Avoid This Movie: A Review of "Water Bandit"

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion critiques the film "Water Bandit," highlighting its absurd plot where a villain attempts to steal water in Bolivia for profit. Participants express disappointment in the lack of traditional James Bond elements, such as gadgets and character development, comparing it unfavorably to classic Bond films like "GoldenEye" and "Casino Royale." The consensus is that the film fails to deliver a coherent narrative, leaving viewers confused and dissatisfied with its execution.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the James Bond franchise and its evolution
  • Familiarity with film critique terminology and narrative structure
  • Knowledge of cinematic elements such as character development and plot coherence
  • Awareness of the cultural significance of spy films in cinema
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the evolution of the James Bond character across different actors and films
  • Analyze the impact of realism in modern spy films compared to traditional tropes
  • Explore audience reception and critique of recent Bond films, particularly "Casino Royale"
  • Investigate the role of gadgets in spy films and their significance in storytelling
USEFUL FOR

Film critics, James Bond enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the evolution of spy cinema and audience expectations.

  • #61
TheStatutoryApe said:
A: The new Batman franchise is based on one of the most acclaimed interpretations of Batman by one of the most acclaimed names in comicbook writing. Relating the new Bond to the "new" batman is ridiculous.

How is it "ridiculous?" All I said was that new Bond was intended to be more realistic and less fantastical, just as new Batman was. That was the ONLY point of comparison. I NEVER said that new Bond was supposed to be more authentic** or to "go back to the roots" like the way new Batman was. I NEVER said that new Bond was as good a reimagining of Bond as new Batman was of Batman.

**That having been said, I should point out that *Daniel Craig* seems to think that that's exactly what new Bond does. He *claims* his portrayal is closer to the Bond of Ian Fleming's books.

TheStatutoryApe said:
B: James Bond is supposed to be fantastic. That's the whole point.

You have quoted my post, but you don't seem to have read it. You are *agreeing* with me here. I spent a paragraph pointing out the flaws of an ostensibly more realistic Bond and why it doesn't work:

cepheid said:
The problem with their new definition of a James Bond film is quite simply that it doesn't work. You can either have a James Bond movie, or you can have a "realistic" spy movie. These things are mutually exclusive...We accepted the outlandish elements and gadgets in previous Bond films because they were part and parcel of the Bond experience. It's much harder to accept them here.
Then you said this:

TheStatutoryApe said:
And he's not supposed to be a dark brooding batman-like character. He's supposed to have flair and class and be able to make the odd dry remark over a martini at a moments notice.

Again, how is this different from what I said?

cepheid said:
Yet he seems to lack any of the charm and sophistication that the filmmakers would have us believe are still inherent to Bond. People around him act as though he's well-known (edit: by reputation) to be this suave character with fine, expensive tastes, but he really doesn't portray himself that way...

I was trying to point out that the script was still trying to make us believe that this was the James Bond we know (in terms of womanizing, dry humour, being cool, calm, collected etc) in spite of the fact that this was completely at odds with what we saw on the screen.

Overall my post was critical of the new Bond films, not because they don't have a great deal of merit, but because they aren't Bond films. I'm sorry if you misinterpreted what I was saying. I don't recall saying anywhere in my post that the new, dark, brooding Bond was necessarily a good thing.
 
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  • #62
Daniel Craig has obviously never read Ian Fleming's books and is perhaps confusing them with Robert Ludlum's.
 
  • #63
TheStatutoryApe said:
I noticed this in The Kingdom. It annoyed me so much I didn't even watch more than the first twenty minutes.

Man, you got it all wrong. THAT was a good movie.
 
  • #64
Cyrus said:
Dont watch it. It was horrible. I mean HOR-RI-BLE.

This bad guy is trying to steal all the water in bolivia. Yep, that's the plot. It's that stupid. He just wants to steal some water and sell it back for profit. Plus there is random action (I mean random) and characters just come in leaving me asking who the hell is that?

Oh, and he has a cell phone that he uses to take pictures of peoples faces 500 feet away with 'super magic zoom that stabilizes itself perfectly'. It's total BS.

That was the only 'gadget' the whole movie. No montepenny. No Q. No funny lines.

Why don't you say that to his face? He'd have you easy.
 
  • #65
neu said:
Why don't you say that to his face? He'd have you easy.

Huh?
 
  • #66
My apologies to Cepheid. I was half drunk and in a bad mood. I think I may have mixed elements of other posts with yours or something.


Cyrus said:
Man, you got it all wrong. THAT was a good movie.
The movie premise seemed quite good. And having never seen Jaime Fox in a serious role he seemed to do a pretty good job. That shaky camera bit just annoyed me though. Fortunately I didn't have to pay to watch those twenty minutes.
 
  • #67
Cyrus said:
Huh?

Bond is well hard.

Who do you reckon would win in a fight between James Bond and Phil Michell?
 
  • #68
neu said:
Bond is well hard.

Who do you reckon would win in a fight between James Bond and Phil Michell?

Phil who?
 
  • #69
Bond has to be a huge alcoholic. There is no way anyone can slam that much brandy like that in that short amount of time like Bond does unless Bond is an alkie. I would be passed out drunk if I had 6 martinis, but apparently Bond doesn't even have slurred speech after that many.
 
  • #70
gravenewworld said:
I would be passed out drunk if I had 6 martinis, but apparently Bond doesn't even have slurred speech after that many.

That's nothing compared to drinking contest in one of Indiana Jones movies.
 
  • #71
You forget, he's on an airplane drinking at 30,000 feet. He would be blacked out.
 
  • #72
Cyrus said:
Phil who?

http://www.tvscoop.tv/phil.jpg
http://www.walfordweb.co.uk/walfordweb/hq-images/phil-060308-02.jpg
 
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  • #73
Prof. Demler teaches a Quantum Theory of Solids course. As I was walking down the hallway between buildings, I saw this poster stuck on the wall. It was really funny, so I took a picture of it. I'm guessing it's an advertisement for an upcoming course (or something to do with the current course).http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/2308/img0010cc8.jpg
 
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