As we get closer to the premiere of the latest James Bond film, “Spectre,” this week, there’s lots of buzz about whether or not this is Daniel Craig’s last turn as Bond. As an Ian Fleming/James Bond neophyte, this film could have been much better if so much time had not been spent on making bigger, scarier, gasp-inducing stunts that caused the story to suffer. The action comes at regular intervals, keeping you on the edge of your seat and in many cases in complete awe, especially in a scene involving a car/aeroplane chase.
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He added, however, that since he grew up with Sean Connery as 007, “he ranks high on my list”. The Bond series has been ported over countless times to just about every noteworthy game console you could name. But by the end of Bronson’s run with “Die Another Day” (2002), we were in another decade, and there was a need for a new Bond, something more contemporary. Gauged on a scale of individual quality, cultural significance and simple entertainment value, these are The James Bond Movies ranked from worst to best. “I would be good – I would be a bitchy Bond villain”. By now, James Bond has got to be exhausted of knowing all the spoilers. Her character is completely superfluous except as someone for Bond to mechanically bed, as if as part of a box-checking exercise for Essential Bond Scenes: they’ve barely met before they are engaging in the unsexiest grappling imaginable, and then her character is completely forgotten, never spoken of or seen again. And, finally, the Craig films established a cast of supporting characters to care about. He gives readers a Bond who is, thus far, timeless in that he does not emulate any of the eras of Bond too closely.
Bond’s love interest is Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux, Blue Is the Warmest Color), though there’s actually more chemistry with the older Lucia (Monica Bellucci, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice). Skyfall broke the $1 billion mark, but its the only James Bond movie to ever do that. SPECTRE would’ve benefitted greatly from a shorter runtime and a tighter script. The film does, however, set up a few big things between Bond, MI6, and SPECTRE.
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Craig has a unique take on playing Bond; he is the first actor in this role to show a more vulnerable and emotional side to the character. The actor had a ideal balance between humor and seriousness. Mendes has made two great-looking Bond films-films that look like they belong to another series entirely, one that isn’t driven wholly by the desires of its producers.
