The media at this point is just an extension of the marketing machine behind these things. Little, if any, actual journalism is going on anymore. Craig was “the best since Connery” just like Brosnan was “the best since Connery”. Guess what, the next guy will also be “the best since Connery”, until he’s replaced by “the best since Connery”.
7 Likes
True. But currently, Craig seems to be thought of as the best Bond, period. Connery might soon be forgotten.
Not by me, of course.
3 Likes
I doubt that Connery will be forgotten anytime in the near future, mainly because the films are stuck in this time warp where everything that is contained within them is a reference to something that came, usually, from the Connery era.
A bigger danger might be just Bond himself being forgotten by a large section of the public. Three films in a timespan that is starting to approach 20 years (it’s been 16 years since Quantum), does not suggest that it will remain a franchise that is a must-see for the younger demographic that studios are desperate to win over as we move into the future.
6 Likes
Quite.
Though in their defence one must concede that a constant gripe of the fanbase had been the sheer lightness of the flicks, also during the Brosnan years, especially DAD. They were all such inconsequential fluff that we oftentimes clamoured for a more serious tone. Nobody would have expected CASINO ROYALE to turn out as faithful as it would after 2002.
And I seem to remember every so often even some fans - usually the ones with the most out-there ideas - suggested killing Bond for sheer shock value. Another thing nobody seriously considered would be picked up.
4 Likes
On a personal note, Bond´s death just did not sit right with me (nor does it now) due to the point in time in which the film was released.
This is absolutely not EON´s nor Craig’s fault, of course, since in 2019 nobody could have predicted the world change so horribly.
But when the pandemic hit and NTTD was delayed again and again, and everything we could see was the trailer, I was not only hoping for an uplifting Bond film - I sincerely needed it. (So many terrible experiences from 2020 onwards, not just the pandemic…)
When the film finally was released and I read about the rumors of Bond actually dying at the end I was truly disappointed and shocked.
This was the film which I had hoped would restore a little bit of happiness. Instead I had to add it to the list of downbeat experiences, with a vague hope for more Bond films in the future.
Well, we’re seeing now how that turned out.
Would Bond´s death had been an interesting experiment in 2017-2019? I think so. I probably would have even thought: hey, courageous end to the Craig era, and I am happy to move on to the next phase.
Now, it feels like a mistake which keeps on souring the hopes for a new, more hopeful era. Which again seems to fit into these times.
5 Likes
I doubt that. My impression is that there are still large camps for fans of each of the actors, and Craig’s “supremacy” is far from a universally agreed-upon fact. As far as that goes, I know people who express an affection for the Bond series in general (but are not “fans” like we are) who haven’t even SEEN any of Craig’s films. (Which means, yes, I know a lot of old people. LOL).
The press makes a big deal about Craig, obviously Eon makes a big deal about him, and the generation that grew up on social media had Craig as their Bond, so yes there’s going to be a lot of visible praise for him online. But whether that translates to a general agreement across the larger population that Craig is “the best” is debatable, IMO. I’m not even sure how you could accurately poll for that data (especially now, when polls are ca-ca).
In the end, I don’t know how any Bond-du-Jour is going to eclipse the impact of decades of promoting, marketing and merchandising “James Bond” around Connery’s image. I think he will always be “the face of Bond,” for good or ill. Conceivably once enough time has passed for the older generations of fans to die out, Craig could be remembered by whoever’s left as “THE Bond” – at least until they too have passed on and yet-unborn Bond fans take over. But I doubt it.
Of course there’s also the increasingly valid question of whether James Bond has a future on screen, in which case all bets may be off. Maybe when the question is “Who WAS James Bond” people will mentally picture the end more than the beginning. In which case, Craig’s will always be the last face we saw. Who knows.
7 Likes
Back to the thread‘s title: after FYEO I do feel like watching OP…
2 Likes
As you said, no one could have predicted what was going to happen, but you can hardly blame Eon for not planning, producing and delivering the kind of Bond movie you, we and the world wanted or needed at the point when it was finally released.
It’s a bit like blaming Eon for killing off James Bond and thus give the Russians the idea that it could be the right time to resume their old world domination dreams. 
6 Likes
Absolutely. It’s just my explanation why NTTD disappointed me so much - and why I probably would have liked it had it come at a different time.
This applies to every movie or work of art, I suspect: the emotional state one is in at a particular moment in time. So many film classics became flops because of that, and so many blockbusters made money because they came at the right time (despite being not really good and potential flops at another time).
