35 replies to this topic

[Cruiserweight]

Inspiried by the Zorin & Bey threads of the same nature,i thought i'd do one on one of my favorite villains of the series.

[Mr_Wint]

I'm very fond of FYEO so I'm extremely biased but I actually like him. The first Bond-villain ever that appears to be on Bond's side first! And Julian Glover is convincing both as an ally to Bond and as a villain, and that is what the film needed.

[007Bond]

The character was interesting but the way he was played was tasteless, without conviction for myself. "The Dove" was much better !..But he was a good guy...

[Turn]

I applaud the change from the then cliched madman out to destroy the world. However, like most everything else in FYEO that is so desparate to separate itself from MR and back to earth, it ends up making Kristatos pretty boring.

The big reveal he is the enemy instead of the good guy has all the impact of being hit with shaving cream. Glen is probably to blame for that, maybe because it was his feature debut. It was just like ho hum, he's the enemy.

Now had you told me Grant, I mean Kriegler, or Loque were actually working for the CIA then you may have something. Every time I see the scene where Kristatos talks about Bibi winning the gold medal being the greatest moment of his life these days it's like overkill.

I actually like Julian Glover. He does a good job with the role, but it just doesn't help make a movie that basically repeats everything from past movies stand out any better, at least for me.

[Skudor]

I'd probably recast the role or something. I like Kristatos as an ally turned villain, but he really doesn't do anything for me. Bibi was a BIG distraction as well...

[LadySylvia]

I LOVE Aristotle Kristatos! I think he is one of the most charming, yet slyest and back-stabbing villains I have ever come across in a Bond film. I have to give Julian Glover kudos for misleading the viewers with his performance. In a lot of movies - especially Agatha Christie ones - the villains tend to give themselves away before being exposed. Glover managed to maintain Kristatos' false air of innocence right up to the moment he was exposed as the true villain. This is why he is one of my favorite Bond villains.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I applaud the change from the then cliched madman out to destroy the world. However, like most everything else in FYEO that is so desparate to separate itself from MR and back to earth, it ends up making Kristatos pretty boring.

My sentiments exactly. FYEO seems too bent on being the anti-MR rather than focus on being a good film regardless of what one thinks of MR.

The big reveal he is the enemy instead of the good guy has all the impact of being hit with shaving cream. Glen is probably to blame for that, maybe because it was his feature debut. It was just like ho hum, he's the enemy.

Of course the fact that the trailer reveals it didn't help either.

Now had you told me Grant, I mean Kriegler, or Loque were actually working for the CIA then you may have something.

Ha! Ha! The 1st time I saw it I thought Kriegler was a Grant clone.

I actually like Julian Glover. He does a good job with the role, but it just doesn't help make a movie that basically repeats everything from past movies stand out any better, at least for me.

Exactly. Glover did a better job as the villain in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Basically, Kristatos is the least memorable villain in the entire series.
And FYEO did seem largely like a redo of OHMSS, FRWL and TB(all 3 films I like better and that are in my top 7 Bond films).

I'd probably recast the role or something. I like Kristatos as an ally turned villain, but he really doesn't do anything for me. Bibi was a BIG distraction as well...

I had nightmares that Bibi was stalking me last night. At least it wasn't May Day.

[dinovelvet]

