Bored of Bond
Bond was a bonding moment between my father and me. As a younger girl, I was captivated by the grown-up themes of sexuality and violence encompassed into thrilling stories easily identifying the good and the bad side. Growing up I did not like violent movies, but these were an exception. I found the stories captivating, and I enjoyed a foray into the naughty themes that I associated with “grown ups”.
My Tante (aunt) asked me if I would like to join her to watch the new James Bond movie with her. I expected story, violence, sex, and gadgets – in that order. Watching the movie previews I began sinking lower and lower into my seat. I am not a huge fan of violence without consequences, manufactured frame-by-frame digitally altered sequences where showing blood is optional. I figured that Bond movies appeal to an audience much different from the romantic comedies I generally go to see.
The many-gunned car chase did not begin the movie well. There was no explanation before, during, or after, just a camera focus that made me a bit queasy. The movie only went downhill from there. The chemistry among the different actors’ roles, lacked. Even the sex seemed an after-thought, as if after writing the entire script, that Bond must have sex in every movie. So they added in a bimbo, with whom he had no chemistry with, and meshed it into the movie. The plot was similar. If you hadn’t seen the previous movies – or hadn’t seen them recently (as was my case) – following the plot was very difficult. It was fueled by revenge, which I suppose was supposed to show a human element to an otherwise suave Bond, but the battle between good and evil was a little muddled.
I am first to admit that the notion of good and evil is silly. Definitions are murky at best. This, of course, does not mean the concepts are myth or untrue, but there is often lots of grey area to play in. Quantum of Solace tried to play in the grey area – or maybe they were just trying to outdate M – but they didn’t do a very good job of it. Maybe it was due to the fact that following the plot was difficult, but the reason M doesn’t trust Bond, or – as a matter of fact – not much of anyone trusts Bond, is unclear. Not much is clear, except there was tons of violence. Yet, even that was not clear. The camera angles were constantly changing, so it was impossible to see if the punch you saw two seconds ago caused the blood spurting from his face, or maybe it was that knife you see in the next frame.
I was sad to see this movie series deteriorate. As a casual observer of the films, it means little more to me than a wasted afternoon and a nostalgic look back on my times with my father. I am always the last one to see the “it” movie, mostly because I don’t enjoy films without plot, and the next Bond film will not be an exception to this rule.
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