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Yeah for me it and Spectre hit the spot completely in terms of tone, although obviously the nostalgia thing is slightly played out now.
To some extent. I like that SF was willing to really lean into that Bondian flair though and didn't feel embarrassed about really going for it, nostalgia and all. It's quite telling that the audience you were with clapped at the DB5/Bond theme (it's the sort of thing that's almost cheesy, but just works all the same). I remember going to one screening where people did a similar thing when the Bond theme kicked in as he set up the bomb to blow up his house. Never seen an audience react that way to a Bond film prior or since.
Again, just shows those crowd-pleasing, Bondian moments always hit the spot. And if the film's great (or at least resonates) even better.
I also dislike the treatment of Sévérine. She would have made a great Bond girl, I wish she could have stayed 'till the end.
Furthermore, the locations, with the exception of the Shanghai and Macau section, are really dull. The tube, that dreary mansion, even Istanbul isn't being done justice...
Sorry, folks, I have tried and tried and tried, but I can't seem to get on board with it.
How do you feel it does that out of interest? I can't think how you mean really.
Don't worry about it mate...You're not alone 😅
It's not the worst crime for a Bond film, but I guess I prefer it when there's a reason to be somewhere instead of it just being a backdrop (Bilbao in TWINE always comes to mind!). I suppose riding bikes over the Grand Bazaar looks pretty cool (love the music in that bit).
I didn't like the "exploding pen" jab back in 2012, and now it's hilarious when the same crew went on to use an exploding watch in the very next film.
And yes, Berenice is gorgeous, but Bond bedding an ex-child sex slave is such an awkward and not-at-all-sexy moment. She gets all that buildup but only exists as a vehicle for Bond to meet Silva before she's killed off.
I also didn't like when Bond and Severine have that encounter at the bar and she says they are going to kill him when he leaves, it's nicely built up to be something exciting, and Bond does that cool salute with his martini....and then we get a really lame fight, with Bond swinging an obviously empty case around, amid the awful cgi komodo dragons!
Oh yeah, that really weak fight feels ripped from one of Roger Moore's installments. Bond's goofy, surprised pointing when the komodo is moving about is something else.
For a film which folks say takes itself too seriously and supposedly thinks it's better than it is, I love how many goofy, unselfconsciously silly and old school moments there are in it. That shot in the PTS when Eve's Land Rover drives past a line of police motorbikes, who the camera settles on as they start their engines to join the chase: it's so much from the 70s/80s school of movie chases -without irony- that I love it.
That's a fair question.
I didn't like the opening shot replacing the gunbarrel, the jab at the exploding (as @Creasy47 pointed out), the poem, the on-the-nose old v new theme, the on-the-nose mother theme, ... . I have the feeling it looks down upon what came before. It feels very Dark Knight-esque too, and I was never that much into that film either.
The missing travelogue aspect is not a dealbreaker for me, but I do find atmosphere an important aspect and I find this one falls short on that account.
I am not claiming it's a bad film, it's just not what I look for in Bond. So yes, it's down to a personal preference from my side, I don't mind admitting it.
@GoldenGun, you and I seem aligned in this: I can't knock it for being a bad film really, nitpicks aside. It's just not my kind of Bond film at all.
Okay thanks, I guess I can see how the poem might seem pretentious perhaps. I guess I'm just so in tune with it by then that it works totally, but if it hasn't clicked by then you'd probably be turned off.
Totally agree on Dark Knight so I can sort of see where you're coming from! :)
For me I guess they balance it well with the aforementioned goofiness and some really fun gags. I find it doesn't take itself 100% seriously.
That's interesting: I find it's absolutely dripping in atmosphere. Those shots of Bond running across the plain, backlit by the burning house.. I find those just amazing. Or even just the DB5 arriving at Skyfall, surrounded by mist, with the amazing music making it more imposing and bleak. I can't think of a Bond more atmospheric, to be honest.
