Christoph Waltz as Blofeld - Hit or miss?

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  • SuperintendentSuperintendent A separate pool. For sharks, no less.
    edited November 2015 Posts: 871
    Waltz is good with what he's given, but I just can't see him as a hit because of this foster brother thing. I didn't think that bringing back SPECTRE and Blofeld was a good idea in the first place, but this is just beyond ridiculous.

    There were terrible flaws in Bond films before, but I think this is absolutely the worst decision in the James Bond history. I really wish I wasn't feeling this way, but this is such a huge, huge disappointment for me. Bond's foster brother was jealous because his father loved James more than him, so he killed his father, created the worlds biggest crime syndicate, all the while trying to make Bond's life miserable. This sounds like a soap opera plot to me.

    Apparently, I'm in the minority here as no one else sees this as utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately, this can't be undone, so unless they ditch this story altogether (which is highly unlikely), my anticipation of the next Bond movie is at it's lowest point. Which is a shame, really, because I like Daniel Craig, CR was a fantastic movie, SF was excellent, even QoS is a fine film. I'm not saying everything in SPECTRE was bad, there are things in it that I like, but this casts a shadow on the entire film.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I could have gone without the foster brother angle but it was handled in a way where it wasn't that in your face.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    Birdleson wrote: »
    No, sucky is more appropriate.

    I should stop bashing SPECTRE, others have obviously enjoyed it.

    As someone who thoroughly enjoyed the film, I hope you keep writing what you think - even if critical. We all don't have to agree. (Mostly) adults here. We can take it.

    Agreed. I respect @Birdleson's opinion because it's not just baseless platitudes, but someone who is a hardcore fan with a indepth knowledge and appreciation of the world of Bond.
  • RC7 wrote: »

    Agreed. I respect @Birdleson's opinion because it's not just baseless platitudes, but someone who is a hardcore fan with a indepth knowledge and appreciation of the world of Bond.

    Didn't realise I had to be a hardcore fan to have a valid opinion. I've watched Bond films loads of times so I feel I have enough knowledge. I say it how I see it.

  • Waltz is good with what he's given, but I just can't see him as a hit because of this foster brother thing. I didn't think that bringing back SPECTRE and Blofeld was a good idea in the first place, but this is just beyond ridiculous.

    There were terrible flaws in Bond films before, but I think this is absolutely the worst decision in the James Bond history. I really wish I wasn't feeling this way, but this is such a huge, huge disappointment for me. Bond's foster brother was jealous because his father loved James more than him, so he killed his father, created the worlds biggest crime syndicate, all the while trying to make Bond's life miserable. This sounds like a soap opera plot to me.

    Apparently, I'm in the minority here as no one else sees this as utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately, this can't be undone, so unless they ditch this story altogether (which is highly unlikely), my anticipation of the next Bond movie is at it's lowest point. Which is a shame, really, because I like Daniel Craig, CR was a fantastic movie, SF was excellent, even QoS is a fine film. I'm not saying everything in SPECTRE was bad, there are things in it that I like, but this casts a shadow on the entire film.

    This is what I've been saying and have been lambasted for it.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    edited December 2015 Posts: 4,399
    .
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    An opinion, especially when supported by arguments, always deserves respect. I know at least one fellow mod who doesn't like SF and at least one fellow mod who overall doesn't like the Craig Bonds. Yet these gents are good friends of mine and I wouldn't for the life of me challenge them on the basis of their opinion.

    But I don't want to go back to the days of Matt Helm who, for some mysterious reason, kept dropping his anti-SF turds in literally every thread, even the ones not at all related to SF. His legendary rage turned irrational very quickly.

    And I'd never, for a second, disrespect @Birdleson's opinion. A man who's so well-versed in matters of film, knows what he's talking about - period.
  • Posts: 15,117
    Waltz is good with what he's given, but I just can't see him as a hit because of this foster brother thing. I didn't think that bringing back SPECTRE and Blofeld was a good idea in the first place, but this is just beyond ridiculous.

