14 replies to this topic

[chronicliar]

Below from an article I wrote back in 1999! It is on my website http://agentjamesbond.com. What do you think?

Bond 20! I'm already excited. In fact, I think this is the first website to write an article on Bond 20! Why or what am I writing about? I am writing about my personal thoughts on Bond 20 and it is also a memo to the producers or anyone at MGM. Bond is great but he should and could be better! Here are some examples:

WEAKNESS OF PAST 5 BOND MOVIES
The Living Daylights- It was great movie but there were 2 things that were not good. The first thing was the villain. Who was it again? The Russian, the General, or was it the guy who strangled people. I don't remember their names because they aren't memorable villains. No one was showed off or showed evil. The other big problem with the movie was the plot! Kind of confusing but that's okay, the problem was that it wasn't menacing at all. How would it effect me? It wouldn't and the drugs? What the heck is that all about.

Licence To Kill- Good movie and although some hate it, I like it. The problem was that it wasn't Bondy enough. I felt like I was watching some Miami Vice movie. Once again the plot had no effect on me. Drugs in China, do I care? No, the point is that if you don't do drugs or sell them, then why would you care. The best part of the movie was Q!

GoldenEye- Excellent movie! It didn't feel like James Bond movie as much as it should, but it was pretty good. Music was a big mistake. My problem was the locations. Russia and Monte Carlo were very cool but Cuba, and whereever else sucked. They didn't show off the locations at all.

Tomorrow Never Dies- Um let me think, action, action, action! It is one of the most entertaining Bond movies but its not one of the greatest. It felt like it was too Bondy. I know it may sound weird but it had 2 chases, a bunch of amazing stunts, and it was as if there was so much that nothing ends up standing out. Good, but too much.

The World Is Not Enough- This was a good movie, not amazing though (2002: It is losing steam fast. Everytime I see it, it gets worse). It still had some flaws. The plot was a little confusing. Nothing really stood out. I guess they ran out of ideas because they used them all in TND. The biggest problem was actually the villain or should I say villains. Renard and Elektra were two of the greatest villians but which one was the main one. We would think Renard, but Sophie got top billing, Elektra is the one who is gaining from the scheme, and she has manipulated Renard into falling in love with her. Here are two great villains that had to share the same screen time. Neither one is showed off, especially Renard. The other problem was that there wasn't that much hype or merchandise. The video game should come out with the movie, not 2 years later!

So what does Bond 20 need:

-A great villain! No surprises that we saw in Living Daylights, GoldenEye, or TWINE. A villain that we hate. Introduced in the beginning of the movie. Pure evil. When was that last time you truly hated a Bond villain and wanted them dead, Drax?

-A plot that is menacing. Lets think; drugs and selling newspapers are not menacing. A plot that is going to effect the whole world!

-The girls need to be strong willed and able to help Bond in small ways. The girls do not save his life or save the day. They help him to the point where if they weren't there, he could still do it. Bond needs to be more self reliant. Also, not every Bond girl has to be his equal or an agent. An occasional bimbo or just around girl would be nice. Honey Ryder is a perfect example; she's there, helps a little, strong, beautiful, not stupid, and is saved by Bond.

-As for who writes the movie, well I suggest they use Casino Royale or For Special Services. There is plenty of things in all the books that they haven't used and could.

-The last 5 Bond movies haven't had a hit song! They need to get a good song. Just because they have a popular singer, doesn't mean they will have a top 10. This is a must. (Note: Garbage is my favorite band!)

-Finally, when the movie comes out, I want to see it everywhere! Not just on TV ads but on major USA magazines, cereal boxes, t-shirts, comics, games, fast food, etc. Bond needs to become cool again. Everyone thinks Bond movies are cool but besides the fans, no one wishes to be him. Everyone should want to be Bond. Think of all the Austin Powers stuff- THAT SHOULD SAY 007 on it NOT YEAH BABY!

[OO7Qbranch]

there needs to be exaggerated villains and henchmen with deformities. Also, there needs to be over exaggerated plans for world domination.

[Bond's Lovechild #043]

Bond movies have the easiest storylines to follow.... geez... even my mum can understand them.

though, good point about TWINE... the start was a bit sloppy concerning the storyline...

The trick to successful story/script writing is making the surface of the movie simple, but having lots of intermingling elements that link together at a deeper level. This way stupid people can follow the movie, but the smarter population have something more interesting than an over-simplified storyline!

As long as the bond20 storyline isn't as **** as DAF, i'll be happy...

[Mister Asterix]

chronicliar (24 Feb, 2002 09:22 a.m.):(edited)
...For those of you attacking my ideas let me clear myself a little...

Sorry, if I came on too strong, chronicliar, but one of the great these about these forums is that while all opinions are welcome and all counter-opinions are welcome, too. I disagreed with some of your opinions. That means I think your wrong, but it doesn't mean that you are wrong. If you ever feel I'm attacking your ideas, feel free to counter attack. It might seem to get bloody. However, as long as the attacks are aimed at the opinion, and not the person, you can know that I'm at my keyboard thinking how great it is to be able to have this kind of arguement with someone who really knows their Bond.

