@Damienracer said:

I'm the most transparent person on Earth.

Let's leave it at that.

Sure thing son

@cswood said:

@Damienracer said:

I'm the most transparent person on Earth.

Let's leave it at that.

Sure thing son

Who is that in your profile picture? It's from the Saga comics, right? But which character is it?

@bratface said:

Who is that in your profile picture? It's from the Saga comics, right? But which character is it?

Marko, from the vol 2 cover.

@cswood said:

@bratface said:

Who is that in your profile picture? It's from the Saga comics, right? But which character is it?

Marko, from the vol 2 cover.

I couldn't figure it out because when I clicked on your pic I didn't see the horns, just the 'blood'.

@Russ007 😎 You did some wonderful post on this subject and I really enjoyed reading them.

@LansingFan said:

@Russ007 😎 You did some wonderful post on this subject and I really enjoyed reading them.

My pleasure

Did you also enjoy the film?

I'm not quite sure. I think I'm going to watch it a couple of more times before I can give an opinion.

Ah right, there's definitely a lot to unpack. I haven't watched it since early November myself. I'll probably have some more ideas on the film once it's released on digital/bluray later this month.

@Russ007 said:

I saw the film opening day at 7 minutes past midnight and I was definitely kept wide awake throughout.

That's not to say I absolutely loved the film but the pacing and story was good enough to keep me entertained and wondering where it was going to take me next. The acting in this film is fantastic. Craig and Seydoux are the highlights and in part because I finally see their chemistry, which was not apparent from SPECTRE. This is one of the biggest positives of the film and it retroactively improves the quality of the former entry. Taking time at the start to show them in their honeymoon phase as a couple was very important and I enjoyed the scene where they eventually reunite once again. And speaking of that scene can I just say that the children in this film are actually good actors? Crazy I know, but they're a part of the film the same as anyone else.

Safin was a let down if I'm honest. Malek is a great actor but I didn't find the role to be that deep. It's underwritten. His personal backstory is cool and I like how it connects to Swann and the events mentioned in SPECTRE, but his evil scheme is paper thin. I don't quite get his motivations either. Did he want to kill SPECTRE or was that Blofeld? No idea. Also, why did Safin describe himself to be a passionate man when he acts so dispassionately? It's just weird.

I don't like how Fiennes' M berates Bond once again. Can't the writers allow these two characters to be on the same side for one second? It's overplayed at this point. Although it did give way to one of my favorite lines of the film: "Sir, you must be really thirsty."

Anyways, let me talk about the ending. It's still hard to believe that James Bond is dead. Like no ambiguity dead. I didn't want to believe it until the explosions passed his body. Up until that point I thought a bit of Deus Ex Machina would happen, despite his poisoned blood. I get that his entire arc as Bond is meant to be tragic and he was always a tortured, doomed individual but it still hits hard. To think that the man in Casino Royale is now dead is just depressing. With every new film Bond is rumored to die and I never thought I would care if he did, but I was proven wrong. It hit me hard and I teared up in the cinema, at home afterwards and the day after. A hero, an icon is canonically dead. And he won't be 'alive' to save the world until the next actor takes on the role in 6 year's time.

Although I guess I can take solace in the fact that through his self-motivated sacrifice, which is ultimately what it was, he was able to save a woman he loved for the first and only time. Something he failed to do with Vesper in Casino Royale and M in Skyfall. He wanted Madeleine to live but could only do that by staying away from her. However, he knew this was impossible as his love was too strong and therefore at that point he had no more reason to live. It's also obvious that Bond couldn't live a life away from his profession. We saw this in CR and SF. He can't help himself from returning. There's something inside of him that refuses to watch the world burn and he'd rather die trying to stop it than sit back - no matter how peaceful (read: boring) life in Italy, Turkey or Jamaica is. I think this character trait is essential to what makes Bond tick and is best exemplified in M's quote at the end of the film about a man who chose to live life to the fullest instead of prolonging it needlessly.

So, what did everyone else think of the film?

I agree with everything the you said - it was good; better than Skyfall and a huge improvement on Spectre. I must admit it was emotional to see Daniel Craig's Bond die and the you're right, it's down to the acting/chemistry this time because one of Spectre's many faults was the lack of chemistry between them.

What I particularly agree with you on is how underwhelming the main villain Safin was - he was hardly in it and his motive for killing millions of people was very poorly written. Also the opening scene, while well shot, made me think he was some sort of supervillain as he got shot many times and fell from quite a height. Yet he got up like he was the Terminator. Not sure if I missed an explanation on that.

Otherwise, enjoyable and emotional - a nice end to DC's time as Bond.

Finally watched this Bond.

Thought it was average in terms of a Bond movie, but better than most movies these days. Needed more verve. I know the point is that Bond has lost a step and is aged, but the movie needed a bit more glamour and a bit more fun. It was a bit too self conscious, especially when he meets the Spanish woman. Almost as if they want to ensure Bond is seen as chaste.

M seemed like he was acting in another movie. Disconnected. The desk comment would have been better as a tongue-in-cheek joke. The focus on the rest of the crew and Mission Impossible, we-are-a-team, we-are-a-family-of-different-government-workers, dynamic was boring and overdone. Mission impossible does it better and it detracts from Bond.

I don't mind that they killed him in the end. It's a way to send off Craig and the ultimate sacrifice. Don't nerd out too much about how the next movie will fit. Its Bond, they can reboot or start it in the middle and it'll work.

It's clear that they wrote the movie for the current times, they marketed it well to excite outrage from long term fans as well as from conservative commentators, but they were safer in the movie itself, trying to explain away the controversy (e.g. assigning and reassigning 007), while still moving in a progressive direction. Media and culture games.

