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Do Bond films have better beginnings than endings?
When I was a student, my essays tended to start well and then tail off, perhaps because I would start each editing session at the beginning and get distracted part way through, so only the first sections are polished.
I tend to find something similar with Bond films, where the early scenes usually seem superior to the later. I felt the collapsing Venetian house in CR to be an action scene too far. The "dragon" was pretty rubbish in DN. The oil platform finale was dull in DAF. The less said about Bond dressing as a clown in Octopussy, the better. Even DAD is pretty good in the first part, before sagging in the middle, and collapsing in Iceland.
For me, perhaps only OHMSS improves as the film progresses.
I tend to find something similar with Bond films, where the early scenes usually seem superior to the later. I felt the collapsing Venetian house in CR to be an action scene too far. The "dragon" was pretty rubbish in DN. The oil platform finale was dull in DAF. The less said about Bond dressing as a clown in Octopussy, the better. Even DAD is pretty good in the first part, before sagging in the middle, and collapsing in Iceland.
For me, perhaps only OHMSS improves as the film progresses.
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Comments
DAF- I feel it falls apart once Willard white is rescued.
AVTAK- For me, it falls apart after the underwater scene.
TLD- Once Bond is drugged by Kara
TND- Pretty much after the halo jump.
DAD- Yeah, we all know when.
FRWL- loses a bit of momentum after Grant dies, but still pretty good.
GF- Pretty even.
TB- better first half.
YOLT- Fairly even.
OHMSS- Better as it goes.
DAF- Loses it at the the final battle.
LALD- fairly even.
TMWTGG- Loses it after Scaramanga dies.
TSWLM- Strong all along.
MR- Better first half.
FYEO- Pretty even.
OP- stronger second half.
AVTAK- Weak in general.
TLD- Slows some in Afghanistan.
LTK- Better second half.
GE- Very even.
TND- Very even (I know I'm in the minority on this one, c'est la vie).
TWINE- Loses it at the final sub battle.
DAD- Nice start, degenerates into comic book later. Never loses momentum, though.
CR- Slows near the end.
QOS- Very even.
SF- Better first half.
DAF
TND
DAD
MR
TWINE (which is a shame because I think of the film is pretty good. That submarine scene though…sloppily filmed)
Those are the ones where I'm not much of a fan of the climax. Other than that, I tend to find more things I like about them than not.
:))
I really don't think it's very inspired. The slow-motion scenes with Michelle Yeoh yelling 'heeya!' as she fires a machine gun are silly. The set design of the stealth sub is not very inspired.
I'm just now realizing that the two Brosnan films in which the climax happens in a submarine-like vehicle are two that I dislike. Huh.
Seconded!
Im not fond of the finale to GF (yup I said it).
When I was a teenager I used to find the final fight between Bond and Stamper very exciting,
Now I find Otto's mugging and overacting hilarious.
Imo: FRWL*, GF, TB, MR, OP, TLD, GE, TND, TWINE, DAD, CR and SF have a better PTS than their final battle. YOLT, OHMSS, LALD, FYEO, AVTAK, LTK, QOS have better final battle than their PTS. DAF, TMWTGG, TSWLM are pretty even when comparing the PTS and final battle.
* In this case I compare the boat chase, which is the final action bit of the film.
DN- First act
FRWL- Second act
GF- First half
TB- First act
YOLT- First act
OHMSS- Last hour is a materpiece.
DAF- I am not sure, so I suppose it is an draw.
LALD- I don´t kow, maybe even.
TMWTGG- Maybe second act.
TSWLM- Second act
MR- Maybe First half.
FYEO- Second act
OP- First half
AVTAK- First act
TLD- the death of Whitaker is the worst (and almost last) scene in the movie.
LTK- I like the first half a bit more.
GE- I am not sure, so even.
TND- First act, very good PTS
TWINE- First half, I love PTS
DAD- First half, by faaaaaaaaar
CR- Fist half
QOS- I don´t kow, maybe even.
SF- First act is awesome.
Yes, its a bit naff on both counts. :D
Yes, you said it, and you said it well bro! =D> The entire second half of Goldfinger is a drab, lets face it.
FRWL: Tacked on action scenes after Grant's death
GF: The soldiers faking to fall down on the floor
TB: Overlong battle scene and tacky speed-up effect on the boat
YOLT: The wedding, as beatiful as it is, just kills the pace IMO
OHMSS: Very out-of-place Bond theme in the end credits
DAF: Unsatisfying end for Blofeld, and the whole oil rig fight is tackled on
LALD: Kananga's death
TMWTGG: Films loses steam after Scaramanga dies
MR: Jaws turning good
FYEO: Maggy and Dennis
AVTAK: Very inapropriate shower scene with Roger Moore
TLD: Tackled on final fight with Whitaker (and why did Bond not shoot Whitaker in his belly, instead of aiming only at the head?)
