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This does a lot to continue to prove naysayers wrong. No matter how the times change, even during a pandemic, Bond always finds a way to overcome it and come out on top. These movies are true event cinema, and feel special. I have unending respect for EON for fighting to keep the movies theater experiences first and foremost, even when there was a big financial risk in doing so. So glad it's paid off for them, seeing NTTD chart high against all odds in an unprecedented time.
I know it was a particularly special experience to be able to see a Bond movie in the theater again, not just because it was such a long wait, and because it was Dan's last. It was also the feeling of being able to enjoy an experience that I'd taken for granted. The theater is the only way to see these movies properly, and I was absolutely shaking with joy at it all. It's a memory that will stay with me forever.
Makes the authors of articles like this look genuinely stupid:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/25/its-no-time-to-die-but-is-it-time-to-revoke-james-bonds-licence-to-kill
The doubling down on Bond as a character was the best move they could've made for this era, not just because we haven't seen it done to this extent before, but because they had the perfect actor to explore those meatier sides of Bond with. The Craig era, and its massive success, is a sign that different takes on Bond and more explorations of things not as deeply analyzed in past films isn't something that turns audiences off. I have read countless reactions from people who came out of NTTD talking about how emotional it made them, and even put them into tears despite the fact that movies never make them cry. And these aren't ardent Bond fans like us, they're just regular folk that watch these movies every few years once a new one comes out. Something about what Dan did, and the impact these films have had to connect you to Bond, really struck a chord with people and it's just great to see.
Bond is alive and well, even when you kill him. And that's exactly why this franchise has and always will be special.
Easily.
@FoxRox, it's certainly been my personal golden era. I will never take for granted what we got these last fifteen years. My only regret was that I didn't start getting into Bond from the start of Dan's era so that I could enjoy it fully from the start, but 2009 isn't too far off to hop on the wagon. That being said, it was CR and what Dan did to make this character so much more than I'd ever imagined that made me the fan I was today. I look fondly back at that whole year of 2009, and how I fell in love with Bond fast and it consumed my life.
I will always love Sean and the work he did, but Dan just stands out so strongly to me above all the others. He made a Bond that I genuinely fell in love with and cried for, because I felt so connected to him. He was just a conflicted and complicated guy trying to do his best, and it was a treat to see him grow into the man he finishes as in NTTD. A helluva inspiration, and he shows us how to live our lives to the fullest.
Yeah it's awesome. At this rate I think NTTD will stop its run at £96/97M, maybe it has a chance to even hit £98M if it stays in the theaters til Christmas.
NTTD has earned $6.64M during it's second weekend at the Australia box office, for a current total of $20.76M.
Will be interesting to see if it can stay atop the box office this weekend with the release of Venom. Though, the first one only grossed $15.6M.
I don't know, but if there are lockdowns anywhere it will affect Spidey more than Bond. It's the only Marvel movie I really want to see though.
Without any spoilers, the ending of this film, i think tells you EXACTLY how these pathetic producers plan to proceed with this formerly beloved franchise. Wokeness, and the diversity agenda is infesting EVERYTHING, and i couldn't give a tosh how well written it is or how good the action scenes are, either. How dare these producers take something as culturally important as this Character and completely emasculate him. This franchise is done... utterly finished. I knew from reviews and interviews what was coming, but I had to see it to be sure it was as despicable as I thought it would be. R.I.P Bond Series 1962-2021.
Wow. "Pathetic producers", "formerly beloved franchise", "wokeness", ... And all of it said as if there's some objective truth in all of this and the reviewer is speaking for all of us. But here's the reason I felt compelled to copy the text: "I couldn't give a tosh how well written it is or how good the action scenes are." In other words, this reviewer, one Jordan Taylor, is so angry about how "the diversity agenda is infesting EVERYTHING" that nothing else matters. I'm reading a lot of frustration in it that obscures a fair assessment of the actual quality of the film. This is too bad since I feel that this reviewer is another victim of the confirmation bias. "Wokeness" in NTTD is only there if you really want to find it in my opinion. It's about picking up a few minor bits of nothing and blowing them out of proportion.
But then I found another Amazon customer's review, ending with,
Stay clear of this racist anti-western rubbish!
Either this person saw another film than I did, or didn't see the film at all (which wouldn't be exceptional, as we have recently learned.) Still, these extremely caustic sentiments have found their way to amateur reviews, and not just of NTTD but of films in general. I get the sense that some people cross arms and pout lips even before going in. They seem eager to expose some big Leftwing conspiracy in mainstream films. To be perfectly honest, I never feel offended as a caucasian, "emasculated" or suckered into a "PC" trap when watching NTTD. Maybe that's my confirmation bias; maybe I'm willingly overlooking these things, though I doubt that.
I have an issue with killing the protagonist for no reason other than marvel did it and so middle aged men can tweet how “emotional” it is. Our addiction to half arsed emotion not at the service of the story is the bane of movie making now.
