28 replies to this topic

[jmarks4life]

Where do you rank the SPECTRE  pre-title sequence of all the Bond films? 

 

 

 

Edited by jmarks4life, 27 February 2016 - 03:34 AM.

[Double-Oh Agent]

Definitely in the top 10. At the moment I have it at #9.

[tdalton]

No idea exactly where it would rank, but it's probably middle of the pack.  The idea is solid, but the execution of it leaves something to be desired.  The opening tracking shot is impressive, but it goes downhill from there.  That, and the thick yellow haze that hangs over it all ruins some truly impressive visuals.

[Hockey Mask]

#1

My fifteen year old watched the blu-ray with me after seeing it twice in the theater. His words, completely unprompted, "They really captured the mood with the yellow tint (during the PTS)".

Edited by Hockey Mask, 28 February 2016 - 02:24 PM.

[DaveBond21]

Yeah, it's a good one. It's amazing up to the helicopter fight which is a bit over familiar.

 

My favourites are TSWLM, Moonraker, TLD and Skyfall.

 

Goldfinger's is an experience, if unspectacular.

[RMc2]

I absolutely love SP's PTS!

 

It's a strong contender for my number 1 spot.

 

But I think other classic Bonds have that certain something... That Bondian cool, or that satisfying dramatic edge, that might pip SP to the post. I'll have to watch them all again to be sure

[DaveBond21]

I absolutely love SP's PTS!

 

It's a strong contender for my number 1 spot.

 

But I think other classic Bonds have that certain something... That Bondian cool, or that satisfying dramatic edge, that might pip SP to the post. I'll have to watch them all again to be sure

 

I did that once - a PTS marathon. It was fun.

 

Octopussy is another good one, although the special effects are starting to look dated.

[JimmyBond]

Compared to the whole Bond series I'm not sure. But just among Craig's four, I think I'd put it last. I really love Skyfall's opening, I think it's beautifully directed and scored, it's thrilling from start to finish. I also really enjoy the opening car chase in QoS, and of course the opening to Casino Royale is pretty iconic now. Spectre's opening is really solid, it doesn't really break any new ground, but what it does it does well.

Edited by JimmyBond, 29 February 2016 - 05:45 AM.

[sharpshooter]

I think the opening tracking shot is fantastic. It's one of my favourite moments in the franchise. That alone makes it a strong contender for being one of the better pre-title sequences. While that tracking shot is great, the helicopter is undoubtedly the PTS's main star. It's brings Goldeneye and For Your Eyes Only to mind - two sequences I always enjoy. 

 

That all said, I also echo JimmyBond's sentiment. I prefer the other three Craig Bond openings. CR and QoS's pre-title sequences are short and sweet. And to me, memorable. Skyfall's sequence has a nice pace about it. There's a lot of variety and excitement. As much as I like SPECTRE's pre-title sequence, I think it's perhaps a little too drawn out. 

 

But if SPECTRE's pre-title sequence is the least liked in the Craig era, I think that says we've had it pretty good. 

[DaveBond21]

I agree the opening tracking shot is amazing, and so is the rooftop walk and the sofa gag.

 

I also love the chase through the crowds before the helicopter.

[Hockey Mask]

I think the opening tracking shot is fantastic. It's one of my favourite moments in the franchise. That alone makes it a strong contender for being one of the better pre-title sequences. While that tracking shot is great, the helicopter is undoubtedly the PTS's main star. It's brings Goldeneye and For Your Eyes Only to mind - two sequences I always enjoy. 
 
That all said, I also echo JimmyBond's sentiment. I prefer the other three Craig Bond openings. CR and QoS's pre-title sequences are short and sweet. And to me, memorable. Skyfall's sequence has a nice pace about it. There's a lot of variety and excitement. As much as I like SPECTRE's pre-title sequence, I think it's perhaps a little too drawn out. 
 
But if SPECTRE's pre-title sequence is the least liked in the Craig era, I think that says we've had it pretty good.

The QoS PTS was poorly edited and loses ground fir that alone. And I really, really liked QoS as a whole.

