10 James Bond Screenwriting Lessons You Can Learn From Spectre

3. Bring It Back Home

Surprisingly, the climax of Spectre takes place in London, in stark contrast to pretty much every other film, whose finales take place on a remote island or in foreign countries. The heart of the Bond series is based in England, and because Blofeld is attacking Bond on such a personal level it makes sense for him to strike on Bond's territory. Obviously Skyfall sets a major action sequence in London, but Spectre follows up on that by featuring the climax on the Thames with a thrilling boat and helicopter chase. Bringing the climax closer to home instead of setting it in a remote region adds to the stakes. On top of that, Bond faces two threats: one on a global scale (surveillance) and one on a personal scale (Madeline). It gives Bond€™s allies an opportunity to get involved in the narrative and makes the finale seem so much more personal because Bond faces it on his home turf. Even though most of the moviegoers are from outside the UK, everyone can understand Bond€™s innate desire to protect his home. The writers still have Bond face insurmountable odds and protecting Queen and country, just in a more explicit way.