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Re: The JAMES BOND 007 Thread
Casino Royale (2006)
Yes. Considerably.
When Brosnan wanted 40$ million and a rewamped character for a fifth film that's what they did, only they kept their money and found a proper actor to do the rewamping. Daniel Craig, the first blond Bond, was given the task to portray the early career of an updated character. It's a reboot, and it's not. But when it comes to consistent inconsistency I'd expect nothing less from the Bond producers. All part of the charm.
I'd easily rank the opening scene as one of the best in the series. Only time Bond has been done in black and white. The move is nice. It creates a classic effect and at the same time underlines that this is something different. Craig's piercing blue eyes fit perfectly. The shift into the gun barrel and the title song is one of the coolest I've seen in any film. Cornells theme got a great punch to it and you feel you're about to be taken on a ride.
Craig is definitely the fittest Bond to date and they take full advantage of it. The parkeour chase sequence is a thrill ride and not once do you suspect there's a stunt double involved. He isn't the first Bond to try a more serious approach but I think he's the first to succeed. There are a few nontraditional moments like Bond passing up sex for his mission and having his balls rescued, but ultimately he pulls of the hard, stern persona act that Dalton and Brosnan attempted, while at the same time being charming, witty and nonchalant.
Le Chiffre is not grandiose, but he's a good villain and Mads Mikkelsen plays him perfectly. Eva Green is the prettiest girl to ever appear in the series and to no surprise Bond is as lucky at poker as he is baccarat. Although the third act is somewhat lacking this is surely one of the greatest Bonds ever made, easily in my top 3.
Quantum Of Solace (2008)
I can't seem to find the way to the...stationary. Would you help me out?
The hardcore Craig fans like it, but it seems most consider it one of the lesser Bonds. I used to too, but it's grown on me a lot on repeated viewings. The camera work is indeed a bit spastic but it doesn't ruin it. The opening car chase is one hell of a ride, certainly a contender for best chase in the series, and the conclusion with Bond effortlessly dispatching the pursuers is so classic Bond I start smiling just thinking about it. The villain is a wimpy weasel, but he has grown on me and the actor is great. There's some cool nods to the older films if you can spot them. Gemma Aterton is a knockout and also does a good job acting out Miss Strawberry Fields. Naturally after she is sent to bring Bond back to the UK he beds her in swift fashion.
It's sort of a sequel to Casino Royale, you might even see it as an extended third act. So it helps to keep that fresh in mind. I'm a little disappointed they've chosen to discontinue the plot for Skyfall since it isn't really resolved here, but hopefully the Quantum organization will be back later. Either way I expect QOS to grow in status in the years to come. Definitely a severely underrated Bond film.
I'm amazed how this franchise continuously manages to reinvigorate itself. Moore was the right choice at the right time in the 70s, Brosnan for the 90s and now Craig is breaking records for each film. Craig might not be able to rival Connery and Moore, but he's already closer to them than he is the other actors, and with time, who knows. He's got at least two more films coming after Skyfall. If they are equally successful it'd be hard to deny him a spot as contender for best Bond. He really gets the character.
My rankings currently would be:
Bonds:
Moore
Connery
Craig
Dalton
Brosnan
Lazenby
Films (in no particular order):
From Russia With Love
Casino Royale
The Man With The Golden Gun
The Spy Who Loved Me
Goldfinger
- A Private Eye
- Rep: 77
Re: The JAMES BOND 007 Thread
Interesting read again.
For me the Dalton films always feel overlooked, almost like the forgotten Bonds. Whilst not the best Bond films they are both stronger than Connery, Moore or Brosnans poorer efforts and would both be in the top half if I was rating all the Bonds. In many ways they have a similar feel to the Craig films, in that they seemed to want a more 'back to basics' Bond, which I've always prefered to the more surreal bordering on sci-fi films.
