Pierce Brosnan Appreciation

[Wyldstaar]

Originally Posted by Neverending

I was watching the documentary "Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007" and they mentioned something that I hadn't really given much thought to. Almost every Bond film has either been made during the Cold War or Post-9/11. Those four movies that Pierce Brosnan made are the exceptions. Obviously, GoldenEye benefitted by being a reflection of the Cold War, but the three follow-ups were simply over-the-top action films. Die Another Day is an example of what happens when Bond movies are made without an enemy.

I think fixing that problem is what Quantum of Solace was originally intended to do. They were trying to introduce Quantum as THE new international threat along the lines of SPECTRE from the older films. The film was such a mess though, that it didn't really work out. If the concept had been executed better, Silva would have had some link to Quantum in Skyfall.

Since Bond 24 & 25 are reportedly linked in some manner, it could be that they're going to give another shot at creating a new Big Bad. Maybe Blofeld will be making a comeback?

[Neverending]

Originally Posted by Wyldstaar

I think fixing that problem is what Quantum of Solace was originally intended to do.

What fixed the problem was Casino Royale and Skyfall. Quantum of Solace was simply a victim to the 2007 Writer's Strike. Although none of the Daniel Craig movies deal directly with 9/11, they do portray a James Bond that's relevant to present day spy work. We live in an era where a random guy with a bomb on his shoe can cause mayhem. This isn't the time for tuxedo's and martini's. With the exception of GoldenEye, Brosnan's Bond had no purpose. Which is why the movie's got so cartoonish. Even Roger Moore, at his silliest, had to protect us from World War III. Back in 1995, an interviewer asked Brosnan, "what's the difference between Bond and, say, Bruce Willis?" and his answers was simply, "sophistication." Problem is, sophistication is now longer relevant. Our enemy is no longer Russia. It's guys living in caves. Bond has to be a brute force.

I guess the whole point of this is that the world decides what type of Bond movies we get. Unlike other franchises, we just have to go along with the ride.

[Tornado]

^ Well put.

[Neverending]

I did something crazy. I re-watched Die Another Day. It has been on Showtime a lot lately, for whatever reason, so I figured, what the heck.





THINGS I LIKE:

• The Pre-Title Sequence

• Bond imprisoned and tortured

• The North Korean angle to the story

• Halle Berry in that bikini

• The villain is a lot better than I remembered. The dude that played him is a good actor.

• David Arnold's music is a lot different than I remembered. I recall it being more techno-heavy, but I guess I was just thinking of the gunbarrell sequence and a few random cues. In general, it was his usual Brosnan era Bond music. It's really good stuff.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:

• Everything else.

[rebiatukas]

Bond movies with him sucked... period.

[Neverending]

Pierce Brosnan enjoyed Skyfall:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/484512

He also thinks that Daniel Craig is a great Bond but acknowledges that comparisons to his version are meaningless because it's a different era (post-9/11 world) and Bond has to reflect that.