44 replies to this topic

[Morgan]

Can someone explain how Bond survived the pre-tilte sequence in SF? I've seen it twice and can't figure it out and don't think it was explained in the film.

[roger no more]

Its a movie..why so serious? Then I also not understand how Bond can walk back to London at the end, same as how Silva can jail break.Its a movie.

[Trevelyan 006]

That may just be the only tiny thing that kind of bothered me within the whole film.

You know it may have been a mistake, when people around you in the theater are even questioning the scene out loud...
Responses I picked up on in my immediate vicinity:

"He could never survive that!"
"That looked over eighty feet..."

[Morgan]

It's my biggest peeve in SF because never in any previous Bond film have we not seen or heard how Bond survives a death defying moment. NEVER!

Its a movie..why so serious? Then I also not understand how Bond can walk back to London at the end, same as how Silva can jail break.Its a movie.

Because I'm a serious Bond fan and don't want to see Bond return to the cartoonish over the top days of RM.

[Trevelyan 006]

Spoiler

They show his lifeless body careening over a waterfall, after being shot in the chest and free-falling (feet upon feet) from a moving train, to the rough waters of a ravine for God's sake...

A bit much but, that is Classic Bond. Over-the-top somewhere or another.

Do I wish that particular page of the script/section of the storyboard had magically come up missing? Yes.

Edited by Trevelyan 006, 14 November 2012 - 03:27 AM.

[Cody]

Assuming this topic will be moved to the Skyfall spoilers section.

You know it may have been a mistake, when people around you in the theater are even questioning the scene out loud...

I've heard people who are shocked by what happens, but haven't yet overheard anyone question Bond's survival in my theatrical experiences. There was a guy in one showing who flipped out over

Spoiler

Silva surviving the explosion of the lodge.

Which I found strange. The viewer's reaction, not the survival. He didn't seem to have a problem with Bond's 300+ foot drop, but thought the villain would go out that easily.

[dogmanstar]

Not that it really helps . . . . but I just assumed that's why Bond was MIA for so long. He was recovering from his very severe injuries; he wasn't only being peevish because M commanded Eve to take the shot. That doesn't explain how he survived, but it's a rationale nonetheless.

[Trevelyan 006]

Assuming this topic will be moved to the Skyfall spoilers section.

Fixed. Better safe than sorry.

[larrythefatcat]

It's my biggest peeve in SF because never in any previous Bond film have we not seen or heard how Bond survives a death defying moment. NEVER!

Its a movie..why so serious? Then I also not understand how Bond can walk back to London at the end, same as how Silva can jail break.Its a movie.

Because I'm a serious Bond fan and don't want to see Bond return to the cartoonish over the top days of RM.

I assume you must be being at least SOMEWHAT facetious about "NEVER" receiving an explanation as to why Bond survived something... because I'm still trying to figure out how Bond and Camille survived the sinkhole landing in 'Quantum'. Having a parachute open for only 50-100 feet doesn't magically make a few-hundred-foot drop from a flying airplane onto rock leave one with only minor injuries. These two moments in QoS and SF are not the only ones explained away through mere suspension of disbelief... even in the "realistic" Bond films.

I also don't know what an "RM" is... "Rocket Man"?

[Morgan]

It's my biggest peeve in SF because never in any previous Bond film have we not seen or heard how Bond survives a death defying moment. NEVER!

Its a movie..why so serious? Then I also not understand how Bond can walk back to London at the end, same as how Silva can jail break.Its a movie.

Because I'm a serious Bond fan and don't want to see Bond return to the cartoonish over the top days of RM.

I assume you must be being at least SOMEWHAT facetious about "NEVER" receiving an explanation as to why Bond survived something... because I'm still trying to figure out how Bond and Camille survived the sinkhole landing in 'Quantum'. Having a parachute open for only 50-100 feet doesn't magically make a few-hundred-foot drop from a flying airplane onto rock leave one with only minor injuries. These two moments in QoS and SF are not the only ones explained away through mere suspension of disbelief... even in the "realistic" Bond films.

I also don't know what an "RM" is... "Rocket Man"?

