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Die Another Day's Redeeming Qualities Are...?


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#61 plankattack

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Posted 24 August 2014 - 02:50 AM

I think that perhaps "Die Another Day" might have gone over a bit better had it been given better treatment within the film.


One of my pet peeves about modern Bonds, TDalton. One of the reasons I enjoy Arnold's TWINE soundtrack so much more than the two that bookend it is that he had, as in CR, the ability to meld his chosen theme with the rest of soundtrack. Unlike both TND and DAD where the powers-that-be decided to add a "name" star in the form of a title track without substantial creative input from the film's scorer.

It's a commercial decision but one that comes with the price of infringing on the outstanding musical heritage of the series.

#62 tdalton

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Posted 24 August 2014 - 03:10 AM

I think that's certainly an issue, but I think that a larger problem is that, by and large, the title songs of the modern films have largely been subpar.  "GoldenEye" and "You Know My Name" are the only two of the seven that are really anything to write home about. 



#63 ChickenStu

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Posted 28 August 2014 - 04:06 PM

In my opinion Die Another Day starts off VERY WELL. It's only when Our Man is given his old job back and Q gives him the invisible car. It's then when things go tit-sky. 



#64 Janus Assassin

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Posted 28 August 2014 - 04:18 PM

Die Another Day and A View to a Kill have the same thing in common. Great first halves and garbage second halves.



#65 Dekard77

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Posted 28 August 2014 - 05:43 PM

DAD works overall. I like the fantasy elements of the film, however not a fan of Jinx and Tsunami surfing but for all it's mistakes it has a really good supporting cast Frost,Graves and Zao are the best villains up until I saw Silva.

 

Love the chemistry between Bond and Frost , it's like they just can't wait to kill one another. The car chase is thrilling no matter how many times you watch it with a great score, theme, titles and N.Korea plot. 



#66 BrozFan

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Posted 29 August 2014 - 12:39 AM

Whilst the reviews of the time seemed to praise this film, when I saw Die Another Day at the cinema I was a little underwhelmed because of some dodgy creative decisions (robo-suit, ice dragster cliff jump, tsunami surfing Bond, Halle Berry's casting etc). but as the years have rolled by I am enjoying this one more and more.

 

The high points:

 

- You'd be very hard-pressed to criticise Brosnan's performance and it was enjoyable to watch him look so at ease with a role that clearly meant a lot to him. You could see it it his very idiosyncratic mannerisms and more and more of his Irish drawl was slipping through. I was a little taken aback on the first viewing with just how self assured he was. It helped him nail scenes such as his interactions with Raoul; his punching the lights out of the bloke who protests he doesn't need a goddamn wheelchair: "No? You do now"; his first terse words with Graves at Blades"Lets play for this. I picked it up in Cuba. I believe it's one of yours..." Or one of my favourite scenes of the series with the masseuse:

"Lay down on the bed please."

"Yes of course" (kisses her ear)

"I'm not that kind of masseuse"

"Uh huh. I'm not that kind of customer."

 

- The pre-credits: the surfing on 'Jaws' was very well done and looks amazing on blu-ray. I always enjoy the subtle homage to Goldfinger (taking off the wetsuit to reveal Van Bierks costume underneath) complete with Brosnan chucking into the scene his own shades, just cos, you know, he felt like it. It is a scene he carries off marvellously with no dialogue at all. Arnold's score added some nice tension in the build up to Bond's cover being blown and the hovercraft chase was different and didn't drag.

 

- The credits sequence was one of the best of the series and melded the classic silhouetted girls whilst progressing the narrative in a confidently stylish and efficient manner. It is inexcusable Danny Kleinman was dropped for Quantum of Solace, long may he continue his great title scenes! For the record, I love Madonna's track, but feel that it was butchered for it's insertion into the film. It's quiet, limp and lacks impact. It is a terrible mix and I understand why people criticise it in the film, especially if that is the only mix they have heard, it doesn't sound nearly as good as the album edit.

 

- The inlclusion of Michael Madsen. Admittedly not given a great deal to do, but one of the coolest actors out there. Great to see him in a Bond film.

 

- Emilio Echevarría was a suberb ally in Raoul. Not much screen time, but I found him captivating in every scene he featured. A textbook example of good casting of a great character-actor who's presence enhances a simple role and, by extension, the film.

