SKYFALL: Is this the best Bond film?

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  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,383
    QBranch wrote: »
    Scaling the Whyte House is a highlight - no funny business there.

    The climbing bit? I like it when he sort of strolls nonchalantly along, and standing on top of the lift, but it's not a big standout for me.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,571
    It's all great. And with the colourful city lights in the background.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    QBranch wrote: »
    It's all great. And with the colourful city lights in the background.

    Yep. Hard to believe they weren t real.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,571
    It was done well. One thing they always get right is the city-by-night backdrops - Shanghai in SF; SP helicopter crash etc.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    TripAces wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I should've finished the thought much earlier but what I was getting at is if there was some way to objectively rank the films, however that might be, it's fair to assume that DAD would be dead last for most. Again, I know one can't really do that sort of thing, but it's fun to think about.

    I personally won't ever understand someone being upset or angered by another person's ranking being different from their own. Different strokes for different folks.

    It's a race to the bottom between DAD and MR.

    For me, too. With DAF very close to them.
    mtm wrote: »
    BT3366 wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    On an objectivity scale, DAD would rank right at the bottom for me, but I get too much enjoyment out of it and there's a bit of childhood bias since it was the first Bond film I got to see in theaters. Nice to see it not ranking dead last for everyone else too.

    Yeah I think TWINE is a better made film, and yet I find it really quite dull and joyless. DAD at least thunders along like a stupid bouncy puppy.
    I was watching a few of the older Bonds in lockdown, and then I stuck on TWINE randomly, and that opening in the banker's office is such a shock when you've been watching some of the classier Connerys and Moores. He's just sat in a boring-looking grey ordinary room, in an overcast boring city, being photographed like it's on TV, saying dull things with very poor dialogue, in a weird situation that suddenly turns violent for no apparent reason, and then he has a really quite uninteresting escape while the Bond theme is playing, desperately trying to assure you that this is Bondy and exciting. If you watch something like the opening to even TMWTGG and switch suddenly to this, it's like all the wit and verve and class has drained out of the Bond films in front of your eyes. I was really surprised how offended I was by it! :D

    I always love a good TWINE bashing since I really find that film inferior among the contenders, but the Bilbao scenes are IMO a good start (the "highlight") of a movie that keeps descending into camp and lack of logic and basically stupidity, only surpassed (or should that be sous-passed?) by its successor in being at the bottom of the franchise.

    The thing is, speaking of logic and stupidity, I was actually annoyed by how stupid that escape out of the window was in Bilbao! Why did he think that would work? It's a really half-hearted attempt at spectacle ('he's James Bond so obviously he jumps really high. That'll do') but if you're trying to make a vaguely realistic scene then don't have your main character tie a curtain cord around his waist and just presuming that he'll survive jumping several storeys that way. It's so dumb, and it's also so half-hearted. If you want to do something smaller and classier, don't have your main character do something so dumb. And if you want to do something big, think of something more impressive than jumping out of a window. I guess they tried to save it by making it a joke with the guy upstairs, but it's not all that funny.
    Plus it features the world's ugliest table :)

    I've gotta' agree with Creasy 47. The film starts out with this smaller-scale but effective escape that feels like it could've come out of a Connery-era film. But like Bond's escape, the film just rapidly goes down from there. Bond using his wits and resourcefulness to escape is just so much more refreshing than the gadget-laced chase with big explosions and stupid asides, which echoes my feelings the way you do about the Bilbao scene.

    I still recall others discussing at the time of TWINE's release that being set in Bilbao made no sense other than to show off the then new Guggenheim there.
    I think AVTAK would be objectively last just from a filmmaking perspective. It’s why I don’t rate John Glen as high as fans.

    Agree with this. But due to TWINE's oh-so-boring and bland approach, it sits just below AVTAK in my informal rankings. I can sum up AVTAK's higher appeal in one word: Walken!

    Just because it’s small scale doesn’t make it like a Connery film though. It looks horrible, the scene makes no sense (why does it suddenly turn dangerous?), the lines are bad and the escape is stupid. There’s no style or wit to it, unlike in a Connery film.

    I disagree. The Bilbao escape is stylish and deserves the Bond theme (of course only my opinion and it is fine if you hate it). Do I for example prefer it to the jetpack escape in TB? Definitely!

    Not one scene in TWINE is better than anything in Thunderball. Thunderball is a masterpiece, TWINE is a below par Bond film IMO.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    edited October 2020 Posts: 4,585
    TripAces wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I should've finished the thought much earlier but what I was getting at is if there was some way to objectively rank the films, however that might be, it's fair to assume that DAD would be dead last for most. Again, I know one can't really do that sort of thing, but it's fun to think about.

