For the Bond genre to survive, Spectre would have to be portrayed, overtly, as the global oligarchy, ripping off the world. Bond would be tasked by MI6 to kill and maim members of the hedge-fund industry, the fracking bosses and the global CEOs extorting financial rent from the rest of us.
He – or she – might start by having a quiet word with the man who tried to hike the price of HIV drugs from $13.50 to $750, and then move on to the Saudi millionaires who have bankrolled violent jihadism. The Panama Papers would leave such a reincarnated Bond with no shortage of targets; ditto the list of failed war-crimes prosecutions by the International Criminal Court.
When the Bond films, beginning with Thunderball, altered the hero’s focus from anti-Soviet espionage to a fight against a global network of greed-inspired madmen, it was read as a cop-out. The Soviet threat had been real; supervillains such as Blofeld were not.
But palaces and mansions of the world are now replete with cat-stroking sadists who would plunge us into war and climate chaos as long as it furnishes a batch of new Italian suits each year, and a different Breguet for every day of the week.
The next Bond – and the next director – must have a go at the real enemy. Or he must die trying. That would be a great finale.
The next Bond villain should be Trump apparently. Because developing tacky hotels is such a threat to a just world order.
Shorter ‘Guardian’ article: “Unlimited power to crush enemies and subvert democracy is A-OK as long as we hold it!”
The next Bond – and the next director – must have a go at the real enemy. Or he must die trying. That would be a great finale.
I don’t know. I think he has a point. Bond should fight Muslim terrorism. They are the real enemy. And the Left has made sure that no one is allowed to say so. Certainly the BBC won’t admit it. In British TV all terrorists are, of course, White and Christian (or sometimes neo-Nazis, sometimes both).
The last Muslim terrorism I can remember seeing on TV was True Lies.
Hedge funds kill no one. Muslims kill a lot of people.
But capitalism kills! Because our slogans say so!
Mason lost it a long time ago.
“The last Muslim terrorism I can remember seeing on TV was True Lies.”
Good grief, SMFS. Never seen ’24’? ‘Homeland’?
I’m sure that Barbara Broccoli is going to take note of The “Wrong About Everything” Guardian.
The closest thing to this idea was Quantum of Solace, the worst (actually I quite like it) and least successful of the Craig Bond films.
Maybe Chavez and Maduro are part of Spectre? “Hugo, we want you to spread misery and decay in Venezuela. Start with the soft toilet paper”.
Mason never had it
JuliaM – “Never seen ’24’? ‘Homeland’?”
Well no. But this would be “Homeland” where the hero could not be any more White if his life depended on it – he had the sort of red hair that makes you get sun burnt under photographic lights – and who was driven to terrorism by the indiscriminate slaughter of the US Army?
Isn’t that, like, my entire point?
The biggest threat to freedom and prosperity in Europe comes from the elites who want to bring in millions of third-world peasants, like Mutti Merkel and Grauniad readers. They should be top of the list.
Beginning with “Thunderball”? Piffle
“From Russia with Love” was only partly about the Soviets, “Dr No” (the first film) was about a handless Chinese maniac on an island, “Goldfinger” had nothing to do with Russia. How many Bond films has this man seen?
Trump Derangement Syndrome claims another casualty:
The threat is that a madman from central casting gains control of the White House, becomes commander-in-chief of the US military and gets his hands on the nuclear arsenal of the world’s only superpower.
Obviously Bond would rather the deranged lesbian who looks like Rosa Klebb had a stroke should be leader of the free world.
After that, the global order fragments; Nato becomes a sham;
“Becomes”? Lol. Serbia says hi.
the Paris climate accord is ruined;
WHO WILL SAVE US FROM THE WEATHER?
China and Japan turn nasty over small islands;
Paul Mason now wants America to police the world. Interesting.
the social fires raging in developing world burn out of control, propelling millions of refugees northwards.
So, exactly like now? Maybe Europe needs a big, beautiful wall.
But the franchise never embraced the full anti-capitalist potential of this storyline.
James Bond WILL return in: CORBYNBALLS
The inimitable Steve:
Your characterisation of Trump as the Rodney Dangerfield character in ‘Caddyshack’ and Killary as Cathy Bates in ‘Misery’ was so on the money I have been repeating it to anyone old enough to have watched them – brilliant!
Mason was exposed as a ‘tin foil hatter’ with his rant on Boris on Question Time the other week – like Murphy all that’s left for him is being forced to go to Venezuela or NK by the Socialist tax while his house is given to the council to accommodate incoming Somalis and Eritreans….
AndrewWS,
“From Russia with Love” was only partly about the Soviets, “Dr No” (the first film) was about a handless Chinese maniac on an island, “Goldfinger” had nothing to do with Russia. How many Bond films has this man seen?”
It was really more about Spectre. I mean, there were often bits of Bond having run-ins with the Soviets (like The Spy Who Loved Me), but they were never the Big Bad.
Mainstream socialism really.
Murder people you don’t like (I bet Trotsky still wishes he hadn’t sent out for pizza). Based on assorted unreal fantasies about non-existent harm being done by assorted straw men and reversing the result of failed court cases.
It isn’t Bond this clown wants it is the Punisher.
