James Bond

Diamonds are Forver and Die Another Day are very similar to one another in that both involve a diamond-powered space laser.

Goldfinger, Live and Let Die, A View To A Kill and The World is Not Enough also have the same basic premise of the Bond villain trying to monopolize an industry and using destructive means to do so.

You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, Octopussy and Tomorrow Never Dies have the same plot of trying to provoke 2 nuclear-powered nations into going to war w/ each other but for different reasons.

Edited by KRider on Feb 5th 2024 at 4:11:26 AM

All of that is true, but the 3 films by the same director being functionally identical is clear deliberate laziness on his part.

Incidentally, it came up a few pages ago but Felix Leiter being played by a different actor every time was a deliberate attempt to prevent the character becoming an Ensemble Dark Horse who might prove as popular or more than Bond himself, especially to American audiences. The Licence to Kill exception was because they wanted a version of the character people would be familiar with to increase the impact of the injury dealt him. Of course, the Craig continuity didn't concern itself with such things, and pulling The Other Darrin on him there would have felt offputting.

In my personal opinion, Daniel Craig´s Bond is the best developed as long as we can see a full development of the character from his first days trying to get his "007" code until his death.

I think the only way to explain some logic in the Bondverse is to think that some characters can share the name of the agent in order to keep their original identity safe and prevent their original families (if they had) to be compromised.

Even allies and villains like Felix Lecter and Blofeld shared that so they can keep moving on with the timeline while keeping the cool in the character where the age or other compromises pulled the actor out of the character.

The weird thing about Craig's Bond to me was that he went from a 'young newbie' in Casino and Quantum to suddenly 'over the hill and obsolete' in Skyfall and onwards.

Edited by dcutter2 on Feb 6th 2024 at 3:34:11 PM

I mean, a four-year time gap between the two films would do that.

The film could be trying to make a point of the short shelf life of superspies but nothing in Skyfall really hints at that as a message.

I mean with M/Mallory, he's not that much older and thus his desire to want to just work at a desk now rather than do anymore fieldwork unless the occasion calls for it is indeed expressed by the means of contrasting how Bond in his aging status as a globetrotting spy would either leave the agency altogether as he does on a couple occasions or—as is what eventually does happen—works until he dies.

The gap is a bit longer in universe, as well, as Quantum directly followed the ending of Casino. And Bond being over the hill in Skyfall is more to do with him getting shot and being out of the game for an extended period of time than his age.

That's a good point. It was about him of course being mentally unable to do it the same way anymore and not just simply because of his age and/or time away.

So, who here thinks Licence to Kill is a hidden gem?

I think it's a very good film showing Bond's more personal and emotional side when going rouge, with a well-balanced cast of characters that helps drive the plot forward.

It's one of my favorite 007 movies. Dalton and Davi have good chemistry. Only Octopussy had Glen directing better action sequences. Carey Lowell is, in my humble opinion, one of the best "Bond girls". And it's just a lot of fun seeing Bond and others lining up and knocking down a plethora of '80s action movie shitheads.

I think License to Kill starts off weak, but picks up into being a really fun actioner once Bond gets to Panama Isthmus City.

(Which is the reverse of Living Daylights, which had a very strong opening with lots of atmosphere, but got worse as it went along.)

Oh the Afghanistan stuff in The Living Daylights sucks so much. Shame, because if it was as good as the early parts, it'd be a cert to be one of my favorite entries, easily.

The fact that Q gets to do a lot in License to Kill compared to other films gives the movie a better grade than Living Daylights.

It's why Desmond Llewelyn declared that film to be his favorite.

Yeah the Q stuff in Licence to Kill is great. I actually love the opening sequence and while it got shockingly dark, it wasn't unwelcome though. The impression of being the first Bond film to get a PG-13—almost an R actually—is definitely strong there too.

I actually really like The Living Daylights, though yeah, I'm sure that stuff indeed hasn't aged well. Anyone else agree that if it was re-reviewed today, it would still get a PG and is probably the only Bond movie that would?

It appears the Aaron-Taylor Johnson speculation is gearing up again...British press and tabloids reporting he's been offered the deal and an announcement could be made within the week.

It took me this long to realize that Aaron Taylor-Johnson is English.

Wonder how Kraven will affect his image.

Better sign the contract while they're still kraving him.

I had no idea he was so young, two years and change younger than me. (33) Must have been 19-20 when filming Kick-Ass.

Remember, it isn’t official yet.

The sign that a new Bond is elected is white smoke coming from the roof of Pinewood Studios. That is the signal of the completion of Bondclave.

Edited by BigBadShadow25 on Mar 19th 2024 at 8:30:14 AM

I have to say if Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the next Bond... I didn't see that coming.

Edited by Bullman on Mar 19th 2024 at 10:57:45 AM

It's not like he's not respectable in most things. I'd be opened to giving him a chance in the role and seeing how well he does certainly. He's also only a little over a year older than me, so he'd be the closest actor to my age to ever play the role too.

Decided to check something, given the last time the new Bond was so young (Lazenby) didn't pan out... and ATJ is actually older than Sean Connery was in Dr. No!^note and he's exactly 8 months younger than me, as if I needed more to feel old and obsolete Better not simply base if an actor can be a good 007 just on his age.