Are the Komodo Dragons the silliest things in the Craig era so far?

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  • GettlerGettler USA
    Posts: 326
    Blofeld from the novels dealt with information and trading secrets, which seems akin to the 9 eyes program he's got. The whole surveillance thing is just a modern update for his character on how to best steal, sell, and use the information.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,361
    And he looks the Part.
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  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    I've always said that I'd enjoy seeing Bond return to his cigarettes, but they had that chance from CR to SF and didn't take advantage of it, so I don't see it happening again.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    Birdleson wrote: »
    They will only allow that in a period piece at this point. Ridiculous. At his peak Bond was smoking 70 cigarettes a day in the novels.

    Just the thought of having a scene of him going to get his cigarettes - or the countless opportunities for him to smoke throughout the film - is wonderful. I wish we could get back to that, but alas, it'll never be.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Birdleson wrote: »
    They will only allow that in a period piece at this point. Ridiculous. At his peak Bond was smoking 70 cigarettes a day in the novels.

    Just the thought of having a scene of him going to get his cigarettes - or the countless opportunities for him to smoke throughout the film - is wonderful. I wish we could get back to that, but alas, it'll never be.
    I remember the big fuss they made because Bond was smoking a cigar while checking out Jinx in DAD. I think a cigar is as much as we'll ever see again, sadly.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,589
    DRush76 wrote: »
    Bond standing on a boat as he approached that casino in Macau was the silliest thing. He looked as if he was trying to impersonate a GQ model.

    Impersonate a GQ mode?. Hell. DC IS a GQ model!

    ;)
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    Hardly. Brosnan was. That was the whole point of bringing someone with Craigs looks into the role.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    They even used Brosnan s old model shoot photographer for the GE promo pics, and it shows.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    I was more mistaken about Blofelds appearance. I object to this comment though:
    They tried something new with the character a Fresh new take...the Drag wearing camp version that ruined the character in the first place

    They kept nearly all of the 'camp' elements from the old Blofeld.

    countdown clock
    white Persian cat
    scar on face
    showing Bond his HQ, explaining his plan and unnecessarily gloating
    Insisting on an 'amusing' death for Bond, instead of just shooting him in the face
    etc.

    I would have found Hans Landa Blofeld much fresher if all of these elements had been dispensed with.
  • JohnHammond73JohnHammond73 Lancashire, UK
    Posts: 4,151
    I didn't actually mind the Komodo Dragon scene really. Slightly reminiscent of the alligator scene in LALD from the Roger Moore era obviously but people see that as a great scene, myself included. For me, the silliest thing in the Craig era is, despite the movie being high in my rankings, the "brother" connection to Blofeld etc.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    Yes, I've never gotten the hatred for the Komodos. Such a minor thing.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    I didn't actually mind the Komodo Dragon scene really. Slightly reminiscent of the alligator scene in LALD from the Roger Moore era obviously but people see that as a great scene, myself included.

    Because the LALD stunt was genuinely dangerous.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,589
    RC7 wrote: »
    I didn't actually mind the Komodo Dragon scene really. Slightly reminiscent of the alligator scene in LALD from the Roger Moore era obviously but people see that as a great scene, myself included.

    Because the LALD stunt was genuinely dangerous.

    And inspired one of the greatest extreme skiers of all time.

  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,255
    [quote="RC7;542342
    Because the LALD stunt was genuinely dangerous. [/quote]

    Indeed it was...for the stunt man. Something looking "fake" is often a subjective opinion. I am a fan of the Komodo scene and a longtime special effects aficionado. I find it "realistic" enough. The dark, moody lighting helps. As far as the alligator run. It's a great scene but in the eyes of some the clear fact that it isn't Roger doing it makes it "fake"; come on Tom Cruise would do it for real. ;)

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Tom Cruise is the new Johnny Weissmuller.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    talos7 wrote: »
    [quote="RC7;542342
    Because the LALD stunt was genuinely dangerous.

    Indeed it was...for the stunt man. Something looking "fake" is often a subjective opinion. I am a fan of the Komodo scene and a longtime special effects aficionado. I find it "realistic" enough. The dark, moody lighting helps. As far as the alligator run. It's a great scene but in the eyes of some the clear fact that it isn't Roger doing it makes it "fake"; come on Tom Cruise would do it for real. ;)

    [/quote]

    If the Komodo scene was original and not riffing on LALD I'd cut it more slack. Rog didn't ski off a cliff either, but I'd rather someone did it than using a CGI double.
  • AnthraxAnthrax Sweden
    Posts: 77
    There's two things I don't like about the parkour chase in CR. The first is Mollaka jumping off of the top crane to the lower one. While the stunt itself is very impressive, the fact that it appears that his legs were unhurt after what looks like a 25-30 feet jump down onto a tiny part of a crane and his legs almost not bending at all after he finished. His legs made that look like a 2 foot jump.

    The second is him running at full speed, jumping into an elevator shaft and wall-jumping perfectly off of the wall to land on the lower floor and continue running.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    You know he's a worldclass parkour expert right? It wouldn't surprise me if he did all those things as advertised (albeit with safety equipment in place).
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited February 2016 Posts: 23,883
    Sark wrote: »
    You know he's a worldclass parkour expert right? It wouldn't surprise me if he did all those things as advertised (albeit with safety equipment in place).
    What really stands out about that parkour sequence for me is that it hasn't been bettered yet in a major motion picture (Die Hard 4 did a pretty good job too but CR thrashed it in my view). Sure, there are lesser films out there that may have done it better but not on this scale box office wise.

