The Bond Supremacy

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I went to see James Bond: A Quantum of Solace on Opening Day with my 13 year old son, and we both enjoyed it.

 There was a tremendous amount of action, my greatest complaint was that the villain just wasn’t on a par with the best Bond villains… a guy named Mr. Greene trying to corner the Bolivian water supply just doesn’t quite meet the standard in my book.   This was the problem with Casino Royale as well, I guess I just prefer world domination.  I suppose that I should take up my argument with Ian Fleming, the author… (They are running out of Bond novels and shorts to turn into movies)…
 
Today, we watched the 1964 James Bond classic “Goldfinger” as a comparison… Sean Connery has always been my favorite Bond but I have to say that

 

Daniel Craig has made Bond darker, more physical and in some ways more believable.  Since the Bond plots have always been more like a one-man special force, it is good that they are concentrating on the physicality and less on the tricks.   Goldfinger was every bit as cheesy as I remember with the plot to corner the US gold supply in Fort Knox, Goldfinger’s henchman Oddjob and his flying decapacitating boulder hat, and Pussy Galore and her troup of flying female Circus pilots…

 

 

 

With that said, here’s what I think they missed with the latest Bond:

1.      The opening Bond song stunk.  And the opening credit sequence that went with it was lame as well.

2.     They should have let Q and Miss Moneypenny have their token sequence, at least in passing.  This is one of the ways that we mark time in the Bond history.

3.     They should have let Bond introduce himself as “Bond, James Bond…” once and let him order a “Shaken not Stirred” Martini (as it was, it sounded like a Gordon’s product placement).

I just think it is better to have these throwbacks to the past, as a way to keep the Bond story fresh yet true to its roots.  When you realize that they have been making Bond movies since 1962 (the year I was born—Dr. No was released) it seems that it is a small price to pay to maintain this amount of consistency.  They can have their hard-to-believe chases, and incredible action-fight scenes, and the machine gun fire at point-blank range with Bond unscathed, but keep the old James Bond classic bits…

Rob Northrup…

Is Your Corporation Protecting Your Assets?

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18 Comments

16 Comments

  1. SusanNo Gravatar (13 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @9:30 am

    I haven’t seen the newest movie as yet but no doubt will as my husband is a fan. He has the whole collection and watches them whenever they’re on satellite as well. Even though the old movies are dated, they are nostalgic … I think that is something important that we often miss in our lives nowadays. A lot of people do not take time to reminisce. Your list of suggestions makes sense to me as well.

    Reply

  2. John HoNo Gravatar (86 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @9:51 am

    Bonding time with your 13 yr old son indeed!

    John Ho
    Understanding Personalities Through Numbers for Better Influence & Persuasion g)

    Reply

  3. Jennifer SkinnerNo Gravatar (42 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @12:05 pm

    I didn’t get to see it this weekend…but I’m looking forward to it. Although, I’m saddened to hear that they didn’t keep the little bits that we all look forward to in a Bond film…the little things that add up to the brand.
    Jennifer Skinner
    Wardrobe Planning Expert

    Reply

  4. Philip GravesNo Gravatar (52 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @2:29 pm

    I see your point about them not having the familiar, iconic elements of a Bond movie. I’m guessing, from your post, that you’re not aware of them having replaced them with any new Bond moments for us to get familiar with over the coming years. Is that right?

    Reply

    Rob NorthrupNo Gravatar (84 comments) Reply:

    I guess the new “bits” will have to become familiar over time… I liked the movie.
    Rob

    Reply

  5. LenaNo Gravatar (39 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @4:10 pm

    I haven’t seen the latest ‘James Bond’ yet, but I’ll definitely do that. BTW one of the main actresses is from my country.
    Improving Communication in Business and Personal Life

    body language blog

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  6. JenyaNo Gravatar (6 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @7:12 pm

    If you really feel that the bond movies should stay fresh then, they must drop the outdated and cheesy past. Can’t wait to see the movie. Went opening day and every single showing was sold out for the entire day.

    Jenya
    The Raw Food Resource
    Longevity Educator and Coach

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  7. Matthew ShieldsNo Gravatar (36 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @8:43 pm

    Hi , Rob
    I’m looking forward to going to see this flick soon. I actually have not seen a movie in the theater in probably about 2 years. This may be a good one to end the streak with
    Energy Expert
    Anything Solar

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  8. Michael RothNo Gravatar (24 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @9:03 pm

    Hi Rob, thanks for the review!! I will probably pass on the movie.

    Reply

  9. Cindy EyansonNo Gravatar (36 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @10:07 pm

    Thanks for the review… but I have to say the bond songs are great.. but I am a huge Alicia Keys fan… so that slants my view…
    Glad you had that wonderful time with your son!
    Cindy

    Cindy Eyanson Online

    Reply

  10. Intuitive JohnNo Gravatar (31 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @10:16 pm

    Thanks for the review. I’ll probably end up seeing it…I love movies…but your review put it into the “don’t rush to it” category for me.

    Thanks,

    Intuitive John
    Learn To Fully Use and Trust Your Intuition!

    Reply

  11. David J. ParnellNo Gravatar (38 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @10:18 pm

    Your a tough critic. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I did see casino royale… I thought it was only ok…

    David J. Parnell | Communication Expert
    The Communication Expert Blog

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  12. Lisa McLellanNo Gravatar (90 comments)  •  Nov 17, 2008 @11:15 pm

    I don’t usually watch movies. I think I mentioned that once or twice. I hate suspense so much that I get up and wash the dishes when the movies are too suspenseful. But, I’ll be sure to pass your review on to my kids!
    Babysitter, Nannies, and Au-pairs

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  13. John HoNo Gravatar (86 comments)  •  Nov 18, 2008 @7:37 am

    There must be a Bond cult out there :) )

    John Ho
    Understanding Personalities Through Numbers for Better Influence & Persuasion

    Reply

  14. Steve ChambersNo Gravatar (103 comments)  •  Nov 18, 2008 @8:11 am

    There was something just not right about this movie in comparison with Casino Royale, which I really enjoyed. I agree with your points, especially the song sucking and the product placement for Gordon’s Gin. No panache in that delivery.

    Loved the car!

    Steve
    Influence Tactics

    Reply

  15. Craig ErnstNo Gravatar (8 comments)  •  Nov 18, 2008 @10:43 am

    I loved Casino Royale, so I’m really looking forward to seeing this one, as well. Might take my dad to g see it this weekend. He’s always been a big James Bond fan.

    And “Goldfinger”…

    James: “Do you expect me to talk?”
    Goldfinger: “No, Mr. Bond! I expect you to die!”

    Heh…

    Maybe the best line ever in a James Bond movie. :-)

    Craig

    Reply

  16. April BraswellNo Gravatar (73 comments)  •  Nov 19, 2008 @5:18 pm

    Hi Rob, I’ll be seeing it with my date this Thursday. Yup, no surprise, he met me through an Online Dating Site for sings.

    I think we in the US often don’t UNDERSTAND the HUGE significance water has in some other parts of the world, like Croatia.

    thanks for communicating your thoughts. I’ll have my own… by Friday!

    All the best,

    April Braswell

    Online Dating Coach, Romantic Relationship Coach, Romance Coaching

    Online Dating Sites Review, Internet Dating Sites Guide

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