Bonding with Bond:All Of The 007 Films

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 12: Moonraker
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 01, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

Today's offering is Moonraker, the 1979 Bond film that took the British superagent into space. Read below to see if I found it to be great entertainment or a silly addition to the fanchise.



Moonraker

Well, you all warned me about Moonraker, so what can I say? It was everything I expected it to be. At first, I was under the impression that the movie as a whole would be over the top, and while it did have its share of ridiculous scenarios early on, I didn't really feel that it felt out of step with the previous three Moore offerings. Then, in the last 45 minutes or so, things really got out of hand.

Let me start from the beginning again. First of all, the stunt that opened The Spy Who Loved Me was so breathtaking that I wasn't sure they'd be able to match it. Boy was I wrong. The skydiving scene before the credits of Moonraker most definitely takes the basejump of Spy and elevates it, literally, to a new level. And, it's helped by the presence of Jaws, who returns from the last movie, and some excellent cinematography that had me repeating to myself, "How did they pull that off?" Very impressive, Mr. Bond. Very impressive.

After this stellar sequence, the story begins in earnest, and we get what ultimately amounts to much of the same elements we've seen in the Bond franchise thus far. Since I've noticed these in almost every film, I'll just say here that I'll try to keep the obvious things out of my writeups from here on out, in order to keep from becoming repetitive. I'll just assume that Bond needs little in the way of romantic ammunition to sleep with any woman, that he will continue to walk boldly right into the hands of all of his adversaries, that all of said adversaries will be sophisticated gentlemen, and that he will engage in various motorized chases for extended periods of time.

Speaking of which, we have not one, but TWO boat chases in Moonraker, both of which culminate in some ridiculous transformation of the vehicle. The first chase ends as Bond flips a switch in his Venetian gondola and converts it into a hovercraft, driving it onto land and into a public square -- very subtle. The second boat is ultimately lost off a waterfall, but not before Bond flies away into the sky, using its roof as a hang glider. I will give credit to the minds behind these films: they are... imaginative, to put it lightly.


Of course, most everything in the first hour and a half or so is relatively standard Bond fare, and none of it prepares the viewer for an extended encounter in space, of all places. Interestingly though, I noticed at least two subtle references to earlier space films in Moonraker (there may have been more, but I only caught these): When Bond meets Drax during a quail hunting excursion, the end of the hunt is signaled by a servant who blows the first three notes of "Also Sprach Zarathustra," most famous for its use by Stanley Kubrick in his sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. Later in Moonraker, a scientist enters a secret laboratory by entering a 5-digit numeric keycode, the musical tones of which echo the same five notes that are used to communicate with alien intelligence in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

If the subtlety of these two references was lost on most, there was still a qutie blatant "homage," I suppose, to Star Wars in the final scenes that take place on the space station. After Jaws is turned away from the dark side, as it were, we see Bond, Holly Goodhead (the requisite tongue-in-cheek name), and Jaws facing off against Drax. With all of Drax's underlings pointing their laser guns at the trio, they bear a striking resemblance to Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Chewbacca (Ha! Jaws is CHEWbacca - get it?). That was cute.



In conclusion, yes, I didn't feel that Moonraker was particularly good, but it wasn't the ridiculousness of the latter part of the movie that did it for me. I was more let down by the fairly textbook proceedings that preceded the grand finale in space; very little of those events was novel or inventive. In fact, I might even go so far as to say the last half hour was somewhat refreshing after having to sit through the by-the-numbers storyline. A few films ago, I wondered to myself, "When will they run out of ideas?" I just hope it hasn't already happened.

My favorite line: "I think he's attempting reentry, sir." - Spoken by Q when visual contact is made with 007's shuttle, and they all get a good view of Bond and Goodhead making zero gravity love.

My favorite moment: My, how do I choose just one? Perhaps the pigeon doing a double take at Bond's gondola-hovercraft; or Jaws's first encounter with his pigtailed soul mate; or the swordfight in the glass shop (that must have been fun to film); or Jaws getting bustled away mid-fight by revelers in Rio, only to throw up his hands as if to say, "What the hell, might as well go along with it!" Precious moments, all.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 13: For Your Eyes Only
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 02, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

After several Bond films establishing the Roger Moore brand of 007, he takes a turn for the (more) serious with For Your Eyes Only. It was both good and bad for me, in different ways.



For Your Eyes Only

For Your Eyes Only was the first Bond film in a while that didn't offer me a whole lot to poke fun at, which is sort of a double-edged sword for me. On the one hand, it can be said that For Your Eyes Only was a more solid film, with a tighter story and relatively brisk pacing, which makes for an enjoyable overall experience. On the other hand, it's been great fun to spot the quirky elements of these movies and point them out, and when one of them has fewer of these moments, it's almost been less entertaining for me to write about.

So let me start by saying that I thought I was in for more of the same kind of silliness I saw in Moonraker when the opening scene for For Your Eyes Only played out. As Bond takes what he believes to be a company chopper to meet M, we discover that it's actually a setup masterminded by none other than Ernst Stavro Blofeld, whose whereabouts I rightfully had been curious of after his mysterious off-screen "death" in Diamonds Are Forever. We don't get to see Blofeld's face here, nor do we hear his name explicitly uttered, but we know it's him, as he's got his cat, his distinct attire, and his bald head (he must have decided the full head of hair didn't suit him after all).


When Bond drops Blofeld off the helicopter and down a massive smokestack, I had two thoughts: 1) Is he really dead, or is this simply a reintroduction of his character?; and 2) If he's really dead, that was the lamest way to end an unfinished storyline that I've ever seen. Of course Blofeld and SPECTRE don't make another appearance in the movie, so I'm led to believe I was supposed to take that scene to be the end of the Blofeld era. Just Bond tying up loose ends, as it were. That, I must admit, was a rather disappointing end for a nemesis that previously had played such a huge part in the Bond universe.

We are then, of course, introduced to the central intrigue of For Your Eyes Only: the recovery of crucial missile control device aboard a sunken British spy vessel that fell victim to an unfortunate accident at sea. The usual cast of characters is introduced, including the potential villain, his henchmen, and the women Bond will inevitably seduce and discard. Except, the latter doesn't really happen en masse, as has been the trend. While Bond does bed one of his adversary's mistresses (thereby turning her to his side and eventually leading to her death, of course), there are two prominent female characters who Bond, surprisingly, treats with a modicum of respect.



The first is Bibi Dahl, played by Lynn-Holly Johnson, who is an aspiring figure skater. She, like many other Bond women, throws herself at 007, breaking into his hotel room and lying naked in his bed, but for whatever reason, he decides that she's not bone-worthy. What is it about her, precisely, that keeps him from wrapping her up in his libido? She does act somewhat childish, but it's not entirely clear how old she's really supposed to be, and she's certainly not less attractive than many of Bond's other women. I thought it was interesting that the good people behind the Bond films would choose to include a girl who Bond was unwilling to take advantage of. Lecherous man-whore that he is, even Bond has his limits, it seems.

