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In the history of Bond, there's a tradition of doing car stunts for real, at all times. That's why I said, it makes more sense for the SP team to use the budget to do chases for real and not with computer effects. It's how it's always been done.
The Bond series has often handled explosions differently, however, using small models and cheaper effects to be more cost effective dating back to the first film. That's why I think it wouldn't be a big deal if EON's team didn't do those things for real, as it saves them money in the long run and those seconds long explosions aren't worth spending so much on anyway. This is in comparison to the chases, which do run them higher, but that actually have a function in the plot and a purpose to move the narrative along. An explosion is only ever an explosion.
Basically, chases should be done for real as there's a tradition and desire to see it done that way, and explosions can be faked because there's a tradition of them being faked when needed.
Don't get me wrong, I AM glad that it's all done through real cars and real stuntwork - that'll always be appreciated - but just knowing what was spent on it, I wish we got more. I've seen chases that seem to look bigger or last longer in other films, that didn't cost anywhere near how much they poured into this one.
I don't think Hinx and Bond needed to get physical before the train, as it would muddle things a bit. Having them fight too much takes away from that big moment that comes out of nowhere (if you haven't seen the trailers, haha). It's more powerful to me because the movie teases you with their face-off, with Hinx always just behind Bond, and sooner or later you know they will catch up with one another and collide.
That's part of why the train fight in FRWL is so powerful. Bond and Grant don't get physical for the entire film, and instead the script teases and teases until that moment.
I think Hinx's use is great, and they did as much as they could with that kind of mute, fatal character. Nothing crazy gets done with Oddjob in GF either, and the fight he and Bond has is one of the lamest and most disappoint in the series, yet people love him unconditionally. I actually fear Hinx, and believe he could kill a man (partly because we see it). I love Sakata, but I never feel fear to the level of Bautista's Hinx, and if Barry's chimes weren't there to introduce Oddjob his level of fear would be even more fickle.
It's an all-time moment for me, and I know we both wanted that. We also got to see White again. You might not feel the same, but I was touched by how he was used and the statement they made with him that fits the morally complex Craig Bond world.
Any sort of return for Quantum/Mr. White is also appreciated in my eyes, regardless of any other feelings. We're both such big fans of QoS, and I always hoped that we would get some sort of continuation/conclusion regarding that storyline/organization, so I'm real happy they didn't decide to sideline it, figuring most audience members wouldn't recall or care about the 2008 installment. Kudos to them for that.
White is one of the best characters in the entire franchise. I got lucky on the red carpet at the SP premiere and managed to get a pic with Jesper, which made my night. In a way I'm sad we won't see him again, but I'm glad they gave him a suitably macabre and haunting send off.
@RC7, I agree. White is one of the most well framed and executed characters in all of Bond. The tragedy of his character is haunting, and the moment I heard him speak in the first trailer for SP, I shrieked with joy. I'm so happy he got to go out in such a fascinating way, and certainly not in any way I would have ever expected. Their dialogue is one of my favorite moments in a Bond film ever, so well written and played.
Who would've thought that the man laying at Bond's feet at the end of CR would also be the one who taught him his most cautionary lesson about life and their dangerous world?
Funnily enough, though, I think the MI6 explosion in SF is one of the best uses of CG I have ever seen. It was photo-realistic.
Oddly enough, the Spielberg ideal of using light/dark and the elements (wind, rain) to shield computer graphics didn't apply to Bond in the last two flicks.
The daytime MI6 explosion in SF was far more convincing than the same building collapsing at night in SP.
And yes, credit where credit's due: should they have shelled out a lot for the base explosion? Probably not, but did it look good? Absolutely.
It's not that Bond isn't "what he used to be," he can't be the same shot because his arm was all jacked up. Nor would he have been able to save Severine with Silva handling a blaster gun at his direct side and another gun with a pistol aimed at his head that didn't get taken away until after he shot, giving him only a pause to do anything. He also never thought Silva was actually going to kill her. He knew this guy was a real sadistic bastard judging by how he treated her, but I don't think he ever imagined Silva was just going to randomly blow her head off without a thought.
The moments some people think are "inconsistent" in SF can be found in ample supply in some of the best movies in the series-as dictated by the public and this forum-but it's SF that has to burn. I honestly don't get it.
And yes, these same issues can be found in countless other Bond installments. The only difference for me (this is where we disagree, so let's not get into the same old back-and-forth once more) is that none of the other films, in my opinion, have been this serious and grounded before, so I hold the era to much higher standards than a lot of the others.
The CR scene isn't comparable to my complaint regarding that particular sequence in SF. A skilled 00 agent's accuracy with a weapon and the odds at winning a poker game are two different things.
I think you'll find his favourite Craig film is QoS.
I do also enjoy CR, but I honestly couldn't care less how they're ranked by the overall audience. I like what I like, and I dislike what I dislike.
The way I view that scene, just to discuss it in a minor capacity, has to do with where Bond was at during the time. You can't say Bond faced this and that in other eras, because those are different Bonds; we're talking Craig Bond here. He'd just come back from a near-death experience brought on by a boss who didn't trust him to do what he was tasked with. The anxiety of that distrust he feels towards M eats him up, and he begins to believe what everyone is saying about him, ie. "Bond you're washed up and past it," etc. When Silva hands Bond the gun and has him shoot, Bond is certainly still a little pained in his shoulder to keep a completely steady aim for such a long shot, but he's also got a gun to his head and Silva barking at him about how far past the expiration date he is. All that stimuli and all those thoughts then make him go on edge. Adding to this, Bond is preparing to shoot, and has to make sure that he misses in order to spare Severine. The weapons they're using are massive vintage dueling pistols with ammunition of a bigger size, which means he could tear through Severine with one shot or blast whole parts of her to pieces if he's not careful in judging the shot. He has to fake it out and miss, and has to go against his internal training to do it, as he's taught to never intentionally miss. He's got to do a lot of reprogramming in that quick moment, all while silencing his inner doubts. This is made all the harder by his shaking, which is making it hard for him to purposefully miss, as his internal target keeps scattering and moving out of the range he wants to shoot at.
I still don't think he ever expected for Silva to randomly shoot Severine in a quick moment he couldn't stop, but he's able to use the quiet moment afterward and his put-on expression of indifference to fake out the gunmen and go on the offensive. Silva's men see that he's out of bullets now (only one in the chamber of that dueling pistol), and think that there's no way he could get one over on them. Bond being Bond, however, can still do short range fighting when the targets are much closer. With his aim no longer such a pressing issue, he's able to face them off and get out alive.
@MrKissKissBangBang, I respect your viewpoints (and how positive you can be about SF on a forum that can often take it to task), but that's not Creasy at all. You're new here and so you're rightfully unfamiliar with some personalities of veteran posters, but although Creasy has made it clear that he's not as enthused about the Mendes films, he's about as straight a shooter as you can find around these parts. He's just making his arguments, "nothing sinister." ;)