Should James Bond save the world again?

Number24

There was a time when James Bond saved the world in many of his films. But when did it stop? Could a war between North Korea and UK/US in DAD have destroyed the world? Or was the last time Bond saved the world in TND when he stopped a Nuclear war between the UK and China? I think we have to go all the way back to 1983's Octopussy to say Bond unquestionably saved the world when he stopped a war between the Warsaw Pact and NATO.

So should he do it again? I think so. Not the most out-of-this-world plans of Stromberg or Drax where they actuyally want to destroy the whole world. I don't think the audience today will buy that. Not even Bin Laden or Kiim Jung-Un wants that. But General Orlov really belived the WP would win WW3. That kind of villan we can belive, he's comprable to bin Laden and Kim.
I don't think the 007 of the future should save the world in every film. Not even sir Roger did that every time. Possibly every decade or every Bond actor, probably even more seldom. What do you think?

bosoxfan

Perhaps he could save the world from a killing virus that has brought most of the world to a grinding halt, wrecking economies, and putting governments on edge, just a thought.

Barbel

Well, it'd make a pleasant change from "personal" stories which is all we've been getting for years so I vote yes.

The Domino Effect

bosoxfan wrote:

Perhaps he could save the world from a killing virus that has brought most of the world to a grinding halt, wrecking economies, and putting governments on edge, just a thought.

Way too far fetched. No one would ever believe it. In our high-tech world, nothing like that could ever hap.... wot?

Number24

I definately think the villan's plans should become more spectacular and visual. Monopolizing water supply or getting access to inteligence data is probably more realistic than the tranditional Bond villan's dreams, but it's not very cinematic. I have an idea where a vilan who hates the West/NATO explodes a nuke in a vulcano in the Canary islands and creates a tsunami in the Atlantic sounds credible enough for a Bond film. Not to mention better than yet another personal mission.

The Domino Effect

Number24 wrote:

I definately think the villan's plans should become more spectacular and visual. Monopolizing water supply or getting access to inteligence data is probably more realistic than the tranditional Bond villan's dreams, but it's not very cinematic. I have an idea where a vilan who hates the West/NATO explodes a nuke in a vulcano in the Canary islands and creates a tsunami in the Atlantic sounds credible enough for a Bond film. Not to mention better than yet another personal mission.

I like that idea. Based in fact and devastating if successful. In keeping with the realities of today. the delivery of the nuke could even be in keeping with general social-distancing rules, ie at least 2 metres away!

Asp9mm

Saving the World is a bit cliched. So no. Saving the UK. Yes.

CoolHandBond

I would love to see a film in the mould of TB or YOLT. Bond is entertainment, it doesn’t have to be true to life.

The Red Kind

It would be a refreshing (not the right word I know) return to see this. So yes, I agree. Fed up of the personal stuff now.

Number24

I get the impression many AJBers want more traditional films after Craig. By traditional I mean mission-oriented plots and more humor and womanizing. Perhaps not full-on Roger, but possibly more like Brosnan.

Dirty Punker

Honestly, yeah. But then it sort of is doomed to end up as a spoof of itself.
Craig era ones got the mood right initially but decided to strip away the structure and gadgets of classic Bonds.

I think Bond is a sandbox that can be very intriguing in the hands of the right writer but it has largely not been taken advantage of.
There's several ways to do it and I'd say we've only explored about 3-4 with stories that seems to be in the 3-4 spectrum aswell, Barbel recounted that in a thread from when I was around ages ago (saving the world, personal story and 2 other I can't think of right now) but the point is we've been way too rigid about what it can be.

We need a sense of wonder that it sort of lost. I believe we've gotten some of it back with the Craig era.
Who knows what the future holds.

Grindelwald

Maybe they should reboot the "villain takes control of comet" plot for AVTAK

SpectreOfDefeat

I think world-saving plots may unfortunately be on the way out- the large stakes of the classic Connery and Moore films were mercilessly spoofed to death in the first Austin Powers (as others have pointed out.)

I do however believe the constant 'the mission is personal' trope, which has afflicted every Craig film to varying degrees, ought to be retired after NTTD. There's enough peril in starting nuclear wars or irradiating Fort Knox without the need for personal stories to get in the way. Having said that, GoldenEye successfully meshes world peril (end of the London banking system) with personal stakes (006 turning evil.) This, I think, is the approach a really excellent Bond film ought to take, finding room for both angles in the wider overall story.

Dirty Punker

We do sort of live in a hypothetical nuclear era too but it's way too boring to have a rocket size contest in a Bond movie.
Then we'd get a DAF or DAD or something ludicrously bad like that (though I've a soft spot for some of it).

Number24

A space themed plot that can work is making the villan's plt to send up "satelites" that are just big pipe bombs. He/she can use them for blackmail or as a part of a luddite ideology he may that again want to blow them up and start a chain reaction of the pieces of the villan's satelites destroying other satelites that again turn into pieces that destroy more satelites. This way he can destroy most of or all satelites around the earth and make space travel near impossible.

Grindelwald

Would audience accept films based in 50s/60s , as long as theyre good then people wil watch I guess

Could be a way to refresh the series now and then