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If you could change just one thing...


51 replies to this topic

#1 Hockey Mask

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 01:38 PM

I am a big, big fan of Skyfall and have no real complaints but it wouldn't be the internet if we didn't do some second guessing. So what would be the one thing I would change if I could?

After only one viewing I would say I would get rid of the character of Kincade. I don't think he was necesssary and actually distracted from the finale. Think how intimate and dramatic the ending would have been had it just been Bond and M struggling for survival. Bond sending M alone to the chapel, her getting hurt when she isn't by his side, his sense of responsibilty and failure would be amplified, Bond standing alone at Skyfall after M's death.

What is the one thing you would change in Skyfall?

::waits for thread to turn into a 'gun barrel at the start' rant::

#2 PPK_19

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 01:46 PM

Completley disagree 00Hockey Mask. I think Kincade was vital to the third act.

As soon as Bond whisks M away to Skyfall there is an abrupt change in tone in the film. It's rather bleak, lots of muted colours, greys and blacks. Kincade really brightened things up, added a lot of humour to what could otherwise have been a very dull third act until Silva turned up.

As for the one thing i would change: i was mildly disappointed that Bond and Silva didn't have more of a fight. Even just a little scrap, around the length of Bond vs.Slate in QOS. Chucking a knife in his back was a bit of an anti-climax to me, but i suppose the focus was meant to be on Bond and M.

::Gunbarrel was fine where it was :) ::

Edited by PPK_19, 14 November 2012 - 01:46 PM.


#3 Walecs

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 02:39 PM

It was too much short in my opinion.

Naah, just joking because I loved it so much it felt very very short.

#4 SecretAgentFan

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 02:51 PM

I would have loved to get a bit more of the Severine-and-the-stolen-painting-sequence.

#5 Single-O-Seven

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 02:56 PM

The only thing I would have changed (aside from the gunbarrel!) is Silva's death. I would rather that Bond had given M the knife earlier on, and when Silva confronted M in the chapel I would have liked her to shank him with it, unexpectedly. At the same time, Bond could have entered the chapel and his dialouge with the dying Silva would not have to be altered. I feel that Silva's death should have been at the hands of M - a way for her to set everything right just before she died, while at the same time leaving an ironic question mark hanging over it all, given that Silva's actions were M's responsibility to begin with.

#6 thecasinoroyale

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 03:50 PM

I would loved to have seen more of Severine (literally!), and her lost scene at Shanghai Airport. Plus just a bit more of her in general as her character seemed so good at the Macau casino, I would loved it to develop.

And yeah, the gunbarrel at the beginning would have been nice to. :)

#7 Iceskater101

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 04:31 PM

Yeah I wanted more of Severine and I wanted a fight scene between Bond and Silva. Though I am still really happy with this movie.

#8 Morgan

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 06:15 PM

i have 3 things.

1) Opening gunbarrel. We've already rebooted the character and this was supposed to be classic Bond.

2) Explain how Bond survives the pre-title sequence. This is the first time in the series we don't see or hear about how Bond survives an ordeal.

3) Don't use the DB5. For me CR/QoS count and this Bond shouldn't have that car, and it's not a retro fit from CR. It's use as a symbolic classic gadget to further associate Craig to the films of the past is not appropriate. We get a new M, Q and Moneypenny which makes SF really just a continuation of CR/QoS in rebooting the series.

The above three things stop SF from being the best of all time. That credit goes to CR.

#9 plankattack

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 06:49 PM

I'd love to have seen the idea of Bond not being fit for duty coming to a natural conclusion. Maybe there's some subtext I'm missing, but basically he can't shoot straight up until Severine's death, and then after it's back to normal service without a hint of self-doubt or fallibility. The idea is the driving force of the first hour, that he's not what he was, but it resolves to conveniently.

That being said, it doesn't undermine the remainder of the film for me.

As for the pre-credits, I'm assuming he survived the same way Gustav Graves did...... :)

#10 The Shark

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 08:17 PM

Add the chase through Hashima Island and rat fight that was dropped. Might have helped smooth the transition between the shock of Severine's death and the celebratory tone once Bond calls in the helicopters. As it stands, it feels a bit awkward.

It would also have given us the much demanded brawl between Bond and Silva, with the imagery of the "rats in the barrel" being simultaneously realised on screen.

#11 Dustin

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 08:25 PM

I'm not sure if I would change a thing, for me it just works, warts and all. That said more of Hashima would be a welcome thing doubtless. It's remarkable, SKYFALL isn't exactly a short film, yet it never feels too long for me; I'd actually long for more.

#12 stromberg

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 08:36 PM

Granted, more of Severine would have been nice. But then again, it's quite clear why she had to die: there was no more use for the character. Any interaction of her after Hashima Island wouldn't have suited the story. We would have had a Kissy Suzuki situation: after she alerted Tanaka and his men, why did she return? She was of no use at all, other than serving as eye candy running around with almost no clothes in a serious battle.

One thing to change? Have Bond use the ejector seat to exit the Aston after he fired the machine guns.

#13 coco1997

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 08:37 PM

Add the chase through Hashima Island and rat fight that was dropped. Might have helped smooth the transition between the shock of Severine's death and the celebratory tone once Bond calls in the helicopters. As it stands, it feels a bit awkward.

It would also have given us the much demanded brawl between Bond and Silva, with the imagery of the "rats in the barrel" being simultaneously realised on screen.


What's this about a chase and rat fight?

#14 Hockey Mask

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 08:55 PM

it's quite clear why she had to die: there was no more use for the character.

If we stuck to that we would have a whole lot of dead Bond girls in the ground.