    I personally won't ever understand someone being upset or angered by another person's ranking being different from their own. Different strokes for different folks.

    It's a race to the bottom between DAD and MR.

    For me, too. With DAF very close to them.

    Certainly, using any sort of evaluative criteria, DAF could be considered dreadful. But we all have guilty pleasures, and DAF is certainly mine. Unlike MR, which contains some serious moments and riveting Barry music to go with it (which undermines its tongue-in-cheek cheesiness), DAF makes no pretense of being anything but outlandish. There isn't a single trace of seriousness in this film...and for that, I love it.

    I can completely understand your point. The only serious moment I can think of right now is the elevator fight but even there they decided to end it with a joke (Franks/Bonds?? fate). MR has a strange mixture between serious moments (Corinne's death, clown in the alley, exploding plane in the beginning to name a few) and even less serious moments than we see in DAF (Jaws and Dolly and many more). This is entertaining but doesn't fit altogether. On the other hand: I prefer Bond movies with the right balance between fun and tension and to come back to SF:
    I would love it when the film would have a few more lighter moments like the lines of Kincade. But do I prefer the more serious tone of SF compared to the comedy tone of DAF? Of course I do.

    Other question: Does the Scotland act make SF better or weaker? It's completely different to every other final confrontation with the main villain for sure.
    I'm still wondering if it makes sense to travel alone to Skyfall (almost without any weaponry). However, the photography and the colours (especially while the house is burning) are absolutely outstanding and I love the action on and in the ice lake.
    Unfortunately, the part in the church doesn't work for me. Silva is odd there and his death(apart from his great facial expression) is disappointing.
    And who had tears in their eyes at the first watch of M's death? I didn't. It isn't as touching as it should be. The only moment ever touched me a lot was (and still is) the shower scene in CR. (Strange that I never had tears when Tracy died...)

    I have always contended that Jaws' appearance in the alley is one of the creepiest, most suspenseful scenes in the series, mostly because Gilbert decided to forego soundtrack music and just let the natural sounds play out. It was a master stroke . And I am always asking, "Why is this scene in this film!" LOL
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,968
    TripAces wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I should've finished the thought much earlier but what I was getting at is if there was some way to objectively rank the films, however that might be, it's fair to assume that DAD would be dead last for most. Again, I know one can't really do that sort of thing, but it's fun to think about.

    I personally won't ever understand someone being upset or angered by another person's ranking being different from their own. Different strokes for different folks.

    It's a race to the bottom between DAD and MR.

    For me, too. With DAF very close to them.

    Certainly, using any sort of evaluative criteria, DAF could be considered dreadful. But we all have guilty pleasures, and DAF is certainly mine. Unlike MR, which contains some serious moments and riveting Barry music to go with it (which undermines its tongue-in-cheek cheesiness), DAF makes no pretense of being anything but outlandish. There isn't a single trace of seriousness in this film...and for that, I love it.

    I can completely understand your point. The only serious moment I can think of right now is the elevator fight but even there they decided to end it with a joke (Franks/Bonds?? fate). MR has a strange mixture between serious moments (Corinne's death, clown in the alley, exploding plane in the beginning to name a few) and even less serious moments than we see in DAF (Jaws and Dolly and many more). This is entertaining but doesn't fit altogether. On the other hand: I prefer Bond movies with the right balance between fun and tension and to come back to SF:
    I would love it when the film would have a few more lighter moments like the lines of Kincade. But do I prefer the more serious tone of SF compared to the comedy tone of DAF? Of course I do.

    Other question: Does the Scotland act make SF better or weaker? It's completely different to every other final confrontation with the main villain for sure.
    I'm still wondering if it makes sense to travel alone to Skyfall (almost without any weaponry). However, the photography and the colours (especially while the house is burning) are absolutely outstanding and I love the action on and in the ice lake.
    Unfortunately, the part in the church doesn't work for me. Silva is odd there and his death(apart from his great facial expression) is disappointing.
    And who had tears in their eyes at the first watch of M's death? I didn't. It isn't as touching as it should be. The only moment ever touched me a lot was (and still is) the shower scene in CR. (Strange that I never had tears when Tracy died...)

