677 replies to this topic

[S K Y F A L L]

Welcome! That's a great name too, would have guessed it would be taken by now.

 

This copyright discussion is very interesting, that was a good article. 

[RMc2]

I'm not sure what I want to see in Bond 24 now, given the recent news about a substantial re-write of Logan's script by Purvis & Wade... Perhaps we should just expect more of the same from the last few years.

[tdalton]

I'm not sure what I want to see in Bond 24 now, given the recent news about a substantial re-write of Logan's script by Purvis & Wade... Perhaps we should just expect more of the same from the last few years.

 

There will probably be elements of what we've seen in the last 4-5 films, but I think it'll be interesting to see how it turns out now that P&W are on the opposite side of the rewrite from where they're used to being.  Could prove interesting.

 

That said, though, what I really want, now I guess for Bond 25, is a fresh voice behind the films.  P&W probably get more than their fair share of blame, I'll certainly concede that, but at this point what I'd really like to see is a Bond film from a completely new set of writers, who are actually left alone to craft a new direction for Bond rather than having to consult with producers looking over their back at every turn with their checklist close at hand.

[Iceskater101]

I want to see Bond having a good time saving the world, having sex with women and not taking anything seriously.

[Guy Haines]

I've said it before but I'll say it again - I'd like to see a race-against-time story with Bond trying to stop a villain threatening the world with a pay-up-or-else scheme. It hasn't been done for a while - we've had attempts to start wars (YOLT, TSWLM, OP, TND, DAD) cornering markets (GF, AVTAK, TWINE, QoS) relatively small scale espionage/double dealing stuff (FRWL, FYEO, TLD) world domination and/or destruction (YOLT, TSWLM, MR) and of course the personal angle (GE, LTK, SF)

 

(CR's an exception - a villain who is the author of his own misfortune, with Bond sent to administer the coup de grace at the gaming table.)

 

I rather liked it, though, when Bond faced a villain or group of villains who were in it for the money and threatened the world with something dire if the money wasn't forthcoming. And given the state we're in at the moment in real life, there's plenty of scope for a Bond adventure on those lines. In other words, something like TB, or my very first Bond film, OHMSS.  

[hcmv007]

Given what's going on with Russia, Syria, Iran, etc. I'd like to see a villain based on one (or a group) of those countries trying to do something dastardly like nuke the United Nations or see to it that Iran, North Korea gets the ability to launch nuclear weapons, but tie it to the actions of a world leader (or SPECTRE or Quantum) type organization hell bent on destroying the world. I agree Guy, its been a long time since the fate of the world has been at stake.

 

And give Bond 2 women at the end of the film.

[dtuba]

Welcome Sir Roger (wouldn't it be funny it actually was Sir Roger Moore posting here?).

 

I want the action scenes punctuated by some loud and blaring JB Theme. Preferably with the twangy guitar.

 

I probably posted this already in this thread. Still want it though.

[Guy Haines]

Right now there's a rather nasty, incurable virus doing dreadful things to people, rather than crops, in Africa. A Bond story involving a villain threatening to release something similar globally - unless the world pays up - would recall the classic Bond tale OHMSS and at the same time play on contemporary fears (Such as the realisation that antibiotics have been so over prescribed, apparently, as to be worse than useless in some situations.) That villain, by the way, could be based somewhere remote where he has, amongst other things, a garden full of poisonous plants and ponds of flesh eating fish. Far be it from me to mention the name Shatterhand! 

 

In fact - and I wish it wasn't the case - there's been so much going on in the past year or so, such as Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, to say nothing of the still unsettled financial mess the world is in - that I'd say the Bond screenwriters are going to be spoilt for choice regarding real world source material. Plus, as I've found by revisiting the Fleming books aurally, there's still plenty of his source material by way of episodes and characters left to be used.

[Trip_Aces]

Personally, what I want to see in Bond 24 is a villain that is absolutely hell-bent on causing destruction or apocalyptic on a global scale: think Heath Ledger's nihilistic Joker from TDK, but in the vain of a cultured and sophisticated villain, but extremely psychotic. I think we need to put fearfulness and uneasiness back into the Bond narrative; the Bond films of recent memory have been lacking in that department.