    There were terrible flaws in Bond films before, but I think this is absolutely the worst decision in the James Bond history. I really wish I wasn't feeling this way, but this is such a huge, huge disappointment for me. Bond's foster brother was jealous because his father loved James more than him, so he killed his father, created the worlds biggest crime syndicate, all the while trying to make Bond's life miserable. This sounds like a soap opera plot to me.

    Apparently, I'm in the minority here as no one else sees this as utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately, this can't be undone, so unless they ditch this story altogether (which is highly unlikely), my anticipation of the next Bond movie is at it's lowest point. Which is a shame, really, because I like Daniel Craig, CR was a fantastic movie, SF was excellent, even QoS is a fine film. I'm not saying everything in SPECTRE was bad, there are things in it that I like, but this casts a shadow on the entire film.

    But Blofeld is not Bond's foster brother. Oberhauser was not even Bond's father. He had him temporarily and felt a certain kinship towards him, maybe something he didn't feel about his own son. If that is soap opera, so are the stories of Cain and Abel and Oedipus. What happened in the movie is that they placed these archetypes in a contemporary setting. And it is in perfect tune with the original character of Blofeld, who is pretty much the Satan of the literary Bondverse. Like Satan, he is jealous of man more than he is of God and considers himself of a exceptional nature. And like Satan, he changed form... And identities.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,968
    @haserot, I immediately fell in love with it. I was real excited for it but I tried to keep my expectations a bit lower so I wasn't expecting the world's greatest film. This time around, however, I was blown away from start to finish. I really don't have any concrete complaints that ruin the film for me or stand out horribly. Definitely one of my favorites.

    Ahh, Matt Helm, @DarthDimi. We could be discussing something as mundane as our favorite types of vegetables and somehow, anti-SF talk would appear instantly.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    edited December 2015 Posts: 4,399
    .
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,968
    It's funny how a lot of us have outlined SP as being one of our favorites (or at least in the Top 5 range) in the franchise, yet we also acknowledge that it most certainly wasn't perfect and had its fair share of problems. Do I have some things I'd like to change about it? Absolutely, but none of it took me out of the film and made me not enjoy it as much.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,179
    @Creasy47, you're absolutely right.

    @Ludovico, I fully agree that they were wise not to make Blofeld a blood relative of Bond or even a foster brother. They knew each other and that's about where it ends.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    Is it too late to get in all this @Birdleson love? Oh, it is...?
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited November 2015 Posts: 9,020
    I have this theory that in general it could be said that people who love GoldenEye love Spectre and people who despise GoldenEye will despise Spectre as well.

    Not saying Spectre is exactly like GoldenEye, but the similarities are striking in style, rhythm and in part some scenes are obvious homages.

    Well that was off-topic, sorry.

    Waltz is bloody awesome, he never overacts like Bardem did and there are this few short instances when you can feel his insanity creeping up and almost exploding, but he always can keep his countenance except for one moment
    when he bursts out into laughter before he is pushing the red button.
  • AntiLocqueBrakesAntiLocqueBrakes The edge
    Posts: 538
    I have this theory that in general it could be said that people who love GoldenEye love Spectre and people who despise GoldenEye will despise Spectre as well.

    Not saying Spectre is exactly like GoldenEye, but the similarities are striking in style, rhythm and in part some scenes are obvious homages.

    We're thinking alike on this. SP effectively combines the ridiculous with the serious like other Bond film has since GE.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    I saw "homages" to Dr No, FRWL, Spy, Majesty's and TLD, but never GE to be honest.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    RC7 wrote: »

    Agreed. I respect @Birdleson's opinion because it's not just baseless platitudes, but someone who is a hardcore fan with a indepth knowledge and appreciation of the world of Bond.

    Didn't realise I had to be a hardcore fan to have a valid opinion. I've watched Bond films loads of times so I feel I have enough knowledge. I say it how I see it.

    Nowhere in that comment did I say certain opinions weren't valid. I just said I respect @Birdleson's opinion because, well, it comes from the right place.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,968
    SP and GE comparisons? Now I know why I loved the former so much. ;)
  • AntiLocqueBrakesAntiLocqueBrakes The edge
    Posts: 538
    royale65 wrote: »
    I saw "homages" to Dr No, FRWL, Spy, Majesty's and TLD, but never GE to be honest.