 

- John Cleese as Q. The best man for the job after the late great Desmond. Good interplay with Brosnan. Q's "Hmm, still, better than looking cleverer than you are," vs. Bond's: "Maybe you've been down here too long." Great lines well delivered.

 

- Miranda Frost. Another great Femme Fatale for Brosnan's era. For saying she was the youngest Bond girl at 23 and this was her first film, you'd never know it. Supremely confident, stunning, entirely watchable, and far more engaging than Halle Oscar-Winner Berry.

 

- The relationship between Bond and M. I have always enjoyed Dench in the role and her tenure with Brosnan is very different in tone to her time with Craig (she has said herself she played M as two different characters). Here her relationship with Brosnan really shines. The begrudging mutual respect between the characters is very evident and it is fun to see them challenging each other. I have always enjoyed the way Brosnan's Bond stands his ground with M, much moreso than Craig.

"And what do you think?" (asking M if she thinks he leaked information / "The difference is I won't compromise" (criticising M's methods and reiterating his dogged determination) / "Then perhaps it's time you let me get on with my job" (because we know M loves him really - check out her sneaky smile when he informs her that he has raized the gene clinic to the ground).

 

- The Aston Martin Vanquish. Brosnan's Bond finally got himself his very own Aston Martin. And what a beautiful thing it was. I had no problems with Bond in the BMWs but the Vanquish was long overdue.

 

- The car chase on ice. This sort of scene is 'classic Bond' in that it's the the kind of thing you'd only find in a Bond film. Featured some great and clever stunts (the ingenious use and homage of the ejector being a prime example). The bombastic score from Arnold makes this bit even more fun. 

 

- I liked the on-the-nose references to past films and always have. For example, Q giving Bond his new watch: "This will be your 20th I believe" / Bond: "How time flies." How many film series can boast they have lasted 40 years?!? It's one hell of an achivement and one to be very proud of. Why not shout about it. Plus we got a Monty Python "Flesh Wound" reference. (How can people HATE this film?!?)

 

- The Moneypenny kiss. I LOVE this scene. A scene 40 years in the making. Brosnan and Samantha Bond really go for it and I think the pair have more chemistry than Brosnan and Berry. Some might say the fact the VR McGuffin is a bit silly, but I like that this mechanism allows fans to see Moneypenny finally get her man, and it also allows the more uptight fans to keep the relationship unrequited. Plus it was a good laugh and I for one didn't expect it to be VR.

 

 

Yes there are flaws, but I won't go into them here because that is not what this thread is about and nearly every Bond film has it's share of dodgy moments. I think it is fair to say that the film is inconsistent in tone, jumping from fun Bond style pre-credits, to gritty torture scenes, espionage antics (sleeper agents and infiltrating clinics), which then moves to the outlandish second half. But that doesn't bother me anymore because I have come to appreciate Die Another Day as a great anniversary film that it is. It is Goldfinger, Moonraker, Licence To Kill and Brosnan's tenure all rolled into one.It does have a little bit of everything and that in itself is the biggest homage to all the films that have come before. Once I realised that, I started to enjoy the film for the fun romp that it is.

 

Its very fashionable to slam Brosnan these days, but like Connery, he was an 'everyman' Bond who could do a little bit of everything the role required (unlike Moore's slapstick or Craig's rough and tumble). What am I getting at? That despite some cringeworthy moments, the film was the perfect vehicle to prove that as Bond, Brosnan could indeed do it all.



#67 Monsieur Scaramanga

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Posted 01 September 2014 - 05:43 PM

Die Another Day is far superior to all of daniel craigs films. The craig films are not bond films at all....they don't even use the damn bond theme.



#68 Janus Assassin

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Posted 01 September 2014 - 08:54 PM

Die Another Day is far superior to all of daniel craigs films. The craig films are not bond films at all....they don't even use the damn bond theme.

Hmm, so if Craig was seen parasurfing around horrible looking CGI glaciers with the Bond theme blasting, would you consider it a Bond film? Get the F*** outta here



#69 Janus Assassin

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Posted 01 September 2014 - 09:02 PM

That's like saying, the Dark Knight films aren't Batman films because you don't here nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh BATMAN. Seriously, get the F*** outta here.



#70 Monsieur Scaramanga

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Posted 01 September 2014 - 10:04 PM

 

Die Another Day is far superior to all of daniel craigs films. The craig films are not bond films at all....they don't even use the damn bond theme.

