So, how is Die Another Day shaping up for you? (1 Viewer)

[Jason Adams]

This movie looks HUGE. From the pre-titles sequence to the Ice Palace to the Aston Martin Vanquish...expect me to be first in line in the Court St. cinema for the matinee $5.50 show. A problem I have is the posters. The first teaser was brilliant, but the second left something to be desired. I go with the theory that the first poster was part of a disused campaign.

 

[Ushabye]

This is officially the most expensive James Bond film ever made and looks it from those first two trailers, pretty dam sensational! What a cornucopia of different types of action scenes! And Halle Berry even from those few moments in the trailers looks like she's gonna be the best bond girl in recent memory. With the exception of Michele Yeouh, Brosnon's Bond girls have been ultimately pretty forgettable beyond the eye candy level. I agree, Jason, that the first teaser poster, with the Whalter PPK on the melting ice is dam cool(!), but the general campaign posters that have come out since are uninspired. Though as long as the movie rocks, I don't mind! I think "The World is Not Enough" was the weakest Brosnon so far, pretty dam lame in my book. That hot air balloon looked like it had come straight from Octopussy. Who would of thought Robert Carlyle would make such a boring villain. Anyways, as DIE ANOTHER DAY is Brosnon's penultimate bond picture those trailers make it look like this could well be Brosnon at the height of his Bond powers.

 

[Mike_S]

Yes, I'm looking forward to this one as well. The fact that an Oscar "Best Actress" winner is a Bond girl is fairly impressive right off. Bond once again behind the wheel of a 'modified' Aston Martin is another positive. Can't wait to see THAT in action. John Cleese as the new head of 'Q' Branch is a great cast addition (seen briefly in The World is Not Enough). I can only hope that the latest villian is memorable. That seems to be the problem with the later Bond villians. The really memorable ones were early on. Dr. No, Red Grant (the best I think) & Rosa Klebb, Goldfinger, Largo, Fiona Volpe and (the unseen) Blofeld in Thunderball were all excellent. This latest installment looks to be the best of the Pierce Brosnan Bond's.

-Mike

 

[Dean Kousoulas]

Who is the villian in this movie?

Dean

 

[Sam Davatchi]

Yes, I'm looking forward to this one as well. The fact that an Oscar "Best Actress" winner is a Bond girl is fairly impressive right off.

Well this might actually ruin her career. There is a famous saying that once they become a Bond girl, their movie career is over and they never get a good part again! It’s ironic but I think I actually heard that on one of the official Special Edition Bond DVDs!

 

[Jason Seaver]

It's just another Bond movie. James Bond used to be something special, a big action-movie event that nothing else could match, but it has pretty much become just a brand name now. It's a trustworthy brand name, but the time when James Bond movies offered something you couldn't get anywhere else is long past.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

I can't wait for this film to come out. I'll be there opening night for this one.

Neil

 

[Jason Adams]

Who is the villian in this movie?

A guy named Kevin McClory. Actually it's a guy named Gustav Graves.

And Jason S., explain yourself.

 

[RobertR]

I do understand Jason's point. Back in the 60s, Bond movies were very much "cutting edge" with respect to certain things, particularly when it came to sexual situations. But movies have gone so far beyond what they were in the 60s with respect to FX, sex, stunts, etc., that it's not the same.

 

[Jason Seaver]

And Jason S., explain yourself.

What's to explain? When the Bond movies were first made, they were something really special - very few other movies had the same kind of grand-scale action scenes, extensive location shooting, etc. The James Bond phenomenon was also huge in its day - they were President Kennedy's favorite books, and they managed to really tap into something really basically (and sometimes frighteningly) masculine; Bond was both bon vivant and a stone-cold killer. The character was a legitimate pop-culture icon.

Nowadays, we get a dozen action movies with the same level of polish as a James Bond movie every year, and the character itself has not only had all of its rough edges sanded away, but has become a self-parody. Not that the original Bond would fit in the 90s or 21st century, but that's part of what makes the newer Bonds so bland. The old Bond was a predator in a tux who surrounded himself with the best of everything; the new one is a polite, toy-loving guy who has more corporate sponsors than a NASCAR racer. He's a manufactured pop-culture "icon" now.

It's not entirely something that could be avoided, though. The original creators (Fleming, Broccoli, Connery) are either dead or no longer involved, and in an effort to keep the character from being dated, the corporate owners have removed all but the most superficial vestiges of individuality from the series.

I jokingly started my review of XXX this summer with "James Bond Must Die", but I sometimes wonder if it's not a bad idea. James Bond has become, to MGM, a bigger version of what "Star Trek" is to Paramount - a dependable franchise even after its very soul has been drained from it. I still enjoy both, to a certain extent, but it's not the same.

