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007: No time to die

Started by Tiplodocus, 04 December, 2019, 11:25:17 PM

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TordelBack

Coincidentally I'm reading William Boyd's licensed Bond novel Solo at the minute, first Bond I've read since I did all the Flemmings at about 12, and I find myself visualising the character as Dalton, or when I remember it's set in 1969, Lazenby.

Tiplodocus

CINEFIX did an amusing "Bond in Chronological Order" video that sort of, with a lot of head twisting and squinting, works. Starts with Casino Royal and Quantum of Solace then jumps around a bit before returning to Craig in SKYFALL (as an older veteran - which you always had to assume he had loads of off screen adventures between QOS and Skyfall). Amusingly, later Roger Moore's are framed as delusional retirement dreams.

Like Batman, all interpretations of Bond are equally valid so there is no right or wrong answer for Best Bond. Which is why it's great.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

milstar

I remember when I read the first (and only) four Fleming books, from Casino Royale to Diamonds are Forever and was shocked to realize how Fleming Bond is pretty much grounded, even for the most down to Earth cinematic representation. Bereft of ironic wit, and by all accounts, an ordinary man who happens to be a secret agent. Tbh, that kinda disappointed me as it lacked flamboyance from the movies. Furthermore, I found a bit of myself in Fleming's rendition of the character. His doubts, thoughts, his general chilled to the bone attitude, although personally I don't drive, neither I smoke 70 cigarettes a day, neither possess a gun, nor my thrill is sex with married women (not that I ever did it) :)... Also, this Bond suffers terribly. Usually, these stories end with Bond contemplating leaving the life of secret agent behind, on the account of injuries he got in the process.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Tiplodocus

Well that was jolly good fun.

Everything you expect from Bond and plenty you don't. But the unusual stuff is delivered well.

It actually makes SPECTRE better (all the terrible bits of Spectre are still terrible though)

Also chock full of Easter Eggs to previous Bonds if you like that kind of thing.

Try catch it before the big reveals get spoilt by twats.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

milstar

I just got back from the theatre. I am not at all enthusiastic as Tiplodocus about the film. I find it really unremarkable and even worse than Spectre. Overlong (pre-credit sequence goes on nearly forever, and credit sequence is tedious, uninspired as is the Eilish tune), and even with a few twists around the corner utterly predictable and how many times, we had Bond away from the mi6 already? And I thought that the legacy of Spectre and Blofeld perished with the Spectre. The fact that No Time to Die is the final film by Daniel as Bond (I hate even that they gave the 007 moniker to someone else, which is blasphemy) is very transparent if you stay through the whole film. Action scenes, sparse they happen, are poorly made and just unexciting to watch. [spoiler]Bond having a child is really unnecessary, for the character and the plot [/spoiler]. One-liner exchanges are funny for six-year-olds. If anything, at least Ana de Armas looks fantastic, and Rami Malek delivers a pretty spooky villain (that perhaps rivals Javier Bardem's Silva). And there are some subtle nods to earlier films.

I think the film might even be exciting if you watch it as a rather stand-alone film than part of the franchise.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Tiplodocus

Well the bit you've spoilered is just the actual theme but there you go. Other people don't be tempted to unspoiler that.

And I thought the villain was the worst aspect.

I did say it had everything you expect from Bond and that includes terrible one liners and often terrible villains.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Richard

It's an excellent film, but every time a new Bond film comes out you can always count on some people to slag it off. (It's like every episode of Dr Who in that respect.)

milstar

Quote from: Tiplodocus on 07 October, 2021, 11:53:15 PM
Well the bit you've spoilered is just the actual theme but there you go. Other people don't be tempted to unspoiler that.

And I thought the villain was the worst aspect.

I did say it had everything you expect from Bond and that includes terrible one liners and often terrible villains.

[spoiler]Bond having a family isn't what the film is about. Furthermore, he is not the character capable for that. [/spoiler]

Villains should be one koji the best parts of the franchise. Memorable, creepy, charismatic, even a bit two-dimensional, but reimbursed by actor's performance. Rami definitely outruns Christoph Waltz in that regard.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Hawkmumbler

Quote from: milstar on 08 October, 2021, 09:56:27 AM
[spoiler]Bond having a family isn't what the film is about. Furthermore, he is not the character capable for that. [/spoiler]

Its almost staggering how off the mark you are.

milstar

Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 08 October, 2021, 10:03:45 AM
Quote from: milstar on 08 October, 2021, 09:56:27 AM
[spoiler]Bond having a family isn't what the film is about. Furthermore, he is not the character capable for that. [/spoiler]

Its almost staggering how off the mark you are.

Yeah, because Bond is about having wife and kids, which is true definition of off the mark, particularly for this film.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Hawkmumbler

I can't believe ON HER MAJESTYS SECRET SERVICE never happened.

milstar

Me neither. Especially the ending. I must have imagined it.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Tiplodocus

Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 08 October, 2021, 11:27:41 AM
I can't believe ON HER MAJESTYS SECRET SERVICE never happened.

I very soon reconciled myself to the idea that the Craig Bonds are there own thing and exist in their own Bond universe compared to the other films. I reckon this was their go at OHMSS
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Tiplodocus

Quote from: milstar on 08 October, 2021, 10:53:27 AM
Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 08 October, 2021, 10:03:45 AM
Quote from: milstar on 08 October, 2021, 09:56:27 AM
[spoiler]Bond having a family isn't what the film is about. Furthermore, he is not the character capable for that. [/spoiler]

Its almost staggering how off the mark you are.

Yeah, because Bond is about having ************** which is true definition of off the mark, particularly for this film.

It's exactly what this film is about and what the last two were leading up to.  It might not be what you wanted but that's what it is.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Hawkmumbler

I'd go so far as to say its been the overarching theme of the Craig era. [spoiler]Very odd take to say its an un-Bond element when James had at least one legitimate kid in the novels...[/spoiler]