85 replies to this topic

[Stax]

Fairly positive, some spoilers (there's a warning in there). Overall, I liked it but had issues with the love story:

http://filmforce.ign...9/689485p1.html

[Bryan Harris]

Terrific review, Stax. Very concise, and with a welcome lack of hyperbole, either positive or negative. I hope the weakness you describe in Vesper's portion of the script is being remedied, but otherwise you make the script sound really promising.

What did you think of the dialogue? I imagine it isn't laden with one groanworthy pun after another, but has Haggis inflected it with any wit?

Edited by Bryan Harris, 18 February 2006 - 03:54 AM.

[Harmsway]

Well, well, you delievered, Stax. Again.

I'm glad to read another opinion with some more "Bond fan interests" focused on. Sad to hear that the relationship between Vesper and Bond isn't as appealing as it should be... but we'll see. After all, rewrites have been done on the film. And even then, maybe the actors themselves will make it work. Who knows. But I'm glad to hear everything else sounds excellent!

Stax, what do you mean by a more "cinematic" fate for Vesper Lynd? And who does Lynd actually *work* for?

And oh yeah, *why* does he break into M's house? Is that part adequately explained?

[Righty007]

Nice work, Stax!

[Qwerty]

Well done, Stax. I really enjoyed reading it. I rather happy to read your comments about the villain's plot.

[Andrew]

"The Vesper of this script is shaken by the taking of human life"

Hmmm...Could Vesper perhaps be the one to do Le Chiffre in? I've seen it thought of before.

Edited by Andrew, 18 February 2006 - 04:38 AM.

[trumanlodge89]

What did you think of the dialogue? I imagine it isn't laden with one groanworthy pun after another, but has Haggis inflected it with any wit?

im interested in stax's answer to this question as well. hopefully the bad single endendre's of DAD are gone.

[zencat]

Awesome review Stax. I learned a lot without having anything spoiled. You're the man!

[Genrewriter]

Great review, Stax. Sounds pretty great. The problems you mentioned could probably be solved with reshoots if needed.

[Whalltt]

Very, very good work. Loved to read it.

I'm hoping, as it wasn't the definitive draft of the script, they fix the part of the relationship between Bond and Vesper.

The conversation with Mathis in the hospital, it's also a shame to waste.

The rest of it sounds brilliant.

[Agent Spriggan Ominae]

Great review Stax!

Just a few questions not really related to the plot.

1. Is there an opening gun barrel scene for Craig?

2. Does Carlos or Demitirios or some other villain meet with a gruesome end during the action scene at Maiami Itn. Airport a-la gustav graves vis jet engines or propellers etc. or is there any out scene where someone meets with a bad end like Dario or something like that?

3 How many explosions? And details. I just want to know if Campbells stament was correct.

[Skudor]

It sounded good - although it would have been nicer if they'd kept some of Bond's doubts and made the love story more genuine. Perhaps it will be fixed or perhaps the movie will work regardless. It's too great an opportunity to miss - they won't really get chance to do it again.

[Fro]

Pretty good review. Have a couple questions of course.

1) How does the action hold up after the first act? I'm going to assume it's not just Bond playing cards and Vesper and Bond doing talky scenes in the last 2/3rds of the movie. Basically, did they hit a good balance where we get character development and a plot while keeping the action fans from getting bored?

2) Is the climax with Le Chiffre satisfying? Does it occur close enough to the end of the script that people will assume, "movie over, time for the formula Bond ending", or does it drag on for 20 more pages until we can resolve the Vesper situation?

I personally think the most important thing in making this work is Craig and Green nailing their respective characters. Their acting can make up for quite a bit of missing dialogue if it works. I'm also not overly concerned with pulling my hair out over them changing things that happened in the book. While Tolkien purists weren't overly pleased, the "Lord of the Rings" movies turned out pretty well despite pretty big differences from the books.

However, I think there's a good chance they decided at the 11th hour to go more towards the book than they were originally intending, which is why we have Felix Leiter in the movie now, and Paul Haggis saying he's still writing the script. One hopes they'll tweak some of the problems you described in the Vesper/Bond relationship to make it work. If they don't, it's not a huge deal to me.

[Skudor]

Hope springs eternal

At least the movie seems to have a pretty good chance of being better than a lot of it's predecessors.

[CowboyFunk22]

Great stuff, Stax.

I particularly like what the Mr. White stuff might add to the tone. Plus some reassuring news on the gadgets.


I think ill particularly miss the scene between Bond and Mathis. It is a very important scene to the story, so hopefully some of it comes through in one way or another. As for Vesper, when i read the novel she seemed to lack the strength in her character that i expected. I know its the character Fleming wrote, but this expectation i had might be why they did it. Perhaps audiences will expect Bond only to be betrayed by an stronger Vesper, and the necessary changes were made.