LTK: Winking fish
GE: End credit song
TND: Rambo esque Bond with 2 guns
TWINE: Final line by Bond
DAD: Everything
CR: Sinking house
QOS: The hotel being a very lame excuse to have a lot of explosions
SF: Silva's plan
3. TMND: The moment there enter the stealth ship.
4. FYEO: Kristatos Place. He never be my favorite villian. I always thinking the NSNA villian and his game with Connery Bond be a bit inspyred by FYEO Kristatos and mabey have worked better for FYEO end.
5. AVTAK: Entering the hotel. Fire truck scene is great,but stil.
15. LTK: Drugslap/show exept the trucks scene.
16. QOS. I think almoost everbody see the end credits in the cinema. But the movie is very short and the end credits where a bit more intresting this time last 6 minutes of 106 minutes of movie. Whyle i like those credits and ''I never left'', before that lose entrest when there enter the hotel/hotel fight. Exept the metafoor with Greene but that is something like other symbols you first not notice.
21. Casino Royale: Opening was to much, till the moment Bond sit down with his phone. I also dislike airport scene. After the card game start up. that include stairs fight.
22. Skyfall: Whyle i also dislike some earlier and later things.Between the court scene and the atack on the house. After that part where Bond left them alone and we don't see how he escape from (to much DAD remember) ice/ something that look like on swimming pool of beer.
23. Thunderball; Water scene's.
Even the Gorilla suit (checking the time)?
That's neither here nor there, really. It's a perfectly appropriate scene since, you know, Bond is on a circus train...
DN--the death of Strangways results in an investigation that leads to DN.
FRWL--The assassination simulation is part of a larger trap to ensnare and kill Bond.
TB--A bruised Bond is sent for rest and recuperation. A bit of a stretch, no pun intended.
There's only really GF and MR, FYEO and OP that don't directly relate to the plot. The difference since, arguably Dalton, is that the PTS is more the first act of the story rather than a 'tease', so people forget that most did have some connection. I enjoyed QoS for the very reason it was quite old school in that sense.
Mmm, it should have been thrown-away…along with the Tarzan yell and the 'sit' to the stuffed tiger!
The duel between Bond and Gobinda, for example, was impressive to say the least but nearly exhausted from the previous fights, I can't help but wonder if OP really needed it to get its story told. FRWL is more or less over for me when Bond kills Grant. The North-By-North-West and boat fight both feel unnecessary. From Grant to Klebb would have been fine for me.
I think CR suffers most from its final act, from that final Venice conflict, despite the dramatic moment near the end of the film. This is because everything that comes before Venice is so perfect! After the card games with all those fights and challenges in between, and then the tense torture scene, I have barely any breath left. Though I really like the sinking house, I really do!, I wonder if it wouldn't have been better if they had more closely followed the novel for Vesper's suicide.
MR is actually one of the few films that kept the best stuff till the end, at least IMO. And I know it's not a popular opinion but by this point in the movie, I have totally suspended disbelief and I am ready to get into space. When those shuttles are launched and all that great imagery comes our way, I'm jazzed. In fact, when I sit down to watch MR, which I love to do, I only need the first notes of Barry's score after the gun barrel to bring me in the right mood for a space adventure, and I can't wait to get to the flight into space.
As many have pointed out, DAD may very well show the biggest decline in quality during the movie for any Bond film. Right after the PTS, I'm hooked. In fact, the hotel scene with Bond shaving and Peaceful about to never give him that massage, is a darn good scene. But Cuba is where they make a few mistakes. A few more in London, and then Iceland. Where a sign might have been held up saying "please shut down brain now". A certain CGI plane adds an exclamation mark to the madness that had been piling up for the last hour or so.
However, with the exception of GE I think the Brosnans overall suffered from the worst and most uninspired final acts. The stealth boat in TND would have given Ian Fleming a stroke had he still been alive and I still don't know what's going on in that sub in TWINE. All sorts of gizmos but hey, even Raymond Benson couldn't figure it out so the poor man did the best he could to deliver an "exciting climax" describing tubes, holes, wires, buttons and all kinds of technical gibberish. I'm afraid the stealth boat, submarine and CGI plane didn't flow naturally from the story but instead were conceived before the full story was. And that may have been a flaw in several Bond films.
Would love to hear more about it, @Christartos . Some other time.
Better pts: TB, YOLT, DAF, TSWLM, MR, OP, TLD, TND, QOS, SP.
Better final battle: OHMSS, LALD, LTK.
The rest is hard to say.