The main Bond girl of the movie, however, is Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet), who has an agenda of her own against the main villain. While Bond works alongside her for much of the movie, he is surprisingly light on the sweet nothings and seductive advances. I thought this worked to move the plot along more efficiently, and in some ways it also made their eventual coupling more believable. Oh yes, that's right, they do end up together, but only at the very end... at sea... again.

The one other thing I'll say about For Your Eyes Only is that I was pleasantly surprised by the twist (Kristatos is the real villain). In any other film, I would have seen it coming a mile away, but because I had become so accustomed to the straightforward story lines in these Bond films, I wasn't expecting anything even remotely out of the ordinary. This, and a few very exciting action pieces, helped me to enjoy the movie, though it was certainly different in tone than Moore's previous outings. I thought it was a great addition to the canon, and some of you were right; I could have easily seen Sean Connery in the role.



My favorite line: "Everyone knows it builds muscle tone." -- spoken by Bibi Dahl as she lies naked in Bond's bed, trying to convince him to join her. I've tried that line, and it doesn't work.

My favorite moment: For once, it's not a silly one - I really enjoyed the ski chase. At first, I thought, "Great, not another one of these." But the scene got progressively better, ending in a thrilling pursuit down a bobsled run. Really impressive stunt work.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 14: Octopussy
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 03, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

Roger Moore's 007 got in touch with his serious side for For Your Eyes Only, but he returned to his tongue-in-cheek campiness with Octopussy. It didn't entirely work for me.



Octopussy

Even as someone who hadn't seen any of the Bond movies, I was always aware of the existence of Octopussy. The name of the movie itself would draw giggles amongst me and my peers in grade school, even though few of us had any idea what it was about. I was, therefore, looking forward to satisfying my admittedly subdued curiosity about this famous entry in the Bond franchise, and having been warned of its campy content, I sallied forth, finally to throw some context behind a childhood joke.

Before I get into Octopussy, however, I feel I need to share a minor epiphany I experienced while watching it. Much has been made of the silliness of the Roger Moore movies, and what I've seen so far has only confirmed those claims. For me, at least, I think the reason why I generally didn't mind the goofier aspects of the Connery films as much was because I felt they were mostly unintentional, by-products of the outdated production quality and spotty acting. The Roger Moore films, by comparison, are very self-aware, embracing the lighter tone with joy, and a little too "cute" at times. As a result, while they are certainly on the campy side, they haven't quite tickled my funny bone in the same way. It's almost like watching a comedian laugh at his own jokes.



In Octopussy, the camp is ramped up, but it doesn't really get bad until Bond lands in India, where he's immediately greeted by a snake charmer, his Indian contact, playing the James Bond theme music on his flute. Some time later, the pair is engaged in a tuk tuk chase wherein a tennis racquet is wielded as a weapon, and onlookers on the street swivel their heads left and right as if watching a match. That chase culminates in a fistfight that takes place among such characters as a sword swallower, a hot coal-walker, a man who sleeps on a bed of nails, and a fire juggler, all of whom come into play as Bond summarily defeats his pursuers. Not too much later, 007 is chased through the jungle, where he not only tames a tiger by telling it to "sit," but also swings through the trees literally screaming like Tarzan. And this is only the tip of the iceberg, ladies and gentlemen.

Maud Adams (aka Andrea Anders from The Man with the Golden Gun) resurfaces here as the title character, and at first I thought, "This is refreshing; a female nemesis!" This was reinforced by the fact that she was identified only by her voice in her first few scenes, similar to he-whose-name-we-shall-not-utter. But of course, she merely turns out to be a pawn for the true villain, much in the same way that Colombo was in For Your Eyes Only, and it's revealed that she's just another dame with a crush on 007. I thought this was unfortunate, as I saw it as a wasted opportunity to explore a new angle for Bond villains.

So let's talk about the real villains, then. Louis Jordan plays Kamal Khan, who gets the most screen time of all the villains but is probably the dullest one. Then we have Khan's henchman Gobinda, who also does very little besides crush dice, sneer at Bond, and furiously escort him from room to room (he does swing a sword and kill people off screen from time to time, but it's very unexciting). Much more interesting are the peripheral villains: the knife-wielding circus twins, who at first look no more threatening than Martin Short, the yo-yo saw wielding thug-for-hire, and the rogue Russian general who's always on the brink of an aneurysm. They add a spark of danger whenever they appear and, in my opinion, effectively contribute to the chaos of the movie



The story here is somewhat negligible and, as with many of the others so far, merely serves as a backdrop for witty banter and expansive action sequences. It's just unfortunate that I didn't find the action to be particularly memorable, save for the amazing stunt work atop Khan's plane. The tuk tuk chase is a bit too silly to be exciting, the jungle hunt seems slapped together, the train sequence -- while an interesting setup -- is slow and laborious to me, and the final battle between Octopussy's acrobatic female army and Khan's underlings would feel just as much at home in The Naked Gun.

There wasn't a whole lot to love about Octopussy. Sure, there was an abundance of bizarre and/or inane moments that had me grinning and shaking my head, and yes, the women were all nice to look at. But at the heart of it, even a silly movie needs a decent story to support it, or the interest simply will not hold up. The movie unfortunately spent too much time on goofy gags and subpar action to keep me munching my popcorn.



My favorite line: "Go out and get him." -- Khan says this to Gobinda, as Bond is clinging to the top of their plane. Good help is so hard to find.

My favorite moment: Q getting some love from a gaggle of Octopussy's femme fatales, after he lands a hot-air balloon on a baddie who had a gun trained on them.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 15: Never Say Never Again
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 04, 2008

rottentomatoes.com

Never Say Never Again is the second and last "unofficial" Bond film I'll be watching, and I'm rather thankful for that. It was everything I expected it to be, and less.



Never Say Never Again

After 13 films establishing distinct characters, it was immediately off-putting to me to see different actors portray M, Q, and even Ms. Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again. It was odd enough to see Blofeld portrayed by three different actors in three consecutive "official" Bond films, so you can imagine how I felt when essentially everyone was replaced by unfamiliar faces. I couldn't help but look upon the establishing scenes of the movie with a little bit of disdain, and my initial thoughts were that it felt like a pretender to the franchise, which, of course, it sort of is. On top of all this, my opinion of the movie was not helped by the fact that I found myself constantly comparing it to Thunderball.

Next, while I had been warned about Connery showing his age here, I wasn't expecting the movie to address this issue head-on, alluding to Bond having recently spent more time "teaching, not doing" and sending him off to a wellness clinic. But while he certainly looks much older, he still looked fitter than Roger Moore has appeared, and he handled his action scenes pretty effectively. So that wasn't as much of an issue as I expected it to be.


