363 replies to this topic

[00 Brosnan]

The cinematic Bond and the literary Bond have always been quite different. I suppose Dalton was the closest to the literary Bond though.

I find it odd that so many people (not just here) praise Craig's Bond for bringing the character "back to his roots" and/or being very close to Fleming's Bond...when he really isn't. In reality, he's really the most "out-there" Bond of all the official actors. I do like Craig as Bond, but more traditional elements need to be involved in a modern way instead of just leaving them out for the sake of it.

I couldn't agree more with your comments. It's fine that people like Craig, but recognize that he is, as you put it, an "out-there" Bond. His Bond is a different character that isn't that comparable to the "literary" and "cinematic" Bonds.

I wouldn't say Craig's Bond isn't comparable or a "different character" all together. There are certainly some classic Bond (literary and/or cinematic) traits present. It's just there aren't enough traditonal elements surrounding him.

Bond theme? Q Branch? Moneypenny? Interesting gadgets? All these things could be incorporated in a subtle and modern way w/o compromising the Craig era's gritty direction. As much as I enjoy QoS (yes..I really do), it's a pretty generic modern action movie with only sprinkles of Bond thrown in.

[Stealth007]

James Bond and poker are two of my favorite things so def. CR. I also really loved the opening with the cards. I just watched QS again. I remember not liking it the first time, I thought it seemed a little plotless. I was wrong. Still, Casino is my top. Where is the martini emoti?

[00 Brosnan]

James Bond and poker are two of my favorite things so def. CR. I also really loved the opening with the cards. I just watched QS again. I remember not liking it the first time, I thought it seemed a little plotless. I was wrong. Still, Casino is my top. Where is the martini emoti?

I was the opposite. I wasn't as sold on CR (I thought it was great film though) as a lot of people seemed to be. I thought QoS was much more entertaining. However, upon viewing the films back-to-back for the first time, it's clear that Casino Royale is the superior film by far in just about every category.

In fact, QoS dropped several spots on my list all the way down to 19 (out of 22 obviously).

Edited by 00 Brosnan, 19 September 2011 - 09:45 PM.

[The ides of Mark]

Both great movies with different qualities, but I prefer QoS. The opera-sequence, the interplay between Bond and Mathis and the locations really sold me.

[GrinderAK]

I loved both personally, but I would have to go with CR. The opening for each movie is worth the price of admission alone, but the chemistry and fluidity of CR just puts it a little farther ahead.

[AMC Hornet]

I'll reserve my vote for one more year. I have a feeling CR might get edged out, or equalled.

[ggl]

I'm really amazed and surprised that someone can prefer QOS over CR. Perhaps I´m a little old-fashioned but I can see dozens of things that are better in CASINO...
Shocking, positively shocking...

[univex]

I have to say my favourite DC Bond film is SF. I loved CR and and liked QOS, but SF was clearly the best, They surely made a Bond film witha capital B. Sam Mendes and all the crew were excellent, as seen in the 50th anniversary documentary - they really had fun and it shows. The action was in perfect balance with the drama. I´m just glad Mendes is coming back for Bond 24. SF rules, best Bond film ever!

PS: Sorry, had to do it. Waves of optimism never hurt. Here´s to SF, may it conquer all our expectations and be the brilliant film it can be

[DaveBond21]

I have to say my favourite DC Bond film is SF. I loved CR and and liked QOS, but SF was clearly the best, They surely made a Bond film witha capital B. Sam Mendes and all the crew were excellent, as seen in the 50th anniversary documentary - they really had fun and it shows. The action was in perfect balance with the drama. I´m just glad Mendes is coming back for Bond 24. SF rules, best Bond film ever!

Yeah it was great, but I still can't believe that M turned out to be a robot.


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[x007AceOfSpades]

Casino Royale, Licence To Kill, From Russia With Love, GoldenEye, On Her Majesty's Secret Service are my top five. In terms of Craig, I enjoy both his films, but I prefer Casino Royale a lot more.

[DaveBond21]

Daniel Craig has been James Bond for 6 years now but I still hear people refer to him as "the new guy".

Just the other day I asked someone if they were James Bond fans and they said "Yeah, they're OK. I liked the first one by that new one, what's he called? But the one after wasn't as good".




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[Dustin]

Ron Wood has been a Rolling Stone since 1975 and I heard people calling him 'the new Stone' even back in 1995. Some probably still do.

