James Bond Should Hide Blofeld Again After No Time To Die

James Bond Should Hide Blofeld Again After No Time To Die

Contents

The James Bond franchise should hide the iconic villain Blofeld again after No Time To Die ends Daniel Craig’s time as 007 to rebuild his mystique.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

James Bond Should Hide Blofeld Again After No Time To Die

While audiences prepare to welcome a new James Bond in the years ahead, the movies following No Time To Die should once again hide 007’s foe Blofeld to rebuild the mystery the villain is now missing. Beginning with Dr. No in 1962, the James Bond movies have so far seen six actors play 007, with each thespian bringing their own unique take on the role. Despite the character appearing in only nine of these movies, Bond’s nemesis Blofeld has also been portrayed by seven actors over the decades, and similarly, each take on the iconic bad guy has differed from the last.

Blofeld was last seen in Spectre, where he got his famous scar during a Bond escape attempt so silly No Time To Die director Cary Fukunaga wanted to undo the scene in his movie. The character was played by Christoph Waltz in that 2015 outing, and although the actor gave the role a spirited performance, he couldn’t elevate Spectre’s silliest revelation – that Bond and Blofeld were actually secret foster brothers. A reveal stolen from Austin Powers, this goofy twist was seen as a misstep for many followers of the 007 movies.

Now, the release of No Time To Die will mark the end of Daniel Craig’s time playing Bond and leave the role open to another actor. The next James Bond should bring with him (or her) a return to the franchise’s more self-aware tone, rather than the Bourne-style self-seriousness of Craig’s outings. To this end, the next movies need to use Blofeld sparingly, as the character can be a reminder of Bond’s sillier side if kept in the shadows. When used as a primary antagonist, as in Spectre, Blofeld’s appearance can slide into unintentional self-parody, especially when his look was so effectively skewered by Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil. However, when portrayed as an unseen figure who constantly eludes Bond’s grasp, Blofeld can get up to all manner of potentially ludicrous spy movie antics without seeming too overpowered as, this way, even the almost indestructible Bond has at least one enemy who he can’t disarm with a quip.

See also  Everything We Know About Edge of Tomorrow 2

The Craig Era Overused Blofeld

James Bond Should Hide Blofeld Again After No Time To Die

Although he only appeared in Spectre, the revelation that Blofeld was secretly Bond’s brother was a touch too silly for the Craig era of the James Bond franchise, and even Waltz’s chilling performance couldn’t overcome this. Hiding Blofeld again, at least for a while, would bring back the character’s air of mystique. Blofeld, it is important to note, didn’t even appeared onscreen until his third appearance in a Bond adventure, where he was played by Donald Pleasance in 1967’s You Only Live Twice. Until then, he was the invisible hand whose orders set Bond’s adventures into motion, but who was never himself central to the story, an approach the franchise would do well to revisit.

The Craig series often attempted to give Bond a backstory as seen in Skyfall, a decision that tied the character to one actor. Making Blofeld Bond’s secret brother was the culmination of the project, a decision that minimized the effectiveness of a once-terrifying villain by giving him a motive as mundane as revenge. Blofeld was originally depicted as the unseen chess master who was orchestrating the many misadventures Bond became knotted up in, and part of his appeal was the fact that, while Bond often caught and killed individual villains, Blofeld continued to elude him. This point is lost when Blofeld’s life is revealed to be centered around getting back at Bond.

Blofeld Could Be An Unexpected Source of Diversity For Bond

James Bond Should Hide Blofeld Again After No Time To Die

The 007 franchise has long been criticized for its perceived lack of diversity, and whether it is Idris Elba or Daniel Kaluuya, many Bond fans want an actor of color or a non-male-presenting actor to take on the part next. However, the hero is not the only vital Bond character who could add a little diversity to the next iteration of the franchise. Refusing to reveal Blofeld for the first few post-Craig installments would make it all the more surprising if the character was eventually seen onscreen and turned out to not be the white, male villain audiences have come to expect Blofeld to be. The series needs more diversity on all fronts, so a non-white, non-male-presenting villain could be as good a casting change as a less white, male MI6 spy (especially if made in tandem with more diverse casting on the heroic side of things, too).

See also  SpiderMan Shattered Dimensions Costumes Recreated in Insomniac Game

If Bond received a new Q, a new M, and a new Miss Moneypenny to sever the tie with the Craig movies and establish a new continuity, there is no reason the character would not also get a new Blofeld in the process. Already, No Time To Die’s decision to cast Rami Malek as Safin proves the series is interested in adding a more diverse range to its rogue’s gallery of baddies. However, giving the most famous villain role in the 007 movies to a non-white, non-male actor would show a commitment to diversity and freshening up a potentially cliche character in the process.

Blofeld’s Mystery Made Bond Great (And Silly)

The earliest Bond outings used Blofeld sparingly, and in his first two appearances, Bond never got to tangle with him in person. However, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service saw Blofeld kills Bond’s bride in a twist as brutal as Casino Royale’s darkest moment and proved the character can be both a faraway figure and an all-too-real threat at the same time. This made the seemingly unstoppable Bond vulnerable, a crucial detail the character has lost in recent outings despite retaining his tortured psyche. Keeping Blofeld aloof and at a distance ensured that viewers never felt 007 was the only unbeatable figure in the series, making the potentially silly adventures more believable by giving them context. Bringing back the classic James Bond franchise villain after No Time To Die could reinforce this while restoring the sense of menace the character brought to the series.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/bond-26-no-time-die-new-blofeld-hidden-why/

Movies -