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SPECTRE: What would you have done differently?
After seeing SPECTRE, what would you have done differently? Would you have changed most of the film? Only some of it? Or do you think it doesn't need changing at all?
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Comments
1) Have Bond give Q the Spectre ring for analysis after he's been injected with the smart blood. Q pulls of a copy of the data on it, but its highly encrypted so he has to work on it. Bond leaves with the ring.
2) Give some dialogue to Mr Hinx in the Rome meeting. Or at least have the Spectre members refer to him as Mr Hinx.
2) Cut out the Moneypenny interactions from the car chase. When Bond parachutes down Q calls him saying he's cracked part of the ring's data, Sciarra's next mission was the White King, Mr White, in Austria...
3) In the Austria hotel room, Q has cracked the rest of the ring's data - same as in the movie.
4) When Bond and Madeliene arrive in Tangier, have a short shot of Oberhauser and Hinx in the control room watching them on CCTV. Hinx then leaves (explains how Hinx knows they're on the train).
5) Cut the whole Oberhauser/Bond brother angle. Not needed.
6) Play up the 'Nine Eyes' angle a lot more. It's a bit wasted in the film. Bond needs to be undermined by the whole idea a little more.
I think these changes would all improve the film, except the MP dialogue in the car chase, thought that worked, but would have liked a bit more peril in it. I think the whole idea with the car was meant to play with expectations - you think we've gone back to gadet-laden easy escape for Bond territory - woops no ammunition etc.
Hi guys i absolutely loved the movie but feel exactly the same as @tigers99. We could have had a bit less action (taking from the film either Morocco or the London finale) and used that screen time to build more the relationship of Bond with Madleine and maybe to take better use of the stunning locations (more, overlong, aerial shots with stunning music to fllow).
Clearly 2 elements that made OHMSS my all time favorite.
Also agree with @Mallory when he says "Cut the whole Oberhauser/Bond brother angle. Not needed.".
This was for me the most disappointing aspect of the film. Totally unecessary.
Also, i felt that the climax of the torture scene was way to "over the top". After being drilled in both sides of the head Bond is more fit then me in my best days. To much..
But in all, a great JB movie!
I disagree on the Bond/Swann relationship. There's a lot of talk and comparison with Tracy, but that isn't the aim of the narrative in this film. The relationship is borne out of the intensity and immediacy of their situation. In that regard it is a credible relationship and is nice point of difference from Vesper and Tracy. Let's not forget, Bond is not in love with this girl, but through her he sees a 'choice'.
7) Have some of the Spectre members be present in the control room in Morocco. The female Spectre agent (Dr Vogel?) and some of the others, to reinforce the size of the organisation and its top agents.
They should have only shown Waltz in the shadow in the Rome meeting saying "Welcome James". "The author of all your pain line" should have been left for the cinema.
Lea Seydoux confirmed in an interview to the media before release she was White's daughter, again you could begin to piece the film idea in your head before seeing it.
Bond on discovering Mr White was the Pale King should have been more emotional, after all he slipped the net and held the answers to Vesper's blackmail.
Skyfall and Silva should not have been link'd in. Silva's motives were that of SPECTRE to hurt Bond rather than his own beef with Dame Judi M, was just silly and takes away from Skyfall.
Dame Judi Cameo - Bond should have discovered the video after knocking the Dalton Churchill dog off the table, it smashing and a pen drive being enclosed. Rather than say "It was left for me in my inbox".
Austria, Snow, Mountain, Bond - No Ski Scene?!
It would have been better if M had left out that Sciarra "You must hunt him and kill him" The video should scramble like a fault. I think it would made a great twist if the Sciarra name M had come across through intelligence was really Lucia Sciarra and she was a SPECTRE key player and M mistook it as the husband sending Bond after pretty much the wrong guy.
The exploding Desert Moroccan layer was a bit naff, we had seen this already in the rushed ending to QOS which was the worst part of the film IMO. Funny I feel the same about the LTK finally also set on the desert road. Blofeld's layer should have been more over elaborate and exotic/luxurious.
I just felt everything was under used, I wanted to see more Belucci, More Waltz, More of the Aston Martin DB10/Car Chase, better transition from location to location. Like Bond and Madeline escape Morocco and steal a helicopter, they clearly can't fly Morocco to London as perceived on a single tank. Why not show them landing it somewhere and then cut to the two of the on a flight showing their relationship develop further.
I know Sony wanted to do 2 films back to back I understand why Dan and Sam did not want to because it was too much and they did not want to sacrifice on quality but I feel it back fired, had they split the story down to two and paced them both properly added a little extra here and there they would been an amazing two films possibly the best ever, it does feel that it is too many ideas and rushed in places to get it all in to 2hr 20 Mins. A real shame.
I got the impression they wouldn't know where the control room was, hence why White was looking for him. It seemed like he kept the agents at arms length, in the way the FRWL/TB Blofeld did.