I watched Witness at the weekend for the first time in 30 years. What struck me was how understated and agenda free it was. The male character wasn’t overly irrelevant, incapable and flawed. The female character wasn’t rude and fiesty. There was no heavy handed morale lesson or signposted from reel one. It was intelligent film making that makes it point in an understated, relatable, human way. I can’t remember the last time I saw a mainstream film that did that. Not perhaps the best example but it’s a recent film i rewatched.
The racism the reviewer hints at is anti-white racism, I presume. I don't see that either, though. Bond and his girl are lily-white blondes, and so is pretty much everyone else. Only MP, FL and, indeed, the other 007 aren't. The reviewer must really have soiled his pants in 1973...
in 2017:
"RIP STAR WARS 1977 - 2017"
and again in 2019:
"RIP STAR WARS 1977 - 2019"
I guess it's just the new "ieuw!"
For a naturally divisive film (due to the ending, not anything else in it is truly controversial) NTTD will seemingly get the same treatment. That is too bad, but that is the internet world we live in. Swarming masses of people not having civil discourse and sharing opinions while disagreeing without hurtling abuse. Tons of crap, disrespect, and threats of violence may also ensue; right? Well, how many months will this wave continue? Has it peaked? Just wondering what others think.
People who thinks NTTD is an attempt to attack the white western culture are just (white) racist morons to me.
People who thinks NTTD is an attempt to attack the masculinity of Bond are just insecure silly little men.
Overall, people writing those silly “””reviews””” are just so dumb it’s not even worth the attention.
They are probably upset that Q is gay as well.
EDIT: I don’t get the “lol”.
She’s laughing at the absurdity of their “reviews”.
I see. It sounded like she was laughing at my post but it didn’t make sense since I’m totally against those kind of people spreading ignorance and hate…
In the meantime anyway MGM has spoken. Repost from another thread.
Unnamed and uninformed sources suggesting the film will lose money are categorically unfounded and put more simply, not true,” MGM spokesperson said in a statement. “The film has far exceeded our theatrical estimates in this timeframe, becoming the highest grossing Hollywood film in the international marketplace and passing ‘F9’ to become the highest grossing Hollywood film since the pandemic. With the PVOD release of the film already doing stellar home viewing business, all while continuing to hold well theatrically, ‘No Time To Die’ will earn a profit for MGM, both as an individual film title and as part of MGM’s incredible library.
MGM get to keep closer to 80% of the money from VOD.
Those “sources” have a name anyway… the MI6HQ!!! :D
I know it’s a bad word but it’s really that bad? You know English is not my first language haha.
EDIT: NTTD’s actuals are out and slightly exceeded estimates in the US. Dropped a -39% for a $154.75M cume.
But but but... the film needs three trillion dollars paid out in bars of gold from Goldfinger's personal unradiated supply in order to turn a profit!
@Matt007, couldn't possibly disagree with you more.
I don't think Bond is talked to like a "prick," or anything of the kind in the film. At the very least, there is some bitterness between he and MI6, as he left when he was needed and clearly it's held against him. But I think the movie goes out of its way to show Mallory in particular in a negative light, as he was the one that botched things, not Bond. And even the person who had the most conflict with Bond, Nomi, ends the movie respecting the man so much she gives back his 00 number.
One of the whole points of the movie was to show the legacy this Bond has, and the impact he's had on the people in his world. He has a reputation that is very positive, across the board. Felix tracks him down because he knows he's the only man for the job, those at MI6 are in awe of him when he returns because he casts such a long shadow, Mallory knows he needs him more than he'd ever be able to admit, and how Moneypenny and Q feel doesn't need to even be addressed, as their adoration for Bond is evident.
Nomi is really the only one Bond has to struggle to convince, as she starts off thinking he is bitter and cares about being "replaced," but over time the man proves her wrong by accepting her and respecting what she brings to the table. When she knows she's wrong about Bond, she amends it and gives him the respect he's given to her. Even Logan Ash, a guy who is trying to kill Bond in order to help Safin out, is full of nothing but respect and admiration for this guy even as they are engaged in a battle together. The criminal underworld knows and fears Bond, because he has a legacy of getting the job done, no matter what. If anything, NTTD cements that Bond has an undying reputation, and he leaves behind a legacy that nobody will forget, whether they were enemy or ally. And that says a lot about him.
That is just silly, sorry. Bond doesn't die for "no reason" or because Marvel did it (or whoever). Bond dying, specifically this Bond, fits for me, and is fitting for his journey as a character. The ground work has been laid across this entire era for Bond to die, as we've seen how harsh the spy world is. As he said in CR, "00s have a very short life expectancy." We see Bond lose so many people, and it becomes less and less ridiculous to imagine him dying too. I went into the movie wondering if they'd kill him off, because it felt like it would be a natural conclusion given the tone of these movies. I wouldn't ponder something like that if I didn't have a reason to suspect it, going only by what the movies have provided me with.
