246 replies to this topic

[pgram]

And I do wish someone would give Craig some walking lessons - the shoulder thing is starting to bother me.

I liked that- it looked to me like he was having a little laugh at his own Bond's walk!

I didn't, Don't think he was self mocking, because that's the way he walks in the Bond films as well. And it's not cool, when you try too hard to look cool... And saying "...devening" when he's greeted in Buckingham Palace? What's wrong with "good evening"? I doesn't feel very "Bond" to me.

But it's not that important, is it?

[marktmurphy]

I thought he was exaggerating his walk a little bit. Doesn't matter though, as you say.

I love that CraigBond -the most serious of them all- has now done a proper, silly JamesBond007 fun thing, complete with tux and Union Jack parachute! Add to this the lovely, slightly silly, cufflink adjust in the new TV spot and I think Bond Begins is complete!

[Odd Jobbies]

Wow.....

What a MASSIVE let down....!

All i can say after that is, thank God Boyle didn't do a Bond movie.

I'm a big fan of his films, particularly Trainspotting & Slumdog (obviously), and i thought what i saw of his ceremony was excellent; a strange brew of anarchic, daft and somewhat sinister in it's best parts, such as the chimneys turning Britain into Hell on Earth and the children's 'nightmare routine' featuring the Fleming's 'Kiddie Catcher' and Pink Floydesque inflatables. Fantastic and a little 'freak show' a'la The League of Gentleman'.

Sadly i turned off around then as the non-stop inane drivel flowing from the commentators became too imposing. i couldn't soak up the atmosphere thanks to patronizing comments from like Trevor Nelson pointing out at length how amazing it was that the audience were managing to wave their lights in time with the music! What a dick...

Anyway, BBC aside, the whole Bond piece was pretty embarrassing, Craig appearing more embarrassed than anyone as he strutted through the palace, stiff as a board, wooden as Moore, paraded before the world like a tourist merchandise on a keyring. It seemed in that first scene that everything Craig had worked so hard to build, the years of parody that he'd managed to dismiss with his gritty take on the character had been undone.

The idea was fine, a great coup to get the Queen in on the gag. However it was shot amateurishly (i wonder if Boyle was even there), and the music was far too 'royale' and anthemic to be piped throughout the whole sequence. From th moment Craig minced into the palace like a Guy Richie character, he played it, of was directed to play it like the po-faced military man, which jarred horribly with parody.

And what was with the strobing slow-mo dogs and london scenes below the helicopter. Was we to believe Bond's Martini had been spiked with acid?

The helicopter-through-the-bridge shot was repeated from so many angles that it was obvious they'd realised in the edit how lacklustre the Bond sequence was and wanted to hide behind the money-shot.

I mean, what on earth was Bond doing there? He picks up Queenie, sits next to her in the helicopter and jumps...! The gag of the Queen jumping first was pretty sweet, but that doesn't compensate for the empty whole feeling when it was all done -- was that it?

Surely they could've started in her car and put some obstacles in their way, have pursuers try to stop them, shifted modes of transport; have a Queen lookalike dodge onto a bus/the tube with Bond as they flee etc, ending in the helicopter. In short, give Bond something to do, a reason for being in the film.

Instead Bond was superfluous - he was reduced to being just a product placement.

Uninspired, unimaginative, unambitious.

Apart from that it was all good.

At least the new trailer rocks

[marktmurphy]

Yes, that's the spirit.

[baerrtt]

I thought he was exaggerating his walk a little bit. Doesn't matter though, as you say.

I love that CraigBond -the most serious of them all- has now done a proper, silly JamesBond007 fun thing, complete with tux and Union Jack parachute! Add to this the lovely, slightly silly, cufflink adjust in the new TV spot and I think Bond Begins is complete!

The short film and the aforementioned moment in the tv spot which is getting particular praise sum up what I like about Craig's performance as Bond in that in those silly moments he is still playing the character as serious badass making such scenes even much more funnier IMO.