    I have always contended that Jaws' appearance in the alley is one of the creepiest, most suspenseful scenes in the series, mostly because Gilbert decided to forego soundtrack music and just let the natural sounds play out. It was a master stroke . And I am always asking, "Why is this scene in this film!" LOL

    I've always loved that whole sequence, including how you can spot Jaws tracking them throughout the crowd before they get to the alleyway. It's like an even more creepy version of Black Orpheus.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,183
    The only thing that hurts DAF for me is the half-assed climax. I'm pretty much with the whole film until it reaches the oil rig, and that only really has a few bits I like at all such as Blofeld comparing world powers to "impotent beach boys flexing their military muscles", which feels like a line that's very true to Blofeld's viewpoint.
  • Posts: 3,327
    The only thing that hurts DAF for me is the half-assed climax. I'm pretty much with the whole film until it reaches the oil rig, and that only really has a few bits I like at all such as Blofeld comparing world powers to "impotent beach boys flexing their military muscles", which feels like a line that's very true to Blofeld's viewpoint.

    Yes that is when the film becomes lame. The best parts are obviously in Vegas.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,585
    The only thing that hurts DAF for me is the half-assed climax. I'm pretty much with the whole film until it reaches the oil rig, and that only really has a few bits I like at all such as Blofeld comparing world powers to "impotent beach boys flexing their military muscles", which feels like a line that's very true to Blofeld's viewpoint.

    Yes that is when the film becomes lame. The best parts are obviously in Vegas.

    With DAF, one can't expect a coherent, compelling ending. It's par for course. If there is a Bond film that we can conclude was written and made under the influence of the mighty herb, it's DAF. LOL
  • cwl007cwl007 England
    Posts: 611
    DAF is below DAD in my ranking. (I realise that comment risks my opinion becoming irrelevant
    8-} )
    There is just something about this film that annoys me and I can never quite put my finger on it.
    It can't be the silliness because I like the most silly of the series, MR.
    It can't be the missed opportunity of a revenge follow up to OHMSS because the series is full of missed opportunities.
    I don't find the action set pieces particularly thrilling, especially the oil rig. The best bit is the alley way stunt and even that is ruined for no good reason. (There were crowds everywhere for crying out loud)
    I don't like Tiffany case or the lazy edit that renders Plenty's death nonsensical.
    The whole film feels dirty and grubby and un-Bond like. It has the worst Letter, yep even worse than John Terry.
    I could go on and on.
  • RoadphillRoadphill United Kingdom
    Posts: 984
    Skyfall, along with probably Goldeneye are two of the most divisive films in the series. You have fans that view them as absolute classics, and fans that view them as hugely overrated.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    Roadphill wrote: »
    Skyfall, along with probably Goldeneye are two of the most divisive films in the series. You have fans that view them as absolute classics, and fans that view them as hugely overrated.

    But they are very different: one sticks to the formula (but in a perfect way: I love GE), while SF is far away from the bond formula (imo). SF is so beautifully to watch that it couldn't be at the bottom even without any score/dialogue. I prefer GE, though.
  • Posts: 7,418
    Roadphill wrote: »
    Skyfall, along with probably Goldeneye are two of the most divisive films in the series. You have fans that view them as absolute classics, and fans that view them as hugely overrated.

    Am definitely in the latter category!
    SF is watchable though, whereas GE is very "meh!"
  • Posts: 7,418
    Sorry Roadphill,
    Made that look like it was your opinion there!
  • Posts: 3,333
    The only thing that hurts DAF for me is the half-assed climax. I'm pretty much with the whole film until it reaches the oil rig, and that only really has a few bits I like at all such as Blofeld comparing world powers to "impotent beach boys flexing their military muscles", which feels like a line that's very true to Blofeld's viewpoint.

    Yes that is when the film becomes lame. The best parts are obviously in Vegas.
    Indeed. I can't disagree with either of you. The oil rig climax is poorly executed, no doubt due to the limited shooting time available and lack of access to the salt mine, where Blofeld was meant to fall to his death in a salt granulator. After all, Connery was on a huge daily bonus if the director/producers went overschedule. Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,383
    bondsum wrote: »
    Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!

    I dunno, I actually laughed at that. And the cruise ship ending does look very studio-bound and cheap, although it is quite nice to have a little epilogue like that in one of these.
  • Posts: 3,333
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!

    I dunno, I actually laughed at that. And the cruise ship ending does look very studio-bound and cheap, although it is quite nice to have a little epilogue like that in one of these.
    I can still distinctly remember thinking: This is the final nail in Bond's coffin when DAD ended.
  • Agent_Zero_OneAgent_Zero_One Ireland
    edited October 2020 Posts: 554
    bondsum wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!