I also find a Fleming quality about Bond dying. In the books Bond openly admits that he doesn't think he'll survive to the 00 retirement age, and lives his life sparing no expense because to him, death is just down the road. He's a man that enjoys his life as much as he can, and doesn't want any money left in his bank account when the time comes, because he knows how swiftly death can arrive. He could always be one or two "ugly jobs" as he calls it away from death's door, and doesn't hide that fact. He's also very motivated by his duty, as Craig's Bond is, and I have been reminded of Moonraker quite a lot since seeing NTTD. At the end of that book, Bond is fully prepared to kill himself to stop Drax's plot, because lives are on the line and it's his job to protect them.
I see no difference between that and what Craig's Bond does at the end of NTTD. He knows that there is a small window for them to act, and if they don't bomb the island immediately there's a chance the people Safin have coming can take some of the virus and bring it out into the world to carry out the scheme. Bond knows his mission, and does whatever he needs to to complete it, as it's his job. He dies knowing that millions have been saved, and instead of being angry or bitter or resentful about it, he accepts his end like the man he is, knowing that he did what he needed to do. NTTD really drove home just how sentimental he is, much like Fleming's original. He's cold on the outside, but on the inside he loves people and will do what it takes to get the job done, as duty runs through his blood.
People are getting too into their feelings about this whole thing, specifically about Bond dying. Just because Bond dies, people write off the entire movie, and it's just silly and sometimes childish. You have to look at what his death means in context of the movie, as I think his death is a respectful way of showing us the kind of brave man he is, worthy of being honored and remembered. He doesn't die with disrespect, or shame, or failure. He does his job, saves the damn world, and accepts death. People act like Bond hasn't signed up for this, or something. He knows what being a 00 means, and that death could come around any corner. You don't take a job like that if you aren't accepting of that fact, but people want to make a big deal about it like EON are pissing on Bond's legacy and his history just by killing him, missing the whole point of what his death means.
If Fleming lived long enough and kept writing the books, I don't find it hard to imagine him killing Bond off too, as he certainly laid the ground work. He wasn't writing a superhero character, after all, but a very tragic man with a dark life, which is reflected in the journey of Craig's Bond. Nostalgia has driven people to only wanting the same old things done with this character, and that is as dull as it gets. I have seen the same variation on this character more times than I care to have, and what they've done with the character this go around by doubling down on him as a character by daring to tell such a story is what has kept me engaged. Bond is worthy of more than just the same rehashed nostalgia bait. And as NTTD's success has proven, audiences are willing to see new things done with the character.
Let me start by saying, I consider myself as one who has a distaste for "woke" culture. Given how vague its use can be, for the purposes of argument regarding this review I'll define woke as "injection of racial or social matters for the sake of equity." I understand this definition isn't what you'll find in a dictionary, but it captures the tone used in the review.
So that said, I really don't see "wokeness" on display in NTTD. The only thing that felt dodgy to me was the race line by Valdo, which is clearly there as means to justify his killing. While I find line to be a bit unnecessary, it's not like it overstepped into any dangerous kind of territory.
The only other thing that felt contrived was that Q was revealed to be gay. Again, I don't think the film really steps into dangerous territory, as it is cleverly brought up through Bond and Moneypenny's bombardment of Q's date night. This was about as soft and natural of an announcement that they could've made it. It's not like Q is seen making out with some dude... Its literally comes down to a choice of words (which very easily could have been reversed to the opposite sex) that is inconsequential to everything else in the story.
I fail to see anywhere else where race or social issues are embedded into the story. I know one fact that is currently pointed to as an identifier of "wokeness" is that Bond's job title is given to a black woman. Where is this fact being touted in the film? It's not. There's nothing of it. Nomi could have very easily been a straight white dude. You wouldn't need to change a single line. Her race and sex literally does not matter to the story. And honestly, Nomi is the one of the most well done "Bond equals" out there, if not the best.
The only other thing that the writer points to is this "emasculation of Bond." Is this because he falls in love and produced a child? If so, what is so effeminate about being father? Pretty sure Craig's daddy Bond is just as lethal as pre-dad Bond and can whoop some critic butt.
The last point I'll make is that the big trigger behind this though is really Bond dying. This concept really has nothing to do with being woke or emasculating the character, though. Rather it is more to do with poking through Bond's invincibility as a character. I think because these sorts of things have been done in other beloved film franchises rather unsuccessfully (ahm, Star Wars), when it came to Bond following this trend, it already was an uphill battle because the pre-existing disdain from those films.
So bottom line is I think calling the film woke is ungrounded. The Bond films have done a great job of avoiding or skirting around political issues and I think NTTD is no different. I challenge anyone who disagrees to make their case, because from what I've read this far, I'm not seeing it. And that's coming from a guy who is admittedly sympathetic to anti-woke sentiment.