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Comments
I think I have that too
SF disappointed me when I first saw it. After four years, I wanted to see Bond in his prime kicking Quantum's ass again. For a while I was a serious SF basher. In the past couple of months that's changed however. Probably because I've come to loath SP. Nostalgia doesn't hurt. I love the cinematography and Adele's theme. Silva was great too. Apart from a few one liners, Craig's godawful haircut, unnecessary aging plot line, and the terrible gunbarrel this is a great anniversary film.
CR 10/10
QOS 9.5/10
SF 9/10
SP 4/10
I have not been able to sit through SF since its theatrical release (I saw it only once). Soon after Silva's first scene, the boredom sets in. The finale at the Skyfall estate is excruciating in its ponderousness, and I can't imagine enduring that again.
Spectre
Quantum
Skyfall
Easily.
CR 10/10
QOS 9.5/10
SF 4/10
SP 4/10
The cinematography, direction, action, pace, story, score, and just over all adrenaline from Qos makes it one of my fav films of all time.
I feel the same.
I agree, QoS and LTK are the two that don't feel like Bond movies to me. They're decent enough but they feel like generic action flicks. LTK, in its time, feels like Schwarzenegger or Stallone could've starred in it and OoS, in its time, feels like Statham or the Rock could've starred in it, with character names changed of course.
Although I do feel that the story for SF made sense. It was a bit different for compared to the average Bond flicks. I liked that it told a bit about Bond's history.
Skyfall is easily the better of the two films.
Why?? Well, QOS has one of the best car chases in movie history. The editing to me was very unique and different. Loved how each location had a theme. Really captured the feel of London. The opera scene was super artistic and loved how they had the loud opera music playing with Bond and the henchman chasing him. The ending of the film was not lackluster at all. Greene's lair is super badass and how much more epic can a finale get with that place on fire and the villain trying to kill Bond with an axe? People say SP's ending was lackluster but please SF is in Bond's childhood home while they play home alone.. That was so awkward. I re-watched all the films recently and a majority of the films have incredible endings. Look at the ending of all of the Brosnan films. How do we go from that to Bond in an abandoned house playing home alone?? Worst Bond ending ever... There were some highlights in SF like the scene where Bond shoots the ice and fights one of the henchmen under water. The court room shootout. Still I will take QOS over SF any day.
I walked out after Skyfall and just thought that was just fantastic I have to see it again ASAP.
No amount of multiple watching changes that, how I have always judged the films based on first watch after all the anticipation, waiting a few years and leaving the cinema unfulfilled...
Same here. I'm not the biggest fan of CR but I enjoyed it and I was really excited to see how they'd build off the premise of a complete fresh start. Then with QoS they just seemed to piss it up the wall completely. It killed my enthusiasm for the new era.
SF on the other hand, I came out of the cinema buzzing. I felt so happy and couldn't stop thinking about how great it was. One of those films that had a genuine sense of magic when you first watched it. A lot of that was probably the 50th and all the hype, it didn't hold up quite as well on repeat viewings, but it's still a very good top 10 Bond film while QoS still sits at the bottom of the pile for me.
+1
Agreed, I did like certain scenes in skyfall, but as a whole it’s no good.
I don't get the Home alone parallel remind of the bit where Kevin blows up a house and brings a helicopter crashing in an inferno, such a lazy comparrison.
I really like the tense explosive violent climax of QOS.
Though CR's sinking house still takes the prize, utterly thrilling, emotional and hugely inventive.
Thankfully we got as far away with the exception of GE of the awful Brosnan climatic efforts.
I
I'm not a fan of the CR finale at all. I really don't like the sinking house bit. The real finale is when when Le Chiffre dies, but the audience expects a big action setpiece so even though we've already had a good hour at the start that had nothing to do with the plot of the novel, lets drag out an already long film with a big overblown action sequence at the end. It just feels dull and pointless imo, because they tried to turn what was and should have been a quiet epilogue into a big finale. And Vesper's death I've always found really contrived and over dramatic. I think if they'd stuck to the book it would have been much more emotional, shame they had to go all Hollywood with it.
The problem with the QoS finale is that it feels a bit generic at times imo. Like it could be the big finale to any action film. But I like how visceral and intense it feels so I give it points for that, it's not as bad as say the TND finale.
And I'm in the minority but I really liked SP's finale because it's surreal and different, and I like how there's a sense of "this is what it's all been building up to" with it. Bond staring down the helicopter, M getting his badass old soldier moment with C, Blofeld turning MI6 into a weird trip down memory lane. I thought it was cool.
I don't think the Brosnan films had bad finales either. GE's obviously is brilliant. I also love TWINE's too, I love the submarine setting and the shots of Bond swimming alongside it are very tense, and I like the fight with Renard because of how passionate and exhausted it seems like both men are. DAD's is stupid, but fun stupid. I'm not a fan of TND's at all though. So bland.
I'm glad I came round to GE so I don't have to stop at LTK now but that is where Bond stops in 1995 and then starts again 2006.
I'm not one of those fans that is going to torture myself watching films I can't stand for the sake of it, life is much too short for that, as for SPECTRE as it's now no. 24 in my rankings I'll be avoiding it as much as I can.
If the next one does tie into it like is expected I'll possibly watch it when I do the Craig era as I managed to pick it up for under a fiver but it won't be a pleasurable one, the last one certainly wasn't.