[Dustin]

Surely they could've started in her car and put some obstacles in their way, have pursuers try to stop them, shifted modes of transport; have a Queen lookalike dodge onto a bus/the tube with Bond as they flee etc, ending in the helicopter. In short, give Bond something to do, a reason for being in the film.

That's all good and fine. Only I think depicting the Queen's route to the stadium as an obstacle race may not exactly be seen as a confidence-building measure. Might lead to all kinds of hysteric reactions with the foreigners, what with that famous expert on Olympic-league events publicly giving his in-depth analysis on the shortcomings of this event. Better play it safe and leave out the obstacle course. It's not as if it was entirely without entertainment value, even without any shooting taking place.

[Dan Gale]

Drunk meeting at Eon last year.
Babs: "How can we tie in the Olympics with advertising Skyfall?"
Micky G: "Ok, I got it. Make James Bond and Queen Elizabeth II perform a 'Skyfall' over the stadium. With a billion people watching."
Babs: "Lol. You so funny. No but seriously, she'll never agree to that."
Micky G: "Ok, we do it ourselves. Naked."
Babs: (pause) "I'll call the palace."

[Dustin]

After a few shandies numerous worse outcomes would come to mind there...

[elizabeth]

That was wicked cool. In fact, the entire ceremony was wicked cool.

[glidrose]

No pleasing some Bond fans.

[Odd Jobbies]

Surely they could've started in her car and put some obstacles in their way, have pursuers try to stop them, shifted modes of transport; have a Queen lookalike dodge onto a bus/the tube with Bond as they flee etc, ending in the helicopter. In short, give Bond something to do, a reason for being in the film.

That's all good and fine. Only I think depicting the Queen's route to the stadium as an obstacle race may not exactly be seen as a confidence-building measure. Might lead to all kinds of hysteric reactions with the foreigners, what with that famous expert on Olympic-league events publicly giving his in-depth analysis on the shortcomings of this event. Better play it safe and leave out the obstacle course. It's not as if it was entirely without entertainment value, even without any shooting taking place.

I guess my point was that it was pretty dull and Bond was redundant , just a product placement. I'm sure it could've been plenty better without the writers breaking a sweat. It stank of laziness and a director who'd been lumbered with the idea by the beeb and wasn't particularly interested in Bond.

[marktmurphy]

It wasn't supposed to be an actual Bond film compressed...? It was the fictional character 'James Bond' come to life- not a real event in the Bond canon. Much like if Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes had turned up too: they'd be characters outside of their own fiction- they would just have had to show their faces to make an impact.
As for 'not interested in Bond'; they jumped out of a helicopter with Union Jack parachutes...?!


I guess my point was that it was pretty dull and the Queen was redundant , just a product placement. I'm sure it could've been plenty better without the writers breaking a sweat. It stank of laziness and a director who'd been lumbered with the idea by the beeb and wasn't particularly interested in the Queen.

[pgram]

I wonder if the Queen will attend the premiere of Skyfall...

[Daddy Bond]

As Bond fans, IMHO many of us may be looking at the Bond/Queen segment far too critically, perhaps keeping us from enjoying the fun of the moment.

Sure, there are some continuity issues.

The sun was too bright during the Bond/Queen segment to fit well with the actual time of day during which the opening ceremony was taking place. It might have been cooler to have Bond drive up to the palace in his Aston Martin DB5 at dusk. Craig looked a little stiff when he walked. It might have been nice to see Craig in the stadium following the parachuting.

But still, c'mon guys, Craig's Bond actually meets with, talks with and escorts the actual Queen of England! It was all for fun. Enjoy it for what it is...a pretty cool and weird and fun moment rolled into one. Could it have been better? Sure. But the uniqueness of the moment in the Bond universe/world of reality was completely unique and enjoyable.

I liked how CraigBond had to clear his throat to let the Queen know he had arrived. His smile looked like he was having fun - hey, the Queen looked like she was having fun. A much more light-hearted Bond moment, more reminiscent of the Moore era. I liked it - for what it is...nothing more...nothing less.

