SPECTRE Review Thread

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by Falaskan

I wish M could be in the future sequels.

M will be...as portrayed by Ralph Fiennes.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

one thing I loved about SKYFALL is how it basically set up the timeline of the series starting characterwise. Basically DR. NO could start next in a current setting....

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Show spoiler]pun not intended

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by Xenia

I personally see Connery as being the best Bond and the 60s were the "Golden Age" but there have been a ton of other Bond films I love as well - not just Dr. No - Thunderball.

There are so many varying opinions that I don't think there really is a majority/minority about the films anymore, especially with so many younger audience members subscribing to Craig's 3 pictures and Craig's 3 alone.

It's a great fanbase to be a part of. Most of the time, even when people strongly disagree, everyone is accepting of differing opinions because there is such a variety in the series. A variety I embrace, I should add. I'd get bored if they were all one way or another.

Here's to hoping Bond 24 is the best of them all. I think the only way that will be possible is if this time.... it's NOT personal and Craig ends up with a lady at the end of the film.

Solange - Killed.
Vesper - Killed.
Fields - Killed
Camille - Pissed off / walks away
Severine - Killed.
Judi Dench - Killed.

C'mon EON. Christ.

And for God's sakes can we stop with the "Big Fun James Bond Family" stuff where all of the Mi6 regulars have nearly as much screen time as Bond himself. For Bond 24 the last thing I want to see is Fiennes and Harris running around everywhere with Bond saving the world as a trio. Hope not.

M got an excuse in Skyfall because she basically was the Bond girl of that. Even then, it's a pretty lame excuse.

Well writ. A thoughtful post that zeroes in on the creative problems at EON.

Regarding variety, it was always a treat to see how one Bond film would differ from the last, but now the differences run deeper. James Bond, as a character and an entity, is a defined thing. Twenty films were consistent in putting across a recognizable, defined James Bond, thanks in part to the actors who played him. EON has changed the DNA so much they're not really making James Bond films anymore. Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall may be entertaining spy action films but the change in structure and the corruption of subtext means they're not James Bond films. The name on the door is the same, but the person inside is somebody else.

I agree that M, Q and Moneypenny should be supporting players who stay back at the office keeping each other company. James Bond is supposed to be on his own out there. When he travels, he heads into danger and the unknown. But there is no sense of risk when he brings an entourage with him. Nothing is more obvious for the opposition to spot than wearing an earpiece for the support team in the van or hotel room to monitor his comings and goings.

[Xenia]

I agree with you about Quantum of Solace but strongly disagree about Casino Royale and Skyfall, both of which feel quite Bondian to me, especially the latter (although I think CR is a better movie and I'd probably rank it higher).

Quantum of Solace is a poor excuse for a Bond film and with its insane leftist political agenda and consistent Bourne Supremacy rip-offs I don't think the filmmakers were too keen on making a Bond film either.

Shame considering it is easily David Arnold's best score, Craig isn't too bad (although it may be his weakest of the three films), and that Tosca sequence is great.

Even without all of the leftist politics, Forster's blatant arthouse direction, and an impenetrable plot the film wouldn't have been too bad if it had contained good action sequences. Pity that those action scenes were shot and edited to shit. The foot chase through Siena is nearly impossible to follow and the boat chase makes me long for the long takes of Live and Let Die. And Bond spends most of the film with a torn up shirt and a muddy face waltzing around the desert. Probably my second least favorite film in the series (The World Is Not Enough takes the cake for being so soggy and melodramatic and stupid and boring).

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Xenia

I agree with you about Quantum of Solace but strongly disagree about Casino Royale and Skyfall, both of which feel quite Bondian to me, especially the latter (although I think CR is a better movie and I'd probably rank it higher).

Quantum of Solace is a poor excuse for a Bond film and with its insane leftist political agenda and consistent Bourne Supremacy rip-offs I don't think the filmmakers were too keen on making a Bond film either.

Shame considering it is easily David Arnold's best score, Craig isn't too bad (although it may be his weakest of the three films), and that Tosca sequence is great.