At least in QOS they give you something to suggest how they survived the fall and that's my point. The audiance is not given anything in SF to suggest how Bond survived the fall.

And yes "RM" is for Rocket Man

[007jamesbond]

watch DR.No the novel, he fall off the cliff and fight a giant squid...READ IT!

Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty falls offs down into the fall, and Sherlock survives......

[Morgan]

watch DR.No the novel, he fall off the cliff and fight a giant squid...READ IT!

Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty falls offs down into the fall, and Sherlock survives......

Your missing my point. We know he survives but what we want to know is how? Now go back to watching Dr. No the novel.

[tonyvenhuizen]

It's my biggest peeve in SF because never in any previous Bond film have we not seen or heard how Bond survives a death defying moment. NEVER!

Its a movie..why so serious? Then I also not understand how Bond can walk back to London at the end, same as how Silva can jail break.Its a movie.

Because I'm a serious Bond fan and don't want to see Bond return to the cartoonish over the top days of RM.

I assume you must be being at least SOMEWHAT facetious about "NEVER" receiving an explanation as to why Bond survived something... because I'm still trying to figure out how Bond and Camille survived the sinkhole landing in 'Quantum'. Having a parachute open for only 50-100 feet doesn't magically make a few-hundred-foot drop from a flying airplane onto rock leave one with only minor injuries. These two moments in QoS and SF are not the only ones explained away through mere suspension of disbelief... even in the "realistic" Bond films.

I also don't know what an "RM" is... "Rocket Man"?

What about the pre-title of You Only Live Twice? Bond is folded up into the Murphy Bed, and the gunmen riddle the bed with bullets. Then they open the bed and find him dead. Was he really dead? Were the gunmen in on it? Was he hit at all? It is never explained.

[peejnyc007]

Butch to Sundance before jumping off the cliff into the river below: "Are you crazy? The fall alone will kill you!!"

[Morgan]

It's my biggest peeve in SF because never in any previous Bond film have we not seen or heard how Bond survives a death defying moment. NEVER!

Its a movie..why so serious? Then I also not understand how Bond can walk back to London at the end, same as how Silva can jail break.Its a movie.

Because I'm a serious Bond fan and don't want to see Bond return to the cartoonish over the top days of RM.

I assume you must be being at least SOMEWHAT facetious about "NEVER" receiving an explanation as to why Bond survived something... because I'm still trying to figure out how Bond and Camille survived the sinkhole landing in 'Quantum'. Having a parachute open for only 50-100 feet doesn't magically make a few-hundred-foot drop from a flying airplane onto rock leave one with only minor injuries. These two moments in QoS and SF are not the only ones explained away through mere suspension of disbelief... even in the "realistic" Bond films.

I also don't know what an "RM" is... "Rocket Man"?

What about the pre-title of You Only Live Twice? Bond is folded up into the Murphy Bed, and the gunmen riddle the bed with bullets. Then they open the bed and find him dead. Was he really dead? Were the gunmen in on it? Was he hit at all? It is never explained.

In That was all staged by MI6 as explained by M (“Well now that you're dead, perhaps some of your old friends will pay a little less attention to you for a while. Give you more elbow room.”)

[seawolfnyy]

It's my biggest peeve in SF because never in any previous Bond film have we not seen or heard how Bond survives a death defying moment. NEVER!

Its a movie..why so serious? Then I also not understand how Bond can walk back to London at the end, same as how Silva can jail break.Its a movie.

Because I'm a serious Bond fan and don't want to see Bond return to the cartoonish over the top days of RM.

I assume you must be being at least SOMEWHAT facetious about "NEVER" receiving an explanation as to why Bond survived something... because I'm still trying to figure out how Bond and Camille survived the sinkhole landing in 'Quantum'. Having a parachute open for only 50-100 feet doesn't magically make a few-hundred-foot drop from a flying airplane onto rock leave one with only minor injuries. These two moments in QoS and SF are not the only ones explained away through mere suspension of disbelief... even in the "realistic" Bond films.

I also don't know what an "RM" is... "Rocket Man"?