I also really enjoyed the performance of Klaus Maria Brandauer as Largo. His quirky mannerisms, his sporadic pauses in speech, the tangible sourness lurking beneath his charm and sophisticated accent... I bought it, and I thought he was actually one of the better Bond villains, one that had a little more charisma and personality than, say, Drax, Stromberg, or even the original Largo. Largo's hench(wo)man, however, I didn't really like. Barbara Carrera eats up her role as Fatima Bush, but I didn't find her threatening, and I felt the effort to portray her as a steamy, psychotic vixen was overwrought. I mean, her undoing was a direct result of her need to be acknowledged by 007 as the greatest lover he ever had? That's just asinine. Interestingly enough, I found out later that she received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance, so that just goes to show what I know, right?

This brings me to my bottom line: there were actually some enjoyable elements in Never Say Never Again, but there were far more things I took issue with than not. Kim Basinger, 80s sexpot that she was, is completely forgettable as Bond girl Domino. The video game showdown, while it may have been novel at the time, looks silly now. Several points were either glossed over or left unexplained, like the shark-magnet device (how did that work, exactly?) and the speedy discovery and disarming of the warhead "under" Washington D.C. (and how'd he get it "under" there in the first place?).


All things considered, I'll take Thunderball over this any day. I am going to go ahead and say that this was the "Bond film" I enjoyed the least so far, and I'm glad it's not officially included as part of the franchise. However, I'm also willing to concede that my opinion of it might have been different if it was the first Bond film I ever saw, or if I hadn't seen Thunderball first. It simply didn't feel like a Bond film without the standard intro, without the iconic theme music, without the regular cast, and that inevitably caused me to dismiss it early on.

My favorite line: "I hope we're gonna have some gratuitous sex and violence." -- Q to Bond when Bond is reinstated for duty.

My favorite moment: Bond poses as a masseur at a spa and basically fondles Domino all over as he probes her (no pun intended) for information. When the real masseuse appears and Domino figures out that the old man sliding his hands all over her backside was a fraud, she simply smiles and shrugs it off.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 16: A View to a Kill
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 05, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

After showing signs of aging in previous films, Roger Moore finally takes his last turn at playing Bond. Read on to see how much it affected my viewing.


A View to a Kill

I don't know if Roger Moore knew this was going to be his last Bond film or not, but it doesn't seem as if he cared, because there's nothing particularly outstanding or notable about A View to a Kill. At the same time, strangely enough, I actually didn't think this installment was quite as unwatchable as I was made to believe. Maybe my judgment was clouded by just a little bit of wine from an election night get-together, or maybe my expectations were so low that I could only be pleasantly surprised. Yes, this movie was laughably bad, but for some reason, I really didn't mind. Go figure.

Let's get the obvious out of the way: Roger Moore is officially eligible for the senior discount at Denny's. You can see the loose skin dangling from his neck like a Christmas turkey, and when a stunt double isn't doing the dirty work for him, he looks a little... tired. Even his libido seems to be on the downswing; he flirts with girls, sure, but we no longer see him forcibly storming his way into their pants. And let's face it, at his age, that would just be creepy.

Another sour point I'll mention is the choice of women in the film. Stacey Sutton (played by Tanya Roberts), who does have the most incredible eyes, is absolutely horrendous, on par with Rosie Carver in Live and Let Die. May Day (Grace Jones) is fine as a henchwoman with few words and superhuman strength -- I'm willing to accept that. But she flips a sudden 180 very late in the movie (arguably merited), and don't even get me started on the love scenes. When central villain Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) has May Day pinned to the floor in a sparring match and cranes his neck in for a sloppy kiss, it's like watching Ellen DeGeneres make out with Wesley Snipes.


I did like Walken as Zorin, though, and I'm not just saying that because it's hip to like Walken. His idiosyncrasies make for perfect villain material, and when Bond calls him psychotic, you almost believe it more, specifically because it's Christopher Walken - of course he's crazy. As a matter of fact, if someone told me that he was the product of genetic experimentation gone wrong, like Zorin, the world might actually make more sense. He doesn't quite play up to his potential, but he was believable, I thought.


As for the campy elements, there were plenty of over-the-top scenes. There's 007 snowboarding down a mountain to the soundtrack of "California Girls;" driving literally half a car down a motorway during a chase; engaging in a video game style horse race, complete with moving obstacles and roughhousing opponents at his side. And what in the name of all that is holy was the fire truck scene all about? That was downright absurd, from start to finish.

Now, after all this, you'd expect me to say that I hated this movie, right? Well, I can't justify it - I can't even really explain it - but at the end of the day, I was actually sort of entertained. Stupidity abounds in A View to a Kill, subplots disappear without a trace, logic and physics are tested to the extreme, acting is optional, and there's little action to get excited about. I can't even say that these loony elements are what endeared the film to me, because it's not entirely true. For whatever reason, however, the two hours just flew by for me. Next comes a new Bond, which is exciting, so it's with a rather numb heart that I bid farewell to the Roger Moore era.

My favorite line: This is Zorin finishing a line spoken by May Day -- "What a view..." "...to a kill!" I still don't know what that means, but bonus points for using the film's title in the dialogue.

My favorite moment: It probably has to be the make out scene between Christopher Walken and Grace Jones, because I couldn't help thinking what their spawn would be like... Quite possibly the greatest world leader history has known. Either that, or the most eccentric UFC champion ever.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 17: The Living Daylights
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 06, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

Today we come to the fourth actor to play 007, Timothy Dalton. I found his portrayal to be very different from those of his predecessors, and I liked him in the role


The Living Daylights

With the Roger Moore era now at a close, I was eager to see what Timothy Dalton would do with 007. I believe my childhood perception of James Bond's image came from Dalton's portrayal of Bond, even though I never watched either of his films; The Living Daylights is the first Bond movie I personally recall opening in theaters, and his look was immediately recognizable to me. Plus, after Moore's elderly antics in A View to a Kill, I was ready for a fresh face.

I knew, of course, that Dalton was the next Bond, so his first appearance on screen wasn't the big dramatic reveal it could have been, I suppose. What did surprise me was that, despite what I was expecting from him, the opening scenes of The Living Daylights are pretty standard fare. Another impressive skydiving sequence begins the festivities, and then it jumps right into the action. After the mysterious killer Bond is pursuing drives an exploding jeep off a ramp and into the ocean, we find Bond climbing aboard a yacht, where a scantily clad woman on a cell phone is telling someone how she wishes for a "real man."


