"The world got a whole lot meaner all of a sudden.

chrisisall

It wasn't supposed to, but it did." - Dark Angel

Question here is, now that it's a darker place, might it not be a better time for a Roger Moore-like Bond movie? More adventure & less gritty nastiness?

Just throwin' it out here for discussion... B-)

Dutchfinger

Hmmm hard to say, in a way it makes sense, but I am having trouble picturing Craig in a Roger Moore like Bond movie.
The humor that we saw in Skyfall was great. Bond jumping on to the subway train comes to mind. Some great jokes made in that scene! Humor should always be there, but making the next one an over the top and light hearted adventure, I think wouldn't really work for Daniel Craig... I kind of like how serious the Craig movies take themselves, and somehow I think they should carry on in that spirit.

But I'm having trouble finding a solid oppinion on this subject to be honest, as I am a fan of some of the more lighthearted Bond movies as well. Curious about other people's oppinions on this topic as well..

chrisisall

Dutchfinger wrote:

Hmmm hard to say, in a way it makes sense, but I am having trouble picturing Craig in a Roger Moore like Bond movie.

I agree, Dutch, I think Craig's movies have established themselves in the 'pretty serious' realm, and I like that. But if history has taught us something, it's that Bond movies change with the times.
I conjure a deviation into the lighter (but not light-hearted) mode as a balance to tough times. DAD was clearly a reaction to the events of 9-11 with its DAF-like OTT-ness; who knows what is in store for Bond movies as the world economy flattens out & climate change ushers in food & energy shortages?
In the Thirties' Great Depression the love of movies pressed on, no doubt Bond will too now and to come. -{

superado

After watching SF at home I was wondering just today how Roger Moore, Brosnan or even the others would look with the communication headset DC wore in SF?

LastRatStanding

I can certainly see the next Bond being more standard and I mean that as a good thing. Craig will never be a comic Bond but I'd be surprised if Bond 24 is quite as intense as Casino Royale or QoS. Maybe the same level as Skyfall but with a more normal Bond formula. Being a 'normal' Bond film sounds like a negative thing but Craig has yet to deliver one and I know he can!

chrisisall

LastRatStanding wrote:

I can certainly see the next Bond being more standard and I mean that as a good thing.

I'd appreciate Bond taking down a good old fashioned well-funded maniac bent on World domination right about now. Maybe the head of Quantum. :007)

Le Samourai

Dark times can lead to lighter films, as in the musicals and screwball comedies of the Depression-era.

But dark times can also lead to dark films. Consider, for example, the 70s. Not the cheeriest decade, and some of the best films of the time were quite dark and bleak (Sir Rog's Bond aside). Off the top of my head...

A Clockwork Orange
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Straw Dogs
Get Carter
Deliverance
Taxi Driver
Apocalypse Now
Cabaret
Chinatown

Thrillers and crime dramas got gritty, too: The French Connection, The Getaway, Marathon Man…

So I think it could be argued that the lousiness of our current time does not mean that the Bond films would or should take a turn towards the unserious.

Incidentally, I love all the films I mentioned above, and consider the '70s to be bar none the greatest era of filmmaking in the history of the medium.

chrisisall

Le Samourai wrote:

Incidentally, I love all the films I mentioned above, and consider the '70s to be bar none the greatest era of filmmaking in the history of the medium.

It was a time of free experimentation, before the solidified blockbuster mentality of Jaws & Star Wars...
Vanishing Point... Parallax View...
Those days are gone.

Le Samourai

chrisisall wrote:

Le Samourai wrote:

Incidentally, I love all the films I mentioned above, and consider the '70s to be bar none the greatest era of filmmaking in the history of the medium.

It was a time of free experimentation, before the solidified blockbuster mentality of Jaws & Star Wars...
Vanishing Point... Parallax View...
Those days are gone.

Alas, I fear you are correct. Harper's magazine ran an essay last year pointing out that the creative arts have been essentially stagnant for at least 15-20 years.

chrisisall

Le Samourai wrote:

Harper's magazine ran an essay last year pointing out that the creative arts have been essentially stagnant for at least 15-20 years.