Even without all of the leftist politics, Forster's blatant arthouse direction, and an impenetrable plot the film wouldn't have been too bad if it had contained good action sequences. Pity that those action scenes were shot and edited to shit. The foot chase through Siena is nearly impossible to follow and the boat chase makes me long for the long takes of Live and Let Die. And Bond spends most of the film with a torn up shirt and a muddy face waltzing around the desert. Probably my second least favorite film in the series (The World Is Not Enough takes the cake for being so soggy and melodramatic and stupid and boring).

I agree that this is the worst Bond film of the series....

[SymbioticFunction]

Originally Posted by Richard--W

I agree that M, Q and Moneypenny should be supporting players who stay back at the office keeping each other company.

But I love Licence To Kill.

btw Worst film of the series is A View To A Kill imho.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by Xenia

I agree with you about Quantum of Solace but strongly disagree about Casino Royale and Skyfall, both of which feel quite Bondian to me, especially the latter (although I think CR is a better movie and I'd probably rank it higher).

Quantum of Solace is a poor excuse for a Bond film and with its insane leftist political agenda and consistent Bourne Supremacy rip-offs I don't think the filmmakers were too keen on making a Bond film either.

Shame considering it is easily David Arnold's best score, Craig isn't too bad (although it may be his weakest of the three films), and that Tosca sequence is great.

Even without all of the leftist politics, Forster's blatant arthouse direction, and an impenetrable plot the film wouldn't have been too bad if it had contained good action sequences. Pity that those action scenes were shot and edited to shit. The foot chase through Siena is nearly impossible to follow and the boat chase makes me long for the long takes of Live and Let Die. And Bond spends most of the film with a torn up shirt and a muddy face waltzing around the desert. Probably my second least favorite film in the series (The World Is Not Enough takes the cake for being so soggy and melodramatic and stupid and boring).

Wow, a lot of stuff I disagree with here.

First, I didn't think Quantum had an "insane leftist political agenda". The CIA helps prop up dictators, fresh water will become a limited resource eventually... this is all true and apolitical. What am I missing?

It's my least favorite Bond film though because it's basically not a Bond film. It's also no fun to watch. I want entertaining escapist fare and Bond as a gentleman spy, not a boring slog with Terminator Craig.

Tomorrow Never Dies is by far David Arnold's best score. Quantum's score is pretty good but also, not Bond enough and without a hummable theme woven throughout, in my opinion.

The World Is Not Enough is better than Quantum at the very least if only because it has one of the best and most unique villains in the entire franchise. Quantum's villain might be the least memorable and pathetic of them all.

Casino Royale - the 2006 film version - is Bond Begins. No more, no less. I accept it for what it is but it's also too bloated, doesn't interpret the source material well enough for my liking (considering how serious the film is, I hold it to a higher standard in this area) and isn't one of my go-to "sit back and relax with a Bond flick" entries. Still, a good movie, if a bit lacking in the Bond flourishes (which is understandable given they were rebooting the series). One of the best endings to any movie ever, though. That alone made it almost entirely worth it.

Skyfall is more Bond-like and therefore more to my liking but the lack of the Bond theme appearing even semi-regularly in the score is at this point aggravating (it should've started popping up regularly with Quantum) and I doubt it'll ever return to the glory days of Arnold's TND score or even the action sequences of his TWINE score. Skyfall is another good one-shot entry that does what it aims to do very well but I hope we won't be getting any more Casino Royales or Skyfalls in the future. With Mendes back in the director's chair, I have my doubts but hopefully Bond 24 will be a return to the "recognizably James Bond, no longer an anonymous spy movie" installments.

[StingingVelvet]

I agree with all of that, really.

Skyfall has some dumb plotting though. The villain's escape relies so much on random chance, yet he supposedly planned it all. Dumb.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I agree with all of that, really.

Skyfall has some dumb plotting though. The villain's escape relies so much on random chance, yet he supposedly planned it all. Dumb.

It's just like the Joker's plans in The Dark Knight. I have to not think about it too much because otherwise the "this happens because the screenwriter needs the plot to move forward, not because it makes sense" factor ruins the movie for me.

[Xenia]

Tomorrow Never Dies is probably my second favorite Arnold. I like its use of the Bond theme too although he maybe used it a bit too much. At any rate it is music so it's all opinion and we can agree to disagree. QOS has a couple of tracks that work it in (the theme) and a lot of his cues in that film don't blast me to death with their loudness and business.