I still really enjoyed it and will look forward to catching it on Blu ray next year but the whole Brother angle sits awkwardly with me. I also think the 3rd act falters, the film is fine up to the point they get off the train.
I'm fine with tying the films together and making Quantum part of SPECTRE but I would have liked it done without using Bond's past.
I'm not saying I don't enjoy it from there on but you can tell they changed it quite hurriedly, both desert base and old MI6 sequences needed more thought and Bond downing that ESB's helicopter with one shot is a bit silly.
So yes I would have liked more thought with those last big set pieces and something that could have avoided the temporary guardian angle, I'm no script writer so I can't suggest what though. It's out there now so we can't go back on it, it will be how we go from here, if this era continues that is.
- Have Bond chill in Sölden/Tyrol before or after he finds/rescues Swann (include a ski-chase of some kind whilst your at it) to inject some local Alpine flavour.
- Drop M & Mp's involvement from the climax.
- Lose the MI6 building hideout bit at he end with all the photo's etc.
That's it. These are the only real gripes I have with it - otherwise just a great, solid Bond yarn.
DC didn't want to ski, I heard him say in the interview that was in conjunction with the New York Times
You are missing the point, methinks. DAN himself doesn't need to ski to have the local flavour of the setting be used in an action sequence - he can be rolling down a ski-piste in his plane for all I care - but skiing hasn't been properly used for ages in the series... so setting it in Tyrol and not having any wintersports is a missed opportunity
Yeah, exactly the film is littered by homage, why not using a plane wing or tearing off a door using it a sledge pay TLD some homage.
Well I'm relieved they didn't do that :(
Was thinking more along the lines of the chase getting caught up amidst a busy ski-piste or smth. Perhaps use a 'pistenbully' (the trucks they use for preparing the pistes)
What point have I missed, sorry not sure I get you. I wasn't say that he should or shouldn't, just that he said he didn't want there to be skiing.
Ah, he didn't want skiing, defacto, not simply that he didn't want to ski, then...? I didn't read the interview you mentioned, I was basing my comments on your extrapolation of his objections :)
2. Give Bautista's character a line of introduction during the SPECTRE meeting. Blofeld: "Ah, Mr. Hinx... You have something to contribute to the proceedings?"
3. At least a couple of cuts and bruises on Craig after the train fight.
4. Instead of touching off the massive explosion at SPECTRE HQ with a single bullet, I'd have Bond kill a guard, then snatch a grenade off of the dead man. 007 throws it, causing a chain reaction of explosions.
2. Skiing
3. Make the climax On top of Big Ben or
Make the climax a terrorist attack rather than demolition of a derelict building
4. Polish the dialogue in tanners boat scene and Monica belluci's villa
5. Give blofeld more screen time
6. Please please please have bond name drop the name of the drink he is drinking. It's half the fun of the early ones. His snobbery.
A climax on top of Big Ben, that feels very Hitchcock :)
It's a really cool idea. Quite how and why you'd end up there I'm not sure, but visually it's very neat.
You can still deal with Bond's parents and past without that.
And not even worry about shoe horning in a love story.
Additionally, I think Bond should have been hurt more during the torture (which could have been a series of them over a few days in order to get something out of him). Swann could have escaped her room and saved him....thereby increasing our perception of her usefulness and resourcefulness.
I would not have had the damsel in distress bit at the end. That's just outdated these days.
I would have ended the film in Mexico after a more drawn out section there, with a nice dinner scene (with some witty dialogue and psych babble) to allow us to learn more about Blofeld's motivations, & revealing inner demons, memories and motivations. The food should be 'interesting' (a'la TMWTGG mushrooms & OP sheep eye)
I would have dropped 'C' and the entire Nine Eyes, and all the MI6 gang shenanigans and given Blofeld a more standardized terrorist plot. That would have given us more time to concentrate on the more 'interesting' characters of Blofeld & Swann.
I would have had more of a buildup to the Lucia seduction and given her more airplay (please!).
I would have made the car chase more intense. What a waste of a scene imho.
Finally, of course, as has been mentioned, no stupid family connection between Blofeld and Bond. Just keep him as Blofeld and drop Oberhauser completely.
At some dramatic moment one or two or a few double O's could have shown up. I think it would have made sense because a lot of the double O agents would be of the same mettle as Bond and would want to be involved.
"James why didn't you invite us to the party?" double O whomever.
"I new I didn't have to." Bond.
"Right let's get on with it 007." another double O.
Maybe even just some dialogue from "M" or Tanner. "009" is doing this for us" "003 is standing by for orders". and so forth.
I understand why the filmmakers did the stepbrother Oberhauser plotline, but I really didn't care for it.
I think the filmmakers had a lot of ideas for this plotline that simply did not make it into "SPECTRE" that will be explored in Bond 25. I am so glad SPECTRE has returned however. Bond needs his Moriarty.