[Lachesis]

Changed my Vote to Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale has actually plumetted in my estimation on repeat viewing and in forming the most recent list the divide is now significant between the films. I find CR badly paced, has an unconvincing emotive bias, unbalanced and distracting action but a great plot and masses of style. Quantum on the other hand has risen, its tightly paced and doesn't outstay its welcome, Olga Kurylenko is so much better and more convincing than Eva Green or Carole Bouquet (in a similar role) and even better looking than Carole, Daniel Craig is much more comfortable this time around and the action....when you begin to decipher it...is more in tune with the plot than CR's, I do wish QoS had got another script review, certain elements don't work and Greene needed more substance or individuality but as a low Key story its not bad. Unlike some others I don't feel the pair of films mesh stylistically however and can only really treat them as seperate entities.

Edited by Lachesis, 18 November 2011 - 01:30 PM.

[Chemateo]

Easy vote for Casino Royale. I hope that SkyFall will become my new favorite Craig Bond film.

[glidrose]

Raymond Benson's favorite Bond film? Let the man speak for himself

"I do like Daniel Craig, too. Like Dalton, he's attempting to go the literary route and play the character as Fleming wrote him. His first entry was "Casino Royale" four years ago. He was brilliant and his film was one of the best. But his second, "Quantum of Solace," left a lot to be desired."

[Jack Spang]

That's easy. Casino Royale. It's far superior to QOS which is just a non stop action romp and precious little else. Merry Christmas to all! Have a great day.

Edited by Jack Spang, 26 December 2011 - 03:53 AM.

[007RogerMoore]

Even though CR is a pretty good movie, it´s my least favorite Bond film, by far. It does´nt feel like Bond, and is besides that point, not very good. Especially the last hour, with the terrible drama, drags the movie down. And the action scenes, apart from the one in Madagascar (which is great) are not to my liking, even though the are well-made. The one in the staircase feels nothing like Bond and the airport scene is leaving a very stressed impact. Everyone is stressing, from Bond to M and Tanner, the terrorist and the crowd that screams in panic. The romance with Vesper I don´t like at all and that drags down the last action scene i Venice, which otherwise is ok. Bond trying to save her in the end and the sentimental music to be heard...meh. Iv´ve many times watched this movie with good attitude, like "this is better than i remember and is not the worst Bond film" but I´m always let down by it, Sorry. Craig is doing a good job in the movie though.

QOS on the other hand, I´ve always found to be alot better. It´s more of a popcorn movie and has better action scenes, by far. It isn´t as emo (if I´m allowed to say that) as CR, but still contains a little of that (and I don´t think that kind of stuff belongs in a Bond movie).

Keep in mind that I´m primarily a Moore Bond fan, and my favorite movies are YOLT, TMWTGG and MR. The new Bond films are as you might notice not exactly what I prefer, but I still like them and look forward to SF. I like all Bond movies (besides the old Casino Royale, both of them).

[The Shark]

SKYFALL.

[mrevans]

CR easily. Great story, action, Bond, Bond girl, ally, villan, felix leiter, great M performance, best card game sequence, good humor, brings Bond down to earth without making it too obvious. best movie footchase, best torture sequence, has emotional weight. And it all comes together perfectly for me. Best of the best.

QOS I really did not like when I first saw it. I fell asleep the first time and had to fight to not zone out the other times. It doesn't feel like a bond movie. Feels like a Bourne movie except not as good. Story telling and action were better executed in the Bourne movies. Am really annoyed by the switches between the bull fight and action and the opera and the action. Unnecesarily distracts from already hard to follow action. I still don't love this movie but I have come to appreciate it and the story it tried to tell. The final scene may arguably be one of the best in the franchise. There were other good scenes and moments but the whole movie really suffers.

[I never miss]

I imagine, come October, that it will be CR, followed by SF, followed by QoS.

[Miles Miservy]

Too early to tell.... Even "Rock/Paper/Scissors" has 3 choices. I'll have to wait for the release of SKYFALL before I can make an honest decision.

[Major Tallon]

The one in the staircase feels nothing like Bond . . . .

Keep in mind that I´m primarily a Moore Bond fan, and my favorite movies are YOLT, TMWTGG and MR. The new Bond films are as you might notice not exactly what I prefer, but I still like them and look forward to SF. I like all Bond movies (besides the old Casino Royale, both of them).