My kids thought is was fantastic.

[Goodnight]

Pity that whinging and moaning aren't Olympic sports, GB would win all the medals.

I loved the opening ceremony, there were some absolute legends there.


Now lets get on with the sport.

[Odd Jobbies]

It wasn't supposed to be an actual Bond film compressed...? It was the fictional character 'James Bond' come to life- not a real event in the Bond canon. Much like if Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes had turned up too: they'd be characters outside of their own fiction- they would just have had to show their faces to make an impact.
As for 'not interested in Bond'; they jumped out of a helicopter with Union Jack parachutes...?!

Yes, i had grasped that, thanks. But being a high concept parody of Bond doesn't mean it has to be naff.

You obviously enjoyed it more than me -so how exactly did you feel the strobing corgis added to the film?

[marktmurphy]

It wasn't supposed to be an actual Bond film compressed...? It was the fictional character 'James Bond' come to life- not a real event in the Bond canon. Much like if Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes had turned up too: they'd be characters outside of their own fiction- they would just have had to show their faces to make an impact.
As for 'not interested in Bond'; they jumped out of a helicopter with Union Jack parachutes...?!

Yes, i had grasped that, thanks. But being a high concept parody of Bond doesn't mean it has to be naff.

You didn't appear to have grasped it! I don't think it was naff- it was fun.

You obviously enjoyed it more than me -so how exactly did you feel the strobing corgis added to the film?

The corgis were oddly shot; made me think of a Eurovision introducing-the-country film!

[MarkA]

I guess my point was that it was pretty dull and Bond was redundant , just a product placement. I'm sure it could've been plenty better without the writers breaking a sweat. It stank of laziness and a director who'd been lumbered with the idea by the beeb and wasn't particularly interested in Bond.

Do you know what you are taking this far to seriously.

[Jim]

The corgis were oddly shot; made me think of a Eurovision introducing-the-country film!

Suspect that was the intention, with all those things like touristy shots of Trafalgar Square and the CGI Churchill (very odd, that) and Tower Bridge and a bolus of bankers (Cockney rhyming slang) - all there along with Bond and HMQE2 to introduce "London" to tv audiences in various places in the middle of nowhere, like Llanelli or Salt Lake City.

Shamelessly, beautifully, hilariously naff. All the more splendid for it.

[Odd Jobbies]

The corgis were oddly shot; made me think of a Eurovision introducing-the-country film!

Exactly....!

Naff.

[Odd Jobbies]

Shamelessly, beautifully, hilariously naff. All the more splendid for it.

You know, i really do want to agree - i enjoyed the rest of the show - and yes, i am taking it too seriously. But i'd be lying if i said i didn't feel embarressed for Craig and the character. Not because of the idea, which was good, or his use as a symbol of Britain, which i liked the notion of. But Craig's mincing, the acid-trip corgis and the abysmal continuity gaff left a bad taste. For a long time i was a little embarrassed to be a Bond fan, since they were so steeped in self parody. Craig's determination to make it less so made me proud, but this short film turned all of that round in a heart beat.

Sure, that's taking this wee bit of fun far too seriously, but if you're going to do something, then try and do it well. Because it's parody doesn't mean you can present it like a cheap tourist vid and still say it couldn't have been done better. This could've been heaps better. And after all, if i didn't take Bond seriously why would i waste my time on this site?

Edited by Odd Jobbies, 29 July 2012 - 12:23 PM.

[Dustin]

Sure, that's taking this wee bit of fun far too seriously, but if you're going to do something, then try and do it well. Because it's parody doesn't mean you can present it like a cheap tourist vid and still say it couldn't have been done better. This could've been heaps better. And after all, if i didn't take Bond seriously why would i waste my time on this site?

