[Potential Spoilers] Official SKYFALL Photo Thread (Part I)

I'm waiting for GS to come in here and tell everyone how it's proof that Babs has further ruined the character of Bond. It will probably have something to do with an inconsistent and schizophrenic presentation of the character - first, an over-sexualised image of Craig as Bond, but now it's something far more in keeping with the traditional image of Bond, which is at the opposite end of the spectrum, and so EON clearly doesn't knwo what they want from Bond, which only further fragments the character.

And probably something about his beard, too.

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On an actual note, the blue lighting around Craig looks a lot like the blue lighting around "Ola Rapace" (I use inverted commas because it's unconfirmed) in the introductory video.

I'm thinking Bond stalks the sniper after an assassination, and pursues him across the Shanghai highway.

Perhaps it has something to do with this, as reported by the French Bond Club (forgive the translation):

Quote :

Great news, our President has been invited by Sony to attend the filming of Skyfall at Pinewood. The date, is for the moment, a secret but he will attend the filming of a scene between James Bond, a Komodo dragon and a body guard. All on a floating casino.

I picked it up over at CBn.

Sounds delightfully nutty in the Mancewicz tradition.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

First official photo has been released:

Bumped for the next page.

Let me be the first to say that the beard looks hideous. Combined with the haircut, it makes Craig look like a Scandinavian lumberjack and/or sex offender.

Sharky wrote:

Sounds delightfully nutty in the Mancewicz tradition.

Well, komodos are known to be excellent hunters - the can smell a dead or dying animal up to ten kilometres away, they had a reddish-coloured saliva, and they are excellent swimmers (the local name on Komodo Island translates as "land crocodile"). So it could be very fearsome indeed, and their swimming ability could open up a riff on the fight with the giant squid in Dr. No.

But I have to question the authenticity of these reports: first of all, komodo dragons have been known to kill and eat humans, and they are very difficult to train. And secondly, why would EON tell the president of the club exactly what was being filmed when they've been so totally silent on the film until now?

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

But I have to question the authenticity of these reports: first of all, komodo dragons have been known to kill and eat humans, and they are very difficult to train. And secondly, why would EON tell the president of the club exactly what was being filmed when they've been so totally silent on the film until now?

Difficult for sure, but not impossible.



For j7wild:

Quote :

7 Reasons a Komodo Dragon is the Ideal Pet

The Komodo dragon: A carnivorous lizard that can grow up to 9.8 feet in length might, to the uninformed layman, seem like a poor choice of pet. But it isn’t. The Komodo dragon is, in fact, the ideal domestic animal for many people. And here are seven reasons why.



1. They’re Cool. Just look at it! It’s a veritable behemoth of a dinosaur/land-crocodile/lumbering monster. It’s got a forked tongue and a pointy tail! It makes next door’s dog look rubbish in comparison. In fact, it will probably eat next door’s dog. Then you won’t have to put up with the damned thing barking at aeroplanes and at your bicycle all night. You’ll be the envy of your neighbourhood because being the owner of a Komodo dragon is cool, and being the owner of a missing dog is not cool. Even if you do a very good job on the posters.

2. Health. For elderly people, a pet can be most advantageous to their health. A small dog can keep them company and provide them with stimulation in the form of exercise. But, for young, active people, a small dog doesn’t go far enough. You need larger, more demanding pet. The physical and mental challenge of getting past a Komodo dragon in your hallway every morning will leave you feeling alive, alert and invigorated. If you are successful, that is. If you’re not successful then at least you may have lost some weight. And you’ll be better motivated the next time. And how many limbs do you really need anyway?

3. Eggs. Komodo dragons lay eggs. This is beneficial as the conventional method of getting fresh eggs is to keep chickens, which are scary creatures with cruel, unblinking eyes and alarmingly pointed beaks that make clucking noises and peck you when you’re not expecting it. But if you keep a Komodo dragon as a pet, you can have fresh eggs for breakfast without ever having to suffer the presence of a chicken again.