    So this, in my view, was a return to form for James Bond - where it becomes the benchmark stunt wise when it sets out to do something thematically. Pity they didn't carry on the long held tradition.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    Anthrax wrote: »
    There's two things I don't like about the parkour chase in CR. The first is Mollaka jumping off of the top crane to the lower one. While the stunt itself is very impressive, the fact that it appears that his legs were unhurt after what looks like a 25-30 feet jump down onto a tiny part of a crane and his legs almost not bending at all after he finished. His legs made that look like a 2 foot jump.

    The second is him running at full speed, jumping into an elevator shaft and wall-jumping perfectly off of the wall to land on the lower floor and continue running.
    bondjames wrote: »
    Sark wrote: »
    You know he's a worldclass parkour expert right? It wouldn't surprise me if he did all those things as advertised (albeit with safety equipment in place).
    What really stands out about that parkour sequence for me is that it hasn't been bettered yet in a major motion picture (Die Hard 4 did a pretty good job too but CR thrashed it in my view). Sure, there are lesser films out there that may have done it better but not on this scale box office wise.

    So this, in my view, was a return to form for James Bond - where it sets the benchmark stunt wise when it sets out to do something thematically.

    Totally. It's a scene I'd like to believe everyone who's ever seen the movie would never forget.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    bondjames wrote: »

    So this, in my view, was a return to form for James Bond - where it becomes the benchmark stunt wise when it sets out to do something thematically. Pity they didn't carry on the long held tradition.

    This.

    And what do we get now? The Guiness world record for the most underwhelming way you can spend half of the film's budget.
  • AnthraxAnthrax Sweden
    Posts: 77
    I am fully aware that Sebastian Foucan, is a parkour expert.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    bondjames wrote: »

    So this, in my view, was a return to form for James Bond - where it becomes the benchmark stunt wise when it sets out to do something thematically. Pity they didn't carry on the long held tradition.

    This.

    And what do we get now? The Guiness world record for the most underwhelming way you can spend half of the film's budget.

    I think I'm the only forum member who loves that shot. Cue witty reposte.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,361
    I loved it too. The old Bond villain lair exploding trope is one of my favorites. :-bd
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    RC7 wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »

    So this, in my view, was a return to form for James Bond - where it becomes the benchmark stunt wise when it sets out to do something thematically. Pity they didn't carry on the long held tradition.

    This.

    And what do we get now? The Guiness world record for the most underwhelming way you can spend half of the film's budget.

    I think I'm the only forum member who loves that shot. Cue witty reposte.

    Don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against the shot (the whole place blowing up after shooting one tank is another matter). It's the fact that it cost more the Greek bailout that is unacceptable.

    The other thing that grates is Mendes dancing with glee behind the scenes like one of the peasants who kicked Gadaffi to death merely at the pointless fact that they broke the record for the biggest explosion in a film.

    Wonder if Sam was also dancing after they wrapped the lame plane crash sequence or when he read the final script for the 3rd act?
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    edited February 2016 Posts: 4,589
    The issue with the Parkour chase is that Molakka ran up on top of a crane at all...And that Bond chased him up there. It was stupid on both counts. Campbell needed to stage this with more urgency to make it work: perhaps a helicopter circling overhead with a ladder to pick him up. Or something, anything at all to make that work. But running up the thing was basically a form of being cornered.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    RC7 wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »

    So this, in my view, was a return to form for James Bond - where it becomes the benchmark stunt wise when it sets out to do something thematically. Pity they didn't carry on the long held tradition.

    This.

    And what do we get now? The Guiness world record for the most underwhelming way you can spend half of the film's budget.

    I think I'm the only forum member who loves that shot. Cue witty reposte.

    Don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against the shot (the whole place blowing up after shooting one tank is another matter). It's the fact that it cost more the Greek bailout that is unacceptable.

    The other thing that grates is Mendes dancing with glee behind the scenes like one of the peasants who kicked Gadaffi to death merely at the pointless fact that they broke the record for the biggest explosion in a film.

    Wonder if Sam was also dancing after they wrapped the lame plane crash sequence or when he read the final script for the 3rd act?

    Plane crash is weak, but I like the 3rd act, purely because it's utterly bizarre.

    TripAces wrote: »
    The issue with the Parkour chase is that Molakka ran up on top of a crane at all...And that Bond chased him up there. It was stupid on both counts. Campbell needed to stage this with more urgency to make it work: perhaps a helicopter circling overhead with a ladder to pick him up. Or something, anything at all to make that work. But running up the thing was basically a form of being cornered.

    I don't believe anyone was/is thinking this while viewing it. It's too exhilarating.
  • Posts: 1,680
    That CR parkour sequence has yet to be topped. SF PTS train sequence came close though.
  • SarkSark Guangdong, PRC
    Posts: 1,138
    The issue with the Parkour chase is that Molakka ran up on top of a crane at all...And that Bond chased him up there. It was stupid on both counts. Campbell needed to stage this with more urgency to make it work: perhaps a helicopter circling overhead with a ladder to pick him up. Or something, anything at all to make that work. But running up the thing was basically a form of being cornered.

    Bond couldn't have just waited at the bottom. As we saw Molakka was capable of jumping to the building next to the construction site.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    With the exception of the PTS of SPECTRE nothing even comes to the parkour sequence in CR, still for me the outright best action sequence of Craig's era and up there near the top with the rest of the series.
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