Yes, the ending is depressing for a fan, despite being very good. I knew beforehand Bond was going to die, so I had a couple of days to pre-process, but I still had a strange feeling.
Incidentally, I would like to share here the story of how I got spoiled the biggest ever twist in a 60 yr old franchise…
On a Sea Shepherd forum, I read posts protesting that the Bond 25 production had chosen to film some scenes in the Faroe Islands (where an appalling dolphin-killing festival attracts a lot of negative attention and boycott). I was disappointed, and stupidly wanted to check if it was true, and googled the apparently innocuous “Faroe Islands James Bond”
And here is what I saw on the Google results page, without even having to actually visit a website:
It was on Octobrr 3rd, i. e. even before the film was even released in many countries.
I am very, VERY angry at this stupid Faroese travel company, “Guide to Faroe Islands” which clearly shows no respect to the Bond fans they pretend to cater for.
Hey CBN! I haven’t posted it a very long time and I hope you are all doing well. Created a new account using my old name on the new site just so I can share my excitement. Just got home from seeing it with my wife. I thought it was fantastic! I knew all the spoilers in advance and went into the movie expecting to extremely dislike it however I was so surprised that I enjoyed it so much.
Does anyone else feel almost as if it was a modern take on a Lewis Gilbert-type Bond film? I was surprised it gave off that vibe considering it had such emotional depth.
OK It’s time for me to review this film…I needed a day to digest it and I am sad to say I hated this film. The pre-title sequence is absolutely fantastic as were the opening titles credits which makes it all the more frustrating that the movie doesn’t work. The credits made yet another consecutive boring emo song sound a lot better(In another universe Bullet Holes by Bush from John Wick 3 is the correct song). Much like Die another Day the first 45 min is excellent and then they torpedoed it with head scratching ideas and while it’s not a s dumb as DAD it is more annoying. Bond is a fantasy figure. He lives a life of high risk and exquisite rewards: women, clothes, travel, cars, Martinis…the stuff of fantasy. I don’t pay to watch a movie about a family man. They actually have a scene in which Bond makes his daughter break fast. Really? So, we’re turning a fantasy figure into the next door neighbor? This what killed Indiana Jones for me: Short Round, Dr Henry Jones and Mutt…the producers should have paid attention to other Bond like heroes…whenever they introduce a growing family the character as in icon of action dies. If the producers are embarrassed by their hero for being an alcoholic, philandering playboy bachelor then just sell the damn property FFS !
When I read in the titles that there are about 800 writers I knew there’s a problem. All of these writers and no one objected to the single worst decision in cinema history to Kill James Bond? This is like poor writing choices 101(Zencat back me up here). This was a horrible idea. They ruined the Bond franchise by trashing it’s brand. They killed it dead. They have taken away the “male gaze” ie any sex appeal. Does Bond have any lovers in this film besides Madeline? Nope. Wouldn’t it have fun to see Bond shag a 007? what a wasted opportunity. Just imagine the quips! The possibilities are infinite!
The film is beautiful to look at and well shot. The sets are luxurious. The action is fun. The opening Norway and Matera sequence are riveting. The credits are all time great even for a dull song. The villain’s plot is pretty lame. Also, if Spectre was still a thing after Blofeld’s capture doesn’t it seem irresponsible of Bond to retire? Seems like he ditched Queen and country a little too soon. And no rematch with Mr Hinx? Bummer.
Another odd thing about this movie and it’s not so much a complaint as it doesn’t bother me because he is a “fantasy character” but does MI6 pay it’s agents like film stars? How is Bond able to afford this house and lifestyle? I get that he still has the boat from CR but he didn’t keep the $105M so how is he so flush with cash? He shouldn’t even be eligible for a pension! Ok, I can just accept that he won a few poker tournaments off screen and got rich. Fair enough. Anyway, this was a huge disappointment. It started with a roar and ended with a whimper. Movies generally aren’t very good any more. There is better entertainment on the small screen. I am way more looking forward to the final/next seasons Money Heist, Animal Kingdom, Ozark, Narcos, The Witcher than any big screen film coming down the pike. Also, if you really love Bond I recommend a mexican narco novela on NF called El Dragon: the return of a warrior. Fin.
I will have to process/review the film after my second viewing. My wife could not attend the first viewing, so I’ll be back to see it again next week. But, oh what a ride. I see where the complaint about the slowness in the middle came from, but it didn’t bother me. Right now, the only thing I would have liked to see and didn’t was an epic storming of Safin’s facility by more than just Bond and Nomi. That would have given it the icing on the cake for honoring the old films. More to come after second viewing.
Just got home and it’s late and I’m getting old (31 now!) so this is going to be a bit sloppy. I loved it. Classic Bond, good jokes, great action, and a genuine attempt to give us something we’ve never seen before. It doesn’t all gel perfectly but not too many of these films do, and the sheer nerve it took to go after what they were going for here is enough to bury any shortcomings in the plot. I’m not sure why he’s been holding out on giving a performance that alive for as long as he has but Daniel has never been better. What a hell of a way to go out. I’ll need to see it again and I’ll take some time to put together some more coherent thoughts, but for now, my heart’s full, and while I’m a bit sad, I’m so happy to have had this final film to close the book on what has been a huge part of my life. Looking forward to reading through everyone’s thoughts, but holy shit guys…we made it!
I just realized one minor plot hole detail: how does the Aston Martin get to the hotel? He took a motor bike to the hotel from near the cemetery right?
One assumes she’s living and working in London. Only after seeing Safin and Bond she’s taking her daughter and makes a run for the house where her parents used to live. Alternatively, she was hiding Mathilde all the time in Norway.
Though none of these explain why Mathilde apparently speaks only French with her mother. Perhaps she’s stashed away in France (or Québec) and just refuses to pick up anything but French…*
*It’s odd the service apparently doesn’t know about Mathilde given she’s Bond’s daughter - while Safin knows about her even though Madeleine is keeping her a secret.
So the best bet is probably that Mathilde lives with somebody in France and only ever sees her mother during vacations.
This Norway house is still strange. I can hardly imagine that she would have been keen on keeping the family home where her mother was murdered. Also, Madeleine was living there when she was with Bond: she remarks he remembered where she lived.
For the record, both Madeleine and Mathilde speak in a continental French accent, not a French Canadian one. I do not find it surprising that Mathilde would speak only in French with her French mother. It would be normal for a bilingual child (assuming she speaks Norwegian in kindergarten).
I suspect the Norway location is just an innocuous plot hole.
And yes, MI6 not knowing about Bond’s offspring is very awkward, especially since they are supposed to have investigated her thoroughly after the Matera incident, so presumably at a time she would have been noticeably pregnant.
It is also strange that Bond knowingly chose to help the CIA instead of MI6 and a sister officer and 00. Not very nice to Queen and Country, was he? And I am pretty sure even retired officers are still bound by some sort of Official Secrets Act.
Incidentally, is it not a sign of the incredible wealth of unthinkable events in this film, that Felix died and nobody even comments upon that?
Oh, we’ve had some early comments - but indeed, everything pales under the impact of Bond’s death.
In fact, the Official Secrets Act concerns everybody who would, knowingly or unknowingly, come into contact with an ‘official secret’ - that’s why journalists like Glen Greenwald can run into shenanigans when reporting about leaks. No need to be a civil servant or a Briton even.
What the Official Secrets Act doesn’t interdict is (former) civil servants working for private entities or foreign states - they are merely not allowed to divulge official secrets*.
Entirely forgot Madeleine’s remark about Bond remembering, good catch!
*Some are even working for private/foreign entities while still trusted with an official brief…
