The James Bond Pierce Brosnan Era

[Frobisher]

Yeah. Also, I think I heard Craig or someone else say Austin Powers made old Bond look too silly, so they had to make the next movies more gritty.

I hope they keep it fairly un-campy when the next Bond takes over

From the point where Bond gets captured toward the end of Spectre, it basically turns into exactly an Austin Powers film without the laughs. I can't remember exactly how he gets out of the trademark slow moving execution device, but after that Bond strolls out of the evil lair while a bunch of henchmen all run around as though something more pressing than Bond escaping is happening elsewhere, then he makes the entire base blow up by shooting a single red-barrel-that-explodes-when-shot with his little pistol. It's about as much a headfuck as the bit in American Psycho where he makes the cop car blow up and you're genuinely not sure whether the whole thing is supposed to be Bateman's hallucinated fantasy or just this bit.

[CosmiComic]

From the point where Bond gets captured toward the end of Spectre, it basically turns into exactly an Austin Powers film without the laughs. I can't remember exactly how he gets out of the trademark slow moving execution device, but after that Bond strolls out of the evil lair while a bunch of henchmen all run around as though something more pressing than Bond escaping is happening elsewhere, then he makes the entire base blow up by shooting a single red-barrel-that-explodes-when-shot with his little pistol. It's about as much a headfuck as the bit in American Psycho where he makes the cop car blow up and you're genuinely not sure whether the whole thing is supposed to be Bateman's hallucinated fantasy or just this bit.

Spectre ran into the trap of referencing the old Bond movies while still trying to keep the gritty atmosphere of the new ones

[Panic]

Also, it was just plain crap. Expensive crap, but crap.

[CosmiComic]

Also, it was just plain crap. Expensive crap, but crap.

I thought it was ok. Not as good as Skyfall, but way above Moonraker!

[ChrisIII]

The slow-moving torture scene is actually directly from the non-Fleming Colonel sun, but more mechanized (and hence more PG-friendly), with a different villain and the day isn't saved by an exploding watch.

Generally the torture scenes from the books are kind of toned down for the movies...for example, Bond is nearly killed by a circular saw in GOLDFINGER instead of a laser.

[j9ac9k]

Die Another Day was actually the highest grossing Bond film until Casino Royale, and it even received pretty decent reviews from a lot of publications at the time, even though many felt the invisible car was a step too far. However, I think the public consensus was that the Bourne films were making Bond look silly. Casino Royale was definitely a step in the right direction.

The invisible car should've just been something that camouflages the car from a distance and from electronics, satellites, etc. but doesn't hold up when it's close - that would have at least been somewhat realistic. For me the over-the-top was the paragliding on the ice-tidal wave sequence. Using the parachute to escape would have been enough and cool. But they just had to make it silly...

[Frobisher]

Spectre ran into the trap of referencing the old Bond movies while still trying to keep the gritty atmosphere of the new ones

I just couldn't remember how he got out of the murder chair, so I looked it up and found this: https://ew.com/article/2015/11/10/spectre-ending/

The argument that Bond actually dies when the drill goes into his brain is incredibly convincing, given the dreamlike quality of everything that follows that moment.

[ChrisIII]

I sort of have a fan theory that part of the reason Dalton's Bond is so cranky at times is partially because he's the Bond right after the Arkangelsk mission, which takes place in 1986, right before The Living Daylights; and has just lost 006 (and of course Living Daylights opens with the death of another 00 as well). Indeed, Brosnan's Bond is a bit colder in Goldeneye but once that ends he seems a lot more upbeat in the sequels after that guilt is resolved ("For me").




Obviously I'm writing stuff into the loose Bond film continuity that's not there but that's kind of the fun of fan theories.

[Castle]

The invisible car should've just been something that camouflages the car from a distance and from electronics, satellites, etc. but doesn't hold up when it's close - that would have at least been somewhat realistic. For me the over-the-top was the paragliding on the ice-tidal wave sequence. Using the parachute to escape would have been enough and cool. But they just had to make it silly...

I have already said this about die another day, some 3 pages back. thought the movie was fun but went too much into the low fantasy territory.

[CosmiComic]

I just couldn't remember how he got out of the murder chair, so I looked it up and found this: https://ew.com/article/2015/11/10/spectre-ending/

The argument that Bond actually dies when the drill goes into his brain is incredibly convincing, given the dreamlike quality of everything that follows that moment.

I hope No Time to Die is more tonally consistent

[AnakinFlair]

I remember like Spectre well enough, but I don't go back to it often. I had completely forgotten about the slow torture, though.

[Kaijudo]

I remember like Spectre well enough, but I don't go back to it often. I had completely forgotten about the slow torture, though.

Even the slow torture aside, to my mind the worst thing about Spectre is giving Blofled a personal past with Bond as a motivation. I wish people would get that an archenemy doesn't need to have a personal connection with the hero to make the confrontation more compelling. If it's pulled in from the source material, fine, but reworking it to make things "easier" for audiences to digest is a trope that needs to be take out to the field and shot. Their relationship in Spectre is about as gripping and compelling as Luthor hating Superman because he stopped a chemical fire and caused Luthor's hair loss when they were kids in school.

[CosmiComic]

Even the slow torture aside, to my mind the worst thing about Spectre is giving Blofled a personal past with Bond as a motivation. I wish people would get that an archenemy doesn't need to have a personal connection with the hero to make the confrontation more compelling. If it's pulled in from the source material, fine, but reworking it to make things "easier" for audiences to digest is a trope that needs to be take out to the field and shot. Their relationship in Spectre is about as gripping and compelling as Luthor hating Superman because he stopped a chemical fire and caused Luthor's hair loss when they were kids in school.

Yeah, I like rivalries which develop because the hero foils the villain's plans. Blofeld didn't initially hate Bond, just wanted him out of the way

[ChrisIII]

The stepbrother angle isn't from the source material. In the novels,there is a man who kills Oberhauser, who Bond sees as one of his mentors in the novels, but it's Colonel Smythe, who in the movies was Octopussy's father. Novel-wise, Bond is raised by his Paternal Aunt after his parent's passing.

Novel Blofeld is pretty similar to the original movies, although arguably even more insane; and he doesn't have the trademark baldness and cat.

[CosmiComic]

The stepbrother angle isn't from the source material. In the novels,there is a man who kills Oberhauser, who Bond sees as one of his mentors in the novels, but it's Colonel Smythe, who in the movies was Octopussy's father. Novel-wise, Bond is raised by his Paternal Aunt after his parent's passing.

Novel Blofeld is pretty similar to the original movies, although arguably even more insane; and he doesn't have the trademark baldness and cat.

Which they probably removed in Spectre due to Dr. Evil