Given the absurd state of the world these days, this is probably the best explanation for what’s happening.
4 Likes
Reminiscent of Sir Sean going on strike during YOLT, and then EON running the script for DAF by him for approval/contributions.
Probably an ick factor involved. I read that Marianne-Jean Baptiste’s performance, while admired, was not enjoyed by many male Academy members.
A sharp observation. I wonder if Craig’s times would have allowed for a movie depicting a state assassin as enjoying himself to become a huge success. Angst was part of the zeitgeist for movie protagonists during the Craig years.
3 Likes
No. Connery made it clear YOLT was his last film, then two years later OHMSS disappointed the studio, so for the next film appearing two years later Connery got a contract which made him star one last time.
No delay at all due to his tactics (during and after YOLT).
Craig had fulfilled his contract after SP and hesitated for much longer to commit, then nixed Boyle and so on.
Lots of delays. Before the pandemic hit.
4 Likes
I couldn’t find a CR topic, but I just find out on Amazon.co.uk at the Craig Bond 4K box that CR also has the “extended version”.
Huh? Maybe this is old news and I completely forgot about it, but I can’t remember there is a extended version. Can anybody confim this and what is extended about it?
2 Likes
The scene where Craig emerges from the surf in his bathing suit is drawn out to a full five minutes, with some slow motion effects. It’s also known as “Barbara’s Cut.”
4 Likes
But seriously, is it just the original theatrical version, which may have been shortened in some regions for some reason?
1 Like
Isn’t a performer allowed to choose in their time?
I did not know he wielded the axe in this instance.
I think sometimes filmmakers are caught between the Scylla of “too much exploitation of IP too quickly” and the Charybdis of “delayed release”.
1 Like
I would agree on these points, just not if an actor knows he has the power and then uses it to get his way.
Think about the crew, people who need the work.
Too much power is never a good thing.
Sure, Craig earned the right to command more money, maybe even creative input. But when he announced a new Bond on the Colbert show in 2017 it was already set for a release in late 2019. So he took two years to decide and then decided he wanted even more time before shooting could start.
It’s not that he had tons of other movies slated in between. Maybe personal reasons, yes. But at least for this armchair warrior it seems that he just used the power surrendered to him by EON for his own agenda. No other Bond actor ever was allowed to do that.
4 Likes
To me there’s no doubt SPECTRE was Craig’s last Bond film. Nobody said it out loud, but everybody knew it even before the film premiered. At the same time, SPECTRE was also perceived as a weak effort, a middling wishy-washy thing that lacked substance and import. FYEO’s pts made more of Blofeld (and Spectre) than this. And most of those involved seemed to know it was below what they could and should have delivered, see Waltz’s own interview from some years back.
So the realisation must have settled that they should do one more with Craig - and if you decide that you’ve effectively decided Craig’s going to have final say over most of the production. You can do any other Bond film without him. But NO TIME TO DIE is the only Bond film that works only with Craig.
3 Likes
I am always in favor of people working. But the issue for me is the concept of “fan service,” where the audience is given a say in how a work proceeds, and at what pace.
I watched LE SAMOURAI last night, and it was wonderful. After I finished, I thought about someone telling Melville what his films should be about, and/or whose desires they should fulfill:
Gunman: Nothing to say?
Jef Costello: Not with a gun on me.
Gunman: Is that a principle?
Jef Costello: A habit.
I agree with Dustin that
The last shot is a goodbye to Craig Bond. He is driving the Aston Martin into the sunrise, and a perpetual perhaps with Madeleine (similar to Connery Bond 2’s perpetual perhaps with Tiffany). Both films close out their leads’ tenures, without invoking finality. James Bond will return.
Never thought of it this way before, but seems obvious now that you say it. I have always thought that any further film starring Craig (taking into account SPECTRE’s ending, and the makers’ dissatisfaction with the film as a whole) could end only with Bond’s death. Otherwise, they would be repeating the ending of a movie they were so unhappy with that they brought Craig back for one more go-round. The element of finality, which had been avoided for decades, was the only option.
1 Like
We were not and won’t be given a say in that.
But if an actor gets that power it will derail any firm plans for a series. Marvel would not allow that. EON did, and see what impasse that helped to create.
Yes, they don’t care and don’t have to. But as a fan I am disappointed.
3 Likes
Feeling like ending my Moore Bond binge (sigh) with TMWTGG…
1 Like