4. Return To A Simpler, Bygone Age. “It was much better in my day”, we’re often told by nostalgic elders, wistfully pining for a return to the society of their youth; “we could go out all day and leave our doors unlocked”. And with a Komodo dragon as your pet, you too will be able to go out all day and leave your doors unlocked. Hell, if your Komodo dragon grows big enough, you won’t even need doors. And if the elderly are to be believed, this will be bloody marvellous. In the fullness of time, you’ll be able to bore your grandkids senseless about how nice it was in your day without keys/locks/doors/bolts/alarms or any other security paraphernalia, just good old Tufty guarding the house and the odd bobby on the beat strolling by. That’s if your grandchildren haven’t been eaten by Tufty, of course. And even if they have been, that’s all the more Werther’s Original and Jamaica ginger cake for you. There is literally no downside to Komodo dragon ownership.

5. Feeding. Now I know what you’re thinking and stop that right now: He will not find you less attractive if you wear the shoes with the smaller heels, and she will not notice that the browsing history’s disappeared from the laptop again. Well, she will now, I should never have mentioned it. Sorry. Anyway, I also know that you’re thinking: A Komodo dragon will eat me out of house and home; surely I’d be better off getting a cat. But you’re wrong. Because cats need feeding twice a day, and Komodo dragons can eat on as few as twelve occasions per year, which is 718 less feeds per annum than a cat requires. Admittedly your Komodo dragon will probably need something more substantial than a bowl of Whiskas; a couple of kilograms of mince, perhaps. Or a goat. But that still seems like less food than a cat would consume. In fact, you may never need to feed it at all as, if you let your Komodo dragon out of the house, it will happily forage for pedestrians all by itself.

6. Reproduction. Now I’m not an expert on the reproductive systems of Komodo dragons but, at 7 Reasons (.org) we are nothing if not well-researched.* And, during the initial minute of my study into fauna native to the island of Komodo, I unearthed this amazing fact: The Komodo dragon does not have a diaphragm. This is great for the Komodo dragon owner, as it means that they’ll be fantastically easy to breed: The female won’t have to disappear to the bathroom for ages beforehand, and the male won’t get bored waiting and begin to think about chips. You can’t argue with science like that. A little knowledge truly does go a long way.

7. Home Movies. Many owners film their pets and then show the movies to their friends. But other people’s pets are really dull (unless they have a Komodo dragon, of course). And friends and family can only stand to watch a film of your hamster chewing some string or your cat staring at a gate so many times before their thoughts begin to turn to murder. But if you had a Komodo dragon, built a small set, and filmed in a B-movie style, your pet-movies would be like Godzilla. And that would be beyond amazing. That would be so awesome that we’d need to invent a new word for it: Preferably one that will survive predictive text and is easy to type with the odd missing digit/hand, and while running down a hallway.

I have finished writing now, so go forth to your pet shops and purchase Komodo dragons.

http://7reasons.org/2010/09/24/7-reasons-a-komodo-dragon-is-the-ideal-pet

Looks generic...

So, scene 59 is the martini bar.

Scene 63 is possibly an elevator shaft.

Scene 64 is believed to be an office in Shanghai.

The first official picture shows Bond in a room with the same blue logo that appears in the scene 64 shot.

The first offcial video showed someone - who we believe to be Ola Rapace - in a blue-lit room.

We've also got a car chase in Shanghai, and reports of a scene with a komodo dragon at a floating casino.

Here's how I think things will play out: Bond visits the martini bar, located at the top of the skyscraper, as a pretext for being in the skyscraper in the first place. His real reason for being there is to infiltrate an office located in the tower, which (I think) may be a front for Chinese intelligence. Bond enters the office and acquires what he needs (probably the schematics seen in the scene 97 shot), and encounters Ola Rapace. Rapace attempts to assassinate someone from Chinese intelligence - possibly Severine (there was a rumour that she was supposed to be Asian, which might work if she is French-Vietnamese and one of her parents was a Viet Cong liasion to China) - cutting off a loose end in the process. Bond stops him, and chases him across the city to the floating casino. (This next part is total speculation and not based on anything at all) Javier Bardem is waiting for Rapace with a helicopter to whisk him away, but when he sees Bond arrive, he sets his pet komodo dragon on Rapace. Rapace and the komodo plunge off the side of the casino into the water below, while Bond and Bardem have words. Bardem may be totally unconcerned that Bond can see his face, further unsettling Bond. As Bardem escapes, Bond doubles back for Severine.