But as the movie went on, I began to see the stark difference between Dalton and Moore. In fact Dalton was very different from Connery, too. Moore was obviously a more jolly Bond, if smug, dropping one liners left and right and prancing about more so than strutting; Connery was a smooth-talker, arrogant and commanding, but honestly, kind of a jerk. Dalton, however, is stoic, with a face for scowling, and he seems less flippant, less coy. With Dalton's Bond, what you see is what you get, and I liked that. This might be a bit telling about my personality, but I felt that out of all the Bonds so far, Dalton is the one I'd probably get along with the best. Because, you know, I regularly pal around with British spies.

With the end of the Moore Era also came the end of Lois Maxwell as Ms. Moneypenny, so I want to say something about her. I really liked her as Moneypenny. Throughout the series, I believed that her interactions with 007, as brief and sporadic as they were, reflected a unique chemistry that was seldom found in the Bond girls he went to bed with. In fact, very early on I determined that Moneypenny would be the perfect wife for Bond, if he ever settled down. Of course, Tracy Di Vicenzo changed all that, and I actually sympathized with the melancholy Moneypenny at their wedding. But Lois Maxwell has been replaced by Caroline Bliss, and she doesn't quite achieve the same rapport with Bond. I shall reserve final judgment on her until I see more of her.


While Dalton himself was a more serious, heart-on-his-sleeve 007, The Living Daylights wasn't without its measure of campiness. The chase sequence in his new Aston Martin (the most beautiful Bond car since his DB5, in my opinion) features an enemy car being sliced in half by a laser and Bond dragging a cabin across a frozen lake before gunning it and bursting through its doors. The end of that scene, to top it off, has Bond and his female companion, Maryam D'Abo's Kara Milovy, escaping down a snowy slope on a cello case. But there are only a few such scenes, and Dalton never winks at the audience, so to speak, like Moore did; his demeanor seems to say, "I know this looks ridiculous, but I have a mission to complete!"

Overall, I really enjoyed The Living Daylights. Perhaps some of you were right in guessing that after 7 Moore films, I'd find Dalton to be refreshingly somber. But aside from his personality, I also felt that Dalton's Bond acted more like a spy here, squeezing information out of Kara Milovy and utilizing misdirection as effectively as his exploding key fob. You could also sense palpable frustration and anger at times, which made Bond a bit less godlike, and that made the film more real to me. Overall, I would say I'd rank this in the upper half of Bond films so far, and I'm looking forward to License to Kill.

My favorite line: "Stuff my orders!... Tell M what you want. If he fires me, I'll thank him for it." -- Bond says this to his partner when he's questioned about deliberately missing a sniper shot at Kara Milovy. This happens near the beginning of the movie, and it was the first indication to me that Dalton would be a different kind of Bond.

My favorite scene: Towards the end, as Bond is attempting to steer a rogue plane down a runway, Kara comes running up from behind and hugs him, grasping his head and muffling his face. Bond is visibly annoyed and you can hear him say "Kara!" in a tone that implies "Get the hell off of me! Can't you see I'm trying to fly a plane here?"

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 18: Licence to Kill
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 07, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

Today we come to the fourth actor to play 007, Timothy Dalton. I found his portrayal to be very different from those of his predecessors, and I liked him in the role.


Licence to Kill

While there are some nutty elements in the opening scenes of Licence to Kill, it's immediately clear that this would be a darker film. Timothy Dalton returns for his second and final turn as James Bond, surveying every situation through cold, narrow eyes, and the central villain, Franz Sanchez (played by Robert Davi aka the guy who tried to kill the Goonies) makes a menacing debut, executing his girlfriend's lover-on-the-side and brutally whipping her for her transgression. So when the scene ends with Bond and Leiter parachuting down to Leiter's wedding ceremony, the shift in tone threw me off.

But once that's over and Maurice Binder's trademark opening credits roll through, we dive right into the story, and more violence ensues. Sanchez, captured for drug trafficking, manages to escape by paying off a DEA agent and subsequently raids Leiter's home, murders his wife, and feeds Leiter to sharks. When the latter took place, I found myself visibly disturbed, not because the special effects were particularly effective, but because I was shocked at the possibility that Leiter would be killed off. He survives, luckily (and yes, unrealistically), and when Bond is denied the opportunity to go after Sanchez, he storms off to embark on what amounts to a revenge story.


This is a striking departure from the plots of previous Bond films, which mainly focused on the ambitious world domination plans of sinister masterminds. Licence to Kill, despite the maturation of its plot into some international intrigue, is pretty much about Bond on a rampage to fulfill a personal vendetta - more evidence of the pure justice that Dalton's Bond seems to embody. And to be honest, I thought that was kinda cool.

Also, I liked the idea of Bond presenting himself as an ally to Sanchez in order to get closer to him. I thought that this storyline was played out realistically. When I wondered what would happen when Bond and Dario (a very young Benicio Del Toro), one of Sanchez's henchmen, ran into each other again, the results were also realistic. In fact, this movie had me in its clutches for most of its duration because I felt that the smattering of classic Bond camp was, for once, welcome relief from the gritty plot


Robert Davi was excellent as Sanchez, I thought. He's another one of those guys who seems to play villains with a certain relish, like he enjoys being sadistic and manipulative. Though he doesn't have an imposing presence, physically, he's believable as the guy who might not punch you if you insult him to his face, but will smile and wait two weeks until you're attending your daughter's college graduation and send three thugs to gun down your entire extended family while you're celebrating. Talisa Soto was unfortunately terrible as Sanchez's woman, Lupe, and Carey Lowell as Pam Bouvier, while only slightly more convincing as an actress, made the bravado of her character fun to watch alongside Bond. And it's nice to see Q, lovable old fart that he is, scuttling around and taking more of an active part in the story.

Unfortunately, for me, the film loses steam when Wayne Newton appears as a cult leader, and we are introduced to his pyramid HQ set piece. In a film that seemed relatively grounded in reality and violence, the final scenes felt very out of place to me, and what could have been a great movie ended up being just good. I just wish they could have closed it out much stronger and more consistent with the rest of the film. After an hour and a half of plotting, double-crossing, and manipulation, the last thing I wanted to see was an 18-wheeler doing a wheelie and Wayne Newton fleeing from an exploding pyramid with a bag of money in his arms. It's not that I don't think Bond should be campy; I just don't think it worked so well here.

My favorite line: "Looks like he came to a dead end." -- Bond says this about the double-crossing DEA agent, who's been skewered by a forklift.


My favorite moment: Late in the movie, Lupe bursts into the hotel room where Q and Pam are preparing to leave the Bahamas, and when she confesses to Pam that Bond spent the night with her, Q rolls his eyes and breaks up the inevitable catfight. I just like that Q is sort of a (grand)father figure to Bond. I can picture him feeding pigeons and giving quarters to little kids.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 19: GoldenEye
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 08, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

After two gritty films from Timothy Dalton as 007, Pierce Brosnan resurrects the series from a 6-year sleep with 1995's GoldenEye. I liked the film, and I felt it was tightly produced. Read on for more.


