Craig's Bond...what are they trying to do really?

edited March 2014 in Bond Movies Posts: 8
Forgive me if I sound stupid. But I am a bit confused after Skyfall. With Casino and Quantum I understood they were going back and retracing Bonds routes. Starting over. Then I just felt with Skyfall they went from having Bond being fresh and new agent to an old battered pro with nothing left. So is skyfall now supposed to be after Die Another Day or a continuation of Bond becoming Bond ( which then would refer to all bonds before him being old and shattered) Or could we call this more of a rebooting of Bond?

The one thing that really got me tied up was when Q said about the Exploding Pen and how they Didn't do that sort of thing anymore. Which to me says, it has been done and it is known that Goldeneye already happened. Which then would bring up all sorts of other questions to be asked, anyone have a thought or explanation on this?



* Also forgive me if state already as I am new to the board and scanned briefly. Just getting adjusted.

Comments

  • That's a good question. It baffled me when SF didn't follow CR or QoS while referring more to the films from DN through DAD. From what it looks like, Sam Mendes is a fanboy who likes classic Bond and wants to take everything back to the old, DC mentioned the irony from the Connery days making a comeback, my guess is that we're just going to get more Connery-Moore-Brosnan films and less Lazenby-Dalton-original Craig films (darker, realistic, and character driven).
  • XXXXXX Banned
    edited March 2014 Posts: 132
    There to afraid to read the books so they keep hitting reboot, like petulant child on a Sega
    jsr862 wrote:
    Forgive me if I sound stupid. But I am a bit confused after Skyfall. With Casino and Quantum I understood they were going back and retracing Bonds routes. Starting over. Then I just felt with Skyfall they went from having Bond being fresh and new agent to an old battered pro with nothing left. So is skyfall now supposed to be after Die Another Day or a continuation of Bond becoming Bond ( which then would refer to all bonds before him being old and shattered) Or could we call this more of a rebooting of Bond?

    The one thing that really got me tied up was when Q said about the Exploding Pen and how they Didn't do that sort of thing anymore. Which to me says, it has been done and it is known that Goldeneye already happened. Which then would bring up all sorts of other questions to be asked, anyone have a thought or explanation on this?



    * Also forgive me if state already as I am new to the board and scanned briefly. Just getting adjusted.
  • Posts: 8
    That's a good question. It baffled me when SF didn't follow CR or QoS while referring more to the films from DN through DAD. From what it looks like, Sam Mendes is a fanboy who likes classic Bond and wants to take everything back to the old, DC mentioned the irony from the Connery days making a comeback, my guess is that we're just going to get more Connery-Moore-Brosnan films and less Lazenby-Dalton-original Craig films (darker, realistic, and character driven).

    At least I am not the only one who seemed to be thrown off a bit by this. I guess we will have to wait and see the direction the new Bond movie takes.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    I've never taken from Skyfall that they rebooted again, to me it's still the same Bond from CR & QOS, they just wanted a break from the storyline of those films to do a special 50th anniversary film.

    They knew they couldn't drop the ball on that being such a milestone. I don't think they'll drop the ten plate of the Craig films. Maybe a little lighter but I didn't get the impression that SF was that light anyway, it had it moments but it still was pretty dark.

    There will be a degree of more fun and humour but I very much doubt DC's era is going to jump into becoming YOLT or SWLM all of a sudden. Craig's Bond is right for a certain type of film and global masterminds littered with gadgets and cheese is not where we are going. I have faith they'll get the balance right, the only thing that worries me is putting Moneypenny in the field again, I'm hoping that is just mere speculation and Naomi Harris' wishful thinking.
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    Shardlake wrote:
    I've never taken from Skyfall that they rebooted again, to me it's still the same Bond from CR & QOS, they just wanted a break from the storyline of those films to do a special 50th anniversary film.

    They knew they couldn't drop the ball on that being such a milestone. I don't think they'll drop the ten plate of the Craig films. Maybe a little lighter but I didn't get the impression that SF was that light anyway, it had it moments but it still was pretty dark.

    There will be a degree of more fun and humour but I very much doubt DC's era is going to jump into becoming YOLT or SWLM all of a sudden. Craig's Bond is right for a certain type of film and global masterminds littered with gadgets and cheese is not where we are going. I have faith they'll get the balance right, the only thing that worries me is putting Moneypenny in the field again, I'm hoping that is just mere speculation and Naomi Harris' wishful thinking.

