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I enjoyed the film too. You are not in that much of a monority.
Oh NTTD was and is VERY well received here and elsewhere.
At the same time it becomes a target in the period during and following its release drawing complaints that overtake positive discussion. As with QOS and others before it. Kind of an OHMSS effect.
Yes. I remember an influx of new members who seemingly only wanted to join so they could slag the film. Some who had admittedly never even seen it. For awhile this felt like a very negative place. I do say though that most will look back on it favourably like OHMSS, as you said.
On the other hand (I am speaking for myself here, though I know many feel the same, and there are others who have mixed feelings about NTTD for different reasons), I'm not comfortable with the heavy focus on Bond's soap opera, or the continued forced alignment between films, and mainly with the decision to kill the character off. No need to rehash all of those issues here, we are all pretty clear on why we all feel the way we feel at this point, but that is my perspective. In many ways a welcome return to form, but some poor decisions leave a bad taste in my mouth.
I still want a shake-up for Bond 26, though. I know we'll probably get that, whatever they do.
Nice post, and mirrors my thoughts nearly 100%. As I was reading your post, for some reason, I thought about the moment with Bond looking at his hands after he (accidentally) kills Blofeld with Heracles. A lot can be read into that moment I think.
It's been generally well received critically and from general audiences from what I can tell. I don't think it reached the heights of SF or CR when they came out in these regards, but it was still received positively. I don't get the sense that general audiences feel frustrated or fatigued with the Bond series, nor do I get the sense that the majority of audiences (at least whom I saw the film with) feel that this film marked 'the end of the series' due to its quality or story decisions.
Yeah those aspects, plus too many plot threads and halfway baked characters are my largest problems with the film. It’s undeniably a well crafted movie script issues aside, and I find it much more energetic and exciting than Spectre, but I’m definitely very mixed on it. I still think Diamonds Are Forever, for all its own issues, is still the most enjoyable final film of all the Bonds who got more than 2.
The villains are both great, the locations and the John Barry score (really liked Wine with Stacey), and of course the Duran Duran theme.
Pros -
1. Quite liked some of the action sequences. The PTS was very good, as was the ending with Craig walking through Safin's lair with the gun. These moments felt very much like the books for me.
2. Bond in Jamaica. Nice seeing him take a shower. Liked the sequence in the nightclub with Felix.
3. Cuba - I quite liked Paloma, but I'm not overly blown like everyone else is by her. I think she stands out because most of the the film is so bleak in comparison.
4. I like the usage of the YOLT novel with Safin's lair.
5. I liked seeing the return of the Aston Martin from TLD.
Cons -
1. Could have done without the Norway flashbacks, could have done without Madeline and the daughter too.
2. Safin was so unnecessary. Blofeld as the main villain would have worked so much better,
3. Hated the Bond v Blofeld scene. Craig's acting here is truly abysmal. Probably the single worst performance in the entire franchise.
4. Hated the ending. You don't kill off the main character - ever! They should have used the Sparrows Tears final chapter of YOLT, and left it open.
5. Why kill Felix off? Again, another pointless moment, just to add another shock element. Keeps the young Netflixers happy I guess.
6. Paloma action sequence. Suddenly felt we were in bad Moore/Brozza territory again. Many people loved the sequence, but I can only guess is because it is light relief from everything else before and after it.
7. Nomi - waste of a character. Didn't add anything to the storyline, other than to grab potentially controversial headlines for the film, and I could have done with Bond on his own at Safin's lair. That would have added more tension.
8. Awful, awful song. Babs reign as producer has given us without doubt the worst songs of the franchise - DAD, QoS, SP and now NTTD.
8. Hated the use of OHMSS music in the film. I liked it when I first heard it appear, but by the end credits it just felt tacky and wrong.
9. Way too long for a film that felt it was dragging it's heels in parts.
CR had so much promise when it was first released. I was so optimistic for the future of the franchise, but it sadly went all downhill from there. Craig was given too much control, but he didn't use it in a good way like Dalton would have done. I got the impression he was never a fan of the Fleming books. He wanted to carve out the character in his own vision, and by NTTD he had absolutely destroyed it.
Feeling sorry and pity for Bond before his final death scene, as he says his goodbyes to the mother of his daughter is not something I would ever be seeking in a Bond movie, and I doubt many other fans would be either - yet this is what the brains behind this operation thought we all wanted to see.
Very disappointing film overall, and a sad way to bring the curtain down on Craig's Bond era. NTTD is down there with the dregs of the franchise (usual suspects - DAD, AVTAK, TWINE, SP).
Great insight! @jetsetwilly
Really agreed with each of your points.
It really got my same feelings towards the film
Some people are viewing the film in negative terms (see posts above)...
One thing you pointed out that I didn't mention in my review was the theme song. I don't know if I'd say it was awful (it doesn't assault my eardrums like Sam Smith's wailing did), but it was definitely unremarkable. It was so generic that it sounded like any musician could've gone into the studio and come up with that tune in five minutes.
Honestly, I can't remember how that song goes to this day, and I've listened to it many times now. At least Writing's on the Wall was somewhat memorable (the arrangement was actually ok, but I'm not sure if the lyrics/Smith's voice worked for me).
I do think Bond songs should get you hyped for the film. I'm all for ballads or more melancholic songs, but something like Nobody Does it Better or Skyfall at least had the benefit of strong vocals, memorable melodies and a general sense that we were building to some sort of rousing chorus. Eilish's whispery vocals, the general low key feel to her song just feel... well, wrong.
I agree. A good director can make sense out of nonsense and turn the implausible into something we're all willing to believe. I don't think Mendes and Fukunaga did a poor job, but some heavy narrative lifting had to be done to really nail the Brother Blofeld twist, and despite being a SP fan, I think they screwed the pooch. Personally, I could have done without the brother part of it, though it doesn't aggravate me as much as others.
Yeah there's a lot to like and love in the film @stag. There were new and longtime posters here expressing that early on. Then they moved on to other things apparently.
To me a pretty remarkable success on many levels, and a moment in film history to live through and relish.
Absolutely. Not that directing is easy though, but it's magical when it comes out right.
I think Gilbert did it best. Working from three totally nonsensical scripts, he managed to deliver solid, ambitious, entertaining, grandiose Bond films that, while crossing many lines, nevertheless still feel like pure Bond to me.