James Bond Finally Meets Defeat

[SturmDolch]

Argh! Right when they got good again with the departure of that "actor", Pierce Brosnan...

 

[MR T3D]

Alright guys, we're in a bit of a jam, so let's put off making the almost certainly profitable film!

 

[twaddle]

NAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Bond has been dead for a long, long time. While in the past he survived potentially fatal diseases such as remakes, being sent into space, and George Lazenby; even he could not outlast the passage of time. The improbable gadgets and cartoonish villains that once sold the series were at odds with the resurgent naturalism demanded of 90s films, and in trying to make Bond fit in with this new age, they killed off everything that was once charming about him. For me I knew that Bond was finally dead when I saw his bearded face being forced into a toilet in a Korean prison, because they had shattered his greatest attribute: his invincibility. Bond could always be counted upon to walk out of every encounter with perfect hair and a snappy one-liner - people don't go to Bond films expecting to see gritty realism and all the psychological subtext that entails. It was an almost schizophrenic shift of tone to open a film this way, and then shift back into wacky dialogue with John Cleese giving Bond his latest supercar. No, Bond just doesn't belong in this day and age.

 

[Elementlmage]

Really? A picture of Dalton with this article?

He is almost the worst bond ever.

OT: That sucks, I liked the new Bonds and was hopping for another one


[sub]Oh and if you want to get technical the man with the golden gun killed bond in the books[/sub]

if you really want to get technical, the original casino royal stated that everyone with the 007 moniker has died over the years and the original Bond was an aging British lord.

Someone knows their bond rather well

*Sigh* THAT Casino Royale had nothing to at all to do with Bond canon. Still a really great movie though. Who would have guessed that

Spoiler

Woody Allen

was the villain. Seriously, who would have expected HIM?

 

[temporalcrux]

who's going to singlehandedly keep the martini industry in the black?

Frank Sinatra Jr.

 

[DragonChi]

..that's it..my life is over...*golf clap* for MGM. who's ever idea it was to stop(or stall/put on hold) one of the biggest, most successful movie franchises in movie history, should be shot.....*sigh* god fukn damnit....

 

[Starke]

Really? A picture of Dalton with this article?

I am saddened to hear this news - Craig was doing a bang-up job, (literally) and I would have liked more, sooner.

-m

Its because Dalton is so badass he was standing behind Andy while he was writing the article.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

At least it gives them time to take a hard, long look at the mistakes that Quatum had with tripping the series backwards.

 

[squid5580]

Ok I admit economics is not my strong suit (damn you unbalanced checkbook mocking me) but wouldn't it make more sense to get the movie out ASAP rather than hold off if your financial future is uncertain? I mean you know it will print money.

 

[lijenstina]

"Sorry, but Your credit card is overdue Mr... Bond ? James Bond it says here. Your bank said that it must be destroyed, also your Aston Martin is impounded because of the missed payments. Sorry we could not borrow you money for a cab. Now please leave the main villain luxury premises... "

 

[samsonguy920]

Really? A picture of Dalton with this article?

I would say Dalton is appropriate, since his movies taken together were the worst of them all, and this article represents Bond at a low point. Which is a shame since I rather enjoy Dalton's acting. Guess he just wasn't cut out to be Bond.

.....

He is almost the worst bond ever.

OT: That sucks, I liked the new Bonds and was hoping for another one

[sub]Oh and if you want to get technical the man with the golden gun killed bond in the books[/sub]

Actually so did Rosa Klebb in From Russia with Love, before the Man with the Golden Gun got his chance. I guess you can be killed more than twice.
It doesn't surprise me that MGM is once again in trouble. That seems to have been that studio's modus operandi since Louis B Mayer missed the bus on when movies changed their popularity. It will come out that either Sony will just dissolve that studio and move what they do own of MGM completely under the Columbia banner, or sell it. By the time Broccoli Productions can move again on Bond 23, Daniel Craig will have other commitments. And probably Dame Judi Dench as well.
This really sucks.

 

[Silva]

How unfortunate. Bond films really are the classic cinema-style entertainment fodder. And Craig was finally turning them into something with a bit of depth. Hopefully they'll get an economic boost somehow and the films will at least resume... or be picked up by another studio which is as competent.

