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Is this PTS the most divisive around fans?
QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008)
featuring an Aston Martin 'grigio' (as if you need to specify the colour of the only Aston Martin you'll probably see that day).
Following straight from CR this Aston v Alfa chase obtained one gold medal, making it the lowest ranked entry that won someone's individual ranking.
It also received a silver and a bronze medal too, while three more participants rated it between 6th and 10th.
Not everyone is on board though, three members rated it outside the top 20. One member even put it dead last, making it one of only four entries with a last place on its tally.
QOS did however hit the 100-point mark, as that was also its rating in total.
The score and sound effects are pretty solid. It’s just a bit forgettable I suppose.
It’s grown on me.
I love its aggressiveness. The growls from the cars might as well have come from Bond and his opponents.
This one is just a generic, spasm inducing, seen-it-a-thousand-times car chase that could have been lifted from any run-of-the-mill action flick.
There’s absolutely nothing about this sequence that feels like Bond to me and sadly the stinker of a theme that follows (and the rest of the movie for that matter) doesn’t make things any better.
That's more like it! And yes, I even love the quarry setting, it feels both natural yet unique to the series all at once. The whole PTS is very pulse-pounding and so rewarding, as you said, when he finally fires back and takes out the pursuing car. It's too cool.
I dislike the editing: I needed around ten viewings to understand everything happening in this PTS.
However, the tension and the mentioned "aggressiveness" are a plus. The score is great. Listen to this while driving and you feel like Bond in the most intense chase...crazy!
The location is also nice looking and the opening 30 seconds with the camera flying over the water, the close-ups of the car, Bonds eyes etc. is very cool.
It's one of the only times that editing has actually grown on me. Now, I love it, and see it as part of Bond's frantic state of mind, along with just how rapidly paced and short the runtime is in general.
But yes, there were lots of things that I needed all five of those viewings in theaters to make out due to the editing. I have no problems with it now though.
Me either, and the great thing about not catching every detail first time meant you discovered extra shots in subsequent viewings!
Should have mentioned the score too which enhances it greatly!
That you do!
I remember being so convinced after the first viewing or two that Jack White and Alicia Keys were present at Tosca, but the shot was fairly quick that it took me until the third watch to realize it wasn't them. It definitely has a lot more to uncover and discover the more you watch it though, that's for sure.
And yes, the score enhances all of it. Arnold presents my favorite musical work in the series after Barry.
Whereas QOS opens way too harshly, you're not even engaged before you're right in the middle of an action scene and it just throws you off. It feels like they're trying to do something clever but literally cutting to the chase without the usual way that an audience is drawn into that sort of thing, but it just doesn't work. The action is indistinct and hard to follow, it makes little sense (why is he having such trouble getting away from saloon cars in his hugely powerful supercar?), an innocent bystander appears to be heavily injured or killed, which is a general no-no in Bond films. And although the chase does become quite exciting once you've adjusted to it and got into the flow, it's suddenly over. There's little hint that the climax is coming and Bond hasn't done anything particularly clever- he just used a big gun. It's massively underwhelming.
It ends with quite a nice gag, but it's directed in such a way which seems to be challenging you not to laugh at it - that reveal could have been actually funny and/or swaggery in a 007 way.
Give me SF over that every day: it's a bit of a masterclass in how you direct one of these things, and QOS is a mess in my opinion.
You say that QOS is fascinating because you can explore something new with every viewing. I get that. But it is also a problem for people who wants to fully enjoy / understand it the first time.
I totally understand all comments here for both sides.
Absolutely love the opening shots of that gorgeous lake with the closeups of Craig and the car.
The action is superb, the cars are stunning (Alfa Romeo and Aston Martin, I mean does it get any better?), and it's all set in Italy.
In short, I'm on board for this one.
I’d agree with all of that. The editing and pacing between this opening and SF’s really are night and day.
I’d also say as a video editor if you have to ‘get used’ to the editing on subsequent rewatches then something’s not right. Editing should feel organic to the film regardless of whether it’s meant to be smooth or put us into a frantic state of mind. The camerawork and lack of coverage don’t help matters though.
Give me this scene. It sounds like the perfect mix between style and slightly-over the top -fun.
No SPECTRE
;)
It's a good action scene to start the film, but the short shots and quick edits make it a pts I cannot rank any higher.
The run time is perfect though.
I also hope GE makes a strong finish, and obviously OP. 😉
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)
featuring not James Bond.
The very first pre-title sequence ends just inside the top half of our ranking game.
Its highest ranking was 4th, which happened twice, making it the highest-ranked entry with no top 3 finishes.
It did have seven more members ranking it in the lower top 10's.
No-one really seems to hate it, though it did end up 21st and 22nd, both on one occasion.
In total FRWL managed to obtain 103 points.
(it took me forever to find a PTS-relevant poster for this one, btw :p)