[Shrublands]

Personally, what I want to see in Bond 24 is a villain that is absolutely hell-bent on causing destruction or apocalyptic on a global scale: think Heath Ledger's nihilistic Joker from TDK, but in the vain of a cultured and sophisticated villain, but extremely psychotic. I think we need to put fearfulness and uneasiness back into the Bond narrative; the Bond films of recent memory have been lacking in that department.

 

As Heath Ledger's Joker was a reimagining of the character for the 21st century and the Dark Knight version of the Batman story, I think Blofeld should be given a similar treatment at this stage for the Bond films. A reimagining for today's audience in the tone of the rebooted Bond. It could be done, particularly if they look to the books for inspiration. 

[Trip_Aces]

Personally, what I want to see in Bond 24 is a villain that is absolutely hell-bent on causing destruction or apocalyptic on a global scale: think Heath Ledger's nihilistic Joker from TDK, but in the vain of a cultured and sophisticated villain, but extremely psychotic. I think we need to put fearfulness and uneasiness back into the Bond narrative; the Bond films of recent memory have been lacking in that department.

 
As Heath Ledger's Joker was a reimagining of the character for the 21st century and the Dark Knight version of the Batman story, I think Blofeld should be given a similar treatment at this stage for the Bond films. A reimagining for today's audience in the tone of the rebooted Bond. It could be done, particularly if they look to the books for inspiration.

Absolutely! An updated and reimagined Blofeld for the new age would be fantastic. I guess the only downside, though, would be if the audience were to draw more parallels to The Dark Knight (which was also attributed to Skyfall).

Shrublands, I'm only familiar with Blofeld by way of the films; what's the character like in the novels?

[Jim]

This, please

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onitor-29127057

[freemo]

Oh, wow.

 

Every creaking of the floorboards, every gurgling of the pipes, every crack of the foundations... actually crashing to your death when the thing finally landslides would be but sweet relief.

[sharpshooter]

This, please

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onitor-29127057

Hilarious, scary and exotic at the same time!

[007jamesbond]

I don't think we will see some brutal death like Bond breaking someone neck...... or perhaps the novel version of YOLT when Bond strangles Blofeld.......we yet to see Bond physically killed a villain 

[sharpshooter]

I'd like to see the Question Room from YOLT appear in a Bond movie. Such a great concept which hasn't been touched by the films.

[DaveBond21]

Bond on skis.

 

And by the sounds of the rumours going around, it looks like this will happen in Bond 24. In Austria most likely,

[Messervy]

After years (since DAD) of "can I trust you/let me do my job" psycho-babble plots, I just want Bond to be Bond: James Bond on a mission, being the best at what he does, and doing it with style.

[Trip_Aces]

I, too, am kind of past the point of aggravation in regards to the "Can we trust Bond" theme post-DAD. He's proven himself these past few films and the question's always asked (none too subtly of course).

Let's get back to the basics of the Bond character: he's ruthless, charming, cunning, self-absorbed and enjoys his vices...but he's saving the day and - depending on the day - enjoying his job, schmoozing it up with the ladies and mixing it up with the baddies... In other words, no more character studies or melodramatic moments, and more FUN!

[Messervy]

Yes. I'm honestly getting sick of all this in-depth character analysis. We've had it, that's very fine. But it's been done at lengths over 4 films and 10 years, and is now really overused. Although it was all very interesting and very well managed, I don't want to see Bond strugling with himself and/or with MI6 in each and every new entry. Now's the time to move on and resume our good old Bond adventures.

 

... if we want to watch a series of movies about a troubled charcater desperately trying to get to grips with himself, I'm not sure Bond's the correct vehicle. We have Woody Allen for that

[tdalton]

I'd like to see them continue on with the character analysis of Bond for the forseeable future.  I could do with less trust issues and moles working within MI6, but putting Bond through an emotional wringer over the course of a film, or developing a character arc for him to go through over the course of a film, is much more appealing than the more cartoonish take on Bond.