I stand by my comments about TWINE. It is less a Bond film and more soap opera. A bad soap opera at that. Lifeless, no energy, pointless action sequences (the snowmobile-glider sequence and the caviar factory are great examples), HORRIBLE dialogue, and bad performances by everyone except Robert Carlyle. No thank you.

We can agree to disagree about Quantum but I dislike the anti-Bond agenda it seems to have. Also my statement about its "insane" agenda was overblown. I shouldn't have used that word. What I meant was it is easily the least apolitical Bond film we've gotten yet.

Also, even though you disagreed with much of my post, it seems we agree 100% on Quantum not being a Bond film. Everyone is so damn serious and Bond is a 40 year old crybaby. Camille is pissed the whole time - even Felix is depressed throughout the whole thing. It's just so depressing. The "exotic locations" showcase a dirty Bond and a dirty Camille walking angrily through the desert. M begins the surrogate mother thing here which would expand even more in Skyfall. I agree with you completely about wanting escapism in my Bond films and Quantum, if that's what it is going for (I don't think it is), fails miserably.

We also agree about Bond 24 needing to be a more "classic" Bond movie I think. No more one-offs. We've had plenty.

[Agent Bond]

C'mon EON. Christ.

Agreed. The sacrificial lamb routine has been done to death in this franchise.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by Xenia

Tomorrow Never Dies is probably my second favorite Arnold. I like its use of the Bond theme too although he maybe used it a bit too much. At any rate it is music so it's all opinion and we can agree to disagree. QOS has a couple of tracks that work it in (the theme) and a lot of his cues in that film don't blast me to death with their loudness and business.

I stand by my comments about TWINE. It is less a Bond film and more soap opera. A bad soap opera at that. Lifeless, no energy, pointless action sequences (the snowmobile-glider sequence and the caviar factory are great examples), HORRIBLE dialogue, and bad performances by everyone except Robert Carlyle. No thank you.

We can agree to disagree about Quantum but I dislike the anti-Bond agenda it seems to have. Also my statement about its "insane" agenda was overblown. I shouldn't have used that word. What I meant was it is easily the least apolitical Bond film we've gotten yet.

Also, even though you disagreed with much of my post, it seems we agree 100% on Quantum not being a Bond film. Everyone is so damn serious and Bond is a 40 year old crybaby. Camille is pissed the whole time - even Felix is depressed throughout the whole thing. It's just so depressing. The "exotic locations" showcase a dirty Bond and a dirty Camille walking angrily through the desert. M begins the surrogate mother thing here which would expand even more in Skyfall. I agree with you completely about wanting escapism in my Bond films and Quantum, if that's what it is going for (I don't think it is), fails miserably.

We also agree about Bond 24 needing to be a more "classic" Bond movie I think. No more one-offs. We've had plenty.

TND had a great way of working in both the Bond theme AND the unofficial title song ("Surrender" by k.d. lang) throughout the score. Arnold gave a good interview where he was basically criticizing Goldeneye's score of moving too far away from the Bond sound and made an excellent point that "when Bond is doing something Bond-like on screen, there's really only one thing you want to hear". Bond does a lot of Bond-like things in TND so that's partly why the theme is used so much (to my delight) in that score. Also, Arnold said he composed the music as if it were his one and only shot and that it would be everything he wanted to say about Bond.

His Quantum score was handicapped by having literally no theme from the Jack White song he could pull from so it didn't sound quite as unified as a result but still ended up being coherent and succeeded, unlike his Die Another Day score, in which he suffered from a similar situation.

You didn't like the Elektra King character? How about Sophie Marceau's performance, especially after the reveal? I responded well to both. There are also at least a few great lines of dialogue, continuing the tradition of Brosnan's Bond getting some excellent one-liners when he kills the villains:

Elektra: "You wouldn't kill me. You'd miss me."
*Bond shoots her in cold blood*
Bond: "I never miss."

Bond, to Renard: "She's waiting for you!"

TWINE - and Quantum, actually - are good examples of the Bond series needing a director who knows how to direct action. Martin Campbell and Roger Spottiswoode crafted some pretty great sequences in their films (the remote control car chase in TND is my personal favorite Bond action scene) but Michael Apted was a bit lethargic and uninspired for most of his TWINE direction while Marc Forster apparently strapped fireworks onto the camera and set them off while filming.