My opinion of Aristotle Kristatos is that he's the worst villain in the entire Bond series. The character is crushingly dull, bland, and exudes no sense of danger whatsoever. We hit the rock bottom of non-threateningness(?) when Malina calls him "murderer", and he replies "You have shot your last bolt, Miss Havelock" with all the menace of a pizza delivery man apologizing for getting the toppings wrong.
Now I'm not knocking "realistic" Bond villains, or villains who aren't necessarily out to dominate the world, in fact I loves me a bit of Kamal Khan or Le Chiffre, who are essentially men looking to make a quick buck, but come on, "Ari", DO SOMETHING. The man spends almost the entire film standing aside while other people are getting on with being in a Bond film. Even in his big scene where he's trying to kill Bond, he's still doing it indirectly, in a passive-aggressive 'let the sharks do it' kind of way.
And while we're at it, Kristatos gets paired with the two dullest henchmen in the entire series, Locque and Kriegler. Apparently there wasn't enough dialogue to go round, as we get not one but TWO non-talking goons. John Glen seemed to forget that silent henchmen like Oddjob and Jaws work because of their formidable screen presence and 'interesting' character traits. Locque's big trait is that he, erm, wears a badge. And a furry hat. Kriegler likes to throw motorbikes around when he's upset. Well, fair's fair, Kriegler does say a couple of lines on the boat, yet somehow still manages to be upstaged by a parrot. Yes indeed, FYEO - Worst Villains Ever.

[Cruiserweight]

It's interesting to hear everyones opinions.I personally love the toned down atmosphere that surrounds the film and i love all the aspects of Kristatos,the cowardly slimy weasel that he is.I for one think Locque is one of the more interesting henchmen of the series(though more could have been done with his character),Kriegler i'm indifferent about as i always get tired of the strong,blonde henchmen.

Yes indeed, FYEO - Worst Villains Ever.

I'd give that honor to TLD.

[Cruiserweight]

The character is crushingly dull, bland, and exudes no sense of danger whatsoever.

And Georgi Koskov does? I'd rank him below Kristatos as far as exuding danger goes or in any category as a bond villain for that matter.



*Sorry for the two posts in a row.*

[Mr. Blofeld]

John Glen seemed to forget that silent henchmen like Oddjob and Jaws work because of their formidable screen presence and 'interesting' character traits. Locque's big trait is that he, erm, wears a badge. And a furry hat. FYEO - Worst Villains Ever.

You just made me snort my milk!

[Mr_Wint]

I like all villains in FYEO. This films doesn't need a Jaws or a Oddjob! The Kristatos-Kriegler-Locque trio is more toned down and suits the film perfectly.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

The character is crushingly dull, bland, and exudes no sense of danger whatsoever.

And Georgi Koskov does? I'd rank him below Kristatos as far as exuding danger goes or in any category as a bond villain for that matter.

It's true that as much as I adore TLD, Koskov isn't exactly the scariest villain in the lot. However, I remember him more than Kristatos. Kristatos may exude more menace than some other villains but he's the one I remember least hence Ari gets my vote for most forgettable villain. I think the re-appearance of a truly unforgettable villain like Blofeld in FYEO's PTS helped highlight how unmemorable Kristatos is.

[Carolinabond007]

I liked Kristatos, but if Glen had did away with the whole Bibi Dahl storyline the film would have been much better...there really was no need for her in the storyline.

He is a forgottable main villain much like Koskov and Elliott Carver from TND.

Edited by Carolinabond007, 16 November 2007 - 01:44 PM.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

if Glen had did away with the whole Bibi Dahl storyline the film would have been much better...there really was no need for her in the storyline.

Exactly. Bibi's cute but why is Bond dealing with teenagers? And this was supposed to be the "serious" Roger Moore Bond film that was eschewing 1970s comic gimics. Inbetween Bibi, Max the parrot, the Iron Lady and Dennis, "keep your hair on", "love a drive in the country, don't you?", etc., FYEO is a lot more comical that many folks think it is.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Exactly. Bibi's cute but why is Bond dealing with teenagers? And this was supposed to be the "serious" Roger Moore Bond film that was eschewing 1970s comic gimics. Inbetween Bibi, Max the parrot, the Iron Lady and Dennis, "keep your hair on", "love a drive in the country, don't you?", etc., FYEO is a lot more comical that many folks think it is.

Same with TLD; "Amazing, this modern safety glass", anyone?

[Mr_Wint]

if Glen had did away with the whole Bibi Dahl storyline the film would have been much better...there really was no need for her in the storyline.

