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Pre-title sequences that deserved their own movies

TheSkyfallen06TheSkyfallen06 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
edited August 2023 in Bond Movies Posts: 989
I don't know if there is a thread like this already.
Have you ever watched a Bond movie's pre-title sequence and think "You know, maybe this could work on its own movie"?
For me, it's Thunderball's, it always interested me to know what happened before that led to Jacques Bouvar's fake funeral.
Do you have any?

Comments

  • 007HallY007HallY
    Posts: 2,901
    Cool thread. I suppose it's probably because Bond isn't in it, but I always become interested in Scaramaga's life in TMWTGG's PTS. Like, how did he get to the point of being the best assassin in the world? Why does he have this weird fixation on Bond? How did he come to buy this island/meet Nik Nack? Not that I want to see a Scaramaga prequel/tv show or whatever, but it raises questions.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    Posts: 3,391
    007HallY wrote: »
    Cool thread. I suppose it's probably because Bond isn't in it, but I always become interested in Scaramaga's life in TMWTGG's PTS. Like, how did he get to the point of being the best assassin in the world? Why does he have this weird fixation on Bond? How did he come to buy this island/meet Nik Nack? Not that I want to see a Scaramaga prequel/tv show or whatever, but it raises questions.

    How did he have a knowledge about Bond in the first place, like how did he knew Bond?
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    edited August 2023 Posts: 8,696
    I've always considered the GF PTS a sort of mini-James Bond movie in itself. Would be nice to find out about Señor Ramirez and his banana business, and how Bond came to finish it off.

    That being said, where is there a "James' fake funeral" in TB? It's Jacques Bouvar's fake funeral, in spite of the same initials.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited August 2023 Posts: 3,391
    What needs an explanation are those missions that happened in the PTS, that had no connection to the main film, or separate from the main film.

    1. Goldfinger, we all know that it's Bond doing a night duty, but it would be interesting to know who's the man that he's after in that PTS, how did Bond tracked down that drug facility?

    2. Octopussy, the same, his mission regarding this Colonel Toro, like show what led him to that location where he's in the PTS, how did he met Bianca, and what led to MI6 investigate this Spanish Army, this basically needs an extra scenes or expansion beyond of being a PTS, the film just opened up with him planning his disguise in there, but an extra scenes regarding of what led him there and what that mission was all about might help.

    3. Tomorrow Never Dies, I think Bond's mission in the PTS was also separate from the main film, so that one, where he'd infiltrated a Russian Airbase, I think it needs a lot more clarification and explanation of what's in there, what's that mission really all about? I have no idea, other than it to serve as an opening for an action scene, what was the intention of MI6 in that one?
  • TheSkyfallen06TheSkyfallen06 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
    edited August 2023 Posts: 989
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    I've always considered the GF PTS a sort of mini-James Bond movie in itself. Would be nice to find out about Señor Ramirez and his banana business, and how Bond came to finish it off.

    That being said, where is there a "James' fake funeral" in TB? It's Jacques Bouvar's fake funeral, in spite of the same initials.

    Oh right, sorry, got confused with the initials, clumsy of me.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    Posts: 8,696
    TheSkyfallen06 wrote: »
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    I've always considered the GF PTS a sort of mini-James Bond movie in itself. Would be nice to find out about Señor Ramirez and his banana business, and how Bond came to finish it off.

    That being said, where is there a "James' fake funeral" in TB? It's Jacques Bouvar's fake funeral, in spite of the same initials.

    Oh right, sorry, got confused with the initials, clumsy of me.

    No problem, I sometimes get the facts mixed up as well...
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    edited August 2023 Posts: 12,270
    How about the very first one, FRWL? A spin-off all about Grant’s life, training, etc., taken heavily from the original novel. Him looking ready to kill Bond with ease would be the perfect way to end the movie.

    Also, a serious version of DAF’s silly intro, as the followup to OHMSS that we should have gotten, of course.
  • 007HallY007HallY
    edited August 2023 Posts: 2,901
    There's of course FYEO's PTS. It becomes interesting when you imagine the wheelchair bound, bald headed villain in the neckbrace not as Blofeld but some sort of imposter. After all, it's more likely that the Blofeld we know in the film series died in DAF (and had plastic surgery to make him look like Charles Gary straight after the events of OHMSS anyway, making the bald head very strange). Was it one of Blofeld's early plastic surgery candidates? Did some sort of incident make him have to go into hiding/make him go mad and believe he was, in fact, Blofeld and eventually track down Bond on some sort of weird second hand revenge mission?

    All of this is significantly more interesting and logical than the actual PTS incidentally, but oh well...
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,270
    007HallY wrote: »
    There's of course FYEO's PTS. It becomes interesting when you imagine the wheelchair bound, bald headed villain in the neckbrace not as Blofeld but some sort of imposter. After all, it's more likely that the Blofeld we know in the film series died in DAF (and had plastic surgery to make him look like Charles Gary straight after the events of OHMSS anyway, making the bald head very strange). Was it one of Blofeld's early plastic surgery candidates? Did some sort of incident make him have to go into hiding/make him go mad and believe he was, in fact, Blofeld and eventually track down Bond on some sort of weird second hand revenge mission?