At least we can come together in our dislike of Quantum. lol Agreed with what you said. It actually looks cheap, despite being one of the most expensive Bond productions of them all. In these films, every penny should be on the screen. One of the things I like most about Bond - and this is partly why Moore and Brosnan are my favorites - is that the best portrayals, imo, show him having fun on the job. Even if it's just a scene or two, we should be reminded how awesome it would be to be James Bond. Craig hasn't really had the opportunity to do this because his Bond apparently has a shitty life and doesn't have much to appreciate in it. Meanwhile, Brosnan is in the backseat of his remote control BMW laughing his ass off. That's the kind of infectious fun and energy I'm talking about. Not every Bond film has to be that way but like you said, we've had enough of gritty and depressed Bond. Time to get to the good stuff.

[Xenia]

@Infernal King -

The Brosnan line "I never miss" isn't a bad line but the context in which is it used really throws me off. It's a super serious moment.. and he's quipping... but he's quipping sadly and seriously...? It just throws me off.

Elektra just works better on page than in the movie. I think she came off as really whiny and added to the soap opera feel that (I think) the movie has overall. Sophie wasn't bad, she did what she could. I just think the film was directed really poorly. Brosnan regresses from the confident and cool Bond from TND to this really sappy soggy fellow in TWINE (due to direction I'm guessing) and the film is visually boring, and the action (as you pointed out) isn't directed well either. It comes out of left field and then is just never very good. The pre-titles scene is great action wise and the movie is down hill from there. It doesn't help that the film climaxes with Bond killing Elektra and then meanders around that submarine for 20+ minutes.

Totally agree with you about Bond being about having fun and escaping at the end of the day. I'm a big defender of Roger Moore (even though Connery is my favorite). I think Moore was great. He inhabited the role and played Bond his way. He WAS Bond, just a different Bond than Connery.

A few more things to mention:

- I really liked Eric Serra's work on GoldenEye. It was unique and different and helped establish that cold post-cold war industrial atmosphere the film has. Very evocative. I'm glad they replaced the tank chase cue though. Good lord.
- Surrender is an awesome song.
- Craig gets a couple moments here and there of "being Bond rules" but hardly any of them are in Quantum. The Macau Casino scene in Skyfall is one of my favorite scenes in any Bond film EVER because it is FINALLY showing Craig's Bond having some pure swagger, class, and confidence and fun. All of the quipping and the classic line and that great action fight. It all harkened back to the old-school Bond flicks and I loved it.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Xenia

@Infernal King -

The Brosnan line "I never miss" isn't a bad line but the context in which is it used really throws me off. It's a super serious moment.. and he's quipping... but he's quipping sadly and seriously...? It just throws me off.

Elektra just works better on page than in the movie. I think she came off as really whiny and added to the soap opera feel that (I think) the movie has overall. Sophie wasn't bad, she did what she could. I just think the film was directed really poorly. Brosnan regresses from the confident and cool Bond from TND to this really sappy soggy fellow in TWINE (due to direction I'm guessing) and the film is visually boring, and the action (as you pointed out) isn't directed well either. It comes out of left field and then is just never very good. The pre-titles scene is great action wise and the movie is down hill from there. It doesn't help that the film climaxes with Bond killing Elektra and then meanders around that submarine for 20+ minutes.

Totally agree with you about Bond being about having fun and escaping at the end of the day. I'm a big defender of Roger Moore (even though Connery is my favorite). I think Moore was great. He inhabited the role and played Bond his way. He WAS Bond, just a different Bond than Connery.

A few more things to mention:

- I really liked Eric Serra's work on GoldenEye. It was unique and different and helped establish that cold post-cold war industrial atmosphere the film has. Very evocative. I'm glad they replaced the tank chase cue though. Good lord.
- Surrender is an awesome song.
- Craig gets a couple moments here and there of "being Bond rules" but hardly any of them are in Quantum. The Macau Casino scene in Skyfall is one of my favorite scenes in any Bond film EVER because it is FINALLY showing Craig's Bond having some pure swagger, class, and confidence and fun. All of the quipping and the classic line and that great action fight. It all harkened back to the old-school Bond flicks and I loved it.

totally agree.. that's so refreshing to hear since so many people seem to diss Roger Moore. I love his films and enjoy his performances. Connery is my favorite as well...

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Infernal King

Wow, a lot of stuff I disagree with here.