#15 The Shark

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Posted 14 November 2012 - 11:39 PM


Add the chase through Hashima Island and rat fight that was dropped. Might have helped smooth the transition between the shock of Severine's death and the celebratory tone once Bond calls in the helicopters. As it stands, it feels a bit awkward.

It would also have given us the much demanded brawl between Bond and Silva, with the imagery of the "rats in the barrel" being simultaneously realised on screen.


What's this about a chase and rat fight?


One of the ideas in the script that was dropped/rewritten for reasons of pacing.

#16 Double-0-Seven

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 02:31 AM

As much as I would have liked to have seen more of Severine since she was fantastic, there really wouldn't have been much time to do anything else with her. The story didn't concern her and it's a long movie anyways. I suppose the only thing I would change is to have a line or two of dialogue, possible to Eve when Bond first sees her again during his training, to explain how he survived the fall. I personally wasn't bothered but I know it's been a fairly common criticism. When she apologizes, she could have asked how he manged to survive and he could have quickly offered an explanation. Then the rest of the scene could have played as it is.

Oh, and the gun barrel at the beginning. ;)

#17 JimmyBond

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 03:50 AM

I can't really imagine what I'd change in the film itself, I think it's close to perfect (in my eyes, at least). I suppose if anything, I'd put the gunbarrel in the front of the film.

#18 007jamesbond

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 05:07 AM

I think the stolen list of agent should be explore more like showing Silva blackmailing the British Government in exchange for a price something like Thunderball that is only given to the Prime Minister in a video, that he wants M for something she did in the past. I think the writer that she committed some serious crime beside leaving Silva behind. It would make more sense with with Silva line of "Think of your sin"

probably a longer fight sequence vs Patrice in Shanghai and the Macau casino fight too.

#19 Robertsmiller

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 05:11 AM

I remember reading a quote from a director how you start with a story, and end up with a bunch of one liners and one off scenes explaining S*** because you worry about plot holes. He said you end up with a movie full of one liners and one off scenes explaining plot holes that have nothing to do with your story. I'm glad Skyfall is the way it is! More explaining would be BS.

#20 cory47

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:09 PM

I wish Bond's "waste of good whiskey" line after Severine's brutal murder was dropped. It's not in Bond's character--too cold and cruel. Instead, Bond should have said nothing and given Silva a look of hatred/revenge. . .as in "you're going to get yours, you bastard". Take a look at Connery's reactions to the deaths of the Masterson sisters in Goldfinger. This is more in line with Fleming's Bond. Severine is a sympathetic character and deserves a more emotional reaction to her death from Bond.

#21 The Shark

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:11 PM

mm

Edited by The Shark, 15 November 2012 - 08:11 PM.


#22 Harmsway

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 08:13 PM

Add the chase through Hashima Island and rat fight that was dropped. Might have helped smooth the transition between the shock of Severine's death and the celebratory tone once Bond calls in the helicopters. As it stands, it feels a bit awkward.

It would also have given us the much demanded brawl between Bond and Silva, with the imagery of the "rats in the barrel" being simultaneously realised on screen.

This.

#23 Vauxhall

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Posted 15 November 2012 - 09:31 PM

I'd personally quite like to have seen a bit more of the funeral scene and also retained some of the explanation behind Severine's art theft sub-plot, but I also trust that Sam Mendes only cut out scenes which he truly felt affected the pacing of the film, so I'm happy to wait for deleted scenes to emerge (hopefully...)

#24 Iceskater101

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Posted 16 November 2012 - 05:18 AM

Gunbarrel at the beginning. I don't mind it for Skyfall but next bond movie please put it in the beginning!

#25 Goldbadge

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Posted 16 November 2012 - 05:50 AM

I would of liked to of had a better understanding as to how he survived being shot off the train, with only the one wound from Patrice (Can someone explain that to me?)

Single-0, M should of been the one to shank him I agree, but there should of been a monumental hand to hand fight between Bond and Silva, and since we know Bond isn't at his best, Silva is going to get the upper hand but somehow work it in there so that just as Silva is going to finish Bond, M is able to shank Silva from behind as a last final effort before she expires in Bond's arms. That's how it should of gone down.

Edited by Goldbadge, 16 November 2012 - 05:51 AM.


#26 JohnnyWalker

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Posted 16 November 2012 - 08:11 PM

The guy sitting behind me would have waited till the end of the movie to say Idris Elba is the new Bond so I could have slapped him and run away.

#27 Nicolas Suszczyk

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Posted 16 November 2012 - 08:35 PM

The gunbarrel at the beginning, and of course, more backdrop history of Severine, And of course, I'd stablish those questions we'd like to know... how did Bond survive to the bloody shoot and drowning, how did he met Tonia Sotiroupulo's character, what's he doing in the hut with the scorpion game, etc.

#28 Aisforauric

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Posted 16 November 2012 - 08:41 PM

I'd personally quite like to have seen a bit more of the funeral scene and also retained some of the explanation behind Severine's art theft sub-plot, but I also trust that Sam Mendes only cut out scenes which he truly felt affected the pacing of the film, so I'm happy to wait for deleted scenes to emerge (hopefully...)


Ditto. Well said,

#29 Iceskater101

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Posted 16 November 2012 - 10:51 PM

The guy sitting behind me would have waited till the end of the movie to say Idris Elba is the new Bond so I could have slapped him and run away.


Wait someone at the theater you were at said that?

#30 JohnnyWalker

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Posted 17 November 2012 - 12:07 AM


The guy sitting behind me would have waited till the end of the movie to say Idris Elba is the new Bond so I could have slapped him and run away.


Wait someone at the theater you were at said that?



Yes, he was utterly convinced. I had to forget about it quickly.