[DaveBond21]

 

I think the opening tracking shot is fantastic. It's one of my favourite moments in the franchise. That alone makes it a strong contender for being one of the better pre-title sequences. While that tracking shot is great, the helicopter is undoubtedly the PTS's main star. It's brings Goldeneye and For Your Eyes Only to mind - two sequences I always enjoy. 
 
That all said, I also echo JimmyBond's sentiment. I prefer the other three Craig Bond openings. CR and QoS's pre-title sequences are short and sweet. And to me, memorable. Skyfall's sequence has a nice pace about it. There's a lot of variety and excitement. As much as I like SPECTRE's pre-title sequence, I think it's perhaps a little too drawn out. 
 
But if SPECTRE's pre-title sequence is the least liked in the Craig era, I think that says we've had it pretty good.

The QoS PTS was poorly edited and loses ground fir that alone. And I really, really liked QoS as a whole.

 

 

I still don't know what happened in the QOS PTS but I do know that a car ended up falling off a cliff. I don't know how it happened or who was in it.

 

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[jamie00007]

My #1. Just brilliant. The skeleton costume (Im so making that for next halloween), the tracking shot, the action, just brilliant.

[DaveBond21]

My #1. Just brilliant. The skeleton costume (Im so making that for next halloween), the tracking shot, the action, just brilliant.

 

The Aussie contingent here seem to love SPECTRE.

[Hockey Mask]

I think the opening tracking shot is fantastic. It's one of my favourite moments in the franchise. That alone makes it a strong contender for being one of the better pre-title sequences. While that tracking shot is great, the helicopter is undoubtedly the PTS's main star. It's brings Goldeneye and For Your Eyes Only to mind - two sequences I always enjoy. 
 
That all said, I also echo JimmyBond's sentiment. I prefer the other three Craig Bond openings. CR and QoS's pre-title sequences are short and sweet. And to me, memorable. Skyfall's sequence has a nice pace about it. There's a lot of variety and excitement. As much as I like SPECTRE's pre-title sequence, I think it's perhaps a little too drawn out. 
 
But if SPECTRE's pre-title sequence is the least liked in the Craig era, I think that says we've had it pretty good.

The QoS PTS was poorly edited and loses ground fir that alone. And I really, really liked QoS as a whole.

 
I still don't know what happened in the QOS PTS but I do know that a car ended up falling off a cliff. I don't know how it happened or who was in it.
 
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Same here! Let me know when you find out.

[sharpshooter]

I like the QoS car chase a lot. As a straight up chase, it's better than what we receive in SPECTRE, even though I find the Rome scene fun.

[tdalton]

I like the QoS car chase a lot. As a straight up chase, it's better than what we receive in SPECTRE, even though I find the Rome scene fun.

 

In all fairness, though, most car chases are better than the one in Spectre.  You know you have a bad car chase on your hands when it's remembered more for the one of the worst written and delivered pieces of dialogue in recent franchise memory ("Of course, Mr. White!") and for the fact that, in one of the world's most famous cities, the only traffic they encounter is a trash truck and old guy driving a Fiat.

 

It's almost as if they had decided that the film was too long as it was and decided that, instead of cutting a scene where they gave the audience crucial information (the revelation that Mr. White is "The Pale King" and instructions to look into Franz Oberhauser), they decided, "what if we accomplished all this exposition while Bond is being chased around an empty city."

 

Now, the Quantum of Solace car chase is terrific.  Short, to the point, and the first straight-up car chase the franchise had seen in quite a while.

[DaveBond21]

 

 

 

I think the opening tracking shot is fantastic. It's one of my favourite moments in the franchise. That alone makes it a strong contender for being one of the better pre-title sequences. While that tracking shot is great, the helicopter is undoubtedly the PTS's main star. It's brings Goldeneye and For Your Eyes Only to mind - two sequences I always enjoy. 
 
That all said, I also echo JimmyBond's sentiment. I prefer the other three Craig Bond openings. CR and QoS's pre-title sequences are short and sweet. And to me, memorable. Skyfall's sequence has a nice pace about it. There's a lot of variety and excitement. As much as I like SPECTRE's pre-title sequence, I think it's perhaps a little too drawn out. 
 
