The FFOW! series takes a look at that vast library created by the proud and the passionate: fan films. Whether the budget and talent is astronomical or amateur, FFOW! celebrates the filmmakers whose love of comics, books, movies, video games, and TV shows inspires them to join the great conversation with their own homemade masterpieces.
Skyfall is Daniel Craig’s third and best outing as Agent 007. Usually, the new release of a Bond film sparks two things: a spike in Aston-Martin automobile sales, and pub debates over the classic question, “Who’s the best James Bond?”
Thanks to the magic of stop-motion animation, this week’s film will finally answer that question.
THE FILM
Battle of the Bonds is the original short directed by Kyle Roberts of Reckless Abandonment Pictures in Oklahoma City, OK. Part homage and part parody, the film stars the action figures of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, and Honor “Pussy Galore” Blackman as they originally appeared in their respective hey days.
The opening is a full-on action spectacle. Each Bond faces down iconic villains. Dr. No! Ninjas! Assassins! Oddjob! The Creature from the Black Lagoon?! Yep. And, in classic Bond fashion, no threat is too great for any incarnation of our favorite secret agent. The real trouble starts when they have to team up for one simple mission. “How many Bonds does it take to diffuse a bomb?” Four ego-centric secret agents with a license to kill don’t make the best bed fellows. There’s only one left standing at the end, and it might not be who you think.
WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT
The opening credits are pure Bond. The original title song, “Mirror, Mirror,” by Stf Bidelspach eventually become a full-length song thanks to fan demand.
I love stop-motion animation. It’s a lost art form in the professional filmmaking world thanks to CGI. Now, thanks to Hot Toys, fans can reclaim that art form for themselves and use articulated figures with incredible detail. We’ve seen that in other incredible fan films this year. Roberts was able to afford every figure thanks to funds provided by Speeding Bullet Comics and the Oklahoma Toy and Action Figure Museum.
According to his website, Roberts spent eight months animating the film for four hours at a time. He used over five thousand individual stills to animate the action sequences, which were later composited with visual effects and green screen backgrounds. The end result is great. The green screen allows Roberts‘ camera to move as much as his figures, so that he isn’t locked down when anyone moves across screen.
The cast features several YouTube celebrities. Daneboe of Annoying Orange fame plays Craig-Bond, and Brittani Louise Taylor plays Miss Galore. Zack Scott is Roger Moore. Lucas Ross does the best with playing Connery. He echoes Darryl Hammond’s impression that was immortalized on Saturday Night Live’s Jeopardy sketches.
Best of all are the inside jokes with Bond fans. Have you noticed I haven’t mentioned Timothy Dalton or George Lazenby? Don’t worry. The gang’s all here. As to who is the last Bond standing, I won’t say moore.
WHERE YOU CAN SEE IT
Battle of the Bonds is posted online at Reckless Abandonment’s website, along with his other short films and music videos.