Well, obviously expectations for this were awfully high, just look at this thread. Many had hoped for more, different, higher spectacle. In the end it was probably what was possible under he circumstances. For me the main thing here wasn't Craig, or the corgies, or the Union flag parachutes. It was the fact the Queen willingly indulged in a tiny piece of pop culture. Insofar Bond, the icon, received a unique honour. I doubt fans of another popular fictional hero, say Doctor Who for example, would have been anything but drunken with joy and fun in our place. Us Bond fans of course tend to expect nothing but the best and seldom feel our expectations are met by the product.

[Messervy]

International link for those who have yet to watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRjdhh6slkc

Blast! The link doesn't work for me!
I came in late friday evening, so I missed the first part. But what I did see (from the "NHS" bit onwards) was lame and dull. To think they spent 35 million euros for this... Thank God I'm not a British taxpayer.

[Messervy]

Oh well, I eventually managed to watch it on another Internet platform. Funny.
About that shoulder thing of Craig's, anyone noticed he doesn't walk the same way once he's accompanying the Queen (less "macho" like)?

[Chief of SIS]

It's because she doesn't walk, she scuttles. I wouldn't want to be the one to say, "queen, can you please pick up the pace."

[MarkA]

Craig's determination to make it less so made me proud, but this short film turned all of that round in a heart beat.

No it didn't because while you are picking away at the minutia of what was wrong and embarrassing, everyone else is thoroughly enjoying the fact that this fictional hero we all love has been endorsed as a bona fide British icon by no less than British Royalty. It didn't happen to Harry Potter, Doctor Who or Sherlock, it happened to Bond. And not one person in the last two days I have spoken too, have not listed it, if not the one, but at least one of the highlights of that ceremony. I have never been embarrassed about being a Bond fan, that is other peoples problem and today I was chuffed to bits about being one.

[Major Tallon]

In the US, the Associated Press said, "The Queen and James Bond gave the London Olympics a royal entrance like no other . . . The highlight of the Oscar-winning dierctor's $42 million show was pure movie magic." In fact, the first eight paragraphs of the AP's account of the opening ceremony were devoted to the Queen and Bond.

Sounds to me that it was Britain's first gold at the games.

[AMC Hornet]

the abysmal continuity gaff left a bad taste.

Am I the only one who remembers hearing the announcers mention that it had onlystopped raining four minutes before the festivities started?

So the live sky was darker that the sky in the video segments - which were probably filmed at a time of day that would have corresponded to the anticipated lightness in the sky on game day. Perhaps Boyle should have spent more times and a few million more quid making several versions to account for all possible weather conditions, then scrambled to show the correct one at the appointed time.

Hell, anyone here on the forum would have had the foresight to do it that way, had they been invited to tackle the same project instead of this particular Academy Award-winning hack.

[marktmurphy]

Or maybe they pushed the Bond bit back a little in the show after they'd shot it. Or maybe it didn't actually matter.

[Germanlady]

Surely they could've started in her car and put some obstacles in their way, have pursuers try to stop them, shifted modes of transport; have a Queen lookalike dodge onto a bus/the tube with Bond as they flee etc, ending in the helicopter. In short, give Bond something to do, a reason for being in the film.

That's all good and fine. Only I think depicting the Queen's route to the stadium as an obstacle race may not exactly be seen as a confidence-building measure. Might lead to all kinds of hysteric reactions with the foreigners, what with that famous expert on Olympic-league events publicly giving his in-depth analysis on the shortcomings of this event. Better play it safe and leave out the obstacle course. It's not as if it was entirely without entertainment value, even without any shooting taking place.

I guess my point was that it was pretty dull and Bond was redundant , just a product placement. I'm sure it could've been plenty better without the writers breaking a sweat. It stank of laziness and a director who'd been lumbered with the idea by the beeb and wasn't particularly interested in Bond.

Wattch it again with open eyes and you will find many moments, where Bond expresses amusement and emotion. Too many of you are used to overactiung instead of subtle acting...Too bad, if you miss it but then again, maybe you just wanna bash the whole thing. Dunno...