Hmm, so if Craig was seen parasurfing around horrible looking CGI glaciers with the Bond theme blasting, would you consider it a Bond film? Get the F*** outta here

 

The problem with the craig series are: NO BOND THEME, NO GADGETS, FORGETFUL VILLIANS AND HENCHMEN, BORING PLOTS, NOT ENOUGH FANTASY. Not the mention the terrible action sequences that would fit in any bland action movie. If they were to fixed that then maybe I would give the new era a chance but as of now....I simply will not put up with this garabage. In the words of Q....BOND IS PURE FANTASY....which in the craig films its all about realism which is what a bond film is not suppose to be, and secondly do not ever speak to me in that fashion again. You are nothing but a bandwagon hopper.


Edited by Monsieur Scaramanga, 01 September 2014 - 10:04 PM.


#71 AMC Hornet

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Posted 01 September 2014 - 11:19 PM

I don't agree with your assessment of the Craig films, M. S, but I do agree that Janus was out of line.

 

I'm glad you spoke up for yourself and your opinion, and didn't just give up on this site. Welcome aboard, sir, and I look forward to crossing swords with you in the future



#72 Major Tallon

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Posted 01 September 2014 - 11:20 PM

For the record, Monsieur Scaramanga, I've only ever encouraged one member on here to leave, and it wasn't because he held opinions strongly contrary to mine.  So far as I'm concerned, you're welcome to CBn.  Your opinion is almost certain to be controversial in certain quarters and stir up some heated comments, but I imagine you're ready for that.  As you can see, DAD has other defenders in this thread, so you'll also have some company.

 

For you, Bond obviously is pure fantasy, but I don't find those movies entertaining.  To be candid, I find them rather embarrassing in whole or in part.  I don't think you're in a position to tell the world of fandom what Bond is supposed to be.  My Bond is grounded in things that, though fantastic, might have happened.  They depend less on silly ray-gun-in-a-shoelace gadgets and painful puns and more on a resourceful agent saving the world (ok, that bit is fantastic) with brains, his fists, and a Walther PPK tucked up under his left armpit.  The Bond theme is a trapping of some good movies, but only a trapping.  It is not, and cannot be, the core of what a "Bond movie" is all about.  You'll disagree, but I'll go further.  I don't find the plots of the Craig movies boring in the least.  By the time DAD stuttered around, we'd seen too much of the same old plot spruced up a bit and used again and again.  Talk about boring.  Much better "Casino Royale" than yet another death-ray equipped rocket ship.

 

Am I a "bandwagon hopper" because I find the Craig movies the best thing to happen to James Bond in the last 20 years?  This weekend marks the fiftieth anniversary of my first encounter with James Bond.  I've enjoyed the books and movies a lot during five decades, but I've also endured a lot.  I champion the Craig films because I think they're terrific.  I've never hesitated to single out the stuff that I found truly terrible, so I'm relying on no one's opinion but my own when I say that "Die Another Day" fits most comfortably into the latter category.  It was time for that sort of thing to go.



#73 tdalton

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Posted 01 September 2014 - 11:42 PM

For you, Bond obviously is pure fantasy, but I don't find those movies entertaining.


I generally don't find those films entertaining, either. There are exceptions, of course, but as a general rule, I'll take the serious Bond films just about every time over the over-the-top fare like Die Another Day.

For me, the over-the-top villains, the Bond theme, the gadgets, and whatnot are all just window dressing that really doesn't have any bearing on the film. If anything, the Bond theme has been used as something of a crutch by the filmmakers over the years, using it to point out, "hey, Bond's doing something cool right now" as opposed to just letting Bond's coolness carry the moment. I'm actually glad that they're relegating it now to the end credits instead of using it in the films themselves, as it allows for a uniqueness and an individuality to each of the films.

They could really do away with just about all of the trappings that supposedly make a Bond film a "Bond film", and I'd be just fine with it. All I need is a character named James Bond who resembles the character that Ian Fleming wrote about in his novels, as well as an interesting story for Bond to be placed within, and I'm OK.

#74 AMC Hornet

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 12:05 AM

I have room in my heart for both the 'gritty' and fantastic Bond films. As tdalton says:

They could really do away with just about all of the trappings that supposedly make a Bond film a "Bond film", and I'd be just fine with it. All I need is a character named James Bond who resembles the character that Ian Fleming wrote about in his novels, as well as an interesting story for Bond to be placed within, and I'm OK.