GoldenEye

The opening of GoldenEye sets a rather thrilling tone for the rest of the movie, and it continues the trend of incorporating mind-boggling stunts at the outset of each Bond film. The leap off the edge of the dam is exhilarating, and Bond's subsequent break-in to the weapons facility is convincingly executed. Now that we're officially in the mid-90s, the production quality is top notch and, unlike many of the previous entries, holds up relatively well compared to the action we see today.

Pierce Brosnan exudes the same kind of charisma that Roger Moore did, except that Brosnan is a little smoother and a little less stiff. All traces of the Dalton Bond seem to have disappeared here, and the first quarter of GoldenEye definitely felt like a return to the old Bond formulas. In fact, in the traditional chase scene wherein Bond meets Famke Janssen's Xenia Onatopp, we see him driving his classic Aston Martin DB5. And with Onatopp, we also have a return to the suggestive female names.


Later on, we're introduced to the new M, played by Judi Dench. Allusions to her "predecessor" are made in passing, and the villain, Janus (Sean Bean), a former MI6 agent himself, mentions the fact that the "new M" is a woman. I think this was an effective transition from one M to another (even though I noticed the original M had been missing, apparently due to his death), and since Judi Dench is so good in the role, it didn't bother me at all.

In fact, the acting all around is pretty solid in GoldenEye. Onatopp is a little excessive at times, and Alan Cumming as a super hacker was strangely unconvincing (you'd think he'd fit perfectly in a role like that), but I really felt everyone else delivered. Even Izabella Scorupco, who plays Natalya Simonova, eventually proved herself, after the first half of the movie had me thinking she'd be another one of those disposable Bond girls we hardly remember. There's also another new Moneypenny, and while she's fine in her 5 minutes on screen, the attempts to recreate the sexual tension that existed between Lois Maxwell and Sean Connery or Roger Moore fell far short. They weren't clever or witty so much as cold and even a little acerbic.

The sinister plot at the heart of the story is somewhat unimportant, but Sean Bean and Famke Janssen make a mean pair. Onatopp's rather unique "skill" was humorous to me; I pictured her threatening to squeeze the life out of Professor X and screaming, "Call me... the Thighmaster!" And Sean Bean, well, he's yet another one of those guys who just looks like a "bad guy;" I think it's his beady, scheming eyes. When he got shot in the opening scenes, and then his name was the first (aside from Pierce Brosnan's) to pop up in the opening credits, I knew right away that he would be the central villain. But he was convincing enough to make his ridiculous motives sound genuine, unlike, say, Drax, who just looked like he spent a lot of time reading Marie Claire and snacking on popcorn chicken.


In general, the action was put together very well, I thought. There were moments of utter chaos that harkened back to the recklessness of Roger Moore's Bond, particularly in the tank chase, but for some reason, I reveled in the mass destruction. The set pieces were highly impressive, and the fistfights were choreographed well, especially when compared to the early 007 films. I think these were elements that really blossomed with the Dalton films, but here it's quite apparent that a lot more money was being spent on hardware (tanks, choppers, etc.) and special effects.

Overall, I thought GoldenEye was a tightly crafted Bond movie. I've obviously learned by now to suspend my disbelief to enjoy these movies, so I had few qualms with continuity or logic here. The story, while not the most creative, was pushed along at a pretty even pace, which kept me engaged for the most part. And seeing Brosnan operate as Bond really shed light on precisely how grim Dalton was in the role, which is not to say that was a bad thing at all. I think it's fascinating to see what each actor brings to 007, and I look forward to what else Brosnan can offer.


My favorite line: "No, you're supposed to die for me." -- Perhaps Janus had some encounters with Goldfinger during his MI6 days.

My favorite moment: Bond and Simonova are trapped inside a stolen chopper as missiles are about to destroy them. In a desperate effort to escape, Bond starts swinging his head furiously, attempting to press buttons with his forehead. Eventually he finds the Eject button, but I found the imagery hilarious.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 20: Tomorrow Never Dies
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 09, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

Brosnan returns as 007 in Tomorrow Never dies and blows lots of stuff up. At least, that's what I remember the most.


Tomorrow Never Dies

I found Pierce Brosnan enjoyable as James Bond, and thought GoldenEye was pretty good. I made a comment yesterday about how I noticed every first film from each of the actors to portray 007 has been of a higher caliber, and it makes sense. If you're going to introduce a new actor, you want to present him in as palatable a way as possible, with a tighter script, exciting stunts, impressive set pieces, and pretty women. I felt that Tomorrow Never Dies was a decent follow-up to GoldenEye, and I came to another realization of mine about the Bond films as a whole.

I think I realized that what prevented me from enjoying some of the older Bond films and simultaneously entertained me was the fact that the production quality of those films was a bit dated. If you're going to make a grand spy thriller with larger-than-life characters and scenarios, you need to have the budget and the technology to make it look real. While I'm sure the special effects were convincing for audiences at the time, as someone who's watching them now for the first time, I found that they were just passable, if not hilariously obvious. Now that the Bond films have entered the 90s and beyond, I'm starting to see a more impressive quality in them, and it's helping me to forgive some of the other faults.


The greatest fault I had with Tomorrow Never Dies was the sinister premise at the heart of the story. A media mogul (Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver) is willing to risk nuclear war between two world superpowers, just so that he can obtain "exclusive broadcasting rights in China for the next 100 years?" Come on now, that's absurd, even by Bond standards. Sure, some might argue that this is simply a testament to how insane he is, but I think that's kind of a copout. I think it's more accurate to say that after 18 movies based on the same formula, they were just running out of ideas. Will the next supervillain plot to rid the world of carrots because of a childhood trauma that left him deathly afraid of bunnies?

Having said that, I thought the action scenes were well done, even thrilling at some points, and I think that's very important for a movie that thrives on its action. Bond is as destructive as ever, and the police never seem to be around when baddies are committing such atrocities as flying a helicopter, blades angled downward, through a crowded pedestrian thoroughfare. Similarly, when Bond essentially breaks into Carver's headquarters and starts blasting his Walther PPK on the employees there, we conveniently forget that he's the one trespassing, and every time a scientist or paper pusher hits the floor, we cheer. But to his credit, Bond really kicks some tail, and that's really all we want to see anyway.


Refreshingly, the women again are more than mere eye candy or reasons for Bond to flex his romantic muscle (no pun intended). I suppose one could argue that Teri Hatcher's Paris Carver sort of fits into this category, but her relationship with Bond is convincing enough for me. The more impressive one is Michelle Yeoh who, like Anya Amasova in The Spy Who Loved Me, holds her own just as well as Bond does. She's got her own gadgets, her own hi-tech hideout, her own arsenal, and her own set of combat moves to rival him. She makes a nice partner for Bond, and it would be neat to see her as a recurring collaborator for him, much like Felix Leiter. I don't think that happens, but I think it would have worked.