The World Is Not Enough is better than Quantum at the very least if only because it has one of the best and most unique villains in the entire franchise. Quantum's villain might be the least memorable and pathetic of them all.

.

can't agree there at all... I thought he was one of the worst... didn't he remind you at all of Dr Evil??? Being released just 2 years after Austin Powers I was laughing in the theatre at the sight of him....

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by Xenia

@Infernal King -

The Brosnan line "I never miss" isn't a bad line but the context in which is it used really throws me off. It's a super serious moment.. and he's quipping... but he's quipping sadly and seriously...? It just throws me off.

Elektra just works better on page than in the movie. I think she came off as really whiny and added to the soap opera feel that (I think) the movie has overall. Sophie wasn't bad, she did what she could. I just think the film was directed really poorly. Brosnan regresses from the confident and cool Bond from TND to this really sappy soggy fellow in TWINE (due to direction I'm guessing) and the film is visually boring, and the action (as you pointed out) isn't directed well either. It comes out of left field and then is just never very good. The pre-titles scene is great action wise and the movie is down hill from there. It doesn't help that the film climaxes with Bond killing Elektra and then meanders around that submarine for 20+ minutes.

Totally agree with you about Bond being about having fun and escaping at the end of the day. I'm a big defender of Roger Moore (even though Connery is my favorite). I think Moore was great. He inhabited the role and played Bond his way. He WAS Bond, just a different Bond than Connery.

A few more things to mention:

- I really liked Eric Serra's work on GoldenEye. It was unique and different and helped establish that cold post-cold war industrial atmosphere the film has. Very evocative. I'm glad they replaced the tank chase cue though. Good lord.
- Surrender is an awesome song.
- Craig gets a couple moments here and there of "being Bond rules" but hardly any of them are in Quantum. The Macau Casino scene in Skyfall is one of my favorite scenes in any Bond film EVER because it is FINALLY showing Craig's Bond having some pure swagger, class, and confidence and fun. All of the quipping and the classic line and that great action fight. It all harkened back to the old-school Bond flicks and I loved it.

Agree to disagree re: Elektra. She's one of my favorite Bond villains and Sophie is so ravishing and beautiful that she almost makes it possible to forgive the presence of Denise Richards... almost.

In the end, I think Michael Apted was the first example of the Bond producers hiring an "arthouse" director who was in over his head (see also: Marc Forster). Yes, TWINE's story was definitely more melodramatic than usual for the franchise and without balancing that melodrama with solid action and panache, it comes out a bit soggy. I just think the Elektra character was so well conceived and portrayed that even directorial incompetence couldn't screw it up.

Brosnan's Bond was definitely cool, confident and suave in TND so I guess they wanted to take him in another direction after the pre-credits when he gets that shoulder injury. There are some aspects of his performance in TWINE I don't like and I think it's that melodrama you're speaking of... he seemed to regress as a character.

Also hooray on being a Moore defender! haha

You know what Eric Serra's score for Goldeneye reminds me of now? The N64 video game's music.

That Skyfall sequence is good although I'm not sure about the CGI komodo dragons. At least Sir Roger (well, technically his stunt double but whatever) got to leap off the backs of real man-eating reptiles.

Originally Posted by AKORIS

can't agree there at all... I thought he was one of the worst... didn't he remind you at all of Dr Evil??? Being released just 2 years after Austin Powers I was laughing in the theatre at the sight of him....

I was talking about Elektra - the REAL villain of TWINE - not Renard, who ends up being her minion (Nolan ripped this off for Dark Knight Rises with Talia/Bane).

[Kryptonic]

Originally Posted by Infernal King

TWINE - and Quantum, actually - are good examples of the Bond series needing a director who knows how to direct action. Martin Campbell and Roger Spottiswoode crafted some pretty great sequences in their films (the remote control car chase in TND is my personal favorite Bond action scene) but Michael Apted was a bit lethargic and uninspired for most of his TWINE direction while Marc Forster apparently strapped fireworks onto the camera and set them off while filming.

In most cases, second unit directors do a lot of the work on the action sequences, especially in the pre-Craig era. Which is why they hire someone like Apted to direct the character and story scenes. As far as TWINE goes though, I find the action to be some of the best in the series, particularly the riveting opening which is probably my favorite of the series.

