SPECTRE - Press reviews and personal reviews (BEWARE! Spoiler reviews allowed)

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  • edited November 2015 Posts: 187
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting another deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.

    What more did you expect from a storyline concerning an evil organization hellbent on world domination? Has that trope ever actually been taken seriously? They're not exactly Al-Qaeda are they? Even back in the sixties and fifties Blofeld was a silly character, as well as all of Fleming's villains. If people really want to liken this to bad fan-fiction then clearly they don't remember Die Another Day, nor Quantum of Solace for that matter.
  • edited November 2015 Posts: 1,181
    I'm surprised his helicopter didn't crash into a smokestack after Bond shot it down. (The entire arc of Blofeld in one movie).

    @torontobondfan You made my night with that comment. I have been forcing myself to stay away from the reviews until I could see it tonight and yours was one of the first ones I read. You had me rolling with that one! I can hear it now, "Mr Bonnnnnnnnnnnnnddddddd!!!"

  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    FoxRox wrote: »
    I gave a pretty enthusiastic review, but there are definitely things I'm iffy about. The romance, the foster brother idea, Newman's score, and how QoS is handled in retrospect are all a little eh for me. My biggest complaint could be how Mathis is completely forgotten; he really deserved at least a mention. Those few flaws in addition to more minor gripes hold it back a little for me, but the overall experience was still good IMO. There are definitely positive traits about it.

    Why would Mathis need to be brought up? He was a great character and it's a shame he was killed off but I don't see the need nor the point to shoehorn in a reference.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    edited November 2015 Posts: 5,131
    km16 wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting another deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.

    What more did you expect from a storyline concerning an evil organization hellbent on world domination? Has that trope ever actually been taken seriously? They're not exactly Al-Qaeda are they? Even back in the sixties and fifties Blofeld was a silly character, as well as all of Fleming's villains. If people really want to liken this to bad fan-fiction then clearly they don't remember Die Another Day, nor Quantum of Solace for that matter.

    SPECTRE as an organisation is simply fantasy. But at least they make sense and their existance as an organisation isn't completely pointless and aimless like Al-Qaeda.....and by that I mean members of SPECTRE would have half a (an evil) brain.
  • Posts: 187
    suavejmf wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting another deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.

    What more did you expect from a storyline concerning an evil organization hellbent on world domination? Has that trope ever actually been taken seriously? They're not exactly Al-Qaeda are they? Even back in the sixties and fifties Blofeld was a silly character, as well as all of Fleming's villains. If people really want to liken this to bad fan-fiction then clearly they don't remember Die Another Day, nor Quantum of Solace for that matter.

    SPECTRE as an organisation is simply fantasy. But at least they make sense and their existance as an organisation isn't completely pointless and aimless like Al-Qaeda.....and by that I mean members of SPECTRE have half a brain.

    lol Zing!

    The point still boils down to that if you look too much into the motivations of villains and the plots of Bond films, even the recent ones, they just break down and don't make much logical sense. Even my personal favorites I find tons of flaws with, enough where I can ramble on all night about how imperfect they are, but that defeats the purpose of watching these films. Even a great 007 film like Casino Royale, I don't think, should be taken so seriously when it comes to villains and plot.
  • Posts: 24
    km16 wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting another deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.

    What more did you expect from a storyline concerning an evil organization hellbent on world domination? Has that trope ever actually been taken seriously? They're not exactly Al-Qaeda are they? Even back in the sixties and fifties Blofeld was a silly character, as well as all of Fleming's villains. If people really want to liken this to bad fan-fiction then clearly they don't remember Die Another Day, nor Quantum of Solace for that matter.
    Yeah, they were bad movies, though. It's not exactly an endorsement of Spectre to lump it in along with them.

    And Blofield may have been a silly character in the 60s, but at least he wasn't Bond's adopted older brother, driven by a jealousy of his sibling.

    It's TV soap opera stuff of the silliest level, and opens the Bond the franchise up for ridicule, I'm afraid.

    Desk
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    km16 wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting another deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.

