Having a gunbarrel at the front of the film doesn't exactly stifle their creative freedom.
As dee-bee-five pointed out, what stifles their freedom is feeling that they're
required to include something that has absolutely zero bearing on the character or his world. Again, the gunbarrel should be an
option on the table for the filmmakers, a nifty (when used sparingly) nod to Bond heritage. IMHO, of course.
Its a bit like the Star Wars films intro. Audiences get a kick out of it, and others wanting a fresher approach, probably just put up with it, as it does not affect their overall enjoyment of the movie.
Well, there have only been six Stars Wars films. And they were released as two distinct trilogies separated by two decades. And the crawls at least serve the purpose of setting up the backstory for each film.
I don't see why you couldn't have the gunbarrel at the beginning and have the circle reveal black waters and then meld into the Time To Get Out music and proceed with what we have now. It wouldn't be that much different or take anything away from the set up of the scene.
Again, the gunbarrel music alone would have been jarring. Drop that, though, and already you've upset half of the same people now complaining about the gunbarrel's temporary relocation.
Anyway, even the gunbarrel walk would still take away from the slow build-up, the striking first visual, the gradual reveal of our hero. I know for certain that QoS is stronger for having the gunbarrel at the end.
But the James Bond film series has evolved into more iconography than just 007 himself. Yes, the most important thing is James Bond, but the other iconography has the feel of a warm and welcoming return of a good friend as well.
Well, some of us get bored of our same friends coming over at the same time on the same days doing the same thing. Making new friends and trying new things can do wonders for keeping the excitement in your life. Then again, I'm one of those who was drawn to the Bond series for its original appeal: being something fresh and unexpected. I like that I was a bit nervous (in a good way) going into CR and QoS about just how daring they were willing to be.
Just remember, if you take away the gunbarrel, the James Bond Theme, etc., what you end up with is Never Say Never Again. Regardless of how one enjoys that film, when watching it, you can't help but feel that something is missing from it even though it still stars Sean Connery as James Bond. That's because those little extra touches that make EON's series so special are absent.
What hurts NSNA is a somewhat tired, unexciting plot (unsurprising given that it's a retread of Thunderball). The score is bad, but not for a lack of Bond theme. I didn't miss the EON elements (actually, that's part of its charm), and although I think all those 007 logos at the beginning are cheesy, the intro itself is rather cool. So, including EON elements wouldn't have helped NSNA any... well, unless you used a better score.
Not me. I very much disliked it there. At best it's anticlimactic. The gunbarrel works at the beginning of the films and should always remain there. It sets the mood and gets you excited for the upcoming action.
It doesn't do that for me. What does do that are intros designed specifically for particular films. In CR, I immediately got the sense that I was in a low-key but extremely tense situation reminiscent of early Cold War spy films. In QoS, I immediately got the sense that there was impending danger bubbling under the surface, that something modestly epic was about to take place.
By the way, I thought the gunbarrel was moved in Casino Royale because Bond wasn't "Bond" yet. He didn't become "Bond" until the end of the film. So why, if Bond is really Bond at the start of Quantum Of Solace, is the gunbarrel at the end? It's stupid to put it there. Forster is just trying to be "different" and screw with tradition.
The gunbarrel in CR started the Vesper chapter of Bond's life. The gunbarrel in QoS ends that same chapter. Hence, "I never left" and Bond dropping the Algerian loveknot in the snow. He's come a long way since the lesson Le Chiffre beat into him ("the big picture"), and now he's found his "quantum of solace" regarding his experiences concerning love, trust, vengeance, and duty.
Hey, while we're at it, let's completely junk the James Bond Theme too
I'd be fine without it.