Sean Connery’s 5% Revealed blockbuster on Rotten Tomatoes proves he would have made a great Bond villain

One of Sean Connery’s worst blockbusters gave the screen icon the chance to play his own James Bond Villain. Despite all the great James Bond actors who followed in his footsteps, Connery’s 007 is still considered the one to beat. His appearance as the British secret agent in Dr. No Made him an instant movie star, and Connery’s mix of good looks, charisma and brutality would set the template for Bond. Of course, Connery’s thoughts on the series itself are mixed.

Disputes with the producers of the James Bond Movie franchise over pay and being tied to a strict contract led to him leaving after 1967s You only live twice. He would be lured back to the character twice in the years that followed; Once before 1971s Diamonds are forever and the unofficial Bond outing Never say never again Over a decade later. Connery went on to other major projects and successfully escaped the typecasting that affected many other Bond starsBut it still remained his most popular role.

The Avengers gives Sean Connery the opportunity to play a villain from James Bond

This 1998 blockbuster remake of a classic British spy series

Big budget remakes of television shows became in vogue during the 1990s and were likely sparked by the critical and commercial success of The fugitive. This formula was a mixed bag, with highs like Brian De Palma’s Mission: Impossible And low as Wild Wild West. Arguably the worst blockbuster based on a 1960s show of the time was The AvengersWhich casts Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman as spies teaming up to take down an evil genius who can control the weather. The villain is Sir August de Wynter, played by Sean Connery.

Despite being boosted by the shock success of the first Bond adventure Dr. No In 1962, the original series of The Avengers Actually Debuted this year Before. The show teams up Patric Macnee’s dashing gentleman spy John Steed with an array of ​​sidekicks, although Diana Riggs’ Emma Peel is by far the most popular. The two actors shared an incredible chemistry, which unfortunately did not translate to the Fiennes and Thurman incarnations. While the TV remake is a real mess, The Avengers Allowing Connery to unleash his inner Bond villain and he’s clearly having a blast doing so.

Connery hams up a storm as De Winter, including scenes where he addresses his minions dressed as a large teddy bear, or dons a kilt as he threatens world leaders with his weather machine. The movie gets a shot of energy when Connery turns up, and while his stunt double is obvious during his fights with Steed, the veteran star commits to The Avengers‘ Cartoonish tone with taste.

The producers clearly have these Bond Movies of old in mind with De Winter and his weather scheme, which feels like something Roger Moore’s 007 would have to thwart. The Avengers offers a glimpse of what a Canary Bond villain would be like, And the meta nature of what might have happened if Moore or Pierce Brosnan’s 007 were up against the original star of the series.

The Avengers was a failed franchise starter

This version of The Avengers is not reassembled

Although not as well known in America, the original Avengers Show is considered a classic in England. That’s why Marvel’s The Avengers Had to be retitled Avengers Assemble In the UK in 2012, to keep the two entities separate. The Avengers Movie adaptation is significantly less favorite, sitting at a little 5% on Rotten tomatoes And not to recoup its estimated $60 million budget. According to screenwriter Don McPherson (via Yahoo!), The original cut of The Avengers was much better, but the results of the test screening saw Warner Bros hack it to pieces in the editing.

This accounts for the weird pacing and plot holes that litter the final edit. The Avengers It even fails to explain basic plot points like where the evil version of Mrs Peel (also played by Thurman) came from. The vitriol poured over the film was a bit overblown, although it cannot be denied the film is a mess that wastes an incredible cast. Naturally, the terrible reception got ruined plans. Avengers franchise, and even set back the careers of Fiennes and Thurman in the years that followed.

The Avengers predicted the future of Ralph Fiennes James Bond

“Steed. John Steed” doesn’t have the same ring to it

Fiennes was poised for movie stardom during this time, after his turn in The English patient. Despite being incredibly charming in the role, The Avengers was a big misstep for Fiennes that essentially nixed his leading man career. That’s not to say it hasn’t had a fantastic career in the decades since, ranging from its run as Harry Potter Villain Lord Voldemort to acclaimed performances viz in Bruges Or The Grand Budapest Hotel. One thing The Avengers Did, however, predict Fiennes’ future with the Bond Saga.

From its casting of Connery to its production design and action sequences, the film is a clear homage to the 007 adventures of yesteryear. John Steed (and his later turn in The king’s man) felt like Fiennes’ take on a Bond kind of character, however Fiennes was also up for the 007 role himself twice. The first was for GoldenEye – where he lost out to Pierce Bronson – and his name came up again for 2006’s Casino RoyaleThat went to Daniel Craig.

Fiennes was destined for the series, however, and would eventually succeed Judi Dench as M of Skyfall Forward. Being an actor who may have played Bond at one point in his career, his take on M has an extra layer, and it’s no wonder that Bond’s boss is also more physical. Of course, there is an alternate universe where Fiennes played Steed in multiples AvengersBut this is not to be.

The Avengers technically marked Connery’s final time playing 007

Connery’s final onscreen work as Bond was lost to time

It seems that nobody involved with The Avengers Knowing that they had a disaster on their hands. By all accounts, it was a very pleasant shoot, with no workshop or crew drama to speak of. Director Jeremiah Sh. Chechik talked about working with Sean Connery on The Avengers For this book The Lost Adventures of James Bond (via Yahoo!) and asked him to record a birthday message for Ralph Fiennes. The twist was that Chechik wanted Connery to record Fiennes’ message in character as 007.

During the day, I approached him when Ralph was off set, to film a small birthday greeting from the James Bond of old. So cameras on, rolling, action and out of the mythical Sean Connery’s mouth came the perfectly rendered and captured greeting which included the famous, ‘Happy birthday greetings, from Bond… James Bond.’

Although it may only be for a quick video message, This is likely to be the last time Connery performs the James Bond role on camera. Unfortunately, the birthday greeting is now lost to time, since the director revealed that he does not know what became of the footage. The Avengers Is not a film with much to recommend it, but for those James Bond Or Connery fans who want to see what he could have done with a villainous role in 007, it’s worth a curiosity watch.

Source: Rotten tomatoes, Yahoo!The Lost Adventures of James Bond (by Yahoo!)