My initial reaction to the new James Bond title announcement

[andrewducker]

Which is, for those of you not paying attention, "Quantum of Solace"

It's a terrible title, even if Fleming came up with it himself.

Over on instant_fanzine applez demanded that there be an evil genius with a quantum device. To which my response was to demand a scene with the following dialogue:

"Are you alive Mr Bond? Or are you dead? Soon we shall open the box and see! Bwahahahaha!"

Comments

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

I don't really know why they bothered using that title. Yes, it is the title of an Ian Flemming short story, but the film is going to bear no resemblance to the original story. Not least, because in it Bond is only a minor character. 90% of it is set at a dinner party with another character espousing his thoughts and theories on love, which include a mathematical formula to calculate the strength of love, hence the title. It is really just Flemming's attempt to write about his thoughts on love and relationships, which are frankly rather depressing.

[loveandgarbage.livejournal.com]

It just makes me think of John Cleese going into a shop and demanding "A quantum of solace, if you please my good man" from a harrassed Michael Palin.

[guybles.livejournal.com]

I'm working on the theory that the producers just wanted to annoy the people writing the theme tune. Even Shirley Bassey would find it difficult to screech "QuaaaaaaaantUUUUUUUm oooof SOOOOOOOOOOOlllllaaaaaaacccceeee!" without sounding like a drunken physics PhD.

[pennski.livejournal.com]

Maybe the evil genius is the cat and this is its revenge?

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

Why is it a terrible title? It doesn't compare particularly unfavourably to other Bond titles.

[laserboy.livejournal.com]

While it's rather ugly and dare I say even pretentious sounding, I'd still rather that than "something DIES". Odd that a few have bemoaned the fact that the title will be difficult to sing. I don't recall the last Bond movie title turning up in the song and the song was excellent as themes go.

[andrewducker]

Just re-read them all. And the only one that strikes me as being as bad is Octopussy - and that's for entirely different reasons :->