As for the villain, I like Jonathan Pryce but I didn't like him in this role. It's difficult as it is for me to see him as a bad guy, and I think he suffered from the ridiculous premise. It's hard for me to take him seriously when he's menacingly wringing his hands about tricking England and China into destroying each other so he can... get ratings. His henchman, Stamper, is a beast, like a genetically manufactured superman. But he's also not as fun to watch, and he doesn't do much aside from the ordinary henchman duties.

Overall, I thought Tomorrow Never Dies was okay. The best thing about the movie was its action sequences, which were all very spectacular and well constructed. The acting was by-the-books, as were the story and the villains, so there weren't any surprises, bad or good. Brosnan is definitely less cheeky than Roger Moore, but he retains some of the charm of Connery, and just a smidge of Dalton's ruthlessness. This was one of those movies that I probably would have gotten excited about, enjoyed in the theater, then probably forgotten about not long after.


My favorite line: "Pump her for information." -- M says this to Bond about Paris Carver. Nuff said.

My favorite moment: Michelle Yeoh is captured by Stamper and brought before Carver. When she attempts to strike out at him, Carver does his best kung fu impersonation, which goes on for a couple seconds too long, and then spits out, "How pathetic." Yes, indeed, how pathetic.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 21: The World Is Not Enough
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 10, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

The World Is Not Enough continues Bond's signature antics with nothing particularly new to offer. I didn't think it was as bad as some have said, but it probably wouldn't make it into my top 10 either.


The World Is Not Enough

Twenty films in, and my affection for James Bond only grows. The first thing I want to say before I begin is that I absolutely love the James Bond theme music. As the gun barrel spiral zeroes in on Bond in the intro before The World Is Not Enough, we hear a slightly updated version of the music, and not only is it an iconic tune, but it's just great music, period. It's a testament to John Barry's talent that the same music could be used for every Bond movie, with few changes, and still sound great; it never gets old. I can't say the same for some of the theme songs that have accompanied a few of the films, but while I'm not a Sheryl Crow fan, I thought her song for Tomorow Never Dies actually wasn't too bad, and Garbage's song for The World Is Not Enough was even better.

It seems they've finally settled Brosnan comfortably into the role of 007, as evidenced by the first handful of scenes. The pre-credits opening again sets the standard impressively high for action throughout the movie, with its improbable boat chase and freefall from a hot air balloon. Once placed in physical therapy for his injuries, Bond also recalls his skeevier days by sleeping with his doctor in exchange for a clean bill of health, allowing him to return to active duty. Then we have the obligatory Q Branch scene, albeit a sad one, as Desmond Llewelyn seems to be bidding us farewell as Q. I really loved his character, but I understand his need to pass the torch, as he was starting to resemble a muppet. I'm happy with the choice of John Cleese as his successor, though his introduction signals the beginning of a goofier Q than we've come to know, and I'll definitely miss Llewelyn.


I was pleased with the idea that Sophie Marceau's character, Elektra King, was one of the two central villains. This is, more or less, what I was referring to a few movies ago when I speculated how neat it would be to incorporate a female nemesis. I suspected early on that she was playing Bond for a fool, but there was enough intrigue in the plot to make me question my decision once or twice. Her counterpart, Renard (played by Robert Carlyle, who I like) was sufficiently menacing, but I thought he was somewhat underused. Unfortunately, while Marceau and Renard are both great actors, in my opinion, to have both of them share bad-guy duties ensured that neither of them really shone as the true villain.

The action, as I've mentioned, was very good yet again, though I'm noticing a few things. First of all, there are key elements that a Bond movie must have to be a Bond movie. At first I identified these elements simply as motorized chases, but I've come to expand on that. The chase must be either in a car or in a boat, and in the rare case will incorporate a chopper. Secondly, there is the option of having a winter sports chase, typically on skis, that results in at least one enemy falling to his or her death (on a side note, all rich people are expert extreme-skiers). Lastly, the final battle must always be so long that it becomes laborious and unexciting, which was the case for me in TWINE.


I am enjoying watching the relationship between Bond and the new M develop. Judi Dench's M is a very different M than that of Bernard Lee. While Lee was constantly shaking his finger at Bond and treating him in much the same way that Q did, like a father giving his son a noogie, Dench plays the role with a much more serious tone. In addition, I believe TWINE is the first Bond film to involve M in the plot significantly, and I think this helps to elevate her character beyond a simple paper pusher sending Bond out on all these crazy missions.

Having said all of this, there is nothing particularly notable about The World Is Not Enough. It's fairly typical, as far as Bond films are concerned, and nothing new or particularly earth shattering is introduced. And, of course, it had its faults; there's Bond throwing out puns and one-liners like there's no tomorrow, and there's the casting of Denise Richards - I didn't have a problem with her claiming to be a nuclear scientist, but I did have a problem with her atrocious acting, and even this isn't something I haven't seen before. To be honest, I took very few notes while watching this movie, because there wasn't a whole lot to remark on. Overall, I was underwhelmed, and while the production quality of the Bond films has increased dramatically over the years, I feel that they've lost something in the way of charm, and with only two more films to watch, I find myself more drawn to the earlier installments.

My favorite line: "He's no atomic scientist." -- Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones (what is this, a blaxploitation film?) when Bond is discovered impersonating a scientist. Oh the irony...

My favorite moment: It's a sentimental one. I almost choked up when Bond turns to Q and says, "You're not retiring any time soon... are you?" and Q descends out of view while saying, "Always have an escape plan." You're my boy, Q!

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 22: Die Another Day
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 11, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

We come to the end of the Pierce Brosnan era, and he exits the Bond universe in a flurry of silliness.


Die Another Day

When I went to the video store to pick up my last two rentals in this series, the guy ringing me up said, "How are you gonna rent Die Another Day and Casino Royale at the same time? Casino Royale was off the hook, but Die Another Day has an invisible car!" With that over-the-counter assessment in mind, I set off to embark on the wild ride that is Die Another Day, the final Pierce Brosnan installment and one that would yield more scribbles in my notebook than any other thus far.

The opening action sequence is the first one in a while that failed to impress me. There are hovercrafts and exploding diamonds, and it was novel (if not ridiculous) to see Bond surfing his way onto a North Korean beach, but it wasn't very exciting. It's also the first time we don't see Bond escape at the end of the preliminary scenes, and as the opening credits roll by to an awful Madonna song, we see glimpses of Bond's life in captivity, slowly transforming into Robinson Crusoe. When the song dies down and a scraggly Bond is trotted out before a North Korean general, you almost expect him to be carrying a volleyball with a face painted on it.