I actually really liked Spectre but I think the next one could be even better. I'm really hoping they go down the YOLT route. A proper adaptation of that book is long overdue.
I'd give TND and TWINE another chance too if you need a way to kill a few hours in the future. TND I'm not a huge fan of because I think it falls apart towards the end, but it does have a brilliant first half and I know there are a few fans on here who prefer it to GE (@Getafix for example who has similar views on Brosnan to you). And TWINE I think is really underrated. It's sort of an early prototype for the Craig era imo, bit rough round the edges but you can see that was their first attempt at that sort of film, and I love it because I think it's full of interesting original ideas. If you came round on GE you might enjoy those two more now as well, you never know.
When he's swinging that axe, he's scarier than Hinx. And in a more believable fashion.
Can't argue there. It is pretty badass.
Quantum wins. Fatality.
Interesting. Almost opposite experience for me. Not a huge fan of CR but recognised it as a massive step up after the Brosnan era. Felt Dan was a solid but unspectacular Bond (probably still my view). Where some people see subtlety, profundity and impressive range, I see rather joyless and monotone performances. But at least he doesn't pain-face. Also, not that keen on Martin Campbell's direction. However, CR definitely felt like a step in the right direction and there was a lot to enjoy. Went into QoS with moderate expectations and was pleasantly surprised I think. It is full of flaws but for me just works, not least because it doesn't overstay its welcome. QoS has some of the most Bondian scenes in decades IMO - most notably the Tosca sequence. I always enjoy the PTS, Mathis is back, I like Mathieu Amelric's slimy villain and the finale is old-school Bondian without feeling utterly stale like most of the Brosnan era flicks. And Arnold is perhaps at his best here.
Yes the action is sometimes totally superfluous, yes the choppy editing gets in the way occasionally, and the Bourne rip-off element is all too evident, but I still probably enjoyed this film more than any of the others from the Craig era. It feels like a Bond film of its time, rather than a self-conscious nostalgia trip.
SF obviously a massive disappointment. Sort of did everything I feared Mendes would do when he was announced as director. Way too long, incoherent, sentimental and flabby. Put the concept down on paper and there's a lot I like about it, not least the idea of the show-down in Scotland. But I watch the film and virtually nothing resonates with me. The thematic stuff always feels way too contrived, and the story is just too shambolic to grip me. And yes, the Scooby Gang are really annoying throughout. Never liked Dench's M, so a film about her was never really going to float my boat.
SP redeemed Mendes in my eyes slightly. Some very nice sequences and scenes. A great PTS - massive improvement on SF. But overall another rather flaccid, slightly rambling, overlong entry. Cut it by 30-45 minutes (i.e. chop London at the end and remove Bro-feld) and you'd have a much better film.
QoS is arguably too short but it wouldn't be a bad thing if EON put a 1hr 50 mins time limit on Bond films.
CR's climax was well made but I found the sinking house a bit too much even for a Bond film. Since the Brosnan era it feels as if Bond needs to destroy half of all the buildings he enters. And Vesper's death is a bit too dramatic for my taste. I much prefer the subtle death scene in OHMSS which is so much more effective.
QoS has a poor ending, too. It is extremely unspectacular since everything seems so extremely easy for Bond. Oh well, Bond is just stronger than Greene. What a surprise. There is no twist, no tension. A very generic and uncreative climax.
SF might have the best climax in the Craig era. The "home alone" concept has never bothered me. I think it is a unique concept since usually Bond is the one who has to complete his mission in the villain lair. In SF, it is the other way round. OK the scene itself has its flaws. Especially Silva's death is pretty underwhelming but all in all not bad.
SP has probably the worst climax in the series. It is so uncreative and rushed and filled with ridiculous ideas. The whole concept that Blofeld would decorate the old mi6 bulding for Bond is ludicrous. The encounter with Blofeld is silly, Bond shooting down the helicopter with a gun is stupid and the final conversation between him and Bond really frustrates me each time I watch it.
I felt the location was like an Ikea, felt hollow. I thought Green was weak and his sidekick was like Mr Bean. Apart from Bond leaving Green with the can of oil I thought it 2nd poorest or Dan's reign after Spectre. Casino definitely has the best ending. And if you had avoided leaks like I them killing off Dame Judi in Skyfall was a neat suprise. I did enjoy the last rat standing comment. One thing that is pretty poor. Final acts have been rather weak in Craig tenure.
Fair comments. Agree the SP ending is dire. I like the concept for having the denouement in SF at Bond's home, but because of the way it's filmed, conceived, designed and written I just find it underwhelming. I expected so much more when I read that the film was being set in the Highlands. I was expecting some stunning location work and amazing use of the Scottish landscape. Of course it's all actually shot on an army base in the south of England, which might partly explain why it lacks any real sense of place and a genuine location vibe. it all feels a bit fake and plastic. Your criticism of the QoS ending is valid, but I feel the same about SF. Exploding building - tick. Bond unsurprisingly escapes - tick.
On balance I probably agree that CR is best. At least there's a real sense of peril and risk. And Vesper's death means this is a Bond finale that really matters (sorry, I was cheering when M dies in SF!).
The endings of Bond films are often a bit of a let down though to be honest, aren't they? There aren't many that really hit the mark.
Sadly true.