    What more did you expect from a storyline concerning an evil organization hellbent on world domination? Has that trope ever actually been taken seriously? They're not exactly Al-Qaeda are they? Even back in the sixties and fifties Blofeld was a silly character, as well as all of Fleming's villains. If people really want to liken this to bad fan-fiction then clearly they don't remember Die Another Day, nor Quantum of Solace for that matter.

    SPECTRE as an organisation is simply fantasy. But at least they make sense and their existance as an organisation isn't completely pointless and aimless like Al-Qaeda.....and by that I mean members of SPECTRE have half a brain.

    lol Zing!

    The point still boils down to that if you look too much into the motivations of villains and the plots of Bond films, even the recent ones, they just break down and don't make much logical sense. Even my personal favorites I find tons of flaws with, enough where I can ramble on all night about how imperfect they are, but that defeats the purpose of watching these films. Even a great 007 film like Casino Royale, I don't think, should be taken so seriously when it comes to villains and plot.

    Yeah my point was that the fantasy element of Bond sometimes makes more sense than the idiot criminal organisations of real life.
  • edited November 2015 Posts: 198
    gt007 wrote: »
    Hello, everyone.

    Let me start by saying how nice it feels to be back and see not only familiar faces (well, avatars) from KTBEU all those centuries ago, but also new members contributing significantly to the Bond community. I've practically stopped posting here the past few years, but I'm frequently lurking. The excitement that comes with the release of a new film always gets me back as an active member. For a while, at least.

    But anyway, enough with my babbling.

    I watched SPECTRE on the 27th and I'm watching it again tomorrow night, this time on I-MAX.

    In a word, I loved it!

    Like a lot of people, I was afraid Mendes would make it Skyfall 2, but gladly I couldn't be more wrong. SPECTRE is a completely different kind of film. While it deals with some serious matters, like privacy in the age of the Internet, it does so in an entertaining way that I'd characterize as "classic Bond". It's a bit more humorous than Skyfall, but without being silly. And, of course, it doesn't fail to provide serious moments as well.

    The film was brilliantly directed and, though I prefer Deakins' cinematography in Skyfall, beautifully photographed.

    Daniel Craig is more confident than ever in the role. His Bond has earned the confidence the character is supposed to have. Through the films, we've watched him evolve from the rookie that makes mistakes and is seen as just another blunt instrument, to (one of) the best in the Service. I think that's the biggest character development we've ever seen in the Bond films and probably the most interesting one we'll ever get.

    Christoph Waltz is, despite what quite a few reviewers say, excellent. His portrayal of Blofeld is spot on. You can see he considers himself a business man, as Waltz claimed in all of his interviews, but you can also see at certain moments the madness in his eyes that justifies the evilness of his business plans.

    A year ago, when the film was announced, I wasn't very fond of Blofeld being "related" to Bond. I should mention I never read the script leaks, but one could assume that Franz Oberhauser would be somehow linked to Hannes Oberhauser from Fleming's Octopussy, and it was pretty obvious that he'd turn out to be Blofeld. Put two and two together, you get a Blofeld from Bond's past. Anyway, at first, the idea didn't really work for me, but Mendes and the screenwriters managed to do it surprisingly well. Blofeld's not after Bond just because he hates him for stealing his daddy. Bond is a man that keeps getting on his way, damaging his organization and destroying his plans, so he has to stop him. It just happens that this man is the kid he grew up hating for his own deeply personal reasons, therefore he takes pleasure in harming him.

    Monica Bellucci was, admittedly, underused. However, she is fantastic in her bits and really conveys the nature of the strong woman turned into a fragile widow scared for her own life.

    I really liked Lea Seydoux. She contributed substantially to making Madeline an interesting character. You can see the the toughness a girl would get from growing up with a criminal father and you can understand and feel her dislike about that world. Her connection with Bond feels very sincere. It's like that spark that once in a while appears at the moment you meet someone and gets amplified into a rapid sequence of emotions.

    Jesper Christensen's performance as Mr White is undoubtedly his best. He brings an emotional depth to the character and makes the viewer even sympathize him for protecting his daughter in every possible way.