BTW–excellent Punisher fight scene from the “Daredevil” show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zsVn_vZ9zE
For someone with a background in the arts Mason is remarkably ignorant about them. In fact being apparently as thick on the arts as his nasal speech makes him appear to be (with abject apologies to anyone with such speech).
All that is required for Bond to survive is for Bond to be a fit bloke who wears budgie smugglers in several scenes and who bonks fit women.
What is guaranteed to make Bond fail to survive is for an Iris Elbow type or a person with a vagina to play Bond, or Ms Bond.
@The Inimitable Steve: God, I so want to hear Shirley belt out that theme!
Van_Patten – thank you!
Yes, Trump’s a happy guy, and his positive energy is infectious.
Seems like most politicians are malevolent oddballs in the mould of New Unhappy Lords.
JuliaM – Diane Abbott could play the love interest, Aurica Clubfinger.
BraveFart,
Education about the arts is often bullshit. It’s about testability. If lots of vets come out of a school and horses die under their watch, well, we know that vet school was terrible. Did Mason compose music or teach a great violinist? No. There’s no measurement that his degree was any good.
(Feeds cat dead Siamese Fighting Fish )
“Let his death be a particularly unpleasant and demeaning one.”
Trump’s a dickhead. He rips people off, he’s a serial liar and failure, he cheats people who owes of the cash he owes them, he hides behind the courts, he puts his name on everything like a silly cunt, he’d have got nowhere without his old man’s money, and his speech patterns reveal not much upstairs.
He is better than the alternative, but only (or at least mostly) because of who she’ll appoint to the Supremes.
One thing I like about Trump is the way he doesn’t apear to give a fuck about who he offends. That I do like.
The Inimitable Steve – “Diane Abbott could play the love interest, Aurica Clubfinger.”
More like Pastries Galore.
Pastries Galore – excellent.
PastriesPlantains Galore.I was think more on the lines of Hippo Onatop
Interested
I think to call Trump a loose cannon is an insult to loose cannons – the man’s a bona fide nut but as has already been said:
He’s surely not as bad as Hilary – the female version of Al Gore – achingly humourless, endlessly PC, quick to take vicarious offence on behalf of any and every ‘minority’ despite owing everything she is to being promoted on account of her minority status and existing in a PC neverland of ‘safe spaces’,’trigger warnings’ and ‘micro-aggressions which bears no relation to reality.
The always excellent Interested makes another key point:
‘One thing I like about Trump is the way he doesn’t apear to give a fuck about who he offends. That I do like.’
The freedom to be offensive/offended is one of the cornerstones of a free society – without it we aren’t far from the goosestep…
Bond should fight Muslim terrorism.
That would be as idiotic as using F22s to fight terrorists. Which means it is already in the works.
Now Bond, we have received intelligence that ISIL’s head of European operations has agreed, under an asset identify, to speak to a meeting of the Stop the War Coalition. Your mission is to infiltrate that meeting…and eliminate all the knobheads from Stop the War. The guy from ISIL will help you once he’s met them.
“The threat is that a madman from central casting gains control of the White House, becomes commander-in-chief of the US military and gets his hands on the nuclear arsenal of the world’s only superpower.”
Come on Reagan didn’t turn out to be that bad overall
Would President/Emperor Trump even be able to fling a spread of nukes at some country who, in some way, insulted His Yoogness?
Serious question, I have no idea what current US command and control is like. Presume they have a madman/General Ripper clause in there.
Ecks, that scene from Daredevil was the best-shot fight scene I’ve seen in ages. None of that stupid jumpy camera work, just good old-fashioned mayhem.
The Sovs barely got a look-in in Bond films.
Dr No: SPECTRE
From Russia: SPECTRE
Goldfinger: megalomaniac billionaire (MB)
Thunderball: SPECTRE
You Only Live Twice: SPECTRE
OHMSS: SPECTRE
Diamonds: SPECTRE, or Blofeld freelancing perhaps
Live and Let Die: Blaxploitation
Man with the Golden Gun: MB
Spy who Loved Me: Soviets, but they’re on our side
Moonraker: MB
For Your Eyes Only: Sovs (hurrah! We have a a winner)
Octopussy: Sovs, but a renegade one
A View to a Kill: MB
Living Daylights: Sovs
License to Kill: Drug cartels
GoldenEye: MB
Tomorrow Never Dies: MB
World Not Enough: MB
Die Another Day: MB/NORKs
Casino Royale: MB
Quantum: MB/SPECTRE
Skyfall: MB
Spectre: um, SPECTRE
Oh dear. All the Bonds with Soviets in are after Thunderball. Of the 24 films, two have them as the explicit adversary. Based on this analysis, I think we can safely add another entry in the big list of reasons why Paul Mason is a cunt.
Bloke in Costa Rica,
Living Daylights was only phony defecting soviets and an American. The legit Soviets (played by the Egyptian archaeologist) were helpful.
So, one movie.
Perhaps we shall see the true face of Spectre (aka “Common Purpose”) who are already at the heart of society led by the Health and Safety Stasi Leader, “Dr No, No, NO!” Although how Bond would get any gadgets from Q department that were not killed off by HSE I have no idea…
Henry Crun – “I was think more on the lines of Hippo Onatop”
Plenty O’Trunk? She can star with Julie Bindel as Feelema Bush.
Laurie Penny could play the first Bond Girl, the disposable one that gets done in by baddies at the end of the second reel. I’d pay to see that.