    I agree with you, SF is not a reboot. The Bond of CR and QoS is in the past, a lot has happened, and the current Bond is in line with the previous Bonds we had,a seasoned agent.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited March 2014 Posts: 12,459
    Oh it is so not a reboot. Craig's Bond has evolved in sequence from CR thru QOS to SF. Very much looking forward to where the character of Bond goes, is developed, in Bond 24.
  • Sandy wrote:
    I agree with you, SF is not a reboot. The Bond of CR and QoS is in the past, a lot has happened, and the current Bond is in line with the previous Bonds we had,a seasoned agent.

    You are quite correct, @Sandy. Trying to figure out a definitive timeline for the Bond films is pointless. EON has never cared much about continuity. The introduction of Daniel Craig as James Bond gave them a nice excuse to present Bond's "origin story," Casino Royale, a book they had never had the legal right to adapt prior to 2005. QoS was a logical follow-through to the plot line they had established with CR, and it's entirely possible that some future Bond movie may flash back in "time" to follow up on the Quantum storyline -- or they may choose not to. But after all that: STUFF HAPPENED. Lots of stuff. Stuff which evidently included an Aston Martin DB5 with an ejector seat. All your favorite Bond moments can be assumed to have occurred to the current Bond; the stuff you never much cared for can be assumed to have found its way to the cutting room floor. Jaws falls in love? Nope. *SNIP* Bond beds Mary Goodnight at the close of TMWTGG, despite the fact that he never gave her the slightest hint of respect prior to that moment? Nuh-uh. *SNIP, SNIP, SNIP* (This film requires a substantial amount of editing to my mind, and that bloody slide-whistle will never again be heard by the film-going public.) At least, it's that way for me. Your mileage may vary.
  • Well, I think they bottled it a bit.

    CR was a reboot, sure, and they pulled it off. But they had to adhere to the brand, so you had the DB5 reintroduced and Dame Judi back too, which muddied the waters.

    They dropped the ball with QoS. Sure, it was a sequel to CR, but fanboy Forster had loads of visual references to the previous series, so it started to seem like DAD tribute Bond again, it was rather distracting, esp as it also had the DAD non-stop action thing going on too. It didn't build on the new start.

    Now, as QoS was ill received, they threw a lot of that out with SF and went for a big set piece Bond. Maybe cos they got John Logan on board the plot has mixed messages; they want to have Bond as the old guy (and CRaig looks it) but they are still locked into the reboot thing where Bond is still developing into Bond, cos imo that's the only theme they've got and they may as well milk it/complete it. But otherwise everything has fallen by the wayside: Bond's old guardian benefactor, Villiers (one film only), Tanner isn't given much to do, what happened to Quantum?

    As for the exploding pen, that is a kind of nod to audiences who see Bond as a generic figure and don't take it too seriously.
  • "Seasoned agent"? Does that mean Craig's salt and pepper beard?
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    "Seasoned agent"? Does that mean Craig's salt and pepper beard?

    Seasoned

    1. To improve or enhance the flavor of (food) by adding salt, spices, herbs, or other flavorings.
    2. To add zest, piquancy, or interest to: seasoned the lecture with jokes.
    3. To treat or dry (lumber, for example) until ready for use; cure.
    4. To render competent through trial and experience: a lawyer who had been seasoned by years in the trial courts.
    5. To accustom or inure; harden: troops who had been seasoned in combat. See Synonyms at harden.
    6. To moderate; temper.
    v.intr.
    To become usable, competent, or tempered.
  • edited March 2014 Posts: 1,314
    It's not worth thinking about. SF is unrelated to QOS. CR is an introduction to the character of James Bond. SF feels like a bond film further on in that characters timeline.

    I never watch Moonraker thinking "I must remember this precedes the events in Octopussy. " or vice versa.
  • SF is perfect prelude for the cold war return...Ukraine anyone...the Russians have made political espionage in Europe cool again...quantum to return in the next one...we haven't seen Craig ski yet.

