James Bond's Iconic Gun Barrel Sequence - What is going on?!!

kanada · March 2013

I'm a BOND fan and I am beginning to hate BOND movies. Why? Because they keep screwing up the iconic Gun Barrel Sequence, which is now in the end.

They made so many changes to BOND and they keep doing it. In Goldeneye, they changed M to a lady. OMG, what went wrong with Barbara Broccoli. Then they started to alter James Bond cool (Sean Connery & Roger Moore) image into a rebellious one (Daniel Craig). Don't get me wrong, I love Daniel Craig, but it is definite not the Bond that I grew up watching and admiring.

Now they moved the iconic Gun Barrel Sequence to the end. James Bond is no longer as it used to be. Albert Broccoli made every attempt to perfect Bond movies and kept consistencies. Now it has become nothing but a money making franchise. Disappointed....extremely disappointed.

Am I the only one who is getting disappointed or are they many out there who are too!

NeverSayDie · March 2013

It's always been a money making franchise... it's the movie 'business'.

)
Skyfall is now the 7th highest grossing film of all time so they must be doing something right!
Saying that I would like the gun barrel back at the start.

LastRatStanding · March 2013

Throwing a spanner in the works, so to speak, keeps the series from getting boring. They aren't going to please everyone. There are two kinds of die hard Bond fans; those who care so much that the slightest thing like moving the gun barrel to the end will annoy them and those that enjoy Bond so much they couldn't care less where the gun barrel is. Personally, I'm the latter but will admit the return of an introductory gun barrel would be welcome. It's no reason to 'hate' the series though. Nor is M being a woman, women can work in pretty much any environment these days, things aren't the same as they used to be. But don't get your knickers in a twist, she's dead and gone now.

There are many out there like you, but the franchise is certainly not at a point of no return. They are mixing it up to ensure they don't just recycle the same thing over and over and the popularity of the Bond films since Craig came along proves that it is working. There are always going to be complaints from some people which is fine, it keeps everyone interested.

Bond is not what is used to be, but neither is anything really. Bond is adapting to keep modern day audiences interested and plot lines relevant.

always shaken · March 2013

LastRatStanding wrote:

Throwing a spanner in the works, so to speak, keeps the series from getting boring. They aren't going to please everyone. There are two kinds of die hard Bond fans; those who care so much that the slightest thing like moving the gun barrel to the end will annoy them and those that enjoy Bond so much they couldn't care less where the gun barrel is. Personally, I'm the latter but will admit the return of an introductory gun barrel would be welcome. It's no reason to 'hate' the series though. Nor is M being a woman, women can work in pretty much any environment these days, things aren't the same as they used to be. But don't get your knickers in a twist, she's dead and gone now.

There are many out there like you, but the franchise is certainly not at a point of no return. They are mixing it up to ensure they don't just recycle the same thing over and over and the popularity of the Bond films since Craig came along proves that it is working. There are always going to be complaints from some people which is fine, it keeps everyone interested.

Bond is not what is used to be, but neither is anything really. Bond is adapting to keep modern day audiences interested and plot lines relevant.

i couldnt have put it better

kanada · March 2013

There have been inconsistencies and consistencies throughout all series of James Bond, however, the inconsistencies have not been so obvious, for example, Felix Leiter changed almost in all movies but was it obvious....NO! But when the inconsistencies becomes too obvious, then it becomes annoying...like Gun Barrel Sequence moving to the end....what is that all about.

I agree that Bond has to adapt to keep up with modern day audiences interested. It has to evolve and evolution is necessary for survival. But why change the lifecycle of a Bond movie, which is Intro-Gun Barrel Sequence, Title & Song, Story-Action, End Credits.

It has been 3 movies so far and I still don't see the Gun Barrel Sequence in the beginning.

Nick37 · March 2013

I don't mind the end GB sequence, as long as they don't much up the sequence itself. The QOS gunbarrel was awful. Craig looked like he needed to use the bathroom. I'm sure they use multiple takes, there were three or four low quality unused sequences for Dalton that I saw on youtube. The one they used was the best take? Yikes.

