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I agree. One of the strangest things about the current era is that, while the films are very similar and repetitive in tone, they’re also a strange mishmash. In CR we got an origin story, ending with Bond delivering the iconic line and the theme blaring, signaling that he is now Bond. Then in QOS we got another origin story, or origin story part 2, after it seemed as though the origin angle had already been wrapped up in CR. Immediately following this, we had SF showing Bond as old and washed up, trying to stay relevant. And SP was just a half-hearted attempt at doing the classic Bond formula while still shoehorning in the Craig era tropes of emotional involvement, personal connection, melodrama, and a lame, unconvincing love story. If the other three Craig films had the quality of CR and followed a logical path of character development thereafter, this era would have been far more engaging for me.
Tbh I never know what happened in which M:I film. That's the problem. I remember some of the stunts, and I understand Tom does most of them himself, but then they add so much CGI you never know if it was really dangerous or just a lot of spectacle. With Bond it's usually different. The one that went utterly wrong was DAD. But the crane jumping in CR i.e. is still breathtaking.
I did like the first MI movie. But then it turned into a big Tom Cruise celebration.
The hard clichés of the 1960s Bond films frequently had dialogue that was literally canned. Wasn't nearly every woman voiced by the same actress? And Quarrel and Felix are not any less cliché than Luther or Benji. It's escapist cinema, and you're missing out on the best of it!
Personally, I've never been a fan of the Bourne movies. I find them diverting enough and well-made, but they just aren't anywhere near Bond as a franchise for me and I have no desire to watch those more than once. They just don't work for me and I don't think I need to put down Bourne to feel better about Bond.
I think Natalya Simonova was a good middle point for me. She was neither a badass nor a helpless woman. In fact she was getting things done by herself until she got betrayed by Boris.
TSWLM, as much as I love it, tries to make Anya a badass and equal to Bond, but she was helpless against Jaws and has to be saved like a princess at the end.
Maybe the MI6 agent in this movie will be a femme fatale. I certainly would prefer that to a clumsy amateur who needs to be under Bond's wing. But we'll see.
NSNA is more fun than Thunderball, and Brandauer is a top 5 villain.
Barbara Broccoli has been kinda brilliant, and has navigated a world steeped in blockbuster franchises expertly. She has also managed to bring Bond back to something essential after the wayward post-GE Brozzer entries.
The vast bulk of Bond scores are great and we've been spoiled.
Robert Elswit's work on TND is rivalled only by Freddie Young and Michael Reed for pre-QoS Bond film lensing
After the obvious GOAT (Tracy) Pam Bouvier is the best Bond girl and the only truly successful "badass" one. The prom night ending is criminal however.
Agreed - I have been saying this for a long time.
Natalya effects the plot and can do things other characters can't. She is principled, resourceful and brave. She isn't an agent like Wai Lin, Camille or Triple X - yet she adjusts to the increasingly wild situtaions in a believable way.
Yes, I've always enjoyed that. It's a real point of difference for the series. Even compared with Tatiana in FRWL, Triple X in TSWLM and Melina in FYEO - Natalya gets a huge intro.
The Bourne films just repeat themselves and bore the arse off me.
At least MI is a fun,popcorn ride.
Agreed. Matt Damon said some rude and biased comments about Bond as well. Stupid political activist, telling people how to vote.
I think the issue is, Hunt, and the films that surround him, are live action cartoons. That's why some of us fail to remember one from the other. It's a Loony Tunes adventure, and little beyond that.
I have always gone to see the M:I films and apart from the third (which I quite liked and thought it was the best of the bunch by a long stretch), they all blend into each other-- especially the last three. I always go hoping there's just a little more depth to them.
For that, I always leave disappointed.
Otherwise, the cartoon plays. I get mildly entertained (more so in the last one, although the only things I remember are the helicopter chase and the halo jump and the bathroom fight-- more than I usually do).
Also, the leading man does very little for me. He's always been too much cheese and chewing gum. He's like a Peter Pan hiding behind the facade of action scenes that beg someone like me to take him seriously as a man of action.
But I never see a man. I just see a little boy.
I agree about the cartoonish element. But even cartoons usually have heroes or main characters with some unique or quirky traits that make them stand out. Hunt is very unnoteworthy even for a popcorn flick. He is a brave and resourceful agent... stop. I struggle to give any description of his character at all beyond that.
And he doesn't come across as being particularly bright either, in my opinion. Not a lot of intelligence goes into his performance of Hunt. So, might as well keep him moving like the Energizer Bunny. And he's game for that, I suppose, but it's boring after a while.
Saying that, this conversation has somehow hijacked the thread's purpose. My apologies.
But surely Bourne is more dull than Hunt...definitely for me,the guy is a plank.
You didn't miss much,believe me...just the same as normal.
These films need to be put out to pasture.
True that. Matt Damon says he wants no humor with Bourne. 100 serious. Even James Bond in his darkest moments is more playful.
Exactly,and at least Hunt comes out with some good one-liners and occasional comic relief moments.
I would never say that Madonnas song DAD is a good one for its own, BUT...
I like it much more than I should,(but only when it is combined with the title sequence). It fits better than several other bond songs (with the title sequence) and the atmosphere of the title sequence works for me. The beat in the beginning, then the scorpions...good stuff...
I can't tell you how happy I am to learn of the two back to back MI entries for 2021 and 2022. It makes me less concerned about EON and MGM's machinations post-B25 (and I'm certain there will be some). Keeps me satiated while Bond cleans house and comes back energized, probably in 2023 or 2024.
There was a time when Bond seemed supreme to me. I couldn't see anything being even close to it during my childhood. That is no longer the case for me. While its history and the strength of its phenomenal back catalogue (and the brilliance of the actors of the past) will always keep it my favourite entry in this genre, I now truly see it as one of many. They all occupy their own spaces on the chessboard and bring something to the table. If it's not MI or Bourne tomorrow (which may not survive Cruise or Damon respectively), then it will be something else which provides comparable entertainment (including, perhaps, the new all female spy entry expected soon with Chastain, Cottilard and Co.). The field is far more balanced for me these days, and that's a great thing.
Oh Quarrel is great, as is Jack Lord's Felix or Fiona Volpe. But they're all totally stock characters. I just don't think we Bond fans should play the cliché card or complain about lack of depth in other franchise characters!
I like early Bond dialogue well enough too, but the highlights are generally one-liners or a few nice exchanges that while good, sound rather written.
But if you're not into action, I can see not loving M:I. I agree with you that Bond is more adventure than action anyway. Love both franchises to death, but I'm getting fatigued with the constant comparisons. They're fundamentally so different....