    Finally, the MI6 crew is just superb. They're all excellent both individually and as part of the team. At last, we've got a group that feels like a proper team. In my books, this hasn't happened since the Lee-Llewellyn-Maxwell trio. I sincerely hope they all stick around for a very long time.

    That's all for now... Part 2 of my review, focusing on scenes, stunts, jokes etc., will come after my second viewing tomorrow night.

    Nicely put! Your view on Blofeld is one I believe in also.
  • Trust me, Monica Bellucci could return in Bond 25.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting aa12nother deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.


    @Scaramanga12 ...May I ask what is your favorite Bond film?
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    Trust me, Monica Bellucci could return in Bond 25.

    Great idea.
  • Posts: 187
    suavejmf wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting another deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.

    What more did you expect from a storyline concerning an evil organization hellbent on world domination? Has that trope ever actually been taken seriously? They're not exactly Al-Qaeda are they? Even back in the sixties and fifties Blofeld was a silly character, as well as all of Fleming's villains. If people really want to liken this to bad fan-fiction then clearly they don't remember Die Another Day, nor Quantum of Solace for that matter.

    SPECTRE as an organisation is simply fantasy. But at least they make sense and their existance as an organisation isn't completely pointless and aimless like Al-Qaeda.....and by that I mean members of SPECTRE have half a brain.

    lol Zing!

    The point still boils down to that if you look too much into the motivations of villains and the plots of Bond films, even the recent ones, they just break down and don't make much logical sense. Even my personal favorites I find tons of flaws with, enough where I can ramble on all night about how imperfect they are, but that defeats the purpose of watching these films. Even a great 007 film like Casino Royale, I don't think, should be taken so seriously when it comes to villains and plot.

    Yeah my point was that the fantasy element of Bond sometimes makes more sense than the idiot criminal organisations of real life.

    True. I just find it funny there are members here dinging this fim and likening it to fan-fiction when in the past we've had villains want to keep the heat off of them so they publicly have three men killed who have ties to them, the entire DAD and QoS plots, fake Russian treasures and nukes to blow up a circus, stealing a satellite to in-turn rob banks, playing Battleship in a stealthboat, solex agitator's, ect ect. And these are all from films I like. lol The Bond films aren't exactly known for stellar plotting.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    mcdonbb wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting aa12nother deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.


    @Scaramanga12 ...May I ask what is your favorite Bond film?

    I am guessing TMWTGG:.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    km16 wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting another deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.

    What more did you expect from a storyline concerning an evil organization hellbent on world domination? Has that trope ever actually been taken seriously? They're not exactly Al-Qaeda are they? Even back in the sixties and fifties Blofeld was a silly character, as well as all of Fleming's villains. If people really want to liken this to bad fan-fiction then clearly they don't remember Die Another Day, nor Quantum of Solace for that matter.

    SPECTRE as an organisation is simply fantasy. But at least they make sense and their existance as an organisation isn't completely pointless and aimless like Al-Qaeda.....and by that I mean members of SPECTRE have half a brain.

    lol Zing!

    The point still boils down to that if you look too much into the motivations of villains and the plots of Bond films, even the recent ones, they just break down and don't make much logical sense. Even my personal favorites I find tons of flaws with, enough where I can ramble on all night about how imperfect they are, but that defeats the purpose of watching these films. Even a great 007 film like Casino Royale, I don't think, should be taken so seriously when it comes to villains and plot.

    Yeah my point was that the fantasy element of Bond sometimes makes more sense than the idiot criminal organisations of real life.

    True. I just find it funny there are members here dinging this fim and likening it to fan-fiction when in the past we've had villains want to keep the heat off of them so they publicly have three men killed who have ties to them, the entire DAD and QoS plots, fake Russian treasures and nukes to blow up a circus, stealing a satellite to in-turn rob banks, playing Battleship in a stealthboat, solex agitator's, ect ect. And these are all from films I like. lol The Bond films aren't exactly known for stellar plotting.

    Agreed. And neither are the novels. They are larger than life escapist thrillers. ...and this is why we love them.
  • Posts: 15,127
    pachazo wrote: »
    The scar. Why did they have to copy the scar? I was at the point when I could forgive them for this Bond/Blofled stepbrother contrivance but then the scar happened.