Both Live and Let Die and Never Say Never Again fit that description.

 

None of us are right and none of us are wrong - we just have different preferences and opinions when it comes to the literary and cinematic character that we all love, for our own reasons.



#75 tdalton

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 12:10 AM

None of us are right and none of us are wrong - we just have different preferences and opinions when it comes to the literary and cinematic character that we all love, for our own reasons.


Agreed.

There will probably be a time where I'm ready for the series to revert back to something more like the Moore films, as those kinds of films are just good quality (for the most part ;) ) escapist entertainment that's a fun way to spend a couple of hours. With that said, I hope that they don't go that route for a long time, as I think the series would benefit from having some kind of sustained success on the back of the more serious approach, something that's never really been the case for the franchise.

#76 Monsieur Scaramanga

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 01:36 AM

I have room in my heart for both the 'gritty' and fantastic Bond films. As tdalton says:

Never Say Never Again fit that description.
Never Say Never Again should not even be in this topic due to not even being an offical bond movie.


#77 AMC Hornet

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 02:45 AM

I said NSNA fits tdalton's description, not tdalton.

 

Anyway, again, differing opinions. I respect yours, even though we don't agree.

 

I expect we'll all be in for some spirited discussions, now that you've joined us!



#78 tdalton

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 02:48 AM

I said that, not tdalton.

 

Anyway, again, differing opinions. I respect yours, even though we don't agree.

 

I expect we'll all be in for some spirited discussions, now that you've joined us!

 

I didn't say it, but I do agree. 

 

Never Say Never Again, despite the fact that it's not a particularly good film, is a Bond film. 



#79 Jim

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 04:17 AM

The problem with the craig series are: NO BOND THEME, NO GADGETS, FORGETFUL VILLIANS AND HENCHMEN, BORING PLOTS, NOT ENOUGH FANTASY. Not the mention the terrible action sequences that would fit in any bland action movie. If they were to fixed that then maybe I would give the new era a chance but as of now....I simply will not put up with this garabage. In the words of Q....BOND IS PURE FANTASY....which in the craig films its all about realism which is what a bond film is not suppose to be, and secondly do not ever speak to me in that fashion again. You are nothing but a bandwagon hopper.

 

 

It's all about tone, isn't it?



#80 Hansen

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 06:19 AM

To me, it is a matter of promise and delivery.

If you promise realism, you have to deliver it all the way, which CR or LTK did but not SF

When it comes to fantasy, it has to be well balanced, Bond being 'grounded' in reality.

DAD delivered too much fantasy in regards of our acception of Bond character. Same can be said about MR, but films like TSWLM or TB found the tight balance.

 

By the way, Mr Scaramanga, welcome on board and am glad you made your point.



#81 freemo

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 06:34 AM

Watch a bit of TWINE (the first and last time I in any way recommend doing this) and then a bit of DAD. DAD at least has some colour and oomph and some pretty picture. (Some of it) is lovely to look at (even if the colour saturation is rather nasty). I know that having to compare something to TWINE (which was terrible on every level from its rancid skin to its rotten core) in order to elevate it doesn't exactly speak volumes for it, but I remember seeing DAD in 2002 and thinking "at least it looks nice".

 

Wow. Some people really don't like the Craigs, do they? I think the results have been mixed, but the attitude, the intent, I like. I mean, I think SKYFALL is rather bleh, too self-conscious, too inward-looking, but wouldn't say its rotten or UnBond. As for the other two, CASINO ROYALE is the bomb, surely. Only quibble is that it's probably only about 85% of the complete reboot it was touted as or should have been, but it's still pretty special. If one doesn't like CASINO ROYALE, then what will one like? QUANTUM OF SOLACE, meanwhile, has a cool "rough diamond" quality that I certainly wouldn't want every (or perhaps even any other) Bond to have, but as a one off I rather dig it. Not so much released as unleashed, that one, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. When QUANTUM OF SOLACE is say, film 22 of 28, rather than 22 of 22-23, and no longer a potential indication of the series' future going forward, but simply its own thing in and of itself, I think more people may like it. It misfires a bit, but when it misfires, it's a glorious misfire.



#82 Dustin

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 07:02 AM

Die Another Day is far superior to all of daniel craigs films. The craig films are not bond films at all....they don't even use the damn bond theme.