    I dunno, I actually laughed at that. And the cruise ship ending does look very studio-bound and cheap, although it is quite nice to have a little epilogue like that in one of these.
    I can still distinctly remember thinking: This is the final nail in Bond's coffin when DAD ended.
    Yeah that sequence is utter dross. A truly terrible way for Samantha Bond's Moneypenny to go out, and a disservice to the character.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,547
    bondsum wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!

    I dunno, I actually laughed at that. And the cruise ship ending does look very studio-bound and cheap, although it is quite nice to have a little epilogue like that in one of these.
    I can still distinctly remember thinking: This is the final nail in Bond's coffin when DAD ended.
    Yeah that sequence is utter dross. A truly terrible way for Samantha Bond's Moneypenny to go out, and a disservice to the character.

    Never thought of that, but yeah, Sam Bond was such a fantastic Moneypenny IMO, and for that to be her last scene was truly a disservice as you put it.
  • Agent_Zero_OneAgent_Zero_One Ireland
    edited October 2020 Posts: 554
    bondsum wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!

    I dunno, I actually laughed at that. And the cruise ship ending does look very studio-bound and cheap, although it is quite nice to have a little epilogue like that in one of these.
    I can still distinctly remember thinking: This is the final nail in Bond's coffin when DAD ended.
    Yeah that sequence is utter dross. A truly terrible way for Samantha Bond's Moneypenny to go out, and a disservice to the character.

    Never thought of that, but yeah, Sam Bond was such a fantastic Moneypenny IMO, and for that to be her last scene was truly a disservice as you put it.
    It gets even worse if you consider that it's the final Moneypenny scene in the entire 1962-2002 continuity :-S
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited October 2020 Posts: 16,383
    bondsum wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!

    I dunno, I actually laughed at that. And the cruise ship ending does look very studio-bound and cheap, although it is quite nice to have a little epilogue like that in one of these.
    I can still distinctly remember thinking: This is the final nail in Bond's coffin when DAD ended.

    Bit of an overreaction! It was a gag and it made me laugh: it did its job.

    Mr Wint showing pleasure because Bond is putting something near his bum has never made me laugh, quite the opposite to be honest.
  • Posts: 2,165
    @mtm Agreed r.e. Mr Wint. Really ruins the characters and the whole scene.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!

    I dunno, I actually laughed at that. And the cruise ship ending does look very studio-bound and cheap, although it is quite nice to have a little epilogue like that in one of these.
    I can still distinctly remember thinking: This is the final nail in Bond's coffin when DAD ended.

    Bit of an overreaction! It was a gag and it made me laugh: it did its job.

    Mr Wint showing pleasure because Bond is putting something near his bum has never made me laugh, quite the opposite to be honest.

    That post made me laugh! Remembering the DAF ending. It’s light hearted. But naturally deemed offensive nowadays.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited October 2020 Posts: 16,383
    bondsum wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!

    I dunno, I actually laughed at that. And the cruise ship ending does look very studio-bound and cheap, although it is quite nice to have a little epilogue like that in one of these.
    I can still distinctly remember thinking: This is the final nail in Bond's coffin when DAD ended.
    Yeah that sequence is utter dross. A truly terrible way for Samantha Bond's Moneypenny to go out, and a disservice to the character.

    The last thing Bernard Lee's M does is watch Roger shagging a lady in a space shuttle. You can't really worry more about the characters being respectfully treated in Bond than enjoying the gags: it's all silly stuff.
    suavejmf wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    bondsum wrote: »
    Though I still like the pre-end title sequence where Bond and Tiffany head for Britain on a cruise ship, and where Wint and Kidd pose as room-service stewards. It's got to be said, it's infinitely better than DAD's Moneypenny wearing a pair of virtual reality simulation glasses!!

    I dunno, I actually laughed at that. And the cruise ship ending does look very studio-bound and cheap, although it is quite nice to have a little epilogue like that in one of these.
    I can still distinctly remember thinking: This is the final nail in Bond's coffin when DAD ended.

    Bit of an overreaction! It was a gag and it made me laugh: it did its job.

    Mr Wint showing pleasure because Bond is putting something near his bum has never made me laugh, quite the opposite to be honest.

    That post made me laugh! Remembering the DAF ending. It’s light hearted. But naturally deemed offensive nowadays.