They slowed him back down for Skyfall, thank god. But it's become prevalent now to put the opening credits at the end, or include an unused scene after the credits Seemingly for the fun of it, so who knows when the gunbarrel will go back to the front?

welshboy78 · March 2013

Wonder if we will finally get it in Bond 24 after the "vintage" ending.

If we don't this time, then we might as well give up lol

LastRatStanding · March 2013

kanada wrote:

There have been inconsistencies and consistencies throughout all series of James Bond, however, the inconsistencies have not been so obvious, for example, Felix Leiter changed almost in all movies but was it obvious....NO! But when the inconsistencies becomes too obvious, then it becomes annoying...like Gun Barrel Sequence moving to the end....what is that all about.

I agree that Bond has to adapt to keep up with modern day audiences interested. It has to evolve and evolution is necessary for survival. But why change the lifecycle of a Bond movie, which is Intro-Gun Barrel Sequence, Title & Song, Story-Action, End Credits.

It has been 3 movies so far and I still don't see the Gun Barrel Sequence in the beginning.

Admittedly, there is probably no one out there who wants the gun barrel at the end as opposed to the start and I don't buy the excuse that it 'just wouldn't fit' with the opening shot. The QoS intro over the water AND the close up of Bond in Skyfall would have worked perfectly with the Gun Barrel IMO. But come on, it's not a big deal. It's better than not having one at all, surely?

I'm not sure what the point you were making regarding felix was, but you can't say changing actors is an inconsistency (if that's the point you are making) because we've have many Bond actors! When it comes to Felix i think its more exciting to have a new actor, he's the kind of minor character that could be portrayed by many people in many different ways, and when there's a chance like that to get new faces involved in Bond i'm all for it. Bring on as many actors playing Felix as possible if you ask me! -{

raptors_887 · March 2013

The gun barrel scene is MUCH better at the end. Its an exciting way to finish off the movie. I look at a film like TLD where they play that slow love music at the end and its just so uneventful. Put the gun barrel scene right there followed by TLD theme song and you've got yourself a way better ending.

James Suzuki · March 2013

raptors_887 wrote:

The gun barrel scene is MUCH better at the end. Its an exciting way to finish off the movie. I look at a film like TLD where they play that slow love music at the end and its just so uneventful. Put the gun barrel scene right there followed by TLD theme song and you've got yourself a way better ending.

I can see where you're coming from, I personally loathe the music which plays at the end of Goldeneye (a point lordofthejimmy points out in his review), its in quite a few of the films.
Here's my idea for what they should do, the Bond 24 should start off with the gunbarrel, in similar style to Skyfall's one, but with the Bond theme playing into the pre title sequence much like Goldfinger does. And then at the end of the film the Bond theme should play again, in epic swooping style with silhouettes of Bond with a gun, running, explosions etc showing Bondesque imagery as the credits.
Mind you, I love it how the OHMSS theme plays during the ending credits of that film, its pretty much saying, Bond is in a sticky situation, his wife's dead, but he's Bond, hell get it out of it.

Moore Than · March 2013

For me, the gunbarrel sequence is an essential element. I would prefer it at the beginning, but the most important thing is that it features in each and every film.

DEFIANT 74205 · March 2013

kanada wrote:

I'm a BOND fan and I am beginning to hate BOND movies. Why? Because they keep screwing up the iconic Gun Barrel Sequence, which is now in the end.

They made so many changes to BOND and they keep doing it. In Goldeneye, they changed M to a lady. OMG, what went wrong with Barbara Broccoli. Then they started to alter James Bond cool (Sean Connery & Roger Moore) image into a rebellious one (Daniel Craig). Don't get me wrong, I love Daniel Craig, but it is definite not the Bond that I grew up watching and admiring.

Now they moved the iconic Gun Barrel Sequence to the end. James Bond is no longer as it used to be. Albert Broccoli made every attempt to perfect Bond movies and kept consistencies. Now it has become nothing but a money making franchise. Disappointed....extremely disappointed.

Am I the only one who is getting disappointed or are they many out there who are too!

