I mostly enjoyed Skyfall, but one of my least favorite scenes is Bond’s scorpion drinking game at the bar. The intent is clear enough: Bond’s steady hand is back as he calmly holds a drink while a scorpion crawls over it, signaling his return to form.

The problem is that the scorpion itself looks unmistakably fake, with CGI so conspicuous that it pulls attention away from the symbolism of the scene. Instead of focusing on Bond’s composure, it made me wonder how such an unconvincing visual effect made it into a movie otherwise praised for its craftsmanship.

What makes the choice even stranger is how little the scene ultimately matters, especially after spending the money on the unnecessary digital effect only to abruptly cut to Bond recovering the next day and robbing the moment of any real payoff. If the sequence was always destined to be this brief, the resources would have been far better spent elsewhere, or avoided altogether in favor of a different bar game (maybe Bond playing darts?)

Dr. No‘s tarantula puts this to shame!