[Alex]

Complicated plots make good plots once everything comes together.

Just having one main villain is too straightforward and cartoonish. I particularly enjoyed the Bond movies where they have a bunch of villains working together, because you're meant to think they can actually stand a chance against Bond.

In addition, the best Bond girls are the ones you don't hear screaming "JAMES!" every ten seconds.

I am not a big fan of modern music, but I must say, both Tina Turner's Goldeneye and Garbage's TWINE were pretty damn good.

What the creators need to understand is that less is more in Bond films. If you keep making bigger explosions, more elaborate sets, and more threatening weapons, eventually it gets boring and predictable, not to mention stupid. The only thing that needs to be trimmed (thankfully, not a whole lot) is the action. TND was a horrible Die-Hard type Bond flick with a bunch of advertisements thrown in, what we need is more From Russia With Love-type Bond films, with intrigue, suspense, and subterfuge without some villain who just happens to be "one of the richest men in the world" threatening to detonate Australia.

[chronicliar]

Whoa! Let me clear some stuff up. I am a hardcore Bond fan. My have movie is OHMSS. For those of you attacking my ideas let me clear myself a little:
- A Hit Bond theme & merchandise - I said that because in the old days Bond had hits that were played on the radio and it get the movies more publicity. I love most of the Bond themes. TWINE kicks , and well all of them. Why I want a hit is b/c it gets more people aware that there is a new Bond movie out. Most of you think that everyone knows but the fact is people tune this stuff out. I wasn't a fan of the Bond franchise until GOLDENEYE 007 for N64 came out. So merchandising, ads, music, etc is very important. In So. California Bond movies come and go and unless music, toys, etc. (not stupid TV ads and posters - I like em though) get peoples attention non-fans will ignore the next Bond film.
- The Plots confusing - I am not stupid. I understand the plot to FRWL, and most of TLD. In TWINE I don't get the first 30 mins. There

[Friedrich Baxter]

I must agree with Chronicliar. Not totally, but for the most part. Let's take the following Bond movies: Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, OHMSS, TSWLM, Moonraker, Octopussy. I think those Bond movies are in my list of extreem good watchable and easy to follow Bond movies. I must say that these Bond movies are the movies which I watched mostly more times than the other Bond movies.

I think you should also make a difference between Bond movies which are generally considered to be very good, both on quality and kwantity. FYEO, FRWL, TLD had these kind of quality. But it is a fact that I don't enjoy them too much like the Bond movies I called before. That are the Bond movies which are not so good in quality, but which are my favourites. They stand out in largeness, extravaganza, memorable villains, MORE beautifull women (mostly harems like in Moonraker and YOLT ;-) ), tropical locations and very easy to follow stories.

Maybe I'm a little bit rude in this comparison, but for me it's clear that there are firstly, the qualitative very good Bond movies, and secondly MY favorite Bond movies, which are not necessarily good in general quality

[Icephoenix]

b]chronicliar (24 Feb, 2002 12:29 a.m.):[/b]

The World Is Not Enough- This was a good movie, not amazing though (2002: It is losing steam fast. Everytime I see it, it gets worse). It still had some flaws. The plot was a little confusing.

How is the plot confusing? I agree with Mr * total bullocks.

-The girls need to be strong willed and able to help Bond in small ways. The girls do not save his life or save the day. They help him to the point where if they weren't there, he could still do it. Bond needs to be more self reliant. Also, not every Bond girl has to be his equal or an agent. An occasional bimbo or just around girl would be nice. Honey Ryder is a perfect example; she's there, helps a little, strong, beautiful, not stupid, and is saved by Bond.

In the modern world, things are different. Women arnt just pretty play things, they got brains to ya know. Bond is the main star, yes, but the movies need to be more realistic, which they are getting.

-The last 5 Bond movies haven't had a hit song! They need to get a good song. Just because they have a popular singer, doesn't mean they will have a top 10. This is a must. (Note: Garbage is my favorite band!)

Doesnt Have to be a hit just good[

-Finally, when the movie comes out, I want to see it everywhere! Not just on TV ads but on major USA magazines, cereal boxes, t-shirts, comics, games, fast food, etc. Bond needs to become cool again. Everyone thinks Bond movies are cool but besides the fans, no one wishes to be him. Everyone should want to be Bond. Think of all the Austin Powers stuff- THAT SHOULD SAY 007 on it NOT YEAH BABY!

This shouldn't really matter, sure it would be nice to see some collectables and Toys once and a while, but the Series doesn't depend on it.

[JAWS]

OO7Qbranch (25 Feb, 2002 02:04 a.m.):
there needs to be exaggerated villains and henchmen with deformities. Also, there needs to be over exaggerated plans for world domination.

