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The only other time I didn't come out buzzing was Goldeneye. I enjoyed it, but I was so on board with TD's Bond that I was almost watching it in a mild sulk, daft as it sounds. I wanted a third Dalton.
I now see GE now as a fine Bond movie, and in a way, much much more of a crowd pleaser than LTK would ever be.
Anyway, back on-topic. It's interesting to read SPECTRE was so well received here initially. I was here, but I can't remember the overall mood towards it. It's pretty hated now by all accounts, (I've always liked it if I'm honest).
Be interesting where were are with NTTD a year or so down the pike.
I blame Mendes.
You as well! Sorry I missed this. Have to take a mental break every once in awhile.
The films I picked was where the direction changed, and then followed on in a similar vain with the next few movies. So yes, DAF set the tone for the 70's, and this ended with MR. I never mentioned TSWLM as a change in direction, or LALD. I just lump them into the 70's Bond era which started with DAF.
Likewise, the Brosnan era was a style all by itself, which ended with DAD, and then we got a course correction again with CR.
I'm guessing NTTD will be another milestone, where the next film gives us another change in tone.
Here is where we differ, because as I tried to sit through DAD at the cinema I was so close to walking out in disgust half way through. At least I made it through to the end with NTTD (twice)!
I recall feeling cold shivers run down my spine in 2002. I had more or less "seduced" a friend of mine into seeing the film, even though she wasn't a Bond fan at all. The first hour went pretty well and I could tell that she was enjoying the film too. In fact, during the intermission, she said that she liked the somewhat "more dramatic" tone of the film. Then the ice palace happened. :-D We're still friends.
NTTD is a much more tonally consistent film, IMO, despite the Paloma scenes flickering on like a light bulb amidst the emotional twilight of the rest of the film. Where DAD splits the cake in two halves--one vanilla, the other chocolate--NTTD is a better-mixed version, but still far from homogenous.
I wasn’t on the original Keeping British End Up forum in 2002, but my understanding is fans ate up the hype at the time, and once it hit DVD months later that’s when its reputation took a freefall. But I vividly remember reactions from people in general being that it was too cheesy. In classrooms I remember students talking about how terrible the parasurfing scene was.
It’s ironic that with DAD there actually was a concerted effort to capture the youth market by hiring Jerry Bruckheimer’s editor, hiring Rick Yune fresh out of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, the argument that CGI was the future of cinema and Tamahori wanted to embrace that.
All I remember about 'proper' critics views was Johnathon Ross being quite complimentary on the telly, though he did say one particular sequence looked dodgy.
I'd still rather watch DAD than some of the sillier Moore films if I'm honest.
But going back to NTTD, I can see it's a much better crafted film than DAD. Crikey, they're poles apart. But I'd still take DAD over NTTD because it delivered more of what I want from a Bond movie. And it's not just because they killed everyone off in NTTD, there's other stuff. I didn't like the way they put a kid in danger, with Saffin stroking her in front of Bond, and taking her through the poison garden with her mother watching. Not that I'm queasy about films, it just seemed all too contrived. Let's make Bond suffer more than ever by having the villain threaten his cute daughter. Nah, that's not what I want. Give me a laser going up his jacksy, a cable car fight, an unexpected ski-jump even. It's okay having the odd film this time it's personal, LIKE OHMSS or LTK. But we've had a five film arc of let's make it even more personal next time.
And if there's one consensus on here, it surely must be 'return to none-personal stand alone missions next time'. Even the NTTD lovers are saying that I think.
I agree with this.
Oh, I would have LOVED to see that!!l 😁
Yeah, I know what you mean.
Lol. Maybe it would have worked in GE. Maybe him and Alec falling together, instead of just Alec. I still think LTK is the Bond film, Bond earned permission to die, even if I don't like the idea of Bond dying. But if it must happen, it should suit the film.
I rather watch DAD than NTTD, for enjoyment, more fun characters, not taking it seriously, bright lightning and palette, and Brosnan's performance, and Brosnan's physique still looked young in DAD compared to Craig in NTTD who looked like 60.
Also I rather have Jinx than Madeleine, no drama, Jinx was a fun bond girl, her lines were left to be desired but at least, they didn't shoehorned her to be Bond's ultimate love, she smiles and quite entertaining, I don't know, everytime I think of Madeleine, it's just depressing.
Also rather take Gustav Graves than both Safin and Blofeld, at least no personal, no mumbling of lines, not too complicated, and just like Goldfinger, entertaining.
This has not to do with him dying, no problem with it, but for me that dying and having a kid was really unearned for me, not deserved.
If I want drama or something serious, I would rather watch OHMSS, Skyfall, FYEO, TWINE, CR or LTK, because I think those films handled it well and earned.
I think it's been a sticking point for the writers and creatives since Spectre.
NTTD, should have been a return to that Casino/Quantum level of darkness. The quips and humour were so out of place, given they were telling the darkest story in the series.
Bond's death felt tonally out of place with a lot of the film, which is a surprise given that the story was written backwards from Bond's demise
Yeah, the tonal issue is just a notch too much in NTTD, that it's palpable.
One thing about DAD... I always felt a little sorry that it's often regarded as the 'worst Bond film', as it tries so hard to be everything. It's not a film that's lazy or feels like they're going through the motions. It quite earnest in its approach of a 40 year celebration of Bond. If it was a school essay it'd get C- for content, but an A for trying. It never feels stale.
It’s really too bad, because I can see the potential in that film serving as a spiritual sequel to OHMSS. But in the end it opts to make a joke out of Christmas coming once a year.
There's a good script in there but it should've been polished by someone brought in later with a fresh perspective and better dramatic skills. They started production with a leaking roof, so to speak. @MakeshiftPython, you said it well. One second we're supposed to crack up, the next we're supposed to well up. I find the film much more tonally confusing than NTTD.
With far inferior performances (save for Marceau and Dench), imo…
And I’m not even that harsh on Denise Richards because her character is extremely thin and only serves to spout exposition on nuclear physics and give Bond a woman to bed at the end for the sake of formula. Even Eva Green couldn’t have made it all that much better.
I find Dr Warmflash rather pleasant. 😉