Hi, 007RogerMoore. I've been around here a while, and in that time I've come to appreciate that we Bond fans are a diverse group, with many differing things that we like and dislike, and that nobody's opinion is "wrong." You obviously like the lighter Bond films, and, while these wouldn't be my picks, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Still, before you say that CR's stairwell fight (one of my favorite fights in the series) "feels nothing like Bond," you might want to grab a copy of Live and Let Die and skim chapter 8. In fact, I'd say that CR's stairwell fight feels a lot like Bond.

And welcome to CBn!

[007RogerMoore]

Thank you, Major Tallon!

I´m sorry if I offended anyone by saying that CR (or the fight in the staircase) is not Bondian, but by that I mean compared to the older movies and the Bond formula. I´ll make you no secret that I´ve not read any of Flemings novels. I also say that LTK is not a Bondian movie but that´s the same thing. I understand from the Fleming readers that Dalton is very much the Bond Fleming described, so when I say what Bond is, take with a grain of salt. I´ve only seen the movies (albeit a million times since 1999, when I became a fan). I´ve been a member of a swedish Bond forum for 5 years also (I´m as you might suspect swedish).
It´s the same there, I and a couple of Moore fans say CR is not Bond and others (who have read the books) say that it is. I´m sure if I read them I would feel the same way you do.

Thans again for the welcome.

[thecasinoroyale]

Well I have to wait for 'Skyfall' now for the most recent list, but up to now I say 'Casino Royale' first, 'Quantum Of Solace' second...obviously.

'Casino Royale' was a brilliant debut for Craig (without saying what we all have before about his style/acting) and showed us what we could have more of in future. The film was a bold spin on the Bond franchise for a more modern, heavily-influential audience to remember that 007 is still relevant and mainsteam in the 00's! Fantastic stunt-work, great locations, music, acting, characters and story. Perfect.

'Quantum Of Solace' grows on me more as I watch it, but still think some of the story is rushed, either due to the writers strike or the need to link it to 'Casino Royale'. Some of the characters are a little cardboard for me...General Medrano for one...but on the whole, I still think Craig does great, and there are some cracking action sequences to show (favourite being the pre-title sequenence car chase).

These just set my sights high for 'Skyfall' that I hope will deliver on 'Casino Royale's scale of well written characters, a moving/exciting story, well shot and editied and a ripping Bond adventure with the motiffs we want to see/hear. Can't wait!

[Major Tallon]

Thans again for the welcome.

Du år vålkommen, min vån.

[seawolfnyy]

Casino Royale, it fits with the classic espionage tales a la FRWL, OHMSS and FYEO. Still like Quantum of Solace, fits with the bigger adventures such as GF and TB. Can't wait for Skyfall.

[Miles Miservy]

There's only 2 to chose from; hardly the selection, wouldn't you say? It's like trying to compare Dalton's films (they're both entirely different from one another).

OK make your choice; hot dogs or doughnuts?

[Pam Bouvier]

I especially enjoyed how true C R the movie was to the book. That, plus the fact that the book that started the series was finally the basis for a Bond flick, made watching C R a more memorable experience for me than Q S.

[IcedCamaro]

Casino Royal.
Loved the interaction between Vesper and Bond, and the scene in the train alone was practically worth the ticket price. Also, Eva Green was a delight to watch on the screen and a fitting counterpart to Craig. I also liked the originality of the PTS although that whole "Do I look like I give a XXXX" about the Martini kind of irked me. He SHOULD give a XXXX.

Although QoS was not as bad as I expected it to be based on the mixed reviews, it still failed to feel Bond enough to me. Too generic action hero. The Tosca scene was superb though, I'll say that.

[Iceskater101]

Casino Royal.
Loved the interaction between Vesper and Bond, and the scene in the train alone was practically worth the ticket price. Also, Eva Green was a delight to watch on the screen and a fitting counterpart to Craig. I also liked the originality of the PTS although that whole "Do I look like I give a XXXX" about the Martini kind of irked me. He SHOULD give a XXXX.

Although QoS was not as bad as I expected it to be based on the mixed reviews, it still failed to feel Bond enough to me. Too generic action hero. The Tosca scene was superb though, I'll say that.

Definitely agree. Eva Green and Daniel Craig had really good chemistry and I liked that a lot. Quatum of Solace wasn't as good, but it wasn't that bad of a James Bond film either. I just thought Casino Royale was better.