Still i really enjoyed it and am looking forward to this film more than ever.

[Mister Asterix]

[mra]Nice review, Stax.

As to the problems. Well Haggis is apparently still on board, let

[deth]

is there a gunbarrel?

[Andrew]

is there a gunbarrel?

I'm not sure that would be featured in the script...would it?

[Judo chop]

Great review Stax. I wish I had not read the earlier script leak and just read your review. Please sign on and respond to all of the above posts b/c I have the same questions.

One thing I have to say about this paragraph from your review:

"It felt rushed, incomplete."

I admire a lot of Haggis' writing, but my one complaint about the much praised "Crash", and even "Million $ Baby" was that the characters were rushed in their development. I felt manipulated by forced writing in many spots of the former film and one particular spot of the latter. I had some fear that this was a typical Haggisism and that it might appear in CR as well.

But...

"Worse, the wonderful scene in the book between Bond and Mathis, where 007 doubts his function in the world and wonders whether he is a good or a bad man, has been turned into a suspense scene instead. That scene between a wounded Bond and Mathis is crucial in the book because it sets up Bond's transformation at the end of the novel when he vows to go after the threat behind the threat."

I never much cared for this particular part of the book. Maybe I'll get lambasted for saying so, but when Bond starts spouting philosophy, I feel jolted out of the story. Even laugh a bit. I'm not sorry its gone. Ironically, I see it as the kind of forced explanation that I was originally afraid Haggis would leave in and amplify.

Anyway. Great review. Now start coughing up the 411!

Edited by Judo chop, 18 February 2006 - 05:27 PM.

[Stratus]

I am glad they are fixed up the Terrorist/Fictional Country bit. In real life terrorist networks don't operate out of a country they are quite decentralized. Despite Afghanistan being a rogue state, it was not a recognized sovereignty and much of the funding and planning was not centralized from there, it was merely one of many places that provides resource. That is what true modern terrorist organizations are like.

[Mr Malcolm]

Great review Stax! Keep up the good work!

There are a number of points I am still curious about, but they've been mentioned by other people already. The one thing I do want to ask about is the torture scene; in what way is it not as graphic as the book? Is it just shorter?

[Niwram]

Stax has a lot of questions to answer when he logs in again...

[Stax]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the feedback. Yes, there's a gun barrell (that's the "origin" imagery, that 00 license-issuing part that Latino Review mentioned). The very end of the movie is cool. That's how I would have done it, too, if I had been lucky enough to write it.

The dialogue is fine. No dumb puns or inuendoes. My only nitpick is that it sounded too American. People saying "yeah" and things like that.

The finale in Venice owes a lot to THE THIRD MAN.

[Jim]

The finale in Venice owes a lot to THE THIRD MAN.

Ooooh.

[zencat]

The finale in Venice owes a lot to THE THIRD MAN.

Ooooh.

Ha! The French club scores again. Didn't they say the Italian location was Venice (that is in some CBn story somewhere)? I had a feeling the film would end in Venice. A nod to FRWL. Sweet!

[Harmsway]

The finale in Venice owes a lot to THE THIRD MAN.

Oooh... Bond and Vesper in Venice... wonderful location.

My questions remain:

Who does Lynd actually *work* for if there's no SMERSH? And does the "boyfriend blackmail" make it into her characterization?

And *why* does he break into M's house? Is that part adequately explained?

[Loomis]

Yes, there's a gun barrell (that's the "origin" imagery, that 00 license-issuing part that Latino Review mentioned).

You mean the gunbarrel's after the pre-credits sequence (where Bond does his two kills in order to get his Double-O status), kicking off the opening credits sequence?

The finale in Venice owes a lot to THE THIRD MAN.

So Venice is where Bond and Vesper have their holiday? For some reason, I always assumed it'd be the Bahamas.

So I guess the Bahamas won't actually be the Bahamas at any point in the film, but just standing in for Madagascar and possibly other places.

[Harmsway]

So I guess the Bahamas won't actually be the Bahamas at any point in the film, but just standing in for Madagascar and possibly other places.

No, Bond goes to Nassau to meet up with Dimitrios according to the LatinoReview script.

[Loomis]

So I guess the Bahamas won't actually be the Bahamas at any point in the film, but just standing in for Madagascar and possibly other places.

No, Bond goes to Nassau to meet up with Dimitrios according to the LatinoReview script.

Ah. Cheers, Harmsway.

[Stax]

CR does follow classic Bond formula to some extent: multiple exotic locales, a secondary villain (Dimitrios), a Victim character (like the Countess in FYEO or that one in MR), clashes with M, gambling, henchmen ...

I don't know why Craig said he wouldn't be wearing a tux in it. I think he was kidding. The tux is actually a big part of the beginning of the casino sequence. Wait and see.