I agree with you in that the gun barrel sequence should ALWAYS be at the start. No ifs, buts or maybes. I also agree that M shoudn't be a woman, because he wasn't written by Fleming as a woman.

I think Bond and every other major recurring character in Bond films should always as closely as possible mirror its literary counterpart. Modernising the storyline and the environment in which Bond operates (such as getting him to drive newer cars and use new technology) does not necessarily mean that the characters have to change.

Blackleiter · March 2013

My two cents - I like seeing the gun barrel sequence at the beginning too, but I think it's a bit much to say that if it isn't there then the entire film is ruined. Seems to me that a true fan would be able to get over it and appreciate the REST OF THE MOVIE!

As for the changes that have occurred over the years (a female M, a grittier Bond, a Black Felix, etc.), I absolutely believe that without shaking up the series from time to time, it would have ended well before the 50th anniversary.

kanada · March 2013

DEFIANT 74205 wrote:

kanada wrote:

I'm a BOND fan and I am beginning to hate BOND movies. Why? Because they keep screwing up the iconic Gun Barrel Sequence, which is now in the end.

They made so many changes to BOND and they keep doing it. In Goldeneye, they changed M to a lady. OMG, what went wrong with Barbara Broccoli. Then they started to alter James Bond cool (Sean Connery & Roger Moore) image into a rebellious one (Daniel Craig). Don't get me wrong, I love Daniel Craig, but it is definite not the Bond that I grew up watching and admiring.

Now they moved the iconic Gun Barrel Sequence to the end. James Bond is no longer as it used to be. Albert Broccoli made every attempt to perfect Bond movies and kept consistencies. Now it has become nothing but a money making franchise. Disappointed....extremely disappointed.

Am I the only one who is getting disappointed or are they many out there who are too!

I agree with you in that the gun barrel sequence should ALWAYS be at the start. No ifs, buts or maybes. I also agree that M shoudn't be a woman, because he wasn't written by Fleming as a woman.

I think Bond and every other major recurring character in Bond films should always as closely as possible mirror its literary counterpart. Modernising the storyline and the environment in which Bond operates (such as getting him to drive newer cars and use new technology) does not necessarily mean that the characters have to change.

Thank you for making the point. James Bond is Ian Fleming's character and just like Bond, every other character has a purpose. Albert Broccoli ensured that the movie stays close to Ian's vision, unlike Barbara.

It has nothing to do with not having a woman....it was never meant to be by Ian, period. In regards to Felix, the point I was making was that there are certain inconsistencies that are not obvious. It never bothered me at all. In fact, it was fun watching various actors doing Felix. However, there are certain changes that would be overwhelming, for example changing M or Q to Ms M or Ms Q or changing Ms. Money Penny to Mr. Money Penny (Can you imagine having a Mr. Money Penny!!!) As I have said, each character was created by Ian with a purpose and we should stay close to its literary counterpart.

I am surprised to note that there are mixed views in regards to Gun Barrel sequence in the beginning vs. in the end. Just like Bond is an icon, so it its Gun Barrel Sequence. Sorry, I am rather sensitive to drastic changes!

Asp9mm · March 2013

Cubby Broccoli was hardly consistant with his characters. Far from it. Look at the main character of Bond when Moore played him. About as far as you could get from the literary version or even the previous incarnations on screen. And then you have Felix. He's all over the place.

Having the gunbarrel there is nice. But I wouldn't lose sleep over it being missing altogether. It's the quality of the film that counts.

James Suzuki · March 2013

It's kind of nitpicking in a way.
They just testing it out seeing what its like without it at the start for a change. It was at the start for 20 films!
I wouldn't lose sleep over it, it's nice to have it at the start, but it really is nonsense to say that you're hating Bond films now because of the change in gunbarrel.
For me, it's the last box ticked on my list for a good film.

Sir Miles · March 2013

kanada wrote:

Thank you for making the point. James Bond is Ian Fleming's character and just like Bond, every other character has a purpose. Albert Broccoli ensured that the movie stays close to Ian's vision, unlike Barbara.

