11 replies to this topic

[rafterman]

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but what happened to literally largeer than life bad guys? Goldfinger was a big dude, like Stromberg and Drax....Telly Savalas as Blofeld was physically imposing, Joe Don Baker had some extra weight, Yaphet Kotto's big too...but lately the villains are younger, thinner and in better shape to take Bond on... I miss the days of the bad guy who was so bad, it was reflected in his appearance...just so power mad and greedy that his body was as big as his plan.....anyone else think so, or am I nuts?

[Tedley King]

Who, in today's society, would match that description then? Being fat, scarred, old enough to be Bond's father (they would have to be at least 70 at the minute) and load etc! I can't think of many, if any!

[Hardyboy]

In response to those who feel that an overweight, old-enough-to-be-Bond's-father villain wouldn't be a physical threat: I don't believe that the villain should necessarily be someone who could kick Bond's butt in a fair fight. The villain should be someone who's smarter than Bond and has more resources. As for why he should be ugly and/or fat, again it's the case that Fleming's villains were usually archetypal figures. . .they were dragons, physical manifestations of evil that Bond must slay. It should be his brains, his plot, his manipulation of people, and especially his wallowing in evil that make us fear the villain--not his brawn and fighting abilities.

[General Koskov]

And don't forget: no Englishmen. It is unrealistic to think Englishmen would want to take over the world violently...then again.

[Hardyboy]

I couldn't agree more, Rafterman. I actually want to see a return to the type of villain that Ian Fleming created--huge, ugly (his physical repulsiveness being the manifestation of his repulsive soul), and old enough to be Bond's father--just to annoy the Freudians out there. In fact, I think it would be a great idea for the film series to utilize Fleming's Hugo Drax character--though they'd have to give him a different name. He's large, overweight, scarred, has a bizarre ringmaster's mustache to hide his scars, and is a loud, obnoxious braggart. . .in short, he's the kind of villain audiences love to boo.

[Jim]

Diet Another Day

I blame Jim Fixx

[rafterman]

yeah Fleming always had ugly, scarred villains whose appearance reflected their inherint evil, and he also had tragic girls as well, with broken noses and other oddities..bring back the big man behind the desk who pushes buttons...

[Double-Oh-Zero]

Yes, I suppose that I do miss the hefty villains a little. Of course, I suppose that it all depends on the situation. I mean, could you imagine a fat Alec Trevelyan or Electra? Wouldn't look right. Although they sort of compensated with that computer guy (can't recall his name) in Tomorrow Never Dies.

[Jim]

Double-Oh-Zero (23 May, 2002 10:50 p.m.):
Yes, I suppose that I do miss the hefty villains a little. Of course, I suppose that it all depends on the situation. I mean, could you imagine a fat Alec Trevelyan or Electra?

1. Trevelyan would bounce back up, and get speared by the antenna on its way down. I'd watch that.

2. Change Electra's death from "I never miss" to "I couldn't miss". I'd watch that as well.

[Jim]

Unfortunately, I think Dr Evil has seen that off.

[General Koskov]

Tanger (23 May, 2002 10:02 p.m.):

I'm still amazed that Goldfinger was able to get sucked out of the plane without getting stuck. You could imagine Bond there with a bottle of washing-up liquid.

Acutally in the book it was Oddjob who was sucke out, so Goldfinger was comparitively easy!

I, too would like to see the return of a sitting-in-the-chair-petting-the-cat-and-doing-nothing-but-pressing-buttons-to-dominate-the-world-type villain. I don't know (and don't wish to know) what the villain(s) of Die Another Day are like, but I assume they're rather fit since this thread does not praise their heftiness. ;d Anyway, maybe Bond 21 will bring us some villain named Lardo.

[Tanger]

I'm not a big fan of oversized villains. They're limited in what they can do and impose no real physical threat. The only real danger they hold is the fact that they might own an industrial lazer.

I'm still amazed that Goldfinger was able to get sucked out of the plane without getting stuck. You could imagine Bond there with a bottle of washing-up liquid.