11-11-2012, 10:27 PM
Please note that this is a follow-up to Greg's spoilers post. Which means that, likewise, do not read further in this post until after you've seen SKYFALL.
Really. I mean it.
Okay, here goes.
Greg nailed two of the illogical scenes that really hurt my enjoyment of the movie. One of them was the tunnel scene where Bardem blows up the ceiling to bring the train down on Bond. Visually impressive and totally ruined by the sheer implausibility of knowing they would be at that particular spot and at that moment in time. Another was when M and the farmer escape the Skyfall ranch by tunnel and then proceed to cross an open field (would it be a moor?) using a lantern. I've never been in the military, but I know from movies and reading about WWI, WWII and the Vietnam War that, in the night, light is your enemy. Lots of soldiers were killed by snipers when they took a puff that made the end of their cigarette glow. Didn't M have any kind of training? Both of these scenes deeply troubled me.
And I'll add one more, which ruined the opening sequence for me. As Bond and the baddy grapple atop a train, Bond's female compatriot takes aim from afar with a scoped rifle. By radio she tells M that she could shoot but that it's not a clear shot, and oh by the way, the train is about to enter a tunnel. So what does M say? She says, "Take the shot," which the woman does, with less than stellar results. Sheer lunacy! What business does M have calling the shots from a desk, especially if she has no field experience herself? (And she must not have field experience if she saw no problem with that lantern later on.) She's got two crack agents out there fully trained to do what they do, with their lives often hanging on split second decisions. They need to decide! It just did not ring true. It's not the way an espionage organization would operate! Why is this movie dumbing down the intelligence of its main players?
I'll mention one more thing that really really troubled me and might keep me from following the Bond movies further. Maybe this is just me, okay? And again, a spoiler alert.
I'm really bothered that they've discarded the older Moneypenny and opted for one young enough to be Daniel Craig's daughter. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Moneypenny was an older lady in the novels, wasn't she? Please tell me my memory is correct. And those movie scenes with Sean Connery flirting with her were so charming. They worked on so many levels. For one, it showed Bond being generous, wanting to make Moneypenny feel good about herself. Did he ever intend to get intimate with her? Probably not. But he flirted with her, made her feel good. This humanized Bond. It showed he had compassion. With the current Bond, I'm having a very hard time perceiving any humanity in him. He is three shades too cold, almost entirely without empathy. And now the Moneypenny angle is gone. What further upsets me is that Moneypenny was a rare strong role for an older actress. Older actresses get so few juicy roles in Hollywood or elsewhere. And now this wonderful role has been recast for some young upstart.
Fucking Brits.
Really. I mean it.
Okay, here goes.
Greg nailed two of the illogical scenes that really hurt my enjoyment of the movie. One of them was the tunnel scene where Bardem blows up the ceiling to bring the train down on Bond. Visually impressive and totally ruined by the sheer implausibility of knowing they would be at that particular spot and at that moment in time. Another was when M and the farmer escape the Skyfall ranch by tunnel and then proceed to cross an open field (would it be a moor?) using a lantern. I've never been in the military, but I know from movies and reading about WWI, WWII and the Vietnam War that, in the night, light is your enemy. Lots of soldiers were killed by snipers when they took a puff that made the end of their cigarette glow. Didn't M have any kind of training? Both of these scenes deeply troubled me.
And I'll add one more, which ruined the opening sequence for me. As Bond and the baddy grapple atop a train, Bond's female compatriot takes aim from afar with a scoped rifle. By radio she tells M that she could shoot but that it's not a clear shot, and oh by the way, the train is about to enter a tunnel. So what does M say? She says, "Take the shot," which the woman does, with less than stellar results. Sheer lunacy! What business does M have calling the shots from a desk, especially if she has no field experience herself? (And she must not have field experience if she saw no problem with that lantern later on.) She's got two crack agents out there fully trained to do what they do, with their lives often hanging on split second decisions. They need to decide! It just did not ring true. It's not the way an espionage organization would operate! Why is this movie dumbing down the intelligence of its main players?
I'll mention one more thing that really really troubled me and might keep me from following the Bond movies further. Maybe this is just me, okay? And again, a spoiler alert.
I'm really bothered that they've discarded the older Moneypenny and opted for one young enough to be Daniel Craig's daughter. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Moneypenny was an older lady in the novels, wasn't she? Please tell me my memory is correct. And those movie scenes with Sean Connery flirting with her were so charming. They worked on so many levels. For one, it showed Bond being generous, wanting to make Moneypenny feel good about herself. Did he ever intend to get intimate with her? Probably not. But he flirted with her, made her feel good. This humanized Bond. It showed he had compassion. With the current Bond, I'm having a very hard time perceiving any humanity in him. He is three shades too cold, almost entirely without empathy. And now the Moneypenny angle is gone. What further upsets me is that Moneypenny was a rare strong role for an older actress. Older actresses get so few juicy roles in Hollywood or elsewhere. And now this wonderful role has been recast for some young upstart.
Fucking Brits.