Exactly. Bibi's cute but why is Bond dealing with teenagers? And this was supposed to be the "serious" Roger Moore Bond film that was eschewing 1970s comic gimics. Inbetween Bibi, Max the parrot, the Iron Lady and Dennis, "keep your hair on", "love a drive in the country, don't you?", etc., FYEO is a lot more comical that many folks think it is.

Dont make this look like a big deal. First, the actress Lynn-Holly Johnson was 23 years old when she did FYEO. That is, the same age as Rosamund Pike in DAD and 1 year older than Jane Seymour in LALD and 2 years older than Daniela Bianchi in FRWL. Second, Kristatos asked Bond to take care of Bibi. He couldn't say no in that situation. Bond later returned to Bibi to find out more about Eric Kriegler.

[00Twelve]

if Glen had did away with the whole Bibi Dahl storyline the film would have been much better...there really was no need for her in the storyline.

Exactly. Bibi's cute but why is Bond dealing with teenagers? And this was supposed to be the "serious" Roger Moore Bond film that was eschewing 1970s comic gimics. Inbetween Bibi, Max the parrot, the Iron Lady and Dennis, "keep your hair on", "love a drive in the country, don't you?", etc., FYEO is a lot more comical that many folks think it is.

Dont make this look like a big deal. First, the actress Lynn-Holly Johnson was 23 years old when she did FYEO. That is, the same age as Rosamund Pike in DAD and 1 year older than Jane Seymour in LALD and 2 years older than Daniela Bianchi in FRWL. Second, Kristatos asked Bond to take care of Bibi. He couldn't say no in that situation. Bond later returned to Bibi to find out more about Eric Kriegler.

It's not a "big deal," but Bianchi and Seymour were also not playing "the baddie's niece," complete with pigtails and lines like "I wanna win the gold MEDAL!" Johnson was obviously playing someone younger than her real age. It wasn't exactly a stroke of comic genius. And negative cool points to the costumer who dressed her in the cowboy hat.

Now, as for Kristatos, I thought he was a good villain. A lot seem to find him bland or boring, but I thought he was appropriately low key and still sinister. I like that they laid some creepy groundwork that he kinda digs his niece. At first, you think it's a fatherly type of love when he expresses his hope for her winning the gold medal, but you come to realize what it's really all about later. And I like that he's not only playing Bond, but he's a middle man. A man who's made a deal with the KGB. Not an end-of-the-road adversary like Blofeld or Drax. Plus, Julian Glover just does so well playing bad guys. Loved him in Last Crusade and ESB.

[LadySylvia]

I had no problem with Bibi in FYEO. I thought that Lynn-Holly Johnson's performance was fun and sprightly . . . something different from the usual Bond girl. And despite her so-called "innocent air", she also seemed more experienced than the likes of Solitaire.

[dinovelvet]

The character is crushingly dull, bland, and exudes no sense of danger whatsoever.

And Georgi Koskov does? I'd rank him below Kristatos as far as exuding danger goes or in any category as a bond villain for that matter.

I agree Koskov is hardly one of the great villains either. Actually come to think of it, he's pretty much a clone of Kristatos, isn't he. They both start off as a good guy, and Bond finds out his real intentions through a mutual enemy (Columbo/General Pushkin). I'll rank Koskov a bit higher than Kristatos though because he makes a bit more of an impression; he is very convincing as the scared/friendly "good guy" at the beginning, and even more convincing as the smug, slimy bastard in the second half. Kristatos is just pretty bland throughout the whole film, really!

[americanbond]

The character is crushingly dull, bland, and exudes no sense of danger whatsoever.

And Georgi Koskov does? I'd rank him below Kristatos as far as exuding danger goes or in any category as a bond villain for that matter.

I agree Koskov is hardly one of the great villains either. Actually come to think of it, he's pretty much a clone of Kristatos, isn't he. They both start off as a good guy, and Bond finds out his real intentions through a mutual enemy (Columbo/General Pushkin). I'll rank Koskov a bit higher than Kristatos though because he makes a bit more of an impression; he is very convincing as the scared/friendly "good guy" at the beginning, and even more convincing as the smug, slimy bastard in the second half. Kristatos is just pretty bland throughout the whole film, really!