    All of this is significantly more interesting and logical than the actual PTS incidentally, but oh well...

    Ironically, I always viewed the "Blofeld(s)" we see through DAF to be imposters, then the one in FYEO opening to be the first real one since the end of OHMSS. Never made clear, so fun to interpret!
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    FoxRox wrote: »
    007HallY wrote: »
    There's of course FYEO's PTS. It becomes interesting when you imagine the wheelchair bound, bald headed villain in the neckbrace not as Blofeld but some sort of imposter. After all, it's more likely that the Blofeld we know in the film series died in DAF (and had plastic surgery to make him look like Charles Gary straight after the events of OHMSS anyway, making the bald head very strange). Was it one of Blofeld's early plastic surgery candidates? Did some sort of incident make him have to go into hiding/make him go mad and believe he was, in fact, Blofeld and eventually track down Bond on some sort of weird second hand revenge mission?

    All of this is significantly more interesting and logical than the actual PTS incidentally, but oh well...

    Ironically, I always viewed the "Blofeld(s)" we see through DAF to be imposters, then the one in FYEO opening to be the first real one since the end of OHMSS. Never made clear, so fun to interpret!

    Yes, sad, partially paralyzed, demented & basically broke. A fitting end for him.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,961
    SIS_HQ wrote: »

    2. Octopussy, the same, his mission regarding this Colonel Toro, like show what led him to that location where he's in the PTS, how did he met Bianca, and what led to MI6 investigate this Spanish Army, this basically needs an extra scenes or expansion beyond of being a PTS, the film just opened up with him planning his disguise in there, but an extra scenes regarding of what led him there and what that mission was all about might help.

    A bit OT, but I was thinking how the Octopussy PTS could have incorporated the Fleming short story a little if it had been expanded. Imagine Bond and Bianca have infiltrated this Central American country, where British arms designer Dexter Smythe lives in a palace under house arrest by order of the President. He defected there and designed weapons for them, but now finds himself effectively a prisoner. Bond and Bianca enter his rooms in disguise (Bond as Colonel Toro) and confront him, ordering him to tell them where the tracking system he designed is being kept. He's full of regret for his actions and is happy to tell them- Bianca is keen that they carry out their mission and silence him, but Bond knows Smythe is penitent and they come to an unspoken agreement: Bond giving him a few hours to get his affairs in order. Bond leaves to go and discover and destroy the tracking system, as Smythe turns sadly to his large aquarium and his pet octopussy...
    007HallY wrote: »
    Cool thread. I suppose it's probably because Bond isn't in it, but I always become interested in Scaramaga's life in TMWTGG's PTS. Like, how did he get to the point of being the best assassin in the world? Why does he have this weird fixation on Bond? How did he come to buy this island/meet Nik Nack? Not that I want to see a Scaramaga prequel/tv show or whatever, but it raises questions.

    I do think a Scaramanga prequel/TV show would work! :)
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 7,973
    mtm wrote: »
    SIS_HQ wrote: »

    2. Octopussy, the same, his mission regarding this Colonel Toro, like show what led him to that location where he's in the PTS, how did he met Bianca, and what led to MI6 investigate this Spanish Army, this basically needs an extra scenes or expansion beyond of being a PTS, the film just opened up with him planning his disguise in there, but an extra scenes regarding of what led him there and what that mission was all about might help.

    A bit OT, but I was thinking how the Octopussy PTS could have incorporated the Fleming short story a little if it had been expanded. Imagine Bond and Bianca have infiltrated this Central American country, where British arms designer Dexter Smythe lives in a palace under house arrest by order of the President. He defected there and designed weapons for them, but now finds himself effectively a prisoner. Bond and Bianca enter his rooms in disguise (Bond as Colonel Toro) and confront him, ordering him to tell them where the tracking system he designed is being kept. He's full of regret for his actions and is happy to tell them- Bianca is keen that they carry out their mission and silence him, but Bond knows Smythe is penitent and they come to an unspoken agreement: Bond giving him a few hours to get his affairs in order. Bond leaves to go and discover and destroy the tracking system, as Smythe turns sadly to his large aquarium and his pet octopussy...
    007HallY wrote: »
    Cool thread. I suppose it's probably because Bond isn't in it, but I always become interested in Scaramaga's life in TMWTGG's PTS. Like, how did he get to the point of being the best assassin in the world? Why does he have this weird fixation on Bond? How did he come to buy this island/meet Nik Nack? Not that I want to see a Scaramaga prequel/tv show or whatever, but it raises questions.

    I do think a Scaramanga prequel/TV show would work! :)

    It would give the film the grit it is lacking now, like the idea.

  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,936
    MR - the African Job. Often wondered how you could end the film with that scene and not be too repetitive; put a new twist on it. Plus, Africa hasn't been seen a whole lot in the series, particularly the south.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 4,977
    "I've always fancied a trip to South Africa."

    "You are going to Amsterdam."

    Even Bond wanted to head to Africa as far back as 1971. To think in 1979 he got his wish. Now if we could figure out who Jaws was working for? In the Chris Wood novelization he wrote that the people in the plane were some of the last remnants of Stromberg's operation. Maybe Jaws hired the pilot and stewardess to help remove Bond?

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