Bond's still big, it's the movies that got smaller (review)

[Kristatos]

I have to start by offering an apology to those, like Sweeney, who criticised the movie's short running time. After the bloated Casino Royale, I thought it might lead to a taut,
pacey thriller like Goldfinger (the previous shortest entry in the series, IIRC). But while Goldfinger packed a fair amount of plot into its 111 minutes, QOS (at just 5 minutes shorter) felt perfunctory, like it was made out of a contractual obligation. Its abbreviated running time, coupled with the fact that it was the first Bond film since TMWTGG to be shot in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, made it seem more like a 2-part episode of a TV show (anyone else remember the Man from UNCLE "movies"?) than LTK ever did. It's as if
everything has been shrunk down to fit Craig. And no, that's not another pop at his height. Bond ought to be a larger than life character who exudes charisma. Craig, with his
latex face (he looks increasingly like his own Spitting Image puppet here) and flat, glottal-stopping, estuary-accented voice simply isn't. Even if he were 6'3", he'd still be too small to play Bond.

I know the politics of this film have been a topic of contention on this board, so let me throw in my $0.02. QOS has been criticized as a Bond film for Guardian readers. As a
Guardian reader myself, I say "don't blame me for this atrocity". I have no problem at all with the idea that the so called "Anglo-Saxon model" of capitalism is intrinsically corrupt and that US and British foreign policy is primarily motivated by corporate greed. That much ought to be obvious to anyone who doesn't get their news from the corporate media. I do have a problem with stopping the film every 10 minutes or so in order to have a character deliver a lecture on how capitalism is corrupt etc. etc. That sort of preachifying is bad enough in an Oliver Stone film; in a Bond film, it is simply insufferable.

There were some good points. I liked the use of locations, and there were a couple of "Bond Moments", such as Bond's "May I offer an opinion?" at the Tosca performance, and his rejection of Fields' choice of hotel in favour of the best hotel in town. But they seem to come out of nowhere, as if the filmmakers suddenly remembered that they were supposed to be making a Bond film.

Before I saw QOS, I had hopes for an OHMSS-type reaction to either this film or the next one. That is to say, I might not like the lead actor, but maybe the other elements of the film might be sufficient to make for a good film despite Craig. Witnessing the cringing embarrassment of everyone involved with making this film at the rest of the franchise that it ostensibly belongs to, and knowing that the same people who chose Craig, Forster, Haggis et al will also choose their replacements when the time comes, I despair of ever seeing a Bond film--rather than a film whose lead character happens to be called James Bond--again.

[The Sweeney]

Ohh dear. 1/10 Kris. That bad?

I take it you thought CR was a better film than this?

[Kristatos]

Ohh dear. 1/10 Kris. That bad?

I take it you thought CR was a better film than this?

I suppose, though that's damning with faint praise.

[Skywalker]

There were some good points. I liked the use of locations, and there were a couple of "Bond Moments", such as Bond's "May I offer an opinion?" at the Tosca performance, and his rejection of Fields' choice of hotel in favour of the best hotel in town. But they seem to come out of nowhere, as if the filmmakers suddenly remembered that they were supposed to be making a Bond film.

I too enjoyed that scene but like you said it was far too rare an occassion.

[Mazer Rackham]

Ohh dear. 1/10 Kris. That bad?

I take it you thought CR was a better film than this?

I suppose, though that's damning with faint praise.

Sween that's bit like asking if NSNA is a better movie than CR 1967?

I suppose it was worth what it cost to see it then huh Kris?

[Kristatos]

I suppose it was worth what it cost to see it then huh Kris?

Cheap at half the price. I wonder how much of this much vaunted "box office success" was the result of people like myself and Mrs. Kristatos going to see the movie on Sony's dime?

[Mazer Rackham]

I suppose it was worth what it cost to see it then huh Kris?

Cheap at half the price. I wonder how much of this much vaunted "box office success" was the result of people like myself and Mrs. Kristatos going to see the movie on Sony's dime?

Hundreds of thousands to the take for sure, probably millions.

But then their are people like me with free tickets who wont or can't use them and plenty of areas do not have theaters that will accept the free tickets. Still they were free and peeled off the boxes easy so I imagine that made up for it.

[Kristatos]

Incidentally, looks like I was wrong about the aspect ratio. I posted about this on IMDb if anyone's interested: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0830515/boa ... #124315031

[carl stromberg]

Bond ought to be a larger than life character who exudes charisma. Craig, with his latex face (he looks increasingly like his own Spitting Image puppet here) and flat, glottal-stopping, estuary-accented voice simply isn't. Even if he were 6'3", he'd still be too small to play Bond.

Craig's voice was a bit weird in Quantum of Solace. In the opera scene he seemed to drift into mockney "ere, no you don't". I wonder if he is trying to improve his jokes by trying different accents? Also, when he asked the receptionist if she could "do him a little favour", he sounded like Frank Spencer!

[Kristatos]

Craig's voice was a bit weird in Quantum of Solace. In the opera scene he seemed to drift into mockney "ere, no you don't".

Maybe he was angling for a part in the proposed new Sweeney movie. "Fink yer a bit tasty, do you, you slag?"

[katied]

I watched a deleted scene from CR where he arrives at the hospital.Well, later on he says something and it sounds odd.Not at *all* like Bond.

[X3C]

Craig's voice was a bit weird in Quantum of Solace. In the opera scene he seemed to drift into mockney "ere, no you don't". Maybe he was angling for a part in the proposed new Sweeney movie. "Fink yer a bit tasty, do you, you slag?"

So after a Layer Cake Bond, a Sweeney Bond Musical is going to happen next...