Is Quantum Of Solace the worst ever James Bond film?

[FelixLeiterRocks]

[Last year three films released at the Holiday season were over the 200 million mark. I Am Legend, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and Alvin and the Chipmunks. This year there has not been one film this Holiday season to break 200 million.

It could just be that there's nothing out there to inspire people to go out and see something? - there's nothing out there that I'm going to bother with.

When it comes to this economic down-turn card you keep on using?,
there seemed to be some $70m worth of people who saw QOS on it's U.S. opening, and £15m worth of cinema-goers, for the U.K. opening,
so there was PLENTY of cash for QOS then! ,
then the BAAAAAAAD word of mouth came out, and the film started to sink.

FACT.
FACT.
FACT.

They saw it and they came out in big numbers, but there is no market right now for repeat viewings. I'll give you that with Harry Potter having been moved back to the summer that the market is pretty sparse right now, and I'm sure the writers strike also contributed to it. Some films like Inkheart were pushed back to June because of the delayed production, while there's a ton of movies opening on Christmas day, like Bedtime Stories, Benjamin Button and the Spirit. Also Valkyrie opens the Friday before New Years. I think most of these films would have opened earlier if not for the strike.

[FelixLeiterRocks]

Worse than geriatric Roger Moore?

Worse than invisible cars and yet another Satellite based plot?

Worse than Jaws turning good in space?

Worse than Connery turning "asian"?

No, no, no, no. It's not as good as CR, but it's not "the worst". As for apeing action sequences, yeah, that's what Bond films do. Deal with it.

Yeah it's as if some cling to some of the worst Bond films in sort of a cult horror movie way. None of those things were Ian Flemming's Bond, but because they are introduced in the films people accept them as Cannon.

I'm not going to say QOS was the best movie, because it's not, but the films you mentioned couldn't hold a candle to it.

[katied]

I got the issue of Empire with the Star Trek cover today and there is a lengthy interview with Roger Moore, and a *supremely* unflattering up close picture.If you thought he was geriatric in 1985...

[John Drake]

Worse than geriatric Roger Moore?

Worse than invisible cars and yet another Satellite based plot?

Worse than Jaws turning good in space?

Worse than Connery turning "asian"?

No, no, no, no. It's not as good as CR, but it's not "the worst". As for apeing action sequences, yeah, that's what Bond films do. Deal with it.

Yeah it's as if some cling to some of the worst Bond films in sort of a cult horror movie way. None of those things were Ian Flemming's Bond, but because they are introduced in the films people accept them as Cannon.

I'm not going to say QOS was the best movie, because it's not, but the films you mentioned couldn't hold a candle to it.

You would help your case somewhat if you could spell 'Fleming' correctly. Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Cubby and Harry and the film series, how famous would the books be today? They were entertaining but not much more than potboilers with eight page descriptions of an omlette Bond is eating to pad things out. Fun but not a series of mystical texts. The film series had to elaborate on the escapism, sophistication and fantasy to be more cinematic. It was unavoidable. Sometimes they went too far but ultimately it made James Bond much more of an enduring legend and world famous. Would you like to watch a film set in the fifties about a chain-smoking civil-servant in a drab office who threatens to slap his secretary on the arse? These are Fleming elements. The weirdest thing I have ever encountered in the world of James Bond is Barbara casting her craggy pal Daniel Craig and the more pretentious element of the fanbase pretending that he's that sophisticated, rangy, darkly handsome hero from the books brought to life! Shocking. Positively shocking.

[wrenchhands]

I'm sorry, but didn't QOS crush DAD in terms of openings? Or are we gonna play the "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" game?

QOS isn't doing as good as CR. That's because the novelty is gone and it isn't as good a film. It's also shite economic times.

But we don't know how it would have gone had they kept with Brosnan or gone similar to the DAD route. I imagine there's enough people out there who will always see a Bond film.

But no, people aren't tiring of new Bond, don't delude yourself. They've had (again) 40 years of old Bond. 40. They can deal with new Bond.

[Kristatos]

Worse than geriatric Roger Moore?

Worse than invisible cars and yet another Satellite based plot?

Worse than Jaws turning good in space?

Worse than Connery turning "asian"?

I never thought I'd ever find myself waxing nostalgic for Moonraker or AVTAK, but QOS managed it. It was the endless, self-important lectures on the evils of American and British foreign policy that did it for me, not because I disagree with what they were saying (I don't), but because they brought to mind Beavis and Butthead's devastating comment on a U2 song: "This is like school". At least the Moore films never pretended to be anything more than escapist entertainment.