Really? A picture of Dalton with this article?

He is almost the worst bond ever.

OT: That sucks, I liked the new Bonds and was hopping for another one


[sub]Oh and if you want to get technical the man with the golden gun killed bond in the books[/sub]

if you really want to get technical, the original casino royal stated that everyone with the 007 moniker has died over the years and the original Bond was an aging British lord.

That's canon for the books, but I'd dispute that it holds true for the movies.

Funny, since in The Man With The Golden Gun...

Spoiler

...James dies thanks to Scaramanga.

Haha. You wish.

EDIT: Oh, you're another person talking about the literature. Who reads that? I tried to pick up From Russia With Love but I couldn't stand Fleming's ultra-dry writing style.

 

[samsonguy920]

Like I've said several times before, James Bond "died" with Timothy Dalton. I've always thought he was excellent, far closer to the character as originally envisioned (and he beat Daniel Craig's "gritty" new Bond by two decades). That was really the last they could work the character. Bond has always been a relic, even M in Goldeneye stated that directly. Bond does not belong in modern times, and the over the top cartoonish mayhem of Brosnan's showed that.

Ronin is, follow along here, the best Bond film made since the end of the cold war, because it's NOT a Bond film. Think about it, compare the new Craig Bonds, good though they may be, to the originals. It's not Bond, it's Bourne with a different name. If anything the Bond series needs to step aside and let Bourne take over. A modern spy hero for a modern age.

But back to Ronin, think of the story. A bunch of spies, mercenaries, and soldiers cut free by their governments after the end of the cold war. Left to drift from one job to the next, spending their increasingly short lives sleeping on cots in warehouses waiting for drops and meets. That's where Bond should be. Not reporting to M, globetrotting with gadgets. The James Bond character is a relic, and in this modern world he simply has no place.

It's a shame that the utter wreck that was Quantum of Solace may be the last, but honestly the ratio of good:bad Bonds has slowly tipped over. I think they need to accept that the Bond character is an archetype that cannot survive, and focus their efforts on something new.

People complain about how there are too many Saw sequels. There are 6 saw movies. There are four times that many James Bond movies. You're telling me that that's not too many sequels?

Let the poor man rest in piece. Perhaps on a cot in a warehouse in Prague.

Much as I do enjoy both the Craig Bond movies, I find your stance here quite of merit. For one I do quite enjoy Ronin. It is on my list of movies I will watch anytime. Seriously, Robert DeNiro and Jean Reno tearing up France chasing after Irish terrorists? You just can't go wrong there. I would rather enjoy seeing more movies like that. I am also hopeful the next Bourne continues a good standard. Which won't be easy since Robert Ludlum won't be around for advice. Rest well his imaginative and sinister soul.

 

[Soxafloppin]

I cant say ive really enjoyed the last few movies that much (i want lazor watches damn it!).

but i do want them to keep making the movies.

 

[Ekonk]

NUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

How could this happen?

 

[Therumancer]

Well, I have to wonder if this news is a publicity stunt to be honest. The Bond movies by all accounts are a money maker, and the new guy has been doing well at the box office. Thus, even with money problems, this wouldn't be the franchise you'd expect to be hit.

My inner paranoid cynic makes me think that the entire idea is to get an outcry from Bond fans demanding the movie, and generating hype for it, and causing a massive theater surge of bond fanboys to come out in support during release, thus generating far greater revenues than normal.

That said, looking at some of the box office returns reported, I have a hard time believing that any major movie producer is actually in trouble. If anything it seems the recession has fueled interest in movies as people seek both escapism, and cheap entertainment. $7 or for a movie ticket is an inexpensive thing to do if your bored sitting around the house and want to head out and do something for an evening.

Such are my thoughts.

Of course MGM might have financial problems for other reasons I suppose. I mean they could have lost some major lawsuits somewhere, or had a bunch of money embezzled or something and we just haven't heard much about it.

 

[duchaked]

too bad...not the biggest fan, but I'd definitely be excited about it

I mean, I feel like Quantum of Solace was an upgrade in terms of girls and action with kind of a downgrade in terms of story and cohesiveness

but both are great IMHO, just badly needing some more gadgets? eh nevermind not really