[Turn]

It's funny. People loved James Bond for years with only a few hints into the man behind the man. We loved the character for what he could do and the way he did it. The deeper exploration in recent films was welcome, but SF took it beyond. Now with hints from Mendes Bond 24 could have more of the same, it's time to say enough.

 

That's where I think Dalton had the right idea with saying you can't identify with a superman in interviews but also showing the vulnerabilities in the character without pointing the story toward that. And it's only in recent years that people are seeing where he was trying to go with it. Brosn is what would be an also did what he could with it, and now it's too far out there.

 

We don't have to have the carefree Roger Moore interpretation. Let's have some of the drive and insight started in Craig Bond but not build a film around it. A balance of the serious and a great Bond story would be the right combination.

[Messervy]

I'd like to see them continue on with the character analysis of Bond for the forseeable future.  I could do with less trust issues and moles working within MI6, but putting Bond through an emotional wringer over the course of a film, or developing a character arc for him to go through over the course of a film, is much more appealing than the more cartoonish take on Bond.

I beg to differ! It doesn't have to be a choice between those 2 extremes (in-depth vs. cartoonish). We can very much have something in the middle. A blend of cold efficiency from Bond, with a serious plot yet cool one-liners and fancy context (exotic locations, womanizing, etc.)... all without any psychoanalysis of Bond, and without Bond cracking silly jokes all the time. Say something like TB. 

[Messervy]

It's funny. People loved James Bond for years with only a few hints into the man behind the man. We loved the character for what he could do and the way he did it. The deeper exploration in recent films was welcome, but SF took it beyond. Now with hints from Mendes Bond 24 could have more of the same, it's time to say enough.

 

That's where I think Dalton had the right idea with saying you can't identify with a superman in interviews but also showing the vulnerabilities in the character without pointing the story toward that. And it's only in recent years that people are seeing where he was trying to go with it. Brosn is what would be an also did what he could with it, and now it's too far out there.

 

We don't have to have the carefree Roger Moore interpretation. Let's have some of the drive and insight started in Craig Bond but not build a film around it. A balance of the serious and a great Bond story would be the right combination.

That's the way I see it also.

 

I mean, ok, we get it: he's been down, he picked himself up again, he staggered, he's back on his feet. Fine. Now let's move on.

I was only have joking with my Woody Allen issue: do we really want Bond movies to be turned into psychological dramas? They're adventures films. That obviously doesn't mean they have to be popcorn no-brain action flicks, but that means we're not here to see Sophocles or Euripides (although great as such, they do not fit a Bond movie).

 

Besides, I don't see what more we could discover from the character that's not been put forward before (unless one wants to delve into Bond's unresolved Oedipus complex). We've studied him in the 3 (or 4) latest films from every possible angle. Would they want to force it once more on us and choke us to death with yet another "let's look at Bond's psyche" plot?...

[tdalton]

We have different versions of cartoonish.  By that, I mean that the lead character, in this case, Bond, is really more of a character that is there to drive the action forward, but experiences little to no actual development or growth over the course of the story.  He's just a 2D character drawn into a story that is populated by more interesting characters either assisting him or opposing him.  I don't want to see that character on screen again.

 

Perhaps "cartoonish" isn't the right word to use, but that's what I was getting at.  The joke-cracking Bond is not something that I'm ever going to be interested in seeing again.  The franchise has, thankfully, moved to a point where they've proven that they can both entertain a mass audience as well as do something more interesting with the Bond character than have him simply be a force which drives the story forward, or even worse, a character who simply reacts to it.  Until that proves to be something that doesn't work on both a financial and critical level, they need to continue moving forward with it.

[Call Billy Bob]

tdalton hit it on the head here. Instead of being the audience's view into this other world of the films, Bond must experience something that either shakes him or makes him step back and re-evaluate himself. Personal growth or something that hits very close to home for him is essential in todays Bond films. If we want "cartoonish," or whatever the proper term may be, we have our blu-ray/DVD collections to return to whenever we wish!