Hmm, so if Craig was seen parasurfing around horrible looking CGI glaciers with the Bond theme blasting, would you consider it a Bond film? Get the F*** outta here
The problem with the craig series are: NO BOND THEME, NO GADGETS, FORGETFUL VILLIANS AND HENCHMEN, BORING PLOTS, NOT ENOUGH FANTASY. Not the mention the terrible action sequences that would fit in any bland action movie. If they were to fixed that then maybe I would give the new era a chance but as of now....I simply will not put up with this garabage. In the words of Q....BOND IS PURE FANTASY....which in the craig films its all about realism which is what a bond film is not suppose to be, and secondly do not ever speak to me in that fashion again. You are nothing but a bandwagon hopper.

Cher monsieur, you can easily avoid being addressed in a fashion you deem unsuitable, simply by not inviting it.

#83 glidrose

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 06:17 PM

Watch a bit of TWINE (the first and last time I in any way recommend doing this) and then a bit of DAD. DAD at least has some colour and oomph and some pretty picture. (Some of it) is lovely to look at (even if the colour saturation is rather nasty). I know that having to compare something to TWINE (which was terrible on every level from its rancid skin to its rotten core) in order to elevate it doesn't exactly speak volumes for it, but I remember seeing DAD in 2002 and thinking "at least it looks nice".


Yep. TWINE must be hands down the worst shot Bond film and one of the worst shot films of its era. I really don't understand what they were aiming for or what the producers didn't stop them after they saw the rushes and say "This looks like tosh."

Raymond Benson's Bedside Companion praised the cinematography even in the Bond films he didn't like (and even in the Bonds I don't think were well shot). I know he didn't like TWINE, but I've always wondered if, had he updated his book, if this would have been the first time he found nothing nice to say about a film's visuals.

You know what? I'm going to start a new thread on this.

#84 HoneyDiamond

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 06:27 PM

Die Another Day is my second least favorite Bond film but I still like it.  Redeeming Qualities:

 

1.It’s entertaining!  I find it to be a fun watch until the airplane scene drags at the end. 

2.Cool locations!  The beach looks spectacular and so does the ice palace. 

3.Toby Stephens!  The gene splicing stuff was a little over my head but I liked his performance and thought he was a fun maniacal madman. 

4.Pierce Brosnan!  Come on, he’s great.  And he’s as easy breezy as the rest of the movie which is silly in the Moonraker sense. 

5.Halle Berry!  Her Ursula moment on the beach was a great Bond moment. 

6.Scorpions!  The titles are sweet too.

7.John Cleese!  The Q scene is way funnier than TWINE scene with fun throwbacks. 

8.Sword Fight!  Okay fencing is pretty cool anyway, but I like the fight scene. 

9.Bond Beard!  I only like it as a cameo and that’s what we get.

10.Hotel Scene!  I love when he breaks the glass to expose them spying on him.



#85 S K Y F A L L

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 06:40 PM

Everything until Halley Barry steps out of the water and opens her mouth, then it becomes only selected scenes.



#86 Call Billy Bob

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 06:51 PM

Looking back at the last time I watched DAD, and friend and I played "Find the Tributes/References." That may be my approach with the film from now on - enjoy nudge, nudge moments for the 40th anniversary.



#87 Trevelyan 006

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Posted 03 September 2014 - 02:07 AM

I had a feeling this thread would end up generating some "spirit". That was my intent, to get a discussion going. With that said, thanks for voicing opinions and trying not to deter from topic (too much) ladies and gents...

 

So on,

 

Die Another Day is my second least favorite Bond film but I still like it.  Redeeming Qualities:

 

1.It’s entertaining!  I find it to be a fun watch until the airplane scene drags at the end. 

2.Cool locations!  The beach looks spectacular and so does the ice palace. 

3.Toby Stephens!  The gene splicing stuff was a little over my head but I liked his performance and thought he was a fun maniacal madman. 

4.Pierce Brosnan!  Come on, he’s great.  And he’s as easy breezy as the rest of the movie which is silly in the Moonraker sense. 

5.Halle Berry!  Her Ursula moment on the beach was a great Bond moment. 

6.Scorpions!  The titles are sweet too.

7.John Cleese!  The Q scene is way funnier than TWINE scene with fun throwbacks. 

8.Sword Fight!  Okay fencing is pretty cool anyway, but I like the fight scene. 

