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Wow, it's crazy how much your opinion changed regarding Dalton. If you went back in time and told your younger self just how much you'd love TLD and LTK later in life, what do you think your response would've been?
:))
But then, it might create a time paradox that would destroy reality as we know it.... so I'd pass.
GoldenEye ignited the fire that got me into Bond. That fire has burned hot ever sense and never once waned.
This.
FIFY ;)
Casino Royale is undisputedly one of the best Bond films in the franchise, but you know what? It's not just a great Bond film, but an overall masterpiece in cinema.
Craig's reiteration of Bond as a tough, brutal yet suave spy admixed with a thrilling ‘Fleming faithful’ storyline puts this film at the top of most Bond fan’s lists.
Chris Cornell's explosive intro, "You Know My Name" is the perfect opening for a film that is jam-packed with thrills, plot twists, action and yes- the girls, martinis, exotic locations and the trademark sophistication of James Bond.
The characters are beautifully fleshed out, from the cool, yet flawed 007 (Daniel Craig) , Vesper Lynd (Eva Greene) M (Dame Judi Dench) , Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) and of course an unforgettable villain, Le Chiffre (played by the talented Mads Mikkelson).
Bond's character itself is one that is imperfect, which makes his character all the more appealing and relatable (as Fleming intended). Moreover, the filmmakers bold, yet contentious decision of stripping down on the camp and cutting down on the excessive gadgetry that formed towards the end of Brosnan's run paid off well and gave us a modern version of Fleming.
David Arnold's music score blends seamlessly with Martin Campbell's direction in the flick, with the soundtrack bringing fresh energy to the film as well as incorporating beautiful tunes and trumpets.
Skyfall simply pales in comparison.
Can't argue with that. Skyfall's still pretty damn good for sure, but I'll always prefer Craig's first film to it. Two fine films when all is said and done.
I like all Craig’s films. But the order of quality is the order of release for me. NTTD might change that for me, who knows.
thats why i see spectre as a nice second part, because already bond is dealing with himself and the past, and spectre goes beyond. and i need to find time to see NTTD to see how the daniel craig tenure ends.
being that i am a amateur actor i can say that i love the dramatic tensions those movies have with craig in every scene.
Yep.
There are two nice scenes in it, the Tennyson moment and the moment Bond kills the killer with the fight shown in silhouettes. The rest is just filler nicely shot by Deakins.
They should have gotten Sean Connery to play the landlord. This would have elevated the film to masterpiece. "Welcome to Scotland!" Oh yeah ;)
If there’s a legacy SF leaves behind, reigniting fan interest as well as drawing in new ones is great regardless of how one ultimately feels about it.
Yup. It’s why I rank both CR and SF as Craig’s two best, as they’re able to stand on their own and can work as introductions to newcomers of Bond.
Very true - CR is equally valuable as a standalone experience, but just saying within the context of the entire Craig 'arc,' SF seems the most out of place and individual. They're both such great modern Bond classics though IMO and we're lucky to have gotten them. I happen to also be a pretty big fan of NTTD and QOS, but of course those ones call back to several elements of the other films, so they're not as universal or work as well alone.
Objectively speaking, I'd probably say QOS has the weakest standalone value, even though I think it's a fun, brisk ride; its runtime separates it a lot from the other Craig entries in that respect. SP makes a few references that really weren't necessary; I liked the idea to bring White back and the brief look at the Vesper tape, but all the Blofeld stuff has never once clicked for me. While not close to CR and SF's standalone value, NTTD might be third-best. IMO it did a remarkable job re-introducing characters like Madeleine, Felix, and Blofeld; for instance, Felix randomly appears through the whole franchise like here, and I feel like that's kind of how it worked with Madeleine and Blofeld in this one too. I guess I'd just say I feel like the specific ways they handled things in NTTD, while continuity-heavy, still felt the least detrimental to newcomers' understanding of what's happening I think. Also helps Safin was a separate entity from SPECTRE, which was really nice to get before Craig's era ended.
Wow, this ended up way longer than I intended lol but I get passionate when I talk about this stuff. SF just worked perfectly at the time as the 50th anniversary, standalone Bond experience that united veterans and newcomers I feel like. And ultimately this one and CR are what Craig is going to be most remembered for. At this point it seems highly unlikely either loses luster with the general Bond fan consensus. SF rocks, and I just feel sorry for the ones who find it overrated and can't get enjoyment out of it. For me it's a modern classic and stands up to the golden era of 60s films.
Regarding the Mendes films they were both dissapointing for me.
The beauty of Bond is we have so many great and occasionally bad films to revisit indefinitely so even if the film series finished tomorrow I would keep watching all the films for the rest of my Die Another Days.
It was great to see the enthusiasm for SF, and the almost universal praise for it, but for me the film did not live up to the hype, and I still find it a frustratingly disappointing watch!
It's difficult for me to see SF as a legitimate Bond movie at all. The pieces are all there but they're all out of place and upside down. Bond doesn't really seem like Bond. M doesn't really seem like M. So much is pilfered from the Nolan Batman movies, from the plot right down the imagery (Bond standing on the rooftop looking over London with his walking coat flapping like a cape). And the movie is overall very stagey, right from scene one where Bond inexplicably steps into frame dramatically as if he knows a camera is there. The movie lacks the tactile quality of CR and QOS. It's devoid of life and tension. It's all image and nothing else. A very hollow and in my opinion boring experience. Even during the opening chase, which is very linear and unexciting, I was sighing and wondering when it was going to end.
Skyfall isn't as bad as Spectre but for me it derailed the Craig era by turning everything into a contrived soap opera. Every villain and plot after SF would involve a figure from the past coming back to get some kind of revenge in the present, and the figure would always be a creepy, soft-spoken villain. At the same time, I understand why SF was such a big hit, because it was perfectly-tailored for modern sensibilities especially in regards to plots. People like the superhero/soap opera stuff. Hell look at the Fast and Furious movies, they went in the same direction. But for me it's not Bond.
I concur with all of it, Slide.
And to answer the question my own self, re-discovering Dalton's two after reading all the Fleming books is what re-ignited my fan jets!
A lot of my feelings about SF echoed in your post as well, Slide_99, that I found very detailed.
The Dalton era also got me recharged in a new way as well after the dud that was AVTAK. CR as well. But I've never needed much to recharge if it's James Bond.
Chrisisall, forgive me if I missed it somewhere, but is there another thread where you review SF or write at length about your problems with it or can you give a brief overview of why you place it dead last on your list? I'm genuinely curious. Unless it's to painful to do, of course.