 

All I ask is this: lose the "age" factor. Mallory's "lost a step" comment and others like it in Skyfall need to cease. True, in the context of the story it worked. But it does no service for the series going forward (and for Daniel's eventual replacement) to think of Bond as aging or slowing down. You can't have a continuing series with a character considered to be close to "over-the-hill." How will you explain Bond being younger in 2 to 3 films time?!

[Messervy]

The joke-cracking Bond is not something that I'm ever going to be interested in seeing again.  The franchise has, thankfully, moved to a point where they've proven that they can both entertain a mass audience as well as do something more interesting with the Bond character than have him simply be a force which drives the story forward, or even worse, a character who simply reacts to it.  Until that proves to be something that doesn't work on both a financial and critical level, they need to continue moving forward with it.

Same here. It must not become purely formulaic and interchangeable. But, I think, that can be achieved without having to continue to insist on Bond's personality as the main driving element of the story arc. As I said, we can have a serious plot, dangerous villains, and a proactive Bond, and still have that sense of "Bond is beyond all else" with witty one-liners and great environment. After all, isn't that why we love Bond?

Personal growth or something that hits very close to home for him is essential in todays Bond films.

That's where I disagree: Bond is supposed to be the "professional doing his job" and being the best at what he does. Of course, we need to have personal elements thrown into it. But those elements must not become the driving force of the film nor its pivotal issue.

[Call Billy Bob]

I probably should have worded that differently. I'm not saying it should become a case of "And what did we learn today, kids?" I just don't want Bond to be a mindless robot, going on missions and getting a paycheck. He should be motivated to do the right thing regardless of whether it's his job or not.

[Shrublands]

 

 

Personally, what I want to see in Bond 24 is a villain that is absolutely hell-bent on causing destruction or apocalyptic on a global scale: think Heath Ledger's nihilistic Joker from TDK, but in the vain of a cultured and sophisticated villain, but extremely psychotic. I think we need to put fearfulness and uneasiness back into the Bond narrative; the Bond films of recent memory have been lacking in that department.

 
As Heath Ledger's Joker was a reimagining of the character for the 21st century and the Dark Knight version of the Batman story, I think Blofeld should be given a similar treatment at this stage for the Bond films. A reimagining for today's audience in the tone of the rebooted Bond. It could be done, particularly if they look to the books for inspiration.

Absolutely! An updated and reimagined Blofeld for the new age would be fantastic. I guess the only downside, though, would be if the audience were to draw more parallels to The Dark Knight (which was also attributed to Skyfall).

Shrublands, I'm only familiar with Blofeld by way of the films; what's the character like in the novels?

 

 

This is a reasonably good overview of the literary Blofeld. 

http://jamesbond.wik...feld_(Literary)

[Guy Haines]

I also would like to see a "re-imaging" of Blofeld. The man in the Mao/Nehru suit with the Persian white cat wouldn't work with this Bond, and probably not with today's audiences - Dr Evil and Mini Me have seen to that, imho!

 

I think a darker character than the type we saw in the 1960s Bonds might work. Actually there's an argument for saying that the most sinister Blofeld of the films was the unseen one in TB & FRWL. Perhaps he could be re-introduced in a similar way and only be revealed later in the movie.

 

The Blofeld of the books was something of a chameleon. He goes from obese crime-lord to slim pseudo-aristocrat to armour plated raving lunatic almost seamlessly - as if he'd planned these appearance changes in advance which, Ian Fleming suggests in the book You Only Live Twice, he probably had. The chameleon aspect was sort of used in his portrayal in the films in the sense that four different actors gave four very different interpretations. I think it would be a challenge if, instead, one actor could try and portray Blofeld differently in more than one film, or maybe within the same film, keeping Bond guessing (As he did in the novel OHMSS, when 007 couldn't believe that "The Count" and the number 2 of SPECTRE in Thunderball were one and the same man.)