Bond villains in general are pretty lame, particularly in the Moore/Dalton era.

[Cruiserweight]

The character is crushingly dull, bland, and exudes no sense of danger whatsoever.

And Georgi Koskov does? I'd rank him below Kristatos as far as exuding danger goes or in any category as a bond villain for that matter.

I agree Koskov is hardly one of the great villains either. Actually come to think of it, he's pretty much a clone of Kristatos, isn't he. They both start off as a good guy, and Bond finds out his real intentions through a mutual enemy (Columbo/General Pushkin). I'll rank Koskov a bit higher than Kristatos though because he makes a bit more of an impression; he is very convincing as the scared/friendly "good guy" at the beginning, and even more convincing as the smug, slimy bastard in the second half. Kristatos is just pretty bland throughout the whole film, really!

Bond villains in general are pretty lame, particularly in the Moore/Dalton era.

I have to strongly disagree.The villains are what i like most about the bond movies to tell you the truth.As far as the Moore//Dalton eras they may have had some bad villains but i also think they gave us some of the best.(Scaramanga,Sanchez)Now back to the subject of Kristatos,he is my favorite main villain of the series but i have to say he has the least creative & blandest death of any villain in the series.

[dinovelvet]

Bond villains in general are pretty lame, particularly in the Moore/Dalton era.

And your plan to fix this is to bring Jinx back as an evil cyborg?

[Major Tallon]

I'm with Lady Sylvia and 00Twelve on this one. I find Kristatos smooth, without being oily, and thoroughly unscrupulous. He's a better villain than some of the would-be meglomaniacs we've seen in these movies.

[Shaun Forever]

Bland and forgettable, pretty much sums the whole film up I'm afraid

[PrinceKamalKhan]

if Glen had did away with the whole Bibi Dahl storyline the film would have been much better...there really was no need for her in the storyline.

Exactly. Bibi's cute but why is Bond dealing with teenagers? And this was supposed to be the "serious" Roger Moore Bond film that was eschewing 1970s comic gimics. Inbetween Bibi, Max the parrot, the Iron Lady and Dennis, "keep your hair on", "love a drive in the country, don't you?", etc., FYEO is a lot more comical that many folks think it is.

Dont make this look like a big deal. First, the actress Lynn-Holly Johnson was 23 years old when she did FYEO. That is, the same age as Rosamund Pike in DAD and 1 year older than Jane Seymour in LALD and 2 years older than Daniela Bianchi in FRWL. Second, Kristatos asked Bond to take care of Bibi. He couldn't say no in that situation. Bond later returned to Bibi to find out more about Eric Kriegler.

And she was only one year younger than Carole Bouquet. And both Lynn Holly Johnson and Carole were too young for Roger IMHO. Cassandra Harris' Countess Lisl was the only FYEO lady who I thought made a plausible romantic interest for Moore's Bond. Carole would've been better with Dalton and Lynn Holly would've been better with Brosnan.

if Glen had did away with the whole Bibi Dahl storyline the film would have been much better...there really was no need for her in the storyline.

Exactly. Bibi's cute but why is Bond dealing with teenagers? And this was supposed to be the "serious" Roger Moore Bond film that was eschewing 1970s comic gimics. Inbetween Bibi, Max the parrot, the Iron Lady and Dennis, "keep your hair on", "love a drive in the country, don't you?", etc., FYEO is a lot more comical that many folks think it is.

Dont make this look like a big deal. First, the actress Lynn-Holly Johnson was 23 years old when she did FYEO. That is, the same age as Rosamund Pike in DAD and 1 year older than Jane Seymour in LALD and 2 years older than Daniela Bianchi in FRWL. Second, Kristatos asked Bond to take care of Bibi. He couldn't say no in that situation. Bond later returned to Bibi to find out more about Eric Kriegler.