Usually, I can forgive lapses in logic if the execution of the story is strong enough to merit it, but this was not often the case in Die Another Day. Take, for example, the first encounter that Bond has with the central villain, Gustav Graves (played by Toby Stephens). Graves is practicing a bit of fencing in what appears to be a fancy private studio when Bond comes strolling in -- we're not even clear how either of them got here, as the last scene has Graves on his way to meet the Queen, with Bond standing in the audience as Graves drives away. Bond sidles up to the fencing instructor, played by Madonna, and after a mere exchange of names, she offers to introduce him to Graves. Why? Who knows?

Then, after the ensuing introduction, Graves and Bond engage in a friendly fencing match -- okay, fine. But after Bond ups the ante with a controversial diamond from Graves's company, Graves insists they raise the stakes, fence with real swords, and choose a winner based on who draws blood first. They do so, and everyone simply watches for about 5 minutes before Graves's assistant steps in and stops the fight. This makes absolutely no sense. If I walked into a private gun range where Bill Gates was engaged in target practice, then challenged him to a duel at twenty paces with live ammunition, and nobody did anything to stop us, that MIGHT come close to what took place in the aforementioned scene.


If you can, with good conscience, chalk these up to subtle, innocent oversights, then consider what else Die Another Day offers. There's the poorly constructed set pieces that look like they were built by high school drama teams in their garages; there's Q branch's incredible leaps in technology, like a seamless virtual reality battle simulator and the infamous invisible car; there's Bond surfing on a tidal wave caused by a collapsing glacier; there's Graves's ice palace and electrified Nintendo Power Glove. I'm sorry, but when did they bring Joel Schumacher in to direct a Bond movie?

And what about the acting? Well, in all honesty, it wasn't that bad, but there also isn't a whole lot of opportunity for actors to emote in any of these Bond films. The "acting" here mostly consists of thinly veiled (emphasis on "thinly") double entendres, lots of scowling, some screaming, and a few lines of expository dialogue. What's sad is that, even with such a simple script, there is still room to screw it up, which Halle Berry (as Jinx) does on numerous occasions. Now, this might be personal bias, but I wouldn't place Berry much higher than Denise Richards, and I never have, Oscar win notwithstanding. I have never thought she was a great actress, and she did nothing to convince me otherwise in this movie, so it was pretty much par for the course.

Overall, I thought this was an absolutely ludicrous and unnecessary addition to the Bond series. It felt like they hired the writers of the James Bond Jr. cartoon series to pen the script for Die Another Day because everyone else was too busy working on movies that actually required some logic. However -- and this is a big "however" -- if you're able to turn your brain off completely, or if you're the type of attention-deficit viewer this movie was obviously aimed at (and which I can be from time to time), it will certainly keep you occupied for a couple of hours. It's silly, it's inane, it's excessive, and sometimes it's even downright stupid, but when you break it down, it pretty much follows the same formula shared by many of the Bond films, so if you rent it, you know what you're getting into anyway.


My favorite line: Zao -- "Who sent you?" Jinx -- "Yo momma." This, ladies and gentlemen, is quality dialogue.

My favorite moment: There's a touching scene at the end when Graves reveals his true identity to his father, the aforementioned North Korean general. The audience already knows this, and as the general enters the room, Graves is standing with his back turned to him. He turns to face his father, but all suspense is ruined when we see he's wearing a ridiculous pair of goggles to match his Power Gloves. I actually laughed out loud.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 23: Casino Royale (2006)
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 12, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

Daniel Craig is the new 007, and he is one determined agent. He's grimy and dark, but stylish and sensitive. And he's really good at killing people.


Casino Royale (2006)

I am going to be honest here: the first and only time I saw Casino Royale two years ago, I was underwhelmed by it. Yes, I had certain ideas in mind about what Bond was like, and when Daniel Craig was chosen as the new 007, even I balked and thought, "I can't see how he fits into my perception of James Bond." When my friends all returned from a viewing, however, and told me how much they loved the movie, and how incredible Craig was, I decided I would give it a chance. At the time, I was disappointed, and I don't honestly recall why. I also retained very little from that movie, which is a testament to how little I cared for it. So, when I re-viewed it last night, I was blown away by how wrong I was.

Initially, I completely forgot that Casino Royale was meant to be a reboot of the franchise, so when the opening scene makes mention of Bond just recently being granted "double-0" status, it immediately jogged my memory. Similar revelations would occur later in the film when Bond "acquires" his classic Aston Martin DB5, and when he meets Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) for the first time -- since I finally had some context, I reacted to this meeting with a giddy, "Ohhh, that's Felix Leiter!" This was a giddiness I didn't experience the first go-round, and it would characterize several moments throughout the film for me.


There were some things I noticed in Casino Royale that recalled elements from the series as a whole, and these were again things I didn't pick up on without the full context. First of all, while the early parkour chase scene was incredibly shot and choreographed, it demonstrated a continuance of Bond's habit of recklessness, as he not only destroys an entire construction site in Madagascar, but also storms into the grounds of an embassy and shoots an unarmed man on camera. Next, there's also the disposable mistress-of-a-bad guy who he beds for information and who ultimately gets iced. Then, there's the sophisticated nemesis who's not only asthmatic but also sports a freaky eye that "weeps blood." I don't point these out as flaws; on the contrary, they are dutiful homages to the franchise that reassure us we are indeed seeing James Bond, however different in tone he might be, and I was able to appreciate them in a way I couldn't when I first saw this movie. When Bond puts on a tux for the first time, for example, and his theme music rises in the background, I cracked a warm smile.

Then there's the Bond girl, Eva Green's Vesper Lynd, who plays a crucial role in the film and provides the kind of sexual tension only a few other Bond girls have been able to manage. Her conversations with Bond were some of the most fun dialogue in the movie, and her role was written convincingly enough that when Bond eventually falls for her, I bought it wholesale. The twist at the end adds an even deeper level to her character, making her one of the best Bond girls, period, if not the best.


I also enjoyed M's role in Casino Royale. Every time I thought to myself, "Gee, that was careless of him," or "There goes Bond's libido again," M pretty much echoed my thoughts and spat them directly at Bond herself. She plays the voice of reason in the movie, and she let me know that the writers were aware of many of the things I'd seen in the previous Bond movies and that this new Bond was bucking the system anyway. This only further reinforced the idea that Bond does not live in an alternate universe of loose logic and no consequences; he simply doesn't care, and he's going to do whatever he d**n well pleases anyway. In other words, Bond is a badass.