    When I saw "Tangier" appear on the screen, I almost screamed out "Koskov!"….but then no one in the theatre would have understood.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    The whole Mr. White scene reminded me of Octopussy with Bond tracking down and confronting Major Dexter Smythe ultimately leading to his suicide and Octopussy being his Daughter who Bond meets later.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited November 2015 Posts: 9,020
    royale65 wrote: »
    I saw "homages" to Dr No, FRWL, Spy, Majesty's and TLD, but never GE to be honest.

    The whole plane chase is practically a re-enactment of the tank chase, even some camera angles are exactly the same and the situation in general.
  • SuperintendentSuperintendent A separate pool. For sharks, no less.
    Posts: 871
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Waltz is good with what he's given, but I just can't see him as a hit because of this foster brother thing. I didn't think that bringing back SPECTRE and Blofeld was a good idea in the first place, but this is just beyond ridiculous.

    There were terrible flaws in Bond films before, but I think this is absolutely the worst decision in the James Bond history. I really wish I wasn't feeling this way, but this is such a huge, huge disappointment for me. Bond's foster brother was jealous because his father loved James more than him, so he killed his father, created the worlds biggest crime syndicate, all the while trying to make Bond's life miserable. This sounds like a soap opera plot to me.

    Apparently, I'm in the minority here as no one else sees this as utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately, this can't be undone, so unless they ditch this story altogether (which is highly unlikely), my anticipation of the next Bond movie is at it's lowest point. Which is a shame, really, because I like Daniel Craig, CR was a fantastic movie, SF was excellent, even QoS is a fine film. I'm not saying everything in SPECTRE was bad, there are things in it that I like, but this casts a shadow on the entire film.

    But Blofeld is not Bond's foster brother. Oberhauser was not even Bond's father. He had him temporarily and felt a certain kinship towards him, maybe something he didn't feel about his own son. If that is soap opera, so are the stories of Cain and Abel and Oedipus. What happened in the movie is that they placed these archetypes in a contemporary setting. And it is in perfect tune with the original character of Blofeld, who is pretty much the Satan of the literary Bondverse. Like Satan, he is jealous of man more than he is of God and considers himself of a exceptional nature. And like Satan, he changed form... And identities.

    Foster brother, childhood acquaintance, all the same.

    I'm sorry, but I see things differently. I think this is the worst thing they could do. I don't like Bond films to go this deep into Bond's personal backstory. Major mistake, IMO.

    I respect the fact that you and others feel differently.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I have no quarrels about Oberhauser being the childhood "half-brother" of Bond.
    In fact I liked that very much.

    Of course, him being Blofeld was unnecessary it would have worked without that minor detail in the movie as well.
    Minor because, except for Oberhauser telling Bond that he has now a new name, him being Blofeld is totally irrelevant for the movie or its plot.

    It's almost like someone of the script writers came up with that addition later on and build it in the dialogue.

    You could even say, Oberhauser being Blofeld is only an homage to the Connery movies.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    A miss, but only in relation to what he could have done. It's not his fault. He did the best he could with what he was given.......unfortunately, what he was given was disappointing. It's not an acting problem, but a script problem.
  • Posts: 15,117
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Waltz is good with what he's given, but I just can't see him as a hit because of this foster brother thing. I didn't think that bringing back SPECTRE and Blofeld was a good idea in the first place, but this is just beyond ridiculous.

    There were terrible flaws in Bond films before, but I think this is absolutely the worst decision in the James Bond history. I really wish I wasn't feeling this way, but this is such a huge, huge disappointment for me. Bond's foster brother was jealous because his father loved James more than him, so he killed his father, created the worlds biggest crime syndicate, all the while trying to make Bond's life miserable. This sounds like a soap opera plot to me.

    Apparently, I'm in the minority here as no one else sees this as utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately, this can't be undone, so unless they ditch this story altogether (which is highly unlikely), my anticipation of the next Bond movie is at it's lowest point. Which is a shame, really, because I like Daniel Craig, CR was a fantastic movie, SF was excellent, even QoS is a fine film. I'm not saying everything in SPECTRE was bad, there are things in it that I like, but this casts a shadow on the entire film.

