________________________
That's the start of Bond 26. MI6 believe Bond is dead. The precredit action scene sets up Bond's first mission for the new enemy. Bond agrees to work for the bad guys! Later on in the story we find out how Bond survived the missile strike at the end of NTTD and the events leading up to Bond joining the bad guys.
Bond has suffered a degree of amnesia. He remembers his name and some of his past life. He does a search online and finds out he was a MI6 employee but he's not aware he's a 00. That is classified information. He can't remember Madeleine, his daughter Mathilde, M and the others.
I think starting Bond 26 with Bond's first mission for the bad guys, getting top secret information which is integral to the main plot, and Bond saying who he is and then we cut to the titles.... can work. It can be dramatic and film goers will think "wow, Bond is alive and working for someone, not M!"
This could have major potential and a more interesting way forward than a full reboot. Well maybe. 😉
Update - I wrote this late at night so a few typos might be in text. Please ignore any typos.
Dead!
Eh, why not. You could go the novel-YOLT route and just make it so the missiles blasted him into the sea where he washed ashore somewhere.
At least in the novel, however, Bond was part-way through his escape, and the explosion came from far behind him, rather than immediately in front of him / all around him.
The problem with that is it completely eliminates any possible stakes in your Bond 26. If Bond could survive a missile coming down immediately in front of him, he can survive anything. They nearly did it in Skyfall, but twice is too much. Being shot and thrown off a bridge is one thing; how're we supposed to feel any tension at all if the character can survive a cruise missile?
Thank you! And that word will haunt me for days, haha.
To me the question is, who wanted this? I'm not referring to people who are fine with the ending, I mean people who actually wanted it before knowing it. Eon must have known they'd lose fans. They know that recent franchises have died because of decisions like this. TLJ is the most divisive SW movie to date and it's basically credited with killing the entire sequel trilogy (although I'd argue it was stupid and pointless from the get-go, the story ended with ROTJ) and practically nobody saw the last Terminator movie where they bumped off John Connor. I don't think NTTD will bomb, I'm just wondering... why? It seems so completely pointless, like Eon just wanted to give their current Bond actor a big, emotional send-off and didn't care how it would impact the character's image, the fans, or the rest of the series.