I watched it a couple of days ago and it's already fading away. Even the lesser Craig Bond movies left a more lasting impression. Quantum, Spectre (which I liked more than other did), made you feel more.

@cpheonix said:

@Russ007 said:

I saw the film opening day at 7 minutes past midnight and I was definitely kept wide awake throughout.

That's not to say I absolutely loved the film but the pacing and story was good enough to keep me entertained and wondering where it was going to take me next. The acting in this film is fantastic. Craig and Seydoux are the highlights and in part because I finally see their chemistry, which was not apparent from SPECTRE. This is one of the biggest positives of the film and it retroactively improves the quality of the former entry. Taking time at the start to show them in their honeymoon phase as a couple was very important and I enjoyed the scene where they eventually reunite once again. And speaking of that scene can I just say that the children in this film are actually good actors? Crazy I know, but they're a part of the film the same as anyone else.

Safin was a let down if I'm honest. Malek is a great actor but I didn't find the role to be that deep. It's underwritten. His personal backstory is cool and I like how it connects to Swann and the events mentioned in SPECTRE, but his evil scheme is paper thin. I don't quite get his motivations either. Did he want to kill SPECTRE or was that Blofeld? No idea. Also, why did Safin describe himself to be a passionate man when he acts so dispassionately? It's just weird.

I don't like how Fiennes' M berates Bond once again. Can't the writers allow these two characters to be on the same side for one second? It's overplayed at this point. Although it did give way to one of my favorite lines of the film: "Sir, you must be really thirsty."

Anyways, let me talk about the ending. It's still hard to believe that James Bond is dead. Like no ambiguity dead. I didn't want to believe it until the explosions passed his body. Up until that point I thought a bit of Deus Ex Machina would happen, despite his poisoned blood. I get that his entire arc as Bond is meant to be tragic and he was always a tortured, doomed individual but it still hits hard. To think that the man in Casino Royale is now dead is just depressing. With every new film Bond is rumored to die and I never thought I would care if he did, but I was proven wrong. It hit me hard and I teared up in the cinema, at home afterwards and the day after. A hero, an icon is canonically dead. And he won't be 'alive' to save the world until the next actor takes on the role in 6 year's time.

Although I guess I can take solace in the fact that through his self-motivated sacrifice, which is ultimately what it was, he was able to save a woman he loved for the first and only time. Something he failed to do with Vesper in Casino Royale and M in Skyfall. He wanted Madeleine to live but could only do that by staying away from her. However, he knew this was impossible as his love was too strong and therefore at that point he had no more reason to live. It's also obvious that Bond couldn't live a life away from his profession. We saw this in CR and SF. He can't help himself from returning. There's something inside of him that refuses to watch the world burn and he'd rather die trying to stop it than sit back - no matter how peaceful (read: boring) life in Italy, Turkey or Jamaica is. I think this character trait is essential to what makes Bond tick and is best exemplified in M's quote at the end of the film about a man who chose to live life to the fullest instead of prolonging it needlessly.

So, what did everyone else think of the film?

I agree with everything the you said - it was good; better than Skyfall and a huge improvement on Spectre. I must admit it was emotional to see Daniel Craig's Bond die and the you're right, it's down to the acting/chemistry this time because one of Spectre's many faults was the lack of chemistry between them.

What I particularly agree with you on is how underwhelming the main villain Safin was - he was hardly in it and his motive for killing millions of people was very poorly written. Also the opening scene, while well shot, made me think he was some sort of supervillain as he got shot many times and fell from quite a height. Yet he got up like he was the Terminator. Not sure if I missed an explanation on that.

Otherwise, enjoyable and emotional - a nice end to DC's time as Bond.

Yes I'm really not sure how Safin survived being hit several times in the chest with bullets. Perhaps he had a bullet proof vest underneath the parka jacket? He was expecting Mr White to be there after all and he knew that he wouldn't go without a fight, so I'm sure he brought extra protection. After the fall he likely had a concussion so him waking up a bit later was realistic imo.

@CheekyMonkey said:

Finally watched this Bond.

Thought it was average in terms of a Bond movie, but better than most movies these days. Needed more verve. I know the point is that Bond has lost a step and is aged, but the movie needed a bit more glamour and a bit more fun. It was a bit too self conscious, especially when he meets the Spanish woman. Almost as if they want to ensure Bond is seen as chaste.

M seemed like he was acting in another movie. Disconnected. The desk comment would have been better as a tongue-in-cheek joke. The focus on the rest of the crew and Mission Impossible, we-are-a-team, we-are-a-family-of-different-government-workers, dynamic was boring and overdone. Mission impossible does it better and it detracts from Bond.

I don't mind that they killed him in the end. It's a way to send off Craig and the ultimate sacrifice. Don't nerd out too much about how the next movie will fit. Its Bond, they can reboot or start it in the middle and it'll work.

It's clear that they wrote the movie for the current times, they marketed it well to excite outrage from long term fans as well as from conservative commentators, but they were safer in the movie itself, trying to explain away the controversy (e.g. assigning and reassigning 007), while still moving in a progressive direction. Media and culture games.

I watched it a couple of days ago and it's already fading away. Even the lesser Craig Bond movies left a more lasting impression. Quantum, Spectre (which I liked more than other did), made you feel more.

I think the MI6 team's involvement was well balanced in this film versus SPECTRE imo. They weren't part of the action this time. Just watching what Bond and Nomi were up to really. And I enjoyed the scene at Q's house because it felt natural, even if it's something we didn't technically need to see on screen.

I agree that certain parts of the film felt undercooked. I wish they didn't reinstate Bond as 007 for those 20 minutes. And the rivalry between Nomi and Bond should've been more competitive because in their dynamic there was so much more to explore.