As for the Brosnan era for me it was a series of diminishing returns. I love Goldeneye and it's still one of my top 3 Bond films. In fact it was my favourite until Casino Royale came along. Great action sequences, great villain, amazing Bond girl (Famke Janssen in that sauna is etched in my mind forever), Brosnan isn't the best Bond but the story more than papers over that.
I didn't used to rate TND much at all but over the years I find I've grown to like it more, I think an uninspiring villain with a slightly boring (if admittedly still relevant) plan held it back. Agree on the pre title sequence though, arguably the best in the whole franchise.
I liked TWINE when it came out but on repeat viewings I agree that it's very messy, I liked the pre title sequence and it's the first Brosnan film where they try and make more of having Judi Dench in the cast but overall not a favourite.
DAD for me is very poor, weak plot, crap villains, beyond even suspended disbelief gadgets. Possibly not the worst Bond ever but it's not far off the bottom.
Now to Daniel Craig. Casino Royale is my favourite Bond film of the lot, a stripped back Bond, more character and plot driven with great action sequences and a Bond girl to die for. Even the poker scenes are full of suspense. Not the most exciting villain in the franchise but it works well with the more grounded world the film is set in. Craig is excellent as Bond, suave, cold, tough everything Bond should be.
QOS was dissappointing as a sequel. I haven't seen it for a long time, because I was so underwhelmed, maybe I should give it another chance. Just felt for me that they really didn't know what to do with the Quantum storyline or where to take it and in the end we got a jumble of ideas that never really delivered. Mentions to a good pre title scene and an enjoyable sequence at the opera.
Skyfall could so easily have been another QOS in that there were a lot of things they wanted to juggle. Being Bonds 50th they wanted to make more than a few nods to the old films while trying to maintain the 'realism' that the Craig era has been built on. It could have been messy but for me they pull it out of the bag. The plot isn't as good as CR but the chemistry between Bond, M and Silva more than make up for it along with some fantastic set pieces. For me Bardem delivers one of the great Bond villain performances, if not THE best. I've read some criticisms of the films finale and there are holes but I thought in terms of suspense and action it's as good as I've seen from a Bond film. I think the image of Bardem staggering up the hillside silhouetted by the burning mansion will become an iconic Bond moment. It's an interesting twist as well to have Bond as the defender rather than being the one launching the final assault on the villain, but I think it works well. I've only seen it once so proclaiming it as my second favourite Bond is possibly a bit premature but as it stands that's where I'd rank it.
Re: The JAMES BOND 007 Thread
You should definitely watch QOS again sometime. Used to hate it too, but it seems to grow on each viewing. Don't think it'll ever be great, but I'd put it in the top half.
Going to see Skyfall in a few hours. Haven't been this pumped for a Bond movie since TWINE, and by the looks of it I won't be as disappointed this time around.
- A Private Eye
- Rep: 77
Re: The JAMES BOND 007 Thread
Enjoy! It's definitely better than TWINE 
Look forward to the review.
Re: The JAMES BOND 007 Thread
*SPOILERS*
Skyfall (2012)
Oh, Mr Bond!
The screen fades to black and we start off with a single beat from the traditional James Bond theme before our English patriot steps out of the shadows with his PPK. The presence of Mendes is immediately felt and you know you are in for a different type of Bond film. An MI6 agent has been shot, his sensitive information stolen and before the inevitable chase begins we get a taste of what is to be the most character driven entry in the series since On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
As always you can rely on the first 10 minutes of a James Bond movie to blow you away. Some claim Mendes isn't an action director. And yes, that's true, but in this case it's about as insulting as saying Donald Trump doesn't work at the local real estate office. Obviously, if he wanted to he could. And in Skyfall you quickly see that he does.
It's very hard to pick out the best Bond opening of all time, but this is one of them. Certainly one of the most elaborate. Our characters are on foot, in cars and on motorcycles. Rooftops are scaled and the top of a train car passing through a tunnel is deemed a good place to pick a fight. They even give us a Caterpillar chase, on the train.