 

[Raasean Asaad]

I concur, but it is Bond and like a lemming I shall be there to see the latest script. I feel that since the horrible and campy 70's didn't kill him off than this surely is not that bad.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

I think The Spy Who Loved Me is about the most well rounded Bond film IMHO (exotic locales, epic Bond music, gadgets, sex & bodacious babes, stunts, humor, villains (who can forget Jaws??), underground/underwater lair, fiendish plot to rule the world, etc.). I did find Roger Moore's less-than-serious take on Bond to be a hoot (for the most part-- it got to be a bit much in his last role as Bond). Moore knew you shouldn't take it seriously (they're cheap, dime store adventure books with stuff guys like and a gentleman spy we'd all like to be), and neither did he.

Bond today is like any other shoot 'em up hero. Practically John McClain in a suit chasing the same cookie-cutter bad guy with dull-as-dirt henchmen with machine guns. There's no style or sophistication along with the fun and humor anymore IMHO.

Dan

 

[Scott W.]

I agree with Neil Bulk. I'll be there opening night.

Scott

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

Please don't let it suck like The World is Not Enough!

 

[Elbert Lee]

I agree with Dan. The Bond franchise has been more of a watered down version of the earlier films. Brosnan makes a good Bond, but he's very limited in what he is able to do with the producers taking such a conservative approach to the franchise. It's obvious that the story lines are written around 3-5 action sequences.
James Cameron is the best at directing a more compelling and interesting story with action sequences that spring up spontaneously with no warning that it really makes for a surprising and fun ride for the audience.
Bond, and many of the other action films these days starts each action sequence with so much build up that it almost seems like the "obligatory" climax for the audience with the adrenaline level dropping off dramatically after its over....

However, I have some glimmer of hope for "Die Another Day" - I'm glad that the producers decided to go with a director with more of his own style (I liked Tamhori's cinematography and use of environment in "The Edge") . Honestly, I don't think that it takes much skill to direct an action scene as long as there is a sizable budget. I guess producers like hiring action directors because they can get something done within budget...
Elbert

 

[Elbert Lee]

I agree with Dan. The Bond franchise has been more of a watered down version of the earlier films. Brosnan makes a good Bond, but he's very limited in what he is able to do with the producers taking such a conservative approach to the franchise. It's obvious that the story lines are written around 3-5 action sequences.
James Cameron is the best at directing a more compelling and interesting story with action sequences that spring up spontaneously with no warning that it really makes for a surprising and fun ride for the audience.
Bond, and many of the other action films these days starts each action sequence with so much build up that it almost seems like the "obligatory" climax for the audience with the adrenaline level dropping off dramatically after its over....

However, I have some glimmer of hope for "Die Another Day" - I'm glad that the producers decided to go with a director with more of his own style (I liked Tamhori's cinematography and use of environment in "The Edge") . Honestly, I don't think that it takes much skill to direct an action scene as long as there is a sizable budget. I guess producers like hiring action directors because they can get something done within budget...Ang lee is a good example
Elbert

 

[felix_suwarno]

"Bond, and many of the other action films these days starts each action sequence with so much build up that it almost seems like the "obligatory" climax for the audience with the adrenaline level dropping off dramatically after its over.... "


Elbert Lee, can you please explain to me the meaning of "build up"? i couldnt find it in dictionary. that is an interesting theory. thanks

 

[Jason Adams]

I do not think the Bonds have been watered down. I think that it has been kept the same way, except for various Bond quirks, like him smoking...but that was never an extremely serious part of the character. The 60's Bonds compared to the 90's Bonds really arent any different, except for smoking. And M being a female.

It's just another Bond movie. James Bond used to be something special, a big action-movie event that nothing else could match, but it has pretty much become just a brand name now. It's a trustworthy brand name, but the time when James Bond movies offered something you couldn't get anywhere else is long past.

But the quality of Bonds, have almost always been high. You can get Bond-style stories in other movies, but the music, the photography, the direction, and the acting comes together. If people believed James Bond was bland, he would't be still making 300+ million every movie, now would he?

 

[Luis Esp]

Who is the villian in this movie?

Madonna
She's my girl and I'm all for her recording the title song, but please don't give her too many words to speak.

 

[Jason Seaver]

If people believed James Bond was bland, he would't be still making 300+ million every movie, now would he?

To a certain extent, people like bland and predictable. That's why trailers give away the entire movie, or why people flock to sequels. MGM has, over the past decade, worked very hard to make Bond a brand-name franchise, but they've done it by making sure the audience gets exactly what they're expecting.