No Time To Die: Bond 25 - Out Now

[SeanR]

Roger Moore was already older than Connery when he took over.

[Festoon]

49 minutes ago, Jammy said:

Moore didn’t like AVTAK much either - thought it was too violent.

 

Was that the:

 

"My arm - you're hurting it"

"I'll break it"

 

one?

[Ivanho]

11 hours ago, AstroBot said:

He was right….Your Eyes Only, Octopussy and A View to the Kill are poor.

For Your Eyes Only is actually a good film, it’s just that after the bombastic madness of Spy Who Loved Me & Moonraker, it’s more normal plot was a bit of a comedown

[Hanzo the Razor]

14 hours ago, SeanR said:

Roger Moore was already older than Connery when he took over.

 

I seem to remember that they held a press conference at the time. Connery said "I'm handing the role over to an older man."

[Hanzo the Razor]

2 hours ago, Ivanho said:

For Your Eyes Only is actually a good film, it’s just that after the bombastic madness of Spy Who Loved Me & Moonraker, it’s more normal plot was a bit of a comedown

 

For Your Eyes Only was supposed to be the next film after The Spy Who Loved Me. It even says so at the end of that film. After Star Wars blew up they decided to cash in by making Moonraker instead.

[Clipper]

I have rewatched all the bonds many times over the years inc the rubbish ones... with the exception of the Daniel Craig era Bond. They just don't inspire me at all - they aren't the shittiest ones, Die Another Day is a worse film for instance - I just don't want to watch them again and put myself through all the mawkish angst Bond goes through. THere is no joy in the character at all - that might be more accurate to the novels but the films have always had a fun element. Even when Connery and Dalton were being "serious" there was a twinkle now and then. With Daniel Craig it is just abject misery.

 

I can't even muster enough enthusiasm to pay £3.49 to rent this latest one yet! It will need to be a dreary sunday afternoon when there is literally nothing else to do when I watch this one.

[Monkeyboy]

8 minutes ago, Clipper said:

There is no joy in the character at all - that might be more accurate to the novels.

To be honest, no. I think the Dalton films have come closest to the feel of the Bond books.

[Pete]

Moonraker and Octopussy are the only Moore ones I won't sit and watch if they are on. AVTAK has some great moments and it's a bit unusual in a good way. Walken is absurd, and it has my favourite "evil guy leaves the evil meeting as it's too evil" death.

[JohnC]

While I understand why it’s a bit rubbish, I bloody love Moonraker.

[smithstock]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

While I understand why it’s a bit rubbish, I bloody love Moonraker.

For no reason, Moonraker is one of my most watched Bond films. The final third is absolutely absurd and jumping the shark, but I used to love it. 

 

Any takers for who will be the next Bond? I fancy Toby Kebbell. 

[Art Vandelay]

I do sort of struggle to think of many iconic moments the Craig era has provided that don't just rely on rehashing old vernacular. Maybe getting his plonker mashed with a length of old rope in that bistro chair, at a push? Some legacy to leave if so.

[Monkeyboy]

That bit where he falls onto a sofa and does a funny face.

[womblingfree]

On 13/01/2022 at 11:06, Simmy said:

I've an admission to make - I haven't enjoyed a Bond film since Goldeneye and I haven't wanted to watch a new Bond film since TWINE. I saw Casino Royale in the cinema and... Didn't enjoy it, sadly  

 

I dunno what it is about Goldeneye (honestly, I don't - I really can't put in to words why I think it's a masterpiece and timeless) but it's just so good that anything that followed just... I don't enjoy them  

Goldeneye is easily the best James Bond film without Roger Moore in. It has a great mix of eyebrow raised puns, drama and action. The characters are also a really great ensemble cast. Ivona Bonkalot, who kills you by cracking your skull against her foofoo until she reaches orgasm, is also one of the best assassins in cinematic history.

 

Serious Bond can do one.

[Oracle]

Plus it has an absolute belter of a theme song. 
 

Did think the intro of Die another day was good where bond is being tortured in North Korea. Rest of the film was ponk

[Benny]

I saw this was free on Prime so watched it last night before I run away from the Picard factory forever.

 

It was not bad. A decent last hurrah. Still absolute nonsense, but... Solid.

 

I think in general I'm kind of tired of the attempts to "humanise" Bond though. The films are about as cognitively dissonant as all the Tomb Raider and Uncharted style games people rightly criticise for their extreme violence matched with supposedly relatable protagonists. Bond kills so many people that when this film asks you to actually care about what happens to the character for a change it just falls flat, and barely registered on any scale for me emotionally.

 

Very nice set pieces though.

[The Disco]

I watched it yesterday, too.  I thought it was a decent enough action film, but a very poor Bond film.