    Because it's crass, yeah. I'm sure many people found it offensive at the time too. 'Ho ho he's a homo so he likes stuff in his bum'- that's a crap joke no matter how you look at it. I think Bond films are very rarely dated by anything (I don't care about flares or sideburns or old cars) but that's a big one.
    But yeah, 'it's PC gone mad etc.' Yawn.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,183
    Roadphill wrote: »
    Skyfall, along with probably Goldeneye are two of the most divisive films in the series. You have fans that view them as absolute classics, and fans that view them as hugely overrated.

    I'd put Goldfinger with those two as well. Hugely popular Bond titles among massive audiences, but has a loud subset of Bond fans who don't understand the appeal/hype and sort of rail against it.

    I think this is true for ANY film that is massively popular to have notable dissenters.

    Reminds me of this clip from This is the End where Jay Baruchel admits he hates the movie Forrest Gump.

  • wetnellywetnelly Nearby
    edited October 2020 Posts: 44
    I watched GE again last night. It has imo become the most dated looking of the Brosnan / modern bond films made in the more recent period. It doesn’t help that the look they were going for in large parts was black market post Soviet Russia, so I get why they used parts of London and Watford, but even the use of Monaco in the middle of February makes the spectacle very dull and cold, as well as the Cuba scenery, which is all too short before it becomes the obligatory villains layer set, with henchmen doing very little.
    It just has the most studio shot feel out of all of the recent films, and even Q’s workshop has the feel of the dreadful 90’s BBC show “Bugs” with some strange primary coloured plastic device on the table behind. That scene is saved by Desmond and Pierce’s dialogue.
    M’s office and the lighting, hair, costume and colour scheme are horrid, as are the naff black on black outfits of Sean Bean throughout, and why do they have to make all the Russian characters have at least 3 names?
    I’ve worked with Russians for years, they don’t walk into a room and introduce themselves that way!
    I also can’t help but feel sorry for Pierce, when it came to dire special effects ( the falling into the plane is on a par with the tsunami kite surf in DAD) . I can’t see past this in the PTS, or the Sevenyaya attack. Whilst Derek Meddings’ models and miniatures are superb, the explosions all have a whiff of Thunderbirds to it and the entire film is ruined by Eric Serra’s hideous soundtrack. The car chase music is a true nadir.
    (For anyone who thinks differently, hear the OST Drive in St Petersburg and be very glad someone had the sense to employ an orchestra for the final cut!)
    I am a sucker for escapism in this franchise and whilst some of the ham acting and dialogue in TND is some of the worst in the series, the look, the stunts, editing and set design all work together to give it a real sense of a globe trotting adventure.
    The PTS is strong and entertaining, the Devonshire attack is threatening, the Germany party and news building escape and Saigon set pieces are well edited and suspenseful and the Gupta character has real menace. Robinson is decent as staff and Moneypenny is excellent. But the real thing that makes it so much more compelling than GE is how populated feel the film has.
    I’ve always felt that the films work best when Bond is in a packed environment which either has to react to him, or he has to adapt to, as a spy should do.
    There seems to be so few people and extras in any of the scenes and the locations only add to it feeling sparse and empty, including the entire St Petersburg sequences (which of course large amounts of were all done on set in Leavesden).
    If you look at the entire film after the PTS, it’s nearly all scenes with a maximum of 6 people in each shot, compared with TND which has at least a stronger blend of dialogue taking place in a more populated environment, and makes it more relatable to the audience. Even the crew on the stealth ship look likes each of them has a role, and this works.
    I think this helps make TND an easier watch for the neutrals from start to finish, and is a little similar to QOS, which I find improves after each viewing. The pace is fast, the locations and set pieces are strong, the villain is weak, but it’s quite good fun on the whole and if you’re not trying to follow the plot forensically it’s not bad.
    Unlike GE. I thought it back in the cinema in 1995, and I haven’t changed my opinion since. It’s aged very badly!


  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,383
    I also prefer TND, although I think GE is probably the better-made film, with a bit more of a sweep to it. But TND has some of the best action of the whole series, and I just plain enjoy it, really.

    I do agree about Meddings' models, incidentally- when John Richardson did modelwork you genuinely couldn't tell they were models. The crash of the toy aeroplane into the Severnaya dish shouldn't really have gone into the film.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,216
    I always find it funny when people refer to GoldenEye as a 'Modern Bond'. It's closer to Diamonds Are Forever, timewise, than it is to now.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,383
    I always find it funny when people refer to GoldenEye as a 'Modern Bond'. It's closer to Diamonds Are Forever, timewise, than it is to now.

    It is funny watching it now and seeing stuff like modelwork and burned-in captions, which really do make it feel like an old film from the last century, even though in my head I sort of think of it as one of the 'new' ones too.
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