Bond 25 wishlist

With all that’s going on in geopolitics today, maybe Bond 25 is a good time to bring in SMERSH. Maybe Blofeld gets assassinated early on by SMERSH as a statement by them that THEY are the ones Bond should fear the most. Since these films are a Bond creation story, this could set up what is essentially a new Cold War which was at the heart of the Fleming books…

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Some things I’d like to see in Bond 25:

  • The backbone of the plot (both from the villain’s perspective and Bond’s) should not be personal. There can be personal moments (like Bond visiting Blofeld in his cell for information about the villain), but these should not form the crux of the story.
  • The return of Felix Leiter (played by Jeffrey Wright), in a larger role than CR or QoS.
  • Some consistency in terms of the characterizations of the MI6 crew, particularly Q. In SF he was afraid to fly and “didn’t go in for” exploding pens anymore. But by SP (which seemed to be just a few months later), he was more than willing to fly and provide Bond with an exploding pen and a gadget laden car. So which is it? (Had SP at least referenced the inconsistency-- “I thought you were afraid to fly”-- I’d have been okay with it. But as is, the writing is sloppy.)
  • No more referencing of past Bond iconography (like the DB5). You can reference past things in Craig-Bond’s life (Vesper, M, Quantum), but don’t shoehorn in references to things from decades ago solely so as to wink at the audience.
  • More hand to hand combat like in CR and QoS.

It shouldn’t be too hard to incorporate all my wishes (although I doubt EON will, given the direction they’ve taken the past few years). In my mind, the above is basically all that is needed for a decent Bond film.

One more controversial thing I’d add: I don’t really need major Bond girls in each and every film (as in the past). It’s okay to ditch that trope for a film or two (one of the things I really appreciate about SF). But I recognize I’m probably in the minority on this one.

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Small note on Blofeld surviving - not meant to be open ended. The idea was it occurs to Bond that just walking off would hit Blofeld far harder than any death would.

"I felt very, very strongly always that Bond, at some point, has to win and not kill him, but he has to clearly win. He has to take the moral high ground. A character like the character Christoph plays is going to be more punished by being known and locked up than by being killed. I hope the punishment is greater than death. I wanted to build the whole movie to the point where Bond has to make a decision, between the gun on the one hand and the heart on the other.”

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/18-things-know-spectre/

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It’s clearly meant as Bond evolving to some different, higher level of his personality. But it also marks some kind of closure. Which in turn it might have been at the time. With Craig returning it now poses the difficulty whether to address it or not. Many in the audience wouldn’t care no doubt. But watching the entire Craig run it will stick out for various reasons.

I find it interesting the Craig’s Bond - for all the talk about him being harder - only despatched one of his main villains. Mr White killled Le Chiffre, Spectre/Quantum killed Greene then Blofeld was just left there. Even Silva was going to kill himself anyway.

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See, in that article Mendes says something I very much agree with, which is that Spectre was meant to establish the Blofeld character, but not be the final statement of him…

“And then you see, of course, how he got the scar. You see how he lost the eye, how it happened and it’s Bond who’s done it. In a way, it’s a Blofeld creation story. Perhaps next time you meet him, he might have shaved his hair off and you’ve now got the full package.”

Not sure i really need to see Bond evolve. Fleming’s character isn’t ‘broken’.

Just go back to the books rather than trying to make him a saint. That white hat/black hat trope is dull and juvenile. It’s the shades of grey that Fleming’s Bond inhabits, as laid out in his novel Casino Royale, and that’s what makes him interesting; unpredictable and dangerous.

I wish the ‘talent’ would quit trying to tame the guy! This need to fix something that’s not broken is a real bore.

I get that, and it makes sense. I just feel that it could have waited until a 3rd or 4th apparance.

It does not have the intended impact, I believe, because there is no moment during the film in which Bond is shown full of hatred, vowing to kill Blofeld (In that regard, Bond´s line “I came here to kill you.” is delivered too matter-of-factly.) If we are not led to expect that he will absolutely do this, refraining from it is not a surprise.

