It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Eeeeeeeeeeexactly!
After watching a video the other day (I believe it was posted in another thread), I'm convinced QoS would've started very effectively with the gunbarrel sequence, only set to the ominous Time to Get Out music, rather than the Bond theme. That would've been a much more reasonable break from tradition than not starting with the gunbarrel at all, and it would've flowed seamlessly into the car chase. Would've been a very easy change to make.
Mendes' excuse for Skyfall not opening with the gunbarrel has always sounded absurd to me. "We didn't begin with the gunbarrel because it didn't fit with my opening shot." Well, how about adjusting your opening shot to fit the gunbarrel? They could've done that and omitted the dramatic Bond entrance on the hallway. By allowing enough time to pass between the end of the gunbarrel, and the beginning of the action in earnest, the scene would've flowed nicely. A few more seconds of out of focus, crossfaded, silhouette shots of Bond in the hallway would've served as the perfect bridge between the gunbarrel and the scene with Ronson.
Spectre's gunbarrel sequence was a substantial improvement. It's not perfect and there are some breaks from tradition I don't care for, but it's still a kickass opening. One change I do love is having the lights go down after Bond fires. Great stuff.
Well said. Another pet peeve of mine I'd love corrected in B25 is the look of the gunbarrel graphic. I thought Kleinman did a wonderful job giving the image that three-dimensional texture for the Brosnan films. Although updated, it maintained the iconic look. What happened? In both QoS and SF it looks like something you'd see on a Saturday Night Live Bond parody skit rather than the real thing. I cannot believe SF's version was designed by the same man who did Brosnan's.
Marginally better in SP if not too flat looking. I'll say I did quite like the blood hue in SP, though. I also liked the dimming lights, but would have preferred some swaying rather than the complete freeze and fade.
I found QOS the worst opening. Skyfall was great, but i really liked it in spectre. It made sence and I liked to wording of the dead are alive. It made scene to fade with them going with that.
I'll take QOS and SF beginnings over SP's great then disappointing gun barrel, the opening of QOS gives me goosebumps as does SF, I'm afraid SPECTRE doesn't.
Apparently, they made a minimalistic gunbarrel design for QOS and SF because it was meant for the end. Hell, I was disappointed with the closing gunbarrel in SF, mainly after we had two posters prominently using the classic gunbarrel design.
And I agree with Mendes' excuse being silly. His artsy soul came out and he forgot for a while he was making an official James Bond film, and that official James Bond films start with the gunbarrel.
Pity the design didn't look like the poster version. I quite liked that rendition.
I must admit Mendes' opening shot for SF that he sacrificed the gunbarrel for is my least favorite opening shot in the series. It's nowhere near as exciting to me as, say AVTAK's shot of Iceland and dot opening on the helicopter.
Personally I find the blatant disregard for the gunbarrel in the Craig films disrespectful.
At risk of sounding melodramatic I feel it's like spitting on Maurice Binder's grave.
You're not alone on that one!
Yep ....total arrogance and disrespect for a 50 year film series.
Right. Perhaps not a better film, but a better overall Bondian experience.
Anyway, I'm really hoping for what I mentioned earlier, with the scrolling dots to pause in the centre and give us a producers credit, since it might be MGW's last.
Personally, I like the look of the Spectre gunbarrel much, much better than QoS and SF's. It's very close to the original gunbarrels, and much more interesting to look at than the previous two gunbarrels. I agree that they have an "unofficial" quality to them. Generic-looking, not distinctive like the traditional ones. But Kleinman isn't necessarily the sole person to blame. Everybody answers to somebody, including him. Maybe he was asked to ditch the classic look.
I love the Brosnan gunbarrel as well. Those blacks and whites dancing along the surface as Bond walks are great to look at.
My all time favourite gunbarrel sequence.
the blood going up insteed of going down like a theater curtain.
https://streamable.com/zig5c
What if they did this for Bond 25 or even to introduce the Daniel's replacement in Bond 26..... 2022 for the 60th perhaps?
In this day and age it would be laughed out of the cinema and ruin the film before it even started.
You would expect Bond to roll across the screen in an ice cream van and fire a ‘99 ice cream at the screen.
Awesome. Both of those first two are lovely.
Cool seeing the Brosnan versions with the classic Binder design.
I really would love to see the gunbarrel presented in it's full glory of the next film. Untampered with in any way with a solid rendition of the Bond theme to accompany it.
I think the reverse is more likely. That would actually happen at the end of the film with Bond once again leaving the service. Then the gunbarrel could end the film in true effed up Craig era style with Nomi doing the honors. We could look forward to the next reboot actually being a Nomi- agent 007 series rather than Michael and Barbara having to go through the trouble of recasting Bond himself.
Wouldn't that be annoying, if especially Eon made 25 Nomi films afterwards, and miraculously went back to the old 1-2 year schedule?
If that happens then that's me done with the series.
I will stick with Sean,George,Roger,Tim,and Pierce,and sometimes Craig.
I doubt a Nomi- Agent 007 franchise would actually last but one film (if that). Audiences want to see Bond.
The concept of Nomi appearing in the opening gunbarrel instead Bond might actually pi$$ me off enough to wait for the red-box DVD release instead of catching this one in cinemas. I said DVD as I doubt I'd find the film worth spending the extra dollar for the Blu-ray version by that point.
I didn't see SP on the big screen, as I didn't like what I was seeing in the run up to its release. I did it once before, I could do it again, if I get that same sinking feeling coming back.
What I DIDN'T like, was QOS gunbarrel. Not only was the design awful, but the idea of putting it at the end as a marker of him finally becoming Bond diminishes the whole notion of Casino Royale's ending.
If it's back to the beginning for Bond 25 then I'll be happy to see it, if the filmmakers feel there's a better way to open the film, I'm there for it as well.