Daniel Craig makes an intimidating 007, but he is not without humor, and Casino Royale isn't all blood and brooding. The action sequences are all pretty impressive, though some are better than others, and they are spaced out nicely by important plot elements that are engaging to watch in their own right. However, I thought Le Chiffre was a so-so villain, and I can understand some of the criticisms I've heard about this movie taking inspiration from the Bourne series. But I don't fault the makers of Casino Royale for wanting to take Bond in a new direction, because it feels more in line with what modern moviegoers are looking for in an action film. Audiences are smarter and more discerning now than ever, so it makes sense to reboot the franchise with material that hits harder. With all of this in mind, be sure to come back tomorrow for my thoughts on Quantum of Solace.

My favorite line: "Now the world's gonna know you died scratching my balls!"

My favorite moment: I loved the parkour chase. I thought it was breathtaking even the first time I saw it, and rewatching it last night was no different.

[Goldeneye]

Bonding with Bond, Day 24: Quantum of Solace
Community Manager Ryan Fujitani is watching all of the James Bond films in order.
by Ryan Fujitani | November 13, 2008
rottentomatoes.com

I end my epic journey today with a writeup of Quantum of Solace, the follow-up to 2006's Casino Royale that continues the story of a heartbroken Bond out for revenge.


Quantum of Solace

Well, here we are. After 24 whirlwind days in the world of James Bond, I've come to the final movie thus far in the franchise, Quantum of Solace. It's been a remarkable experience, and I'm actually kind of sad it's over, but all good things must come to an end. Brace yourselves, and be warned that while I've kept this writeup spoiler-free, you may still want to refrain from reading it until after you've seen Quantum of Solace.

I've mentioned here and there over the course of this series that watching all of these Bond films has helped me to understand the film universe of 007 on a much deeper level. There are things that I've come to expect from a James Bond movie, regardless of who the actor was and during what era the movie was produced. These things are the tried and true elements of the Bond persona, and while one may argue this persona has strayed heavily from its source material, one cannot deny that the silver screen Bond has established a sort of mythology all his own. I think some of you can see where I'm going with this.


Casino Royale effectively upended this mythology and sought to establish a new identity for 007. Not only was he rewritten to be darker and more ruthless, but the transformation was made complete by the controversial casting of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Daniel Craig, arguably less dashing than his predecessors but with a rugged face more suited for the brutal killer Bond would become. At the same time, Casino Royale retained a bit of charm, a pinch of humor, and enough of the familiar conventions that I had come to know and love as distinctly "James Bond."

With all of this in mind, I also had certain expectations when I finally took my seat to watch Quantum of Solace, but again, my expectations were thoroughly challenged. I don't want to get into specific details, because I'm not a film critic, and I don't want to ruin anything for anyone who has yet to see the film. But while I generally liked the movie, I enjoyed it for very different reasons than Casino Royale, and truthfully speaking, I was left with somewhat of a bittersweet aftertaste.

First of all, QoS is action packed. And I mean wall-to-wall, relentless, grimy, cathartic action. The very beginning of the movie plunges the audience into a high octane car chase, the pre-credit spectacle, and the remainder pauses only briefly to expand the plot. It wasn't always easy to tell what was going on, but every knuckle to the jaw resounded with a visceral crunch, every gunshot popped with fury, and every fall to the ground vibrated through my back. Bond is just as ferocious, thrusting his body into countless perilous situations and emerging victoriously with an intense glare on his face and a helping of dirt caked onto his clothes.


However, aside from a couple of allusions to the Bond franchise (including an obvious homage to Goldfinger), the movie suffers from a lack of signature Bond elements. Though the gadgets, one-liners, massive lairs, Q, and Moneypenny were also absent in Casino Royale, that film still felt like a Bond film because of the nature of its characters and the structure of the story. Quantum of Solace, on the other hand, sports a relatively straightforward script and, despite the promise of a continuing revenge plot, one gets the sense it exists solely to provide context for the explosive action sequences. Bond is also more stoic than ever, with few lines of dialogue and little development of his character beyond, "I'm pissed off, and someone's gonna pay!" Whether or not it's more faithful to Ian Fleming's novels is moot; because the 007 of the silver screen had been established for forty years, I think it's somewhat understandable for some fans to be distraught over this.


But this is the double-edged sword. I gained a greater appreciation for Casino Royale after having watched all of its predecessors; this is not necessary to enjoy Quantum of Solace. It's a hard-hitting action movie that doesn't require one to be a die-hard Bond fan to enjoy it, so I think fans of action flicks in general will be able to appreciate it, despite it having no deep connection to the previous installments and a thinner plot. This is pure adrenaline, and it'll keep your heart racing after you leave the theater. If you want more than that, you may be disappointed, and those simply looking forward to James Bond wreaking havoc will love it.

I've enjoyed being able to experience all these films with you all, and I never expected to engage you as much as I did in discussing these films. From Dr. No to Quantum of Solace, a whole new universe was opened up to me, and I now have an affection for these films I never would have had before. Thanks for following along with me these past few weeks, and for those of you who have asked if we'll do this again: yes, based on all of your support for this series, we are currently discussing doing another one, though nothing is finalized.

If you want to keep abreast of our goings-on, I'd encourage you to subscribe to our company blog, which I also help maintain on a regular basis, and which you can see HERE. And if you're interested in hearing some of these thoughts straight from me, check out this week's Review Revue video, in which I sit down with my editor in chief, Matt Atchity, and talk about Quantum of Solace. Also, for a more calculated approach to the James Bond franchise, have a look at our Total Recall column this week, in which we've ranked every film according to Tomatometer score. Now you can see exactly how wrong I've been this whole time.

On a final note, also due to comments many of you have made, here are a few favorites (ane one least favorite) of mine:

* Favorite Movie: Dr. No
Least Favorite: Die Another Day
* Favorite Bond Actor: Sean Connery
* Favorite Bond Girl: Tracy di Vicenzo
* Favorite Villain: Jaws
* Favorite Car: 1963 Aston Martin DB5
* Favorite Song: "Live and Let Die" - Paul McCartney and Wings

[Mazer Rackham]

Sorry sunshine. 24 movies and DAD is the worst? I'm not buying that. That would mean CR 1967 and NSNA were better movies

[stockslivevan]

Sorry sunshine. 24 movies and DAD is the worst? I'm not buying that. That would mean CR 1967 and NSNA were better movies

Well they are. (okay, I never saw CR 69, never got interested in seeing it)

[Mazer Rackham]

I think he fell in to a trap most do, my Python friend, he immediately discounted the two production not by Eon from his assessment. This after making a point of going through them all!

He was disappointed by Qaurk though.

[Capt. Sir Dominic Flandry]

An interesting selection of reviews. Than you to GoldenEye for posting.

(from the Quantum of Solace review)
because the 007 of the silver screen had been established for forty years, I think it's somewhat understandable for some fans to be distraught over this.

So he is validating the Craig Not Bond position.