    But Blofeld is not Bond's foster brother. Oberhauser was not even Bond's father. He had him temporarily and felt a certain kinship towards him, maybe something he didn't feel about his own son. If that is soap opera, so are the stories of Cain and Abel and Oedipus. What happened in the movie is that they placed these archetypes in a contemporary setting. And it is in perfect tune with the original character of Blofeld, who is pretty much the Satan of the literary Bondverse. Like Satan, he is jealous of man more than he is of God and considers himself of a exceptional nature. And like Satan, he changed form... And identities.

    Foster brother, childhood acquaintance, all the same.

    I'm sorry, but I see things differently. I think this is the worst thing they could do. I don't like Bond films to go this deep into Bond's personal backstory. Major mistake, IMO.

    I respect the fact that you and others feel differently.

    Actually, no, it is not all the same. They have known each other for two years or so. Granted, it is far fetched, but such is the thing with fiction. Bond bumping into Goldfinger in the novel is also far fetched, or meeting Tracy who happens to be the daughter of a business rival of the man he is pursuing. The only difference here is that they placed Blofeld into Bond's backstory. But not that deep in it: he is not blood relative, he is not a foster brother, he is not even a childhood friend.
  • SuperintendentSuperintendent A separate pool. For sharks, no less.
    edited November 2015 Posts: 871
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Waltz is good with what he's given, but I just can't see him as a hit because of this foster brother thing. I didn't think that bringing back SPECTRE and Blofeld was a good idea in the first place, but this is just beyond ridiculous.

    There were terrible flaws in Bond films before, but I think this is absolutely the worst decision in the James Bond history. I really wish I wasn't feeling this way, but this is such a huge, huge disappointment for me. Bond's foster brother was jealous because his father loved James more than him, so he killed his father, created the worlds biggest crime syndicate, all the while trying to make Bond's life miserable. This sounds like a soap opera plot to me.

    Apparently, I'm in the minority here as no one else sees this as utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately, this can't be undone, so unless they ditch this story altogether (which is highly unlikely), my anticipation of the next Bond movie is at it's lowest point. Which is a shame, really, because I like Daniel Craig, CR was a fantastic movie, SF was excellent, even QoS is a fine film. I'm not saying everything in SPECTRE was bad, there are things in it that I like, but this casts a shadow on the entire film.

    But Blofeld is not Bond's foster brother. Oberhauser was not even Bond's father. He had him temporarily and felt a certain kinship towards him, maybe something he didn't feel about his own son. If that is soap opera, so are the stories of Cain and Abel and Oedipus. What happened in the movie is that they placed these archetypes in a contemporary setting. And it is in perfect tune with the original character of Blofeld, who is pretty much the Satan of the literary Bondverse. Like Satan, he is jealous of man more than he is of God and considers himself of a exceptional nature. And like Satan, he changed form... And identities.

    Foster brother, childhood acquaintance, all the same.

    I'm sorry, but I see things differently. I think this is the worst thing they could do. I don't like Bond films to go this deep into Bond's personal backstory. Major mistake, IMO.

    I respect the fact that you and others feel differently.

    Actually, no, it is not all the same. They have known each other for two years or so. Granted, it is far fetched, but such is the thing with fiction. Bond bumping into Goldfinger in the novel is also far fetched, or meeting Tracy who happens to be the daughter of a business rival of the man he is pursuing. The only difference here is that they placed Blofeld into Bond's backstory. But not that deep in it: he is not blood relative, he is not a foster brother, he is not even a childhood friend.

    You are missing the point. It's not important to me if they are brothers, foster brothers, friends or acquaintances. I don't like the fact that Bond and Blofeld know each other from the past, and everything that comes as a result of that. I don't like Blofeld (or any other villain) as the guy who haunts Bond all his life. I simply don't find it interesting. I think it's soap-operish.

    There's nothing more I could add. I don't like it, you and others do, and that's it. I'm not going to change my opinion. :)
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I think there is one little detail that most miss.