RIGHT ON!

[JAWS]

I agree with most of what you wrote, Chronicliar!

[Mister Asterix]

I can never believe it when I hear some one thinks a Bond plot was confusing. Even the most complicated Bond movie plots are very easy to follow. And when people complain because there is no clear cut main villain, well, boo hoo, I'm sorry its not completely spelled out for you. Who was the main villain in From Russia With Love? Was it Blofeld? Everyone was working for Blofeld, he must be the guy. But Doctor No was the main villain in his movie and he worked for Blofeld. Was it Rosa? Was it Grant? Who cares? It was a fantastic plot and there where a gaggle of villains. Live with it.

The only other thing I'll harp on is Bond needing a hit song. I don't care if it's a hit, as long as its a great Bond song. Gladys Knight's Licence To Kill was a fantastic Bond song, but would never have been a hit in a million years. And Tina Turner's Goldeneye was equaly wonderful with out being a certified hit.

Okay, sorry for the rant. You do make a lot of good points in this article. I strongly agree with some, some are of the 'I kind of agree with that' category, and some, as you notice, I violently disagree with. It's a good article though. And welcome to the CBN forums. ;D

[Alex]

OO7Qbranch (25 Feb, 2002 02:04 a.m.):
there needs to be exaggerated villains and henchmen with deformities. Also, there needs to be over exaggerated plans for world domination.

Sure, if you don't want anyone to take the movies seriously. Moore's movies were basically self-parody and most of the villains (Kananga, Stromberg, Drax, Kristatos, Khan) were relatively uninteresting considering the other Bond villains we have seen (Blofeld, Dr. No, Zorin, Scaramanga, Renard)

[moon]

Trevelyan (24 Feb, 2002 03:34 a.m.):
b]chronicliar (24 Feb, 2002 12:29 a.m.):[/b]

The World Is Not Enough- This was a good movie, not amazing though (2002: It is losing steam fast. Everytime I see it, it gets worse). It still had some flaws. The plot was a little confusing.

How is the plot confusing? I agree with Mr * total bullocks.

-The girls need to be strong willed and able to help Bond in small ways. The girls do not save his life or save the day. They help him to the point where if they weren't there, he could still do it. Bond needs to be more self reliant. Also, not every Bond girl has to be his equal or an agent. An occasional bimbo or just around girl would be nice. Honey Ryder is a perfect example; she's there, helps a little, strong, beautiful, not stupid, and is saved by Bond.

In the modern world, things are different. Women arnt just pretty play things, they got brains to ya know. Bond is the main star, yes, but the movies need to be more realistic, which they are getting.

-The last 5 Bond movies haven't had a hit song! They need to get a good song. Just because they have a popular singer, doesn't mean they will have a top 10. This is a must. (Note: Garbage is my favorite band!)

Doesnt Have to be a hit just good[

-Finally, when the movie comes out, I want to see it everywhere! Not just on TV ads but on major USA magazines, cereal boxes, t-shirts, comics, games, fast food, etc. Bond needs to become cool again. Everyone thinks Bond movies are cool but besides the fans, no one wishes to be him. Everyone should want to be Bond. Think of all the Austin Powers stuff- THAT SHOULD SAY 007 on it NOT YEAH BABY!

This shouldn't really matter, sure it would be nice to see some collectables and Toys once and a while, but the Series doesn't depend on it.

I agree!

[Kyle]

i disagree with two of the things you said. first of all, you say none of the last 5 films will have a big effect on the world. this is not true, especially in Goldeneye and TWINE. In Goldeneye, Trevelyn plans to knock out all of London's electronics, it seems like a big deal to me. And in TWINE, they'd kill millions and destroy Istanbul, that also seems like a pretty big deal to me. and lastly, on your 007 SHOULD BE EVERYWHERE COMMENT, i would hate it if that happened, theres nothing worse than going to a Bond movie sitting next to a 4 or 5 year old kid, or some other teeny-bopper trendy person. James Bond is more fun to enjoy with James Bond fans, not people who read about him on a cereal box.

[Comte de Bleuville]

The bond films are, for the average viewer, all about three things: action, girls, villains. The bond movies are so famous because they were really the first, or at least first popular, movies to incorporate these elements, and everyone grew up watching and enjoying them. I think that these elements should arise based on the plot, and the circumstances that bond is in-not the other way around. A solid plot is a great attribute to a film, as TWINE had, but I was dissapointed with the action, especially the ski chase, as it had no tension, and it felt like it was forced into the movie to fill up another action piece. But today, viewers aren't like those in the beginning of bond. Most likely, they will not settle for another "world domination" plot. I feel that the plot depends on the times, although bond films are not meant to become active in politics. I feel that there is nothing hugely wrong with the modern bond, although I feel that there was too much action in TND, and lackluster action in TWINE. As long as they have a solid plot, with the subsequent great action following beautiful girls and a great villain, then I'll be happy.