After the events of OHMSS, for example, having Bond then face Blofeld - and only let him be arrested… now that would have had an impact.

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Personally i’m a fan of his matter-of-fact delivery. His understated ‘anti-repartee’ been a staple of Craig’s Bond and for me carries no less weight.

I think Craig’s acting choices in terms of were to place emotional emphasis has been flawless and one of the main reasons he is so great in the role.

For example… If Craig had been angry - emotionally amped - when delivering the “I came here to kill you" line, where would his performance have left to go? He’s already turned it up to ‘10’

Just 3 minutes and 50 seconds later in the ‘control room’ Blofeld shows Swann the video of her dad shooting himself. Now Craig ramps up the anger and emotions to ‘10’, because the woman he cares about is threatened. If we’d recently seen him at ‘10’ this would’ve had no impact and fallen very flat.

I think choices like this (to reign in the performance until the right moment) makes Craig a shrewder actor and his Bond far more nuanced and detailed than any since Connery.

It’s easy to look at the surface of Craig’s Bond and assume he’s a good Bond because he looks tough, fit and has that dangerous Steve McQueen twinkle in his eyes. But below the surface the legs are paddling like hell, making very detailed choices about every part of the performance. Just like Connery it’s this which really makes him a great Bond.

Sometimes I get the feeling that those types of lines were written specifically for the trailer, despite making very little actual sense.

“Why did you come?”
“I came here to kill you.”
“And I thought you came here to die.”
“Well it’s all a matter of perspective.”

“Everybody needs a hobby.”
“What’s yours?”
“Resurrection.”

I feel like I’m supposed to like these lines.

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The writers will inevitably have an eye on the marketing, even if it’s sub-conscious. But i don’t think they’ll crowbar them into the script unless they think it works in context.

But the fact that they think these lines work in context does sometimes make you question the skills of the writer. The ‘Resurrection’ line makes me cringe every time - cheeso-rama!.

I always hated that line too. Makes absolutely no sense. There’s also the “Welcome James, it’s been a long time, but finally, here we are.”

I like to see a good paramilitary action scene. It don’t have be the final, could be in the middle of the film.

Blofeld again would be nice or nothing on him, but he not dead at all. Just some other villain for this movie, whether related to SPECTRE or not.

DON’T mix the realistic spy thriller formula and super spy formula together like the Bourne movies and Salt has done. IF it the super spy formula, then stay with that only.

Maybe a new Q that more like your big brother that three to five years older. IF not that then a Q that more like your youngest uncle. IF either way can’t happen, then what we had before.

NO more of that, that kind of looks what kind of ending is that like in SPECTRE. More like what seen before in Goldeneye, The Living Daylights, Thunderball, Skyfall and For Your Eyes Only type endings.

Go to countries and places that Bond has not been to or revisited in a long time, like United Arab Emirates, Australia, Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, New Guinea, Finland, Oman, Chad, Taiwan or Belarus, any place in the U.S. whether it California, New York, Washington State, Florida, Nevada or North Dakota that look like somewhere else that nice like going on vacation even to locals.

I would like them to just follow from where they left off with Spectre and name Bond 25 Blofeld :roll_eyes: but that wont happen :disappointed_relieved:

I think I saw rumor that it’s working title is Shatterhand, so…

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The “Shatterhand” rumor is pure fan fiction, picked up by tabloids.

After the unsatisfactory handling of Blofeld and Spectre I would suggest they not revisit those two but develop the consequences of a shadow organization manipulating world events.

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Yea, I know its made up.

How would everyone feel about Josh Brolin playing a Bond villain? He’s the right age to physically match Craig and he can be both a charismatic and terrifying villain, much like Silva.

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Since he did two villains in a row for Marvel I would rather have someone else who is surprising.

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