    They used a trope from the cinematic Blofeld. That is all. I was not too keen on bringing back the scar, that said I loved the execution and the look (far nastier and menacing than Pleasence's which was at the time just something to make Pleasence look menacing).
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Sandy wrote: »
    I just spoke to my parents who went to see it on Thursday and got their opinion. They both loved it! My mother is the Bond-fan of the two and an original fan and the funny thing about what she had to say was that her favourite thing in the film was the reinvention of Ernst Stavro Blofeld! I'm still on the fence with the personal side of it althought I think it somehow worked but she really embraced the concept. I would never have guessed. Other highlights from them were the PTS and the helicopter stunt, the Rome car chase, and the entire Morocco segment. I'm really looking forward to what my grandfather has to say about it, this time he couldn't go see it with my mother because of mobility problems but he will be watching it when it comes to our small town theater in a couple of weeks. He's a true hard-core original Bond fan as well and refreshingly he embraces Bond without overanalysing it. I think he will have a blast with it!

    Youhave a nice family.

    Re-invention is the way to go, no point in doing the same old over and over. Spectre has brought us the best of both worlds imo.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    Ludovico wrote: »
    pachazo wrote: »
    The scar. Why did they have to copy the scar? I was at the point when I could forgive them for this Bond/Blofled stepbrother contrivance but then the scar happened.

    They used a trope from the cinematic Blofeld. That is all. I was not too keen on bringing back the scar, that said I loved the execution and the look (far nastier and menacing than Pleasence's which was at the time just something to make Pleasence look menacing).

    That scar is part of cinematic Bond. Spoofs have copied and faded away. Kudos to Bond for taking back what was his to begin with.

    Bond is now once again spoof proof.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited November 2015 Posts: 45,489
    They took several elements from YOLT this time, didn t they? The Blofeld scar, the meteor crater substituting for a volcano, the Thomas Newman Bond theme that was scattered throughout the film was even very reminiscent of John Barry s Bond theme from YOLT, one of his very best and very atmospheric.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    They took several elements from YOLT this time, didn t they? The Blofeld scar, the meteor crater substituting for a volcano, the Thomas Newman Bond theme that was scattered throughout the film was even very reminiscent of John Barry s Bond theme from YOLT, one of his very best and very atmospheric.

    Absolutely true.

    Spectre really is a huge homage to all Bond-eras.
    There is a lot of stuff to be seen from GoldenEye, YOLT, FRWL, TLD, TSWLM, TND, GF, TWINE and even more.
    There are big homages like the plane/car chase (GE tank chase), obvious shorter ones like the speed boat escaping the MI6 building (TWINE PTS), train fight (FRWL), Bond and Swann at the dinner table on the train (CR), really the list is endless.

    The incredible thing is, it all works and Spectre creates its own atmosphere and style nonetheless.
    Spectre is a triumph on all levels.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    They took several elements from YOLT this time, didn t they? The Blofeld scar, the meteor crater substituting for a volcano, the Thomas Newman Bond theme that was scattered throughout the film was even very reminiscent of John Barry s Bond theme from YOLT, one of his very best and very atmospheric.

    Absolutely true.

    Spectre really is a huge homage to all Bond-eras.
    There is a lot of stuff to be seen from GoldenEye, YOLT, FRWL, TLD, TSWLM, TND, GF, TWINE and even more.
    There are big homages like the plane/car chase (GE tank chase), obvious shorter ones like the speed boat escaping the MI6 building (TWINE PTS), train fight (FRWL), Bond and Swann at the dinner table on the train (CR), really the list is endless.

    The incredible thing is, it all works and Spectre creates its own atmosphere and style nonetheless.
    Spectre is a triumph on all levels.

    Agreed.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    imranbecks wrote: »
    @Ottofuse8

    Oberhauser's father took care of Bond after his parents died. So in a way, they do end up being brothers. Step brothers I suppose. Thus Oberhauser felt later on that he wasn't being treated equally thinking his father loved Bond more. So he killed his own father in a fire, and Oberhauser himself went missing, presumed to be dead but his body was never recovered as evident from the newspaper article that Moneypenny was reading.