It's not only the grand set pieces though that make this memorable, it's the inventive attention to realism. Cars flip, but only once. And when they come to a stand still they don't take a whole market place of fruit with them. Magically they also don't explode when hit by bullets. Of course Bond can scale a brick wall, but his bike no longer can. Shockingly a gunshot wound to the shoulder actually impairs you. Who would have thought? As a movie buff with way too many generic action movies under my belt I was simply left exhilarated.
The first action sequence is also the biggest. There's still plenty to be had, but from then on we enter a far more personal film. And I must say, for this type of film it's quite exquisitely done. It's not deep in any philosophical sense, but the characters all have substance. There's a reasoning behind their actions. Silva isn't a evil mastermind looking for world domination, he's just an orphan with intelligence training looking to take revenge on the only person he's ever loved because he feels she betrayed him.
Despite what one might think it's not easy to make a James Bond movie. After you've respected the old films you have to start on making the action cutting edge. The characters has to be memorable and you need levity as well as gravity. In the end all of that must mesh into something coherent and entertaining. Bond films usually end up relying too much on one or the other. This I might suggest could very well be the first example of a successful balance. There's some genuine artistry here, but the monumental achievement I feel is how they handled the entertainment aspect. It's just brilliantly done. Yes they have to pander to that tired feminist agenda, but then immediately switches to a male masochistic stereotype. Bond can still kick some sick stunts, but they feel realistic in that Ethan Hunt/Jason Bourne way. He's gentle and caring with the women but also an unstoppable stud, witty and bantering. They even manage to satisfy the gay demographic by maybe making Silva gay and even hinting at Bond having experimented at some point. The genius aspect is they leave it completely open to interpretation.
This is also a 50th anniversary film, like Die Another Day was for the 40th. It's funny that you could call this DAD 2 cause they're both salutary films with a lot of references to the classics. The penultimate reference this time around is of course the reintroduction of the Aston Martin. Not just any either, THE Aston Martin first made immortal by Connery in Goldfinger. Complete with machine guns and ejector seat intact (which Bond threatens to use on Judi Dench! )
One of those films being the worst and the other one of the best is another curios occurrence, cause yes, this is one of the best Bond movies ever made. I don't like to come on too strong right after a watch, but I just might think it's the best at the moment. As AP said, the perfect mix and balance of old and new. True to the spirit while also looking ahead. Do I want every Bond film to be like this? No, for that it's far too contemplative and drama oriented, but as a type of celebration to the whole series it's just fucking brilliant. And as a kind of abstract formula for future films, definitely and I hope so.
Craig can now officially step into the ring with Connery and Moore, though before he can start to challenge he needs to do a couple more films that aren't terrible. That however seems unlikely to happen and I hope we see him as Bond for more than the 5 he's contracted to do. As a Roger Moore and Sean Connery fan this was a monumental experience. Craig is Bond, only in 2012.
Re: The JAMES BOND 007 Thread
And I didn't even get around to mentioning Bardem. That says a lot, because he was fantastic. Aced the character of Silva and never once slipped into camp. Sophisticated, funny, scary, deranged and actually also a relatable human being. I'd rate his performance at least equal to his character in No Country For Old Men.
Re: The JAMES BOND 007 Thread
Well thought I'd bump this, since it comes out on Monday.
The reviews have been great so far, but we'll see. Anyone else looking forward to it? 
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- Me_Wise_Magic
- Rep: 70
Re: The JAMES BOND 007 Thread
Well thought I'd bump this, since it comes out on Monday.
The reviews have been great so far, but we'll see. Anyone else looking forward to it?
I am. I really loved Skyfall. So very excited to see it when it's released. Hopefully it's good. Just don't like the guy they are getting to do the new Bond theme.
- A Private Eye
- Rep: 77
Re: The JAMES BOND 007 Thread
Hopefully seeing this on wednesday. Can't wait, I'm hearing mostly good things.
