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How seriously should we take Bond?
I ask the question because Spectre seems to have divided opinion. Some wishing that it had stayed closer to the darker, gritty seriousness of DC's previous films, and others praising it for going back to the Bond template including the more lighter touch - possibly straying on the Roger Moore-esque.
So, how serious or humourous do we want Bond films to be. Personally I don't think there is a cut and dry answer to this. I love the serious gritty Bond. My favourite Bond films are FRWL, OHMSS, FYEO, LTK, TLD, CR and SP. But I also love Bond films that have the more fantastical elements to them - GF, TB, Spectre, TSWLM etc.
Whilst I probably edge to the darker Bond - I like the way CR dealt in some degree with Bond and the affect on him of the type of job he does, his relationship with Vesper etc. But I think I've really enjoyed Spectre just because it is offering up a bit of variety.
What do people think?
So, how serious or humourous do we want Bond films to be. Personally I don't think there is a cut and dry answer to this. I love the serious gritty Bond. My favourite Bond films are FRWL, OHMSS, FYEO, LTK, TLD, CR and SP. But I also love Bond films that have the more fantastical elements to them - GF, TB, Spectre, TSWLM etc.
Whilst I probably edge to the darker Bond - I like the way CR dealt in some degree with Bond and the affect on him of the type of job he does, his relationship with Vesper etc. But I think I've really enjoyed Spectre just because it is offering up a bit of variety.
What do people think?
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Comments
What you want to know is if we like our Bond serious or humorous. I personally like a balance of both. A reasonably serious movie with a side of humorous.
Regardless of my personal thoughts on Spectre, I thought that balance was done quite well. Some people don't like TLD because of the OTT elements, I like it more because of them
Fixed. ;)
How dare you? See above for the correct quote.
Perfectly put, I prefer the more lightearted Bond myself, but the right way to do it is to find the proper balance, of course the series keeps changing constantly and going back and forth as well, which works out nicely for everyone, if it's too serious for you currently then just wait 2 or 3 more movies and we are back to more "comedic" tones. The series would be a LOT different if every movie was like FRWLM or CR or MR, I think that's why I can endlessly rewatch these movies and go through bondathon after bonathon, the switching back and forth between "serious" and "silly" keeps things fresh. I can have my serious Bond when Im in the mood for it and my comedic one when I'm in the mood for that. There's something for every kind of a mood I might be in, if they ALL had exactly the same tone, the series probably wouldn't appeal to me as much.
Yep. Being a Bond fan, one has to grow accustomed to change and learn to endure plot holes and shifts in tone. Otherwise, find another series. For there is truly no other series like James Bond.
Last movie I saw in the cinema with my Dad was QS.
Yes it's just a series but still important.
My top 5 Bond list has a bit of all, because I think these films are beautifully balanced even if some are a little more jokey and some are a little more dark/serious. Execution...although I probably lean more to the serious side.
1. FRWL
2. TB
3. CR
4. TSWLM
5. DN
We share a number one.
(yes, Blofeld reference there too)
I agree with everything you have said here, you have taste. I dislike really over the top elements of some of the films though...e.g. Dolly and Jaws in MR.
For anyone thinking the new Bond films are a bit too dark and lacking humor,
revisit the films in which Bond has become a caricature of Bond and no gag or line is too cheesy. When the goal is to become funnier, this is what happens.
Bond humor works best when delivered with a sense of irony, or as comic relief in response to a sustained sequence of intensity. Too often Bond humor has reflected an adolescent sensibility rather than an adult sensibility informed by wit and intellect.
Humor poorly written or used in the wrong place can derail the tension of a scene.
Without that tension, Bond cracks wise, he is not threatened, he really isn't in danger, and we don't believe for one minute anything going on is serious.
Where you see an attempt at comedy I see entertainment. Variety is the spice of life. Give me OHMSS back to back with MR and I'll have a riot with both.
Movies like DAF, MR, LTK and DAD or SF were absolutely necessary for the evolution of Bond.
SP is the best example for this. The Craig era needed an OTT fun Bond movie, otherwise this era would have been viewed upon as missing something. EON knew that, Mendes too.
Now all 5 actors had their "special" movie.
Connery DAF
Moore MR
Dalton LTK
Brosnan DAD
Craig SP
Craig changed all of that with films. Yes, I take all of his seriously indeed.
This is an excellent point. It's part of the overall evolution.
About as seriously as one should take ANY action/thriller....which is to say not at all. Whether dark or humorous, its all just fiction.
Yes it is fiction, but drama can be serious, humourous or mix between. For instance Shakespeare wrote tragedies which are supposed to be taken seriously, they aren't on the whole played for laughs, so the acting for instance is all quite straight. Whereas the comedies are played for laughs.
So, Sicario is a thriller that has recently been released in cinemas. Overall it is not a comedy. It has a tense, thrilling narrative.
Austin Powers is a comedy and is played for laughs.
When I say take them seriously I don't mean treat them as if they are the most important thing in the world, not that kind of taking it serious. But to what degree we like to have the action/drama played straight or played for comedic/fantastical effect. It's a question of genre at the end of the day. The Bond books and to a greater degree the films have tended to swing the pendulum back and forth on this account. For example Moonraker is very light - eg. the scene with Jaws and Dolly with the Romeo and Juliet music in the background isn't the serious drama that we see between Bond and Vesper as they sit in the shower and she feels that she has blood on her hands - that scene is played very seriously - i.e. you are not meant to laugh at it.
I disagree that films like OHMSS and SP are not fantastical. The great thing about Fleming's books and many of the best films is the way they mix realism with the fantastical. Infact there's not necessarily a contradiction. Fantastical can be done deadly realisitcally. Or it can be done in a completely OTT or humorous way.
Personally I prefer it when Bondia played reasons ku straight and then all the craziness happens around or to him. Connery was great at this, particularly in the early films.
Interesting list. For me, Connery's would be YOLT.