It's not a "big deal," but Bianchi and Seymour were also not playing "the baddie's niece," complete with pigtails and lines like "I wanna win the gold MEDAL!" Johnson was obviously playing someone younger than her real age. It wasn't exactly a stroke of comic genius. And negative cool points to the costumer who dressed her in the cowboy hat.

Perhaps she was a KGB setup to get Bond thrown into jail for improper behavior with a minor?

The character is crushingly dull, bland, and exudes no sense of danger whatsoever.

And Georgi Koskov does? I'd rank him below Kristatos as far as exuding danger goes or in any category as a bond villain for that matter.

I agree Koskov is hardly one of the great villains either. Actually come to think of it, he's pretty much a clone of Kristatos, isn't he. They both start off as a good guy, and Bond finds out his real intentions through a mutual enemy (Columbo/General Pushkin). I'll rank Koskov a bit higher than Kristatos though because he makes a bit more of an impression; he is very convincing as the scared/friendly "good guy" at the beginning, and even more convincing as the smug, slimy bastard in the second half. Kristatos is just pretty bland throughout the whole film, really!

My sentiments exactly. Koskov, while hardly great either, is similar to but an improvement over Kristatos just as TLD is an improvement over FYEO as a "back to Fleming effort after a comic Roger Moore film". I think if Dalton had started with FYEO as many have suggested, it would have been a lot like TLD.

The character is crushingly dull, bland, and exudes no sense of danger whatsoever.

And Georgi Koskov does? I'd rank him below Kristatos as far as exuding danger goes or in any category as a bond villain for that matter.

I agree Koskov is hardly one of the great villains either. Actually come to think of it, he's pretty much a clone of Kristatos, isn't he. They both start off as a good guy, and Bond finds out his real intentions through a mutual enemy (Columbo/General Pushkin). I'll rank Koskov a bit higher than Kristatos though because he makes a bit more of an impression; he is very convincing as the scared/friendly "good guy" at the beginning, and even more convincing as the smug, slimy bastard in the second half. Kristatos is just pretty bland throughout the whole film, really!

Bond villains in general are pretty lame, particularly in the Moore/Dalton era.

I have to strongly disagree.The villains are what i like most about the bond movies to tell you the truth.As far as the Moore//Dalton eras they may have had some bad villains but i also think they gave us some of the best.(Scaramanga,Sanchez)Now back to the subject of Kristatos,he is my favorite main villain of the series but i have to say he has the least creative & blandest death of any villain in the series.

I would add Drax, Orlov and my namesake to the list. Along with Scaramanga and Sanchez, they were better villains than the Brosnan era ones.

[Qwerty]

I liked Kristatos, but if Glen had did away with the whole Bibi Dahl storyline the film would have been much better...there really was no need for her in the storyline.

He is a forgottable main villain much like Koskov and Elliott Carver from TND.

I'd say Carver is a much more memorable villain due in large part to some of his flamboyant scenes.

Koskov and Whitaker are probably the least memorable villains in the entire series.

[Turn]

Although I rank him way down on the villain list, there are some positives to Kristatos.

I do actually like Glover

[FlemingBond]

I've seen people say he's not a good villain , but i think it's a good twist that he's not revealed until later. Some of the recent films have the plot all laid out within a few mintues, pushing story out of the way for action. Plus he's realistic.

[Skudor]

Bond villains in general are pretty lame, particularly in the Moore/Dalton era.

And your plan to fix this is to bring Jinx back as an evil cyborg?

I believe the idea was to bring back Jinx as evil, which eventually and after much ado results in Bond becoming a cyborg. Some very clever person added the twist that instead of just being a cyborg Bond should in fact turn into Jinx.

On-topic: The problem with Kristatos is a lack of charisma. I think the character is generally a good one, and his involvement in the plot works, but he just isn't menacing. More like a guy in trouble.

Koskov I find menacing, on the other hand (unlike his comedy side kick - Whitaker).