Sorry, biggest load of crap I've read in a long time....this would lead me to believe you've never read a Fleming novel...or have no concept of the literary Bond at all...

Barbel · March 2013

Blackleiter wrote:

My two cents - I like seeing the gun barrel sequence at the beginning too, but I think it's a bit much to say that if it isn't there then the entire film is ruined. Seems to me that a true fan would be able to get over it and appreciate the REST OF THE MOVIE!

As for the changes that have occurred over the years (a female M, a grittier Bond, a Black Felix, etc.), I absolutely believe that without shaking up the series from time to time, it would have ended well before the 50th anniversary.

Well said; +1.

Thunderpussy · March 2013

I've come to the conclusion that ( For Me at least ) that I
don't really mind where they put the Gun barrel sequence.
I've read why they didn't put it at the start of Skyfall, seems
to be a reasonalbe explanation, For artistic/film making reasons.
If it ends up back at the begining of the movies, then Fine, If not
I'm not Bothered.
So long as the film itself is Good, I'll be happy.

kanada · March 2013

Sir Miles wrote:

Sorry, biggest load of crap I've read in a long time....this would lead me to believe you've never read a Fleming novel...or have no concept of the literary Bond at all...

Please be respectful....we are just exchanging ideas and opinions. There is no need to be rude!

Charmed & Dangerous · March 2013

Tbh for someone who wrote 'OMG what went wrong with Barbara Broccoli' just because M was cast as a woman (nb at the time the head of Britain's intelligence service was a woman), I don't think respect is overly important to you, dude.

The Bond films have to evolve in the same way Fleming's books evolved. The Bond of Casino Royale is very different to the Bond of You Only Live Twice. In the former he's a pretty cold, impersonal killer, but by the time of the later novels he's much more human, vulnerable, thoughtful character whose outlook on his job, women, and other aspects had evolved considerably.

Likewise if the producers still made 60s style thrillers with a superhuman Bond, much as they tried with say Die Another Day, they wouldn't attract the audiences they do. But they've wisely allowed Bond to evolve and Skyfall's phenomenal success owes much to that.

Btw gun barrel sequence - I'd like to see it back at the beginning too, but as long as it's somewhere in the film, it's fine with me.

ZorinIndustries · March 2013

kanada wrote:

Sir Miles wrote:

Sorry, biggest load of crap I've read in a long time....this would lead me to believe you've never read a Fleming novel...or have no concept of the literary Bond at all...

Please be respectful....we are just exchanging ideas and opinions. There is no need to be rude!

I agree 100%, kanada.

ChromeJob · March 2013

The opening gun barrel sequence ... who knows why they had it opening DR. NO with Bob Simmons walking out, but ... repeating it in FRWL and GOLDFINGER was probably a sort of "station identification" touch, a way to tell the audience, "here we go again, the Bond brand you love...." I think the GF PTS was a bit of pure, hyper-accelerated Bond fun, Guy Hamilton said so himself, and so with that film the sequence became a way to start the audience out with recognition and anticipation. Also ... don't know how many of you remember, but the TransAmerica logo was silent, so the theater had this tense moment of silence on the screen before the John Barry Orchestra blasted out and those glaring white dots traced across the screen (I always thought they were stylized bullet holes from a machine gun, shooting out the screen in a straight line). As a kid, I always recognized this signature opening as a promise that some high energy suspense, excitement, sexiness, and violence was coming our way like a hurtling train.

That the last few films, leave them out, or (as in SF) play with the imagery a bit, shows some daring, and actually gives us the same kind of anxiety in a different way. Hey, where's the gun barrel sequence? Somethings wrong. Opening CR with a sort of SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD icy ghostliness really sold me; *ending* the sequence with a gun barrel shot was neat-o. QOS ... I'm ignoring that film, aside from the base storyline, I really don't like it. SF ... well, I've posted before that the opening IS a sort of play on the sequence (as there are oh so many puns and references in SF that old time Bond fans can delight in), so if you didn't think, "Oh, hey, there's just the barest hint of the sequence, neat touch," I don't think you got the joke. If you just absolutely MUST HAVE a classic gun barrel opening, pop in a DVD. I recommend GOLDFINGER and THUNDERBALL as the classic openings: great music, Connery in good shape, good photography/optical work.