"Moon" slipped through, have you seen it?

Firemass

chrisisall wrote:

might it not be a better time for a Roger Moore-like Bond movie? More adventure & less gritty nastiness?

I will give blackleiter 24 hours to try and talk you out of this idea. )

Le Samourai

chrisisall wrote:

Le Samourai wrote:

Harper's magazine ran an essay last year pointing out that the creative arts have been essentially stagnant for at least 15-20 years.

"Moon" slipped through, have you seen it?

No, but I need to. A few of my fellow film geeks have highly recommended it. Intelligent SF is such a rare thing these days.

Blackleiter

A "Roger Moore-like" Bond movie? Stop the madness! ) ) )

Firemass wrote:

chrisisall wrote:

might it not be a better time for a Roger Moore-like Bond movie? More adventure & less gritty nastiness?

I will give blackleiter 24 hours to try and talk you out of this idea. )

raptors_887

I don't want them to change anything. I'm enjoying these Daniel Craig movies too much.

Blackleiter

A voice of sanity - thank you! -{

raptors_887 wrote:

I don't want them to change anything. I'm enjoying these Daniel Craig movies too much.

chrisisall

Blackleiter wrote:

A "Roger Moore-like" Bond movie? Stop the madness! ) ) )

Just exploring what might come to be, my friend.
No one wants another MR.....

LoGabrielle

It kinda makes sense. There seems to be a sequence if you don't count Lazenby : Connery (serious), Moore (playful), Dalton (seious), Brosnan (playful), Craig (serious). It's not beyond the realms of possibility

chrisisall

LoGabrielle wrote:

Brosnan (playful)

I get your point here, but I'd say Brosnan was a hybrid. Part serious, part playful. He was a rather unique Bond in that way IMO.

Blackleiter

No worries, my friend. I'm not really concerned that the series will ever go back to the Roger Moore era of levity (especially not on the MR level!) because I think the Craig films have taken it too far in the other direction. That being said, I could see future films lightening up a bit, as was hinted at in Skyfall. That's fine with me as long as they don't go overboard with the humor (as they began to do with DAF).

chrisisall wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

A "Roger Moore-like" Bond movie? Stop the madness! ) ) )

Just exploring what might come to be, my friend.
No one wants another MR.....

BIG TAM

I can't see a return to '70s jokeyness anytime soon. The general audience mood will no doubt dictate any change in direction for the films.

Firemass

chrisisall wrote:

No one wants another MR.....

whoa whoa whoa.....think about what you're saying. Moonraker was a HUGE box office hit. I'm sure all the producers were thrilled beyond belief! In that sense another Moonraker is exactly what they are aiming for with every new Bond film.

Anyway, Moonraker is awesome. I'm still in disbelief how some fans slag it like a failure when in reality it's the biggest, grandest Bond film of all time.

chrisisall

Firemass wrote:

Anyway, Moonraker is awesome. I'm still in disbelief how some fans slag it like a failure when in reality it's the biggest, grandest Bond film of all time.

"Here's to us."
X-(

LastRatStanding

chrisisall wrote:

LastRatStanding wrote:

I can certainly see the next Bond being more standard and I mean that as a good thing.

I'd appreciate Bond taking down a good old fashioned well-funded maniac bent on World domination right about now. Maybe the head of Quantum. :007)

I'm with you on that one! -{ Even if the portrayal of Bond stayed exactly as it is, a 'world domination' story would be a nice blast from the past!

Blackleiter

I'll wager that another Moonraker-like Bond film would seriously slow down the momentum built up by Skyfall. So please, no.

Firemass wrote:

chrisisall wrote:

No one wants another MR.....

whoa whoa whoa.....think about what you're saying. Moonraker was a HUGE box office hit. I'm sure all the producers were thrilled beyond belief! In that sense another Moonraker is exactly what they are aiming for with every new Bond film.

Anyway, Moonraker is awesome. I'm still in disbelief how some fans slag it like a failure when in reality it's the biggest, grandest Bond film of all time.