    It was Bond's aunt that took care of him but for the times she was away for extended periods of time before he went to Eton and Fettes Bond was temporarily looked after by Oberhauser.
  • Posts: 15,127
    mcdonbb wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    pachazo wrote: »
    The scar. Why did they have to copy the scar? I was at the point when I could forgive them for this Bond/Blofled stepbrother contrivance but then the scar happened.

    They used a trope from the cinematic Blofeld. That is all. I was not too keen on bringing back the scar, that said I loved the execution and the look (far nastier and menacing than Pleasence's which was at the time just something to make Pleasence look menacing).

    That scar is part of cinematic Bond. Spoofs have copied and faded away. Kudos to Bond for taking back what was his to begin with.

    Bond is now once again spoof proof.

    Blofeld took back what was rightfully his.
  • mcdonbbmcdonbb deep in the Heart of Texas
    Posts: 4,116
    Ludovico wrote: »
    mcdonbb wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    pachazo wrote: »
    The scar. Why did they have to copy the scar? I was at the point when I could forgive them for this Bond/Blofled stepbrother contrivance but then the scar happened.

    They used a trope from the cinematic Blofeld. That is all. I was not too keen on bringing back the scar, that said I loved the execution and the look (far nastier and menacing than Pleasence's which was at the time just something to make Pleasence look menacing).

    That scar is part of cinematic Bond. Spoofs have copied and faded away. Kudos to Bond for taking back what was his to begin with.

    Bond is now once again spoof proof.

    Blofeld took back what was rightfully his.

    ...did make my eye hurt though ..ewww
  • RC7RC7
    edited November 2015 Posts: 10,512
    Can anyone tell me what the countdown clock was for? The Nine Eyes system going active at 12AM? What would have happened if Q hadn't heroically initiated a shutdown? I have no idea (and neither does the script). Why was there no one else in the MI5 building on the eve of the launch of their new Global Surveillance program? What was C's motivation for all of this? Once the Spectre base had been destroyed was there any real threat remaining?

    The system would have gone online, which presumably would be a tricky thing to speedily reverse once six other nations have direct access. As for the building being populated, I don't really understand why it has to be? The whole thing is automated and can be accessed remotely, why would you need hundreds of staff to be waiting around for a computer system to start up?
    Q is pretty awsome in this film but aside from knocking out some goons in the final battle with a balloon he and M shouldn't be getting involved in the final action. It detracts from the fact that its a James Bond movie unless the filmmakers are planning Q and Moneypenny solo films like the Star Wars one-offs.

    I hear a lot of this 'it shouldn't happen in a Bond movie' talk, regard elements, characters, scenes, but no real reasoning behind why it shouldn't. The only answer always seems to be either because it's never happened before, or because it's not what usually happens. It doesn't detract one bit from it being a Bond movie. I'd argue that Whishaw and Fiennes are two of the most well realised supporting characters in the canon. Having them deal with the lesser threat of Denbigh, while Bond deals with the big bad was a unique take on the traditional finale.
    Other questions: What was the point of showing Madeleine her father's death scene? Why did Bond not want her to see it? Did Oberhauser think Bond had lied about his death? Bond should have been OK with Madeleine seeing it. It wouldn't break her. That whole scene made very little sense.

    I thought it was quite obvious that ESB wanted her to see her father take his own life. Would you really be fine watching your father commit suicide? I highly doubt it.
    More importantly, from a Bond series standpoint, why is there a need to include Silva in the Spectre master plot. Even if you didn't like Skyfall, you have to admit that Silva's central motive (revenge on the spymaster who had betrayed him) was a very compelling storyline. To suggest that it was all part of Oberhauser's revenge on Bond cheapens the movie. I dare anyone to rewatch Skyfall and say to themselves, "oh it makes so much more sense now". If Goldfinger has no ties to Spectre then there's no reason for Skyfall to have any such ties. I get that the producers want to keep cashing in on Skyfall so using Javier Bardem's picture in the opening credits and in Oberhauser's art class diorama in MI6's old building seems like a good idea but it only cheapens the overall product.