Although, having bought TLD recently, I've gained new respect for that film's opening gun barrel. Timothy Dalton sure looked and walked the part.

kanada · March 2013

Charmed & Dangerous wrote:

Tbh for someone who wrote 'OMG what went wrong with Barbara Broccoli' just because M was cast as a woman (nb at the time the head of Britain's intelligence service was a woman), I don't think respect is overly important to you, dude.

The Bond films have to evolve in the same way Fleming's books evolved. The Bond of Casino Royale is very different to the Bond of You Only Live Twice. In the former he's a pretty cold, impersonal killer, but by the time of the later novels he's much more human, vulnerable, thoughtful character whose outlook on his job, women, and other aspects had evolved considerably.

Likewise if the producers still made 60s style thrillers with a superhuman Bond, much as they tried with say Die Another Day, they wouldn't attract the audiences they do. But they've wisely allowed Bond to evolve and Skyfall's phenomenal success owes much to that.

Btw gun barrel sequence - I'd like to see it back at the beginning too, but as long as it's somewhere in the film, it's fine with me.

I agree with you in regards to the evolution of James Bond, however, I disagree with you in regards on the former comment DUDE! You've obviously misinterpreted my point so don't judge me!! Let me clarify, I've got nothing against woman. My point is clear. These are characters created by Ian; M, Q, Felix, Bond are all MEN...there is a reason why Ian created these characters so perhaps we should let it be as they were intended to be.

kanada · March 2013

ZorinIndustries wrote:

kanada wrote:

Please be respectful....we are just exchanging ideas and opinions. There is no need to be rude!

I agree 100%, kanada.

Thank you ZorinIndustries. I appreciate your support.

Sir Miles · March 2013

ZorinIndustries wrote:

kanada wrote:

Sir Miles wrote:

Sorry, biggest load of crap I've read in a long time....this would lead me to believe you've never read a Fleming novel...or have no concept of the literary Bond at all...

Please be respectful....we are just exchanging ideas and opinions. There is no need to be rude!

I agree 100%, kanada.

I'm sorry that both of you feel that way....THAT is MY opinion and MY idea...I saw neither of you 'exchanging ideas'....merely attacking Miss Broccoli for leading the Bond franchise to greater success 8-)

I would love either of you to expand upon your claim that Cubby kept the Bond film character closer to Fleming's literary character than Barbara has....but I doubt either of you can or will -{

And this diatribe is borne from the gunbarrel moving 8-)

Contact me via PM if its easier.... -{

Silhouette Man · March 2013

I agree with Sir Miles - this is merely a diatribe masquering as an adult mature discussion. 8-)

superado · March 2013

Blackleiter wrote:

My two cents - I like seeing the gun barrel sequence at the beginning too, but I think it's a bit much to say that if it isn't there then the entire film is ruined. Seems to me that a true fan would be able to get over it and appreciate the REST OF THE MOVIE!

For that reason, I can still get by the "missing" Bond elements from NSNA and enjoy/appreciate it as a Bond film. It's all about content and essence.

Silhouette Man · March 2013

Yes, the gun barrel is not the be all and end all of a James Bond film - otherwise you'd walk out just as the film was starting! However, I would like to see the gun barrel sequence move back to its rightful place at the start of the film again for Bond 24. I think it's time for this experimentation to stop now that most of the traditional Bondian elements are back in place with the release of Skyfall and its "back to an even keel" concluding scene with a new team in the all-new M, Moneypenny and Q.

superado · March 2013

In my opinion, the last good gunbarrel was Roger Moore's 1st (used in LALD and TMWTGG) and it's been downhill since, so, no love lost.

Silhouette Man · March 2013

superado wrote:

In my opinion, the last good gunbarrel was Roger Moore's 1st (used in LALD and TMWTGG) and it's been downhill since, so, no love lost.

So, you're a gun barrel traditionalist and die-hard then, superado.

James Bond's Iconic Gun Barrel Sequence - What is going on?!!

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