At least in QOS they give you something to suggest how they survived the fall and that's my point. The audiance is not given anything in SF to suggest how Bond survived the fall.

And yes "RM" is for Rocket Man

Spoiler

Bond admits to Eve that she hit one of his rib bones and that's how he survived the shot

As for the drop, it's improbable, but not impossible to survive a fall like that. In 1975, Hank Williams Jr. fell 500 feet off Ajax Peak in Montana onto SOLID ROCK not water and survived. So it may seem impossible, but not necessarily.

[PPK_19]

If people can survive falling thousands of feet without a parachute, then Bond can survive falling into water.

Also, it's a film. And a BOND film. Says it all.

Edited by PPK_19, 14 November 2012 - 07:25 AM.

[Dustin]

Mod note: topic moved.

[Pussfeller]

People have successfully made high dives of more than 170 feet. This is essentially what Bond does. He enters the water head-first, perhaps unconsciously and by good fortune, or perhaps because he's still conscious and is executing a deliberate survival mechanism. If he were shown smacking face-first into the water, that would be unsurvivable. But the way he enters the water is similar enough to a controlled dive that his survival is not freakish or fantastical.

I'm more bothered by the fact that a Caterpillar 320 DL mini excavator is shown roaring to life instantly, without Bond first inserting the operator's key into the ignition, turning the throttle knob clockwise, and disengaging the safety lockout lever. I sure hope somebody got fired for that blunder.

[YOLT]

The Kasım Gülek Bridge in Adana is 99m high. Its really hard to survive but its not impossible. I am more interested in how he was rescued. We wont even know it anyway.

[Vauxhall]

The Varda Viaduct also doesn't have water beneath it, so I'm happy to suspend belief for the sake of the movie and Bond's survival.

[PPK_19]

The Kasım Gülek Bridge in Adana is 99m high. Its really hard to survive but its not impossible. I am more interested in how he was rescued. We wont even know it anyway.

Weren't you paying attention YOLT? A MASSIVE hand plucked him from the water. Apparently massive hands are breeding like rats in Turkey. Lucky there was one around when Bond needed saving most.

In all seriousness i think we are to assume that the woman we see him shacked up with on the beach rescued him.

[sharpshooter]

I don’t need to see the movie in order to comment on this, it’s widely known. I don’t have any problem with the fall from the bridge. I’m happy to go along with it. Thematically, Bond ‘dies’ and has a ‘rebirth’.

[Dustin]

What is important for the story with this scene? Bond is shot and takes a massive fall. Which he survives and decides to take a little leave-of-absence. Important is not how he survived, important is that he survived, while his service assumes him dead. You could have the same story, just told in M's office within a debriefing of the remaining field agent. 'And 007?' 'Dead.' 'Shame. Sell his possessions and buy a new Aston from the proceeds.'.

You will notice SKYFALL's version is decidedly more entertaining.

Edited by Dustin, 14 November 2012 - 12:41 PM.

[MarcAngeDraco]

One of the things I really love about SkyFall is that it doesn't spoonfeed every detail to the viewer. This is a great instance of that. Could they have shown someone rescuing Bond from the river and then his recovery and rehabilitation? Sure. Would that have been worthwhile use of screentime? No, at least not for me.

[S K Y F A L L]

I think I was the first one to question how Bond could survive the fall when we seen the trailer, but that was months ago. I'm surprised were still discussing it, I suppose some people stayed spoiler free. Anyway I wonder if Patrice survived his fall....

The Varda Viaduct also doesn't have water beneath it, so I'm happy to suspend belief for the sake of the movie and Bond's survival.

LOL, great point.

[Hockey Mask]

Maybe in the Director's Cut we'll see M, in the end, look up at Bond and say "I see dead people".

[Dustin]

and then turn at the camera:
'...so many dead people.'

[lechero]

It likes questioning how Batman gets back to Gotham in TDKR.
The answer is simple: He's James Bond.

Edited by lechero, 14 November 2012 - 02:02 PM.

[Iceskater101]

It likes questioning how Batman gets back to Gotham in TDKR.
The answer is simple: He's James Bond.

Exactly what I said.