But if SPECTRE's pre-title sequence is the least liked in the Craig era, I think that says we've had it pretty good.

The QoS PTS was poorly edited and loses ground fir that alone. And I really, really liked QoS as a whole.

 
I still don't know what happened in the QOS PTS but I do know that a car ended up falling off a cliff. I don't know how it happened or who was in it.
 
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Same here! Let me know when you find out.

 

 

Isn't that a line in the movie? 

 

[dtuba]

Sorry to contribute to the thread drift, but for me the car chase in QOS completely blows away the Rome chase in SP. More realistic (Doors ripped off! Actual dirt!) and more exciting. Yes, the editing is poor but when you go through it scene by scene on Blu Ray it is revealed how complex and well staged it was. Especially the truck bumper nearly impaling Bond. /threaddrift

 

So where does SP's PTS rank for me? Middle to lower middle for me. The opening shot is fantastic (especially Craig's turn to camera in the mask) but the helicopter action, while adequately executed, seems overly familiar and a little lifeless to me. Just like most of SP's action sequences IMO. Still, I'd rank it above the PTS of YOLT, DAF, AVTAK, TND, DAD and SF.

Edited by dtuba, 02 March 2016 - 06:24 AM.

[Walecs]

 

I like the QoS car chase a lot. As a straight up chase, it's better than what we receive in SPECTRE, even though I find the Rome scene fun.

 

It's almost as if they had decided that the film was too long as it was and decided that, instead of cutting a scene where they gave the audience crucial information (the revelation that Mr. White is "The Pale King" and instructions to look into Franz Oberhauser), they decided, "what if we accomplished all this exposition while Bond is being chased around an empty city."

 

I'm still convinced that SPECTRE was the result of two movie scripts combined into one movie.
 

[RMc2]

 

 

I like the QoS car chase a lot. As a straight up chase, it's better than what we receive in SPECTRE, even though I find the Rome scene fun.

 

It's almost as if they had decided that the film was too long as it was and decided that, instead of cutting a scene where they gave the audience crucial information (the revelation that Mr. White is "The Pale King" and instructions to look into Franz Oberhauser), they decided, "what if we accomplished all this exposition while Bond is being chased around an empty city."

 

I'm still convinced that SPECTRE was the result of two movie scripts combined into one movie.
 

 

 

I suspect it's more to do with Mendes. He's said in interviews how he admires the 'multiple threat' intercutting of action scenes, especially in Christopher Nolan films, and that it's important to have 'multiple things happening at once'.

 

It strikes me that in SP, Mendes remembered that intercutting is good, but forgot the 'threat' part. He probably also wanted to make exposition 'fun'.

[Agent 76]

 

 

Now, the Quantum of Solace car chase is terrific.  Short, to the point, and the first straight-up car chase the franchise had seen in quite a while.

 

And it's an excellent way to start a Bond movie!

[Grard Bond]

Only if we could have been able to see what actually was happening in it.

[MattofSteel]

Only if we could have been able to see what actually was happening in it.

 

This.

 

QOS should have been one of the series' best openings - and I'll admit, it has a kinetic craziness that makes it endlessly re-watchable - but if I'm being totally objective, it's a complete dud. The gap between what it could have been and what it actually was might not make it the series' worst, but by far and away the series' most disappointing.

 

I've seen six Bond films in the theatre. I've loved every opening sequence except that one. I'll never forget the crushing disappointment I felt when the Aston rolled into Sienna. That's it?

[Hockey Mask]

The editing, fortunately, is a little easier to watch at home than in the theater.

[Matt_13]

Mexico City officials seemed to like it: http://www.cnn.com/2...the-day-parade/

[dtuba]

Only if we could have been able to see what actually was happening in it.

Drink 3 double espresso's in rapid succession and then it will seem slow paced.

[marktmurphy]

Mexico City officials seemed to like it: http://www.cnn.com/2...the-day-parade/

 

Yes, isn't that terrific? It looked great: http://www.bbc.co.uk...merica-37815192

[sharpshooter]

I do like the PTS. The costumes are great. I can see the sequence only gaining appreciation over time.