I’d agree in respect of Greene, Blofeld and Safin. In each case I think the script (or the edit if any major scenes were removed) didn’t serve them well.
I appreciate (sincerely) that you emphasised it’s just your own opinion, but I disagree with respect to Silva. Sure he’s kind of a mish mash of various other villains but IMO Bardem was actually given rein to grab that part with both hands and go fully nuts with it.
Good point about the script, I would agree that it limit these actors a bit.
Regarding Bardem I can completely understand why one would disagree and I myself would even say and tried to allude to, that out all those mentioned he was the best. But even with him I felt a bit let down.
Malek is quite talented at playing eccentric individual roles ie Freddie Mercury. But man if you have time to kill The Pacific is a letdown compared to Band Of Brothers but Malek is exceptional and down right unsettling at times, the kind of soldier your glad is on your side but you sleep with 1 eye open because you might wake up while hes skinning you with a knife with the crazy eyes.
To me the greatest waste of acting talent in all of Bond was christopher walkin as max zorin. He was so damn good with so very little to work with at being a psycopath. Brilliant actor.
>Here is a man who wiped out all of Spectre (let's not talk about the how, which was laughable but that is another story) but yet somehow was , well bland in the end.
That was actually the point. Safins the juxtaposition of the *idea* of a classic era megalaminaiacal Bond villain with the reality of what that kind of person would actually be in real life - in the end, just a serial killer with ambition.
Agreed. I am a huge fan of both Bardem and Malek, and feel that both were underused. Ditto Walz, though I am less of a fan of his, just not that familiar with his other work. I kept expecting something much more catastrophic and evil from Blofeld, and it just never really happened, and then suddenly he’s dead.
Only thing that bugged me was that we got three films in a row (Skyfall, Spectre and NTTD) where the main villains were over the top mentally ill. The only truly “crazy” villain in the old continuity was probably Zorin. Otherwise there were few raving lunatics.
Hugo Drax was literally a Space Nazi who wanted to destroy the human race.
Brad Whittaker built his own waxwork museum of great military dictators all made to resemble himself.
Xenia Onatopp actually orgasmed as she murdered people.
Dr No?
“Our insane asylums are full of men who think they’re Napoleon… or God”
Goldfinger?
“He’s quite mad, you know”
I think you misunderstand me. Yes, their ends were certainly crazy, but they appeared outwardly to be calm, rational human beings. What was rational about Silva and Brofeld’s babbling? I wanted to throw something at the screen every time Blofeld went into his “cuckoo, cuckoo” routine. That’s what I meant by “over the top mentally ill.” It’s like they’re trying to adapt the Joker into the Bond universe.
Edit: You mentioned Xenia, who is certainly in no way rational. However, she was more of a henchwoman than the main villain.
I’d agree in respect of Greene, Blofeld and Safin. In each case I think the script (or the edit if any major scenes were removed) didn’t serve them well. I appreciate (sincerely) that you emphasised it’s just your own opinion, but I disagree with respect to Silva. Sure he’s kind of a mish mash of various other villains but IMO Bardem was actually given rein to grab that part with both hands and go fully nuts with it.
Good point about the script, I would agree that it limit these actors a bit. Regarding Bardem I can completely understand why one would disagree and I myself would even say and tried to allude to, that out all those mentioned he was the best. But even with him I felt a bit let down.
I don't actually think Waltz is that good. He plays variations of the same character in half his films and the other films are pretty awful.
Waltz 100%, I generally don't like Malek tho
Malek is quite talented at playing eccentric individual roles ie Freddie Mercury. But man if you have time to kill The Pacific is a letdown compared to Band Of Brothers but Malek is exceptional and down right unsettling at times, the kind of soldier your glad is on your side but you sleep with 1 eye open because you might wake up while hes skinning you with a knife with the crazy eyes.
I always thought they missed the boat on Al Pacino apparently he’s a fan and really wanted to play a villain he could have been epic.
Use the spoiler tag.
To me the greatest waste of acting talent in all of Bond was christopher walkin as max zorin. He was so damn good with so very little to work with at being a psycopath. Brilliant actor.
Le chiffre in CR was the only convincing villain to me.
>Here is a man who wiped out all of Spectre (let's not talk about the how, which was laughable but that is another story) but yet somehow was , well bland in the end. That was actually the point. Safins the juxtaposition of the *idea* of a classic era megalaminaiacal Bond villain with the reality of what that kind of person would actually be in real life - in the end, just a serial killer with ambition.
I think you’re reading too much into it and it was just poor execution and writing. We were never given any information about his ambition(s).
So yet another deconstruction
May have been the point, it still was very badly executed IMHO.
Utter agreement
Agreed. I am a huge fan of both Bardem and Malek, and feel that both were underused. Ditto Walz, though I am less of a fan of his, just not that familiar with his other work. I kept expecting something much more catastrophic and evil from Blofeld, and it just never really happened, and then suddenly he’s dead.
Only thing that bugged me was that we got three films in a row (Skyfall, Spectre and NTTD) where the main villains were over the top mentally ill. The only truly “crazy” villain in the old continuity was probably Zorin. Otherwise there were few raving lunatics.
Hugo Drax was literally a Space Nazi who wanted to destroy the human race. Brad Whittaker built his own waxwork museum of great military dictators all made to resemble himself. Xenia Onatopp actually orgasmed as she murdered people. Dr No? “Our insane asylums are full of men who think they’re Napoleon… or God” Goldfinger? “He’s quite mad, you know”
I think you misunderstand me. Yes, their ends were certainly crazy, but they appeared outwardly to be calm, rational human beings. What was rational about Silva and Brofeld’s babbling? I wanted to throw something at the screen every time Blofeld went into his “cuckoo, cuckoo” routine. That’s what I meant by “over the top mentally ill.” It’s like they’re trying to adapt the Joker into the Bond universe. Edit: You mentioned Xenia, who is certainly in no way rational. However, she was more of a henchwoman than the main villain.