9.Bond Beard!  I only like it as a cameo and that’s what we get.

10.Hotel Scene!  I love when he breaks the glass to expose them spying on him.

Decent list here, HoneyDiamond (and welcome aboard)! You reminded me of a few I forgot in my list. The title sequence is rather awesome thinking back. The fire and ice images/women tormenting yet keeping Bond alive throughout was a nice touch, I though. It really added a sense of madness, as one could expect being locked up in a North Korean prison! I also enjoyed John Cleese (much to the chagrin of others) being in the film. Bond beard? SCORE! The hotel room scene was a good one too! The smoothness Brosnan gives to Bond in this scene is fantastic. Con the girl, take her gun, smash a mirror, catch those spying and have them meet your demands... All while finishing up a shave. Beat that! 

 

Toby Stephens, though? That's where I draw the line. Not a fan.  :D 


Edited by Trevelyan 006, 03 September 2014 - 02:07 AM.


#88 tdalton

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Posted 03 September 2014 - 03:56 AM

In all seriousness, Die Another Day does have some decent moments in it.  They're almost entirely contained within the first 30-45 minutes of the film, but they're there:

 

1.  The pre-title sequences is pretty good, that awful blue-filter notwithstanding.  

2.  Bond and General Moon's conversation before the prisoner exchange.

3.  The prisoner exchange itself.

4.  The Hong Kong hotel scenes.

4.  Cuba and the gene therapy clinic.

 

From there, it's pretty much all downhill, but the stuff listed above was pretty good.  Add to that the fact that Brosnan turns in a pretty solid performance as Bond in the film, and it just makes it so terribly disappointing that the film ends up being as bad as it is.  



#89 dtuba

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Posted 03 September 2014 - 01:03 PM

Y'know, I might actually have a few nice things to say about DAD, even though it comes in near the bottom of my rankings.

 

-The concept of Bond as a captured POW was a pretty radical idea, and one that I'm sure Brosnan was keen on doing. The image of the shaky, bearded Bond crossing that bridge in the prisoner exchange was genuinely chilling. Unfortunately as soon as he voluntarily stopped his heart beat, I thought, "Nuh-uh. So much for 'serious' Bond."

- The image of Bond driving that old convertible in Cuba smoking that stogey was pretty awesome.

- The second half of the film may be an OTT mess with horrible special effects and cringey dialogue but at least it attempts to be entertaining. More than you can say about TWINE, which tries to juggle thrilling action and human drama, and fails miserably on both counts.

 

DAD just might rise out of the dreaded #23 ranking for me after all these years.



#90 SecretAgentFan

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Posted 03 September 2014 - 01:20 PM

It´s an overused argument - but let me use it once again:  there always comes a time in every Bond actor´s tenure (if it goes on long enough) when the quest for topping everything that came before results in an over the top-story.

 

Connery: YOLT (or even DAF)

 

Moore: MR

 

Brosnan: DAD

 

I have to admit: I enjoy these pictures nevertheless.  Not because I think that these stories show what a Bond story should be - but what they CAN be.  The formula is that flexible.

 

Do I like the bad CGI in DAD?  Of course, not.  Do I think that "Mr. Kill", "Yo Mama", "a name to die for", "that´s a mouthful" etc. are witty puns?  I don´t.  

 

But the whole mix of DAD is so balls-to-the-walls that it enters an own realm of kitsch that for my taste can be very entertaining.  And since Bond films are known to come down to earth after such extravaganzas in the next film, I don´t worry about it all.

 

Look at it his way: from time to time the whole idea of James Bond just has to get this silliness out of its system.

 

But make no mistake: it is an integral part of the whole.

 

And even the most sincere and gritty Bond story is basically... uh... silly.  Because it has nothing to do with the reality of spies or the effects of real violence.

 

Is a secret agent falling in love with the daughter of a mobster, enjoying horse rides and lavish dinners while the world is about to be threatened by pretty girls hypnotized to spread a virus via their powder cases really less silly then anything in DAD?

 

Is a secret agent constantly escaping incapable henchmen in many parts of the world and finally climbing a mountain where the bad guy waits with a bitter old ice-skating teacher less silly?

 

Is a secret agent jumping on a driving gas lorry, feeling perfectly fine after a poisoning and a near heart-attack, getting his male parts smashed in but remaining absolutely virile less silly?

 

Just some thoughts...