    Christoph Waltz plays Franz Oberhauser, he is not the Blofeld we know from past Bond movies. He just happens to take his name. That's a huge difference.

    I think this was just one more homage to the Bond movies of the past.
  • MansfieldMansfield Where the hell have you been?
    Posts: 1,263
    I bought the Oberhauser connection because it added mystery around how he survived or how can fabricated the event and what he had been scheming in the interlude.
  • Posts: 15,117
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Waltz is good with what he's given, but I just can't see him as a hit because of this foster brother thing. I didn't think that bringing back SPECTRE and Blofeld was a good idea in the first place, but this is just beyond ridiculous.

    There were terrible flaws in Bond films before, but I think this is absolutely the worst decision in the James Bond history. I really wish I wasn't feeling this way, but this is such a huge, huge disappointment for me. Bond's foster brother was jealous because his father loved James more than him, so he killed his father, created the worlds biggest crime syndicate, all the while trying to make Bond's life miserable. This sounds like a soap opera plot to me.

    Apparently, I'm in the minority here as no one else sees this as utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately, this can't be undone, so unless they ditch this story altogether (which is highly unlikely), my anticipation of the next Bond movie is at it's lowest point. Which is a shame, really, because I like Daniel Craig, CR was a fantastic movie, SF was excellent, even QoS is a fine film. I'm not saying everything in SPECTRE was bad, there are things in it that I like, but this casts a shadow on the entire film.

    But Blofeld is not Bond's foster brother. Oberhauser was not even Bond's father. He had him temporarily and felt a certain kinship towards him, maybe something he didn't feel about his own son. If that is soap opera, so are the stories of Cain and Abel and Oedipus. What happened in the movie is that they placed these archetypes in a contemporary setting. And it is in perfect tune with the original character of Blofeld, who is pretty much the Satan of the literary Bondverse. Like Satan, he is jealous of man more than he is of God and considers himself of a exceptional nature. And like Satan, he changed form... And identities.

    Foster brother, childhood acquaintance, all the same.

    I'm sorry, but I see things differently. I think this is the worst thing they could do. I don't like Bond films to go this deep into Bond's personal backstory. Major mistake, IMO.

    I respect the fact that you and others feel differently.

    Actually, no, it is not all the same. They have known each other for two years or so. Granted, it is far fetched, but such is the thing with fiction. Bond bumping into Goldfinger in the novel is also far fetched, or meeting Tracy who happens to be the daughter of a business rival of the man he is pursuing. The only difference here is that they placed Blofeld into Bond's backstory. But not that deep in it: he is not blood relative, he is not a foster brother, he is not even a childhood friend.

    You are missing the point. It's not important to me if they are brothers, foster brothers, friends or acquaintances. I don't like the fact that Bond and Blofeld know each other from the past, and everything that comes as a result of that. I don't like Blofeld (or any other villain) as the guy who haunts Bond all his life. I simply don't find it interesting. I think it's soap-operish.

    There's nothing more I could add. I don't like it, you and others do, and that's it. I'm not going to change my opinion. :)

    I understand but that they know each other from the past does not make all his life centered around Blofeld and his antagonism with him. In fact, it is all Blofeld's assumption: he has this megalomaniacal vision of himself as the source of all evil and the Bondmaker so to speak. It is true he hurt Bond by killing Hans Oberhauser... however he did not commit parricide to spite Bond, but because Blofeld felt slighted. Id his later actions were instrumental in Vesper's betrayal and subsequent suicide and M's death, he still played a very peripheral role in them. Which he bolsters because he has this vision of himself. His true antagonism with Bond might have had roots in the past, but it truly starts with SP.

    And let's face it, Blofeld is Bond's nemesis. Just like Moriarty is Holmes' or Rastapopoulos is Tintin's. For such characters, they are bond to meet. And clash.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I think there is one little detail that most miss.

    Christoph Waltz plays Franz Oberhauser, he is not the Blofeld we know from past Bond movies. He just happens to take his name. That's a huge difference.

    I think this was just one more homage to the Bond movies of the past.

    Good point. If I look at it this way, then it makes more sense.
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