Btw @j_w_pepper, I also always include NSNA in my lists ;) I find it rather enjoyable to be honest.
Now, we still have ten entries left. They are, in chronological order:
- Dr. No
- From Russia with Love
- Goldfinger
- Thunderball
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- The Spy Who Loved Me
- Octopussy
- The Living Daylights
- GoldenEye
- Casino Royale
Every actor still has at least one outing left: Sean has four, Rog has two and the rest all have one entry still in the contest.
Sean Connery - 4 (out of 6)
Roger Moore - 2 (out of 7)
George Lazenby - 1 (out of 1)
Timothy Dalton - 1 (out of 2)
Pierce Brosnan - 1 (out of 4)
Daniel Craig - 1 (out of 5)
Every pre-1990 director also remains in the competition with at least one outing, but Martin Campbell is the only post-1990 director remaining.
Terence Young - 3 (out of 3)
Martin Campbell - 2 (out of 2)
John Glen - 2 (out of 5)
Peter Hunt - 1 (out of 1)
Lewis Gilbert - 1 (out of 3)
Guy Hamilton - 1 (out of 4)
Directors with no entries left:
Sam Mendes (2)
Marc Forster (1)
Cary Joji Fukunaga (1)
Roger Spottiswoode (1)
Michael Apted (1)
Lee Tamahori (1)
We'll dive into our top 10 soon.
1. From Russia With Love
2. Goldfinger
3. Casino Royale
4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
5. Goldeneye
If I'm wrong: Thunderball.
In the meantime, here's a recap of our honourable mentions:
15. Quantum of Solace
14. Live and Let Die
13. Licence to Kill
12. For Your Eyes Only
11. Skyfall
Be interesting to see what makes number 1, my guess is either FRWL or CR!
OCTOPUSSY (1983)
Directed by John Glen
"That's my little octopussy!"
The second favourite Rog entry of the board, quite surprisingly probably for a casual 007 viewer, OP obtained one silver medal, one bronze medal and one 5th spot as its highest rankings.
Five more members ranked it inside their top 10, while three participants gave it the 11th place. Seven participants put it somewhere between 12th and 15th.
Which means only four members had no place for it in their top 15. Only one of them also ranked it outside the top 20, which was a 22nd place, also its lowest score.
OP, it can be said, scores a lot better amongst the Bond fans than with general audiences. Usually near the bottom in online ranking lists, on here it has a large fanbase, illustrated also by this top 10 finish.
In total OP collected 133 points.
It have some tense moments like Bond lurking around Khan's Palace at night or the circus scene.
But, I'll repost my quote here from another discussion (revised it a bit to fit in with this thread as this came from another thread where I've compared this film to TLD).
That's said, it's enjoyable, some memorable and tense scenes here and there, and it's better than the other Bond films, if making them by comparison, but the highest I could give to it is the ranking where it is now, due to the reactions that remained consistent with me.
Couldn't have said it better myself, though I would add the following:
- great Cold War tension surrounding the Inner German Border.
- Bond in an Alfa! Great chase too, with the police showing some competent driving for once.
- Vijay is such a likeable ally.
- Q's most involved role until LTK.
- Magda!
Orlov is probably a top three villain for me, next to Scaramanga and Fiona Volpe. He's hilarious.
I had this at 8th, just one place below TMWTGG with whome this one is always battling for the highest Rog spot. Suffice to say, I'm a big fan of OP.
Love the PTS and 009 being hounded by the twins is still one of the best openings to any Bond film.
Kamal Khan is a fun villain, sort of a ‘less homicidal’ version of Drax.
Moore’s chemistry with Adams is by far the strongest among all other Bond women, although at 56 yrs old, he’s getting closer to George Smiley territory than to Ethan Hunt or Jason Bourne.
Overall, a pretty solid entry, although not what I’d consider top shelf Bond.
The best part: The PTS. Bloody awesome.
The worst part: Victor Tourjansky. Because he's not here. You do not deny us the pleasure of Victor Tourjansky.