 

Here you have a main baddie that is so enigmatic he's in it for about 5% of the film, and is completely inefectual besides being inexplicably able to kill all the Spectre agents with a weapon that M had developed in secret (obviously not that secretly).  The main baddie should actually be an antagonist, directly antagonising Bond at times.  In this, they meet about 5 minutes before Bond kills him.

It was also very poorly lit.  Bond films should have a wide range of locations, with exotic locations being a vididly bright colour to actually convey some sort of dream getaway place.  Everything here was as dark and dingy as everything else.

 

Still, I think it is the best Daniel Craig Bond film, so ther'es that..

[Lorfarius]

All I can recall thinking back was this on repeat for half the film:

 

"I'm 007"

"I don't care"

"maybe... but im still 007!"

[Nathan Wind]

I've walked into some sort of crazy alternate reality where A View to a Kill apparently isn't one of the finest films ever made. Roger Moore vs Christopher Walken. IT'S ASTONISHING, you mad bastards.

[Waggo]

Best thing about it was: 

Spoiler

Closing the film with Louis Armstrong and ‘We Have All The Time In The World’

2 minutes of pure quality in an otherwise slightly above average Craig Bond outing.

[Benny]

1 hour ago, The Disco said:

Bond films should have a wide range of locations, with exotic locations being a vididly bright colour to actually convey some sort of dream getaway place.  Everything here was as dark and dingy as everything else.

 

Did you have the brightness on your TV down or something? I thought the locations were a stand-out in the exotic getaway stakes.

[gone fishin]

2 hours ago, Waggo said:

Best thing about it was: 

  Hide contents

Closing the film with Louis Armstrong and ‘We Have All The Time In The World’

2 minutes of pure quality in an otherwise slightly above average Craig Bond outing.

Except (like I ranted about earlier), it’s just a lazy semi-nostalgic rehash of an existing Bond film moment. 

[Benny]

Incidentally, did anyone watching the version on Prime find the sound quality to be terrible? Everything sounded muddy and muffled and the mix was all compressed as fuck despite it being a 4k stream.

 

Conversely I can bring up an old episode of Better Call Saul in HD on Netflix and every sound is pin sharp and clear as crystal.

[pledge]

Is it 4k on Prime? It seemed to be listed as just HD for me like the rest of Bond.

[Benny]

I just assumed it was 4k I guess. But even then the sound mix is terrible for HD.

[Pelekophoros]

Watched this last night, following a month long DC Bond binge with the boy, who's never watched them.

 

Casino Royale is still good, Quantum is still boring and shit, Skyfall is still silly but entertaining, Spectre is still Quantum but with better cinematography.

 

But this? This felt like the first proper Bond film of the Craig era.

 

We were properly entertained by it, gave a shit about the outcome and I loved the action sequences in it.

 

Super enjoyed it, not at all sad to see DC go but happy with how his lass hurrah turned out.

 

For whatever comes next, there are two canonical reasons to keep it in this 'universe':

 

Spoiler

First is that both 'James Bond' and 007 are just codenames. The latter explicitly so in NTTD, the former potentially as a result of the conversation he has with...Matthius(?) when he dies in Quantum ("Is Matthius your codename?" or something).

 

Second is my personal theory: every Bond film from now ends with an after credits scene of Madeleine tucking Matild into bed, saying "And that's how your daddy saved the world..." and kissing her goodnight.

 

We could actually get back to some proper Bond silliness with that one. Spaceships! Intergalactic travel! Super villains! A F&F crossover event!

 

[ryodi]

I thought this was excellent and Craig's second best Bond move after Casino Royale. I watched Spectre a couple of days ago and has the be the worst Bond movie ever. Die Another Day was at least stupid fun Spectre was all the bad influences The Bourne Identity had on the franchise and zero charm at all. 

 

Spectre Spoilers

 

Spoiler

Dull, too long, completely devoid of interesting scenery and after the pre-title roll barely anyone in it outside the main cast. London looked busier in The Getaway, apart from two people on the train it was like Bond was operating in a void with only people he interacts with on screen. 

 

In comparison No Time To Die, apart from the usual Craig era terrible theme, was e great Bond film and while it did get predictable near the end and was probably 20 minutes too long I can definitely see me watching it again when it appears on ITV on a Bank Holiday sometime in the future. 

[Hamus]

Finally watched this.

 

Spoiler

I thought the Majesty's secret service / All the time in the world bit was good - and ominous because we know what happened there.

The subtle layering of music throughout here was also a little clue.

 

But the is she/isn't she of his daughter to be finally confirmed at the end just before Bond exits totally got me.

 

Yeah not much else happened and it swayed around a bit, and as mentioned the bad guy didn't make sense + no real fun henchman this time (eye bloke was weedy)...but the feels at the end with the outro music was great.

 

Rating: 007/10