Regarding Elektra and Bond's "I never miss" line - it's the delivery that sells that moment and it's one of the best Bond character moments in the series. That was one of the few moments in Brosnan's Bond films where Fleming really came out in the character and I loved it. But I still think TWINE is by far Brosnan's best film.

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by SymbioticFunction

But I love Licence To Kill.

btw Worst film of the series is A View To A Kill imho.

Licence to Kill -- yeah, I love it, too, flaws and all. Bringing M, Moneypenny and Q into the field is a mistake that started in the 1970s. Q complains about it in Thunderball, so that time doesn't count. I read a draft of Maibaum's script for Licence to Kill that was much leaner, more austere than how they filmed it. Rev. Butcher, the part played by Wayne Newton, wasn't in that draft. Butcher is a totally unnecessary character and subplot who was put it in later by Michael G. Wilson. Wilson also gave Sanchez more scenes so that Bond is absent from the screen for long periods. Other unnecessary changes and additions were made. There was no hokiness in Maibaum's draft, either. If they had shot Licence to Kill the way Maibaum wrote it, it would have been a better film, leaner meaner flintier and more relentless. Bond is a real killer hellbent for revenge in that draft, but he's also more melancholy. It ended on the question of whether or not he'd be allowed back in OHMSS. I've been meaning to read the novelization by John Gardner because someone told me it was based on the Maibaum draft before Wilson screwed it up. The paperback sits on my shelf next to the blu-ray.

I agreed with you on A View to a Kill until Casino Royale came along.

[Kryptonic]

Originally Posted by Richard--W

I agreed with you on A View to a Kill until Casino Royale came along.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by Kryptonic

In most cases, second unit directors do a lot of the work on the action sequences, especially in the pre-Craig era. Which is why they hire someone like Apted to direct the character and story scenes. As far as TWINE goes though, I find the action to be some of the best in the series, particularly the riveting opening which is probably my favorite of the series.

Regarding Elektra and Bond's "I never miss" line - it's the delivery that sells that moment and it's one of the best Bond character moments in the series. That was one of the few moments in Brosnan's Bond films where Fleming really came out in the character and I loved it. But I still think TWINE is by far Brosnan's best film.

I really liked TWINE's opening. You have the Swiss banker and Bond firing off puns back and forth (and of course, "Would you like to check my figures?" "Oh, I'm sure they're perfectly rounded."), a funny Bond escape, MI6 getting blown up (done better here than in Skyfall), Q's fishing boat being ruined and a good chase scene (albeit one with a couple of continuity errors).

And like I said, I thought Bond's execution of Elektra was a great scene. Too bad the movie dragged on for way too long after that.

Originally Posted by Richard--W

Licence to Kill -- yeah, I love it, too, flaws and all. Bringing M, Moneypenny and Q into the field is a mistake that started in the 1970s. Q complains about it in Thunderball, so that time doesn't count. I read a draft of Maibaum's script for Licence to Kill that was much leaner, more austere than how they filmed it. Rev. Butcher, the part played by Wayne Newton, wasn't in that draft. Butcher is a totally unnecessary character and subplot who was put it in later by Michael G. Wilson. Wilson also gave Sanchez more scenes so that Bond is absent from the screen for long periods. Other unnecessary changes and additions were made. There was no hokiness in Maibaum's draft, either. If they had shot Licence to Kill the way Maibaum wrote it, it would have been a better film, leaner meaner flintier and more relentless. Bond is a real killer hellbent for revenge in that draft, but he's also more melancholy. It ended on the question of whether or not he'd be allowed back in OHMSS. I've been meaning to read the novelization by John Gardner because someone told me it was based on the Maibaum draft before Wilson screwed it up. The paperback sits on my shelf next to the blu-ray.

I agreed with you on A View to a Kill until Casino Royale came along.

Wow, so Licence to Kill almost became Dalton's Quantum of Solace? Yeah, there's some silly stuff in it (normally I love ninjas but wtf are they doing in this movie) but it sounds like overall Wilson saved it from being a real wrist-slasher.

P.S. Q also complained about being in the field in You Only Live Twice and pretty much complains about it every other time he's in the field. So yeah, his appearances in the field in the 60s films do count, even though you seem to think the Bond films from that decade are flawless and the later ones couldn't have more faults.