    Ps Im worrying the next door's cat....here kitty kitty kitty....
  • Posts: 1,817
    There's no way one can find a coherent and logically perfect timeline with the 23 Bond movies. Starting with OHMSS this is a futile quest.
    It seems reasonable that CR, QOS and SF follows a new timeline and that there is a gap between QOS and SF not only in the production time but also story-wise. So yes, he was "new" in CR (which is a reboot and has no relation with previous movies) and he gets a little older in SF. Exploding pen? For the viewers it was a nod to GE but in the narrative of course it isn't (unless Craig's Bond watched "GoldenEye").
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,691
    QoS was a logical follow-through to the plot line they had established with CR, and it's entirely possible that some future Bond movie may flash back in "time" to follow up on the Quantum storyline -- or they may choose not to. But after all that: STUFF HAPPENED. Lots of stuff. Stuff which evidently included an Aston Martin DB5 with an ejector seat. All your favorite Bond moments can be assumed to have occurred to the current Bond

    I love this take, @BeatlesSansEarmuffs.
  • Posts: 1,314
    chrisisall wrote:
    QoS was a logical follow-through to the plot line they had established with CR, and it's entirely possible that some future Bond movie may flash back in "time" to follow up on the Quantum storyline -- or they may choose not to. But after all that: STUFF HAPPENED. Lots of stuff. Stuff which evidently included an Aston Martin DB5 with an ejector seat. All your favorite Bond moments can be assumed to have occurred to the current Bond

    I love this take, @BeatlesSansEarmuffs.

    I agree. This is how I see it too
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    0013 wrote:
    There's no way one can find a coherent and logically perfect timeline with the 23 Bond movies. Starting with OHMSS this is a futile quest.
    Or even YOLT. The producers have never been as bothered with consistency as the blood fans have. Not by a lightyear.
  • edited March 2014 Posts: 12,837
    chrisisall wrote:
    QoS was a logical follow-through to the plot line they had established with CR, and it's entirely possible that some future Bond movie may flash back in "time" to follow up on the Quantum storyline -- or they may choose not to. But after all that: STUFF HAPPENED. Lots of stuff. Stuff which evidently included an Aston Martin DB5 with an ejector seat. All your favorite Bond moments can be assumed to have occurred to the current Bond

    I love this take, @BeatlesSansEarmuffs.

    If you count the video games in the same universe as the films then Craig's Bond experienced (bastardised versions of) DN-DAD in between QOS and SF.

    But I think we're over thinking it really. Every Bond film (apart form QOS) is more or less a stand alone film and SF is no exception. The people making the films couldn't give a flying f**k about continuity so we shouldn't either.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    chrisisall wrote:
    QoS was a logical follow-through to the plot line they had established with CR, and it's entirely possible that some future Bond movie may flash back in "time" to follow up on the Quantum storyline -- or they may choose not to. But after all that: STUFF HAPPENED. Lots of stuff. Stuff which evidently included an Aston Martin DB5 with an ejector seat. All your favorite Bond moments can be assumed to have occurred to the current Bond

    I love this take, @BeatlesSansEarmuffs.

    If you count the video games in the same universe as the films then Craig's Bond experienced (bastardised versions of) DN-DAD in between QOS and SF.

    But I think we're over thinking it really. Every Bond film (apart form QOS) is more or less a stand alone film and SF is no exception. The people making the films couldn't give a flying f**k about continuity so we shouldn't either.

    I don't think you're giving the filmmakers enough credit here, especially in the Craig era where some of the biggest talents to ever sign on to a Bond film have been attached to the projects. EON obviously care about continuity, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten a film like QoS that directly followed the previous adventure in not only its storyline beats but also in its heart. Continuity goes beyond simple plot details. The characters that we know and love from the earlier films in the era have developed significantly, which adds a sense of continuation to the Craig era which has treated the Bond character as someone worth portraying with depth and intelligence again.
  • Posts: 224
    That's a good question. It baffled me when SF didn't follow CR or QoS while referring more to the films from DN through DAD. From what it looks like, Sam Mendes is a fanboy who likes classic Bond and wants to take everything back to the old, DC mentioned the irony from the Connery days making a comeback, my guess is that we're just going to get more Connery-Moore-Brosnan films and less Lazenby-Dalton-original Craig films (darker, realistic, and character driven).

    I agree.

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