There better be a good story reason for the beard.

Vesper wrote:

There better be a good story reason for the beard.

I agree. I'm not happy with this look at all.
I posted it on my website with some negative comments - http://www.filmnav.co.uk/2012/02/01/first-official-skyfall-photo-released/

Chuck Bond. James Norris.

jet set willy wrote:

I posted it on my website with some negative comments

Uh, what?

Quote :

Long gone is the smart, clean-shaven look, the dark hair, side parted with a comma down one side (as described by Fleming himself).

Craig never looked like that to begin with. And casting an actor based on physical appearance over acting ability is a bad idea.

Quote :

ow we have a blonde buzz cut that is practically a skinhead

That's not a skinhead.

This is a skinhead:



For all you know, there is a very valid reason for the beard, and it was not simply grown on a whim. For example, scenes that were cut from CASINO ROYALE had Bond operating in Madagascar under the alias of "Sandy Bizet", who was descirbed as a "fashion buyer". Since it was cut, that alias could well be re-used - and since he is in the fashion industry, a fashionable beard is the kind of thing that "Sandy Bizet" may have.

CJB wrote:

Let me be the first to say that the beard looks hideous. Combined with the haircut, it makes Craig look like a Scandinavian lumberjack and/or sex offender.

See I find the beard is fine. I have no issues with it. Craig does not look like a Scandinavian lumberjack and/or sex offender from my perspective. He just looks like Craig with a beard, and he still looks fine.

In saying that Bond shouldn't have a beard but if there is a good in story reason why the hell not.

Looking good. He looks grizzly, if you'll forgive me being so obvious. Not really a Bond look, though. I too hope for some story or character justification.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

The first offcial video showed someone - who we believe to be Ola Rapace - in a blue-lit room.

Did anyone else besides you think it was Ola Rapeface?

What's with the beard? It's nice to see the PPK again though.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

Craig never looked like that to begin with. And casting an actor based on physical appearance over acting ability is a bad idea.

Hate to break it to you, but Craig isn't exactly a brilliant actor.

Going for the Chuck Norris look perhaps?

Louis Armstrong wrote:

Did anyone else besides you think it was Ola Rapeface?

This isn't the only Bond-related forum on the internet. I'm going by consensus among all the fans that I've seen comment on it, not just members of BAB.

I suppose the odd look of Bond might be the result of him being undercover impersonating someone else etc? Any lookalikes among the cast...ah oh I'll get me coat....

Highest resolution and without the 007 logo:



Brighter cropped version from the Daily Mail:



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2094808/Daniel-Craig-poses-pistol-official-image-new-James-Bond-film-Skyfall.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

jet set willy wrote:

I posted it on my website with some negative comments

Uh, what?

[
For all you know, there is a very valid reason for the beard, and it was not simply grown on a whim. For example, scenes that were cut from CASINO ROYALE had Bond operating in Madagascar under the alias of "Sandy Bizet", who was descirbed as a "fashion buyer". Since it was cut, that alias could well be re-used - and since he is in the fashion industry, a fashionable beard is the kind of thing that "Sandy Bizet" may have.

I know Craig has never had the long floppy dark hair parted to the left (mainly because he isn't dark), but this haircut seems even shorther than what he had in CR (QoS was slightly better). Ok, its not a skinhead, but its not far off.

This is much more a Bondian look -



I'm all for the beard if its part of the story, but even without the beard the haircut makes him look ill - http://www.filmnav.co.uk/2012/01/15/daniel-craig-on-the-run-skyfall-photo/

Now in those pics, his hair looks more like a skinhead....

I'm beginning to wonder if there's a picture of his face where he doesn't look sick??

Liking the neon. Nice to see a vivid color palette after QOS.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

But never miss an opportunity to skew everything in your favour, GS.

And whose favor should I skew my comments towards? CLEARLY my message is getting across to The Powers That Be over at EON, because look how quickly Barbara released the "first official" photograph after my complaints and assessments of SKYFALL? Barbara practically has me on speed-dial. And seriously, the two of you should start charging me money, because right now I'm living rent-free in both of your heads.