    I think people are putting too much weight on the levels of ESB exacting revenge on 007. Let's get one thing straight. SPECTRE doesn't exist solely to destroy Bond's life. SPECTRE as an organisation was presumably up and running long before Bond came on the scene and they have a multitude of interests, as evidenced by the Rome meeting. ESB says about Bond messing in his world, so he in turn destroys Bond's. Being the author of his pain isn't always literal, but he was the man at the centre of the organisation, he can take responsibility for any and all actions attributed to his agents. So with Silva we have an ex-agent who wants to kill 'M', this isn't authored by ESB, but presumably sanctioned by him. The fact Bond is on the mission could be pure happenstance. Once aware of this ESB throws his resources behind it. A lot of Silva's omnipotence suddenly makes much more sense when you consider ESB's reach. It's a decent bit of retcon. Remember, we're watching a Bond film, therefore everything we witness is directly related to him. SPECTRE is a culmination of years of ball ache for him. Meanwhile the organisation has been engaging in a plethora of unrelated nefarious acts that we don't even know about. The only one's we need to see are those concerning Bond, hence it having a more personal feel.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    It is a new world order.
  • Posts: 486
    RC7 wrote: »
    I think people are putting too much weight on the levels of ESB exacting revenge on 007. Let's get one thing straight. SPECTRE doesn't exist solely to destroy Bond's life. SPECTRE as an organisation was presumably up and running long before Bond came on the scene and they have a multitude of interests, as evidenced by the Rome meeting. ESB says about Bond messing in his world, so he in turn destroys Bond's. Being the author of his pain isn't always literal, but he was the man at the centre of the organisation, he can take responsibility for any and all actions attributed to his agents.

    I'm glad someone said this! The SPECTRE organisation wasn't formed to ruin Bond's life. Blofeld shrugged a younger Bond off by killing his Father and faking his own death and probably thought that was it.

    You can just imagine his frustration when learning that the British agent thwarting some SPECTRE operations was his very own cuckoo foster brother!
  • mcdonbb wrote: »


    @Scaramanga12 ...May I ask what is your favorite Bond film?

    OHMSS. Yours?

  • suavejmf wrote: »
    km16 wrote: »
    by
    km16 wrote: »
    I said this in another thread but the problem is everybody (meaning mostly the casuals) was expecting another deep, moody political thriller like Skyfall and have now been spoiled as that's just not what a James Bond film is. Everyone keeps harking on about how contrived the film's plot is and I'm sitting there saying "Uh....have you NOT actually seen a 007 film pre-Casino Royale? All the plots are contrived...."

    It's supposed to be a fun thrill ride with beautiful women, exotic locales, hot rides and bigger than life villains whose schemes are outlandish and dastardly. Even Casino Royale had elements of this where-as Skyfall didn't really. It was just a straight-up revenge plot with political undertones.

    um no. People are complaining that it's like something out of fan fiction. It's like DAD with the pretension that it's serious.

    What more did you expect from a storyline concerning an evil organization hellbent on world domination? Has that trope ever actually been taken seriously? They're not exactly Al-Qaeda are they? Even back in the sixties and fifties Blofeld was a silly character, as well as all of Fleming's villains. If people really want to liken this to bad fan-fiction then clearly they don't remember Die Another Day, nor Quantum of Solace for that matter.

    SPECTRE as an organisation is simply fantasy. But at least they make sense and their existance as an organisation isn't completely pointless and aimless like Al-Qaeda.....and by that I mean members of SPECTRE would have half a (an evil) brain.


    One should read something about the highly mysterious Bilderberg Organisation, founded in part by Prince-Consort Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (grandfather of the current Dutch King William of Orange). You'll be surprised how many 'tentacles' that organisation has in western democracies. Ian Fleming himself actually named a character in "Thunderball" after him, Count Lippe.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    In the real world, SPECTRE runs MI6 already.
  • Posts: 183
    Trust me, Monica Bellucci could return in Bond 25.

    Maybe in bed with Felix

    =))
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