[wrenchhands]

Well, I guess you'll have to escape to your DVD cabinet

[katied]

You would help your case somewhat if you could spell 'Fleming' correctly. Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Cubby and Harry and the film series, how famous would the books be today? They were entertaining but not much more than potboilers with eight page descriptions of an omlette Bond is eating to pad things out. Fun but not a series of mystical texts. The film series had to elaborate on the escapism, sophistication and fantasy to be more cinematic. It was unavoidable. Sometimes they went too far but ultimately it made James Bond much more of an enduring legend and world famous. Would you like to watch a film set in the fifties about a chain-smoking civil-servant in a drab office who threatens to slap his secretary on the arse? These are Fleming elements. The weirdest thing I have ever encountered in the world of James Bond is Barbara casting her craggy pal Daniel Craig and the more pretentious element of the fanbase pretending that he's that sophisticated, rangy, darkly handsome hero from the books brought to life! Shocking. Positively shocking.

Ian Fleming(I spelled it right! ) gets more credit than he deserves,IMO.Yes, he created James Bond but that's about it.

[FelixLeiterRocks]

You would help your case somewhat if you could spell 'Fleming' correctly. Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Cubby and Harry and the film series, how famous would the books be today? They were entertaining but not much more than potboilers with eight page descriptions of an omlette Bond is eating to pad things out. Fun but not a series of mystical texts. The film series had to elaborate on the escapism, sophistication and fantasy to be more cinematic. It was unavoidable. Sometimes they went too far but ultimately it made James Bond much more of an enduring legend and world famous. Would you like to watch a film set in the fifties about a chain-smoking civil-servant in a drab office who threatens to slap his secretary on the arse? These are Fleming elements. The weirdest thing I have ever encountered in the world of James Bond is Barbara casting her craggy pal Daniel Craig and the more pretentious element of the fanbase pretending that he's that sophisticated, rangy, darkly handsome hero from the books brought to life! Shocking. Positively shocking.

Ian Fleming(I spelled it right! ) gets more credit than he deserves,IMO.Yes, he created James Bond but that's about it.

There's somethings I liked from his writing, there's some things that were horrible and down right offensive. It's hard to read Live and Let Die and not be taken back by some of the outright biggotry in the novel. He wasn't a great writer, but I do enjoy some of the books.

[katied]

The racism is *exactly* what I'm talking about.And as someone who is part African-American, I find it offensive(and I don't get offended easily..I *do* draw the line at racism and homophobia, however.)

[Kristatos]

There's somethings I liked from his writing, there's some things that were horrible and down right offensive. It's hard to read Live and Let Die and not be taken back by some of the outright biggotry in the novel.

Well, I don't know about "taken aback". If LALD was published now, the bigotry would be shocking, but sadly, such attitudes were normal at the time Fleming was writing. Thankfully, we've moved on as a society since then.

[FelixLeiterRocks]

Overall to Katied's point though, what I draw from Flemming is how he wrote the Bond character and some more of the serious points of the novels, other than that I think Fleming was a fairly poor writer, in comparison to say, Tom Clancey. Bond will always be known for the movies rather than the books.

[katied]

People would *totally* complain if, say, LALD was published now. Jackson and Sharpton would be all over it

[wrenchhands]

They would want to cut his nuts off.

[katied]

Or beat him with a carpet beater while he's sitting in a cane chair

[stockslivevan]

After seeing it again, no, not the worst Bond ever. That's hyperbolic nonsense. You should only have a grudge on the direction and the actor to hate it that much, oh wait. But honestly, I don't get the hate. I don't think it's perfect and it could have improved on certain aspects but I don't see how it's within the depths of hell like A View to a Kill and Die Another Day, now THOSE are the worst Bond films ever. Quantum of Solace rests in my top ten Bond films that coincidentally happen to be the only Bond films that should be considered worth a d**n.

1. From Russia with Love
2. Dr. No
3. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
4. Casino Royale
5. The Living Daylights
6. Goldfinger
7. Thunderball
8. Quantum of Solace
9. Licence to Kill
10. GoldenEye

Beyond that, I could honestly live without. If I lost all my DVDs in a fire or whatever sort of situation, I would only consider buying those ten films that work well for me as films in general. The rest would only please the OCD aspect of me, Obsessive Completest Disorder.

[wrenchhands]

I recently rewatched Tomorrow Never Dies, and it was better than I recalled. I concur with your list. Noticeably absent of Roger Moore, because he sucks. Hard. Even "FYEO" is corny.

Actually, that's the shitty part about releasing a new Bond movie, it makes me have to back and watch all the old ones. I only have but so much time.

[James]

After seeing it again, no, not the worst Bond ever. That's hyperbolic nonsense.

The poll says 85%. We only deal with facts on this forum.

[stockslivevan]

After seeing it again, no, not the worst Bond ever. That's hyperbolic nonsense.

The poll says 85%. We only deal with facts on this forum.

I quite understand the definition of "facts" on an anti-Craig website.

[Capt. Sir Dominic Flandry]

John Drake wrote:
You would help your case somewhat if you could spell 'Fleming' correctly.

You won't catch me spelling Iain Fleming's name incorrectly.